Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
March 17, 2020
IRON AND ICE
Asteroid Ryugu likely link in planetary formation



Berlin, Germany (SPX) Mar 17, 2020
The Solar System formed approximately 4.5 billion years ago. Numerous fragments that bear witness to this early era orbit the Sun as asteroids. Around three-quarters of these are carbon-rich C-type asteroids, such as 162173 Ryugu, which was the target of the Japanese Hayabusa2 mission in 2018 and 2019. The spacecraft is currently on its return flight to Earth. Numerous scientists, including planetary researchers from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), intensive ... read more

MOON DAILY
Russia eyes Oct 2021 launch for first lunar mission in 45 years
Moscow (Sputnik) Mar 17, 2020
The launch of the first Russian spacecraft to the Moon after a 45-year hiatus is planned for 1 October 2021, a Russian space scientist announced at a meeting of the Space Council of the Russian Acad ... more
OUTER PLANETS
Jupiter's Great Red Spot shrinking in size, not thickness
Paris, France (SPX) Mar 17, 2020
Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, is mainly made up of liquids and gases. Its clouds are shaped by jet streams, winds and vortices into numerous parallel bands, as well as coloured pa ... more
MERCURY RISING
Vast collapsed terrains on Mercury might be windows into ancient habitability
Tucson AZ (SPX) Mar 17, 2020
New research raises the possibility that some parts of Mercury's subsurface, and those of similar planets in the galaxy, once could have been capable of fostering prebiotic chemistry, and perhaps ev ... more
EXO WORLDS
Scientists have discovered the origins of the building blocks of life
New Brunswick NJ (SPX) Mar 17, 2020
Rutgers researchers have discovered the origins of the protein structures responsible for metabolism: simple molecules that powered early life on Earth and serve as chemical signals that NASA could ... more
ADVERTISEMENT



ADVERTISEMENT


Previous Issues Mar 16 Mar 14 Mar 13 Mar 12 Mar 11
ADVERTISEMENT



ROBO SPACE
Help NASA design a robot to dig on the Moon
Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Mar 17, 2020
Digging on the Moon is a hard job for a robot. It has to be able to collect and move lunar soil, or regolith, but anything launching to the Moon needs to be lightweight. The problem is excavators re ... more
MERCURY RISING
Mercury's 400 C heat may help it make its own ice
Atlanta GA (SPX) Mar 16, 2020
It is already hard to believe that there is ice on Mercury, where daytime temperatures reach 400 degrees Celsius, or 750 degrees Fahrenheit. Now an upcoming study says that the Vulcan heat on the pl ... more
TECH SPACE
RUAG Space to supply payload adapters and separation systems for the Soyuz launchers
Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Mar 16, 2020
GK Launch Services, an operator of Soyuz-2 commercial launches and RUAG Space, a leading independent space product supplier, have signed a Long-term Purchase Agreement for Payload Adapters and Separ ... more
ENERGY TECH
Feeding fusion: hydrogen ice pellets prove effective for fueling fusion plasmas
Plainsboro NJ (SPX) Mar 13, 2020
Researchers have found that injecting pellets of hydrogen ice rather than puffing hydrogen gas improves fusion performance at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility, which General Atomics operates for ... more
ENERGY TECH
Permanent magnets stronger than those on refrigerator could be a solution for delivering fusion energy
Plainsboro NJ (SPX) Mar 13, 2020
Permanent magnets akin to those used on refrigerators could speed the development of fusion energy - the same energy produced by the sun and stars. In principle, such magnets can greatly simpl ... more
24/7 Space News Coverage
24/7 Technology News Coverage
24/7 China News Coverage

