Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
February 13, 2018
MARSDAILY
Mars Opportunity Rover Energy Levels Improve



Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 13, 2018
Opportunity is continuing her exploration of "Perseverance Valley" on the west rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover has moved along the north fork of a local flow channel about half way down the valley. Greatly improved energy levels from dust cleaning of the solar arrays has allowed the rover to be active longer each day and occasionally overnight. On Sol 4986 (Feb. 1, 2018), the robotic arm (also called the Instrument Deployment Device, or IDD) was used to offset the placement of the Alpha P ... read more

MARSDAILY
Leaky Atmosphere Linked To Lightweight Planet
Paris (ESA) Feb 13, 2018
The Red Planet's low gravity and lack of magnetic field makes its outermost atmosphere an easy target to be swept away by the solar wind, but new evidence from ESA's Mars Express spacecraft shows th ... more
MARSDAILY
In Oman desert, European venture sets sights on Mars
Dhofar, Oman (AFP) Feb 8, 2018
Would-be astronauts in aluminium-coated suits venture out in rovers from a sprawling camp in Oman's barren desert: a simulation by a European venture aiming to one day help humans survive on Mars. ... more
ROBO SPACE
Integration of AI and robotics with materials sciences will lead to new clean energy technology
Toronto, Canada (SPX) Feb 08, 2018
Materials are the foundation of essentially all clean energy technologies including advanced batteries, solar cells, low-energy semiconductors, catalysts for capturing and storing CO2, and more. But ... more
ENERGY TECH
Using lithium to reduce instabilities in fusion plasmas
Plainsboro NJ (SPX) Feb 12, 2018
You may be most familiar with the element lithium as an integral component of your smart phone's battery, but the element also plays a role in the development of clean fusion energy. When used on tu ... more
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MARSDAILY
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter preparing for years ahead
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 12, 2018
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has begun extra stargazing to help the space agency accomplish advances in Mars exploration over the next decade. The spacecraft already has worked mor ... more
EXO WORLDS
UChicago astrophysicists settle cosmic debate on magnetism of planets and stars
Chicago IL (SPX) Feb 12, 2018
The universe is highly magnetic, with everything from stars to planets to galaxies producing their own magnetic fields. Astrophysicists have long puzzled over these surprisingly strong and long-live ... more
OUTER PLANETS
New Horizons captures record-breaking images in the Kuiper Belt
Washington DC (SPX) Feb 09, 2018
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft recently turned its telescopic camera toward a field of stars, snapped an image - and made history. The routine calibration frame of the "Wishing Well" galactic ... more
MARSDAILY
NASA leverages proven technologies to build agency's first planetary wind lidar
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 09, 2018
NASA scientists have found a way to adapt a handful of recently developed technologies to build a new instrument that could give them what they have yet to obtain: never-before-revealed details abou ... more
MARSDAILY
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter capatures images of splitting slope streaks
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 09, 2018
This image from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) shows streaks forming on slopes when dust cascades downhill. The dark streak is an area of less dust compared to the brighter and reddish sur ... more
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MARSDAILY
Tiny Crystal Shapes Get Close Look From Mars Rover
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 09, 2018
Star-shaped and swallowtail-shaped tiny, dark bumps in fine-layered bright bedrock of a Martian ridge are drawing close inspection by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. This set of shapes looks fami ... more
MOON DAILY
New study sheds light on moon's slow retreat from frozen Earth
Boulder CO (SPX) Feb 09, 2018
A study led by University of Colorado Boulder researchers provides new insight into the Moon's excessive equatorial bulge, a feature that solidified in place over four billion years ago as the Moon ... more
EXO WORLDS
Are you rocky or are you gassy
Pasadena CA (SPX) Feb 09, 2018
A star about 100 light years away in the Pisces constellation, GJ 9827, hosts what may be one of the most massive and dense super-Earth planets detected to date according to new research led by Carn ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Clocking electrons racing faster than light in glass
Mumbai, India (SPX) Feb 09, 2018
Living life in the fast lane can be tremendously exciting, giving us the 'time of our lives' but how long does it really last? Experiments at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumba ... more
MOON DAILY
UCF Seeks New Way to Mine Moon for Water
Orlando FL (SPX) Feb 08, 2018
UCF's Phil Metzger and Julie Brisset from the Florida Space Institute recently landed a contract to develop a model to mine the moon for water. Data suggests the moon has water locked away in ... more


