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Mars dust storm clears, raising hope for stalled NASA rover![]() Tampa (AFP) Aug 31, 2018 One of the biggest Martian dust storms on record is clearing up after nearly three months, raising hope that NASA's stranded, solar-powered robotic vehicle, Opportunity, will soon come back to life. The storm was first detected on May 30, and the US space agency's 15-year-old rover was last heard from on June 10, when it went into "sleep" mode as dust blocked out the Sun and darkness enveloped the Red Planet. A NASA statement issued late Thursday called the situation "critical," but added that " ... read more |
NASA Launching Mars Lander Parachute Test from Wallops Sep 7Wallops Island, VA (SPX) Sep 03, 2018 NASA will conduct the third in a series of parachute tests for possible future missions to Mars during the flight of a Terrier-Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket in the morning on Sep. 7, 201 ... more
Team Continues to Listen for OpportunityPasadena CA (JPL) Sep 03, 2018 No signal from Opportunity has been heard since Sol 5111 (June 10, 2018). The dust storm on Mars continues its decay with atmospheric opacity (tau) over the rover site decreasing. It is expect ... more
Opportunity rover expected to call home as Martian dust storm clearsWashington (UPI) Aug 31, 2018 The weeks-long Martian dust storm is waning, and Opportunity rover can finally see clearly. NASA scientists think the rover will soon receive enough sunlight to recharge its batteries and resume its science mission. ... more
Martian skies clearing over Opportunity RoverPasadena CA (JPL) Aug 31, 2018 A planet-encircling dust storm on Mars, which was first detected May 30 and halted operations for the Opportunity rover, continues to abate. With clearing skies over Opportunity's resting spot ... more |
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| Previous Issues | Sep 05 | Sep 04 | Sep 03 | Aug 31 | Aug 30 |
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NASA's InSight passes halfway to Mars, instruments check inPasadena CA (JPL) Aug 21, 2018 NASA's InSight spacecraft, en route to a Nov. 26 landing on Mars, passed the halfway mark on Aug. 6. All of its instruments have been tested and are working well. As of Aug. 20, the spacecraft ... more
Six Things About Opportunity'S Recovery EffortsPasadena CA (JPL) Aug 17, 2018 NASA's Opportunity rover has been silent since June 10, when a planet-encircling dust storm cut off solar power for the nearly-15-year-old rover. Now that scientists think the global dust storm is " ... more
The Science Team Continues to Listen for Opportunity as Storm DiminishesPasadena CA (JPL) Aug 17, 2018 The planet-encircling dust storm on Mars continues to decay, although in fits and starts. Atmospheric opacity (tau) over the rover site was estimated down near 2.1, but then popped up to 2.5. ... more
Planet-Encircling Dust Storm of Mars shows signs of slowingPasadena CA (JPL) Aug 15, 2018 The planet-encircling dust storm on Mars continues to show indications of decay. Dust-lifting sites have decreased and surface features are starting to emerge. There are indications that the a ... more
Still no change in Opportunity's statusPasadena CA (JPL) Aug 08, 2018 There is no news since the last status update. As reported last week, the planet-encircling dust storm on Mars is showing indications of peaking and perhaps decaying. Dust lifting sites have d ... more |
![]() Aerojet Rocketdyne delivers power generator for Mars 2020 Rover
Sorry Elon Musk, but it's now clear that colonising Mars is unlikelyLondon, UK (The Conversation) Aug 06, 2018 Space X and Tesla founder Elon Musk has a vision for colonising Mars, based on a big rocket, nuclear explosions and an infrastructure to transport millions of people there. This was seen as highly a ... more |
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Russia Plans to Send Capsule With Microorganisms to MarsMoscow (Sputnik) Aug 06, 2018 Russian scientists plan to send a capsule containing microorganisms to Mars' natural satellite Phobos and then get it back to Earth in order to study the possible mutations during the space flight, ... more
Mars Dust Storm May Have PeakedPasadena CA (JPL) Aug 03, 2018 The planet-encircling dust storm on Mars is showing indications of peaking and perhaps decaying. Dust lifting sites have decreased in extent and some surface features are starting to become vi ... more
