Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
October 15, 2018
MERCURY RISING
Practising for BepiColombo's epic escape to Mercury



Paris (ESA) Oct 15, 2018
The international BepiColombo spacecraft will soon take flight, on a complex journey to the innermost planet of the Solar System, Mercury. Encompassing nine planetary flybys and travelling a total distance of nine billion km over a period of seven years, this will be one of the most intricate journeys ever flown by mission teams at ESA's ESOC mission control centre. With launch set for 20 October, flight controllers led by Operations Manager Elsa Montagnon are now busily preparing for the start of ... read more

MOON DAILY
First Man: a new vision of the Apollo 11 mission to set foot on the Moon
Melbourne, Australia (SPX) Oct 15, 2018
The Apollo 11 lunar landing was the first time humans stepped on another celestial body, and the events leading up to that historic moment - which celebrates its 50th anniversary next year - are dep ... more
MARSDAILY
Efforts to communicate with Opportunity continue
Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 15, 2018
The dust storm on Mars has effectively ended with atmospheric opacity (tau) over the rover site down to around 1.0 to 1.1, values are typical for storm-free conditions this time of year. No si ... more
IRON AND ICE
MASCOT's zigzag course across the dust-free Asteroid Ryugu
Bonn, Germany (SPX) Oct 15, 2018
Six minutes of free fall, a gentle impact on the asteroid and then 11 minutes of rebounding until coming to rest. That is how, in the early hours of 3 October 2018, the journey of the MASCOT asteroi ... more
EXO WORLDS
How the seeds of planets take shape
Pasadena CA (SPX) Oct 12, 2018
In theoretical research that could explain everything from planet formation to outflows from stars, to even the settling of volcanic ash, Caltech researchers have discovered a new mechanism to expla ... more
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IRON AND ICE
Japan delays touchdown of Hayabusa2 probe on asteroid: official
Tokyo, Japan (AFP) Oct 11, 2018
A Japanese probe sent to examine an asteroid in order to shed light on the origins of the solar system will now land on the rock several months later than planned, officials said Thursday. The ... more
OUTER PLANETS
Icy warning for space missions to Jupiter's moon
Cardiff UK (SPX) Oct 12, 2018
A location often earmarked as a potential habitat for extra-terrestrial life could prove to be a tricky place for spacecraft to land, new research has revealed. A team led by scientists from C ... more
EXO WORLDS
Life-long space buff and Western graduate student discovers exoplanet
London, Canada (SPX) Oct 12, 2018
Ever since Chris Fox was a young boy, he wanted to visit alien planets. With no immediate plans for such a voyage, the Western University graduate student has done the next best thing. He's gone and ... more
EXO WORLDS
NASA should expand search for life in the universe: NAS Report
Washington DC (SPX) Oct 11, 2018
To advance the search for life in the universe, NASA should support research on a broader range of biosignatures and environments, and incorporate the field of astrobiology into all stages of future ... more
MOON DAILY
SpaceX delays Israel's first lunar mission to early 2019
Jerusalem (AFP) Oct 11, 2018
The Israeli organisation behind the country's first mission to the moon on Wednesday announced a delay in the vessel's launch from December to early 2019. ... more
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SATURN DAILY
Surprising chemical complexity of Saturn's rings changing planet's upper atmosphere
Lawrence KS (SPX) Oct 11, 2018
Political humorist Mark Russel once joked, "The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage." Well, there's no luggage, it turns out ... more
EXO WORLDS
The stuff that planets are made of
Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Oct 11, 2018
Is there a second Earth out there in space? Our knowledge of planetary systems far, far away is increasing constantly, as new technologies continue to sharpen our gaze into space. To date, 3,700 pla ... more
ROBO SPACE
Teaching machines common sense reasoning
Washington DC (SPX) Oct 15, 2018
Today's machine learning systems are more advanced than ever, capable of automating increasingly complex tasks and serving as a critical tool for human operators. Despite recent advances, however, a ... more
TECH SPACE
When debris overwhelms space
Bethesda, MD (SPX) Oct 11, 2018
We see more and more reports of debris concern among satellite operators and space observers. Add to this the many recent announcements of multiple broadband satellite constellations that are being ... more
TECH SPACE
Boeing HorizonX Ventures invests in Accion Systems to propel satellite capabilities
Chicago IL (SPX) Oct 11, 2018
Boeing has announced its investment in Accion Systems Inc., a Boston, Mass.,-based startup pioneering scalable electric propulsion technology to transform satellite capabilities in and beyond Earth' ... more


