24/7 News Coverage
December 21, 2018
MARSDAILY
InSight places its first instrument on Mars



Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 21, 2018
NASA's InSight lander has deployed its first instrument onto the surface of Mars, completing a major mission milestone. New images from the lander show the seismometer on the ground, its copper-colored covering faintly illuminated in the Martian dusk. It looks as if all is calm and all is bright for InSight, heading into the end of the year. "InSight's timetable of activities on Mars has gone better than we hoped," said InSight Project Manager Tom Hoffman, who is based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab ... read more

MARSDAILY
Mars 2020 rover to capture sound on the Red Planet
Alleroed, Denmark (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
In February 2021, NASA's Mars 2020 Rover is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet. The spacecraft will have the capability to capture imagery and sound as the Mars 2020 vehicle descends through ... more
MARSDAILY
Mars Express gets festive: A winter wonderland on Mars
Paris (ESA) Dec 21, 2018
This image shows what appears to be a large patch of fresh, untrodden snow - a dream for any lover of the holiday season. However, it's a little too distant for a last-minute winter getaway: this fe ... more
TECH SPACE
Finding ways to protect crews from the effects of space radiation
Houston TX (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
In the near future, crews will embark on multi-month missions to the Moon, and eventually Mars and beyond. All incredible adventures, however, have their hazards, and a major one for crews on long-d ... more
MARSDAILY
InSight Engineers Have Made a Martian Rock Garden
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 19, 2018
NASA's InSight lander is due to set its first science instrument on Mars in the coming days. But engineers here on Earth already saw it happen - last week. Like NASA's Curiosity rover, InSight ... more
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MARSDAILY
Opportunity team performs more frequent communication attempts throughout each day
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 17, 2018
Mars atmospheric opacity (tau) over the rover site remains at a storm-free range around 1.0. No signal from Opportunity has been heard since Sol 5111 (June 10, 2018). Opportunity likely experi ... more
MARSDAILY
Planetary scientists assist in capturing image of Insight from orbit
London, Canada (SPX) Dec 14, 2018
Houston, there is no problem here. Eric Pilles assisted in capturing - for the first-time ever - extraordinary and highly significant scientific images of the NASA InSight robotic lander using HiRIS ... more
MARSDAILY
NASA's InSight takes its first selfie
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 12, 2018
NASA's InSight lander isn't camera-shy. The spacecraft used a camera on its robotic arm to take its first selfie - a mosaic made up of 11 images. This is the same imaging process used by NASA's Curi ... more
MARSDAILY
NASA's InSight lander 'hears' wind on Mars
Tampa (AFP) Dec 7, 2018
Humans can now hear the haunting, low rumble of wind on Mars for the first time, after NASA's InSight lander captured vibrations from the breeze on the Red Planet, the US space agency said Friday. ... more
MARSDAILY
NASA's Mars InSight Flexes Its Arm
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 07, 2018
New images from NASA's Mars InSight lander show its robotic arm is ready to do some lifting. With a reach of nearly 6 feet (2 meters), the arm will be used to pick up science instruments from ... more
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MARSDAILY
InSight's robotic arm ready for some lifting on Mars
Washington (UPI) Dec 7, 2018
NASA's newest Mars lander InSight is slowly readying itself for its scientific mission. The newest images captured by the lander's camera, and shared by NASA, showcase the spacecraft's robotic arm. ... more
MARSDAILY
Mars 2020 rover mission camera system 'Mastcam-Z' testing begins at ASU
Tempe AZ (SPX) Dec 06, 2018
Arizona State University research technician and Mars 2020 Mastcam-Z calibration engineer Andy Winhold waited patiently on the loading dock of ASU's Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building ... more
MARSDAILY
Over Five Months Without Word From Opportunity
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 03, 2018
Mars atmospheric opacity (tau) over the rover site remains at a storm-free level of 0.8. Since loss of signal on Sol 5111 (June 10, 2018), 359 recovery commands have been radiated including on ... more
MARSDAILY
Life at home on Mars in a Big Sandbox
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 03, 2018
With InSight safely on the surface of Mars, the mission team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, is busy learning more about the spacecraft's landing site. They knew when In ... more
MARSDAILY
Safely on Mars, InSight unfolds its arrays and snaps some pics
Washington (AFP) Nov 29, 2018
After safely landing on Mars following its nearly seven month journey, NASA has released the first pictures taken by its InSight spacecraft, which has opened it solar arrays to charge batteries. ... more


