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Attempting Contact With Opportunity Multiple Times A Day![]() Pasadena CA (JPL) Sep 19, 2018 The Opportunity team is increasing the frequency of commands it beams to the rover via the dishes of NASA's Deep Space Network from three times a week to multiple times per day. No signal from Opportunity has been heard since Sol 5111 (June 10, 2018). It is expected that Opportunity has experienced a low-power fault and perhaps, a mission clock fault and then an up-loss timer fault. The dust storm on Mars continues its decay with atmospheric opacity (tau) over the rover site now below 1.5. ... read more |
ExoMars orbiter highlights radiation risk for Mars astronautsBerlin, Germany (ESA) Sep 19, 2018 Astronauts on a mission to Mars would be exposed to at least 60% of the total radiation dose limit recommended for their career during the journey itself to and from the Red Planet, according to dat ... more
River basin provides evidence of ancient ocean on MarsWashington (UPI) Sep 14, 2018 Mars was once home to a giant ocean, new research suggests. ... more
Curiosity Surveys a Mystery Under Dusty SkiesPasadena CA (JPL) Sep 07, 2018 After snagging a new rock sample on Aug. 9, NASA's Curiosity rover surveyed its surroundings on Mars, producing a 360-degree panorama of its current location on Vera Rubin Ridge. The panorama ... more
Making space exploration real on EarthParis (ESA) Sep 05, 2018 You are on a rock speeding through space. On this rock called Earth every single mineral tells you something about planetary formation. This week astronauts and space engineers will unlock the myste ... more |
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| Previous Issues | Sep 18 | Sep 17 | Sep 14 | Sep 13 | Sep 12 |
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NASA competition aims to convert carbon dioxide on Mars into useful productsHuntsville AL (SPX) Aug 31, 2018 When astronauts begin exploring Mars, they'll need to use local resources, freeing up launch cargo space for other mission-critical supplies. Carbon dioxide is one resource readily abundant within t ... more
NASA's InSight has a thermometer for MarsPasadena CA (JPL) Aug 31, 2018 Ambitious climbers, forget Mt. Everest. Dream about Mars. The Red Planet has some of the tallest mountains in the solar system. They include Olympus Mons, a volcano nearly three times the height of ... more
Mars dust storm clears, raising hope for stalled NASA roverTampa (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. ... more
No word from Opportunity as skies begin to clearPasadena CA (JPL) Aug 30, 2018 No signal from Opportunity has been heard. The dust storm on Mars continues to decay. There has been no new storm activity within ~1,864 miles (3,000 kilometers) of the rover site. The atmosph ... more
Technologies for deep space survivalBethesda, MD (SPX) Aug 22, 2018 Recently, there has been a great deal of discussion concerning human space travel beyond the near-Earth zone. Mars colonization has been a favorite topic for quite some time. However, getting to Mar ... more |
![]() Pence Reaffirms Vision for 'American Dominance in Space'
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 |
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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 RoverLos Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 08, 2018 Aerojet Rocketdyne, in collaboration with Teledyne, recently delivered the electrical power generator for NASA's Mars 2020 rover to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory (I ... more |
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Mysterious 'lunar swirls' point to moon's volcanic, magnetic past New Brunswick NJ (SPX) Sep 07, 2018
The mystery behind lunar swirls, one of the solar system's most beautiful optical anomalies, may finally be solved thanks to a joint Rutgers University and University of California Berkeley study.
The solution hints at the dynamism of the moon's ancient past as a place with volcanic activity and an internally generated magnetic field. It also challenges our picture of the moon's existing g ... 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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VLBA radio telescope measures asteroid's characteristics Socorro NM (SPX) Sep 17, 2018
In an unusual observation, astronomers used the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) to study the effects on radio waves coming from a distant radio galaxy when an asteroid in our solar system passed in front of the galaxy. The observation allowed them to measure the size of the asteroid, gain new information about its shape, and greatly improve the accuracy with which i ... more |
Juno image showcases Jupiter's brown barge Washington (UPI) Sep 19, 2018
Jupiter's "brown barge" feature is the subject of a new photograph snapped by Juno's camera.
Like Jupiter's Great Red Spot, the brown barge is shaped by cyclone-like weather patterns in the gas giant's atmosphere. But unlike the red spot, which is round, the barge is longer and boxier.
The brown barge isn't always easy to pick out. Its colors often blend relatively seamlessly wit ... more |
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Cassini's final view of Titan's northern lakes and seas Pasadena CA (JPL) Sep 17, 2018
During NASA's Cassini mission's final distant encounter with Saturn's giant moon Titan, the spacecraft captured the enigmatic moon's north polar landscape of lakes and seas, which are filled with liquid methane and ethane.