Students can now build their own rover modelPasadena CA (JPL) Aug 02, 2018 Have you ever wondered what it takes to build a machine like NASA's Curiosity rover, part of the Mars Science Laboratory project? Now students, hobbyists and enthusiasts can get a taste of what it i ... more
First SLS Core Stage flight hardware complete, ready for joiningHuntsville AL (SPX) Aug 01, 2018 The first major piece of core stage hardware for NASA's Space Launch System rocket has been assembled and is ready to be joined with other hardware for Exploration Mission-1, the first integrated fl ... more
Mars makes closest approach to Earth in 15 yearsLos Angeles (AFP) July 31, 2018 Earth's neighboring planet, Mars, is closer than it has been in the past 15 years, offering unusually bright views of the Red Planet's auburn hues. ... more |
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US Geological Survey Hopes to Begin Prospecting for Space Mines Soon Washington DC (Sputnik) Sep 05, 2018
The US Geological Survey is looking to expand its scope beyond the United States and into the cosmos, applying its understanding of geology to the search for ? and collection of ? valuable mineral resources from moons, asteroids, comets and planets in outer space.
The Colorado School of Mines, which offers one of the coolest sounding university degree tracks ever - the Space Resources Prog ... more |
China tests propulsion system of space station's lab capsules Beijing, China (SPX) Aug 30, 2018
Engineers have successfully tested the propulsion system of China's planned space station lab capsules, a key step in its space station program.
Weighing 66 tonnes, the space station will comprise a core module and two lab capsules. The propulsion system will determine whether lab capsules can move in space.
Engineers designed 36 engines for the propulsion system with four to adjust ... more |
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Asteroid-Deflection Mission Passes Key Development Milestone Laurel MD (SPX) Sep 06, 2018
The first-ever mission to demonstrate an asteroid deflection technique for planetary defense has moved into the final design and assembly phase, following NASA's approval on Aug. 16.
The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), being designed, built and managed by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, will test what's known as the kinetic impactor technique - st ... more |
Tally Ho Ultima Laurel MD (SPX) Sep 06, 2018
More than 12 years after launch, New Horizons continues to be healthy, perform well, and speed across the outer solar system at a clip of nearly 1 million miles per day!
Since I last wrote, earlier this year, our flight team has been incredibly busy operating our spacecraft and planning for our next flyby. That work includes conducting mission simulations and preparing contingency plans fo ... more |
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Saturn's Famous Hexagon May Tower Above the Clouds Paris (ESA) Sep 05, 2018
The long-lived international Cassini mission has revealed a surprising feature emerging at Saturn's northern pole as it nears summertime: a warming, high-altitude vortex with a hexagonal shape, akin to the famous hexagon seen deeper down in Saturn's clouds. This suggests that the lower-altitude hexagon may influence what happens up above, and that it could be a towering structure spanning hundre ... more |
Aeolus laser shines light on wind Paris (ESA) Sep 06, 2018
Following the launch of Aeolus on 22 August, this extraordinary satellite's instrument has been turned on and is now emitting pulses of ultraviolet light from its laser, which is fundamental to measuring Earth's wind. And, this remarkable mission has also already returned a tantalising glimpse of the data it will provide.
Lofted into space on a Vega rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French ... more |
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Going up! Japan to test mini 'space elevator' Tokyo (AFP) Sept 4, 2018
A Japanese team working to develop a "space elevator" will conduct a first trial this month, blasting off a miniature version on satellites to test the technology.
The test equipment, produced by researchers at Shizuoka University, will hitch a ride on an H-2B rocket being launched by Japan's space agency from southern island of Tanegashima next week.
