Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
December 18, 2018
OUTER PLANETS
Most Distant Solar System Object Ever Observed



Washington DC (SPX) Dec 18, 2018
A team of astronomers has discovered the most distant body ever observed in our solar system. It is the first known solar system object that has been detected at a distance that is more than 100 times farther than Earth is from the Sun. The new object was announced on Monday, December 17, 2018, by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center [https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/mpc.html] and has been given the provisional designation 2018 VG18. The discovery was made by Carnegie's ... read more

OUTER PLANETS
A nuclear-powered 'tunnelbot' to search for life on Jupiter's icy moon Europa
Chicago IL (SPX) Dec 18, 2018
Between 1995 and 2003, NASA's Galileo spacecraft made several flybys of Jupiter's moon, Europa. Several findings from observations of the moon pointed to evidence of a liquid ocean beneath Europa's ... more
EXO WORLDS
A young star caught forming like a planet
Leeds UK (SPX) Dec 17, 2018
Astronomers have captured one of the most detailed views of a young star taken to date, and revealed an unexpected companion in orbit around it. While observing the young star, astronomers led ... more
EXO WORLDS
Planets with Oxygen Don't Necessarily Have Life
Baltimore MD (SPX) Dec 18, 2018
In their search for life in solar systems near and far, researchers have often accepted the presence of oxygen in a planet's atmosphere as the surest sign that life may be present there. A new Johns ... more
EXO WORLDS
Narrowing the universe in the search for life
Columbus OH (SPX) Dec 18, 2018
Humankind's exploration of space has for years pondered one central question: Is there another world somewhere in the universe where human beings could survive? And as astrophysicists and astr ... more
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SATURN DAILY
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 ... more
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
EXO WORLDS
Where did the hot Neptunes go
Geneva, Switzerland (SPX) Dec 17, 2018
"But where did the hot Neptunes go?" This is the question astronomers have been asking for a long time, faced with the mysterious absence of planets the size of Neptunes very close to their star. A ... more
EXO WORLDS
In search of missing worlds, Hubble finds a fast-evaporating exoplanet
Baltimore MD (SPX) Dec 17, 2018
Fishermen would be puzzled if they netted only big and little fish, but few medium-sized fish. Astronomers likewise have been perplexed in conducting a census of star-hugging extrasolar planets. The ... more
EXO WORLDS
Dancing with the enemy
Munich, Germany (SPX) Dec 17, 2018
While testing a new subsystem on the SPHERE planet-hunting instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers were able to capture dramatic details of the turbulent stellar relationship in the bi ... more
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ROBO SPACE
New models sense human trust in smart machines
West Lafayette IN (SPX) Dec 17, 2018
New "classification models" sense how well humans trust intelligent machines they collaborate with, a step toward improving the quality of interactions and teamwork. The long-term goal of the ... more
MOON DAILY
NASA seeks US partners to develop reusable systems to land astronauts on Moon
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 14, 2018
As the next major step to return astronauts to the Moon under Space Policy Directive-1, NASA announced plans on Dec. 13 to work with American companies to design and develop new reusable systems for ... 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
EXO WORLDS
Hubble finds faraway planet vanishing at record speed
Baltimore MD (SPX) Dec 14, 2018
The speed and distance at which planets orbit their respective blazing stars can determine each planet's fate - whether the planet remains a longstanding part of its solar system or evaporates into ... more
EXO WORLDS
UNLV study unlocks clues to how planets form
Las Vegas NV (SPX) Dec 13, 2018
Astronomers have cataloged nearly 4,000 exoplanets in orbit around distant stars. Though the discovery of these newfound worlds has taught us much, there is still a great deal we do not know about t ... more


NASA's Juno mission halfway to Jupiter science

DRAGON SPACE
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 Spac ... more
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EXO WORLDS
Common ground discovered in planet-forming disks
Houston TX (SPX) Dec 13, 2018
A distant star surrounded by a protoplanetary disk of dust and gas has given up more of its secrets to a team led by a Rice University astronomer. And it's in good company. Rice astronomer And ... more
ENERGY TECH
Taming turbulence to make complex simulations a breeze
Madison WI (SPX) Dec 12, 2018
For scientists wrestling with problems as diverse as containing superhot plasma in a fusion reactor, improving the accuracy of weather forecasts, or probing the unexplained dynamics of a distant gal ... more
ENERGY TECH
Developing new materials for the fusion reactor
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 12, 2018
In the future fusion reactor, plasma is confined by using the magnetic field inside the doughnut-shaped vacuum vessel. The blanket is in a location where it almost touches the plasma, and as if to e ... more
TECH SPACE
Astroscale enters technical cooperation with European Space Agency
London, UK (SPX) Dec 13, 2018
Astroscale UK Ltd has signed an agreement with ESA to exchange data and expertise related to space debris collision avoidance, environmental monitoring of debris and the development of monitoring te ... 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
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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 Curiosity rover mission, in which many overlapping pictures are taken and later stitched together. Visible in the selfie are the lander's solar panel and its entire deck, including its science instruments ... more
+ Opportunity team performs more frequent communication attempts throughout each day
+ Planetary scientists assist in capturing image of Insight from orbit
+ InSight's robotic arm ready for some lifting on Mars
+ NASA's InSight lander 'hears' wind on Mars
+ NASA's Mars InSight Flexes Its Arm
+ Mars 2020 rover mission camera system 'Mastcam-Z' testing begins at ASU
+ Over Five Months Without Word From Opportunity


