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Opportunity enters Automode during solar conjunction pause![]() Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 01, 2017 Opportunity is in Perseverance Valley on the west rim of Endeavour Crater and the mission is now in its solar conjunction communications blackout period. The position of Mars as viewed from Earth will remain very close to the sun until early August. In this geometry, the solar corona degrades radio communications between the two planets and restricts spacecraft communication. In advance of solar conjunction, we prepared two weeks of command sequences and stored them on Opportunity to keep the rove ... read more |
ALMA confirms complex chemistry in Titan's atmosphereCharlottesville VA (SPX) Jul 31, 2017 Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is one of our solar system's most intriguing and Earth-like bodies. It is nearly as large as Mars and has a hazy atmosphere made up mostly of nitrogen with a smattering ... more
Eclipse Balloons to Study Effect of Mars-Like Environment on LifePasadena CA (JPL) Jul 31, 2017 Steps forward in the search for life beyond Earth can be as simple as sending a balloon into the sky. In one of the most unique and extensive eclipse observation campaigns ever attempted, NASA is co ... more
Portals to new worlds: Martian exploration near the North PoleWashington (UPI) Jul 27, 2017 Perched on the edge of a 39-million-year-old crater is a white circular hut. It sticks out on the rocky, lichen-dotted landscape of Devon Island in Nunavut, Canada. ... more
For Moratorium on Sending Commands to Mars, Blame the SunPasadena CA (JPL) Jul 17, 2017 This month, movements of the planets will put Mars almost directly behind the sun, from Earth's perspective, causing curtailed communications between Earth and Mars. NASA will refrain from sen ... more |
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| Previous Issues | Jul 31 | Jul 28 | Jul 27 | Jul 26 | Jul 25 |
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Tributes to wetter times on MarsParis (ESA) Jul 14, 2017 A dried-out river valley with numerous tributaries is seen in this recent view of the Red Planet captured by ESA's Mars Express. This section of the Libya Montes region, which sits on the equator a ... more
Opportunity will spend three weeks at current location due to Solar ConjunctionPasadena CA (JPL) Jul 14, 2017 Opportunity is in "Perseverance Valley" on the west rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover has arrived at the location within the valley where she will spend the approximately three-week solar conjuncti ... more
Curiosity Mars Rover Begins Study of Ridge DestinationPasadena CA (JPL) Jul 13, 2017 The car-size NASA rover on a Martian mountain, Curiosity, has begun its long-anticipated study of an iron-bearing ridge forming a distinctive layer on the mountain's slope. Since before Curios ... more
Why looking for aliens is good for societyLondon, UK (TCUK) Jul 27, 2017 The search for life elsewhere in the universe is one of the most compelling aspects of modern science. Given its scientific importance, significant resources are devoted to this young science of ast ... more
Panorama Above 'Perseverance Valley'Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 21, 2017 NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity recorded a panoramic view before entering the upper end of a fluid-carved valley that descends the inner slope of a large crater's rim. The scene incl ... more
Hubble sees Martian moon orbiting the Red PlanetGreenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 21, 2017 The sharp eye of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured the tiny moon Phobos during its orbital trek around Mars. Because the moon is so small, it appears star-like in the Hubble pictures. ... more |
![]() Ancient, massive asteroid impact could explain Martian geological mysteries
Sol 1756: Closing timePasadena CA (JPL) Jul 20, 2017 This week marked the last chance for us to reliably command Curiosity before she, and Mars, disappear behind the Sun for about three weeks. This made today's planning feel as if the Sun were setting ... more
Counting calories in spaceParis (ESA) Jul 10, 2017 Rockets and spacecraft may get us to Mars, but food must nourish us on the journey. Now researchers are using the International Space Station to look at how much food will be needed on a spacecraft ... more
Space Race: NASA Faces Competition From SpaceX For First Mars MissionWashington DC (Sputnik) Jul 18, 2017 Current budget constraints mean that NASA has had to revise its plans to reach Mars in the 2030s, but the target remains feasible with more funding, Professor John Logsdon of George Washington Unive ... more
Chinese Space Program: From Setback, to Manned Flights, to the MoonBeijing (Sputnik) Jul 07, 2017 The past decades have seen China making great progress, both economic and also in the field of space exploration. The construction of new space launch centers, ambitious lunar and Mars exploration p ... more |
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Moffett Field CA (SPX) Jul 27, 2017
Things look different on the Moon. Literally. Because the Moon isn't big enough to hold a significant atmosphere, there is no air and there are no particles in the air to reflect and scatter sunlight.
On Earth, shadows in otherwise bright environments are dimly lit with indirect light from these tiny reflections. That lighting provides enough detail that we get an idea of shapes, holes and ... more Washington (AFP) July 30, 2017Florida startup boldly sets sights on moon Pittsburgh, PA (SPX) Jul 27, 2017United Launch Alliance to launch Astrobotic mission to the Moon Paris (AFP) July 24, 2017Moon could be wetter than thought, say scientists |
Beijing (XNA) Jul 10, 2017
China has a clear plan to provide sea launches for commercial payloads to be carried by Long March rockets, according to an aerospace official.
