Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
February 16, 2021
MARSDAILY
NASA wants to fly a helicopter on Mars for the first time



Washington (AFP) Feb 16, 2021
More than a century after the first powered flight on Earth, NASA intends to prove it's possible to replicate the feat on another world. Transported aboard the Mars 2020 spacecraft that arrives at the Red Planet on Thursday, the small Ingenuity helicopter will have several challenges to overcome - the biggest being the rarefied Martian atmosphere, which is just one percent the density of Earth's. - Ultralight - It might be called a helicopter, but in appearance it's closer to mini-drones w ... read more

MARSDAILY
Melting dusty ice may have carved Martian gullies
Tempe AZ (SPX) Feb 16, 2021
By analyzing the occurrences of exposed dusty ice on Mars using data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, ASU planetary scientists Aditya Khuller and Philip Christensen have found the lowest lat ... more
MARSDAILY
Tuning in for a precision landing on Mars on Feb 18
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Feb 16, 2021
On 18 February 2021, NASA will initiate the most precise landing ever attempted on the Red Planet. A spacecraft with the Perseverance rover on board will enter the Martian atmosphere at around 21:38 ... more
MARSDAILY
Perseverance rover lands on Mars this week
Washington (AFP) Feb 16, 2021
After a seven-month journey, NASA's Perseverance rover prepares to touch down on Mars on Thursday after first negotiating a risky landing procedure that will mark the start of its multi-year search for signs of ancient microbial life. ... more
MARSDAILY
Tianwen 1 enters Mars' polar orbit
Beijing (XNA) Feb 16, 2021
China's Tianwen 1 robotic probe entered orbit above Mars' polar regions on Monday, moving closer to the red planet, the China National Space Administration said. The spacecraft activated its 3 ... more
ADVERTISEMENT



ADVERTISEMENT


Previous Issues Feb 14 Feb 12 Feb 11 Feb 10 Feb 09
ADVERTISEMENT



MARSDAILY
InSight Is meeting the challenge of winter on dusty Mars
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 15, 2021
As dust collects on the solar panels and winter comes to Elysium Planitia, the InSight team is following a plan to reduce science operations in order to keep the lander safe. NASA's InSight lander r ... more
EXO WORLDS
NASA's TESS discovers new worlds in a river of young stars
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 15, 2021
Using observations from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered a trio of hot worlds larger than Earth orbiting a much younger versio ... more
MARSDAILY
UAE's 'Hope' probe sends home first image of Mars
Dubai (AFP) Feb 14, 2021
The UAE's "Hope" probe sent back its first image of Mars, the national space agency said Sunday, days after the spacecraft successfully entered the Red Planet's orbit. ... more
ROBO SPACE
Emerging robotics technology may lead to better buildings in less time
West Lafayette IN (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
Emerging robotics technology may soon help construction companies and contractors create buildings in less time at higher quality and at lower costs. Purdue University innovators developed and ... more
ROBO SPACE
Robots sense human touch using camera and shadows
Ithaca NY (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
Soft robots may not be in touch with human feelings, but they are getting better at feeling human touch. Cornell University researchers have created a low-cost method for soft, deformable robots to ... more
24/7 Space News Coverage
24/7 Technology News Coverage
24/7 China News Coverage

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

ROBO SPACE
Collective worm and robot 'blobs' protect individuals, swarm together
Atlanta GA (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
Individually, California blackworms live an unremarkable life eating microorganisms in ponds and serving as tropical fish food for aquarium enthusiasts. But together, tens, hundreds, or thousands of ... more
MARSDAILY
Sensors prepare to collect data as Perseverance enters Martian atmosphere
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 15, 2021
Nearly six-and-a-half months and 300 million miles since launch, NASA's Perseverance rover will land on Mars Feb. 18, 2021, to begin its robotic exploration of the Red Planet. But before Perseveranc ... more
EXO WORLDS
A new way of forming planets
Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
In the last 25 years, scientists have discovered over 4000 planets beyond the borders of our solar system. From relatively small rock and water worlds to blisteringly hot gas giants, the planets dis ... more
EXO WORLDS
Lasers reveal the secret interior of rocky exoplanets
Livermore CA (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
Advances in astronomical observations have resulted in the discovery of an extraordinary number of extrasolar planets, some of which are believed to have a rocky composition similar to Earth. Learni ... more
EXO WORLDS
Vaporised crusts of Earth-like planets found in dying stars
Warwick UK (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
Remnants of planets with Earth-like crusts have been discovered in the atmospheres of four nearby white dwarf stars by University of Warwick astronomers, offering a glimpse of the planets that may h ... more


