Nov Is Native American History Month

Exotic Innards of A Neutron Star Revealed in a Series of Explosions

Amid the fury of 28 thermonuclear blasts on a neutron star's surface, scientists using the European Space Agency's (ESA) XMM-Newton X-ray satellite have obtained a key measurement revealing the nature of matter inside these enigmatic objects.

The result, capturing for the first time the ratio between such an ultra-dense star's mass and radius in an extreme gravity environment, is featured in the November 7 issue of Nature. Dr. Jean Cottam of Goddard leads this international effort.

The neutron star -- the core remains of a star once bigger than the Sun yet now small enough to fit within the Washington Beltway -- contains densely packed matter under forces that perhaps existed at the moment of the Big Bang but which cannot be duplicated on Earth. The contents offer a crucial test for theories describing the fundamental nature of matter and energy.

For the complete article on the capturing of the measurements that reveal the type of matter inside a neutron star, go to: http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/
20021003nsexplosion.html

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NASA 's Mission:
*To understand and protect our home planet
*To explore the Universe and search for life
*To inspire the next generation of explorers
…as only NASA can

For a further details of the NASA mission, go to: http://www.nasa.gov/bios/vision.html

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Vision, Passion, Courage Address at Annual PAIR Summit

Native American History Month - Honoring Life, Elders, Heritage

Wake Up for "Last Chance" Meteor Shower

Cookies for Caring

Goddard Celebrates America Recycles Day

Safety Alerts

This week in history: Nov 7, 1996 the Mars Global Surveyor was launched and became the first successful mission to the red planet in two decades. It has observed the planet from a low-altitude, nearly polar orbit over the course of nearly two Earth years. Mars Global Surveyor recently completed its primary mission on January 31, 2001, and is now in an extended mission phase. For more on the Mars Global Surveyor, go to: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/