Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
December 18, 2020
TIME AND SPACE
New type of atomic clock keeps time even more precisely



Boston MA (SPX) Dec 17, 2020
Atomic clocks are the most precise timekeepers in the world. These exquisite instruments use lasers to measure the vibrations of atoms, which oscillate at a constant frequency, like many microscopic pendulums swinging in sync. The best atomic clocks in the world keep time with such precision that, if they had been running since the beginning of the universe, they would only be off by about half a second today. Still, they could be even more precise. If atomic clocks could more accurately measure a ... read more

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Not so fast!: controlling the speed of light bullets
Osaka, Japan (SPX) Dec 15, 2020
Though it sounds like something straight out of science fiction, controlling the speed of light has in fact been a long-standing challenge for physicists. In a study recently published in Communicat ... more
ROBO SPACE
'Chaotic' way to create insectlike gaits for robots
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 16, 2020
Researchers in Japan and Italy are embracing chaos and nonlinear physics to create insectlike gaits for tiny robots - complete with a locomotion controller to provide a brain-machine interface. ... more
TECH SPACE
NASA releases best practices handbook to help improve space safety
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 16, 2020
NASA has released the first iteration of its Spacecraft Conjunction Assessment and Collision Avoidance Best Practices Handbook to share information on best practices for coordinating in-orbit activi ... more
MARSDAILY
NASA moves forward with campaign to return Mars samples to Earth
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 18, 2020
NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) are moving to the next phase in a campaign to deepen understanding of whether life ever existed on Mars and, in turn, better understand the origins of life on Ea ... more
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MOON DAILY
Next lunar mission to sample pole or far side
Beijing (XNA) Dec 18, 2020
China plans to use its next moon mission, Chang'e 6, to collect samples from the moon's south pole or possibly the celestial body's far side, according to a key figure in the nation's lunar explorat ... more
MOON DAILY
China's space landing site chosen with utmost care
Beijing (XNA) Dec 18, 2020
For Siziwang Banner of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, falling spacecraft are nothing unusual. Before the landing of Chang'e 5 at 1:59 am on Thursday, the site also welcomed back 11 Shen ... more
MOON DAILY
China ponders moon base within five years
Beijing (Sputnik) Dec 18, 2020
According to a report, China's national space agency said it would invite other agencies and foreign partners to work jointly on the project if possible, with the next lunar mission likely to take p ... more
MOON DAILY
Innovative Hydraulics awarded contract to support NASA's Artemis program
Wausau WI (SPX) Dec 17, 2020
Innovative Hydraulics LLC has been awarded a contract to design and manufacture fluid power products in support of NASA's Artemis program. With the Artemis program, NASA will land the first wo ... more
MARSDAILY
Three things we've learned from NASA's Mars InSight
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 17, 2020
NASA's InSight spacecraft touched down Nov. 26, 2018, on Mars to study the planet's deep interior. A little more than one Martian year later, the stationary lander has detected more than 480 quakes ... more
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MOON DAILY
Canadian will join Moon mission for first time in 2023
Montreal (AFP) Dec 16, 2020
A Canadian astronaut will take part in a lunar mission for the first time in 2023, as part of the NASA-led Artemis project, the minister for innovation, science and industry announced Wednesday. ... more
MARSDAILY
Study of dune dynamics will help scientists understand the topography of Mars
Sao Paulo, Brazil (SPX) Dec 17, 2020
Barchans are crescent-shaped sand dunes whose two horns face in the direction of the fluid flow. They appear in different environments, such as inside water pipes or on river beds, where they take t ... more
SATURN DAILY
SwRI models point to a potentially diverse metabolic menu at Enceladus
San Antonio TX (SPX) Dec 17, 2020
Using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, scientists at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) modeled chemical processes in the subsurface ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The studies indicate the p ... more
EXO WORLDS
Astronomers detect possible radio emission from exoplanet
Ithaca NY (SPX) Dec 17, 2020
By monitoring the cosmos with a radio telescope array, a Cornell University-led international team of scientists has detected radio bursts emanating from the constellation Bootes. The signal could b ... more
TECH SPACE
Exotrail secures French government support to develop propulsion technologies for small GEO satellites
Paris, France (SPX) Dec 17, 2020
The French Armament General Directorate, through the Defence Innovation Agency, is supporting Exotrail to develop technologies allowing small satellites to operate in geostationary orbit. Under the ... more