Chinese tracking vessel sets sail for monitoring missions in Indian Ocean

MARSDAILY
SwRI scientist proposes a new timeline for Mars terrains
San Antonio TX (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
A Southwest Research Institute scientist has updated Mars chronology models to find that terrains shaped by ancient water activity on the planet's surface may be hundreds of millions of years older ... more
Space News from SpaceDaily.com

ADVERTISEMENT



MOON DAILY
Teaching an Old Spacecraft New Tricks to Continue Exploring the Moon
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft has far exceeded its planned mission duration, revealing that the Moon holds surprises: ice deposits that could be used to support future lunar e ... more
MOON DAILY
How to Get Water on the Moon
Washington DC (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
Given plans for future manned missions to the Moon - and interest in the potential for longer-term lunar habitation - the presence of water on the Moon is of critical importance. Studies over the la ... more
SPACE MEDICINE
NASA grants renewal and funding for deep space health protections
Houston, TX (SPX) Feb 11, 2021
After a favorable program review in December 2020, NASA has exercised its option to renew the Houston-based Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) until 2028. TRISH works closely ... more
IRON AND ICE
What Hollywood gets wrong, and right, about asteroids
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
Meet Kirsten Howley, the real-life astrophysicist working to prevent an asteroid "Armageddon" In the 1998 movie "Armageddon," an asteroid the width of Texas is about to hit Earth. The heroes w ... more
MARSDAILY
Precise braking helps China's Tianwen 1 probe enter Mars orbit
Beijing (XNA) Feb 12, 2021
Precise braking near Mars has helped China's probe Tianwen 1 successfully enter the orbit around the red planet on Wednesday, according to the country's space scientists. Yang Yuguang, a resea ... more
24/7 Nuclear News Coverage
24/7 War News Coverage
24/7 War News Coverage

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
InSight Is meeting the challenge of winter on dusty Mars
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 15, 2021
As dust collects on the solar panels and winter comes to Elysium Planitia, the InSight team is following a plan to reduce science operations in order to keep the lander safe. NASA's InSight lander recently received a mission extension for another two years, giving it time to detect more quakes, dust devils, and other phenomena on the surface of Mars. While the mission team plans to continu ... more
+ Tuning in for a precision landing on Mars on Feb 18
+ Perseverance rover lands on Mars this week
+ Tianwen 1 enters Mars' polar orbit
+ NASA wants to fly a helicopter on Mars for the first time
+ Precise braking helps China's Tianwen 1 probe enter Mars orbit
+ Join ASU Mastcam-Z team for a live watch party of NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover landing
+ SwRI scientist proposes a new timeline for Mars terrains




How to Get Water on the Moon
Washington DC (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
Given plans for future manned missions to the Moon - and interest in the potential for longer-term lunar habitation - the presence of water on the Moon is of critical importance. Studies over the last few decades have revealed water lurking on our satellite in numerous forms. But how does it get there? Lunar water has been found locked in ice form in the cold, permanently shadowed craters ... more
+ Teaching an Old Spacecraft New Tricks to Continue Exploring the Moon
+ Goddard's Core Flight Software Chosen for NASA's Lunar Gateway
+ NASA awards contract to launch initial elements for lunar outpost
+ Ozmens' SNC delivers prototype lunar crew module to DYNETICS
+ Chang'e 4 lander, rover resume work on moon
+ Orbit Logic Tackles Autonomous Lunar Exploration with Robotic Swarms
+ NASA Selects Firefly Aerospace for Artemis Commercial Moon Delivery in 2023
Solar system's most distant planetoid confirmed
Manoa HI (SPX) Feb 11, 2021
A team, including an astronomer from the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy (IfA), have confirmed a planetoid that is almost four times farther from the Sun than Pluto, making it the most distant object ever observed in our solar system. The planetoid, nicknamed "Farfarout," was first detected in 2018, and the team has now collected enough observations to pin down the orbit. The Minor ... more
+ Peering at the Surface of a Nearby Moon
+ A Hot Spot on Jupiter
+ The 15th Anniversary of New Horizons Leaving Earth
+ Juno mission expands into the future
+ Dark Storm on Neptune reverses direction, possibly shedding a fragment
+ The 'Great' Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn
+ NASA's Juno Spacecraft Updates Quarter-Century Jupiter Mystery


