News Releases

NASA has officially renamed the recently launched mission to study Earth’s radiation belts the Van Allen Probes, in honor of the late James Van Allen. Van Allen was the head of the physics department at the University of Iowa who is recognized for his discovery in 1958 of radiation belts encircling Earth.

The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) has awarded its 2012 Laurels for Team Achievement to the team leading NASA’s Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission to the innermost planet.

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has revealed that the giant asteroid Vesta has its own version of ring around the collar. Scientists from The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) contribute to two new papers describing how volatile, or easily evaporated materials, have colored Vesta’s surface in a broad swath around its equator.

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the Robinson Nature Center are teaming up for a joint lecture series called “Beyond Earth.” APL scientists will share details of and discuss findings from four Laboratory space missions to different parts of the solar system.

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) will partner with the Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality to design, implement and deploy an integrated set of interventions to reduce medical errors in intensive care units.

NASA’s Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP), the first twin-spacecraft mission designed to explore our planet’s radiation belts, launched into the predawn skies at 4:05 a.m. EDT today from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

NASA’s Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) — built by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory — are set to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket Aug. 23. The 20-minute launch window for the twin probes at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 begins at 4:08 a.m. EDT.

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recently approved a proposal from the MESSENGER Science Team to assign names to nine impact craters on Mercury.

NASA’s Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) mission will send two spacecraft into the harsh environment of our planet’s radiation belts. Final preparations have begun for launch on Thursday, Aug. 23, from Florida’s Space Coast.

The MESSENGER spacecraft launched eight years ago today — on August 3, 2004 — embarking on a six-and-a-half year journey to become the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury.