Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
December 17, 2019
EXO WORLDS
CHEOPS space telescope to investigate extrasolar planets



Kourou, French Guiana (ESA) Dec 17, 2019
On 17 December 2019 at 05:54 local time (09:54 CET), the European Space Agency (ESA) CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite (CHEOPS) space telescope is scheduled to lift off from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on board a Soyuz launcher. The mission will further extend the search for exoplanets, which was one of the topics of this year's Nobel Prize in physics. Didier Queloz, one of the Nobel Prize winners, is Chair of the CHEOPS Science Team. With the participation of the German Aerospace Cen ... read more

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
City College leads new photonics breakthrough
New York NY (SPX) Dec 16, 2019
A new approach to trapping light in artificial photonic materials by a City College of New York-led team could lead to a tremendous boost in the transfer speed of data online. Research into to ... more
MARSDAILY
Mars Express tracks the phases of Phobos
Paris (ESA) Dec 16, 2019
ESA's Mars Express has captured detailed views of the small, scarred and irregularly shaped moon Phobos from different angles during a unique flyby. Mars has two moons: Phobos and the smaller ... more
MARSDAILY
Scientists map a planet's global wind patterns for the first time, and it's not Earth
Baltimore MD (SPX) Dec 13, 2019
A new paper in Science documents for the first time the global wind circulation patterns in the upper atmosphere of a planet, 120 to 300 kilometers above the surface. The findings are based on local ... more
IRON AND ICE
NRL-camera aboard NASA spacecraft confirms asteroid phenomenon
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 12, 2019
A U.S. Naval Research Laboratory-built camera mounted on the NASA Parker Solar Probe revealed an asteroid dust trail that has eluded astronomers for decades. Karl Battams, a computational scie ... more
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EXO WORLDS
NYU Abu Dhabi researcher discovers exoplanets can be made less habitable by stars' flares
Abu Dhabi UAE (SPX) Dec 17, 2019
The discovery of terrestrial exoplanets, planets that orbit stars outside the solar system, has been one of the most significant developments in modern astronomy. Several exoplanets lie in the "habi ... more
OUTER PLANETS
NASA's Juno navigators enable Jupiter cyclone discovery
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 16, 2019
Jupiter's south pole has a new cyclone. The discovery of the massive Jovian tempest occurred on Nov. 3, 2019, during the most recent data-gathering flyby of Jupiter by NASA's Juno spacecraft. It was ... more
MARSDAILY
Lockheed Martin delivers Mars 2020 rover aeroshell to launch site
Denver CO (SPX) Dec 16, 2019
The capsule-shaped aeroshell that will protect NASA's Mars 2020 rover was delivered to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida. yesterday. Built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], the aeroshell will encap ... more
MOON DAILY
Russian astronauts will face weight restrictions for Moon mission program
Moscow (Sputnik) Dec 16, 2019
For the past decade, Russia has been working on its "Oryol" (Eagle) space ship intended for a lunar mission. The landing of Russian astronauts on the Moon is scheduled for 2030. Overweight Rus ... more
EXO WORLDS
OU research group confirm planet-mass objects in extragalactic systems
Norman OK (SPX) Dec 13, 2019
A University of Oklahoma research group is reporting the detection of extragalactic planet-mass objects in a second and third galaxy beyond the Milky Way after the first detection in 2018. With the ... more
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EXO WORLDS
Breathable atmospheres may be more common in the universe than we first thought
Leeds UK (SPX) Dec 17, 2019
The existence of habitable alien worlds has been a mainstay of popular culture for more than a century. In the 19th century, astronomers believed that Martians might be using canal-based transport l ... more
TIME AND SPACE
Daylight saving time does not misalign human cycles
Seville, Spain (SPX) Dec 13, 2019
Professor Jose Maria Martin-Olalla, from the University of Seville, has published a new report where the impact of seasonal clock-changing in daily life is analyzed from time use surveys in United S ... more
ROBO SPACE
Researchers call for harnessing, regulation of AI
Washington (AFP) Dec 12, 2019
Artificial intelligence appears to be "widening inequality," and its deployment should be subject to tough regulations and limits, especially for sensitive technologies such as facial recognition, a research report said Thursday. ... more
ROBO SPACE
Insects' drag-based flight mechanism could improve tiny flying robots
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 11, 2019
Thrips are tiny insects 2 millimeters long, about as long as four human hairs are thick. Thrips are known for their unwelcome ability to devour garden plants and, lately, to inform the design of mic ... more
EXO WORLDS
Short-lived light sources discovered in the sky
Stockholm, Sweden (SPX) Dec 13, 2019
A project lead by an international team of researchers use publicly available data with images of the sky dating as far back as to the 1950s to try to detect and analyse objects that have disappeare ... more


