Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
December 24, 2019
MOON DAILY
A box of Apollo lunar soil



Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 24, 2019
Fortunately for today's scientists, Apollo-era leaders had the foresight to save much of the 842 pounds (382 kilograms) of Moon soil and rocks retrieved by NASA astronauts 50 years ago for future generations. They figured new crops of scientists, using instruments of their time, would be able to probe the samples with unprecedented rigor. Now, the future that Apollo-era scientists envisioned has come. Their successors, many of whom weren't even born when the last astronauts scooped up the Moon sam ... read more

MARSDAILY
Promising progress for ExoMars parachutes
Paris (ESA) Dec 24, 2019
A series of ground-based tests designed to check the extraction of the ExoMars 2020 mission's parachutes from their bags have started successfully with promising results to keep the mission on track ... more
MOON DAILY
Macao's moon, planetary lab to boost China's deep space exploration
Beijing, China (SPX) Dec 24, 2019
Macao's first space exploration satellite was named Macao Science 1, the special administrative region (SAR)'s Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Tam Chon Weng announced Sunday at an opening c ... more
MARSDAILY
Developing a technique to study past Martian climate
Houston TX (SPX) Dec 18, 2019
Joanna Clark has been interested in geology ever since she was a child. Today, the University of Houston doctoral student is turning that curiosity into a career and getting noticed by NASA, which a ... more
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
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SPACE MEDICINE
Astrophysics and AI may offer key to early dementia diagnosis
Sussex UK (SPX) Dec 18, 2019
Crucial early diagnosis of dementia in general practice could improve thanks to a computer model designed in a collaboration between Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) and astrophysicists at ... more
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
EXO WORLDS
Massive gas disk raises questions about planet formation theory
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 24, 2019
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) found a young star surrounded by an astonishing mass of gas. The star, called 49 Ceti, is 40 million years old, and conventi ... 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
SPACE MEDICINE
International Space Station computer gets a heart transplant
Paris (ESA) Dec 20, 2019
The Space Station has grown to the size of a football field and space agencies are looking to extend its lifetime until 2030. European-built computers have quietly been keeping this orbital outpost ... more
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IRON AND ICE
Asteroid collisions trigger cascading formation of subfamilies, study concludes
Sao Paulo, Brazil (SPX) Dec 20, 2019
Billions of years ago, asteroid collisions resulted in the ejection of fragments hundreds of kilometers across and sharing similar orbits. The resulting groups are known as asteroid families. ... more
EXO WORLDS
Researchers spy on planets as fluffy as cotton candy
Boulder CO (SPX) Dec 20, 2019
Meet what may be the largest carnival delights known to science: the "super-puff" worlds of the Kepler 51 star system. As their confectionary name suggests, these planets are as lightweight as ... more
DRAGON SPACE
China's Xichang set for 20 space launches in 2020
Xichang (XNA) Dec 19, 2019
The Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province will host around 20 launch missions in 2020, including two satellites of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), accor ... more
ROBO SPACE
Church of England questions ethics of investment in AI
London (AFP) Dec 23, 2019
The Church of England has launched a study into an existential question: do its investments in big-tech giants contradict the Christian faith? ... more
MARSDAILY
Mars 2020 Rover Completes Its First Drive
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 19, 2019
NASA's next Mars rover has passed its first driving test. A preliminary assessment of its activities on Dec. 17, 2019, found that the rover checked all the necessary boxes as it rolled forward and b ... more


Europe's exoplanet hunter blasts off from Earth

EXO WORLDS
Europe's exoplanet hunter reaches orbit around Earth
Paris (AFP) Dec 18, 2019
Europe's CHEOPS planet-hunting space telescope left Earth on Wednesday and moved into orbit, a day after its lift-off was delayed by a technical rocket glitch during the final countdown. ... more
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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 ... 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
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
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
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Promising progress for ExoMars parachutes
Paris (ESA) Dec 24, 2019
A series of ground-based tests designed to check the extraction of the ExoMars 2020 mission's parachutes from their bags have started successfully with promising results to keep the mission on track for next year's launch. Landing on Mars is a high-risk endeavour with no room for error. In just six minutes, a descent module with its precious cargo cocooned inside has to slow from around 21 ... more
+ Developing a technique to study past Martian climate
+ Mars Express tracks the phases of Phobos
+ Mars 2020 Rover Completes Its First Drive
+ Lockheed Martin delivers Mars 2020 rover aeroshell to launch site
+ Two rovers to toll on Mars Again in 2020
+ Scientists map a planet's global wind patterns for the first time, and it's not Earth
+ MAVEN maps winds in upper atmosphere of Mars that mirror the terrain below and gives clues to climate