They were captured on Sept. 11, 2017. Four days later, Cassini was deliberately plunged into the atmosphere of Saturn.
Punga Mare (240 miles, or 390 kilometers, ac ... more |
Protection for the ozone layer: sugar molecules bind harmful CFCs Mainz, Germany (SPX) Sep 13, 2018
Researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and Aschaffenburg University of Applied Sciences have managed to make a breakthrough when it comes to dealing with the extremely ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbon Freon 11. Their findings could make a major contribution to protecting the endangered ozone layer.
Freon 11 is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC). These substances were previously ... more |
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Orion's first Service Module integration complete Bremen, Germany (ESA) Sep 19, 2018
Last week at the Airbus integration hall in Bremen, Germany, technicians installed the last radiator on the European Service Module for NASA's Orion spacecraft marking the module's finished integration.
ESA's European service module will provide power, water, air and electricity to NASA's Orion exploration spacecraft that will eventually fly beyond the Moon with astronauts. The European Se ... more |
Planet Vulcan Found Gainesville FL (SPX) Sep 19, 2018
Among the TV series Star Trek's many charms are its rich universe of characters and planets. Now, the Dharma Planet Survey, in a new study led by University of Florida (UF) astronomer Jian Ge and team including Tennessee State University (TSU) astronomers Matthew Muterspaugh and Gregory Henry, has shown that science fiction may be a little less so; the Dharma project has discovered what may be S ... more |
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Self-deploying drone pilots may hinder hurricane response efforts Miami FL (SPX) Sep 14, 2018
Last year's hurricane season was a benchmark year for the role of drones in emergency management. Harvey, Irma, and Maria all had varying characteristics that served well to showcase the benefits that unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) can provide for response and recovery operations.
However, the well-documented - and publicized - success of those efforts is now likely to create a new probl ... more |
Solar Orbiter to leave factory for testing London, UK (SPX) Sep 18, 2018
The UK-built Solar Orbiter is preparing to leave the Airbus factory in Stevenage to travel to Germany for testing, ahead of its launch in 2020 from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA.
The UK is at the heart of this European Space Agency (ESA) mission to uncover the secrets of our planet's star. Solar Orbiter will provide close-up views of the Sun's polar regions, tracking features such as sola ... more |
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SpaceX announces new plan to send tourist around Moon Los Angeles (AFP) Sept 14, 2018
SpaceX on Thursday announced a new plan to launch a tourist around the Moon using its Big Falcon Rocket (BFR), a massive launch vehicle that is being designed to carry people into deep space.
"SpaceX has signed the world's first private passenger to fly around the Moon aboard our BFR launch vehicle - an important step toward enabling access for everyday people who dream of traveling to spac ... more |
Uncovering the birthplaces of stars in the Milky Way Potsdam, Germany (SPX) Sep 17, 2018
An international team of scientists led by Ivan Minchev of the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) has found a way to recover the birthplaces of stars in our galaxy. This is one of the major goals in the field of galactic archaeology, whose aim is to reconstruct the formation history of the Milky Way.
Stars in galactic discs have long been known to wander away from their birth ... more |
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GRACE-FO Satellite Switching to Backup Instrument Processing Unit Pasadena CA (JPL) Sep 17, 2018
The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission team plans to switch to a backup system in the Microwave Instrument (MWI) on one of the twin spacecraft this month. Following the switch-over, GRACE-FO is expected to quickly resume science data collection.
A month after launching this past May, GRACE-FO produced its first preliminary gravity field map. The mission ha ... more |
Russian and German physicists developed a mathematical model of trapped atoms and ions Moscow, Russia (SPX) Sep 19, 2018
It is difficult to study processes at the level of individual atoms and ions at room temperature due to their thermal motion. It causes disturbance that is the reason for considerable inaccuracy of measurements. The main cause of observation errors is the Doppler effect. However, if the atoms are cooled down and therefore the speed of their thermal motion is reduced, this effect can be suppresse ... more |
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Digital assistants hone skills to deliver the news Washington (AFP) Sept 16, 2018
"What's the news?" has become a familiar refrain for consumers with smart speakers, opening up a new channel for publishers but also raising concerns about the growing influence of tech platforms in media.
Devices such as Amazon's Alexa-powered speakers, Google Home and Apple HomePod are increasingly delivering news flashes and summaries, and giving users the option to get more in-depth news ... 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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