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NASA Breaking News

10/16/11 NASA, Japan Release Improved Topographic Map Of Earth
NASA and Japan released a significantly improved version of the most complete digital topographic map of Earth on Monday, produced with detailed measurements from NASA's Terra spacecraft.
10/16/11 Three New Flight Directors Chosen To Lead NASA's Mission Control
NASA has selected three new flight directors to manage International Space Station operations.
10/13/11 NASA, NRO, USAF Establish Strategy for Certifying New Expendable Launch Vehicles
NASA, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the U.S. Air Force signed an agreement this week to establish clear criteria for certification of commercial providers of launch vehicles used for national security space and civil space missions.

NASA Image of the Day

Stars Adorn Orion's Sword
This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows what lies near the sword of the constellation Orion -- an active stellar nursery containing thousands of young stars and developing protostars. Many will turn out like our sun. Some are even more massive. These massive stars light up the Orion nebula, which is seen here as the bright region near the center of the image. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Exciting planet info

On January 11, 2012, NASA sent out two very intriguing news releases regarding planets. One release states that the Milky Way Galaxy contains at least 100 billion planets. This information comes from a detailed statistical study based on the detection of three extrasolar planets, which is the second interesting story. The study concludes that there are far more Earth-sized planets than bloated Jupiter-sized worlds. To read the full release click here.

Astronomers using data from the Kepler mission discovered the three smallest exoplanets yet detected. The planets orbit the star KOI-961 and are 0.78, 0.73 and 0.57 times the radius of Earth. The smallest is about the size of Mars. All three are rocky planets, but orbit to close to their star to be in the habitable zone. To read the full release, click here.

Kepler finds potential Earth

December 5, 2011: The NASA Kepler mission has confirmed its first planet in the "habitable zone" - the region around a star where liquid water could exist on the surface. The planet, Kepler-22b, is 2.4 times the size of Earth, and orbits a star that could be the twin of our own in 290 days. Kepler-22b is the first of 48 planets that are suspected to be in the habitable zones of their stars. Scientists do not yet know its composition - whether rocky, gaseous or liquid. For more information, visit JPL

Voyager 1 enters stagnation zone

December 5, 2011: The venerable spacecraft Voyager 1 has entered the "stagnation zone" 11 billion miles from Earth. This zone is where "changed particles streaming out from our sun has calmed, our solar system's magnetic field is piled up, and higher-energy particles from inside our solar system appear to be leaking out into interstellar space." To learn more, click here

Mars Science Laboratory launches!

The launch of the highly anticipated Mars Science Laboratory went off as scheduled at 7:02 am PST (10:02 am EST) on Saturday, November 26th, 2011 from Cape Canaveral. The spacecraft separated from its Atlas V rocket and called home successfully. The automobile-sized craft will take nine months to travel to the Red Planet and will arrive in August, 2012. The MSL is carrying the next Mars Rover - Curiousity. Curiousity is outfitted with instruments which are key to assessing the capability of Mars' environment to support microbial life. For information on the mission and launch, visit Mars Science Laboratory at JPL .

Kepler finds Tatooine

September 15, 2011

NASA's Kepler mission has made the first solid detection of a circumbinary planet (a planet orbiting two stars) 200 light years from Earth. Unlike Stars Wars Tatooine, the planet is too cold to harbor life but it does indicate the diversity of planets in our galaxy. Visit NASA to get the full story.

GRAIL launches

September. 10, 2011

NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission to study the moon successfully launched on Saturday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. GRAIL is made up of twin spacecrafts, which will spend nine months studying the moon in unprecedented detail.

Cassini & Hyperion

August 26, 2011

Cassini visited Hyperion, one of Saturn's most bizarre moons, for the second time, coming as close as 15,000 miles. The images are intriguing - the moon looks spongy. Visit the Space Science Institute .

Atlantis lands, ends shuttle program

July 21, 2011

in the predawn era on July 21st, the space shuttle Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Center, ending the 30 year shuttle program. The shuttle delivered supplies to the International Space Station - enough to last a year. On July 22nd, 3200 contract workers at Kennedy will lose their jobs.

Pluto has a new moon

Using the Hubble Telescope, NASA has discovered a new moon around Pluto. This makes Pluto's fourth moon, and it is temporarily dubbed P4. For more information, click here.

Dawn enters the orbit of Vesta

On July 15, 2011 NASA probe Dawn entered the orbit of the giant asteroid Vesta. It became the first probe to enter orbit around an object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. On July 18th, Dawn returned a close-up image of Vesta.

Neptune completes an orbit of the sun

On July 12, 2011, Neptune completed its first orbit of the sun since its discovery 165 years ago. The planet is 2.8 billion miles (4.5 billion kilometers) from the Sun or 30 times farther than Earth. With the weak gravitational pull and its huge orbit, Neptune's year is approximately 165 Earth years.

The Last Shuttle

The shuttle's always going to be a reflection to what a great nation can do when it dares to be bold and commits to follow through. We're not ending the journey today…we're completing a chapter of a journey that will never end. Commander Christopher Ferguson, upon the final flight of the shuttle program, Atlantis, July 8th, 2011.

The last space shuttle, Atlantiis, launched on July 8, 2011. Only four crew members are on board this last voyage. They are carrying supplies and parts for the International Space Station, which henceforth will be reliant on the Russians for supplies.

The shuttle program ends after 30 years and with it, thousands of jobs will be lost at Kennedy Space Center.

But may this be only the end of a chapter in a journey that will never end.

