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  Paris (ESA) Dec 19, 2016 The first ExoMars mission arrived at the Red Planet in October and now the second mission has been confirmed to complete its construction for a 2020 launch. ESA and Thales Alenia Space signed a contract that secures the completion of the European elements of the next mission. The main objective of the ExoMars programme is to address one of the most outstanding scientific questions of our time: is there, or has there ever been, life on Mars? The Trace Gas Orbiter will soon be exploring ... read more |
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Opportunity performs several drives to ancient gullyOpportunity is making progress towards the next science objective of the extended mission. The rover is headed toward an ancient water-carved gully about a kilometer south of the rover's current loc ... more 
All eyes on Trump over MarsThe year 2016 has seen a rekindling of the human desire to conquer Mars, with public and private interests openly vying to take the first step on the Red Planet, possibly with a stopover on the Moon. ... more 
Skimming an alien atmosphereAfter the smooth arrival of ESA's latest Mars orbiter, mission controllers are now preparing it for the ultimate challenge: dipping into the Red Planet's atmosphere to reach its final orbit. T ... more  
Ceres: Water ice in eternal polar nightThe American Dawn space probe has been orbiting the asteroid Ceres between Mars and Jupiter since March 2015. Thanks to the two identical onboard cameras from the Max Planck Institute for Solar Syst ... more |
| Previous Issues | Dec 19 | Dec 16 | Dec 15 | Dec 14 | Dec 13 |
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Bremen robot team successfully simulates Mars mission in UtahA major challenge in the exploration of Mars by robots is its uneven surface, which is marked by trenches and craters. Whether the systems can withstand the rough terrain on the Red Planet, they hav ... more 
A Promising Spot for Life on MarsAs NASA's Curiosity rover makes its way up the central peak of Gale Crater, it has been gathering evidence from ancient lake beds and long ago groundwater environments that are promising to life. ... more 
How on Earth does NASA choose a landing site on Mars?Getting to the surface of Mars takes years of planning, engineering and science work, a successful launch, and a months-long journey of millions of miles. You only get one opportunity to touch down ... more 
First detection of boron on the surface of MarsBoron has been identified for the first time on the surface of Mars, indicating the potential for long-term habitable groundwater in the ancient past. This finding and others from NASA's Curiosity r ... more  
Paris seeks high ground in fight to keep rats undergroundGazing upward to take in the majesty of the Eiffel Tower, visitors to Paris may be astonished to learn that a vicious war, pitting Man against Rat, is unfolding at their feet. ... more |
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 Mars Rock-Ingredient Stew Seen as Plus for Habitability 
ExoMars orbiter images PhobosThe ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has imaged the martian moon Phobos as part of a second set of test science measurements made since it arrived at the Red Planet on 19 October. The Trace Gas Orbit ... more
Opportunity team plot path forward to the 'Gully'Opportunity is heading towards the next science waypoint on the rim of Endeavour Crater. Early in this period, Sols 4556 and 4559 (Nov. 16, 2016 and Nov. 19, 2016) she did quite a bit of explo ... more |
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The sonic boom created by an airplane comes from the craft's large, speeding body crashing into molecules in the air. But if you shrank the plane to the size of a molecule, would it still generate a shock wave?
Scientists such as University of Iowa physicist Jasper Halekas hope to answer that question by studying miniature shock waves on the moon. These sonic boomlets, physicists believe, ... more India Inc joins hands to bid for moon mission TeamIndus signs contract with ISRO for lunar mission Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin stable after South Pole health scare |
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China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, the largest missile maker in the country, is taking aim at 20 percent or more of the small-satellite launch contracts in the world by 2020, company executives said.
"We estimate that from 2017 to 2020, we will send aloft at least 10 solid-fuel carrier rockets each year, to send about 50 small satellites into orbit," said Guo Yong, president of the ... more China-made satellites in high demand Space exploration plans unveiled China launches 4th data relay satellite |
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This week, astronauts are unloading more than 5,000 pounds of cargo and crew supplies from the Cygnus spacecraft to support dozens of science and research investigations. However, this shipment has special significance. This shipment arrived via an Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport's pad 0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility.
Rocket launches to the International Space ... moreOrbital cargo ship arrives at space station New Instrument on ISS to Study Ultra-Cold Quantum Gases Two Russians, one American blast off to ISS |
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This image, taken by the JunoCam imager on NASA's Juno spacecraft, highlights the seventh of eight features forming a 'string of pearls on Jupiter - massive counterclockwise rotating storms that appear as white ovals in the gas giant's southern hemisphere. Since 1986, these white ovals have varied in number from six to nine. There are currently eight white ovals visible.
The image was ta ... more Juno Mission Prepares for December 11 Jupiter Flyby Research Offers Clues About the Timing of Jupiter's Formation New Perspective on How Pluto's "Icy Heart" Came to Be |
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Freshly harvested data from NASA's Cassini mission reveals that the ringed planet's moons may be younger than previously thought. "All of these Cassini mission measurements are changing our view of the Saturnian system, as it turns our old theories upside down," said Radwan Tajeddine, Cornell University research associate in astronomy and a member of the European-based Encelade scientific team t ... more Cassini Makes First Ring-Grazing Plunge Cassini Beams Back First Images from New OrbitNASA Saturn Mission Prepares for 'Ring-Grazing Orbits' |
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The Earth's critical zone isn't called critical for nothing. Known as our planet's outer skin, it is essential for human survival. The critical zone extends from the top of the tallest tree down through the soil and into the water and rock beneath it. It stops at what's called the weathering zone - or where soils first begin to develop.