No more Iron Man: submarines now have soft, robotic arms

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Research on light-matter interaction could improve electronic and optoelectronic devices
Troy NY (SPX) Oct 11, 2018
A paper published in Nature Communications by Sufei Shi, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at Rensselaer, increases our understanding of how light interacts with atomically ... more
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SATURN DAILY
Cutting through the mystery of Titan's atmospheric haze
Berkeley CA (SPX) Oct 09, 2018
Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is unique among all moons in our solar system for its dense and nitrogen-rich atmosphere that also contains hydrocarbons and other compounds, and the story behind the f ... more
MOON DAILY
Lockheed Martin solicits ideas for commercial payloads on Orion spacecraft
Denver CO (SPX) Oct 09, 2018
At the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) held last week in Bremen, Germany, Lockheed Martin reported it is studying interest in flying commercial payloads aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft. Th ... more
ENERGY TECH
A new path to solving a longstanding fusion challenge
Boston MA (SPX) Oct 10, 2018
A class exercise at MIT, aided by industry researchers, has led to an innovative solution to one of the longstanding challenges facing the development of practical fusion power plants: how to get ri ... more
IRON AND ICE
MASCOT Lander Completes Exploration of Asteroid Ryugu's Surface
Bonn, Germany (SPX) Oct 10, 2018
It was a day full of exciting moments and a happy team of scientists and engineers: late in the afternoon of 3 October 2018, the German-French lander MASCOT completed its historic exploration of the ... more
MARSDAILY
Painting cars for Mars
Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 10, 2018
When John Campanella's friend wanted his beloved Ferrari painted, he knew exactly who to call. After all, Campanella had been painting, pinstriping and even airbrushing flames on to cars, motorcycle ... more
24/7 Nuclear News Coverage
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Efforts to communicate with Opportunity continue
Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 15, 2018
The dust storm on Mars has effectively ended with atmospheric opacity (tau) over the rover site down to around 1.0 to 1.1, values are typical for storm-free conditions this time of year. No signal from Opportunity has been heard since Sol 5111 (June 10, 2018). As stated previously, it is expected that Opportunity has experienced a low-power fault, a mission clock fault and an up-loss timer ... more
+ Painting cars for Mars
+ Novel Technique Quickly Maps Young Ice Deposits and Formations on Mars
+ Curiosity rover operating on backup computer during repairs to main processor
+ Curiosity Rover to Temporarily Switch 'Brains'
+ Opportunity Remains Silent For Over Three Months
+ Software finds the best way to stick a Mars landing
+ UCF selling experimental Martian dirt - $20 a kilogram, plus shipping


SpaceX delays Israel's first lunar mission to early 2019
Jerusalem (AFP) Oct 11, 2018
The Israeli organisation behind the country's first mission to the moon on Wednesday announced a delay in the vessel's launch from December to early 2019. SpaceIL said Elon Musk's SpaceX firm, whose rockets are set to carry the unmanned probe into space, had informed it of "a delay of a number of weeks to the beginning of 2019." SpaceIL stressed that the delay was SpaceX's decision, not ... more
+ First Man: a new vision of the Apollo 11 mission to set foot on the Moon
+ Lockheed Martin solicits ideas for commercial payloads on Orion spacecraft
+ Lunar craters named in honor of Apollo 8
+ Bezos' Blue Origin signs on to ship supplies to Moon by 2023
+ Lockheed Martin Reveals New Human Lunar Lander Concept
+ NASA, Israel Space Agency Sign Agreement for Commercial Lunar Cooperation
+ China planning probes, manned missions, ultimately a base on moon - Space Chief
Icy warning for space missions to Jupiter's moon
Cardiff UK (SPX) Oct 12, 2018
A location often earmarked as a potential habitat for extra-terrestrial life could prove to be a tricky place for spacecraft to land, new research has revealed. A team led by scientists from Cardiff University has predicted that fields of sharp ice growing to almost 15 metres tall could be scattered across the equatorial regions of Jupiter's moon, Europa. Previous space missions have ... more
+ New Horizons sets up for New Year's flyby of Ultima Thule
+ Hunt for Planet X reveals the Goblin, a faraway dwarf planet
+ While seeking Planet X, astronomers find a distant solar system object
+ Extremely distant Solar System object found
+ New Horizons Team Rehearses For New Year's Flyby
+ Juno image showcases Jupiter's brown barge
+ New research suggest Pluto should be reclassified as a planet
NASA should expand search for life in the universe: NAS Report
Washington DC (SPX) Oct 11, 2018
To advance the search for life in the universe, NASA should support research on a broader range of biosignatures and environments, and incorporate the field of astrobiology into all stages of future exploratory missions, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Astrobiology, the study of the origin, evolution, distributi ... more
+ Life-long space buff and Western graduate student discovers exoplanet
+ The stuff that planets are made of
+ How the seeds of planets take shape
+ Living organisms find a critical balance
+ Construction of Europe's exoplanet hunter Plato begins
+ 'Spacesuits' protect microbes destined to live in space
+ Liquid crystals and the origin of life
Russia creates group to consider temporary shutdown of ISS after Soyuz incident
Moscow (Sputnik) Oct 15, 2018
The Russian state commission, established after the failed liftoff of the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle on Thursday, has set up a subcommission to consider the options for further exploitation of the International Space Station (ISS), including the possibility of its temporary shutdown, a source in the rocket and space industry told Sputnik on Saturday. "A subcommission has been created that wil ... more
+ Russian Space Corp gets telemetry data, video to probe Soyuz failure
+ NASA continues fall series of RS-25 engine tests
+ Soyuz-FG launch vehicle assembly suspended as part of MS-10 Mission probe
+ Rocket bound for ISS fails, crew survives emergency landing
+ Crew of Soyuz rocket survive emergency landing after engine problem
+ United Launch Alliance building rocket of the future with industry-leading strategic partnerships
+ Pentagon awards over $1Bln for development of new rocket launch systems


