Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
August 31, 2020
IRON AND ICE
NASA's Lucy mission one step closer to exploring the Trojan Asteroids



Greenbelt MD (SPX) Aug 31, 2020
NASA's first mission to explore the Trojan asteroids is one step closer to launch. The Discovery Program's Lucy mission passed a critical milestone and is officially authorized to transition to its next phase. This major decision was made after a series of independent reviews of the status of the spacecraft, instruments, schedule and budget. The milestone, known as Key Decision Point-D (KDP-D), represents the official transition from the mission's development stage to delivery of components, testi ... read more

MOON DAILY
Wheelock readies astronauts for Lunar landing
Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Aug 31, 2020
Astronaut Doug "Wheels" Wheelock spent his NASA career expanding knowledge of living and working in space. His new mission is working to determine the best way to train astronauts to return to the s ... more
MOON DAILY
Sensing the Moon with the Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer
Paris (ESA) Aug 31, 2020
A new sensor to identify lunar volatiles is being assembled in a clean room at The Open University, UK ahead of some exciting missions to the Moon. The Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer (ITMS) imaged ... more
MARSDAILY
China releases recommended Chinese names for Mars craters
Beijing (XNA) Aug 31, 2020
The Chinese Astronomical Society (CAS) has recently released the list of recommended Chinese names of 1,136 Mars craters on its website. The data will be available for public use. Users can fi ... more
TECH SPACE
NASA selects proposals for new space environment missions
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 31, 2020
NASA has selected five proposals for concept studies of missions to help improve understanding of the dynamics of the Sun and the constantly changing space environment with which it interacts around ... more
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SPACE MEDICINE
Eglin AFB, Fla., opens center for PTSD, brain, pain condition treatment
Washington DC (UPI) Aug 28, 2020
The U.S. Air Force's first Intrepid Spirit Center, a privately funded post-traumatic stress disorder treatment center, opened this week at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. ... more
DRAGON SPACE
Mars-bound Tianwen 1 hits milestone
Beijing (XNA) Aug 31, 2020
China's Tianwen 1 Mars probe had traveled 100 million kilometers as of Friday morning, according to the China National Space Administration. The administration said in a statement that the spa ... more
SPACE MEDICINE
Sleep duration, efficiency and structure change in space
Darien IL (SPX) Aug 27, 2020
It's hard to get a good night's sleep in space. An evaluation of astronauts serving on the Mir space station found that they experienced shorter sleep durations, more wakefulness, and changes in the ... more
EXO WORLDS
Bacteria could survive the trip to Mars in the form of thick aggregates
Washington DC (UPI) Aug 26, 2020
If bacteria form thick enough aggregates - large populations of bacteria cells with multicellular structures - they could partially survive the long trip to Mars, according to a new study published Wednesday in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology. ... more
EXO WORLDS
Recently discovered planets not as safe from stellar flares as first thought
Tempe AZ (SPX) Aug 26, 2020
A nearby star, the host of two (and possibly three) planets, was initially thought to be quiet and boring. These attributes are sought-after as they create a safe environment for their planets, espe ... more
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EXO WORLDS
Bacteria could survive travel between Earth and Mars when forming aggregates
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 26, 2020
Imagine microscopic life-forms, such as bacteria, transported through space, and landing on another planet. The bacteria finding suitable conditions for its survival could then start multiplying aga ... more
EXO WORLDS
Fifty new planets confirmed in machine learning first
Coventry UK (SPX) Aug 26, 2020
Fifty potential planets have had their existence confirmed by a new machine learning algorithm developed by University of Warwick scientists. For the first time, astronomers have used a proc ... more
EXO WORLDS
Tracing the cosmic origin of complex organic molecules with their radiofrequency footprint
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Aug 26, 2020
The origin of life on Earth is a topic that has piqued human curiosity since probably before recorded history began. But how did the organic matter that constitutes lifeforms even arrive at our plan ... more
DRAGON SPACE
China's Mars probe over 8m km away from Earth
Beijing (XNA) Aug 24, 2020
China's Mars probe Tianwen-1 has traveled more than 8 million km away from Earth and is functioning normally, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space ... more
TECH SPACE
Spacepath Communications wins large order for solid-state RF power amplifiers
Hook UK (SPX) Aug 26, 2020
SpacePath Communications, a dedicated European-based, SATCOM amplifier manufacturer and equipment supplier, has won a major order for its compact and lightweight, solid-state RF power amplifiers. ... more


Could injectable microrobots one day run in your veins?

