|
|
Seasonal 'spiders' emerge on Mars' surface![]() Washington (UPI) Jul 16, 2018 In late winter on Mars, 'spiders' begin to emerge on the Martian surface. NASA's newest featured image, captured earlier this year by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, showcases the spindly geological formations. "Araneiform terrain" is the scientific term for the surface spiders. They appear as the sun returns to Mars' South Pole. As the warm solar rays heat the surface, carbon dioxide ice beneath the surface begins to sublimate, turning from a solid to a gas. When local pressure mounts ... read more |
NASA May Have Destroyed Evidence for Organics on Mars 40 Years AgoMoscow (Sputnik) Jul 13, 2018 While the existence of native carbon-based organic compounds on the Red Planet was confirmed only in 2014, some suggest that the discovery could have been made a long time ago. Back in 1976, N ... more
Scientists Discover "Ghost Dunes" On MarsWashington DC (SPX) Jul 12, 2018 Scientists have discovered hundreds of crescent-shaped pits on Mars where sand dunes the size of the US Capitol stood billions of years ago. The curves of these ancient dune impressions record the d ... more
NASA listens out for Opportunity everydayPasadena CA (JPL) Jul 09, 2018 The dust storm on Mars is continuing as a Planet-encircling Dust Event (PEDE) with no indication of receding at this time. Again, since the last contact with the rover on Sol 5111 (June 10, 20 ... more
Airbus wins two ESA studies for Mars Sample Return missionToulouse, France (SPX) Jul 09, 2018 Airbus has won two studies from the European Space Agency (ESA) to design a Sample Fetch Rover and an Earth Return Orbiter. These two elements will be critical parts of a mission to return samples o ... more |
|
| Previous Issues | Jul 16 | Jul 13 | Jul 12 | Jul 11 | Jul 10 |
|
|
|
|
Precipitation explains Mars' fluvial patterns, astronomers claimWashington (UPI) Jun 28, 2018 A variety of geological patterns on Mars suggests the Red Planet once hosted water. Several of these patterns recall the fluvial steam networks found on Earth. ... more
Opportunity sleeps during a planet-encircling dust stormPasadena CA (JPL) Jun 25, 2018 The dust storm on Mars is now a Planet-encircling Dust Event (PEDE). It shows no indication of receding at this time. Since the last contact with the rover on Sol 5111 (June 10, 2018), it is l ... more
Martian Dust Storm Grows Global; Curiosity Captures Photos of Thickening HazeGreenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 21, 2018 A storm of tiny dust particles has engulfed much of Mars over the last two weeks and prompted NASA's Opportunity rover to suspend science operations. But across the planet, NASA's Curiosity rover, w ... more
Explosive volcanoes spawned mysterious Martian rock formationWashington DC (SPX) Jun 19, 2018 Explosive volcanic eruptions that shot jets of hot ash, rock and gas skyward are the likely source of a mysterious Martian rock formation, a new study finds. The new finding could add to scientists' ... more
Unique microbe could thrive on Mars, help future manned missionsWashington (UPI) Jun 18, 2018 New research suggests certain cyanobacteria could thrive on Mars. The microbes could even be used to provide future space colonies with oxygen. ... more |
![]() NASA spacecraft studying massive Martian dust storm
Study could help humans colonise Mars and hunt for alien lifeCanberra, Australia (SPX) Jun 18, 2018 Scientists at The Australian National University (ANU) have contributed to an international study that will potentially help humans to colonise Mars and find life on other planets. The study o ... more |
|
|
Opportunity rover sends transmission amid Martian dust stormWashington (UPI) Jun 11, 2018 NASA's Opportunity rover is currently hunkered down, waiting out a severe dust storm on Mars. On Sunday, the rover sent a transmission back to Earth, letting NASA engineers know the rover still has enough battery life for basic communication. ... more
NASA encounters the perfect storm for science on MarsPasadena CA (JPL) Jun 14, 2018 One of the thickest dust storms ever observed on Mars has been spreading for the past week and a half. The storm has caused NASA's Opportunity rover to suspend science operations, but also offers a ... more
