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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 27 | Jun 26 | Jun 25 | Jun 24 | Jun 22 |
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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 launches new-tech experiment twin satellites Xichang, China (XNA) Jun 28, 2018
China successfully launched new-tech experiment twin satellites on the Long March-2C rocket from southwest China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center Wednesday morning.
The twin satellites were launched at 11:30 a.m., and entered their intended orbit.
The twin-satellites missions are to link the inter-satellite network and conduct new technology tests on satellites earth-observation. ... more |
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Sandbox craters reveal secrets of planetary splash marks and lost meteorites Onna, Japan (SPX) Jun 28, 2018 Look up above you. You might see blue sky, clouds, the Moon or stars. And while it might seem calm up there, the truth is it's nearly always raining. Every day, Earth is constantly bombarded by about 100 tons of falling objects from space, mostly simple dust or sand-sized particles that are destroyed as they hit the upper atmosphere.
But very rarely, a piece large enough to survive the int ... 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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Signatures of complex organic molecules spotted on Saturn's moon Enceladus Washington (UPI) Jun 27, 2018
Scientists have found evidence of complex organic molecules on Saturn's moon Enceladus. The chemical signals were identified among spectrometry data collected by NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
"We are, yet again, blown away by Enceladus," Christopher Glein, a space scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, said in a news release. "Previously we'd only identified the simplest organic mo ... more |
Copernicus 20 years on Paris (ESA) Jun 25, 2018
This week marks 20 years since the manifesto was signed that gave rise to Europe's Copernicus environmental programme. With seven Sentinel satellites already in orbit delivering terabytes of data every day, Copernicus is the biggest provider of Earth observation data in the world.
To mark this 20-year milestone, reflect on the programme's achievements and to look to the future, EU commissi ... more |
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New head of 'space nation' aims for the stars Vienna (AFP) June 25, 2018
It sounds appealing given the state of politics on Earth: a plan to launch a utopian "space nation" with the aim of transcending earthly divisions.
At a lavish ceremony in Vienna's Hofburg Palace on Monday, some 200 attendees inaugurated Russian scientist and businessman Igor Ashurbeyli as the first "head of nation" of Asgardia, named after a realm in Norse mythology.
Ashurbeyli has been ... more |
Will we know life when we see it Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 26, 2018
In the last decade, we have discovered thousands of planets outside our solar system and have learned that rocky, temperate worlds are numerous in our galaxy. The next step will involve asking even bigger questions. Could some of these planets host life? And if so, will we be able to recognize life elsewhere if we see it?
A group of leading researchers in astronomy, biology and geology has ... more |
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Australia buys high-tech drones to monitor South China Sea, Pacific Sydney (AFP) June 26, 2018
Australia will invest Aus$7 billion (US$5.2 billion) to develop and buy high-tech US drones for joint military operations and to monitor waters including the South China Sea, it said Tuesday.
Canberra has been embarking on its largest peacetime naval investment through a massive shipbuilding strategy that includes new submarines, offshore patrol vessels and frigates to shore up its defence c ... 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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Looking to the Future with Ariane 6 and Vega C Launchers for Asia-Pacific Customers Singapore (SPX) Jun 28, 2018
Arianespace, the global reference in space transportation, has orbited 60% of commercial satellites in the Asia-Pacific region since 1981. And this dynamic is continuing apace: after four satellites orbited for customers in the region during 2017, and the successful launch of DSN-1/Superbird-8 for SKY Perfect JSAT and the Japanese Ministry of Defense on April 5, 2018, Arianespace's order book in ... more |
Frankfurt physicists set limits on size of neutron stars Frankfurt, Germany (SPX) Jun 28, 2018
How large is a neutron star? Previous estimates varied from eight to sixteen kilometres. Astrophysicists at the Goethe University Frankfurt and the FIAS have now succeeded in determining the size of neutron stars to within 1.5 kilometres by using an elaborate statistical approach supported by data from the measurement of gravitational waves. The researchers' report appears in the current issue o ... 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 launches new-tech experiment twin satellites Xichang, China (XNA) Jun 28, 2018
China successfully launched new-tech experiment twin satellites on the Long March-2C rocket from southwest China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center Wednesday morning.
The twin satellites were launched at 11:30 a.m., and entered their intended orbit.
The twin-satellites missions are to link the inter-satellite network and conduct new technology tests on satellites earth-observation. ... more |
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