![Color image of the Caloris basin and adjacent regions](/sites/default/files/2023-02/080703_caloris_color.jpg)
Press Release
Jul 3, 2008
MESSENGER Settles Old Debates and Makes New Discoveries at Mercury
Scientists have argued about the origins of Mercury's smooth plains and the source of its magnetic field for over 30 years. Now, analyses of data from the January 2008 flyby of the planet by the MESSENGER spacecraft have shown that volcanoes were involved in plains formation and suggest that its magnetic field is actively produced in the planet's core and is not a frozen relic.
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Press Release
Jun 20, 2008
APL's Jim McAdams Named AIAA Engineer of the Year
Jim McAdams of The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., was named the 2008 Engineer of the Year by the Baltimore Section, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). The award is presented to a member of the local chapter who has made a recent, significant contribution in the field of engineering.
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Press Release
Jun 18, 2008
Aspiring Engineers Come to Maryland for National MESA Competition
Students from middle and high schools across the country are coming to Maryland to show off their engineering skills and compete in the 2008 MESA USA National Engineering Design Competition, June 19-22.
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Press Release
Jun 13, 2008
APL Supports Dual-Target Tracking Exercise
APL, technical direction agent for the Aegis BMD program, performed preflight predictions of the weapon system and missile performance using high-fidelity simulations, and will be updating and validating these simulation models using the collected data to enhance the accuracy of future Aegis BMD system performance predictions.
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Press Release
Jun 5, 2008
APL Helps Enhance Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Capability
During a Hawaii-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) flight test today, APL's Standard Missile experts helped test a new layer of defense being added to the Aegis BMD system that will provide sailors with more operational flexibility.
![Andrew Cheng](/sites/default/files/2023-02/080530_image1.jpg)
Press Release
May 30, 2008
Andrew Cheng Named Chief Scientist for APL Space Department
Dr. Andrew Cheng has been appointed chief scientist for the Space Department at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md. He now serves as the department's external liaison for space science and will provide independent science advice and strategic vision to Lab and department leadership. He is also responsible for providing overall strategic direction and initiative to recruiting and investments in science capabilities.
![Wind vectors in Jupiter's Little Red Spot measured from the New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) frames, plotted on the first time step](/sites/default/files/2023-02/080520_image1.gif)
Press Release
May 20, 2008
Storm Winds Blow in Jupiter's Little Red Spot
Using data from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft and two telescopes at Earth, an international team of scientists has found that one of the solar system's largest and newest storms — Jupiter's Little Red Spot — has some of the highest wind speeds ever detected on any planet.
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Press Release
May 15, 2008
Conference to Grapple with Planet Definitions
Top scientists and educators will convene in Maryland this summer to explore a basic, but controversial, question: What is a planet?
![Artist's concept of NASA's Solar Probe spacecraft making its daring pass toward the sun](/sites/default/files/2023-02/080501_image1.jpg)
Press Release
May 1, 2008
NASA Calls on APL to Send a Probe to the Sun
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory is sending a spacecraft closer to the Sun than any probe has ever gone — and what it finds could revolutionize what we know about our star and the solar wind that influences everything in our solar system.
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Press Release
Apr 28, 2008
Mercury Features Receive New Names
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) has approved new names for features on Mercury and agreed on a new theme for fossae on the planet. These newly christened features were discovered from images taken by the MESSENGER spacecraft during its first flyby of Mercury in January.