Mars: we may have solved the mystery of how its landslides form

MARSDAILY
Two rovers to toll on Mars Again in 2020
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 11, 2019
Curiosity won't be NASA's only active Mars rover for much longer. Next summer, Mars 2020 will be headed for the Red Planet. While the newest rover borrows from Curiosity's design, they aren't twins: ... more
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IRON AND ICE
NASA selects site for asteroid sample collection on Bennu
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 13, 2019
After a year scoping out asteroid Bennu's boulder-scattered surface, the team leading NASA's first asteroid sample return mission has officially selected a sample collection site. The Origins, ... more
MARSDAILY
MAVEN maps winds in upper atmosphere of Mars that mirror the terrain below and gives clues to climate
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 13, 2019
Researchers have created the first map of wind circulation in the upper atmosphere of a planet besides Earth, using data from NASA's MAVEN spacecraft that were collected during the last two years. T ... more
MARSDAILY
Newfound aurora in Mars atmosphere the most common
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 13, 2019
A type of Martian aurora first identified by NASA's MAVEN spacecraft in 2016 is actually the most common form of aurora occurring on the Red Planet, according to new results from the mission. The au ... more
EXO WORLDS
Water common yet scarce in exoplanets
Cambridge UK (SPX) Dec 12, 2019
The most extensive survey of atmospheric chemical compositions of exoplanets to date has revealed trends that challenge current theories of planet formation and has implications for the search for w ... more
TECH SPACE
OneWeb to use advanced grappling tech from Altius Space Machines
London, UK (SPX) Dec 12, 2019
OneWeb, whose goal is to connect everyone everywhere, and OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture between Airbus and OneWeb are coming together to advance the OneWeb Responsible Space program with a comm ... more
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Scientists map a planet's global wind patterns for the first time, and it's not Earth
Baltimore MD (SPX) Dec 13, 2019
A new paper in Science documents for the first time the global wind circulation patterns in the upper atmosphere of a planet, 120 to 300 kilometers above the surface. The findings are based on local observations, rather than indirect measurements, unlike many prior measurements taken on Earth's upper atmosphere. But it didn't happen on Earth: it happened on Mars. On top of that, all the data cam ... more
+ Mars Express tracks the phases of Phobos
+ Lockheed Martin delivers Mars 2020 rover aeroshell to launch site
+ Two rovers to toll on Mars Again in 2020
+ MAVEN maps winds in upper atmosphere of Mars that mirror the terrain below and gives clues to climate
+ Mars: we may have solved the mystery of how its landslides form
+ Newfound aurora in Mars atmosphere the most common
+ NASA's treasure map for water ice on Mars


