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Curiosity Mars rover back on drill duty![]() Pasadena CA (JPL) May 24, 2018 Engineers working with NASA's Curiosity Mars rover have been hard at work testing a new way for the rover to drill rocks and extract powder from them. This past weekend, that effort produced the first drilled sample on Mars in more than a year. Curiosity tested percussive drilling this past weekend, penetrating about 2 inches (50 millimeters) into a target called "Duluth." NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, has been testing this drilling technique since a mechanical pr ... read more |
NASA's InSight Steers Toward MarsPasadena CA (JPL) May 24, 2018 NASA's InSight lander has made its first course correction toward Mars. InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, is the first mission d ... more
Mars Society launches Kickstarter to create MarsVR Crew Training ProgramLos Angeles CA (SPX) May 22, 2018 The Mars Society, the world's largest space advocacy group dedicated to the human exploration and settlement of the planet Mars, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to help raise $27,500 for a new o ... more
NASA engineers teach Mars rover Curiosity to drill againWashington (UPI) May 18, 2018 Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are preparing to add percussion to an improvised drill technique already being used by the Curiosity rover on Mars. ... more
NASA's Curiosity Rover Aims to Get Its Rhythm BackPasadena CA (JPL) May 18, 2018 NASA's Curiosity rover could soon be drilling rocks on Mars again. Engineers have been working for the past year to restore the rover's full drilling capabilities, which were hampered in 2016 due to ... more |
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| Previous Issues | May 23 | May 22 | May 21 | May 19 | May 18 |
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NASA plans to send mini-helicopter to MarsTampa (AFP) May 11, 2018 The US space agency said Friday it plans to launch the first-ever helicopter to Mars in 2020, a miniature, unmanned drone-like chopper that could boost our understanding of the Red Planet. ... more
The challenge of space gardening: One giant 'leaf' for mankindMiami (AFP) May 11, 2018 It's not easy having a green thumb in space. ... more
Exiled Asteroid Discovered in Outer Reaches of Solar SystemMunich, Germany (SPX) May 09, 2018 An international team of astronomers has used ESO telescopes to investigate a relic of the primordial Solar System. The team found that the unusual Kuiper Belt Object 2004 EW95 is a carbon-rich aste ... more
Mars-bound CubeSats send first signals from spaceWashington (UPI) May 7, 2018 The first messages from NASA's Mars Cube One, MarCO, have been received by the space agency. The two CubeSats, the first to be sent on a deep-space mission, beamed back radio signals to confirm all is well. ... more
Mars growth stunted by early giant planetary instabilityNorman OK (SPX) May 08, 2018 A University of Oklahoma astrophysics team explains why the growth of Mars was stunted by an orbital instability among the outer solar system's giant planets in a new study on the evolution of the y ... more |
![]() Demonstration proves nuclear fission system can provide space exploration power
One scientist's 30-year quest to get under Mars' skinParis (AFP) May 5, 2018 Philippe Lognonne has waited three decades to hear the heartbeat of Mars. ... more |
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InSight probe to survey Mars for secrets inside the planetWashington DC (UPI) May 04, 2018 As NASA's Insight probe begins its trip to Mars on Saturday, the spacecraft is tasked with studying Mars' insides. But the probe's observations could offer insights into the formation and evolution of all rocky planets, including Earth. ... more
NASA blasts off Mars-bound spaceship, InSight, to study quakesVandenberg Air Force Base, United States (AFP) May 5, 2018 NASA on Saturday launched its latest Mars lander, called InSight, designed to perch on the surface and listen for "Marsquakes" ahead of eventual human missions to explore the Red Planet. ... more
Surviving the Inferno of Entry, Descent and LandingHampton VA (SPX) May 04, 2018 Anticipation is building as preparations are well underway for the launch of NASA's next Mars mission, InSight. But before the roar of the rocket lifting off from Vandenberg Air Force Base has subsi ... more
Microbes living in a toxic volcanic lake could hold clues to life on MarsBoulder CO (SPX) May 03, 2018 Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered microbes living in a toxic volcanic lake that may rank as one of the harshest environments on Earth. Their findings, published recen ... more
NASA's newest Mars lander to study quakes on Red PlanetTampa (AFP) May 3, 2018 NASA is poised to launch its first lander to Mars since 2012, an unmanned spacecraft called InSight that aims to listen for quakes and unravel the mystery of how rocky planets like Earth form. ... more |
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Dozens of volunteers apply for joint US-Russian simulated Lunar orbital flight Moscow (Sputnik) May 24, 2018
About 50 people from various countries have shown interest in an experiment simulating the flight to an orbital station near the Moon, a representative of the Institute of Medicobiological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences told Sputnik.
The experiment is part of international SIRIUS missions, which serve to help finish preparations for deep space flights, including flights to pla ... more |
China's Queqiao satellite carries "large umbrella" into deep space Xichang, China (XNA) May 22, 2018
The relay satellite, launched Monday for China's Chang'e-4 lunar probe, is carrying the largest communication antenna ever used in deep space exploration, according to Chinese experts.
The launch of the satellite Queqiao, or Magpie Bridge, is a key step for China to realize its goal of sending the Chang'e-4 lunar probe to soft-land on the far side of the Moon.
Queqiao, developed by C ... more |
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Discovery of the first body in the Solar System with an extrasolar origin Paris, France (SPX) May 23, 2018
Asteroid 2015 BZ509 is the very first object in the Solar System shown to have an extrasolar origin. This remarkable discovery was made by CNRS researcher Fathi Namouni and her Brazilian colleague Helena Morais, and is published on 21 May 2018 in MNRAS.
