Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
June 18, 2020
MARSDAILY
The Launch Is Approaching for NASA's Next Mars Rover, Perseverance



Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 18, 2020
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover is just over a month from its July 20 targeted launch date. The rover's astrobiology mission will seek signs of past microscopic life on Mars, explore the geology of the Jezero Crater landing site, and demonstrate key technologies to help prepare for future robotic and human exploration. And the rover will do all that while collecting the first samples of Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust) for return to Earth by a set of future missions. "Fifty-one year ... read more

MARSDAILY
NASA's new Mars mission will take at least a decade to confirm life
Washington DC (UPI) Jun 17, 2020
NASA's new microbe-hunting Mars rover, scheduled for launch July 20, is the most sophisticated rover yet, but it will take at least a decade to determine whether samples the machine collects exhibit signs of life, agency officials said Wednesday. ... more
MARSDAILY
Martian rover motors ahead
Paris (ESA) Jun 17, 2020
European engineers, together with Canada, are working on the technologies needed to find and retrieve samples from Mars, as part of ESA's plans to send material from the Red Planet to Earth. T ... more
EXO WORLDS
As many as six billion Earth-like planets in our galaxy, according to new estimates
Vancouver, Canada (SPX) Jun 17, 2020
To be considered Earth-like, a planet must be rocky, roughly Earth-sized and orbiting Sun-like (G-type) stars. It also has to orbit in the habitable zones of its star - the range of distances from a ... more
SATURN DAILY
Evidence for Volcanic Craters on Saturn's Moon Titan
Tucson AZ (SPX) Jun 16, 2020
Volcano-like features seen in polar regions of Saturn's moon Titan by NASA's Cassini spacecraft could be evidence of explosive eruptions that may continue today, according to a new paper by Planetar ... more
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STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Pause button for light particles
Darmstadt, Germany (SPX) Jun 17, 2020
How do you stop something that is faster than anything else, intangible and always in motion by nature? A team led by physicists Dr. Thorsten Peters and Professor Thomas Halfmann is doing the seemin ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Superlens squeezes light into nanospace
Moscow, Russia (SPX) Jun 17, 2020
Russian and Danish researchers have made a first-ever experimental observation of a plasmon nanojet. This physical phenomenon enables nanoscale focusing of light and, theoretically, allows engineers ... more
TECH SPACE
UK space sector gets a boost with the installation of a giant new satellite test chamber
Harwell UK (SPX) Jun 18, 2020
The UK's space industry has received a major piece of new equipment to help get larger, more complex satellites ready for launch. A 16m long space test chamber, amongst the giants of Europe, has bee ... more
ROBO SPACE
Borrowing from robotics, scientists automate mapping of quantum systems
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jun 17, 2020
Scientists at the University of Sydney have adapted techniques from autonomous vehicles and robotics to efficiently assess the performance of quantum devices, an important process to help stabilise ... more
MARSDAILY
Airbus wins next study contract for Martian Sample Fetch Rover
Stevenage UK (SPX) Jun 17, 2020
Airbus Defence and Space has won the next phase of the study contract (Advanced B2) from the European Space Agency (ESA) for the advanced Sample Fetch Rover which will be used to collect samples fro ... more
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IRON AND ICE
NASA's OSIRIS-REx produces Nightingale mosaic
Tucson AZ (SPX) Jun 17, 2020
This view of sample site Nightingale on asteroid Bennu is a mosaic of images collected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on March 3. A total of 345 PolyCam images were stitched together to produce the ... more
MARSDAILY
ExoMars spots unique green glow at the Red Planet
Paris (ESA) Jun 16, 2020
ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has detected glowing green oxygen in Mars' atmosphere - the first time that this emission has been seen around a planet other than Earth. On Earth, glowing oxyg ... more
OUTER PLANETS
Proposed NASA Mission Would Visit Neptune's Curious Moon Triton
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 17, 2020
When NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft flew by Neptune's strange moon Triton three decades ago, it wrote a planetary science cliffhanger. Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft ever to have flown past Neptune, ... more
MARSDAILY
Electrically charged dust storms drive Martian chlorine cycle
St. Louis MO (SPX) Jun 16, 2020
How's the weather on Mars? Tough on rovers, but very good for generating and moving highly reactive chlorine compounds. New research from Washington University in St. Louis planetary scientists show ... more
EXO WORLDS
Research sheds new light on intelligent life existing across the galaxy
Nottingham UK (SPX) Jun 16, 2020
One of the biggest and longest-standing questions in the history of human thought is whether there are other intelligent life forms within our Universe. Obtaining good estimates of the number of pos ... more