Russian astronauts will face weight restrictions for Moon mission program
Moscow (Sputnik) Dec 16, 2019
For the past decade, Russia has been working on its "Oryol" (Eagle) space ship intended for a lunar mission. The landing of Russian astronauts on the Moon is scheduled for 2030. Overweight Russian astronauts won't be able to take part in the country's lunar mission aboard the Oryol space ship due to restrictions on the total weight of cargo the spacecraft will deliver to our planet's natur ... more
+ China's lunar rover travels over 345 meters on moon's far side
+ India's Vikram lunar lander found in LRO images
+ NASA finds Indian Moon lander with help of amateur space enthusiast
+ NASA Shares Mid-Sized Robotic Lunar Lander Concept with Industry
+ China's Chang'e-4 probe resumes work for 12th lunar day
+ Small satellites key to NASA's lunar search for water
+ Israel's next attempt at lunar lander within 3 years says SpaceIL founder
NASA's Juno navigators enable Jupiter cyclone discovery
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 16, 2019
Jupiter's south pole has a new cyclone. The discovery of the massive Jovian tempest occurred on Nov. 3, 2019, during the most recent data-gathering flyby of Jupiter by NASA's Juno spacecraft. It was the 22nd flyby during which the solar-powered spacecraft collected science data on the gas giant, soaring only 2,175 miles (3,500 kilometers) above its cloud tops. The flyby also marked a victory for ... more
+ The PI's Perspective: What a Year, What a Decade!
+ Reports of Jupiter's Great Red Spot demise greatly exaggerated
+ Aquatic rover goes for a drive under the ice
+ NASA scientists confirm water vapor on Europa
+ NASA finds Neptune moons locked in 'Dance of Avoidance'
+ New Horizons Kuiper Belt Flyby object officially named 'Arrokoth'
+ NASA renames faraway ice world 'Arrokoth' after backlash
CHEOPS space telescope to investigate extrasolar planets
Kourou, French Guiana (ESA) Dec 17, 2019
On 17 December 2019 at 05:54 local time (09:54 CET), the European Space Agency (ESA) CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite (CHEOPS) space telescope is scheduled to lift off from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on board a Soyuz launcher. The mission will further extend the search for exoplanets, which was one of the topics of this year's Nobel Prize in physics. Didier Queloz, one of th ... more
+ NYU Abu Dhabi researcher discovers exoplanets can be made less habitable by stars' flares
+ OU research group confirm planet-mass objects in extragalactic systems
+ Breathable atmospheres may be more common in the universe than we first thought
+ Short-lived light sources discovered in the sky
+ Water common yet scarce in exoplanets
+ Hidden giant planet around tiny white dwarf star
+ Scientists figure out how accumulating dust particles become planets
SpaceX launches JCSAT 18 Kacific 1 communication satellite
Orlando FL (SPX) Dec 17, 2019
SpaceX successfully launched on Monday evening a communications satellite that is owned jointly by two companies, one in Japan and one in Malaysia, aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida. The rocket launched as planned at 7:10 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The late autumn weather was ideal for the launch with light clouds and light breeze. The co ... more
+ Equipment installation for Angara Launch Pad at Russia's Vostochny to start Sunday
+ Scaling up for the next generation of rocket technology Down Under
+ Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin rocket makes 12th test flight
+ NASA gears up to test fire new SLS moon rocket in Mississippi
+ NASA says core stage of next Moon rocket now ready
+ SpaceX Dragon docks with International Space Station
+ NASA break SLS tank to test extreme limits


