News Releases

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.

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.

Top scientists and educators will convene in Maryland this summer to explore a basic, but controversial, question: What is a planet?

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.

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.

A new online map lets visitors explore Mars' past through a collection of high-resolution observations from one of the most powerful spectrometers ever sent to the Red Planet. Evidence of ancient bodies of water, flowing rivers and groundwater peeks out from beneath layers of hardened magma and dust—testaments to Mars' progression through wet, volcanic and dry eras.

More than 100 Maryland middle school students will explore "Sun–Earth Connections" on Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22, during the latest "Space Academy" at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md.

NASA will launch two identical probes into the radiation belts to provide unprecedented insight into the physical dynamics of near-Earth space, where violent space weather can affect astronauts, satellites and even ground-based technologies.

Alvin Eaton, a former Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) associate director and current senior fellow working on special assignments for the Laboratory, was among a small group presented with the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA's)Technology Pioneer Award for contributions to ballistic missile defense.

A system to scope out suspicious computer use, an epidemic-identification program, and super-thin batteries based on nanotubes are The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory's Inventions of the Year.