NASA's TESS discovers new worlds in a river of young stars
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 15, 2021
Using observations from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered a trio of hot worlds larger than Earth orbiting a much younger version of our Sun called TOI 451. The system resides in the recently discovered Pisces-Eridanus stream, a collection of stars less than 3% the age of our solar system that stretches across one-third of the ... more
+ Lasers reveal the secret interior of rocky exoplanets
+ A new way of forming planets
+ A new method to search for potentially habitable planets
+ A new way to look for life-sustaining planets
+ Vaporised crusts of Earth-like planets found in dying stars
+ Pollution could be one way to find an extraterrestrial civilization
+ Super-Earth atmospheres probed at Sandia's Z machine
NASA assigns astronauts to next SpaceX Crew-4 mission to ISS
Houston TX (SPX) Feb 15, 2021
NASA has assigned two crew members to launch on the agency's SpaceX Crew-4 mission - the fourth crew rotation flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren and Bob Hines will serve as spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively, for the Crew-4 mission. Additional crew members will be assigned as mission specialists in the future by the a ... more
+ Russia plans at least 10 launches from Baikonur in 2021
+ DLR ready to test first upper stage for Ariane 6
+ Kremlin 'interested' in Elon Musk-Putin conversation
+ UK government publishes environmental guidance for spaceflight
+ Space Nuclear Propulsion Technologies central to future of Mars Exploration
+ SpaceX calls off Starlink launch due to 'unfavorable weather'
+ Ozmens' SNC Dream Chaser spaceplane closer to commercial runway landing




Chinese tracking vessel sets sail for monitoring missions in Indian Ocean
Nanjing, China (XNA) Feb 12, 2021
China's tracking vessel Yuanwang-6 on Wednesday departed from a port in east China's Jiangsu Province for maritime spacecraft monitoring missions in the Indian Ocean. The Yuanwang fleet will continue to carry out intensive and challenging maritime missions this year, and Yuanwang-6 alone will operate at sea for over 200 days, according to sources with the country's satellite maritime track ... more
+ China's 'space dream': A Long March to the Moon and beyond
+ Three generations dedicated to space program
+ China's space station core module, cargo craft pass factory review
+ China's space tracking ship completes satellite launch monitoring
+ Key modules for China's next space station ready for launch
+ Major space station components cleared for operations
+ Chinese space enterprise gears up for record-breaking 40-plus launches in 2021
What Hollywood gets wrong, and right, about asteroids
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
Meet Kirsten Howley, the real-life astrophysicist working to prevent an asteroid "Armageddon" In the 1998 movie "Armageddon," an asteroid the width of Texas is about to hit Earth. The heroes who stop it in the nick of time are a group of orange-suited Americans, all men. Life isn't always like the movies. Not that an asteroid couldn't slam into Earth, mind you. Asteroids - most ... more
+ The comet that killed the dinosaurs
+ Ceramic chips inside meteorites hint at wild days of the early solar system
+ NASA's OSIRIS-REx to Fly a Farewell Tour of Bennu
+ NASA's first mission to the Trojan Asteroids installs its final scientific instrument
+ An asteroid "double disaster" struck Germany in the Miocene
+ ESA and JAXA meet online to agree future cooperation
+ NASA's Psyche mission moves forward, passing key milestone




AFRL holds new directed energy wargaming event
Kirtland AFB NM (SPX) Feb 01, 2021
The Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate recently held its newest wargaming, modeling and simulation event at Kirtland Air Force Base. The Directed Energy Utility Concept Experiment, or DEUCE, under the leadership of the directorate's wargaming team, brought together F-16 pilots, F-15E weapon systems officers and an Airborne Warning and Control System air battle manage ... more
+ DARPA seeks compact, deployable electron accelerator
+ Lockheed Martin delivers HELIOS Laser to US Navy for testing and integration
+ Navy tests autonomous drone as target for laser weapon testing
+ Do Directed Energy Weapons finally live up to their expectations?
US renews call on Turkey to dump Russian missile system
Washington (AFP) Feb 10, 2021
The United States on Wednesday renewed its call on Turkey to get rid of an advanced Russian air defense system, appearing to reject an offer by Ankara to avoid US sanctions. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar in an interview this week proposed a compromise in which the NATO ally does not fully deploy the S-400s, which Russia originally built to target Western jets. "Our policy vis-a-vi ... more
+ Turkey hints at compromise with US over Russian missiles
+ China tests its missile interception equipment
+ Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor Phase IIb Awards
+ Northrop builds command centers for Poland's air, missile defense system
+ Israel delivers second Iron Dome Defense System battery to U.S.
+ Congress adds $1.3B to Missile Defense Agency's budget in spending bill
+ IMDO and MDA complete intercept test of the David's Sling Weapon System




