![Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block 1B interceptor is launched from the USS Lake Erie](/sites/default/files/2023-02/120517_Aegis1.jpg)
Press Release
May 17, 2012
Johns Hopkins APL Plays Key Role in Test of Next-Generation Ballistic Missile Defense
As the technical direction agent for Aegis BMD, APL is integral in the full systems engineering life-cycle of the system, including testing and transition of the BMD capability to the fleet. APL played a critical role in planning and designing the mission scenario, evaluating the test target, and predicting the Aegis BMD system performance for the test.
![Back-and-forth blinking of this two-image animation shows movement of a sand dune on Mars](/sites/default/files/2023-02/120509_BridgesSOM.gif)
Press Release
May 9, 2012
NASA Mars Spacecraft Detects Large Changes in Martian Sand Dunes
A team of researchers led by a Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory scientist has revealed that movement in sand dune fields on Mars occurs on a surprisingly large scale, about the same as in dune fields on Earth.
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Press Release
May 8, 2012
MESSENGER Gains Deputy Principal Investigator
Larry Nittler, a staff scientist in the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, has been named deputy principal investigator of the MESSENGER mission.
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Press Release
May 3, 2012
MESSENGER’s Cameras Capture 100,000th Image From Mercury Orbit
This week, MESSENGER's Mercury Dual Imaging System delivered the 100,000th image of Mercury since the spacecraft entered into orbit around the planet on March 18, 2011.
![Cargo plane waiting for twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes](/sites/default/files/2023-02/120501_image1.jpg)
Press Release
May 1, 2012
NASA’s Radiation Belt Storm Probes Arrive at Kennedy Space Center
NASA’s twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) safely arrived today at 7:54 a.m. EDT at the Kennedy Space Center, Fla., where they are scheduled for an August launch to begin their mission to study the extremes of space weather.
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Press Release
Apr 26, 2012
Dr. Seuss, Alvin Ailey among the Names Selected for 23 Mercury Craters
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recently approved a proposal from the MESSENGER Science Team to assign 23 new names to impact craters on Mercury.
![Norma Lee Todd, Office of Technology Transfer Supervisor, and Courtney Samuels, Special Assistant to Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) present the Government Purpose Innovation Award to the Force Projection Department's Craig Carmen, Joshua Broadwater and Ashley Llorens](/sites/default/files/2023-02/120425_image1.jpg)
Press Release
Apr 25, 2012
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab Names 2011 Best Inventions
An ultra-compact motor controller used to revolutionize movement in a state-of-the-art prosthetic arm and an innovative algorithm for improving the performance of undersea sensors are the winners of The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory’s Invention of the Year and Government Purpose Innovation awards for 2011.
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Press Release
Apr 20, 2012
MESSENGER Settles into Eight-Hour Orbit Around Mercury, Poised for New Discoveries
MESSENGER mission controllers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., conducted the second of two maneuvers required to reduce the spacecraft's orbital period about Mercury.
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Press Release
Apr 19, 2012
APL-Developed Prosthetic Limb System Featured on the Cover of Popular Mechanics
The Modular Prosthetic Limb, developed by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., is featured on the cover of the May issue of Popular Mechanics, available on newsstands now.
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Press Release
Apr 16, 2012
MESSENGER Adjusts Orbit for a Closer Look at Mercury
The MESSENGER mission successfully completed the first of two maneuvers designed to reduce the spacecraft's orbital period about Mercury.