Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
December 31, 2020
EXO WORLDS
Discovery boosts theory that life on Earth arose from RNA-DNA mix



La Jolla CA (SPX) Dec 31, 2020
Chemists at Scripps Research have made a discovery that supports a surprising new view of how life originated on our planet. In a study published in the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie, they demonstrated that a simple compound called diamidophosphate (DAP), which was plausibly present on Earth before life arose, could have chemically knitted together tiny DNA building blocks called deoxynucleosides into strands of primordial DNA. The finding is the latest in a series of discoveries, over ... read more

MARSDAILY
Fluvial Mapping of Mars
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 31, 2020
It took fifteen years of imaging and nearly three years of stitching the pieces together to create the largest image ever made, the 8-trillion-pixel mosaic of Mars' surface. Now, the first study to ... more
MARSDAILY
NASA video shows Perseverance rover's planned 'terror' landing on Mars
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 23, 2020
NASA has shown what it will look like when its Perseverance rover touches down on Mars, a challenging sequence that the agency describes as "7 minutes of terror." ... more
TIME AND SPACE
Ripples in space-time could provide clues to missing components of the universe
Chicago IL (SPX) Dec 31, 2020
There's something a little off about our theory of the universe. Almost everything fits, but there's a fly in the cosmic ointment, a particle of sand in the infinite sandwich. Some scientists think ... more
ROBO SPACE
Army research leads to more effective training model for robots
Adelphi MD (SPX) Dec 31, 2020
Multi-domain operations, the Army's future operating concept, requires autonomous agents with learning components to operate alongside the warfighter. New Army research reduces the unpredictability ... more
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STELLAR CHEMISTRY
High-brightness source of coherent light spanning from the UV to THz
Munich, Germany (SPX) Dec 31, 2020
Analytical optical methods are vital to our modern society as they permit the fast and secure identification of substances within solids, liquids or gases. These methods rely on light interacting wi ... more
IRON AND ICE
SwRI-led team finds meteoric evidence for a previously unknown asteroid
San Antonio TX (SPX) Dec 22, 2020
A Southwest Research Institute-led team of scientists has identified a potentially new meteorite parent asteroid by studying a small shard of a meteorite that arrived on Earth a dozen years ago. The ... more
MOON DAILY
China's lunar rover travels about 600 meters on moon's far side
Beijing (XNA) Dec 25, 2020
China's lunar rover Yutu-2, or Jade Rabbit-2, has survived 719 Earth days and traveled 600.55 meters on the far side of the moon as of Tuesday. Both the lander and the rover of the Chang'e-4 p ... more
MOON DAILY
Researchers identify over 109,000 impact craters on moon
Changchun, China (XNA) Dec 25, 2020
An international team of researchers has identified over 109,000 previously unrecognized impact craters on the moon using machine learning methods. The study, led by researchers from Jilin Uni ... more
MOON DAILY
UCF developed sensor passes first test, on track for future moon missions
Orlando FL (SPX) Dec 21, 2020
A prototype sensor that detects Moon dust by shooting lasers through the sky has successfully completed its first hurdle. That means UCF is one step closer to building the real instrument that could ... more
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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
MOON DAILY
Presidential transition, weak funding put 2024 moon landing goal in doubt
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 28, 2020
The handoff from Donald Trump's administration to that of Joe Biden, and a lack of congressional funding, have cast doubt on NASA's goal for a lunar landing by 2024 - a date that already had been seen as unlikely. ... more
MOON DAILY
SpaceX, Blue Origin, Dynetics await NASA lunar lander decision
Orlando FL (UPI) Dec 25, 2020
Elon Musk's SpaceX, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and a lesser-known company, Huntsville, Ala.-based Dynetics, are preparing for a major decision by NASA early in 2021 about which company will build human ... more
EXO WORLDS
Key building block for organic molecules discovered in meteorites
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 21, 2020
Scientists from Japan and NASA have confirmed the presence in meteorites of a key organic molecule which may have been used to build other organic molecules, including some used by life. The discove ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Experiment takes 'snapshots' of light, stops light, uses light to change properties of matter
Pittsburgh PA (SPX) Dec 30, 2020
Light travels at a speed of about 300,000,000 meters per second as light particles, photons, or equivalently as electromagnetic field waves. Experiments led by Hrvoje Petek, an R.K. Mellon professor ... more