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

MARSDAILY
Europe-Russia delay mission to find life on Mars
Moscow (AFP) March 12, 2020
A joint Russian-European expedition to find life on Mars has been postponed for two years, the Russian and European space agencies said Thursday, citing the novel coronavirus and multiple technical issues. ... more
MOON DAILY
NASA selects first science instruments to send to Lunar Gateway
Washington DC (SPX) Mar 13, 2020
NASA has selected the first two scientific investigations to fly aboard the Gateway, an orbital outpost which will support Artemis lunar operations while demonstrating the technologies necessary to ... more
MARSDAILY
ExoMars to take off for the Red Planet in 2022
Paris (ESA) Mar 12, 2020
The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Roscosmos Space Corporation have decided to postpone the launch of the second ExoMars mission to study the Red Planet to 2022. The joint ESA-Roscosmos p ... more
EXO WORLDS
Observed: An exoplanet where it rains iron
San Cristobal de La Laguna, Spain (SPX) Mar 12, 2020
This exoplanet, 390 light years away towards the constellation Pisces, has days when its surface temperatures exceed 2,400 Celsius, sufficiently hot to evaporate metals. Its nights, with strong wind ... more
OUTER PLANETS
Researchers find new minor planets beyond Neptune
Philadelphia PA (SPX) Mar 12, 2020
Using data from the Dark Energy Survey (DES), researchers have found more than 300 trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), minor planets located in the far reaches of the solar system, including more than 1 ... more


ESO telescope observes exoplanet where it rains iron

EXO WORLDS
Astronomers pinpoint rare binary brown dwarf
Birmingham UK (SPX) Mar 10, 2020
Astronomers working on 'first light' results from a newly commissioned telescope in Chile made a chance discovery that led to the identification of a rare eclipsing binary brown dwarf system. ... more
Space News from SpaceDaily.com

ADVERTISEMENT



EXO WORLDS
Orbital tilt measurements in youngest planetary star system ever
Cambridge MA (SPX) Mar 10, 2020
Scientists at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard and Smithsonian have, for the first time, measured the orbital tilt of an exoplanet younger than 45 million years. While observing DS Tuc Ab - a r ... more
EXO WORLDS
Cosmos: Possible Worlds
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 09, 2020
Cosmos the popular TV series is back with a new season, Cosmos: Possible Worlds. This season the emphasis is on storytelling and exploration of possible worlds outside earth. Humans thro ... more
IRON AND ICE
Bennu's boulders shine as beacons for NASA's OSIRIS-REx
Tucson AZ (SPX) Mar 10, 2020
This summer, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will undertake NASA's first-ever attempt to touch the surface of an asteroid, collect a sample of it, and safely back away. But since arriving at asteroid Benn ... more
IRON AND ICE
Over 9,000 asteroids feasible for mining may help ignite new space race
Moscow (Sputnik) Mar 10, 2020
The report also suggests that asteroid mining efforts might help prevent space rocks from colliding with Earth, helping ensure our planet's safety. Mankind's efforts to study and conquer the d ... more
EXO WORLDS
Safety zone saves giant moons from fatal plunge
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Mar 10, 2020
Numerical simulations showed that the temperature gradient in the disk of gas around a young gas giant planet could play a critical role in the development of a satellite system dominated by a singl ... more
24/7 Nuclear News Coverage
24/7 War News Coverage
24/7 War News Coverage

Europe-Russia delay mission to find life on Mars
Moscow (AFP) March 12, 2020
A joint Russian-European expedition to find life on Mars has been postponed for two years, the Russian and European space agencies said Thursday, citing the novel coronavirus and multiple technical issues. The unmanned ExoMars, whose mission is to land a robot on the Red Planet to seek out signs of life, was scheduled to launch later this year after experiencing several delays. But even that ... more
+ ExoMars to take off for the Red Planet in 2022
+ Organic molecules discovered by Curiosity Rover consistent with early life on Mars
+ Moreux Crater on Mars offers evidence of dunes and glacial processes
+ Virginia Middle School names NASA's next Mars rover Perseverance
+ Curiosity Mars Rover Snaps Highest-Resolution Panorama Yet
+ Seismic activity on Mars resembles that found in the Swabian Jura
+ Ancient meteorite site on Earth could reveal new clues about Mars' past


