Features Archive 2010-2014
Supercomputers Help Reveal the Sun’s Hidden Mysteries
Stunning new data from space-based observatories, combined with rapid advances in computing, are inspiring breakthroughs in space weather research.
Galaxy Simulations Take On Ancient Questions
Scientists are using NASA supercomputers to produce state-of-the-art 3D simulations that can follow the formation and evolution of thousands of galaxies simultaneously, to gain deeper insight into the mechanisms of galaxy formation.
NASA Earth Exchange: Meet Up in the NEX World
With its newly expanded web portal and added resources, the NASA Earth Exchange (NEX) makes it even easier for Earth scientists to join forces, make new discoveries, and share knowledge to gain a better understanding of our planet.
NASA’s Seven-Minute Miracle, Revisited
Before NASA's Curiosity rover could begin its scientific mission on Mars, it first had to get there—with a little help from the agency’s supercomputers.
Re-creating Earth's Oceans Inside a Supercomputer
Re-creating Earth's Oceans Inside a SupercomputerUsing complex computer models and the Pleiades supercomputer, scientists are taking a closer look at Earth's oceans and sea-ice to understand more about how they work and why they are changing.
Giving Rocket Science a Boost
As NASA pours both its brainpower and supercomputing power into the new Space Launch System, NAS Division modeling and simulation experts remind us that it really is rocket science.
Searching for Sister Planets
The discovery that planets orbit the Sun in ellipses, rather than circles, was made by 16th century mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler using only the observations of his predecessors and his own unique calculations—without the aid of the yet-to-be invented telescope and long before modern computers were dreamed of.
Cracking the Mysteries of Space Weather
Our planet is mostly protected from solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and other space weather events by a cocoon of magnetic field called the magnetosphere.
Developing Next-Gen Launch Vehicles
With the retirement of the Space Shuttle this year, a new space launch system capable of carrying large payloads into orbit will be key to continuing NASA's science and exploration missions.
Read more on NAS Division work for designing the Space Launch System
The 'Right Stuff' at the Right Time
A confluence of skills, resources, and timing put NAS modeling and simulation experts at the forefront of safety analysis for the last eight years of the Space Shuttle Program, including the final STS-135 mission.
Turning Down the Noise
NASA scientists and engineers are working toward a day when living near an airport will no longer mean being disturbed by the whine of jets overhead.
Read more on how NAS experts are working to reduce jet noise.
Getting to the Heart of the Storm
Researchers running a high-resolution global climate model on NASA's Pleiades and Discover supercomputers have made remarkable progress with some of hurricane prediction's thorniest problems.
Read more on supercompter simulations for hurricane prediction.