ROBO SPACE
AlphaDogfight trials foreshadow future of human-machine symbiosis
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 27, 2020
A small Maryland company took first place in last week's AlphaDogfight Trials Final event, a three-day competition designed to demonstrate advanced algorithms capable of performing simulated, within ... more
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OUTER PLANETS
Technology ready to explore subsurface oceans on Ganymede
Kiruna, Sweden (SPX) Aug 24, 2020
The first of two Swedish-led Jupiter instruments has left the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) to take its place on the European spacecraft JUICE. The Radi ... more
EXO WORLDS
Pristine space rock offers NASA scientists peek at evolution of life's building blocks
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Aug 24, 2020
During a 2012 expedition to Antarctica, a team of Japanese and Belgian researchers picked up a small rock that appeared coal black against the snow white. Now known as meteorite Asuka 12236, it was ... more
OUTER PLANETS
Large shift on Europa was last event to fracture its surface
Houston TX (SPX) Aug 24, 2020
Europa's outer icy shell has completely reoriented itself in one of the last geologic events recorded on its young surface. Europa's poles are not where they used to be. Cracks in the surface of Jup ... more
EXO WORLDS
Rogue planets could outnumber the stars
Columbus OH (SPX) Aug 24, 2020
An upcoming NASA mission could find that there are more rogue planets - planets that float in space without orbiting a sun - than there are stars in the Milky Way, a new study theorizes. "This ... more
MOON DAILY
Orion Window Panel Complete for Front-Row View on Artemis Moon Mission
Huntsville AL (SPX) Aug 20, 2020
As NASA's Orion spacecraft approaches the Moon on the Artemis III mission to put the first woman and next man on the lunar surface, the crew will get a glimpse through the spacecraft's windows. ... more
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China releases recommended Chinese names for Mars craters
Beijing (XNA) Aug 31, 2020
The Chinese Astronomical Society (CAS) has recently released the list of recommended Chinese names of 1,136 Mars craters on its website. The data will be available for public use. Users can find the Chinese names at Glossary of Astronomical Terms operated by the National Astronomical Data Center. Previously, the CAS had released the first batch of recommended Chinese names of 811 Mar ... more
+ Follow Perseverance in real time on its way to Mars
+ Sustained planetwide storms may have filled lakes, rivers on ancient mars
+ Deep learning will help future Mars rovers go farther, faster, and do more science
+ NASA establishes Board to initially review Mars sample return plans
+ Ingenuity Mars Helicopter recharges its batteries in flight
+ NASA scientists leverage carbon-measuring instrument for Mars studies
+ Rice researchers use InSight for deep Mars measurements


Wheelock readies astronauts for Lunar landing
Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Aug 31, 2020
Astronaut Doug "Wheels" Wheelock spent his NASA career expanding knowledge of living and working in space. His new mission is working to determine the best way to train astronauts to return to the surface of the Moon. Wheelock is a veteran test pilot and retired U.S. Army colonel who has accumulated 178 days in space and was a guest speaker at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Cal ... more
+ Sensing the Moon with the Ion Trap Mass Spectrometer
+ Orion Window Panel Complete for Front-Row View on Artemis Moon Mission
+ Lander exhaust could cloud studies of Lunar ices
+ China's Chang'e-4 probe resumes work for 21st lunar day
+ India's Chandrayaan-2 images Sarabhai Crater
+ Russian Cosmonauts Could Be Going to the Moon Without a Super-Heavy Launch Vehicle
+ Study reveals composition of gel-like lunar substance
Technology ready to explore subsurface oceans on Ganymede
Kiruna, Sweden (SPX) Aug 24, 2020
The first of two Swedish-led Jupiter instruments has left the Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF) to take its place on the European spacecraft JUICE. The Radio and Plasma Wave Investigation instrument (RPWI) will measure electric and magnetic fields to identify and map the oceans beneath the frozen ice cover of the moon Ganymede. In 2013, IRF was sel ... more
+ Large shift on Europa was last event to fracture its surface
+ The Sun May Have Started Its Life with a Binary Companion
+ Ganymede covered by giant crater
+ Huge ring-like structure on Ganymede's surface may have been caused by violent impact
+ Inside the ice giants of space
+ Ammonia sparks unexpected, exotic lightning on Jupiter
+ Shallow Lightning and Mushballs reveal ammonia to Juno scientists
Bacteria could survive travel between Earth and Mars when forming aggregates
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 26, 2020
Imagine microscopic life-forms, such as bacteria, transported through space, and landing on another planet. The bacteria finding suitable conditions for its survival could then start multiplying again, sparking life at the other side of the universe. This theory, called "panspermia", support the possibility that microbes may migrate between planets and distribute life in the universe. Long ... more
+ Fifty new planets confirmed in machine learning first
+ Tracing the cosmic origin of complex organic molecules with their radiofrequency footprint
+ Bacteria could survive the trip to Mars in the form of thick aggregates
+ Recently discovered planets not as safe from stellar flares as first thought
+ Pristine space rock offers NASA scientists peek at evolution of life's building blocks
+ Rogue planets could outnumber the stars
+ The most sensitive instrument in the search for life in space comes from Bern
SpaceX launches satellite for Argentina into polar orbit
Orlando FL (UPI) Aug 31, 2020
SpaceX launched a satellite for Argentina's space agency from Florida on Sunday evening that will monitor weather and agricultural conditions. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off with the SAOCOM 1B satellite at 7:18 p.m. EDT from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Clouds that had threatened a delay cleared right before launch time. The Argentine mission was the first polar orbi ... more
+ Safety of SpaceX suits an 'open question' says Russian designer
+ Student research team develops hybrid rocket engine
+ Ball Aerospace completes small satellite, Green Fuel Mission
+ NASA's Green Propellant Infusion Mission nears completion
+ Skyrora's Skylark Micro rocket launches from Iceland
+ Under pressure, nontoxic salt-based propellant performs well
+ Sierra Nevada aims to complete Dream Chaser space plane in March


