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December 25, 2013

Spacewalk ends, station fix a success
Washington (AFP) Dec 24, 2013
NASA astronauts on Tuesday successfully wrapped up a Christmas Eve spacewalk to make repairs at the orbiting International Space Station, the US space agency said. "We have a pump that is alive and well," said a NASA commentator on live television after a successful jumpstart test to the newly installed ammonia pump module, a bulky piece of gear the size of a refrigerator. More checks will be done later Tuesday, but the pump appeared to be "in good shape" and would be fully activated in the comi ... read more

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Mars Express heading towards daring flyby of Phobos Late this month, ESA's Mars Express will make the closest flyby yet of the Red Planet's largest moon Phobos, skimming past at only 45 km above its surface. The flyby on 29 December will be so ... more		Mars One mission: one way ticket to new life 200,000 people from 140 countries have applied for a one-way ticket to Mars. The applicants agreed to stay on the Red Planet for the rest of their lives and be filmed for a reality TV program, accor ... more		Lockheed Martin Team Moves Forward In DARPA Robotics Challenge Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories (ATL) recently completed the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Robotics Challenge trials at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Lockhee ... more
				Working With NASA On The Space Structures Of The Future NASA is seeking to advance a technology with the potential to drastically change how we envision transporting and safeguarding astronauts: inflatable structures. Space structure engineers and ... more		Using an Atmosphere to Weigh a Planet A new study finds that the mass of an exoplanet can be determined solely by looking at the starlight that passes through the planet's atmosphere. When sunlight streaming through a planet's atm ... more

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for InSight Mission NASA has selected United Launch Services LLC of Centennial, Colo., to launch the Interior Exploration Using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) mission to Mars. InSigh ... more		No early Christmas? Spacesuit issue delays second spacewalk to fix ISS cooling system Two American astronauts have completed the first stage of urgent repair work outside the International Space Station ahead of schedule, but a spacesuit issue has delayed a second spacewalk to revive ... more				China's moon rover continues lunar survey after photographing lander China's first moon rover, Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, continued patrol explorations on the lunar surface after taking photos of the lander for the fifth and final time early on Sunday. According to ... more
				Orbital Launches Completes 40th Consecutive Successful Suborbital Rocket For NASA NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract II (NSROC II) team at Wallops Island, Virginia recently completed its 40th consecutive successful mission over the last 24 months for NASA's Sounding Rocket ... more		Argentina successfully launches research rocket Argentina has successfully launched a research rocket as part of its space program, the Defense Ministry said on Friday. The launch took place on Wednesday in the city of Chamical, in La Rioja ... more

CubeSats, SmallSats and MicroSats

International Conference on Protection of Materials and Structures From Space Environment

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

Astronauts remove faulty ammonia pump during first spacewalk after ISS coolant system goes wrong NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Michael Hopkins have successfully completed their first spacewalk to repair the failed coolant system of the International Space Station (ISS). It was a debut sp ... more		Spacesuit flaw postpones station repairs to Dec 24 A new flaw has emerged in a US-made spacesuit, forcing NASA to delay until Christmas Eve the next outing to repair the International Space Station, the space agency said Saturday. ... more				China's Yutu "naps", awakens and explores Beijing (XNA) Dec 21, 2013 China's moon rover, Yutu (Jade Rabbit), continued exploring after a "nap", according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence ... more
				Sailing satellites into safe retirement When satellites reach the end of their working lives, they may pose a threat to other spacecraft as they continue to orbit in a dormant state for many decades. But now a new way to deorbit ageing sa ... more		Europe's Gaia telescope detaches from Fregat-MT upper stage Europe's Gaia telescope that will make up a 3D map of the Milky Way has detached from the Fregat-MT upper stage, said a source with the Russian Federal Space Agency. "The Gaia spacecraft detac ... more

Orbital Launches Completes 40th Consecutive Successful Suborbital Rocket For NASA

NASA Awards Launch Services Contract for InSight Mission

Argentina successfully launches research rocket

Curiosity Team Upgrades Software, Checks Wheel Wear

Mars One mission: one way ticket to new life

Mars Express heading towards daring flyby of Phobos

NASA Releases New Earthrise Simulation Video

Will the Moon be carved-up?

Most Chang'e-3 science tools activated

The Sounds of New Horizons

On the Path to Pluto, 5 AU and Closing

SwRI study finds that Pluto satellites' orbital ballet may hint of long-ago collisions

	Curiosity Team Upgrades Software, Checks Wheel Wear The team operating NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has completed a software upgrade on the vehicle and is next planning a check of wear and tear on the rover's wheels. "Curiosity is now operating ... more		NASA Releases New Earthrise Simulation Video NASA has issued a new visualization of the events leading to one of the iconic photographs of the 20th Century - Earth rising over the moon captured by the crew of the Apollo 8 mission. The photo k ... more		China launches communications satellite for Bolivia China successfully sent a Bolivian communications satellite into orbit with its Long March-3B carrier rocket from southwest Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 0:42 a.m (Beijing Time) Saturday. ... more		Will the Moon be carved-up? Experts forecast that the Moon will become sort of the seventh continent of Earth by the middle of the 21st century. People will reclaim the polar regions and build residential areas there. In this ... more

Russia's Putin pledges $1.5 billion for basic science research		Mars rover Curiosity gets software upgrade, improved capabilities		Astronauts Finalizing Spacewalk Preparations		NASA plans 3 urgent spacewalks to fix ISS coolant system, suspends cargo delivery		NASA and Russia prolong contract on Soyuz taxi flights to ISS
NASA's Asteroid Hunter Spacecraft Returns First Images after Reactivation		Japan robot astronaut talks Santa in first chat with spaceman		Most Chang'e-3 science tools activated		Dawn Creates Guide to Vesta's Hidden Attractions		Sierra Nevada Completes CCDev2, Begins Dream Chaser Flight Test Program

NASA rigs up snorkel in spacesuit after risky water leak

JPL to Test New Supersonic Decelerator Technology

NASA Engineers Crush Fuel Tank to Build Better Rockets

SLS Chief Engineer Driven by 'Challenge' of Building America's Next Great Rocket

Gaia Mission Could Help Map Exoplanets

Fungal pathogen shows profound effects from spaceflight

First detection of a predicted unseen exoplanet

Oil and metal munching microbes dominate deep sandstone formations

Asia's year in space triggers applause but also worry

Deep space monitoring station abroad imperative

NASA postpones cargo mission for space station repairs

NASA's network for talking to space missions nears 50th anniversary

Gaia secured inside fairing

Yutu robotic rover begins lunar mission

New Views of Mars from Sediment Mineralogy

Opportunity Communications Remain Slow Due To Odyssey Issues

Nearby failed stars may harbor planet

India to decide December 27 on GSAT-14 launch date

Astronomers solve temperature mystery of planetary atmospheres

Inertial Sensor Head shaken but not disturbed

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