China launches Centispace-1-s1 satellite
Jiuquan (XNA) Oct 01, 2018
China launched its Centispace-1-s1 satellite on a Kuaizhou-1A rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 12:13 p.m. Saturday. This is the second commercial launch by the Kuaizhou-1A rocket. The first launch in January 2017 sent three satellites into space. The Kuaizhou-1A was developed by a rocket technology company under the China Aerospace Science and Industr ... more
+ China tests propulsion system of space station's lab capsules
+ China unveils Chang'e-4 rover to explore Moon's far side
+ China's SatCom launch marketing not limited to business interest
+ China to launch space station Tiangong in 2022, welcomes foreign astronauts
+ China solicits international cooperation experiments on space station
+ Growing US unease with China's new deep space facility in Argentina
+ China developing in-orbit satellite transport vehicle
MASCOT's zigzag course across the dust-free Asteroid Ryugu
Bonn, Germany (SPX) Oct 15, 2018
Six minutes of free fall, a gentle impact on the asteroid and then 11 minutes of rebounding until coming to rest. That is how, in the early hours of 3 October 2018, the journey of the MASCOT asteroid lander began on Asteroid Ryugu - a land full of wonder, mystery and challenges. Some 17 hours of scientific exploration followed this first 'stroll' on the almost 900-metre diameter asteroid. ... more
+ Japan delays touchdown of Hayabusa2 probe on asteroid: official
+ The threat of Centaurs for the Earth
+ Vesta, Tell Us About the Childhood of the Solar System
+ MASCOT Lander Completes Exploration of Asteroid Ryugu's Surface
+ Polar Wandering on Dwarf Planet Ceres Revealed
+ MASCOT lands safely on Asteroid Ryugu
+ Shooting stars create their own aurora


Lockheed Martin, General Atomics, Boeing compete for laser-armed drone
Washington (UPI) Sep 4, 2018
Lockheed Martin, General Atomics and Boeing have received contract modifications for drone-mounted Low Power Laser Demonstrator system missile defense testing. Lockheed Martin's contract has increased to a total value of $37.7 million, while General Atomics and Boeing's have been increased to $34 million and $29.4 million respectively, the Department of Defense announced on Friday. ... more
+ Microwave weapon suspected in mystery attacks on US diplomats: report
+ Team Dynetics receives contract for next phase of 100kW laser weapon system for US Army
+ Dyenetics, Lockheed chosen for work on 100 KW laser weapon
+ Raytheon contracted to develop laser for U.S. Army
+ China firm develops 'laser gun'
+ High-Tech firepower: Russia develops new space laser cannon
Lockheed Martin Delivers 300th THAAD Interceptor
Washington DC (SPX) Oct 12, 2018
Lockheed Martin has delivered the 300th interceptor for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, the only system in the world designed to intercept threats both inside and outside the atmosphere. The production maturity milestone comes as demand for the company's hit-to-kill missile defense system and interceptors continues to grow. "The Missile Defense Agency, industry and ... more
+ Lockheed Martin selects payload providers for OPIR missile warning system
+ Raytheon receives contract for new AEGIS radars
+ Raytheon receives $1.5B contract for Patriot systems for Poland
+ Pentagon to pull some Patriots from Middle East: US official
+ Lockheed Martin to upgrade AEGIS Combat System for U.S. warships
+ SBIRS GEO-3 achieves operational acceptance
+ Successful Aegis Combat System Test Brings BMD to Japanese Fleet