HKU scientist makes key discoveries in the search for life on Mars

MOON DAILY
India Prepares For Second Lunar Mission with Chandrayaan-2
New Delhi (Sputnik) Feb 08, 2018
India's space agency, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), is prepping for its second mission to the moon, which is scheduled for blast off around April 2018. The objective for the v ... more
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IRON AND ICE
Two Small Asteroids Safely Pass Earth This Week
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 08, 2018
Two small asteroids recently discovered by astronomers at the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) near Tucson, Arizona, are safely passing by Earth within one lunar distance this week. The f ... more
DRAGON SPACE
Chinese taikonauts maintain indomitable spirit in space exploration: senior officer
Beijing (XNA) Feb 09, 2018
Chinese taikonauts have "maintained an indomitable spirit while carrying out space exploration," said Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, Wednesday. Zhang made the ... more
TECH SPACE
A Detailed Timeline of The IMAGE Mission Recovery
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 09, 2018
The Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration, or IMAGE, spacecraft was re-discovered in January 2018 after more than twelve years of silence. A powerhouse of magnetosphere and aurora res ... more
TECH SPACE
Singapore takes next step towards implementing world's first space-based VHF communications
Singapore (SPX) Feb 08, 2018
GomSpace together with The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Singapore Technologies Electronics Limited (ST Electronics) signed a research collaboration agreement on the sidelines of ... more
EXO WORLDS
Deep-sea fish use hydrothermal vents to incubate eggs
University Park PA (SPX) Feb 13, 2018
Some deep-sea skates - cartilaginous fish related to rays and sharks - use volcanic heat emitted at hydrothermal vents to incubate their eggs, according to a new study in the journal Scientific Repo ... more
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Mars Opportunity Rover Energy Levels Improve
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 13, 2018
Opportunity is continuing her exploration of "Perseverance Valley" on the west rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover has moved along the north fork of a local flow channel about half way down the valley. Greatly improved energy levels from dust cleaning of the solar arrays has allowed the rover to be active longer each day and occasionally overnight. On Sol 4986 (Feb. 1, 2018), the robo ... more
+ HKU scientist makes key discoveries in the search for life on Mars
+ Tiny Crystal Shapes Get Close Look From Mars Rover
+ Leaky Atmosphere Linked To Lightweight Planet
+ In Oman desert, European venture sets sights on Mars
+ NASA leverages proven technologies to build agency's first planetary wind lidar
+ Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter capatures images of splitting slope streaks
+ Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter preparing for years ahead


New study sheds light on moon's slow retreat from frozen Earth
Boulder CO (SPX) Feb 09, 2018
A study led by University of Colorado Boulder researchers provides new insight into the Moon's excessive equatorial bulge, a feature that solidified in place over four billion years ago as the Moon gradually distanced itself from the Earth. The research sets parameters on how quickly the Moon could have receded from the Earth and suggests that the nascent planet's hydrosphere was either no ... more
+ India Prepares For Second Lunar Mission with Chandrayaan-2
+ UCF Seeks New Way to Mine Moon for Water
+ Chinese volunteers spend 200 days on virtual 'moon base'
+ CubeSats for hunting secrets in lunar darkness
+ Russia at work on new station, lunar trips: says top rocket scientist
+ Russian company declassifies 1973 report on Lunokhod-2 lunar rover
+ Possible Lava Tube Skylights Discovered Near the North Pole of the Moon
New Horizons captures record-breaking images in the Kuiper Belt
Washington DC (SPX) Feb 09, 2018
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft recently turned its telescopic camera toward a field of stars, snapped an image - and made history. The routine calibration frame of the "Wishing Well" galactic open star cluster, made by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on Dec. 5, was taken when New Horizons was 3.79 billion miles (6.12 billion kilometers, or 40.9 astronomical units) from Earth - ... more
+ Europa and Other Planetary Bodies May Have Extremely Low-Density Surfaces
+ JUICE ground control gets green light to start development
+ New Year 2019 offers new horizons at MU69 flyby
+ Study explains why Jupiter's jet stream reverses course on a predictable schedule
+ New Horizons Corrects Its Course in the Kuiper Belt
+ Does New Horizons' Next Target Have a Moon?
+ Juno probes the depths of Jupiter's Great Red Spot
Are you rocky or are you gassy
Pasadena CA (SPX) Feb 09, 2018
A star about 100 light years away in the Pisces constellation, GJ 9827, hosts what may be one of the most massive and dense super-Earth planets detected to date according to new research led by Carnegie's Johanna Teske. This new information provides evidence to help astronomers better understand the process by which such planets form. The GJ 9827 star actually hosts a trio of planets, disc ... more
+ UChicago astrophysicists settle cosmic debate on magnetism of planets and stars
+ Viruses are falling from the sky
+ Deep-sea fish use hydrothermal vents to incubate eggs
+ What the TRAPPIST-1 Planets Could Look Like
+ Hubble offers first atmospheric data of exoplanets orbiting Trappist-1
+ TRAPPIST-1 Planets Probably Rich in Water
+ New Clues to Compositions of TRAPPIST-1 Planets
Russia launches cargo spacecraft after aborted liftoff
Moscow (AFP) Feb 13, 2018
Russia on Tuesday launched an unmanned Progress cargo ship to the International Space Station after a glitch led officials to postpone the planned liftoff two days earlier. The Soyuz rocket carrying the Progress ship took off from the snow-covered Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:15 am Moscow time (0815 GMT) and reached its designated orbit several minutes later, the Russian space a ... more
+ What's next for SpaceX?
+ Soyuz launch to resupply ISS aborted seconds before liftoff
+ Elon Musk, visionary Tesla and SpaceX founder
+ Japan Successfully Launches World's Smallest Carrier Rocket
+ Final request for proposal released for Air Force launch services contract
+ World's biggest rocket soars toward Mars after perfect launch
+ Elon Musk is launching a Tesla into space - here's how SpaceX will do it