This zone allows crops to grow well and supports our ... more Eye-Popping View of CO2, Critical Step for Carbon-Cycle Science Revolutions in understanding the ionosphere, Earth's interface to space Researchers dial in to 'thermostat' in Earth's upper atmosphere |
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The Space Network, the wireless communication system connecting astronauts inside the International Space Station to their colleagues on the ground, is getting an upgrade. The boost will double data rates.
Currently, astronauts aboard ISS are limited by a connectivity threshold of 300 megabits per second, about twice the speed of most home WiFi networks.
"Fundamentally, this upgr ... more Spacewalk for Thomas Pesquet at ISS NASA's Exo-Brake 'Parachute' to Enable Safe Return for Small Spacecraft Trump sits down with tech execs, including critics |
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An international team of scientists, including researchers from the University of Chicago, has made the rare discovery of a planetary system with a host star similar to Earth's sun. Especially intriguing is the star's unusual composition, which indicates it ingested some of its planets.
"It doesn't mean that the sun will 'eat' the Earth any time soon," said Jacob Bean, assistant professor ... more Microlensing Study Suggests Most Common Outer Planets Likely Neptune-mass New species found near ocean floor hot springs Carbonaceous chondrites shed light on the origins of life in the universe |
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  Malawi on Thursday launched Africa's first drone-testing corridor as developing countries explore how drones could be used during humanitarian crises such as floods, or to deliver blood for HIV tests.
The project, which will cover up to 40 kilometres (25 miles) around the administrative capital Lilongwe, will be fully operational by April in a collaboration between Malawi and UNICEF.
"Ou ... more Amazon completes its first drone delivery, in England MBDA's Brimstone missile planned for Britain's Protector drone Britain signs off on General Atomics' Protector program |
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The Space Science Institute was awarded a grant from the Moore Foundation that will provide 1.26 million solar viewing glasses and other resources for 1,500 public libraries across the nation. They will serve as centers for eclipse education and viewing for their communities.
The libraries will be selected through a registration process managed by the STAR Library Education Network (STAR_N ... more Preparing for the August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse Giving the Sun a brake Perspectives on magnetic reconnection |
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Recent tests of a developmental rocket engine at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, produced all the performance data engineers were hoping for, along with the traditional fire and roar. But this engine is anything but traditional.
Marshall engineers are designing each of the components from scratch to ultimately be made entirely by additive manufacturing, or 3-D p ... more Ultra-Cold Storage - Liquid Hydrogen may be Fuel of the Future Technical glitch postpones NASA satellite launchAfter glitch, NASA satellite launch set for Wednesday |
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When astronomers and astrophysicists observe flashes of light in the dark sky, they assume they have seen a supernova. Possibly a star has burnt up its supply of nuclear fuel and collapsed, throwing off its outer layers into space; or maybe a dense white dwarf siphoned off material from a companion star until it exploded from excess weight. But a flash of light observed on June 14, 2015 did not ... more Newly formed stars shoot out powerful whirlwinds Young, thin and hyperactive: That's what outlier galaxies look like A new light on stellar death |
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On 7 December, LISA Pathfinder started the extended phase of its mission, an additional six months during which scientists and engineers will push the experiment to its limits in preparation for ESA's future space observatory of gravitational waves. LISA Pathfinder, a demonstration mission to validate important technologies to observe gravitational waves - fluctuations in the fabric of spacetime ... more Magnetic mirror could shed new light on gravitational waves A population of neutron stars can generate gravitational waves continuously Verlindes new theory of gravity passes first test |
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Researchers from the University of Waterloo have developed a method that will detect roughly 10 black holes per year, doubling the number currently known within two years, and it will likely unlock the history of black holes in a little more than a decade.
Avery Broderick, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo, and Mansour Karami, a PhD studen ... more Spinning black hole swallowing star explains superluminous event Blocks of ice demonstrate levitated and directed motion High-tech glass plates to be used to discover the birth of new black holes |
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Technological revolution means robots no longer are the song of the future. The Governor of the Bank of England predicts today that up to half of British workforce face redundancy in the imminent 'second machine age'. No wonder, the research of multi-robot systems generates serious buzz both for promising (albeit at times scary) results and for their application prospects in the real world.
... more A skillful rescue robot with remote-control function Zuckerberg builds software butler for his home Artificial intelligence creeps into daily life |
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China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, the largest missile maker in the country, is taking aim at 20 percent or more of the small-satellite launch contracts in the world by 2020, company executives said.
"We estimate that from 2017 to 2020, we will send aloft at least 10 solid-fuel carrier rockets each year, to send about 50 small satellites into orbit," said Guo Yong, president of the ... moreChina-made satellites in high demandSpace exploration plans unveiledChina launches 4th data relay satellite |
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