NASA invites competitors to shoot for the moon and beyond

MARSDAILY
NASA's Mars Rover Drivers Need Your Help
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 15, 2020
You may be able to help NASA's Curiosity rover drivers better navigate Mars. Using the online tool AI4Mars to label terrain features in pictures downloaded from the Red Planet, you can train an arti ... more
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TECH SPACE
Using sunlight to save satellites from a fate of 'space junk'
West Lafayette IN (SPX) Jun 17, 2020
No satellite stays the same once launched into space. How much it changes can go unnoticed - until something bad happens. Carolin Frueh is among only a handful of researchers who have persiste ... more
SPACE MEDICINE
Space Mission Launches that will Carry Experiment Aimed at Solving Antibiotic Resistance
Ramat Gan, Israel (SPX) Jun 18, 2020
Israel's Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer will make history on June 18 as one of the world's first hospitals to launch a bio-medical experiment in space. To help solve the worsening global problem ... more
DRAGON SPACE
Satellite launch center Wenchang eyes boosting homestay, catering sectors
Wenchang, China (SPX) Jun 17, 2020
Homestay and catering industries related to aerospace are expected to be developed in Wenchang township, the location of China's fourth satellite launch center in tropical Hainan province, according ... more
ENERGY TECH
A proven method for stabilizing efforts to bring fusion power to Earth
Plainsboro NJ (SPX) Jun 18, 2020
All efforts to replicate in tokamak fusion facilities the fusion energy that powers the sun and stars must cope with a constant problem - transient heat bursts that can halt fusion reactions and dam ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Applying 'magic angle' twistronics to manipulate the flow of light
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jun 15, 2020
Monash researchers are part of an international collaboration applying 'twistronics' concepts (the science of layering and twisting 2D materials to control their electrical properties) to manipulate ... more
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The Launch Is Approaching for NASA's Next Mars Rover, Perseverance
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 18, 2020
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover is just over a month from its July 20 targeted launch date. The rover's astrobiology mission will seek signs of past microscopic life on Mars, explore the geology of the Jezero Crater landing site, and demonstrate key technologies to help prepare for future robotic and human exploration. And the rover will do all that while collecting the first samples of Martian r ... more
+ NASA's new Mars mission will take at least a decade to confirm life
+ Martian rover motors ahead
+ Airbus wins next study contract for Martian Sample Fetch Rover
+ Electrically charged dust storms drive Martian chlorine cycle
+ NASA's Mars Rover Drivers Need Your Help
+ ExoMars spots unique green glow at the Red Planet
+ First Arab mission to Mars designed to inspire youth


NASA invites competitors to shoot for the moon and beyond
Huntsville AL (SPX) Jun 16, 2020
NASA is inviting additional teams to compete in the Cube Quest Challenge. You can still participate in the in-space phase of the challenge and be eligible to win part of a $4.5 million prize purse. The Cube Quest Challenge, NASA's first in-space competition, incentivizes teams to design, build and deliver small satellites capable of advanced operations near and beyond the Moon. To compete, ... more
+ NASA Selects Astrobotic to Fly Water-Hunting Rover to the Moon
+ NASA awards Northrop Grumman Artemis contract for Gateway Crew Cabin
+ First global map of rockfalls on the Moon
+ NASA to announce selection of company to fly VIPER rover to Moon
+ Xplore to host Space for Humanity Payload on its first lunar mission
+ New study provides maps, ice favorability index to companies looking to mine the moon
+ Get your ticket to the Moon: Europe's lunar lander for science and more
Proposed NASA Mission Would Visit Neptune's Curious Moon Triton
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 17, 2020
When NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft flew by Neptune's strange moon Triton three decades ago, it wrote a planetary science cliffhanger. Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft ever to have flown past Neptune, and it left a lot of unanswered questions. The views were as stunning as they were puzzling, revealing massive, dark plumes of icy material spraying out from Triton's surface. But how? Images showed t ... more
+ SOFIA finds clues hidden in Pluto's haze
+ New evidence of watery plumes on Jupiter's moon Europa
+ Telescopes and spacecraft join forces to probe deep into Jupiter's atmosphere
+ Newly reprocessed images of Europa show 'chaos terrain' in crisp detail
+ Mysteries of Uranus' oddities explained by Japanese astronomers
+ Jupiter probe JUICE: Final integration in full swing
+ The birth of a "Snowman" at the edge of the Solar System
Research sheds new light on intelligent life existing across the galaxy
Nottingham UK (SPX) Jun 16, 2020
One of the biggest and longest-standing questions in the history of human thought is whether there are other intelligent life forms within our Universe. Obtaining good estimates of the number of possible extraterrestrial civilizations has however been very challenging. A new study led by the University of Nottingham and published in The Astrophysical Journal has taken a new approach to thi ... more
+ As many as six billion Earth-like planets in our galaxy, according to new estimates
+ Astronomers discover how long-lived Peter Pan discs evolve
+ Plant pathogens can adapt to a variety of climates, hosts
+ Presence of airborne dust could signify increased habitability of distant planets
+ Mysterious interstellar visitor was probably a 'dark hydrogen iceberg,' not aliens
+ Ancient asteroid impacts created the ingredients of life on Earth and Mars
+ Mirror image of Earth and Sun
SpaceX wants to build offshore spaceports for hypersonic flights around Earth
Washington DC (Sputnik) Jun 18, 2020
Elon Musk's SpaceX announced in a Tuesday tweet that the American space manufacturer is planning to construct floating spaceports at sea, which will be used to launch rockets into space and hypersonic flights around the globe. "SpaceX is building floating, superheavy-class spaceports for Mars, moon and hypersonic travel around Earth," Musk tweeted. Musk linked to another tweet regard ... more
+ New US-UK agreement boosts UK's Spaceport plans
+ Putin: Russia is building defenses against hypersonic missiles
+ Northrop Grumman rocket boosters arrive at KSC for Artemis I mission
+ Rocket Lab to demonstrate fastest launch turnaround to date
+ Rocket Lab launches Boston University's magnetosphere experiment
+ Arianespace Vega mission to perform Small Spacecraft Mission Service Proof of Concept flight
+ New Zealand rocket launch postponed due to wind gusts


