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Opportunity sleeps during a planet-encircling dust storm![]() Pasadena 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 likely that Opportunity has experienced a low-power fault, putting herself to sleep only to wake when the skies eventually clear. If the atmospheric opacity or the solar array dust factor has gotten worse since the last telemetry, Opportunity could also experience a mission clock fault. A clock fau ... read 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 stormWashington (UPI) Jun 14, 2018 A record dust storm has been swirling on Mars for nearly two weeks. While the weather has forced the Opportunity rover to bunker down and suspend all scientific activities, several other spacecraft are taking the opportunity to study the storm. ... more |
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| Previous Issues | Jun 25 | Jun 24 | Jun 22 | Jun 21 | Jun 20 |
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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
Mars rover Opportunity hunkers down during dust stormPasadena CA (JPL) Jun 11, 2018 Science operations for NASA's Opportunity rover have been temporarily suspended as it waits out a growing dust storm on Mars. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter first detected the storm on Fri ... more
New NASA position to focus on exploration of Moon, Mars and worlds beyondWashington DC (SPX) Jun 13, 2018 NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) is taking a giant leap focusing the agency's exploration of the Moon, Mars and our Solar System. Effective immediately, Steve Clarke is SMD's Deputy As ... more
Curiosity rover finds organic matter, unidentified methane source on MarsWashington (UPI) Jun 7, 2018 NASA's Curiosity rover has found organic molecules in ancient sedimentary rock collected from Mars' surface. The rover's labs also confirmed seasonal fluctuations of methane in the Martian atmosphere. ... more
More building blocks of life found on MarsTampa (AFP) June 7, 2018 A NASA robot has detected more building blocks for life on Mars - the most complex organic matter yet - from 3.5 billion-year-old rocks on the surface of the Red Planet, scientists said Thursday. ... more |
![]() Minerology on Mars points to a cold and icy ancient climate
NASA finds ancient organic material, mysterious methane on MarsPasadena CA (JPL) Jun 08, 2018 NASA's Curiosity rover has found new evidence preserved in rocks on Mars that suggests the planet could have supported ancient life, as well as new evidence in the Martian atmosphere that relates to ... more |
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Science Team Continues to Improve Opportunity's Use of the Robotic ArmPasadena CA (JPL) Jun 07, 2018 Opportunity is halfway down in "Perseverance Valley" on the west rim of Endeavour Crater. The science team is pursuing several hypotheses as to the origin of the valley. The rover is still pos ... more
New data-mining technique offers most-vivid picture of Martian mineralogyWashington DC (SPX) Jun 07, 2018 A team of scientists led by Carnegie's Shaunna Morrison and including Bob Hazen have revealed the mineralogy of Mars at an unprecedented scale, which will help them understand the planet's geologic ... more
From horizon to horizon: Celebrating 15 years of Mars ExpressParis (ESA) Jun 04, 2018 Fifteen years ago, ESA's Mars Express was launched to investigate the Red Planet. To mark this milestone comes a striking view of Mars from horizon to horizon, showcasing one of the most intriguing ... more
Mars Curiosity's Labs Are Back in ActionPasadena CA (JPL) Jun 05, 2018 NASA's Curiosity rover is analyzing drilled samples on Mars in one of its onboard labs for the first time in more than a year. "This was no small feat. It represents months and months of work ... more
Red Planet rover set for extreme environment workoutParis (ESA) May 30, 2018 A representative model of the ExoMars rover that will land on Mars in 2021 is beginning a demanding test campaign that will ensure it can survive the rigours of launch and landing, as well as operat ... more |
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Queqiao satellite the bridge to China's lunar exploration Beijing (XNA) Jun 25, 2018
If all goes to plan, China will soon make history as the first country to put a lander and a rover on the far side of the moon. Information gleaned from such a mission may answer questions about the universe that we have not even thought to ask yet.
It was for this reason that I found myself talking to Zheng Yongchun at Beijing Planetarium. Zheng is an animated interviewee, but that's not ... more |
China confirms reception of data from Gaofen-6 satellite Beijing (XNA) Jun 07, 2018
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) confirmed that one of its institutes Monday successfully tracked and received imaging data from the newly-launched Earth observation satellite Gaofen-6.
The Aerospace Information Research Institute said the Miyun station of China Remote Sensing Satellite Ground Station received the first batch of observation data from the Gaofen-6 satellite. There was ... more |
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Rosetta image archive complete Paris (ESA) Jun 25, 2018
All high-resolution images and the underpinning data from Rosetta's pioneering mission at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko are now available in ESA's archives, with the last release including the iconic images of finding lander Philae, and Rosetta's final descent to the comet's surface.
The images were delivered by the OSIRIS camera team to ESA in May and have now been processed and release ... more |
Webb Telescope to target Jupiter's Great Red Spot Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 26, 2018
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the most ambitious and complex space observatory ever built, will use its unparalleled infrared capabilities to study Jupiter's Great Red Spot, shedding new light on the enigmatic storm and building upon data returned from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and other observatories.