Apollo Fusion propulsion systems selected by Saturn Satellite Networks

DRAGON SPACE
China prepares to launch Long March-8 Y1 rocket
Wenchang (XNA) Dec 17, 2020
China's Long March-8 Y1 rocket was vertically transported to the launching area of the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in South China's Hainan province on Wednesday, according to the China National ... more
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ROBO SPACE
USAF makes history with first flight using artificial intelligence
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 16, 2020
The U.S. Air Force referred to its first military flight using artificial intelligence as a working air crew member as a major achievement on Wednesday. ... more
ROBO SPACE
'The robot made me do it': Robots encourage risk-taking behaviour in people
Southampton UK (SPX) Dec 14, 2020
New research has shown robots can encourage people to take greater risks in a simulated gambling scenario than they would if there was nothing to influence their behaviours. Increasing our understan ... more
ROBO SPACE
Northrop Grumman invests in Deepwave Digital's AI
Redondo Beach CA (SPX) Dec 16, 2020
Northrop Grumman is set to begin collaborating and investing in Deepwave Digital, to support research, development and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. This partnership will ... more
ENERGY TECH
Massive underground instrument finds final secret of our sun's fusion
Princeton NJ (SPX) Dec 15, 2020
A hyper-sensitive instrument, deep underground in Italy, has finally succeeded at the nearly impossible task of detecting CNO neutrinos (tiny particles pointing to the presence of carbon, nitrogen a ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Research develops new theoretical approach to manipulate light
Exeter UK (SPX) Dec 14, 2020
The quest to discover pioneering new ways in which to manipulate how light travels through electromagnetic materials has taken a new, unusual twist. An innovative research project, carried out ... more
24/7 Nuclear News Coverage
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RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
Three things we've learned from NASA's Mars InSight
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 17, 2020
NASA's InSight spacecraft touched down Nov. 26, 2018, on Mars to study the planet's deep interior. A little more than one Martian year later, the stationary lander has detected more than 480 quakes and collected the most comprehensive weather data of any surface mission sent to Mars. InSight's probe, which has struggled to dig underground to take the planet's temperature, has made progress, too. ... more
+ NASA moves forward with campaign to return Mars samples to Earth
+ Study of dune dynamics will help scientists understand the topography of Mars
+ Powerful electrical events quickly alter surface chemistry on Mars
+ China's Mars probe 100m km from Earth
+ From NASA JPL's Mailroom to Mars and Beyond
+ Ice-Rich flow features in Martian southern hemisphere reveal effects of recent climate cycles
+ Water on Mars not as widespread as previously thought, study finds




Next lunar mission to sample pole or far side
Beijing (XNA) Dec 18, 2020
China plans to use its next moon mission, Chang'e 6, to collect samples from the moon's south pole or possibly the celestial body's far side, according to a key figure in the nation's lunar exploration program. Wu Yanhua, deputy head of China National Space Administration, told China Daily on Thursday after a news conference in Beijing that project managers' current plans call for the Chan ... more
+ Innovative Hydraulics awarded contract to support NASA's Artemis program
+ Canadian will join Moon mission for first time in 2023
+ China's space landing site chosen with utmost care
+ China ponders moon base within five years
+ Chinese craft returns to Earth with Moon rocks
+ NASA, Canadian Space Agency formalize Gateway Partnership for Artemis Program
+ Chang'e 5 makes orbital correction on way back to Earth
Dark Storm on Neptune reverses direction, possibly shedding a fragment
Baltimore MD (SPX) Dec 16, 2020
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope watched a mysterious dark vortex on Neptune abruptly steer away from a likely death on the giant blue planet. The storm, which is wider than the Atlantic Ocean, was born in the planet's northern hemisphere and discovered by Hubble in 2018. Observations a year later showed that it began drifting southward toward the equator, where such storms ... more
+ The 'Great' Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn
+ NASA's Juno Spacecraft Updates Quarter-Century Jupiter Mystery
+ Swedish space instrument participates in the search for life around Jupiter
+ Researchers model source of eruption on Jupiter's moon Europa
+ Radiation Does a Bright Number on Jupiter's Moon
+ New plans afoot beyond Pluto
+ Where were Jupiter and Saturn born?