Surprising chemical complexity of Saturn's rings changing planet's upper atmosphere
Lawrence KS (SPX) Oct 11, 2018
Political humorist Mark Russel once joked, "The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage." Well, there's no luggage, it turns out. But a new study appearing in Science based on data from the final orbits last year of NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows the rings of Saturn - some of the most visually stupendous objects in the univer ... more
+ Cutting through the mystery of Titan's atmospheric haze
+ Latest insights into Saturn's weird magnetic field only make things weirder
+ In its final days, Cassini bathed in 'ring rain'
+ Groundbreaking Science Emerges from Ultra-Close Orbits of Saturn
+ SwRI scientists study Saturn's rings to discover downpour
+ New Radiation Belt Discovered at Saturn
+ Dust storms on Titan spotted by Cassini for the first time
Big discoveries about tiny particles
Newark DE (SPX) Oct 09, 2018
From photonics to pharmaceuticals, materials made with polymer nanoparticles hold promise for products of the future. However, there are still gaps in understanding the properties of these tiny plastic-like particles. Now, Hojin Kim, a graduate student in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Delaware, together with a team of collaborating scientists at the Max Planck ... more
+ Precise control of multimetallic one-nanometer cluster formation achieved
+ Two quantum dots are better than one: Using one dot to sense changes in another
+ Nucleation a boon to sustainable nanomanufacturing
+ New nanoparticle superstructures made from pyramid-shaped building blocks
+ Cannibalistic materials feed on themselves to grow new nanostructures
+ First-ever colored thin films of nanotubes created
+ Nanotubes change the shape of water


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
+ Boosting gravitational wave detectors with quantum tricks
+ Household phenomenon observed by Leonardo da Vinci finally explained
+ GRAVITY Confirms Predictions of General Relativity Near Galactic Center
+ How to weigh stars with gravitational lensing
+ Could Gravitational Waves Reveal How Fast Our Universe Is Expanding?
+ Einstein's Theory of Gravity Still Passes the Test
+ VLT makes most precise test of Einstein's general relativity outside Milky Way
Ultrafast optical fiber-based electron gun to reveal atomic motions
Washington DC (SPX) Oct 10, 2018
One of the most enduring "Holy Grail" experiments in science has been attempts to directly observe atomic motions during structural changes. This prospect underpins the entire field of chemistry because a chemical process occurs during a transition state - the point of no return separating the reactant configuration from the product configuration. What does that transition state look like ... more
+ Where is it, the foundation of quantum reality?
+ Scientists achieve first ever acceleration of electrons in plasma waves
+ Journey to the Beginning of Time
+ New half-light half-matter particles may hold the key to a computing revolution
+ Electrons go with the flow
+ Single atoms break carbon's strongest bond
+ Observations challenge cosmological theories


No more Iron Man: submarines now have soft, robotic arms
Boston MA (SPX) Oct 10, 2018
The human arm can perform a wide range of extremely delicate and coordinated movements, from turning a key in a lock to gently stroking a puppy's fur. The robotic "arms" on underwater research submarines, however, are hard, jerky, and lack the finesse to be able to reach and interact with creatures like jellyfish or octopuses without damaging them. Previously, the Wyss Institute for Biolog ... more
+ Teaching machines common sense reasoning
+ Model helps robots navigate more like humans do
+ Increasingly human-like robots spark fascination and fear
+ Machine learning could help regulators identify environmental violations
+ Machine-learning system tackles speech and object recognition, all at once
+ Amazon aims to make Alexa assistant bigger part of users' lives
+ Spray coated tactile sensor on a 3D surface for robotic skin
AeroVironment contracted for Raven drones, spares, training
Washington (UPI) Oct 11, 2018
AeroVironment has received a $13 million contract for Raven RQ-11B small unmanned aircraft systems. The contract, announced Tuesday by the Department of Defense, covers recurring requirements for RQ-11B SUAS, spare parts, related equipment and training. The SUAS will be directed to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility, which includes nations in Central America, South ... more
+ Airbus, Boeing and Uber partner with Amsterdam Drone Week
+ DARPA seeks proposals for 3rd OFFSET Swarm Sprint, awards 2nd Contracts
+ Air Force designates GO1 hypersonic flight research vehicle as X-60A
+ General Atomics to provide technical services for Gray Eagle drones
+ Raytheon to deliver small drone decoys to the U.S. Navy
+ Self-flying glider 'learns' to soar like a bird
+ General Atomics contracted for Reaper drone ground control work
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