Chinese taikonauts maintain indomitable spirit in space exploration: senior officer
Beijing (XNA) Feb 09, 2018
Chinese taikonauts have "maintained an indomitable spirit while carrying out space exploration," said Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, Wednesday. Zhang made the remarks at a seminar while listening to reports delivered by Chinese taikonauts Jing Haipeng, Liu Yang and Deng Qingming about their work over the years. The Taikonaut Corps of the People's Libe ... more
+ China launches first shared education satellite
+ China's first X-ray space telescope put into service after in-orbit tests
+ China's first successful lunar laser ranging accomplished
+ Yang Liwei looks back at China's first manned space mission
+ Space agency to pick those with the right stuff
+ China to select astronauts for its space station
+ No space for China's stay-at-home taikonauts
Two Small Asteroids Safely Pass Earth This Week
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 08, 2018
Two small asteroids recently discovered by astronomers at the NASA-funded Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) near Tucson, Arizona, are safely passing by Earth within one lunar distance this week. The first of this week's close-approaching asteroids - discovered by CSS on Feb. 4 - is designated asteroid 2018 CC. Its close approach to Earth came Tuesday (Feb. 6) at 12:10 p.m. PST (3:10 p.m. EST) at a ... more
+ Seafloor data point to global volcanism after Chicxulub meteor strike
+ Evidence for a massive biomass burning event at the Younger Dryas Boundary
+ New research suggests toward end of Ice Age, human beings witnessed fires larger than dinosaur killers
+ Asteroid to pass by Earth in Feb.
+ Asteroid 2002 AJ129 to Fly Safely Past Earth February 4
+ NASA, USGS confirm Michigan meteorite strike
+ Study identifies processes of rock formed by meteors or nuclear blasts


Navy orders laser weapon systems from Lockheed Martin
Washington (UPI) Jan 29, 2018
Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract for the Surface Navy Laser Weapon System. The deal, announced Friday by the Department of Defense, is valued at more than $150 million under the terms of a cost-plus-incentive-fee contract. The contract taps Lockheed Martin's Aculight Corp. to develop, manufacture and deliver two test units in fiscal 2020 - one uni ... more
+ Lockheed Martin to develop compact airborne high energy laser capabilities
+ Lockheed Martin developing technology to intercept missile threats with Directed Energy
+ Upgraded Lockheed Martin Laser Outguns Threat in Half the Time
+ ATHENA laser testbed system successfully shoots down drones
+ DOD to invest $17M on laser weapons research in New Mexico
Lockheed awarded $523M for Patriot missiles for Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Romania
Washington (UPI) Feb 7, 2018
Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract for upgraded Patriot missiles for domestic use, as well as the countries of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Romania. The deal, announced Tuesday by the Department of Defense, is valued at more than $523.8 million, which is a modification on a previous award contract. The agreement will provide Patriot advanced capability-3 missile segment enhancemen ... more
+ China to Develop Sea-Based Missile Interceptors
+ Beijing holds successful missile defense test
+ Saudi says Yemen rebel ballistic missile shot down
+ Lockheed tapped by Army for 10 more THAAD interceptors
+ Raytheon awarded $2.3B to support Patriot missile system
+ Test of US-Japanese missile interceptor fails again
+ Boeing awarded $6.56B for upgrades to ballistic missile defense system