Good-bye Spirit

On May 25, 2011, NASA announced the end of Spirit, the twin of Opportunity. The two rovers landed on Mars in early 2004 for what was planned to be a three month mission. After over six years after arriving, Spirit has been given up for lost - its solar energy cells are depleted. Opportunity still lives.

May the spirit of Spirit live forever as an example to us all - to exceed what is expected of us and to explore new frontiers. We shall miss you.

Endeavor launches!

After two weeks of delays, the space shuttle Endeavor launched on its final flight at at 8:56 am EDT on May 16th, 2011. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in January, was there to watch her husband & mission commander Mark Kelly, along with hundreds of thousands of others. After Endeavor (STS 134) there is only one more shuttle mission - Atlantis, currently scheduled for July. The space shuttle program launched in 1981 with Columbia.

First image of Mercury from orbit

NASA released the first image of Mercury taken from orbit on March 29, 2011 by the spacecraft Messenger. Messenger arrived in orbit on March 17th, after an over six year journey. The only other spacecraft to visit Mercury was Mariner 10 in 1974-75, but it only saw one side of the planet. Messenger will explore all sides.

Farewell Discovery

The venerable shuttle Discovery completed its final mission, STS 133, on March 9th. It touched down at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center at 11:47 am EST. After removal of three engines, fuel and other hazardous materials, Discovery will go on display at the Smithsonian.

Only two more missions remain - STS 134 with Endeavor (originally targeted for April 19th), and STS 135 with Atlantis in late June, 2011.

Changes at Phlare

We have lowered MSRP and wholesale prices and also added eight new note cards.

At Phlare, we explore the marvels of the solar system and the rest of the vast universe through cool, interactive & highly educational products.

Since 2002 we have been producing products that teach people about stars, Mars, supernovae, the farside of the moon, galaxies, quasars, the possibility of life in the solar system, the face on Mars, Saturn, Enceladus, black holes, dark energy, Olympus Mons and much, much more. Our goal is to inspire & educate using imagery and to increase the support of space itself and space exploration.

We're glad you came - please take a look at the products on each page.
Welcome to Phlare.com – inspiration & education through imagery!
Images of space

Hubble's 20th Anniversary

April 24th, 2010

The venerable Hubble Space Telescope celebrated its 20th birthday on April 24, 2010. Launched on this day in 1990, Hubble has been serviced in four separate missions, the last in May, 2009. The gorgeous image below was released on the anniversary date. Be sure to visit the Hubble 3D IMAX if it is showing in your area - it is extraordinary. Check here to see if it is in a venue near you - Hubble IMAX . To celebrate Hubble's anniversary and leave a message as a Hubble fan, visit www.hubblesite.org

Hubble's 20th Anniversary image

 

"Apollo was a good thing to do." Neil Armstrong, July 20, 2009

40th Anniversary of Apollo 11

July 20, 2009 marked the 40th anniversary of the Apollo Mission, mankind's first landing on the lunar surface. In a rare appearance, Apollo 11 astronauts Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin and Neal Armstrong appeared at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The astronauts talked more about the future of space exploration than the past, with a call to focus on Mars rather than return to the moon. For more information on Apollo and the 40th anniversary visit NASA (www.nasa.gov/home). NASA

LRO Sends Back First Images

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) sent back its first images of the lunar surface on July 2, 2009. The images were of a region of lunar highlands south of Mare Nubium. The mission, which was launched in mid-June, will scout for safe and compelling landing sigtes, locate potential resources and study the effects of prolonged exposure to lunar radiation. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/main/index.html (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter)

Hubble Mission is a Success!

The shuttle Atlantis astronauts completed repairs on the Hubble Telescope on Monday, May 18th, 2009. They were able to amke all of the repairs needed, from adding new cameras to battery replacement and have outfitted the venerable telescope for another five to ten years. For information on this amazing mission visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/servicing/SM4/main/SM4_Essentials.html (Mission to Hubble)

Planet Hunter Successfully Launches

NASA's Kepler spacecraft, the first mission with the ability to detect Earth-like planets, launched at 10:49 pm EST on Friday, March 6th. Kepler will observe a section of space that contains about 100,000 stars like our sun for 3.5 years, watching for slight dimming as planets pass between their stars and Kepler. For more information visit mission pages.

New Moon Found

The Cassini orbiter discovered Saturn's 61st moon on March 3rd, embedded in the very faint G ring. Prior to the discovery, the G ring was the only dusty ring not associated with a moon, which was unusual. Images can be found at CICLOPS (Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Central Operations).

Five Years on Mars

Originally designed to function for three months, the incredible Mars Rovers, Spirit & Opportunity celebrated their fifth year on the Red Planet. Spirit landed first, on January 3, 2004; Opportunity landed three weeks later, on January 25, 2004. The two rovers found clear and conclusive evidence that Mars was drenched with water at some time in its history. More than any other craft, the rovers brought Mars to Earth. For more information visit NASA.

It's Snowing on Mars

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander detected snow falling from Martian clouds in late September. The snow, which was the first ever detected on Mars, vaporized before it hit the ground. A laser instrument detected the snow about 2.5 miles (4 km) above the spacecraft. For more information, visit NASA.

Surface Liquid Found on Titan

On July 30th, scientists announced that at least one of the lakes observed on Saturn's moon Titan is liquid - the only other body in the solar system besides Earth known to have surface liquid. Titan's lakes are made of hydrocarbons and ethane has been detected. Titan's surface temperature is 300 degrees below zero Fahrenheit - far too cold for liquid water. For more information, visit NASA.