Satellite launch center Wenchang eyes boosting homestay, catering sectors
Wenchang, China (SPX) Jun 17, 2020
Homestay and catering industries related to aerospace are expected to be developed in Wenchang township, the location of China's fourth satellite launch center in tropical Hainan province, according to a local official. "I believe the two new industries will further contribute to our economy and employment, even though we have just put forward the idea and are still studied specific measur ... more
+ Private investment fuels China commercial space sector growth
+ More details of China's space station unveiled
+ China space program targets July launch for Mars mission
+ More details of China's space station unveiled
+ China's tracking ship Yuanwang-5 back from rocket monitoring mission
+ China's Kuaizhou rocket industrial park partially operational
+ China's experimental new-generation manned spaceship works normally in orbit
SOHO spots its 4,000th Comet
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 18, 2020
On June 15, 2020, a citizen scientist spotted a never-before-seen comet in data from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, or SOHO - the 4,000th comet discovery in the spacecraft's 25-year history. The comet is nicknamed SOHO-4000, pending its official designation from the Minor Planet Center. Like most other SOHO-discovered comets, SOHO-4000 is part of the Kreutz family of sungrazers. T ... more
+ NASA's OSIRIS-REx produces Nightingale mosaic
+ First Citizen Science Successes for Backyard Astronomy
+ NASA's OSIRIS-REx discovers sunlight can crack rocks on Asteroid Bennu
+ OSIRIS-REx finds heat, cold fracturing rocks on Asteroid Bennu
+ Ancient micrometeoroids carried specks of stardust, water to asteroid 4 Vesta
+ STEREO watches Comet ATLAS as Solar Orbiter crosses its tail
+ Ancient asteroids helped synthesize life's molecular building blocks, study finds


USS Portland's high-powered laser disables drone in weapon's first at-sea test
Pearl Harbor (USN) May 22, 2020
Amphibious transport dock ship USS Portland (LPD 27) successfully disabled an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a Solid State Laser - Technology Maturation Laser Weapon System Demonstrator (LWSD) MK 2 MOD 0 on May 16. LWSD is a high-energy laser weapon system demonstrator developed by the Office of Naval Research and installed on Portland for an at-sea demonstration. LWSD's operational em ... more
+ Navy breaks ground on laser weapons test lab in California
+ The power of short range air defense
+ Lockheed nabs $22.4M for work on LCS-based laser system
+ 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
Japan 'can't move ahead' with US missile defence system: PM
Tokyo (AFP) June 16, 2020
Japan "can't move ahead" with a costly US missile defence system, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday, throwing his support behind a decision to suspend deployment of the controversial programme. In a surprise announcement a day earlier, Japan's Defence Minister Taro Kono said the deployment of the Aegis Ashore system would be suspended, citing cost and time constraints. Abe's comment ... more
+ US Senate Panel Approves More Funds for Missile Defence in 2021 NDAA Act
+ Turkey to buy additional S-400 missile defense system from Russia
+ Israel says 'successfully' tested ballistic missiles
+ US approves sale of 84 Patriot missiles to Kuwait
+ Advanced Air and Missile Defense, in the hands of soldiers
+ Boeing awarded $128.5M modification to GMD missile upgrade contract
+ US pulling Patriot missile batteries from Saudi


