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January 03, 2014

Chang'e-3 satellite payload APXS obtained its first spectrum of lunar regolith
Beijing, China (SPX) Jan 03, 2014
The Active Particle-induced X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), carried by the Yutu rover of the Chang'e-3 satellite got its first X-ray fluorescence spectrum of lunar regolith around the landing site on December 25, 2013. An initial analysis indicates that eight major rock-forming elements (Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, Cr and Fe) and at least 3 minor elements (Sr, Y and Zr) of the Moon can be identified in this spectrum. Besides, the energy resolution of AXS is estimated to be about 135 @5.9keV, which dem ... read more

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Wall-Crawling Gecko Robots Can Stick In Space Too Climbing robots that mimic the stickiness of gecko lizard feet could work in space as well as on Earth, ESA has shown, raising the prospect of hull-crawling automatons tending future spacecraft. ... more		More than 1,000 chosen for one-way Mars reality-TV mission More than 1,000 candidates - from 200,000 hopefuls - have been chosen to train for a private Mars colonisation mission to be partly funded by a reality-TV show following their training and subsequent steps, organisers said Thursday. ... more		NASA's Hubble Sees Cloudy Super-Worlds With Chance for More Clouds Scientists using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have characterized the atmospheres of two of the most common type of planets in the Milky Way galaxy and found both may be blanketed with clouds. ... more
				First Asteroid Discovered in 2014 Has Little Impact Early Wednesday morning January 1st, while New Year's 2014 celebrations were still underway in the United States, the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, AZ, collected a single track of observations wi ... more		MAM produces plasma cavity for Helicon Double Layer Thruster Engine Morgan Advanced Materials has provided a prototype plasma cavity for the Helicon Double Layer Thruster (HDLT), a new gas plasma space engine for use on satellites being developed by the Australian N ... more

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				Potential Martians: Mars One selects 1,058 hopefuls among 200,000 applicants The Mars One project has announced the selection of 1,058 hopefuls from over 200,000 applicants to become potential "human ambassadors" on the Red Planet. Eventually, no more than 40 people will be ... more		Researchers use Hubble Telescope to reveal cloudy weather on alien world Weather forecasters on exoplanet GJ 1214b would have an easy job. Today's forecast: cloudy. Tomorrow: overcast. Extended outlook: more clouds. A team of scientists led by researchers in the De ... more

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Antares Launch Scheduled For Jan 7

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The Athena-Fidus satellite is readied for Arianespace first heavy-lift mission of 2014

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Curious Results from Mars		Laser Demonstration Reveals Bright Future for Space Communication		Official: Iran to Send Astronaut into Space in 2024		Spacewalk ends, ISS fix a success		Station's Replacement Pump Successfully Restarted

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China's Yutu "naps", awakens and explores

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