SpaceBok robotic hopper being tested at ESA's Mars Yard

MICROSAT BLITZ
NASA Hears MarCO CubeSats Loud and Clear from Mars
Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 28, 2018
NASA's MarCO mission was built to see whether two experimental, briefcase-sized spacecraft could survive the trip to deep space, and the two CubeSats proved more than able. After cruising along behi ... more
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MARSDAILY
Mars Mole HP3 Arrives at the Red Planet
Bonn, Germany (SPX) Nov 28, 2018
Just a few weeks from now, the German Aerospace Center's HP3 Mole will start hammering its way automatically into the subsoil of the Red Planet to measure its inner heat. "By participating in ... more
MARSDAILY
With InSight on Mars, Scientists Feel Earthly Relief, Get to Work
Ithaca NY (SPX) Nov 28, 2018
After cruising for 205 days over 301 million miles, NASA's InSight spacecraft - a mission designed to probe beneath the surface of Mars - landed flawlessly Nov. 26 at Elysium Planitia. Cornell Unive ... more
MARSDAILY
InSight unfolds to catch some solar rays on Mars
Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 27, 2018
NASA's InSight has sent signals to Earth indicating that its solar panels are open and collecting sunlight on the Martian surface. NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter relayed the signals, which were receive ... more
MARSDAILY
Shaping the surface of Mars with water, wind and ice
Paris (ESA) Nov 26, 2018
ESA's Mars Express has imaged an intriguing part of the Red Planet's surface: a rocky, fragmented, furrowed escarpment lying at the boundary of the northern and southern hemisphere. This region is ... more
MARSDAILY
Mars InSight lands on Red Planet
Pasadena, United States (AFP) Nov 26, 2018
Cheers and applause erupted at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Monday as a $993 million unmanned lander, called InSight, touched down on the Red Planet and managed to send back its first picture. ... more
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Getting a glimpse inside the moon
Edmonton, Canada (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
New research from University of Alberta physicists provides the first-ever model of our Moon's rotational dynamics, taking into consideration its solid inner core. Their model helps to explain why, as seen from Earth, the Moon appears to wobble on its axis. The answer, said physicist Mathieu Dumberry, lies in the complex geometry of the Moon's orbit, locked in what is known as a Cassini st ... more
+ Israeli spacecraft gets special passenger before moon journey
+ NASA seeks US partners to develop reusable systems to land astronauts on Moon
+ Learning from lunar lights
+ China launches rover for first far side of the moon landing
+ China Will Launch First Probe to Moon's Far Side Later This Week
+ NASA Announces New Partnerships for Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Services
+ Lockheed Martin Selected for NASA's Commercial Lunar Lander Payload Services Contract
China's Chang'e-4 probe enters lunar orbit
Beijing (XNA) Dec 13, 2018
China's Chang'e-4 probe decelerated and entered the lunar orbit Wednesday, completing a vital step on its way to make the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced. After flying about 110 hours from earth, an engine on the probe was ignited when it was 129 km above the surface of the moon, in line with instructions sent fr ... more
+ China launches rover for first far side of the moon landing
+ Evolving Chinese Space Ecosystem To Foster Innovative Environment
+ China sends 5 satellites into orbit via single rocket
+ China releases smart solution for verifying reliability of space equipment components
+ China unveils new 'Heavenly Palace' space station as ISS days numbered
+ China's space programs open up to world
+ China's commercial aerospace companies flourishing


