Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
December 06, 2018
MERCURY RISING
BepiColombo now firing on all cylinders



Paris (ESA) Dec 06, 2018
BepiColombo, the joint ESA/JAXA spacecraft on a mission to Mercury, is now firing its thrusters for the first time in flight. On Sunday, BepiColombo carried out the first successful manoeuver using two of its four electric propulsion thrusters. After more than a week of testing which saw each thruster individually and meticulously put through its paces, the intrepid explorer is now one step closer to reaching the innermost planet of the Solar System. BepiColombo left Earth on 20 October 2018 ... read 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
MOON DAILY
China Will Launch First Probe to Moon's Far Side Later This Week
Beijing (Sputnik) Dec 05, 2018
On December 8, China's space agency will launch the Chang'e-4 probe, the first to visit the surface of the far side of the moon. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has been setting ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Will light be the basis for quantum computing?
Montreal, Canada (SPX) Dec 04, 2018
Using a compact optical platform that exploits the quantum characteristics of light, Professor Roberto Morandotti and his team are one step closer to realizing the first powerful photonic quantum co ... more
IRON AND ICE
NASA's first asteroid sample-collector arrives at target, Bennu
Tampa (AFP) Dec 3, 2018
NASA's first-ever mission designed to visit an asteroid and return a sample of its dust back to Earth arrived Monday at its destination, Bennu, two years after launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida. ... more
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EXO WORLDS
Radio Search for Artificial Emissions from 'Oumuamua
Mountain View CA (SPX) Dec 05, 2018
It's the first time a visitor from another star system has been seen nearby. But what is it? An asteroid, a comet ... or an alien artifact? Scientists at the SETI Institute have attempted to a ... more
IRON AND ICE
OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Arrives at Asteroid Bennu
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 04, 2018
NASA's Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx,) spacecraft completed its 1.2 billion-mile (2 billion-kilometer) journey to arrive at the as ... more
OUTER PLANETS
Radio JOVE From NASA: Tuning In to Your Local Celestial Radio Show
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 04, 2018
What does Jupiter sound like? If you had to take a guess, would you imagine the sharp staccato of popcorn popping? The slow static of waves reaching the shore? As it turns out, Jupiter produces a ca ... more
TECH SPACE
Millennium Space Systems Completes Successful ALTAIR Pathfinder Mission
El Segundo CA (SPX) Dec 04, 2018
Millennium Space Systems completed the final phase of its highly successful ALTAIR Pathfinder satellite mission Nov. 17. After 548 days operating the satellite from the ALTAIR mission operations cen ... more
SPACE MEDICINE
WHO says creating panel to study gene editing
Geneva (AFP) Dec 3, 2018
The World Health Organization said Monday it is creating a panel to study the implications of gene editing after a Chinese scientist controversially claimed to have created the world's first genetically-edited babies. ... more
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ENERGY TECH
A step closer to fusion energy
Swansea UK (SPX) Dec 04, 2018
Harnessing nuclear fusion, which powers the sun and stars, to help meet earth's energy needs, is a step closer after researchers showed that using two types of imaging can help them assess the safet ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Discovery of single material that produces white light could boost efficiency of LED bulbs
Toledo OH (SPX) Dec 06, 2018
Physicists at The University of Toledo are part of an international team of scientists who discovered a single material that produces white light, opening the door for a new frontier in lighting, wh ... more
ROBO SPACE
Insight into swimming fish could lead to robotics advances
Baltimore MD (SPX) Dec 04, 2018
The constant movement of fish that seems random is actually precisely deployed to provide them at any moment with the best sensory feedback they need to navigate the world, Johns Hopkins University ... more
ROBO SPACE
Artificial joint restores wrist-like movements to forearm amputees
Gothenburg, Sweden (SPX) Dec 04, 2018
A new artificial joint restores important wrist-like movements to forearm amputees, something which could dramatically improve their quality of life. A group of researchers led by Max Ortiz Catalan, ... more
IRON AND ICE
Taking the Measure of an Asteroid
BOULDER CO (SPX) Dec 03, 2018
CU Boulder scientists have a front row seat to observe a NASA spacecraft as it approaches the asteroid Bennu, coming to within 4.5 miles of the space rock. This meet up, which happened this morning, ... more