NASA seeks US partners to develop reusable systems to land astronauts on Moon
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 14, 2018
As the next major step to return astronauts to the Moon under Space Policy Directive-1, NASA announced plans on Dec. 13 to work with American companies to design and develop new reusable systems for astronauts to land on the lunar surface. The agency is planning to test new human-class landers on the Moon beginning in 2024, with the goal of sending crew to the surface in 2028. Through upco ... more
+ 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
+ NASA chooses nine companies to bid on flying to Moon
+ Construction of Russian Lunar Orbital Station May Be Launched in 2025
Most Distant Solar System Object Ever Observed
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 18, 2018
A team of astronomers has discovered the most distant body ever observed in our solar system. It is the first known solar system object that has been detected at a distance that is more than 100 times farther than Earth is from the Sun. The new object was announced on Monday, December 17, 2018, by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center [https://www.minorplanetcenter.net ... more
+ 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
+ Radio JOVE From NASA: Tuning In to Your Local Celestial Radio Show
+ 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
Where did the hot Neptunes go
Geneva, Switzerland (SPX) Dec 17, 2018
"But where did the hot Neptunes go?" This is the question astronomers have been asking for a long time, faced with the mysterious absence of planets the size of Neptunes very close to their star. A team of researchers, led by astronomers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, has just discovered that one of these planets is losing its atmosphere at a frantic pace. This observa ... more
+ Narrowing the universe in the search for life
+ Dancing with the enemy
+ In search of missing worlds, Hubble finds a fast-evaporating exoplanet
+ Hubble finds faraway planet vanishing at record speed
+ A young star caught forming like a planet
+ Planets with Oxygen Don't Necessarily Have Life
+ Common ground discovered in planet-forming disks
Largest piece of SLS rocket test hardware moved for testing
New Orleans LA (SPX) Dec 17, 2018
Technicians at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, moved the largest piece of structural test hardware for America's new deep space rocket, the Space Launch System, from the factory to the dock where it was loaded onto NASA's barge Pegasus Dec. 14, 2018. The liquid hydrogen tank test article will make its way up the river to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, A ... more
+ Static test qualifies crew safety launch abort motor for flight in cold conditions
+ Roscosmos to submit super-heavy rocket project to Government
+ Aerojet Rocketdyne awarded DARPA contract to design advanced opfires propulsion system
+ NASA Sounding Rockets Carry TRICE-2 over Norwegian Sea
+ Tesla CEO Elon Musk taunts US financial regulatory agency
+ China puts 2 Saudi satellites into orbit
+ Rocket Lab prepares to launch historic CubeSat mission for NASA


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
GMV leads the system that "drives" the HERA mission for planetary defence
Madrid, Spain (SPX) Dec 14, 2018
The technological multinational GMV leads an international consortium entrusted with designing the analysis of the HERA mission and developing its Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) System. The HERA mission is run by the European Space Agency (ESA) and led by OHB-System AG. Based on the heritage of the Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM) project, HERA aims to be the first interplanetary miss ... more
+ Instrument on NASA probe finds hydrated minerals on Asteroid Bennu
+ Watch Comet 46P Wirtanen as it nears Earth
+ Las Cumbres builds new instrument to study December comet
+ Rosetta witnesses birth of baby bow shock around comet
+ Look up at a green, fuzzy comet and shooting stars
+ OSIRIS-REx already finds water on Asteroid Bennu
+ Evidence for carbon-rich surface on Ceres


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'
Pentagon conducts latest successful test of US-Japan interceptor
Washington (AFP) Dec 11, 2018
The US military on Tuesday successfully conducted a test of a new ballistic-missile interceptor system, which is being co-developed with Japan. The launch marks the second successful test in less than two months for the SM-3 Block IIA missile and its associated technologies, which had previously experienced failures. According to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), sailors at the Aegis As ... more
+ Aegis Combat System demonstrates success during on-land test against Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile
+ Navy to purchase new containers for air defense missiles
+ Navy to commission new Arleigh Burke destroyer USS Thomas Hudner
+ 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


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'
Pitt chemical engineers develop new theory to build improved nanomaterials
Pittsburgh PA (SPX) Dec 17, 2018
Thanks in part to their distinct electronic, optical and chemical properties, nanomaterials are utilized in an array of diverse applications from chemical production to medicine and light-emitting devices. But when introducing another metal in their structure, also known as "doping," researchers are unsure which position the metal will occupy and how it will affect the overall stability of ... more
+ MIT team invents method to shrink objects to the nanoscale
+ Artificial synapses made from nanowires
+ How microscopic machines can fail in the blink of an eye
+ 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


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
Cosmic fountain powered by giant black hole
Huntsville AL (SPX) Dec 17, 2018
Before electrical power became available, water fountains worked by relying on gravity to channel water from a higher elevation to a lower one. This water could then be redirected to shoot out of the fountain and create a centerpiece for people to admire. In space, awesome gaseous fountains have been discovered in the centers of galaxy clusters. One such fountain is in the cluster Abell 25 ... more
+ Mystery of Black Hole Coronae Deepens
+ Researchers create tiny droplets of early universe matter
+ Bizarre 'dark fluid' with negative mass could dominate the universe
+ Science: High pressure orders electrons
+ On the trail of the Higgs Boson
+ Four New Gravitational Wave Events from Black Hole Mergers
+ Galileo satellites prove Einstein's Relativity Theory to highest accuracy yet


New models sense human trust in smart machines
West Lafayette IN (SPX) Dec 17, 2018
New "classification models" sense how well humans trust intelligent machines they collaborate with, a step toward improving the quality of interactions and teamwork. The long-term goal of the overall field of research is to design intelligent machines capable of changing their behavior to enhance human trust in them. The new models were developed in research led by assistant professor Neer ... more
+ 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
+ Smarter AI: Machine learning without negative data
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
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