Russia eyes Oct 2021 launch for first lunar mission in 45 years
Moscow (Sputnik) Mar 17, 2020
The launch of the first Russian spacecraft to the Moon after a 45-year hiatus is planned for 1 October 2021, a Russian space scientist announced at a meeting of the Space Council of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The last Soviet interplanetary automatic station was Luna-24, launched in 1976. Russia in its history has not yet sent a spacecraft to the moon. "Therefore, the name of ou ... more
+ NASA selects first science instruments to send to Lunar Gateway
+ UNM scientists find Earth and moon not identical oxygen twins
+ Join the Artemis Generation
+ China's lunar rover travels nearly 400 meters on moon's far side
+ Gemini Telescope Images "Minimoon" Orbiting Earth
+ Mission Control to Develop Lunar Surface Autonomous Science Payload for CSA
+ Digging into the far side of the moon: Chang'E-4 probes 40 meters into lunar surface
Jupiter's Great Red Spot shrinking in size, not thickness
Paris, France (SPX) Mar 17, 2020
Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, is mainly made up of liquids and gases. Its clouds are shaped by jet streams, winds and vortices into numerous parallel bands, as well as coloured patches, one of which clearly stands out: the Great Red Spot. This is an Earth-sized anticyclone that has been observed for over 350 years, but has suddenly decreased in size in recent years. The ... more
+ Researchers find new minor planets beyond Neptune
+ Ultraviolet instrument delivered for ESA's Jupiter mission
+ One Step Closer to the Edge of the Solar System
+ TRIDENT Mission Concept Selected by NASA's Discovery Program
+ Findings from Juno Update Jupiter Water Mystery
+ A close-up of Arrokoth reveals how planetary building blocks were constructed
+ New Horizons team discovers a critical piece of the planetary formation puzzle
ESO telescope observes exoplanet where it rains iron
Munich, Germany (SPX) Mar 12, 2020
Researchers using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) have observed an extreme planet where they suspect it rains iron. The ultra-hot giant exoplanet has a day side where temperatures climb above 2400 degrees Celsius, high enough to vaporise metals. Strong winds carry iron vapour to the cooler night side where it condenses into iron droplets. "One could say that this planet gets rainy in the ... more
+ New technique could elucidate earliest stages of planet's life
+ Orbital tilt measurements in youngest planetary star system ever
+ Scientists have discovered the origins of the building blocks of life
+ Astronomers pinpoint rare binary brown dwarf
+ Safety zone saves giant moons from fatal plunge
+ Cosmos: Possible Worlds
+ Observed: An exoplanet where it rains iron
Student Launch adjusts competition structure to remove need for travel
Huntsville AL (SPX) Mar 16, 2020
The health and safety of our Student Launch teams, our NASA workforce and our challenge partners has always been, and continues to be, NASA's first priority. NASA has been carefully monitoring the health concerns related to the COVID-19 virus, particularly the risk of large gatherings and travel. NASA has determined that the best course of action is to replace this year's in-person year-en ... more
+ Rocket Lab's next mission to launch satellites for NASA, NRO and Australian university
+ SpaceX aborts Sunday launch from Florida at last moment
+ Guiana Space Center suspends launch campaigns
+ NASA's SLS moon rocket is 30 percent over budget, report says
+ Aerojet Rocketdyne installs rocket motor casting bell as Camden rocket motor facility nears completion
+ ESA and European Commission preorder four more Ariane 6 launches
+ Iodine as alternative propellant for electric propulsion