Martian dust storm silences NASA's rover, OpportunityTampa (AFP) June 13, 2018 A massive dust storm raging across Mars has overcome NASA's aging Opportunity rover, putting the unmanned, solar-powered vehicle into sleep mode and raising concerns about its survival, the US space agency said Wednesday. ... more
Opportunity hunkers down during dust stormPasadena CA (JPL) Jun 13, 2018 NASA engineers attempted to contact the Opportunity rover today but did not hear back from the nearly 15-year old rover. The team is now operating under the assumption that the charge in Opportunity ... more
Regional dust storm is affecting Opportunity Mars roverPasadena CA (JPL) Jun 13, 2018 Opportunity is halfway down in "Perseverance Valley" on the west rim of Endeavour Crater. A nearby, regional dust storm is affecting Opportunity. The first indication of a dust storm 621.37 mi ... more |
|
|
Israel plans its first moon launch in December Yehud, Israel (AFP) July 10, 2018
An Israeli organisation announced plans Tuesday to launch the country's first spacecraft to the moon in December, with hopes of burnishing Israel's reputation as a small nation with otherworldly high-tech ambitions.
The unmanned spacecraft, shaped like a pod and weighing some 585 kilogrammes (1,300 pounds) at launch, will land on the moon on February 13, 2019 if all goes according to plan, o ... more |
PRSS-1 Satellite in Good Condition Jiuquan, China (SPX) Jul 16, 2018
China launched two satellites for Pakistan on a Long March-2C rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 11:56 a.m. Monday.
The PRSS-1 is China's first optical remote sensing satellite sold to Pakistan and the 17th satellite developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) for an overseas buyer.
After entering orbit, the PRSS-1 is in good condition ... more |
|
|
Observatories Team Up to Reveal Rare Double Asteroid Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 13, 2018
New observations by three of the world's largest radio telescopes have revealed that an asteroid discovered last year is actually two objects, each about 3,000 feet (900 meters) in size, orbiting each other.
Near-Earth asteroid 2017 YE5 was discovered with observations provided by the Morocco Oukaimeden Sky Survey on Dec. 21, 2017, but no details about the asteroid's physical properties we ... more |
Dozen new Jupiter moons declared Washington DC (SPX) Jul 17, 2018
Twelve new moons orbiting Jupiter have been found - 11 "normal" outer moons, and one that they're calling an "oddball." This brings Jupiter's total number of known moons to a whopping 79 - the most of any planet in our solar system.
A team led by Carnegie's Scott S. Sheppard first spotted the moons in the spring of 2017 while they were looking for very distant solar system objects as part ... more |
|
|
Listen: Sound of Electromagnetic Energy Moving Between Saturn, Enceladus Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 10, 2018
New research from NASA's Cassini spacecraft's up-close Grand Finale orbits shows a surprisingly powerful and dynamic interaction of plasma waves moving from Saturn to its rings and its moon Enceladus.
The observations show for the first time that the waves travel on magnetic field lines connecting Saturn directly to Enceladus. The field lines are like an electrical circuit between the two ... more |
What does global climate have to do with erosion rates? Potsdam, Germany (SPX) Jul 16, 2018
For the last several decades, Geoscientists have been intrigued by a potential link between erosion rates at the Earth's surface and changes in global climate. What was the cause and what the effect remained unclear. However, a new study now calls into question the link itself.
A team of researchers from the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, the University Potsdam, Uni ... more |
|
|
Scientists Can Now Recycle Water, Air, Fuel, Making Deep Space Travel Possible Moscow (Sputnik) Jul 16, 2018
According to a new study, scientists have cracked one of most challenging obstacles to deep space travel: how to ensure that astronauts have enough fuel, air and water for the trip. Their proposed method involves "photo catalysts" that can split or recombine water molecules.