China sends six satellites into orbit with single rocket
Taiyuan, China (XNA) Dec 08, 2019
China sent six satellites into space from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province at 4:52 p.m. Saturday (Beijing Time). They were launched by a Kuaizhou-1A (KZ-1A) rocket and have entered the planned orbit successfully. It was the second launch from the Taiyuan launch center in less than six hours after another KZ-1A rocket sent the Jilin-1 Gaofen 02B satellit ... more
+ China launches satellite service platform
+ China plans to complete space station construction around 2022: expert
+ China conducts hovering and obstacle avoidance test in public for first Mars lander mission
+ Beijing eyes creating first Earth-Moon economic zone
+ China conducts simulated weightlessness experiment for long-term stay in space
+ China plans more space science satellites
+ China's absence from global space conference due to "visa problem" causes concern
NRL-camera aboard NASA spacecraft confirms asteroid phenomenon
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 12, 2019
A U.S. Naval Research Laboratory-built camera mounted on the NASA Parker Solar Probe revealed an asteroid dust trail that has eluded astronomers for decades. Karl Battams, a computational scientist in NRL's Space Science Division, discussed the results from the camera called Wide-Field Imager for Solar Probe (WISPR) on Dec. 11 during a NASA press conference. WISPR enabled researchers ... more
+ Russia working on means to destroy dangerous asteroids hurtling toward Earth
+ Interstellar comet 2I Borisov swings past Sun
+ NASA selects site for asteroid sample collection on Bennu
+ Looking Toward Work on NASA's Potential Asteroid-Hunting Space Telescope
+ OSIRIS-REx engineers pull off a daring rescue of asteroid mission
+ KinetX team helps in understanding particles ejected from the surface of Asteroid Bennu
+ OSIRIS-REx mission explains Bennu's mysterious particle events


Air Force tests ATHENA laser weapon against multiple drones
Washington DC (UPI) Nov 07, 2019
Members of the U.S. Air Force used the Advanced Test High Energy Asset, referred to as ATHENA, to shoot down a variety of drones in a Lockheed Martin demonstration of the technology. In the latest test of the ground-portable laser weapon system, Airmen engaged and shot down multiple fixed wing and rotary drones at a government test range in Fort Sill, Okla., Lockheed said on Thursday. / ... more
+ First anti-drone laser delivered to Air Force for year-long test deployment
+ Rheinmetall, MBDA start work on ship-mounted laser for German navy
+ Raytheon to produce drone-killing lasers for Air Force testing
+ US Air Force seeks wargame simulators for battles with laser weapons
+ France to develop anti-satellite laser weapons: minister
+ United Kingdom enters laser weapons race
+ The Future of Directed Energy: Insights from the U.S. Army and Air Force
Germany in talks with Lockheed, MBDA for missile defense program
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 09, 2019
Germany is showing reluctance to approve a missile system developed by Lockheed Martin and MBDA Deutschland, a defense ministry report indicates. A joint proposal by the defense contractors for a high-profile missile system, known as TLVS, was submitted in June for a second time, but unclassified portions of a biannual assessment indicate that the German defense ministry has unspecified ... more
+ Israel and Czech Republic sign $125 mn missile defence deal
+ Turkey didn't buy Russian defence system 'to keep in box': FM
+ Pompeo: Turkey test of Russian defense system 'concerning'
+ Turkey tests Russian missile defences despite US threats
+ US Government designates Lockheed Martin's latest generation radar
+ Turkey says will use Russian S-400 defence system
+ Raytheon nabs $209.6M contract to upgrade parts on Aegis Weapon System


How Enceladus got its stripes
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 10, 2019
Saturn's icy moon Enceladus is of great interest to scientists due to its subsurface ocean, making it a prime target for those searching for life elsewhere. New research led by Carnegie's Doug Hemingway reveals the physics governing the fissures through which oceanwater erupts from the moon's icy surface, giving its south pole an unusual "tiger stripe" appearance. "First seen by the Cassin ... more
+ A study of Saturn's largest moon may offer insights for earth
+ The first global geologic map of Titan completed
+ Numerous polar storms on Saturn analyzed by the UPV/EHU's Planetary Sciences Group
+ University of Hawaii team unravels origin, chemical makeup of Titan's dunes
+ Saturn most moon-rich planet in solar system after discovery of 20 new moons
+ Saturn surpasses Jupiter after the discovery of 20 new moons
+ New organic compounds found in Enceladus ice grains
Nanoscience breakthrough: Probing particles smaller than a billionth of a meter
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 16, 2019
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) developed a new methodology that allows researchers to assess the chemical composition and structure of metallic particles with a diameter of only 0.5 to 2 nm. This breakthrough in analytical techniques will enable the development and application of minuscule materials in the fields of electronics, biomedicine, chemistry, and more. T ... more
+ SMART discovers breakthrough way to look at the surface of nanoparticles
+ Visible light and nanoparticle catalysts produce desirable bioactive molecules
+ Flexible, wearable supercapacitors based on porous nanocarbon nanocomposites
+ Scientists create a nanomaterial that is both twisted and untwisted at the same time
+ Physicists create world's smallest engine
+ DNA origami joins forces with molecular motors to build nanoscale machines
+ DARPA Announces Microsystems Exploration Program