Over Five Months Without Word From Opportunity

SPACE MEDICINE
Reinventing Drug Discovery and Development for Military Needs
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 04, 2018
Flying at 50,000 feet, diving deep in the ocean, or hiking for miles with gear through extreme climates, military service members face conditions that place unique burdens on their individual physio ... more
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ROBO SPACE
Flexible electronic skin aids human-machine interactions
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 04, 2018
Human skin contains sensitive nerve cells that detect pressure, temperature and other sensations that allow tactile interactions with the environment. To help robots and prosthetic devices attain th ... 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
IRON AND ICE
NASA provides live coverage of OSIRIS-REx arrival at Asteroid Bennu
Washington DC (SPX) Nov 30, 2018
NASA's Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft is scheduled to rendezvous with its targeted asteroid, Bennu, on Monday, Dec. 3 a ... more
MOON DAILY
NASA chooses nine companies to bid on flying to Moon
Washington (AFP) Nov 29, 2018
The US space agency on Thursday announced nine private companies, mostly start-ups, that will bid on $2.6 billion in contacts to build spacecraft to carry payloads to the Moon as early as 2019. ... more
MOON DAILY
Lockheed Martin Selected for NASA's Commercial Lunar Lander Payload Services Contract
Denver CO (SPX) Nov 30, 2018
Lockheed Martin will apply its expertise in interplanetary spacecraft to a new program designed to deliver commercial payloads to the surface of the Moon. NASA announced today they have selected Loc ... more
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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 IV in anticipation of the arrival of a very special delivery. On board the delivery truck was precious cargo from Malin Space Science Systems, a test model of "Mastcam-Z," the mast-mounted came ... more
+ Over Five Months Without Word From Opportunity
+ Life at home on Mars in a Big Sandbox
+ Safely on Mars, InSight unfolds its arrays and snaps some pics
+ SpaceBok robotic hopper being tested at ESA's Mars Yard
+ Mars Mole HP3 Arrives at the Red Planet
+ With InSight on Mars, Scientists Feel Earthly Relief, Get to Work
+ Mars InSight lands on Red Planet


China Will Launch First Probe to Moon's Far Side Later This Week
Beijing (Sputnik) Dec 05, 2018
On December 8, China's space agency will launch the Chang'e-4 probe, the first to visit the surface of the far side of the moon. The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has been setting the stage for a number of remote lunar operations, launching the Queqiao communications satellite to an orbit on the far side of the moon this past May and planning out its new Long March 9 heavy lif ... more
+ NASA Announces New Partnerships for Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Services
+ Lockheed Martin Selected for NASA's Commercial Lunar Lander Payload Services Contract
+ NASA chooses nine companies to bid on flying to Moon
+ Construction of Russian Lunar Orbital Station May Be Launched in 2025
+ Roscosmos, NASA to work together on concept of Lunar orbital station
+ 2028 moon mission pitched at US National Space Council meeting
+ App to the Moon
Radio JOVE From NASA: Tuning In to Your Local Celestial Radio Show
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 04, 2018
What does Jupiter sound like? If you had to take a guess, would you imagine the sharp staccato of popcorn popping? The slow static of waves reaching the shore? As it turns out, Jupiter produces a cacophony of such sounds and all you need to hear them for yourself is a box the size of a DVD player. The universe is full of radio emissions. Many objects in space emit radio waves, and scientis ... more
+ The PI's Perspective: Share the News - The Farthest Exploration of Worlds in History is Beginning
+ Encouraging prospects for moon hunters
+ Evidence for ancient glaciation on Pluto
+ SwRI team makes breakthroughs studying Pluto orbiter mission
+ ALMA maps temperature of Jupiter's icy moon Europa
+ NASA's Juno Mission Detects Jupiter Wave Trains
+ WorldWide Telescope looks ahead to New Horizons' Ultima Thule glyby
Radio Search for Artificial Emissions from 'Oumuamua
Mountain View CA (SPX) Dec 05, 2018
It's the first time a visitor from another star system has been seen nearby. But what is it? An asteroid, a comet ... or an alien artifact? Scientists at the SETI Institute have attempted to address this question by using the Allen Telescope Array (ATA) to observe 'Oumuamua when it was about 170 million miles away, or slightly less than the diameter of Earth's orbit. The intention wa ... more
+ Telescopes Reveal More Than 100 Exoplanets
+ Oxygen could have been available to life as early as 3.5 billion years ago
+ Exoplanet mission launch slot announced
+ New Climate Models of TRAPPIST-1's Seven Intriguing Worlds
+ Bacteria Likely to Soon Infect ISS Crew Found to Be Antibiotic-Resistant
+ Jumping genes shed light on how advanced life may have emerged
+ Researchers Are Perfecting Technology to Look for Signs of Alien Life
Moldy mouse food postpones SpaceX launch
Kennedy Space Center FL (AFP) Dec 04, 2018
SpaceX has postponed its cargo launch to the International Space Station until Wednesday after mold was found on food bars for a mouse experiment bound for the orbiting outpost, NASA said. The launch was initially set for Tuesday. The new time is 1:16 pm (1816 GMT) Wednesday. "The launch was moved to Wednesday after mold was found on food bars for a rodent investigation prior to hand ... more
+ Rocket Lab prepares to launch historic CubeSat mission for NASA
+ Arianespace Orbits GSAT-11 and Geo-Kompsat-2A for India and South Korea
+ SpaceX launches cargo, but fails to land rocket
+ SPACE-SI selects Arianespace to launch the NEMO-HD microsat on VEGA
+ NASA chief says Elon Musk won't be smoking joints publicly again
+ SpaceX's Falcon 9 launches 64 satellites into space
+ SpaceX to carry more than 20 new experiments to ISS