Astronomers detect possible radio emission from exoplanet
Ithaca NY (SPX) Dec 17, 2020
By monitoring the cosmos with a radio telescope array, a Cornell University-led international team of scientists has detected radio bursts emanating from the constellation Bootes. The signal could be the first radio emission collected from a planet beyond our solar system. The team, led by Cornell postdoctoral researcher Jake D. Turner, Philippe Zarka of the Observatoire de Paris - Paris S ... more
+ Device mimics life's first steps in outer space
+ Scientists discover compounds that could have helped to start life on Earth
+ Research identifies Earth's extreme environments as best places for life to grow
+ Hubble identifies strange exoplanet that behaves like a "Planet Nine"
+ Rochester researchers uncover key clues about the solar system's history
+ UC Riverside-led team looks back to find life beyond
+ Key building block for organic molecules discovered in meteorites
NASA Supports America's National Strategy for Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 17, 2020
President Donald Trump has issued a new Space Policy Directive that will help propel NASA and humanity's next giant leap - creating a sustainable presence on the Moon and sending astronauts to Mars. The president issued Space Policy Directive-6 (SPD-6), the Nation's Strategy for Space Nuclear Power and Propulsion (SNPP), Wednesday, Dec. 16. Space nuclear systems power spacecraft for missio ... more
+ ESA plans demonstration of a reusable rocket stage
+ Universities prepare to launch experiments with NASA, Virgin Orbit
+ Another Aerojet Rocketdyne hypersonic engine makes history
+ ULA aims for launch of new Vulcan rocket at end of 2021
+ SpaceX aborts launch attempt of U.S. government spy satellite
+ Newest Long March rocket ready for debut
+ Loss of Vega flight VV17: Independent Enquiry Commission announces conclusions




China prepares to launch Long March-8 Y1 rocket
Wenchang (XNA) Dec 17, 2020
China's Long March-8 Y1 rocket was vertically transported to the launching area of the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in South China's Hainan province on Wednesday, according to the China National Space Administration. Next, the rocket will be filled with propellant and readied for launch in late December, according to the administration. China's newest carrier rocket-the Long March 8-wi ... more
+ China plans to launch new space science satellites
+ How it took decades for space program to take off
+ China to Begin Construction of Its Space Station Next Year
+ Moon mission tasked with number of firsts for China
+ China's space tracking ship sails for Chang'e 5 mission
+ China Focus: 18 reserve astronauts selected for China's manned space program
+ State-owned space giant prepares for giant step in space
Asteroid samples leave Japan scientists 'speechless'
Tokyo (AFP) Dec 15, 2020
Scientists in Japan said Tuesday they were left "speechless" when they saw how much asteroid dust was inside a capsule delivered by the Hayabusa-2 space probe in an unprecedented mission. The Japanese probe collected surface dust and pristine material last year from the asteroid Ryugu, around 300 million kilometres (200 million miles) away, during two daring phases of its six-year mission. ... more
+ UK 'comet chaser' to go where no probe has been before
+ Black 'sand-like' asteroid dust found in box from Japan probe
+ Last major meteor shower of 2020 to sparkle in weekend sky
+ First presentation after Hayabusa2 return set for SPIE conference Dec 14
+ Japan space agency hails return of asteroid dust on Earth
+ NASA astrobiologists prepare to probe Ryugu asteroid dust
+ Japan begins space capsule analysis hoping for asteroid sample




Navy tests autonomous drone as target for laser weapon testing
Washington DC (UPI) Nov 25, 2020
The U.S. Navy Surface War Center announced a test in which an autonomous drone was launched and landed on a moving ship as a target for laser weapons. The tests, held last week at the NSWC Division at Port Hueneme, Calif., involved software made for the Navy by Planck Aerosystems Inc. that allow the drone to follow the ship without people controlling it, the Navy said. The four-r ... more
+ Do Directed Energy Weapons finally live up to their expectations?
+ Army testing new air defense system, laser weapons
+ 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
IMDO and MDA complete intercept test of the David's Sling Weapon System
Washington DC (AFNS) Dec 16, 2020
The Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO) of the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR and D) of the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD), together with the Missile Defense Agency, successfully completed a series of flight tests of the David's Sling Weapon System (DSWS) in an advanced system configuration against current and emerging threats. During the campaign, designate ... more
+ Most Advanced SBIRS Missile Warning Satellite Ready For 2021 Launch
+ Russian military successfully tests new anti-ballistic missile
+ Navy intercepts, destroys ICBM during missile test in Hawaii
+ U.S., allied countries begin NATO Missile Firing Installation 2020 in Greece
+ Launching your career in missile defense
+ Lockheed Martin poised to deliver on national priority for Homeland Defense
+ U.S. approves sale of missile defense system to Romania