Could some bodies in our Solar System come from the vicinity of other stars? Astronomers are in disagreement about comets, with some argui ... more |
OSL Optics to help unlock the secrets of Jupiter's Icy Moons Kenley UK (SPX) May 24, 2018
Optical Surfaces Ltd. (OSL) announces selection by Hensoldt Optronics GmbH, formerly Airbus (Oberkochen, Germany) to supply key precision optics for optical testing the Ganymede Laser Altimeter (GALA), one of 10 scientific instruments on-board the JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer) mission.
The JUICE mission is part of the European Space Agency (ESA) cosmic vision programme and its objectiv ... more |
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Cosmic Ravioli And Spaetzle Bern, Switzerland (SPX) May 22, 2018
The small inner moons of Saturn look like giant ravioli and spaetzle. Their spectacular shape has been revealed by the Cassini spacecraft. For the first time, researchers of the University of Bern (Switzerland) show how these moons were formed. The peculiar shapes are a natural outcome of merging collisions among similar-sized little moons, as computer simulations demonstrate.
When Martin ... more |
First light for the storm hunter Paris (ESA) May 24, 2018
As the International Space Station flew over the Indonesian coast of Sumatra on an April night, lightning from a thunderstorm reached the upper layers of the atmosphere and its light show was captured by ESA's latest observatory in space.
The Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor, also known as the Space Storm Hunter, is completing its initial tests a month after it was installed outside E ... more |
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US spacewalkers swap, check coolers 'Leaky' and 'Frosty' Tampa (AFP) May 16, 2018
A pair of American astronauts completed a successful spacewalk outside the International Space Station Wednesday to swap and check on two external cooling boxes, nicknamed "Leaky" and "Frosty," NASA said.
The boxes, each about the size of a mini-refrigerator or window AC unit, are crucial to keeping the batteries cool aboard the orbiting lab.
Since they operate using highly toxic ammonia ... more |
Amateur astronomer's data helps scientists discover a new exoplanet Yekaterinburg, Russia (SPX) May 18, 2018
One of the candidates previously found by the Kourovka Planet Search (KPS) project turned out to be the so-called hot Jupiter. The exoplanet, known as KPS-1b, orbits a star similar to the Sun with a period of 40 hours.
The mass and size of the exoplanet KPS-1b are close to the characteristics of Jupiter, but it is located very close to its parent star. Due to such proximity to the star, th ... more |
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Lockheed Martin Stalker XE Upgraded with New VTOL Launch and Landing Capability Palmdale CA (SPX) May 23, 2018
Lockheed Martin's Stalker eXtended Endurance (XE) unmanned aerial system (UAS) has been upgraded with a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capability. This new option gives users greater mission flexibility allowing them to operate the system in more austere locations.
The new VTOL option features a reduced logistics footprint and expands how and where the Stalker XE UAS may operate. Oth ... more |
More than 1.1 million names installed on Parker Solar Probe Greenbelt MD (SPX) May 22, 2018
Throughout its seven-year mission, NASA's Parker Solar Probe will swoop through the Sun's atmosphere 24 times, getting closer to our star than any spacecraft has gone before. The spacecraft will carry more than scientific instruments on this historic journey - it will also hold more than 1.1 million names submitted by the public to go to the Sun.
"Parker Solar Probe is going to revolutioni ... more |
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Two sportscar-sized satellites in orbit to measure Earth's water Washington DC (AFP) May 22, 2018
A SpaceX rocket Tuesday blasted off a duo of sports car-sized satellites built by the US and Germany to reveal changes in sea level rise, ice melt and drought on Earth.
"Three, two, one, liftoff!" said a SpaceX commentator as the Falcon 9 rocket launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 12:47 pm Pacific time (1947 GMT).
The $521 million payload, called the Gravity Reco ... more |
ALMA finds most-distant oxygen in the universe Charlottesville VA (SPX) May 17, 2018
Not long after the Big Bang, the first generations of stars began altering the chemical make-up of primitive galaxies, slowly enriching the interstellar medium with basic elements such as oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen. Finding the earliest traces of these common elements would shed important light on the chemical evolution of galaxies, including our own.
New observations with the Atacama La ... more |
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Just Five Things About GRACE Follow-On Pasadena CA (JPL) May 21, 2018
Scheduled to launch no earlier than May 22, the twin satellites of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission, a collaboration between NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), will continue the work of monitoring changes in the world's water cycle and surface mass, which was so well performed by the original GRACE mission. There are far more than f ... more |
Can a quantum drum vibrate and stand still at the same time? London, UK (SPX) May 22, 2018
Researchers have studied how a 'drumstick' made of light could make a microscopic 'drum' vibrate and stand still at the same time.
A team of researchers from the UK and Australia have made a key step towards understanding the boundary between the quantum world and our everyday classical world.
Quantum mechanics is truly weird. Objects can behave like both particles and waves, and can ... more |
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Lu resignation a blow for Baidu's push into AI, analysts say Beijing (AFP) May 21, 2018
The resignation of a senior Baidu executive is a major setback to the Chinese internet giant's push into artificial intelligence, an analyst said Monday, as the company tries to diversify away from its search engine business.
The loss of chief operating officer and AI expert Lu Qi is the latest blow for the company, often referred to as China's Google, which has invested heavily in its deep ... more |
China's Queqiao satellite carries "large umbrella" into deep space Xichang, China (XNA) May 22, 2018
The relay satellite, launched Monday for China's Chang'e-4 lunar probe, is carrying the largest communication antenna ever used in deep space exploration, according to Chinese experts.
The launch of the satellite Queqiao, or Magpie Bridge, is a key step for China to realize its goal of sending the Chang'e-4 lunar probe to soft-land on the far side of the Moon.
Queqiao, developed by C ... more |
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