China's Yuanwang-5 sails to Pacific Ocean for space monitoring mission
Nanjing (XNA) Feb 21, 2020
China's spacecraft tracking ship Yuanwang-5 is sailing to the Pacific Ocean from a port in east China's Jiangsu Province Thursday for a maritime space monitoring mission. It is the first voyage of the ship this year. Before the end of the Spring Festival, the mission members were gathered and quarantined on the ship to prevent the novel coronavirus infection. They completed the prepa ... more
+ Construction of China's space station begins with start of LM-5B launch campaign
+ China Prepares to Launch Unknown Satellite Aboard Long March 7A Rocket
+ China's Long March-5B carrier rocket arrives at launch site
+ China to launch more space science satellites
+ China's space station core module, manned spacecraft arrive at launch site
+ China to launch Mars probe in July
+ China's space-tracking vessels back from missions
Ammonium salts found on Rosetta's comet
Paris (ESA) Mar 16, 2020
Scientists have detected ammonium salts on the surface of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (shown in this image on the right) by analysing data collected by the Visible, Infrared and Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) on ESA's Rosetta mission between August 2014 and May 2015. The new study, led by Olivier Poch of Institut de Planetologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, France, and publis ... more
+ Asteroid Ryugu likely link in planetary formation
+ Puzzle about nitrogen solved thanks to cometary analogues
+ Bennu's boulders shine as beacons for NASA's OSIRIS-REx
+ Over 9,000 asteroids feasible for mining may help ignite new space race
+ Fire from the sky
+ First official names given to features on asteroid Bennu
+ OSIRIS-REx Swoops Over Sample Site Nightingale


Lockheed nabs $22.4M for work on LCS-based laser system
Washington DC (UPI) Mar 10, 2020
Lockheed Martin was awarded a $22.4 million contract for work on the Layered Laser Defense system prototype onboard a Navy littoral combat ship, the Department of Defense announced. The deal, announced Monday by the Pentagon, funds integration, demonstration, testing and operation of the LLD weapon system on board a vessel while the ship is underway. The work includes development ... more
+ Navy: Chinese warship fired laser at U.S. aircraft
+ AFRL engineer leaves a legacy called HADES
+ Israel hails 'breakthrough' towards laser air defence system
+ China's air force seeks aircraft-mounted laser weapon
+ Air Force tests ATHENA laser weapon against multiple drones
+ First anti-drone laser delivered to Air Force for year-long test deployment
Missile Defense Agency's Long Range Discrimination Radar closer to delivery
Clear AK (SPX) Mar 11, 2020
The Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) program has completed delivery of the first ten antenna panels to Clear, Alaska, that will make up the first of the system's two radar antenna arrays. Lockheed Martin continues to successfully achieve all program milestones as it works towards delivering the radar to MDA in 2020. The system will serve as a critical s ... more
+ Arrows of misfortune as US Missile Defence needs upgrading
+ Syrian air defence responds to 'Israeli missiles': state media
+ Syrian air defence responds to 'Israeli missiles': state media
+ BAE wins $188.2M Navy contract for AEGIS system engineering, testing
+ Turkey says might receive US missiles over Syria threat
+ Raytheon completes first antenna array for anti-hypersonic sensor
+ Syrian air defence intercepts missile attack: state media


Why is NASA Sending Dragonfly to Titan
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 27, 2020
Titan, with its methane seas and orange smog, is in some ways the most similar world to Earth that we have found. Though it's merely a moon tethered by gravity to its cosmic ruler, Saturn, Titan has all the trappings of a planet, including clouds, rain, lakes and rivers, and even a subsurface ocean of salty water. Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens discovered Titan in 1655, calling it sim ... more
+ New SwRI models reveal inner complexity of Saturn moon
+ Huygens landing spin mystery solved
+ Final images from Cassini spacecraft
+ How Enceladus got its stripes
+ 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
New DNA origami motor breaks speed record for nano machines
Atlanta GA (SPX) Mar 04, 2020
Through a technique known as DNA origami, scientists have created the fastest, most persistent DNA nano motor yet. Angewandte Chemie published the findings, which provide a blueprint for how to optimize the design of motors at the nanoscale - hundreds of times smaller than the typical human cell. "Nanoscale motors have tremendous potential for applications in biosensing, in building synthe ... more
+ Deep-sea osmolyte makes biomolecular machines heat-tolerant
+ Nanobubbles in nanodroplets
+ New production method for carbon nanotubes gets green light
+ A quantum breakthrough brings a technique from astronomy to the nano-scale
+ Creating a nanoscale on-off switch for heat
+ Nanoscience breakthrough: Probing particles smaller than a billionth of a meter
+ SMART discovers breakthrough way to look at the surface of nanoparticles