Knowledge of asteroid composition to help avert collisions

MOON DAILY
Chandrayaan-2 Mission : Initial data release
Sriharikota, India (SPX) Dec 28, 2020
India's second mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-2 was launched on 22nd July 2019 from Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota. The Orbiter which was injected into a lunar orbit on 2nd Sept 2019, car ... more
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MARSDAILY
How to get people from Earth to Mars and safely back again
Brisbane, Australia (The Conversation) Dec 23, 2020
There are many things humanity must overcome before any return journey to Mars is launched. The two major players are NASA and SpaceX, which work together intimately on missions to the Interna ... more
MARSDAILY
A Martian Roundtrip: NASA's Perseverance Rover Sample Tubes
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 23, 2020
Marvels of engineering, the rover's sample tubes must be tough enough to safely bring Red Planet samples on the long journey back to Earth in immaculate condition. The tubes carried in the bel ... more
IRON AND ICE
EMXYS and Royal Observatory, Belgium to participate in planetary defence Hera space mission
Alicante, Spain (SPX) Dec 23, 2020
EMXYS and the Royal Observatory of Belgium have been selected by the European Space Agency to provide a gravimeter for the Juventas spacecraft that will land on asteroid Dimorphos as part of the Eur ... more
TECH SPACE
Astroscale Ships ELSA-d Spacecraft to Launch Site
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 22, 2020
Astroscale Holdings Inc. ("Astroscale"), the market leader in securing long-term orbital sustainability, has shipped its End-of-Life Services by Astroscale demonstration (ELSA-d) satellite to Baikon ... more
DRAGON SPACE
China's Chang'e-5 orbiter embarks on new mission to gravitationally stable spot at L1
Beijing (Sputnik) Dec 22, 2020
Having finished its primary mission, the part of China's Chang'e-5 spacecraft that remained in space has departed for a new mission: exploring an unusual area of space known as a Lagrangian point. ... more
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RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
NASA video shows Perseverance rover's planned 'terror' landing on Mars
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 23, 2020
NASA has shown what it will look like when its Perseverance rover touches down on Mars, a challenging sequence that the agency describes as "7 minutes of terror." The Perseverance rover was launched in the summer and is scheduled to arrive on Mars in February. Once it reaches Mars' atmosphere on its way to Jezero Crater, it must slow down from its speed of 12,000 mph in a span of ... more
+ Fluvial Mapping of Mars
+ A Martian Roundtrip: NASA's Perseverance Rover Sample Tubes
+ How to get people from Earth to Mars and safely back again
+ NASA moves forward with campaign to return Mars samples to Earth
+ Three things we've learned from NASA's Mars InSight
+ Study of dune dynamics will help scientists understand the topography of Mars
+ Powerful electrical events quickly alter surface chemistry on Mars




China's lunar rover travels about 600 meters on moon's far side
Beijing (XNA) Dec 25, 2020
China's lunar rover Yutu-2, or Jade Rabbit-2, has survived 719 Earth days and traveled 600.55 meters on the far side of the moon as of Tuesday. Both the lander and the rover of the Chang'e-4 probe have ended their work for the 25th lunar day, and switched to the dormant mode for the lunar night due to the lack of solar power, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of t ... more
+ UCF developed sensor passes first test, on track for future moon missions
+ Researchers identify over 109,000 impact craters on moon
+ SpaceX, Blue Origin, Dynetics await NASA lunar lander decision
+ Presidential transition, weak funding put 2024 moon landing goal in doubt
+ Chandrayaan-2 Mission : Initial data release
+ Innovative Hydraulics awarded contract to support NASA's Artemis program
+ Success of lunar mission hailed
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?


Discovery boosts theory that life on Earth arose from RNA-DNA mix
La Jolla CA (SPX) Dec 31, 2020
Chemists at Scripps Research have made a discovery that supports a surprising new view of how life originated on our planet. In a study published in the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie, they demonstrated that a simple compound called diamidophosphate (DAP), which was plausibly present on Earth before life arose, could have chemically knitted together tiny DNA building blocks called deo ... more
+ Astronomers detect possible radio emission from exoplanet
+ Key building block for organic molecules discovered in meteorites
+ 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
mu Space to push Thai space industry, planning to build its first spaceship in 2021
Bangkok, Thailand (SPX) Dec 30, 2020
2020 was the time when the space scene was lively again, with the Thai government pushing for space-activity-related legislation and creating mechanisms to promote and support both the government and the private sector to develop the space industry together, which is one of the target industries in the new S-curve that will increase Thailand's investment capacity and its role in developing the s ... more
+ China's new Long March-8 rocket makes first flight
+ Loss of Vega flight VV17 report issued
+ Universities prepare to launch experiments with NASA, Virgin Orbit
+ Long March 8 rocket makes maiden flight
+ FAA begins scoping period for environmental review at SpaceX launch site
+ SLS team completes propellant loading of Core Stage during Green Run test
+ Newest Long March rocket ready for debut




China's Chang'e-5 orbiter embarks on new mission to gravitationally stable spot at L1
Beijing (Sputnik) Dec 22, 2020
Having finished its primary mission, the part of China's Chang'e-5 spacecraft that remained in space has departed for a new mission: exploring an unusual area of space known as a Lagrangian point. On December 16, the orbiter vehicle performed the final task of its primary mission when it dropped off the capsule carrying samples from the lunar surface. The capsule plunged back to Earth, bei ... more
+ China plans to launch four manned spacecraft in next two years
+ Mission accomplished, now on to the next: China Daily editorial
+ China prepares to launch Long March-8 Y1 rocket
+ 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
SwRI-led team finds meteoric evidence for a previously unknown asteroid
San Antonio TX (SPX) Dec 22, 2020
A Southwest Research Institute-led team of scientists has identified a potentially new meteorite parent asteroid by studying a small shard of a meteorite that arrived on Earth a dozen years ago. The composition of a piece of the meteorite Almahata Sitta (AhS) indicates that its parent body was an asteroid roughly the size of Ceres, the largest object in the main asteroid belt, and formed in the ... more
+ Knowledge of asteroid composition to help avert collisions
+ EMXYS and Royal Observatory, Belgium to participate in planetary defence Hera space mission
+ The Subaru Telescope photographs the next target asteroid for Hayabusa2
+ Asteroid samples leave Japan scientists 'speechless'
+ 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




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
Congress adds $1.3B to Missile Defense Agency's budget in spending bill
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 22, 2020
Congress has added $1.3 billion into the Missile Defense Agency's fiscal 2021 budget, in excess of what the agency asked for in February. The agency had requested $9.13 billion, a $1.27 billion decrease from last year's budget, but also submitted a list of unfunded requirements that totaled nearly $1 billion. In the bill, lawmakers describe a "concerning" disconnect between the M ... more
+ IMDO and MDA complete intercept test of the David's Sling Weapon System
+ 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




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
Atomic-scale nanowires can now be produced at scale
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 30, 2020
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have discovered a way to make self-assembled nanowires of transition metal chalcogenides at scale using chemical vapor deposition. By changing the substrate where the wires form, they can tune how these wires are arranged, from aligned configurations of atomically thin sheets to random networks of bundles. This paves the way to industrial deployment ... more
+ Weak force has strong impact on nanosheets
+ 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




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
Ripples in space-time could provide clues to missing components of the universe
Chicago IL (SPX) Dec 31, 2020
There's something a little off about our theory of the universe. Almost everything fits, but there's a fly in the cosmic ointment, a particle of sand in the infinite sandwich. Some scientists think the culprit might be gravity-and that subtle ripples in the fabric of space-time could help us find the missing piece. A new paper co-authored by a University of Chicago scientist lays out how t ... more
+ Primordial black holes and the search for dark matter from the multiverse
+ A blazar in the early universe
+ World first discovery confirms model of the evolution of our Universe
+ On the Hunt for a Missing Giant Black Hole
+ Mapping out a transient atom
+ Baghdad's wristwatch repairman is a timeless treasure
+ Multi-messenger astronomy offers new estimates of neutron star size and universe expansion




Army research leads to more effective training model for robots
Adelphi MD (SPX) Dec 31, 2020
Multi-domain operations, the Army's future operating concept, requires autonomous agents with learning components to operate alongside the warfighter. New Army research reduces the unpredictability of current training reinforcement learning policies so that they are more practically applicable to physical systems, especially ground robots. These learning components will permit autonomous a ... more
+ U.S. Army, Clemson University partner on autonomous vehicle project
+ Northrop Grumman invests in Deepwave Digital's AI
+ USAF makes history with first flight using artificial intelligence
+ 'Chaotic' way to create insectlike gaits for robots
+ 'The robot made me do it': Robots encourage risk-taking behaviour in people
+ Warning over 'blind adoption' of AI and rights impact
+ SoftBank sells controlling stake in Boston Dynamics to Hyundai
Funding for MQ-9 Reaper drone back in federal budget
Washington DC (UPI) Dec 23, 2020
The $3.2 trillion spending package approved this week by Congress includes $286 million for MQ-9 Reaper drones - weapons previously slated for elimination. The U.S. Air Force eliminated a line item in its Fiscal Year 2021 budget calling for the MQ-9, instead requesting $172 million in funding to help shut down production at General Atomics' manufacturing facility in Poway, Calif. ... more
+ Northrop Grumman completes first flight of Global Hawk Ground Station Modernization Program
+ Air Force launches drone-based security system at Travis AFB
+ 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
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