Macao's moon, planetary lab to boost China's deep space exploration
Beijing, China (SPX) Dec 24, 2019
Macao's first space exploration satellite was named Macao Science 1, the special administrative region (SAR)'s Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Tam Chon Weng announced Sunday at an opening ceremony of an aerospace exhibition. During the opening ceremony, vice administrator of China National Space Administration (CNSA) Wu Yanhua also announced that the CNSA would set up Macao Space ... more
+ A box of Apollo lunar soil
+ Russian astronauts will face weight restrictions for Moon mission program
+ 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
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
Researchers spy on planets as fluffy as cotton candy
Boulder CO (SPX) Dec 20, 2019
Meet what may be the largest carnival delights known to science: the "super-puff" worlds of the Kepler 51 star system. As their confectionary name suggests, these planets are as lightweight as cotton candy - literally. The fluffy globes are the lowest density exoplanets ever discovered beyond Earth's solar system. "They're very bizarre," said Jessica Libby-Roberts, a graduate student ... more
+ Massive gas disk raises questions about planet formation theory
+ NYU Abu Dhabi researcher discovers exoplanets can be made less habitable by stars' flares
+ Breathable atmospheres may be more common in the universe than we first thought
+ Europe's exoplanet hunter blasts off from Earth
+ Europe's exoplanet hunter reaches orbit around Earth
+ CHEOPS space telescope to investigate extrasolar planets
+ Short-lived light sources discovered in the sky
Europe marks 40th anniversary of first Ariane rocket launch
Paris (AFP) Dec 22, 2019
The first Ariane space rocket lifted off over the forests of French Guiana 40 years ago, enabling Europe to at last take its place as an independent player in the international race for space. Following a number of delays and technical setbacks, Ariane 1 finally left the launch pad in Kourou at 2:13 pm local time on December 24, 1979. Its maiden flight was a so-called qualification fligh ... more
+ Roscosmos approves preliminary design of super heavy-lift launch vehicle
+ Aerojet Rocketdyne selected to provide solid rocket motor for Hypersonic Conventional Strike Weapon
+ PR GMV's avionics system will be integrated into the MIURA 1 of PLD Space
+ Arianespace's last mission of the year a complete success
+ SpaceX launches JCSAT 18 Kacific 1 communication satellite
+ Equipment installation for Angara Launch Pad at Russia's Vostochny to start Sunday
+ Scaling up for the next generation of rocket technology Down Under


China's Xichang set for 20 space launches in 2020
Xichang (XNA) Dec 19, 2019
The Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province will host around 20 launch missions in 2020, including two satellites of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), according to an official from the center. Wang Zemin, deputy director of the launch center, made the remarks after China successfully sent two BDS satellites into space from Xichang on Monday. ... more
+ China sends six satellites into orbit with single rocket
+ 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
Asteroid collisions trigger cascading formation of subfamilies, study concludes
Sao Paulo, Brazil (SPX) Dec 20, 2019
Billions of years ago, asteroid collisions resulted in the ejection of fragments hundreds of kilometers across and sharing similar orbits. The resulting groups are known as asteroid families. Other asteroid groups formed as a result of rotational fission, which happens when a rapidly spinning body reaches critical rotation speed and splits into relatively small fragments only a few kilomet ... more
+ Fireballs: mail from space
+ Ancient events are still impacting mammals worldwide
+ 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
+ NRL-camera aboard NASA spacecraft confirms asteroid phenomenon


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
Syrian defences fire on 'hostile missiles' from Israel: state media
Damascus (AFP) Dec 23, 2019
Syrian air defences on Sunday fired on Israeli missiles, shooting down one that fell outside Damascus, the official Syrian news agency Sana reported. The "hostile missiles came from the Occupied Territories," Sana said, referring to Israel, adding that one missile came down in Aqraba, a suburb southeast of Damascus. An Israeli army spokeswoman contacted by AFP said Israel does not commen ... more
+ Moscow lifts veil on missile attack warning system
+ Germany in talks with Lockheed, MBDA for missile defense program
+ 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


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
+ Creating a nanoscale on-off switch for heat
+ 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


Hebrew U researcher cracks Newton's elusive '3-body' problem
Jerusalem (SPX) Dec 19, 2019
It's been nearly 350 years since Sir Isaac Newton outlined the laws of motion, claiming "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." These laws laid the foundation to understand our solar system and, more broadly, to understand the relationship between a body of mass and the forces that act upon it. However, Newton's groundbreaking work also created a pickle that has baffled scie ... more
+ Scientists closer to solving Newton's 'three-body problem'
+ Quantum expander for gravitational-wave observatories
+ 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
Laser-based prototype probes cold atom dynamics
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 17, 2019
By tracking the motions of cold atom clouds, astronomers can learn much about the physical processes which play out in the depths of space. To make these measurements, researchers currently use instruments named 'cold atom inertial sensors' which, so far, have largely been operated inside the lab. In new work published in EPJ D, a team of physicists at Muquans and LNE-SYRTE (the French nat ... more
+ Laser-based prototype probes cold atom dynamics
+ Get ready for a new periodic table
+ A warm Space Station welcome for cool new hardware
+ The 'cores' of massive galaxies had already formed 1.5 billion years after the big bang
+ Data shows earliest supermassive black holes had plenty to eat
+ Daylight saving time does not misalign human cycles
+ Heat energy leaps through empty space, thanks to quantum weirdness


Church of England questions ethics of investment in AI
London (AFP) Dec 23, 2019
The Church of England has launched a study into an existential question: do its investments in big-tech giants contradict the Christian faith? The Church's Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG) will determine whether some of the new technologies undermine "the very idea of God", a spokesman for the Church told AFP on Monday. The year-long review was first reported by The Daily Telegra ... more
+ Insects' drag-based flight mechanism could improve tiny flying robots
+ Researchers call for harnessing, regulation of AI
+ 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
AFRL completes two and a half-day ultra leap
Wright-Patterson AFB OH (SPX) Dec 17, 2019
The Air Force Research Laboratory's Center for Rapid Innovation (CRI) has successfully completed initial flight tests for a revolutionary Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) with a customizable suite of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) tools that supports extended missions. This series of flight tests began in Feb. 2019 at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, culminating with a two and ... more
+ French military kills 33 terrorists in Mali in its first drone strike
+ France deploys armed drones in Sahel anti-jihadist fight
+ Lockheed Martin and Canadian UAVs to improve unmanned beyond visual line of sight operations
+ Safer navigation through enhanced predictive paths powered by UAV Navigation
+ Citadel Defense collaborates with US Govt to deploy safe, trusted and reliable counter drone solutions
+ The UAS community created 'a new transport ecosystem' at Amsterdam Drone Week
+ Raytheon nabs $13.1M for third anti-drone laser system for testing
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