NASA To Announce 'New Discovery' About The Moon Next Week
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA)- NASA says the agency will announce "an exciting new discovery" about the Moon next week.
While no details were released, NASA said the finding "contributes to NASA's efforts to learn about the Moon in support of deep space exploration."
The announcement stems from research by the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a modified 747 that flies high in the atmosphere to provide its nearly 9-foot telescope with a clear view of the universe and objects in our solar system.
As it flies above nearly all of the atmosphere's obscuring water vapor, SOFIA observes in infrared wavelengths and can pick up phenomenon impossible to see with visible light, according to officials.
While a return to the Moon isn't expected until 2024, NASA and Pasadena-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory are already preparing for a different milestone: NASA's Perseverance rover, which lands on the Red Planet on Feb. 18, 2021.
Perseverance will be carrying 11 metal parts made with 3D printing done at JPL, according to officials.
NASA will stream the news conference live Monday at 9 a.m. on the official NASA website.