Using a spiral graph to understand how galaxies evolve
Raleigh NC (SPX) Mar 16, 2020
Spiral structure is seen in a variety of natural objects, ranging from plants and animals to tropical cyclones and galaxies. Now researchers at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences have developed a technique to accurately measure the winding arms of spiral galaxies that is so easy, virtually anyone can participate. This new and simple method is currently being applied in a citizen scien ... more
+ Continued Gravitational-Wave Discoveries from Public Data
+ Suited up for gravity
+ The link between gravity and soliton
+ ASU and Virginia Tech researchers unlock mysteries of grasshopper response to gravity
+ Gravitational wave network catches another neutron star collision
+ China's Taiji-1 satellite passes in-orbit tests
+ Hebrew U researcher cracks Newton's elusive '3-body' problem
Discovery of zero-energy bound states at both ends of a one-dimensional atomic line defect
Beijing, China (SPX) Mar 14, 2020
In recent years, the development of quantum computers beyond the capability of classical computers has become a new frontier in science and technology and a key direction to realize quantum supremacy. However, conventional quantum computing has a serious challenge due to quantum decoherence effect and requires a significant amount of error correction in scaling quantum qubits. Therefore, t ... more
+ Breakthrough made towards building the world's most powerful particle accelerator
+ Paper sheds light on infant Universe and origin of matter
+ New telescope observations shed new light on black hole ejections
+ Tracking down the mystery of matter
+ Astronomers detect biggest explosion in the history of the Universe
+ NASA's OSIRIS-REx students catch unexpected glimpse of newly discovered black hole
+ Why is there any matter in the universe at all? New Sussex study sheds light


Help NASA design a robot to dig on the Moon
Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Mar 17, 2020
Digging on the Moon is a hard job for a robot. It has to be able to collect and move lunar soil, or regolith, but anything launching to the Moon needs to be lightweight. The problem is excavators rely on their weight and traction to dig on Earth. NASA has a solution, but is looking for ideas to make it better. Once matured, robotic excavators could help NASA establish a sustainable presence on t ... more
+ Robots that admit mistakes foster better conversation in humans
+ Small robots practice scouting skills for future Moon missions
+ High School students vie for a win in robotics competition
+ A flexible brain for AI
+ In-space Robotic Servicing Program moves forward with new commercial partner
+ Robot uses artificial intelligence and imaging to draw blood
+ Robots autonomously navigate underground in DARPA challenge
Hughes awarded contract by GA-ASI to connect US Army's Gray Eagle UAV with future SatComs
Germantown, MD (SPX) Mar 12, 2020
Hughes Network Systems has told SpaceWar.com that it has been awarded a Data Link Modernization (DLM) contract by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) to provide new dvanced satellite communications (SATCOM) systems for the U.S. Army's MQ-1C Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). Under the contract, Hughes will provide advanced, ruggedized HM400 modems that integrate wit ... more
+ Turkish drones kill 19 Syrian government soldiers as tensions soar
+ Navy installs ODIN laser weapon system to counter aerial drones
+ Ground-breaking solar powered unmanned aircraft makes first flight
+ UAV's Flight Control Solutions compatible with Trimble's UAS1
+ Phase One Industrial and AI-Survey GmbH Sign Partner Integrator Agreement
+ Extended range: VECTOR flies beyond 300 km using a UHF datalink
+ Northrop Grumman nabs $172.4M for two MQ-4C drones to Navy
Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

Buy Advertising Media Advertising Kit Editorial & Other Enquiries Privacy statement
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2020 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement