24/7 News Coverage
December 19, 2017
MARSDAILY
Opportunity Comes to a Fork in the Road



Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 17, 2017
Opportunity is continuing her winter exploration of Perseverance Valley on the west rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover continued with several days of collecting color, stereo, Panoramic Camera (Pancam) panoramas of the surrounding terrain. Then, on Sol 4934 (Dec. 10, 2017), after a sol of recharging, Opportunity drove about 28 feet (8.4 meters), approximately east, down the valley to a modest energy lily pad. Beyond this point the channel features of the valley split into a left and right fo ... read more

MARSDAILY
Planting oxygen ensures a breath of fresh air
Paris (ESA) Dec 17, 2017
When resources are limited, you have to work with what you have - especially in the harsh environment of space. Though the International Space Station is regularly restocked by cargo vessels, like t ... more
SPACEMART
Green Light for Continued Operations of ESA Science Missions
Noordwijk, Netherlands (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
ESA's Science Programme Committee (SPC) has approved indicative extensions, up to 2019-2020, for the operation of eight scientific missions. During its meeting at ESA Headquarters in Paris, on ... more
MARSDAILY
Designing future human space exploration on Hawaii's lava fields
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Dec 13, 2017
On the lava fields of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, a team of NASA researchers and partners have been busy doing science in a most unusual way. They were studying the biology and geology of this remarka ... more
MARSDAILY
Space program should focus on Mars, says editor of New Space
New Rochelle, NY (SPX) Dec 11, 2017
The U.S. space exploration program should continue to focus on robotic sample recovery and human missions to Mars, says Scott Hubbard, Editor-in-Chief of New Space. He details the benefits and risks ... more
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MOON DAILY
Trump tells NASA to send Americans to Moon
Washington DC (AFP) Dec 12, 2017
US President Donald Trump directed NASA on Monday to send Americans to the Moon for the first time in decades, a move he said would help prepare for a future Mars trip. "This time we will not ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
Space Policy Directive calls for human expansion across the solar system
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 11, 2017
President Donald Trump is sending astronauts back to the Moon. The president Monday signed at the White House Space Policy Directive 1, a change in national space policy that provides for a U.S.-led ... more
MARSDAILY
EU exempts fuel for ExoMars mission from Russian sanctions
Moscow (Sputnik) Dec 04, 2017
The ExoMars 2020 mission is the first joint program between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Russia's Roscosmos space corporation. "On November 30, 2017, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) ... more
MARSDAILY
Mars Rover Team's Tilted Winter Strategy Works
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 07, 2017
NASA's senior Mars rover, Opportunity, has just passed the shortest-daylight weeks of the long Martian year with its solar panels in encouragingly clean condition for entering a potential dust-storm ... more
MARSDAILY
NASA's oldest Mars rover survives another harsh winter
Washington (UPI) Dec 7, 2017
Opportunity, NASA's senior Mars rover, has lasted through another harsh winter on the Red Planet. ... more
MARSDAILY
Brown: Clay on Mars May Have Formed in Primordial Steam Bath
Providence RI (SPX) Dec 06, 2017
Planetary scientists from Brown University have proposed a new scenario for the formation of ancient clay minerals on Mars that, if shown to be true, could rewrite the early history of the red plane ... more


Winter wanderings put Opportunity at 28 Miles on the odometer

MARSDAILY
Opportunity Greets Winter Solstice
Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 29, 2017
Opportunity is continuing her winter exploration of Perseverance Valley on the west rim of the Noachian-aged Endeavour crater. The winter solstice occurred on Sol 4915 (Nov. 20, 2017). Energy ... more
MARSDAILY
NASA builds its next Mars rover mission
Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 29, 2017
In just a few years, NASA's next Mars rover mission will be flying to the Red Planet. At a glance, it looks a lot like its predecessor, the Curiosity Mars rover. But there's no doubt it's a souped-u ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
Space Farms: 'Mark Watney in The Martian Was Right to Add Poop to the Soil'
Wageningen, Netherlands (Sputnik) Nov 30, 2017
A group of researchers from Wageningen University and Research has found that earthworms can thrive and reproduce in simulated Martian soil. Given that the creatures are a crucial factor in making s ... more
MARSDAILY
Scientists developed a new sensor for future missions to the Moon and Mars
Moscow, Russia (SPX) Nov 30, 2017
A team of scientists from the Faculty of Physics of Lomonosov Moscow State University and their colleagues developed a compact spectral polarimeter for carrying outmineralogical investigations on th ... more