SwRI models point to a potentially diverse metabolic menu at Enceladus
San Antonio TX (SPX) Dec 17, 2020
Using data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, scientists at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) modeled chemical processes in the subsurface ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The studies indicate the possibility that a varied metabolic menu could support a potentially diverse microbial community in the liquid water ocean beneath the moon's icy facade. Prior to its deorbit in September of 2017 ... more
+ Impact craters reveal details of Titan's dynamic surface weathering
+ NASA Scientists Discover 'Weird' Molecule in Titan's Atmosphere
+ ALMA shows volcanic impact on Io's atmosphere
+ Interplanetary storm chasing
+ Titan's lakes can stratify like those on Earth
+ New chronology of the Saturn System
Weak force has strong impact on nanosheets
Houston TX (SPX) Dec 16, 2020
You have to look closely, but the hills are alive with the force of van der Walls. Rice University scientists found that nature's ubiquitous "weak" force is sufficient to indent rigid nanosheets, extending their potential for use in nanoscale optics or catalytic systems. Changing the shape of nanoscale particles changes their electromagnetic properties, said Matt Jones, the Norman an ... more
+ Making 3D nanosuperconductors with DNA
+ Researchers share design for affordable single-molecule microscope
+ Scientists explain the paradox of quantum forces in nanodevices
+ Rice rolls out next-gen nanocars
+ Nano particles for healthy tissue
+ Hybrid nanomaterials hold promise for improved ceramic composites
+ Scientists open new window into the nanoworld




China launches two satellites for gravitational wave detection
Xichang, China (XNA) Dec 10, 2020
China sent two satellites for the detection of gravitational waves into planned orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province on Thursday morning. The two satellites, which compose the Gravitational Wave High-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor (GECAM) mission, were launched by a Long March-11 carrier rocket at 4:14 am (Beijing Time), according to the ce ... more
+ A technique to sift out the universe's first gravitational waves
+ Getting in a spin over a cup of coffee
+ Looking at solutions on a parabolic flight
+ Hundreds of copies of Newton's Principia found in new census
+ Designing new mirror materials for better gravitational-wave detection
+ UMD astronomers find x-rays lingering years after landmark neutron star collision
+ Einstein's description of gravity just got much harder to beat
Multi-messenger astronomy offers new estimates of neutron star size and universe expansion
Los Alamos NM (SPX) Dec 18, 2020
A combination of astrophysical measurements has allowed researchers to put new constraints on the radius of a typical neutron star and provide a novel calculation of the Hubble constant that indicates the rate at which the universe is expanding. "We studied signals that came from various sources, for example recently observed mergers of neutron stars," said Ingo Tews, a theorist in Nuclear ... more
+ Major upgrade to Fermilab accelerator complex gets green light
+ New type of atomic clock keeps time even more precisely
+ Ultracold atoms reveal a new type of quantum magnetic behavior
+ Quantum interference in time
+ The farthest galaxy in the universe
+ Ball Aerospace supports PDR for NASA Spherex mission
+ Breakthrough in nuclear physics




'Chaotic' way to create insectlike gaits for robots
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 16, 2020
Researchers in Japan and Italy are embracing chaos and nonlinear physics to create insectlike gaits for tiny robots - complete with a locomotion controller to provide a brain-machine interface. Biology and physics are permeated by universal phenomena fundamentally grounded in nonlinear physics, and it inspired the researchers' work. In the journal Chaos, from AIP Publishing, the grou ... more
+ 'The robot made me do it': Robots encourage risk-taking behaviour in people
+ Northrop Grumman invests in Deepwave Digital's AI
+ USAF makes history with first flight using artificial intelligence
+ Warning over 'blind adoption' of AI and rights impact
+ SoftBank sells controlling stake in Boston Dynamics to Hyundai
+ ESA signs contracts for reusable Space Rider up to maiden flight
+ Spain to invest 600 mn euros in artificial intelligence
Air Force launches drone-based security system at Travis AFB
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 17, 2020
The Air Force's 60th Security Forces Squadron has launched the first drone-based perimeter security system at California's Travis Air Force Base. The squadron collaborated with drone provider Easy Aerial to launch the initiative, based officials said Thursday. The aircraft are not armed, but are designed to "enhance strategic deterrence and foster full-spectrum readiness across t ... more
+ Army looks to improve quadrotor drone performance
+ Kongsberg Geospatial Announces New Tactical UAS Sensor Data Management Solution
+ Test of Gremlin drones a near success, but C-130 couldn't retrieve them
+ Navy creates program for specialists to operate MQ-25 Stingray drone
+ Northrop Grumman Completes Initial Development of Australian Triton Network Integration Test Environment
+ UAV Navigation and CATEC looking for the Global Unmanned Mobility Solution
+ France seeks drones to detect, intercept battlefield radio communications
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