Saturn's Tilt Caused By Its Moons
Paris, France (SPX) Jan 22, 2021
Rather like David versus Goliath, it appears that Saturn's tilt may in fact be caused by its moons. This is the conclusion of recent work carried out by scientists from the CNRS, Sorbonne University and the University of Pisa, which shows that the current tilt of Saturn's rotation axis is caused by the migration of its satellites, and especially by that of its largest moon, Titan. Recent o ... more
+ Astronomers estimate Titan's largest sea is 1,000 feet deep
+ SwRI models point to a potentially diverse metabolic menu at Enceladus
+ 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
Nanowire could provide a stable, easy-to-make superconducting transistor
Boston MA (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
Superconductors - materials that conduct electricity without resistance - are remarkable. They provide a macroscopic glimpse into quantum phenomena, which are usually observable only at the atomic level. Beyond their physical peculiarity, superconductors are also useful. They're found in medical imaging, quantum computers, and cameras used with telescopes. But superconducting devices can b ... more
+ New technique builds super-hard metals from nanoparticles
+ Scientists see competition of magnetic orders from 2D sheets of atoms
+ Atomic-scale nanowires can now be produced at scale
+ 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




Placing cosmological constraints on quantum gravity phenomenology
New York NY (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
A description of gravity compatible with the principles of quantum mechanics has long been a widely pursued goal in physics. Existing theories of this 'quantum gravity' often involve mathematical corrections to Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle (HUP), which quantifies the inherent limits in the accuracy of any quantum measurement. These corrections arise when gravitational interactions ar ... more
+ NANOGrav finds possible 'first hints' of low-frequency gravitational wave background
+ Zero-G and gravity effects in Low Earth Orbits
+ Strongest squeezing ever seen in a gravitational-wave detector
+ Using ancient fossils and gravitational-wave science to predict earth's future
+ Arecibo observatory helps find possible 'first hints' of low-frequency gravitational waves
+ 'Galaxy-sized' observatory sees potential hints of gravitational waves
+ What happens when your brain can't tell which way is up or down?
Hubble uncovers concentration of small black holes
Munich, Germany (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
Globular clusters are extremely dense stellar systems, in which stars are packed closely together. They are also typically very old - the globular cluster that is the focus of this study, NGC 6397, is almost as old as the Universe itself. It resides 7800 light-years away, making it one of the closest globular clusters to Earth. Because of its very dense nucleus, it is known as a core-collapsed c ... more
+ Scientists manipulate magnets at the atomic scale
+ Quantum causal loops
+ Charge radii of exotic potassium isotopes challenge nuclear structure theory
+ A new tool in the search for axions
+ How do electrons close to Earth reach almost the speed of light?
+ Solving complex physics problems at lightning speed
+ Backreaction observed for first time in water tank black hole simulation




Robots sense human touch using camera and shadows
Ithaca NY (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
Soft robots may not be in touch with human feelings, but they are getting better at feeling human touch. Cornell University researchers have created a low-cost method for soft, deformable robots to detect a range of physical interactions, from pats to punches to hugs, without relying on touch at all. Instead, a USB camera located inside the robot captures the shadow movements of hand gestures on ... more
+ Collective worm and robot 'blobs' protect individuals, swarm together
+ Emerging robotics technology may lead to better buildings in less time
+ Machine-learning program imagines a protein's many possible structures
+ Artificial skin brings robots closer to 'touching' human lives
+ How modern robots are developed
+ New AI system uses radio signals to detect a person's emotions
+ AI startup Databricks valued at $28 bn, tech giants join funding
French Armed Forces selects Airbus Survey Copter Aliaca fixed-wing drone
Paris, France (SPX) Feb 15, 2021
Airbus Defence and Space mini UAS subsidiary SURVEY Copter signed a contract with French DGA Armament general directorate to provide the French Navy with 11 systems, (22 aircraft), of the electrically powered fixed-wing Aliaca maritime version UAS, including training and integrated logistic support. First deliveries are expected in 2021. "We are honored to contribute to the missions of the ... more
+ DARPA initiates design of LongShot unmanned air vehicle
+ Fabricating fully functional drones
+ Pipistrel selects C-Astral Aerospace as industrial and R and D partner with C4 solutions for the Nuuva V20
+ USAF plans more tests of drone-fighter plane collaborations
+ Citadel Defense wins major contract for AI powered counter drone system
+ Kongsberg Geospatial improves BVLOS drone operations safety with a horizonless air picture
+ Unmanned aerial vehicles to scale new heights thanks to NASA
Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

ADVERTISEMENT




Buy Advertising About Us 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