Navigating NASA's first mission to the Trojan asteroids
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
In science fiction, explorers can hop in futuristic spaceships and traverse half the galaxy in the blink of a plot hole. However, this sidelines the navigational acrobatics required in order to guarantee real-life mission success. In 2021, the feat of navigation that is the Lucy mission will launch. To steer Lucy towards its targets doesn't simply involve programming a map into a spacecraf ... more
+ ALMA gives passing comet its close-up
+ NASA telescopes take a close look at the brightest comet of 2018
+ Space telescope detects water in a number of asteroids
+ Las Cumbres builds new instrument to study December comet
+ GMV leads the system that "drives" the HERA mission for planetary defence
+ Watch Comet 46P Wirtanen as it nears Earth
+ Rosetta witnesses birth of baby bow shock around comet
Ultima Thule's First Mystery: Lack of a 'Light Curve'
Laurel MD (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is bearing down on Ultima Thule, its New Year's flyby target in the far away Kuiper Belt. Among its approach observations over the past three months, the spacecraft has been taking hundreds of images to measure Ultima's brightness and how it varies as the object rotates. Those measurements have produced the mission's first mystery about Ultima. Even though sc ... more
+ Teledyne e2v has provided New Horizons with two specialist image sensors
+ Astronomers identify cycle of disturbances at Jupiter's equator
+ New Horizons Takes the Inside Course to Ultima Thule
+ Most Distant Solar System Object Ever Observed
+ A nuclear-powered 'tunnelbot' to search for life on Jupiter's icy moon Europa
+ NASA's Juno mission halfway to Jupiter science
+ Record Setting Course-Correction Puts New Horizons on Track to Kuiper Belt Flyby
NASA Research Reveals Saturn is Losing Its Rings at "Worst-Case-Scenario" Rate
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 18, 2018
New NASA research confirms that Saturn is losing its iconic rings at the maximum rate estimated from Voyager 1 and 2 observations made decades ago. The rings are being pulled into Saturn by gravity as a dusty rain of ice particles under the influence of Saturn's magnetic field. "We estimate that this 'ring rain' drains an amount of water products that could fill an Olympic-sized swimming p ... more
+ Water on Saturn's Moon Phoebe Is Out of This World
+ A new way to create Saturn's radiation belts
+ Saturn's Moon Dione Covered by Mysterious Stripes
+ Cutting through the mystery of Titan's atmospheric haze
+ Surprising chemical complexity of Saturn's rings changing planet's upper atmosphere
+ Latest insights into Saturn's weird magnetic field only make things weirder
+ In its final days, Cassini bathed in 'ring rain'
Atmospheric aerosol formation from biogenic vapors is strongly affected by air pollutants
Helsinki, Finland (SPX) Dec 17, 2018
The formation of new aerosol particles is a complicated process. Researchers have only recently started to understand this process on a molecular level after instruments able to detect nanometer-scale particles became available. The human population has altered the composition of atmospheric gas in several ways. Sulfur dioxide from industrial emissions, nitrogen oxides from traffic, and am ... more
+ Research reveals 'fundamental finding' about Earth's outer core
+ First detection of rain over the ocean by navigation satellites
+ Ionosphere plasma experiments reviewed in a new Kazan University publication
+ ICESat-2 helps scientists measure ice thickness in the Weddell Sea
+ HyperScout demonstrates that satellite imagery can be processed in space
+ First Radar Image from ICEYE-X2 Published Only A Week After Launch
+ Brazil keeps eye on Amazon deforestation with satellites