Jupiter's iconic storm is on the Webb telescope's list of targets chosen by gua ... more |
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Surprising magnetic reconnection spotted on Saturn's dayside Paris (ESA) Jun 11, 2018
Data from the international Cassini mission has revealed that a phenomenon called magnetic reconnection can occur on the dayside of Saturn, within the planet's magnetic environment.
Reconnection happens when two magnetic fields collide - for example when the Earth's magnetic field is hit by the stream of charged particles released by the Sun as the solar wind.
The magnetic field arou ... more |
Sentinel-3 flies tandem Paris (ESA) Jun 20, 2018
The key to monitoring Earth's changing environment and to guaranteeing a consistent stream of satellite data to improve our daily lives is to take the same measurements over the course of decades. But how do you know that measurements from successive satellites, even though identical in build, are like for like?
The answer, for the Copernicus Sentinel-3 mission, is to engage in some nifty ... more |
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Deep space navigation: tool tested as emergency navigation device Houston TX (SPX) Jun 22, 2018
A tool that has helped guide sailors across oceans for centuries is now being tested aboard the International Space Station as a potential emergency navigation tool for guiding future spacecraft across the cosmos. The Sextant Navigation investigation tests use of a hand-held sextant aboard the space station.
Sextants have a small telescope-like optical sight to take precise angle measureme ... more |
Hunting molecules to find new planets Geneva, Switzerland (SPX) Jun 22, 2018
Each exoplanet revolves around a star, like the Earth around the Sun. This is why it is generally impossible to obtain images of an exoplanet, so dazzling is the light of its star. However, a team of astronomers, led by a researcher from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and member of NCCR PlanetS, had the idea of detecting certain molecules that are present in the planet's atmosphere in order to ... more |
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Chip upgrade helps miniature drones navigate Boston MA (SPX) Jun 20, 2018
Researchers at MIT, who last year designed a tiny computer chip tailored to help honeybee-sized drones navigate, have now shrunk their chip design even further, in both size and power consumption.
The team, co-led by Vivienne Sze, associate professor in MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), and Sertac Karaman, the Class of 1948 Career Development Associate ... more |
Sounding rocket takes a second look at the sun Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 20, 2018
Tom Woods knows about space gunk. As the principal investigator for the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment, or EVE, instrument aboard NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, he's all too familiar with the ways that exposure to the harsh space environment can lead to a spacecraft instrument's degradation.
"Since its launch in 2010, EVE's sensitivity has degraded by about 70 percent at so ... more |
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Aerojet Rocketdyne and SMC investing in engine technology El Segundo CA (SPX) Jun 26, 2018
Aerojet Rocketdyne is pleased to announce an expansion of its existing advanced engine development agreement with the Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) to develop the upper-stage RL10C-X engine and continue the AR1 booster engine development program through production of the first engine.
The RL10C-X represents the future of the nation's premiere upper-stage rocket engine, ... more |
The Rosetta stone of active galactic nuclei deciphered Bonn, Germany (SPX) Jun 25, 2018
A galaxy with at least one active supermassive black hole - named OJ 287 - has caused many irritations and questions in the past. The emitted radiation of this object spans a wide range - from the radio up to the highest energies in the TeV regime. The potential periodicity in the variable optical emission made this galaxy a candidate for hosting a supermassive binary black hole in its centre. ... more |
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Precise gravitation lens test confirms general relativity Washington (UPI) Jun 21, 2018
The theory of general relativity states that objects and their gravitational pull distort the spacetime around them. The phenomenon explains the gravitational lens effect, the bending of light in a lens-like shape around large galaxies and cosmic structures.
Recently, astronomers successfully measured the gravitation lensing effect around the elliptical galaxy ESO 325-G004, located 450 ... more |
Einstein proved right in another galaxy Portsmouth UK (SPX) Jun 25, 2018
An international team of astronomers have made the most precise test of gravity outside our own solar system.
By combining data taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, their results show that gravity in this galaxy behaves as predicted by Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, confirming the theory's validity on galact ... more |
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Robotic Refueling Mission 3 completes crucial series of tests Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 26, 2018
Space exploration has captured our attention for over half of a century. NASA plans to propel human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit and continue the legacy of the Apollo missions.
With a renewed focus on exploration, NASA is developing new space technologies and capabilities that pave the way for missions back to the Moon and beyond. The agency will advance long duration mission-critica ... more |
China confirms reception of data from Gaofen-6 satellite Beijing (XNA) Jun 07, 2018
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) confirmed that one of its institutes Monday successfully tracked and received imaging data from the newly-launched Earth observation satellite Gaofen-6.
The Aerospace Information Research Institute said the Miyun station of China Remote Sensing Satellite Ground Station received the first batch of observation data from the Gaofen-6 satellite. There was ... more |
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