Evidence for Volcanic Craters on Saturn's Moon Titan
Tucson AZ (SPX) Jun 16, 2020
Volcano-like features seen in polar regions of Saturn's moon Titan by NASA's Cassini spacecraft could be evidence of explosive eruptions that may continue today, according to a new paper by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Charles A. Wood and coauthor Jani Radebaugh of Brigham Young University. Morphological features such as nested collapses, elevated ramparts, halos, and islan ... more
+ Saturn's Moon Titan drifting away faster than previously thought
+ Discovered a multilayer haze system on Saturn's Hexagon
+ Data from NASA's Cassini may explain Saturn's atmospheric mystery
+ Why is NASA Sending Dragonfly to Titan
+ New SwRI models reveal inner complexity of Saturn moon
+ Huygens landing spin mystery solved
+ Final images from Cassini spacecraft
The smallest motor in the world
Dubendorf, Switzerland (SPX) Jun 17, 2020
The smallest motor in the world - consisting of just 16 atoms: this was developed by a team of researchers from Empa and EPFL. "This brings us close to the ultimate size limit for molecular motors," explains Oliver Groning, head of the Functional Surfaces Research Group at Empa. The motor measures less than one nanometer - in other words it is around 100,000 times smaller than the diameter of a ... more
+ Crystalline 'nanobrush' clears way to advanced energy and information tech
+ Transporting energy through a single molecular nanowire
+ To make an atom-sized machine, you need a quantum mechanic
+ Magnetic nanoparticles help researchers remotely release adrenal hormones
+ New DNA origami motor breaks speed record for nano machines
+ Deep-sea osmolyte makes biomolecular machines heat-tolerant
+ Nanobubbles in nanodroplets


Thailand team wins UN access to ESA's hypergravity centrifuge
Paris (ESA) Jun 10, 2020
ESA and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs have selected a team from Mahidol University, Thailand to carry out research using ESA's hypergravity-generating Large Diameter Centrifuge. The team will see how watermeal - the smallest flowering plant on Earth, even smaller than the more familiar duckweed - responds to changing gravity levels to assess its usefulness for space-based lif ... more
+ New gravitational-wave model can bring neutron stars into even sharper focus
+ Seeing the universe through new lenses
+ L3Harris lays foundation for first space-based gravitational wave observatory
+ Gravitational waves could prove the existence of the quark-gluon plasma
+ TAMA300 blazes trail for improved gravitational wave astronomy
+ A gravitational-wave signal like none before
+ Solar gravity lens concept receives $2m NASA grant for technology maturation
Quasar jets are particle accelerators thousands of light-years long
Paris. France (SPX) Jun 18, 2020
An international collaboration bringing together over 200 scientists from 13 countries has shown that the very high-energy gamma-ray emission from quasars, galaxies with a highly energetic nucleus, is not concentrated in the region close to their central black hole but in fact extends over several thousand light-years along jets of plasma. This discovery shakes up current scenarios for the ... more
+ Newly observed phenomenon could lead to new quantum devices
+ This supernova in a lab mimics the cosmic blast's splendid aftermath
+ Physicists develop a new theory for Bose-Einstein condensates
+ Shock waves created in the lab mimic supernova particle accelerators
+ Innovative model provides insight into the black hole at the center of our galaxy
+ NASA's Cold Atom Lab Takes One Giant Leap for Quantum Science
+ Scientists carry out first space-based measurement of neutron lifetime


Borrowing from robotics, scientists automate mapping of quantum systems
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jun 17, 2020
Scientists at the University of Sydney have adapted techniques from autonomous vehicles and robotics to efficiently assess the performance of quantum devices, an important process to help stabilise the emerging technologies. The innovative approach has been shown experimentally to outperform simplistic characterisation of these environments by a factor of three, with a much higher result f ... more
+ New control technique could improve accuracy of industrial robots
+ Robot dog hounds Thai shoppers to keep hands virus-free
+ Next-generation cockroach-inspired robot is small but mighty
+ These flexible feet help robots walk faster
+ Algorithm quickly simulates a roll of loaded dice
+ The concept of creating brain-on-chip revealed
+ Denmark develops robot to conduct coronavirus tests
Army researchers find new ways to test swarming drones
Aberdeen Proving Ground MD (SPX) Jun 15, 2020
he U.S. Army has implemented a one-of-a-kind outdoor system to test swarming drones--with a capacity of more than 1,500 times the volume of a typical testing facility. Future Soldiers will operate with many of these unmanned aircraft systems across the battlespace, using an interconnected swarm to provide capabilities for situational awareness, defense and logistics. To enable the te ... more
+ Droniq and Sky Drone make BVLOS drone flights with real-time command and control possible
+ AI goes underground: root crop growth predicted with drone imagery
+ NSO group launches anti drone defense system
+ GMV supplies the Spanish MoD with systems of the RPAS Seeker
+ Aussie scientists turn to drones to protect sea turtles
+ India moots drone ports across country in maiden policy for use, manufacturing of UAVs
+ UAV Navigation tests its autopilot against an anti drone system
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