China's Mars probe over 8m km away from Earth
Beijing (XNA) Aug 24, 2020
China's Mars probe Tianwen-1 has traveled more than 8 million km away from Earth and is functioning normally, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration Thursday. As of 11:20 pm Wednesday, the Mars probe has traveled 8.23 million km away from Earth. Starting from 10:20 pm Wednesday, multiple payloads on the Mars probe, including M ... more
+ Mars-bound Tianwen 1 hits milestone
+ China seeks payload ideas for mission to moon, asteroid
+ China marching to Mars for humanity's better shared future
+ From the Moon to Mars: China's long march in space
+ Tianwen 1 probe to soon blast off for Mars
+ China's newest carrier rocket fails in debut mission
+ China's tracking ship wraps up satellite launch monitoring
Meteorite study suggests Earth may have been wet since it formed
St. Louis MO (SPX) Aug 31, 2020
A new study finds that Earth's water may have come from materials that were present in the inner solar system at the time the planet formed - instead of far-reaching comets or asteroids delivering such water. The findings published Aug. 28 in Science suggest that Earth may have always been wet. Researchers from the Centre de Recherches Petrographiques et Geochimiques (CRPG, CNRS/Universite ... more
+ NASA's Lucy mission one step closer to exploring the Trojan Asteroids
+ A dizzying show by Comet NEOWISE
+ Meteorite strikes may create unexpected form of silica
+ Hubble snaps close-up of celebrity Comet NEOWISE
+ Tiny Asteroid Buzzes by Earth - the Closest Flyby on Record
+ ZTF Finds Closest Known Asteroid to Fly By Earth
+ The Hayabusa2 Re-entry Capsule Approved to Land in Australia


Army testing new air defense system, laser weapons
Washington DC (UPI) Aug 11, 2020
The Army is evaluating new air and missile defense systems - and testing laser weapons - after postponing some tests due to COVID-19. Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment and 3rd Bn., 6th Air Defense Artillery Air Missile Defense Test Detachment are involved in a limited user test of the Integrated Battle Command System that began in early July, accordi ... more
+ AFRL breaks ground on new directed energy facility
+ US Army plans to mount anti-aircraft lasers on Stryker armored vehicles
+ Northrop Grumman taps Epirus for Electromagnetic Pulse C-UAS Weapon System
+ USS Portland's high-powered laser disables drone in weapon's first at-sea test
+ 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
Russia testing news S-500 Systems, mass production on the way
Moscow (Sputnik) Aug 25, 2020
Deputy Defence Minister Aleksey Krivoruchko announced that Russia Armed Forces are looking to receive the first batch of the newest systems in 2021. The full-scale supply of the S-500s is scheduled for 2025. Russia has begun tests of its advanced S-500 surface-to-air missile systems, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuriy Borisov told journalists at the Army-2020 forum. The official add ... more
+ Advanced Patriot missile fails in live-fire test
+ Lockheed nets $18.8M to support Japan's Aegis Ashore system
+ IBCS engages advanced tactical ballistic missile and cruise missile during rigorous test
+ US Japan to build network of satellites to detect missile launches
+ MBDA and Lockheed Martin submit proposal for Germany's Integrated Air And Missile Defense System
+ IBCS intercepts multiple targets, demonstrates resiliency and survivability in contested environment
+ Israel, U.S. test Arrow 2 missile interceptor system