The test involves a miniature elevat ... more |
A Direct-Imaging Mission to Study Earth-like Exoplanets Washington DC (SPX) Sep 06, 2018
To answer significant questions about planetary systems, such as whether our solar system is a rare phenomenon or if life exists on planets other than Earth, NASA should lead a large direct imaging mission - an advanced space telescope - capable of studying Earth-like exoplanets orbiting stars similar to the Sun, says a new congressionally mandated report by the National Academies of Sciences, E ... more |
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Navy taps Boeing for MQ-25 refueling drone Washington (UPI) Aug 31, 2018
Boeing has received a ceiling price $805 million contract to provide the design, development, construction, testing and support of four MQ-25A Stingray unmanned tanker drones.
Work on the contract, announced Thursday by the Department of Defense, will be performed in St. Louis, Mo., Indianapolis, Ind., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Quebec, Canada, Palm Bay, Fla., as well as other locations inside ... more |
Solar eruptions may not have slinky-like shapes after all Durham NH (SPX) Aug 31, 2018
As the saying goes, everything old is new again. While the common phrase often refers to fashion, design, or technology, scientists at the University of New Hampshire have found there is some truth to this mantra even when it comes to research.
Revisiting some older data, the researchers discovered new information about the shape of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) - large-scale eruptions of ... more |
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Alaska Aerospace To Host Open House And Town Hall Meeting In Kodiak Kodiak, AK (SPX) Sep 06, 2018
Alaska Aerospace is hosting an Open House at the Pacific Spaceport Complex - Alaska (PSCA) on Wednesday, September 12, 2018 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm to celebrate twenty years of launch activities. The public is invited to visit the site, where Alaska Aerospace staff will be providing tours of the spaceport facilities.
"In commemoration of twenty years of launch activity from our spaceport ... more |
Stars versus dust in the Carina Nebula Garching, Germany (SPX) Aug 31, 2018
The Carina Nebula, one of the largest and brightest nebulae in the night sky, has been beautifully imaged by ESO's VISTA telescope at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. By observing in infrared light, VISTA has peered through the hot gas and dark dust enshrouding the nebula to show us myriad stars, both newborn and in their death throes.
About 7500 light-years away, in the constellation of ... more |
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Household phenomenon observed by Leonardo da Vinci finally explained Cambridge UK (SPX) Aug 09, 2018
An everyday occurrence spotted when we turn on the tap to brush our teeth has baffled engineers for centuries - why does the water splay when it hits the sink before it heads down the plughole?
Famous inventor and painter Leonardo da Vinci documented the phenomenon, now known as a hydraulic jump, back in the 1500s. Hydraulic jumps are harmless in our household sinks but they can cause viol ... more |
Ultracold atoms used to verify 1963 prediction about 1D electrons Houston TX (SPX) Sep 05, 2018
Rice University atomic physicists have verified a key prediction from a 55-year-old theory about one-dimensional electronics that is increasingly relevant thanks to Silicon Valley's inexorable quest for miniaturization.
"Chipmakers have been shrinking feature sizes on microchips for decades, and device physicists are now exploring the use of nanowires and nanotubes where the channels that ... more |
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If military robot falls, it can get itself up Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD (SPX) Sep 04, 2018
Scientists at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory have developed software to ensure that if a robot falls, it can get itself back up, meaning future military robots will be less reliant on their Soldier handlers.
Based on feedback from Soldiers at an Army training course, ARL researcher Dr. Chad Kessens began to develop software to ... more |
China tests propulsion system of space station's lab capsules Beijing, China (SPX) Aug 30, 2018
Engineers have successfully tested the propulsion system of China's planned space station lab capsules, a key step in its space station program.
Weighing 66 tonnes, the space station will comprise a core module and two lab capsules. The propulsion system will determine whether lab capsules can move in space.
Engineers designed 36 engines for the propulsion system with four to adjust ... more |
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