Titan topographic map unearths cookie-cutter holes in moon's surface
Ithaca NY (SPX) Jan 19, 2018
Using the now-complete Cassini data set, Cornell University astronomers have created a new global topographic map of Saturn's moon Titan that has opened new windows into understanding its liquid flows and terrain. Two papers, recently published in Geophysical Review Letters, describe the map and discoveries arising from it. Creating the map took about a year, according to doctoral student ... more
+ Cassini finds Titan has 'sea level' like Earth
+ Giant Storms Cause Palpitations in Saturn's Atmospheric Heartbeat
+ Electrical and Chemical Coupling Between Saturn and Its Ring
+ Unique atmospheric chemistry explains cold vortex on Saturn's moon Titan
+ Cassini Image Mosaic: A Farewell to Saturn
+ Unexpected atmospheric vortex behavior on Saturn's moon Titan
+ Heating ocean moon Enceladus for billions of years
More-sensitive DNA nanowires promise better measurements of biological processes
Washington (UPI) Feb 12, 2018
Scientists have developed a new, gold-tipped nanowire that is 100 times more sensitive than previous versions of the technology. The nanowires could be used to more precisely measure multiple biological processes at the same time. All previous iterations of the unique sensor have been two-dimensional, but scientists at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University developed ... more
+ On the rebound as nanoparticles self-heal
+ Optical nanoscope allows imaging of quantum dots
+ Let the good tubes roll
+ Piecework at the nano assembly line
+ Touchy nanotubes work better when clean
+ Ultra-thin optical fibers offer new way to 3-D print microstructures
+ Nanowrinkles could save billions in shipping and aquaculture


Bursting with Excitement - A Look at Bubbles and Fluids in Space
Houston TX (SPX) Feb 13, 2018
Watching a bubble float effortlessly through the International Space Station may be mesmerizing and beautiful to witness, but that same bubble is also teaching researchers about how fluids behave differently in microgravity than they do on Earth. The near-weightless conditions aboard the station allow researchers to observe and control a wide variety of fluids in ways that are not possible on Ea ... more
+ NASA Technology to Help Locate Electromagnetic Counterparts of Gravitational Waves
+ New method enables high-resolution measurements of magnetism
+ ESA Creates Quietest Place In Space
+ Transportable optical clock used to measure gravitation for the first time
+ Acoustic tractor beam could pave the way for levitating humans
+ Cutting-Edge Technology Enhances Virgo Gravitational-Wave Detector
+ Deep Learning Pioneered for Real-Time Gravitational Wave Discovery
Large Hadron Collider experiment shows potential evidence of quasiparticle sought for decades
Lawrence KS (SPX) Feb 09, 2018
In a 17-mile circular tunnel underneath the border between France and Switzerland, an international collaboration of scientists runs experiments using the world's most advanced scientific instrument, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). By smashing together protons that travel close to light speed, particle physicists analyze these collisions and learn more about the fundamental makeup of all matter ... more
+ Supermassive black holes can feast on one star per year
+ NASA Tests Atomic Clock for Deep Space Navigation
+ New technique can capture images of ultrafast energy-time entangled photon pairs
+ Distant galaxy group contradicts common cosmological models, simulations
+ Black holes regulate star formation in massive galaxies
+ Scientists get better numbers on what happens when electrons get wet
+ Mind your speed: A magnetic brake on proton acceleration


Integration of AI and robotics with materials sciences will lead to new clean energy technology
Toronto, Canada (SPX) Feb 08, 2018
Materials are the foundation of essentially all clean energy technologies including advanced batteries, solar cells, low-energy semiconductors, catalysts for capturing and storing CO2, and more. But discovering new materials is currently a time consuming and expensive process: to determine whether they will be useful, newly discovered molecules are run through simulation, synthesis, and testing ... more
+ Quantum algorithm could help AI think faster
+ Army researchers develop new algorithms to train robots
+ Bezos hails Alexa as Amazon profits surge
+ NIST's superconducting synapse may be missing piece for 'artificial brains'
+ Applying machine learning to the universe's mysteries
+ Artificial intelligence sparks hope -- and fear, US poll shows
+ Let's make a deal: Could AI compromise better than humans?
Improving drone performance in headwinds
Sendai, Japan (SPX) Feb 12, 2018
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? The prevalence of multi-rotor drones has increased dramatically in recent years, but in headwinds they pitch upwards unpredictably. Engineers from Tohoku University, Japan, have shown that angling the rotor blades of a quad-rotor unmanned aerial vehicles by just 20 degrees can reduce pitching by a quarter. Their work is published in the International Journal of Micro ... more
+ Programming drones to fly in the face of uncertainty
+ Alleged Iranian UAV captured by Israel is 'copy' of US' Sentinel UAV
+ L-3 awarded $8.2M for retrofits to Predator simulators
+ General Atomics awarded $49M for Reaper drone software development
+ Drones learn to navigate autonomously by imitating cars and bicycles
+ Northrop Grumman tapped to service Army's Hunter drones
+ Australia lifesaving drone makes first rescue
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