NASA astronaut, crewmates return to Earth after 197-Day mission in space
Houston TX (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
Three members of the International Space Station's Expedition 57 crew, including NASA astronaut Serena Aunon-Chancellor, returned to Earth Thursday, safely landing at 12:02 a.m. EST (11:02 a.m. local time) in Kazakhstan. Aunon-Chancellor and her crewmates, Expedition 57 Commander Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency) and Soyuz Commander Sergey Prokopyev, launched June 6 and arrive ... more
+ Queen guitarist Brian May releases tribute to NASA spacecraft
+ Astronauts land from ISS stint marred by air leak, rocket failure
+ NASA thanks Russia for prompt crew rescue after Soyuz accident
+ Super-Fast 3-Hour Manned Flights to ISS to Begin in 18 Months
+ A method to monitor indoor crop health no matter what planet you're on
+ Russian Progress freighter to fly to ISS under short scheme for second time
+ Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo reaches space for first time
NASA study finds sugars, key ingredient for life, can form in space
Washington DC (Sputnik) Dec 21, 2018
A new study by NASA scientists has proven that sugar molecules - one of the building blocks of life - can form in conditions similar to those in outer space. The find provides further grist to the mill of the argument that life on Earth got some sort of help from above in its formation. A new paper published on Tuesday by scientists from the National Atmospheric and Space Administration's ... more
+ Narrowing the universe in the search for life
+ A young star caught forming like a planet
+ Planets with Oxygen Don't Necessarily Have Life
+ Where did the hot Neptunes go
+ Dancing with the enemy
+ In search of missing worlds, Hubble finds a fast-evaporating exoplanet
+ Hubble finds faraway planet vanishing at record speed


New foldable drone can navigate narrow holes
Washington (UPI) Dec 12, 2018
Drones can be used to explore environs too difficult and dangerous for humans to navigate, like a burned out building or the rubble of a collapsed bridge. But often, entrances to and passageways through these environments are quite small - holes and cracks measuring just a few inches wide. Engineers at the University of Zurich have developed a foldable drone that can shrink itself to f ... more
+ General Atomics receives $40 million for Gray Eagle drone services
+ Using drones to simplify film animation
+ General Atomics tapped for French MQ-9 drone support
+ Logos demonstrates Redkite advanced surveillance pod
+ Drones offer ability to find, ID and count marine megafauna
+ From parcel delivery to security, Singapore bets big on drones
+ DARPA tests autonomous drone swarms against communications and GPS jamming
Preparing for discovery with NASA's Parker Solar Probe
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 13, 2018
Weeks after Parker Solar Probe made the closest-ever approach to a star, the science data from the first solar encounter is just making its way into the hands of the mission's scientists. It's a moment many in the field have been anticipating for years, thinking about what they'll do with such never-before-seen data, which has the potential to shed new light on the physics of our star, the Sun. ... more
+ Research provides insights into Sun's past, future
+ Prediction of Sun's Activity Over the Next Decade
+ Auroras help scientists study energy instabilities in space
+ NASA retires prolific solar observatory after 16 years
+ Scientists map magnetic reconnection in Earth's magnetotail
+ Auroras Unlock the Physics of Energetic Processes in Space
+ Windy with a chance of magnetic storms - space weather science with cluster


NZ-Dutch space startup raises 3M dollars
Auckland NZ (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
Dawn Aerospace, a New Zealand-Dutch startup building 100% reusable rockets for satellite delivery, has this week raised $3.35m (NZD) of investment from Kiwi, American and Dutch investors. The money will be used to commercialise its world-leading satellite propulsion systems and begin development of it's Mk-II Spaceplane. The company makes reusable rockets designed to carry small sa ... more
+ Elon Musk's SpaceX set to raise $500 mn: report
+ Russia to Decommission Carrier Vehicle With Ukraine-Made Components
+ Russia's Vostochny Cosmodrome to Have Only One Space Launch in 2019
+ New Materials Architectures Sought to Cool Hypersonic Vehicles
+ Winning ideas for new space transport services
+ Roscosmos to submit super-heavy rocket project to Government
+ NASA's Plum Brook Station Completes Acoustic Test for SLS
Webb Telescope wrapped in a mobile clean room
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
Before moving NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, and to assure that it's kept clean and safe, Webb got a very special wrapping treatment. The wrapping acts as a "mobile clean room," safeguarding the technological marvel from contaminants. All satellites and observatories are created in clean rooms. Clean rooms filter out harmful contaminants, as even a speck of dust or a fingerprint could ... more
+ Stellar corpse reveals clues to missing stardust
+ Faint glow within galaxy clusters illuminates dark matter
+ Cosmic ray telescope launches from Antarctica
+ Key milestone for Euclid Mission, now ready for final assembly
+ Sapphires and Rubies in the Sky
+ NEOWISE satellite observes adolescent star going through a growth spurt
+ Scientists design new material to harness power of light