Evolving Chinese Space Ecosystem To Foster Innovative Environment
Montreal, Canada (SPX) Nov 23, 2018
According to Euroconsult's latest report, China Space Industry 2018, the China space value chain had an estimated size of more than $16 billion in 2017, with the downstream market accounting for just over 85%. Satellite Navigation, one of the key satellite applications in China, was the main revenue generator in 2017, ahead of Satellite Communications and Earth Observation. This premier ed ... more
+ 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
+ China launches Centispace-1-s1 satellite
+ China tests propulsion system of space station's lab capsules
NASA's first asteroid sample-collector arrives at target, Bennu
Tampa (AFP) Dec 3, 2018
NASA's first-ever mission designed to visit an asteroid and return a sample of its dust back to Earth arrived Monday at its destination, Bennu, two years after launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The $800 million unmanned mission, known as OSIRIS-REx, made a rendez-vous with the asteroid at around 12:10 pm (1710 GMT), firing its engines a final time. "We have arrived," said Javier Ce ... more
+ OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Arrives at Asteroid Bennu
+ Taking the Measure of an Asteroid
+ NASA provides live coverage of OSIRIS-REx arrival at Asteroid Bennu
+ Detective mission to characterize and trace the history of a new African meteorite
+ Odd bodies, rapid spins keep cosmic rings close
+ NASA's Lucy in the Sky with... Asteroids?
+ NASA OSIRIS-REx flexes its "arm" before arriving at Asteroid Bennu


Radiance Technologies tapped for U.S. Army laser research
Washington (UPI) Nov 30, 2018
The U.S. Army is contracting Radiance Technologies for high energy laser lethality research, assessment and support in the amount of $28.2 million. Work on the contract, announced Thursday by the Department of Defense, will be performed in Huntsville, Ala., and is expected to be completed by November 2023. It falls under a small business contract under acquisition rules, though R ... more
+ Lockheed Martin's missile defense laser concept continues toward development
+ Lockheed Martin, General Atomics, Boeing compete for laser-armed drone
+ 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'
Navy to commission new Arleigh Burke destroyer USS Thomas Hudner
Washington (UPI) Nov 28, 2018
The U.S. Navy will commission the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner during a Dec. 1 ceremony in Boston, Mass., at 10 a.m. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker will deliver the ceremonies principal address with Hudner's widow and the wife of retired Vice Adm. Michael Miller as sponsors, the Navy announced on Wednesday. USS Thomas Hudner is named after the ... more
+ Raytheon to supply Romania with Patriot missile defense systems
+ Raytheon's SM-3 IIA successful in ballistic missle defense test
+ Aerojet Rocketdyne propulsion critical to successful intercept test for SM-3 Block IIA Missile
+ Aegis Combat System Demonstrates Success During At-Sea Test Against Medium Range Ballistic Missile
+ Pentagon succesfully tests US-Japan missile interceptor
+ Northrop Grumman to upgrade IBNS systems for Burke-class vessels
+ Israel wins $777 mn Indian missile defence order


