Pasadena.science – new and updated https://pasadena.science/ Pasadena.science: new and updated en Sat, 07 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 Platforma TheScience.fm How do spacecraft get power far from the Sun? Solar panels, batteries and plutonium https://pasadena.science/how-do-spacecraft-get-power/ https://pasadena.science/how-do-spacecraft-get-power/#2026-11-07 Sat, 07 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 Near the Sun, spacecraft run on solar panels; far from it, many use the heat of decaying plutonium-238. How both work, where solar power stops, and why the Voyagers are switching off. Updated: Articles https://pasadena.science/articles/ https://pasadena.science/articles/#2026-11-07 Sat, 07 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 Explanatory articles that answer one question each, with their sources. What did Poland build for NASA’s InSight Mars lander – and why did the “mole” stop? https://pasadena.science/what-did-poland-build-for-insight/ https://pasadena.science/what-did-poland-build-for-insight/#2026-11-03 Tue, 03 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 The hammering drive of InSight’s heat probe, the “mole”, was built in Poland. Why the mole stalled near the surface and what the mission still found. Is JPL part of NASA? How a 1936 student rocket test became NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory https://pasadena.science/is-jpl-part-of-nasa/ https://pasadena.science/is-jpl-part-of-nasa/#2026-11-03 Tue, 03 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 JPL works for NASA but is operated by Caltech. It began with a student rocket test in Pasadena on 31 October 1936 and joined NASA only in December 1958. How do Mars rovers send their data to Earth? https://pasadena.science/how-do-mars-rovers-send-data-to-earth/ https://pasadena.science/how-do-mars-rovers-send-data-to-earth/#2026-11-03 Tue, 03 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 Mars rovers send almost all their data to orbiters passing overhead, which forward it to the Deep Space Network on Earth. How the relay works. Glossary https://pasadena.science/glossary/ https://pasadena.science/glossary/#2026-11-03 Tue, 03 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 The key terms of this site and its city, each explained in a few plain sentences, with a link to the page where it is discussed. Science Travel https://pasadena.science/science-travel/ https://pasadena.science/science-travel/#2026-11-01 Sun, 01 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 Science sights in and around Pasadena: JPL, Mount Wilson, Caltech, the Huntington, Kidspace, Griffith Observatory, Endeavour and Palomar, with trip plans. The long road of the Voyagers https://pasadena.science/outer-planets/ https://pasadena.science/outer-planets/#2026-11-01 Sun, 01 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 Voyager 1 and 2: launched in 1977, flybys of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, gravity assists, the Golden Record and the crossing into interstellar space. From proposal to launch https://pasadena.science/missions/ https://pasadena.science/missions/#2026-11-01 Sun, 01 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 How a NASA robotic mission is born: competitive proposals, the life-cycle phases from concept studies to closeout, the reviews between them, and the role of JPL and Caltech. Mars, one rover at a time https://pasadena.science/mars/ https://pasadena.science/mars/#2026-11-01 Sun, 01 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 NASA’s Mars rovers built at JPL, from Sojourner in 1997 to Perseverance in 2021: how they landed, how they drive, and what each was built to find out. Institutes & Facilities https://pasadena.science/institutes-facilities/ https://pasadena.science/institutes-facilities/#2026-11-01 Sun, 01 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 Universities and research centres in Pasadena: Caltech, JPL, IPAC, Carnegie Observatories, Mount Wilson, ArtCenter, PCC, Fuller, HMRI, the Huntington. Navigating by radio signal https://pasadena.science/how-a-mission-flies/ https://pasadena.science/how-a-mission-flies/#2026-11-01 Sun, 01 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 How deep space navigation works: transfer orbits and launch windows, Doppler, ranging and delta-DOR measurements from the Deep Space Network, course corrections, and why signal delay makes landings autonomous. Three dishes, one conversation https://pasadena.science/deep-space-network/ https://pasadena.science/deep-space-network/#2026-11-01 Sun, 01 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 NASA’s Deep Space Network: three antenna complexes in California, Spain and Australia, about 120 degrees apart, operated by JPL. How it began, how it works and how to watch it live. Contact https://pasadena.science/contact/ https://pasadena.science/contact/#2026-11-01 Sun, 01 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 Contact Pasadena.science, part of the TheScience.fm Platform. Conferences & Events https://pasadena.science/conferences-events/ https://pasadena.science/conferences-events/#2026-11-01 Sun, 01 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 Recurring science events in Pasadena: Explore JPL, Carnegie open house, Caltech lectures and stargazing, Seminar Day, Mount Wilson, ArtNight, Rose Parade. City & Region https://pasadena.science/city-region/ https://pasadena.science/city-region/#2026-11-01 Sun, 01 Nov 2026 09:00:00 +0100 Pasadena, California: location, history, economy, scientists and how to get there, from the Arroyo Seco and the Rose Parade to Caltech and JPL.