Tang Yagang, vice head of the aerospace division of the No.1 institute of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASTC), said that the technology is not difficult and a sea launch platform can be built based on modifying 10,000-ton ... more Beijing (XNA) Jul 07, 2017Chinese satellite Zhongxing-9A enters preset orbit Beijing (Sputnik) Jul 07, 2017Chinese Space Program: From Setback, to Manned Flights, to the Moon Beijing (Sputnik) Jul 07, 2017Chinese Rocket Fizzles Out, Puts Other Launches on Hold |
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Boston MA (SPX) Jul 27, 2017 Lindy Elkins-Tanton '87, SM '87, PhD '02 is reaching for the stars - literally. She is the principal investigator for Psyche, a NASA mission that will explore an unusual metal asteroid known as 16 Psyche.
The mission does not launch until 2023, but preparations have begun in collaboration with faculty in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS).
Professors B ... more Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 31, 2017Asteroid Flyby Will Benefit NASA Detection and Tracking Network Washington DC (SPX) Jul 31, 2017Supernova-Hunting Team Finds Comet with Aid of Amateur Astronomer Tucson AZ (SPX) Jul 31, 2017Upcoming asteroid flyby will help Planetary Defense Network |
Laurel MD (SPX) Jul 17, 2017
In July 2015, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft sent home the first close-up pictures of Pluto and its moons - amazing imagery that inspired many to wonder what a flight over the distant worlds' icy terrain might be like.
Wonder no more. Using actual New Horizons data and digital elevation models of Pluto and its largest moon Charon, mission scientists have created flyover movies that offer s ... more Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 13, 2017Juno spots Jupiter's Great Red Spot Madrid, Spain (SPX) Jul 13, 2017New evidence in support of the Planet Nine hypothesis Washington DC (SPX) Jul 20, 2017NASA's New Horizons Team Strikes Gold in Argentina |
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Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 31, 2017
NASA scientists have definitively detected the chemical acrylonitrile in the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan, a place that has long intrigued scientists investigating the chemical precursors of life.
On Earth, acrylonitrile, also known as vinyl cyanide, is useful in the manufacture of plastics. Under the harsh conditions of Saturn's largest moon, this chemical is thought to be capable of ... more Charlottesville VA (SPX) Jul 31, 2017ALMA confirms complex chemistry in Titan's atmosphere Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 25, 2017Saturn surprises as Cassini continues its Grand Finale Washington (UPI) Jul 5, 2017Titan's calm lakes offer space probes a smooth landing |
Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Aug 01, 2017
The photograph was taken with the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland developed hyperspectral camera's secondary camera.
Launched on the morning of 23 June from India, the Aalto-1 satellite's first month in space has gone according to plan.
'We have run checks on the majority of the satellite's systems and found that the devices are fully functional,' Aalto University's Professo ... more Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 26, 2017NASA Solves a Drizzle Riddle Washington (UPI) Jul 13, 2017Nickel key to Earth's magnetic field, research shows Miami FL (SPX) Jul 21, 2017Manmade aerosols identified as driver in shifting global rainfall patterns |
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Star City, Russia (AFP) July 27, 2017
Wearing helmets weighing 100 kilos, spinning in a centrifuge and exercising while weightless: Russian cosmonauts and astronauts from abroad have to undergo a gruelling training process before blasting off into space.
Helped by an instructor at the famed Star City outside Moscow, cosmonaut Sergei Ryazansky slowly puts on his helmet as he hangs from the ceiling suspended by a thick metal cord ... more Paris (ESA) Jul 31, 2017ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli starts third mission on Space Station Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 01, 2017Voyager spacecraft still in communication 40 years out into the void Washington DC (SPX) Jul 31, 2017NextSTEP Partners Develop Ground Prototypes to Expand our Knowledge of Deep Space Habitats |
San Francisco CA (SPX) Jul 27, 2017
Breakthrough Starshot, a multi-faceted program to develop and launch practical interstellar space missions, successfully flew its first spacecraft - the smallest ever launched.
On June 23, a number of prototype "Sprites" - the world's smallest fully functional space probes, built on a single circuit board - achieved Low Earth Orbit, piggybacking on OHB System AG's 'Max Valier' and 'Venta' ... more Paris (ESA) Jul 27, 2017Has Cassini found a universal driver for prebiotic chemistry at Titan? Greenbelt MD (SPX) Aug 01, 2017An Earth-like atmosphere may not survive Proxima b's orbit Arecibo PR (SPX) Jul 17, 2017A New Search for Extrasolar Planets from the Arecibo Observatory |
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Paris (ESA) Aug 01, 2017
A warm meal was quickly delivered by a drone from an ESA business incubator start-up to the last inhabitant in a remote village in Portugal.