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Thales Alenia Space signs 3 contracts for NASA's deep space exploration
Rome (SPX) Dec 17, 2017
Thales Alenia Space has signed three contracts in the frame of Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP-2) activities with Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Orbital-ATK, to develop capabilities that can meet NASA human space exploration objectives while also supporting industry commercialization plans. Based on a public-private partnership model, the next step for human spa ... more
Miami (AFP) Dec 14, 2017
Will Trump send Americans to the Moon? Money talks: experts
Dallas TX (SPX) Dec 13, 2017
Researchers analyze thousands of hours of Apollo mission audio
Beijing (XNA) Dec 12, 2017
Robot Moon Base: Beijing's New Lunar Landing Program
Nation 'leads world' in remote sensing technology
Beijing (XNA) Nov 27, 2017
China is now the world leader in remote sensing technologies for scientific purposes and is able to provide an unprecedented amount of data to support research and development for the world, officials said on Tuesday. Remote sensing refers to aerial or satellite-based technologies to detect and measure objects on Earth's surface, atmosphere and oceans. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Sci ... more
Beijing (XNA) Nov 19, 2017
China plans for nuclear-powered interplanetary capacity by 2040
Beijing (Sputnik) Nov 16, 2017
China plans first sea based launch by 2018
Beijing (XNA) Nov 02, 2017
China's reusable spacecraft to be launched in 2020


Initial results and data from observations of 'Oumuamua
San Francisco CA (SPX) Dec 17, 2017
Breakthrough Listen - the initiative to find signs of intelligent life in the universe - is reporting preliminary results and making initial data available from its observations of the "interstellar visitor" 'Oumuamua. The initial block of observations (the first of a planned four blocks) ran from 3:45 pm to 9:45 pm ET on Wednesday, December 13, using the Breakthrough Listen backend instru ... more
Belfast UK (SPX) Dec 19, 2017
Alien object Oumuama is a natural body transiting our solar system
Paris (AFP) Dec 18, 2017
Visitor from alien star system wears insulating coat: astronomers
West Lafayette IN (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
Research shows why meteroids explode before they reach Earth
New Horizons Corrects Its Course in the Kuiper Belt
Laurel MD (SPX) Dec 11, 2017
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft carried out a short, 2.5-minute engine burn on Saturday, Dec. 9 that refined its course toward 2014 MU69, the ancient Kuiper Belt object it will fly by a little more than a year from now. Setting a record for the farthest spacecraft course correction to date, the engine burn also adjusted the arrival time at MU69 to optimize flyby science. Telemetry con ... more
Laurel MD (SPX) Dec 13, 2017
Does New Horizons' Next Target Have a Moon?
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 13, 2017
Juno probes the depths of Jupiter's Great Red Spot
Boulder CO (SPX) Dec 07, 2017
Wrapping up 2017 one year out from MU69
Electrical and Chemical Coupling Between Saturn and Its Ring
Uppsala, Sweden (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
A Langmuir probe, developed in Sweden and flown to Saturn on the Cassini spacecraft, has made exciting discoveries in the atmosphere of the planet. Jan-Erik Wahlund at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics in Uppsala and his colleagues show that there is a strong coupling, both chemically and electrically, between the atmosphere of Saturn and its rings. These research results have now been publ ... more
Washington (UPI) Nov 21, 2017
Unique atmospheric chemistry explains cold vortex on Saturn's moon Titan
Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 22, 2017
Cassini Image Mosaic: A Farewell to Saturn
Bristol UK (SPX) Nov 22, 2017
Unexpected atmospheric vortex behavior on Saturn's moon Titan
'Smoke rings' in the ocean spotted from space
Liverpool UK (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
Researchers from the University of Liverpool have spotted the equivalent of smoke-rings in the ocean which they think could 'suck-up' small marine creatures and carry them at high speed and for long distances across the ocean. The ocean is full of eddies, swirling motions some tens to hundreds of kilometres across, which mix the water and carry it across the average currents. The 'sm ... more
Boulder CO (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
Space Mystery Solved by Student Satellite
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
Scientists share various perspectives on ozone layer recovery
Laurel MD (SPX) Dec 15, 2017
APL Monitoring Instrument Rides into Space