The emptiness of space and the vast distances between locations pose huge and unique challenges to space travel. One ... more |
Astronomers find a famous exoplanet's doppelganger Honolulu HI (SPX) Jul 17, 2018
When it comes to extrasolar planets, appearances can be deceiving. Astronomers have imaged a new planet, and it appears nearly identical to one of the best studied gas-giant planets. But this doppelganger differs in one very important way: its origin.
"We have found a gas-giant planet that is a virtual twin of a previously known planet, but it looks like the two objects formed in different ... more |
|
|
Israel Patriot missile intercepts unarmed drone from Syria: army Jerusalem (AFP) July 11, 2018
Israel fired a Patriot missile on Wednesday to intercept what initial findings showed was an unarmed Syrian drone that may have been on an intelligence mission, the army said.
It was not clear if the unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, strayed across Syria's ceasefire line with Israel unintentionally.
"UAV from Syria intercepted by Patriot missile, causing sirens in Golan and Emek HaYarden ... more |
Plasma Jets Foretell Unequal Activity of the Sun's Two Hemispheres Kolkata, India (SPX) Jul 13, 2018
The Sun's activity waxes and wanes periodically and holds sway over our space environment. Sunspots, strongly magnetized blotches on the solar surface, sometimes release fierce storms in space that severely impact our satellite based communication and navigational systems and occasionally, render satellites useless.
However, a complete understanding of all aspects of the sunspot activity c ... more |
|
|
Hot firing proves solid rocket motor for Ariane 6 and Vega-C Kourou, French Guiana (ESA) Jul 17, 2018
The latest hot firing of the P120C solid-propellant motor at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana proves its flight-worthiness for use on Vega-C next year and on Ariane 6 from 2020.
This marks an important milestone in the development schedule of Europe's new-generation launchers, designed to boost our autonomy in the space arena, and maintain Europe's global competitiveness.
The test ... more |
In search of dark matter Riverside CA (SPX) Jul 16, 2018
An international team of scientists that includes University of California, Riverside, physicist Hai-Bo Yu has imposed conditions on how dark matter may interact with ordinary matter - constraints that can help identify the elusive dark matter particle and detect it on Earth.
Dark matter - nonluminous material in space - is understood to constitute 85 percent of the matter in the universe. ... more |
|
|
Could Gravitational Waves Reveal How Fast Our Universe Is Expanding? Boston MA (SPX) Jul 12, 2018
ince it first exploded into existence 13.8 billion years ago, the universe has been expanding, dragging along with it hundreds of billions of galaxies and stars, much like raisins in a rapidly rising dough.
Astronomers have pointed telescopes to certain stars and other cosmic sources to measure their distance from Earth and how fast they are moving away from us - two parameters that are es ... more |
NASA's Fermi Traces Source of Cosmic Neutrino to Monster Black Hole Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 13, 2018
For the first time ever, scientists using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have found the source of a high-energy neutrino from outside our galaxy. This neutrino traveled 3.7 billion years at almost the speed of light before being detected on Earth. This is farther than any other neutrino whose origin scientists can identify.
High-energy neutrinos are hard-to-catch particles that sci ... more |
|
|
Reducing the Data Demands of Smart Machines Washington DC (SPX) Jul 13, 2018 Machine learning (ML) systems today learn by example, ingesting tons of data that has been individually labeled by human analysts to generate a desired output. As these systems have progressed, deep neural networks (DNN) have emerged as the state of the art in ML models. DNN are capable of powering tasks like machine translation and speech or object recognition with a much higher degree of accur ... more |
PRSS-1 Satellite in Good Condition Jiuquan, China (SPX) Jul 16, 2018
China launched two satellites for Pakistan on a Long March-2C rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 11:56 a.m. Monday.
The PRSS-1 is China's first optical remote sensing satellite sold to Pakistan and the 17th satellite developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) for an overseas buyer.
After entering orbit, the PRSS-1 is in good condition ... more |
|
| Buy Advertising | Media Advertising Kit | Editorial & Other Enquiries | Privacy statement |
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement |