According to MSNBC, NASA officials have no idea how a virus designed to swipe passwords from online gamers has suddenly shown up in some laptop computers aboard the international space station.

First detected on July 25, the worm, identified as W32.Gammima.AG, did not infect the space station's command and control computers and poses no threat to the station. According to NASA spokesperson Kelly Humphries, "This is basically a nuisance. We'll do our best to track down how it got there and close that gateway. This is not a frequent occurrence, but we have had viruses that have made their way on board before."

Image Credit: NASA

Want to see some incredible images of the universe? Check out these pictures taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope.

The Spitzer Space Telescope (formerly SIRTF, the Space Infrared Telescope Facility) was launched into space by a Delta rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida on 25 August 2003. During its mission, Spitzer will obtain images and spectra by detecting the infrared energy, or heat, radiated by objects in space between wavelengths of 3 and 180 microns (1 micron is one-millionth of a meter). Most of this infrared radiation is blocked by the Earth's atmosphere and cannot be observed from the ground.

Consisting of a 0.85-meter telescope and three cryogenically-cooled science instruments, Spitzer is the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space. Its highly sensitive instruments give us a unique view of the Universe and allow us to peer into regions of space which are hidden from optical telescopes. Many areas of space are filled with vast, dense clouds of gas and dust which block our view.

Visit our Spitzer Space Telescope Pictures Gallery.

Image Credit:

• Top - Where Galactic Snakes Live - NASA/JPL-Caltech/S. Carey (SSC/Caltech)
• Bottom - Messier 81 - NASA/JPL-Caltech/K Gordon (UA) and S Willner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astronomy), NA Sharp (NOAO/AURA/NSF)

Managers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, FL, plan to reopen the center for normal operations this morning for workers' first shift. A slow-moving Tropical Storm Fay has kept Kennedy closed since Tuesday. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex also will reopen Friday.

The center was set to open Thursday morning for limited operations, but Fay stalled off the coast from Kennedy overnight and continued to bring heavy rain and tropical storm force wind to the area through mid-day.

Personnel are reminded to exercise caution when entering their work areas and report any unsafe conditions or damage to their immediate supervisor.

Based on initial assessments, there is no damage to space flight hardware, such as the space shuttles and Hubble Space Telescope equipment. Some facilities did sustain minor damage. Most reports are of water intrusion that will require mopping up.

A group of emergency personnel, known as a "ride-out crew," has been on-site since Tuesday and will remain on-duty until Friday morning to provide real-time assessments.

All Kennedy workers should check with the center's hurricane information phone line for the latest status at 321-861-7900 or 1-866-572-4877 before reporting to work Friday. Updates also are available online.

Are you one of those lucky individuals who has a lot of friends who all send you things by email? You know the things I'm talking about; Jokes, Inspirational Stories, Humorous "Facts" and Strange Stories.

If so, it is possible that recently you have received the "Mars Close" email. The email states that Earth and Mars will soon make the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287.

In fact, some versions of the email claim that the Moon and Mars will look the same size in the night sky. The email goes on to say, "Share this with your children and grandchildren. NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN"

But, is it real? Click through to the article "Mars Close to Earth Email" to learn more.

Image Credit: NASA