Water on Saturn's Moon Phoebe Is Out of This World
Tucson AZ (SPX) Dec 03, 2018
By developing a new method for measuring isotopic ratios of water and carbon dioxide remotely, scientists have found that the water in Saturn's rings and satellites is unexpectedly like water on the Earth, except on Saturn's moon Phoebe, where the water is more unusual than on any other object so far studied in the solar system. The results, found in the Icarus paper "Isotopic Ratios of Sa ... more
+ 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'
+ Groundbreaking Science Emerges from Ultra-Close Orbits of Saturn
How microscopic machines can fail in the blink of an eye
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 04, 2018
How long can tiny gears and other microscopic moving parts last before they wear out? What are the warning signs that these components are about to fail, which can happen in just a few tenths of a second? Striving to provide clear answers to these questions, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a method for more quickly tracking microelectromech ... more
+ Artificial synapses made from nanowires
+ Stealth-cap technology for light-emitting nanoparticles
+ Nano-scale process may speed arrival of cheaper hi-tech products
+ Watching nanoparticles
+ Penn engineers develop ultrathin, ultralight nanocardboard
+ Physicists designed new antenna for supersensitive magnetometers of a new generation
+ Next generation of watch springs


Portsmouth researchers make vital contribution to new gravitational wave discoveries
Portsmouth UK (SPX) Dec 04, 2018
Researchers from the University of Portsmouth have made vital contributions to the observations of four new gravitational waves, which were announced this weekend (1 December). The new results are from the National Science Foundation's LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) and the European-based VIRGO gravitational-wave detector. The results were announced at the Gravi ... more
+ 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
+ RUDN physicist described the shape of a wormhole
+ Kin of gravitational wave source discovered
Bizarre 'dark fluid' with negative mass could dominate the universe
Oxford UK (SPX) Dec 06, 2018
It's embarrassing, but astrophysicists are the first to admit it. Our best theoretical model can only explain 5% of the universe. The remaining 95% is famously made up almost entirely of invisible, unknown material dubbed dark energy and dark matter. So even though there are a billion trillion stars in the observable universe, they are actually extremely rare. The two mysterious dark subst ... more
+ A golden age for particle analysis
+ Galileo satellites prove Einstein's Relativity Theory to highest accuracy yet
+ Science: High pressure orders electrons
+ On the trail of the Higgs Boson
+ Four New Gravitational Wave Events from Black Hole Mergers
+ Scientists Detect Biggest Known Black-Hole Collision
+ Black hole 'donuts' are actually 'fountains'


Artificial joint restores wrist-like movements to forearm amputees
Gothenburg, Sweden (SPX) Dec 04, 2018
A new artificial joint restores important wrist-like movements to forearm amputees, something which could dramatically improve their quality of life. A group of researchers led by Max Ortiz Catalan, Associate Professor at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have published their research in the journal IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering. For patients m ... more
+ 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
+ Smarter AI: Machine learning without negative data
+ DARPA, BAE to develop AI for interpreting radio-frequency signals
+ GMV leads an ambitious campaign of space robotics trials
+ Electronic glove gives robots a sense of touch
General Atomics tapped for French MQ-9 drone support
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 05, 2018
The Air Force has awarded General Atomics $26.7 million for French air force MQ-9 logistics services. The work comes after an option on a previously awarded contract was exercised, and announced on Tuesday by the Department of Defense. The contract falls under Foreign Military Sales and is expected to run through December 2019. The sale involved is exclusively for France. The MQ- ... more
+ Using drones to simplify film animation
+ 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
+ Special Operations Command awards Insitu $18M for continued drone operations
+ Japan issues contract to purchaser RQ-4 Global Hawk surveillance drones
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