Quantum expander for gravitational-wave observatories
Changchun, China (SPX) Dec 12, 2019
Ultra-stable laser light that was stored in optical resonators of up to 4km length enabled the first observations of gravitational waves from inspirals of binary black holes and neutron stars. Due to the rather low bandwidth of the optical resonator system, however, the scientifically highly interesting post-merger signals at frequencies above a few hundred hertz could not be resolved. Such info ... more
+ New instrument extends LIGO's reach
+ Astronomers use giant galaxy cluster as X-ray magnifying lens
+ The violent history of the big galaxy next door
+ UN offers use of ESA's hypergravity centrifuge to researchers worldwide
+ A key piece to understanding how quantum gravity affects low-energy physics
+ Fastest eclipsing binary, a valuable target for gravitational wave studies
+ Chameleon Theory Could Change How We Think About Gravity
Daylight saving time does not misalign human cycles
Seville, Spain (SPX) Dec 13, 2019
Professor Jose Maria Martin-Olalla, from the University of Seville, has published a new report where the impact of seasonal clock-changing in daily life is analyzed from time use surveys in United States, Spain, Italy, France and Great Britain. These countries have faced seasonal regulation of clocks for more than forty years. The results state that human cycles are not misaligned by Dayli ... more
+ Laser-based prototype probes cold atom dynamics
+ Heat energy leaps through empty space, thanks to quantum weirdness
+ Weizmann physicists image electrons flowing like water
+ Simple experiment explains magnetic resonance
+ Astronomers discover the heaviest black hole in the nearby universe
+ Ultracold chemistry transforms observing chemical reactions
+ Scientists spot black hole so huge it 'shouldn't even exist' in our galaxy


Researchers call for harnessing, regulation of AI
Washington (AFP) Dec 12, 2019
Artificial intelligence appears to be "widening inequality," and its deployment should be subject to tough regulations and limits, especially for sensitive technologies such as facial recognition, a research report said Thursday. The AI Now Institute, a New York University center studying the social implications of artificial intelligence, said that as these technologies become widely deploy ... more
+ Insects' drag-based flight mechanism could improve tiny flying robots
+ Self-driving microrobots
+ CIMON-2 is on its way to the ISS
+ Helping machines perceive some laws of physics
+ UK online supermarket Ocado strikes AI deal in Japan
+ An astronaut controls a rover on Earth
+ Scientists help soldiers figure out what robots know
Citadel Defense collaborates with US Govt to deploy safe, trusted and reliable counter drone solutions
San Diego, CA (SPX) Dec 13, 2019
Citadel Defense has worked with three undisclosed U.S. Government agencies for six months to deploy counter drone technology that meets regulatory, safety, and critical infrastructure protection requirements. Throughout the pilot program, Citadel's Titan technology has been successfully operated in real-world missions for CUAS protection at live events throughout the continental United States. ... more
+ AFRL completes two and a half-day ultra leap
+ Safer navigation through enhanced predictive paths powered by UAV Navigation
+ The UAS community created 'a new transport ecosystem' at Amsterdam Drone Week
+ Raytheon nabs $13.1M for third anti-drone laser system for testing
+ Developing a digital twin
+ UBC research highlights need to safeguard drones and robotic cars against cyber attacks
+ Polish firm's drones, from lifesaver to invisible model, take to the skies
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