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
Scientists open new window into the nanoworld
Boulder CO (SPX) Jul 20, 2020
University of Colorado Boulder researchers have used ultra-fast extreme ultraviolet lasers to measure the properties of materials more than 100 times thinner than a human red blood cell. The team, led by scientists at JILA, reported its new feat of wafer-thinness this week in the journal Physical Review Materials. The group's target, a film just 5 nanometers thick, is the thinnest material ... more
+ The smallest motor in the world
+ 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


Are we still listening for gravity waves
Pasadena CA (SPX) Aug 24, 2020
When LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, and its European counterpart, Virgo, detect a gravitational ripple from space, a public alert is sent out. That alert lets researchers know with a decently high confidence that this ripple was probably caused by an exceptional cosmic event, such as the collision of neutron stars or the merging of black holes, somewhere in the un ... more
+ Tianqin-2 to test key technologies for next-gen gravity satellites
+ A stepping stone for measuring quantum gravity
+ 'Quantum negativity' can power ultra-precise measurements
+ QinetiQ wins contract with the European Space Agency
+ Tabletop quantum experiment could detect gravitational waves
+ Gravitational wave scientists grapple with the cosmic mystery of GW190814
+ LIGO-Virgo finds mystery object in 'mass gap'
New observations of black hole devouring a star reveal rapid disk formation
Santa Cruz CA (SPX) Aug 27, 2020
When a star passes too close to a supermassive black hole, tidal forces tear it apart, producing a bright flare of radiation as material from the star falls into the black hole. Astronomers study the light from these "tidal disruption events" (TDEs) for clues to the feeding behavior of the supermassive black holes lurking at the centers of galaxies. New TDE observations led by astronomers ... more
+ Spinning black hole powers jet by magnetic flux
+ First ever observation of 'time crystals' interacting
+ Breakthrough extends quantum state stability by 10,000 times
+ Physicists cast doubt on neutrino theory
+ Simulating quantum 'time travel' disproves butterfly effect in quantum realm
+ Universe Is More Homogeneous Than Expected
+ Cosmic tango between the very small and the very large


AlphaDogfight trials foreshadow future of human-machine symbiosis
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 27, 2020
A small Maryland company took first place in last week's AlphaDogfight Trials Final event, a three-day competition designed to demonstrate advanced algorithms capable of performing simulated, within-visual-range air combat maneuvering - commonly known as a dogfight. Heron Systems' F-16 AI agent defeated seven other companies' F-16 AI agents and then went on to dominate the main event - a s ... more
+ Human Rights Watch eyes treaty banning 'killer robots'
+ Subterranean Challenge pivots to all-virtual competition for cave circuit
+ Russia to create several space robots
+ NUS researchers gives robots intelligent sensing abilities to carry out complex tasks
+ Robot hotel gets its occupants
+ "Alexa, go to the kitchen and fetch me a snack"
+ AI robots for power network put into service in North China
Britain, Belgium to collaborate on MQ-9B drone acquisition
Washington DC (UPI) Aug 19, 2020
Britain and Belgium signed a statement of intent to work together after both countries acquire the MQ-9B drone, they announced this week. The Remotely Piloted Aircraft System is built by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems of San Diego, and is known as the Protector RG Mk1 in Europe. In remote signing ceremonies on Tuesday, Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston of the Royal Air Force a ... more
+ Israel strikes Hamas targets in Gaza over balloon attacks
+ SqwaQ demonstrates BVLOS UAS flight capabilities for controlled airspace
+ Turkish drone kills 2 Iraqi officers in Kurdish region: army
+ Air Force holds electronic warfare exercise with classified stealth drone
+ Swiss Army Chooses Lockheed Martin's Indago 3 UAS For Tactical Reconnaissance And Surveillance
+ Image processing algorithm allows indoor drones to fly autonomously
+ VTOL demonstration at JEB Little Creek showcases REALL Technology
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