Crew of three docks at International Space Station
Moscow (AFP) Dec 19, 2017
A three-man space crew made up of American and Japanese rookie astronauts and an experienced Russian cosmonaut successfully docked at the International Space Station to begin a six-month mission Tuesday. NASA TV footage showed the Soyuz MS-07 capsule containing Scott Tingle of NASA, Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency dock at the ISS ... more
Miami (AFP) Dec 17, 2017
'Dragon back' as cargo reaches space station
Cape Canaveral AFS FL (SPX) Dec 17, 2017
SpaceX resupply truck Dragon on route to ISS for space research delivery
Paris (ESA) Dec 15, 2017
Paolo Nespoli returns to Earth
Fungi made life on Earth possible, researchers claim
Washington (UPI) Dec 18, 2017
Life on Earth wouldn't be possible without fungi, new research suggests. Plants serve as the base of most of the food chains on Earth. Along with animals, they dominate almost every ecosystem on the planet. But new analysis suggests fungi were equally vital on early Earth. Researchers at Leeds University in Britain grew plants and fungi under lab conditions replicating the enviro ... more
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 19, 2017
Spanning disciplines in the search for life beyond Earth
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 15, 2017
NASA uses AI to uncover eighth planet circling distant star
Paris (AFP) Dec 14, 2017
No alien 'signals' from cigar-shaped asteroid: researchers


Dutch police ground drone-fighting eagles
The Hague (AFP) Dec 13, 2017
Dutch police have clipped the wings of their airborne drone-fighting force of eagles, and fired their winged warriors deeming them too expensive and too unruly to be effective. After a series of tests in 2015, the police last year announced they were putting into operation a flock of the birds of prey to take down drones believed to be posing a danger to the public, such as near airports. ... more
Washington (UPI) Dec 13, 2017
Jet-powered drone tested by BAE Systems
Washington (UPI) Dec 7, 2017
Hensoldt intros new counter-drone system
Beijing (AFP) Dec 7, 2017
China says Indian drone 'invaded' its airspace, crashed
Eclipse 2017: Science from the Moon's Shadow
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
On Dec. 11, 2017, six researchers discussed initial findings based on observations of the Sun and on Earth gathered during the solar eclipse that stretched across North America on Aug. 21, 2017. Ranging from new information about the way the Sun's atmosphere generates heat, to how the dip in solar energy affected Earth's atmosphere, and even how to protect against contaminating other planets wit ... more
New Orleans LA (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
Space weather, EarthScope, and protecting the national electrical grid
Boulder CO (SPX) Dec 11, 2017
CU Boulder solar instruments, experiments headed for space
New York NY (SPX) Dec 11, 2017
Mount Sinai researchers use breakthrough technology to understand eclipse eye damage