New squeezing record at GEO600 gravitational-wave detector
Hannover, Germany (SPX) Dec 17, 2018
The detection of Einstein's gravitational waves relies on highly precise laser measurements of small length changes. The kilometer-size detectors of the international network (GEO600, LIGO, Virgo) are so sensitive that they are fundamentally limited by tiny quantum mechanical effects. These cause a background noise which overlaps with gravitational-wave signals. This noise is always presen ... more
+ Mini-detectors for the gigantic
+ Portsmouth researchers make vital contribution to new gravitational wave discoveries
+ Four New Gravitational Wave Detections Announced
+ Universal laws in impact dynamics of dust agglomerates under microgravity conditions
+ Griffith precision measurement takes it to the limit
+ Gravitational waves could shed light on dark matter
+ In five -10 years, gravitational waves could accurately measure universe's expansion
Beyond the black hole singularity with loop quantum gravity
University Park PA (SPX) Dec 21, 2018
Our first glimpses into the physics that exist near the center of a black hole are being made possible using "loop quantum gravity" - a theory that uses quantum mechanics to extend gravitational physics beyond Einstein's general theory of relativity. Loop quantum gravity, originated at Penn State and subsequently developed by a large number of scientists worldwide, is opening up a new para ... more
+ Unique insights into an exotic matter state
+ Physicists develop new theory to answer fundamental questions about black holes
+ Fake plastic atoms
+ Mystery of coronae around supermassive black holes deepens
+ Fossil Gas Cloud from the Big Bang Discovered with Keck Observatory
+ Mystery of Black Hole Coronae Deepens
+ Cosmic fountain powered by giant black hole


Self-driving rovers tested in Mars-like Morocco
Paris (ESA) Dec 21, 2018
Robots invaded the Sahara Desert for Europe's largest rover field test, taking place in a Mars-like part of Morocco. For two weeks three rovers and more than 40 engineers tested automated navigation systems at up to five different sites. This marked the end of the first phase of the strategic research cluster on space robotics technologies, a scheme funded by the European Union's Horizon 2 ... more
+ New models sense human trust in smart machines
+ Robot shown on Russian TV revealed to be man in costume
+ Artificial joint restores wrist-like movements to forearm amputees
+ Norfolk Navy Shipyard introducing exoskeletons for workers
+ Insight into swimming fish could lead to robotics advances
+ Flexible electronic skin aids human-machine interactions
+ Embark on a NASA technology scavenger hunt with Optimus Prime
China's Chang'e-4 probe enters lunar orbit
Beijing (XNA) Dec 13, 2018
China's Chang'e-4 probe decelerated and entered the lunar orbit Wednesday, completing a vital step on its way to make the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced. After flying about 110 hours from earth, an engine on the probe was ignited when it was 129 km above the surface of the moon, in line with instructions sent fr ... more
+ China launches rover for first far side of the moon landing
+ Evolving Chinese Space Ecosystem To Foster Innovative Environment
+ China sends 5 satellites into orbit via single rocket
+ China releases smart solution for verifying reliability of space equipment components
+ China unveils new 'Heavenly Palace' space station as ISS days numbered
+ China's space programs open up to world
+ China's commercial aerospace companies flourishing
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