"Even if the village is not far away, it takes a driver by car over half an hour to deliver the meal to Joaquim Reis in Podentinhos and come back due to bad and unpaved roads. Our drone arrived in just three minutes, without the need of a pilot," expl ... more Washington (UPI) Jul 26, 2017Insitu receives contract for Afghan ScanEagle UAS services Beijing, China (SPX) Jul 24, 2017Special focus on formation control of unmanned systems Washington (UPI) Jul 25, 2017AeroVironment supplying small UAS to Australia |
Washington DC (SPX) Jul 31, 2017
NASA has selected nine proposals under its Explorers Program that will return transformational science about the Sun and space environment and fill science gaps between the agency's larger missions; eight for focused scientific investigations and one for technological development of instrumentation.
The broad scope of the investigations illustrates the many vital and specialized research a ... more Boulder CO (SPX) Jul 31, 2017National Solar Observatory Predicts Shape Of Solar Corona For August Eclipse Huntsville AL (SPX) Jul 26, 2017Solar Minimum is Coming Boulder CO (SPX) Jul 26, 2017SwRI team uses airborne telescopes to study Sun and Mercury during total solar eclipse |
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Stennis Space Center MS (SPX) Jul 27, 2017
In the heart of baseball season, NASA completed its equivalent of a clean inning, successfully testing the third RS-25 flight controller for use on the new Space Launch System (SLS) deep space rocket. Engineers conducted a 500-second test of RS-25 Engine Controller Unit No. 5 on the A-1 Test Stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, July 25, 2017.
The test invol ... more Tehran (AFP) July 27, 2017Iran in 'successful' test of satellite-launch rocket Stennis Space Center MS (SPX) Jul 27, 2017Aerojet Rocketdyne's RS-25 Flight Controller Goes Three for Three in SLS Test New Delhi (Sputnik) Aug 01, 2017India looks to more launches with new facility from 2018 |
College Park MD (SPX) Jul 26, 2017
Gamma-ray bursts are among the most energetic and explosive events in the universe. They are also short-lived, lasting from a few milliseconds to about a minute. This has made it tough for astronomers to observe a gamma-ray burst in detail.
Using a wide array of ground- and space-based telescope observations, an international team led by University of Maryland astronomers constructed one o ... more Houston TX (SPX) Jul 27, 2017Webbcam Shows Webb Telescope Chilling in Chamber A Garching, Germany (SPX) Jul 31, 2017Galactic David and Goliath Garching, Germany (SPX) Jul 27, 2017A Tale of Three Stellar Cities |
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Bozeman MT (SPX) Jul 26, 2017
A Montana State University gravitational physicist has received funding for a research project that aims to answer fundamental questions about the universe.
NASA awarded $750,000 to Nicolas Yunes for his project "Exploring Extreme Gravity: Neutron Stars, Black Holes and Gravitational Waves." Yunes is a founding member of the MSU eXtreme Gravity Institute, known as XGI, and an associate pro ... more Hull UK (SPX) Jul 07, 2017First look at gravitational dance that drives stellar formation Warwick UK (SPX) Jul 07, 2017Telescope for detecting optical signals from gravitational waves launched Hannover, Germany (SPX) Jun 28, 2017LISA Gravitational-Wave Observatory Selected as ESA L3 Mission |
Washington DC (SPX) Jul 27, 2017
Imagine a sensor so sensitive it can detect changes in the proton concentration of a single protein, within a single cell. This level of insight would reveal elusive quantum-scale dynamics of that protein's function, potentially even in real time, but demands a sensor with controllable features at a similar scale.
Thanks to a new fabrication technique, quantum sensing abilities are now app ... more Washington DC (SPX) Jul 27, 2017A bar magnet creates chaos in plasma Barcelona, Spain (SPX) Jul 31, 2017Experimental method measures quantum coherence, the ability of being in 2 states at once Innsbruck, Austria (SPX) Jul 31, 2017Physicists design ultrafocused pulses |
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Washington DC (SPX) Jul 31, 2017
In recent years engineers have been developing new technologies to enable robots and humans to move faster and jump higher. Soft, elastic materials store energy in these devices, which, if released carefully, enable elegant dynamic motions. Robots leap over obstacles and prosthetics empower sprinting. A fundamental challenge remains in developing these technologies. Scientists spend long hours b ... more Sydney (AFP) July 21, 2017Australia's robo-footballers go for gold at world champs New Rochelle NY (SPX) Jul 27, 2017Designing soft robots: Ethics-based guidelines for human-robot interactions San Francisco (AFP) July 25, 2017Musk, Zuckerberg duel over artificial intelligence |
Beijing (XNA) Jul 10, 2017
China has a clear plan to provide sea launches for commercial payloads to be carried by Long March rockets, according to an aerospace official.
Tang Yagang, vice head of the aerospace division of the No.1 institute of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASTC), said that the technology is not difficult and a sea launch platform can be built based on modifying 10,000-ton ... more Beijing (XNA) Jul 07, 2017Chinese satellite Zhongxing-9A enters preset orbit Beijing (Sputnik) Jul 07, 2017Chinese Space Program: From Setback, to Manned Flights, to the Moon Beijing (Sputnik) Jul 07, 2017Chinese Rocket Fizzles Out, Puts Other Launches on Hold |
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