ArianeGroup to start production of the first Ariane 62
Paris, France (SPX) Dec 19, 2017
With the successful conclusion of Maturity Gate 6.2, ArianeGroup and its industrial partners are moving into an important new phase in the development of Ariane 6, a flagship European Space Agency (ESA) program. This review confirmed that the industrial process of Ariane 6 is mature enough to start construction of the first launcher, in line with the program's objectives. Ariane 6 is speci ... more
Miami (AFP) Dec 15, 2017
In first, SpaceX launches recycled rocket and spaceship
Paris, France (SPX) Dec 17, 2017
ArianeGroup signs contract with ESA for future Prometheus engine
Stennis Space Center, MS (SPX) Dec 15, 2017
RS-25 Engine Test is Giant Step for 3-D Printing
Stellar Nursery Blooms into View
Garching, Germany (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
The OmegaCAM camera on ESO's VLT Survey Telescope has captured this glittering view of the stellar nursery called Sharpless 29. Many astronomical phenomena can be seen in this giant image, including cosmic dust and gas clouds that reflect, absorb, and re-emit the light of hot young stars within the nebula. The region of sky pictured is listed in the Sharpless catalogue of H II regions: int ... more
Baltimore MD (SPX) Dec 19, 2017
Hubble's Celestial Snow Globe
Maunakea HI (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
A new spin to solving mystery of stellar companions
Garching, Germany (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
Astronomers approve 86 new star names from around the world


Researchers measure magnetic moment with greatest possible precision
Mainz, Germany (SPX) Nov 30, 2017
The magnetic moment of an individual proton is inconceivably small, but can still be quantified. The basis for undertaking this measurement was laid over ten years ago, and physicists of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU), the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, GSI Darmstadt, and the RIKEN research institute in Japan are still performing experiments to measure this force with a sin ... more
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Nov 28, 2017
Physicists make most precise measurement ever of a proton's magnetic moment
Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 15, 2017
Listening for gravitational waves using pulsars
New York NY (SPX) Nov 14, 2017
Gravity waves from merging supermassive black holes will be found soon
Make-believe worlds makes for better understanding of real Universe
Berkeley CA (SPX) Dec 19, 2017
Seeing is believing, or so the saying goes. And in some cases, a world of make-believe can help you realize what you're actually seeing, too. Scientists are creating simulated universes, for example - complete with dark matter mock-ups, computer-generated galaxies, quasi quasars, and pseudo supernovae - to better understand real-world observations. Their aim is to envision how new Ea ... more
Noordwijk, Netherlands (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
Herschel Data Links Mysterious Quasar Winds to Furious Starbursts
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
Most Distant Supermassive Black Hole Found
Vienna, Austria (SPX) Dec 14, 2017
New manifestation of magnetic monopoles discovered


Engineers program tiny robots to move, think like insects
Ithaca NY (SPX) Dec 18, 2017
While engineers have had success building tiny, insect-like robots, programming them to behave autonomously like real insects continues to present technical challenges. A group of Cornell University engineers has been experimenting with a new type of programming that mimics the way an insect's brain works, which could soon have people wondering if that fly on the wall is actually a fly. Th ... more
Moscow (Sputnik) Dec 13, 2017
Not Your Grandpa's Robot: Russian Robot 'FEDOR' May Become Self-Learning
El Segundo CA (SPX) Dec 13, 2017
Aerospace's SeedTECH AI advances to second round of $5M IBM Watson XPRIZE
San Francisco (AFP) Dec 8, 2017
'Grinch bots' may steal Christmas by snatching up prized toys
Nation 'leads world' in remote sensing technology
Beijing (XNA) Nov 27, 2017
China is now the world leader in remote sensing technologies for scientific purposes and is able to provide an unprecedented amount of data to support research and development for the world, officials said on Tuesday. Remote sensing refers to aerial or satellite-based technologies to detect and measure objects on Earth's surface, atmosphere and oceans. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Sci ... more
Beijing (XNA) Nov 19, 2017
China plans for nuclear-powered interplanetary capacity by 2040
Beijing (Sputnik) Nov 16, 2017
China plans first sea based launch by 2018
Beijing (XNA) Nov 02, 2017
China's reusable spacecraft to be launched in 2020
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