Deep Space Network
NASA Turns Off One of Voyager 2's Science Instruments
The two Voyager spacecraft have been speeding through space since 1977, powered by decaying chunks of plutonium that produce less…
NASA Tightbeams a Cat Video From 31 Million Kilometers Away
NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) has been responsible for maintaining contact with missions venturing beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO) since…
NASA Uses Powerful Transmitters to Talk to Deep Space Spacecraft. Will Other Civilizations Receive Those Signals?
In a recent study submitted to the Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, a pair of researchers from…
A 500-Meter-Long Asteroid Flew Past Earth, and Astronomers Were Watching
An asteroid the size of the Empire State Building flew past Earth in early February, coming within 1.8 million km…
The World’s Ground Stations are Getting Ready to Watch a Spacecraft Crash Into an Asteroid Next Week!
On Monday, Sept. 26th, the DART mission will collide with an asteroid to test a method of planetary defense. The…
Communication With Mars is About to Become Impossible (for two Weeks)
Every two years, Mars enters what is known as a "Solar Conjunction," where its orbit takes it behind the Sun…
How Long is a Day on Venus? We Finally Know the Exact Answer
Using the radio-echo timing technique, a team of researchers have precisely measured the length of a day on Venus
What’s the Best Way to Communicate With an Interstellar Probe When it’s Light-Years Away From Earth?
A new study by an international team of scientists addressed a major challenge with interstellar missions: how to send and…
James Webb is Working Perfectly! On the Ground. Next Trick: Doing it From Space
The James Webb Space Telescope recently passed another critical milestone - the Ground Segment Test - and is on track…
Astronomers are Using NASA’s Deep Space Network to Hunt for Magnetars
Right, magnetars. Perhaps one of the most ferocious beasts to inhabit the cosmos. Loud, unruly, and temperamental, they blast their…