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February 21, 2014

ESA selects planet-hunting PLATO mission
Paris (ESA) Feb 21, 2014
A space-based observatory to search for planets orbiting alien stars has been selected as ESA's third medium-class science mission. It is planned for launch by 2024. The PLATO - Planetary Transits and Oscillations of stars - mission was selected by ESA's Science Programme Committee for implementation as part of its Cosmic Vision 2015-25 Programme. The mission will address two key themes of Cosmic Vision: what are the conditions for planet formation and the emergence of life, and how does the Solar ... read more

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No Call for Yutu Well over a week since daylight returned to its landing site, China's Yutu Moon rover seems to be damaged beyond any practical use. That's the only reliable conclusion this analyst can reach after d ... more		Rife with hype, exoplanet study needs patience and refinement Imagine someone spent months researching new cities to call home using low-resolution images of unidentified skylines. The pictures were taken from several miles away with a camera intended for port ... more		Lunar ownership laws: a future necessity? Private settlements and raw materials extraction enterprises could appear on the Moon in the future, thus leading to territorial disputes between their owners. In order to avoid that one must now re ... more
				New Russian Rocket Mock-Up Rolls Out to Launch Pad A full-scale mock-up of Russia's first large post-Soviet rocket has been rolled out to a launch pad at the Plesetsk space center. The mock-up of the Angara, built by the Khrunichev aerospace r ... more		NASA Mars Orbiter Views Opportunity Rover on Ridge A new image from a telescopic camera orbiting Mars shows NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity at work on "Murray Ridge," without any new impact craters nearby. The Feb. 14 view from the H ... more

Spaceplan 2020 - Space Technology Symposium

Arianespace to launch OPTSAT 3000 and VENuS satellites Arianespace and Italian company CGS S.p.A. announced the launch contract for the OPTSAT 3000 satellite today in Rome. Arianespace also announced that it had signed a launch contract with the Israeli ... more		Huge asteroid passes Earth nearly one year after Chelyabinsk meteorite A massive asteroid is scheduled to make its way past Earth Monday night. Scientists advise it will not make contact with our planet, while amateur astronomers will be able to watch its flight online ... more		Taiwan running out of time for satellite communications, space chief tells AFP US lawmaker warns of military 'misunderstanding' risk with China Venezuela accuses US of waging 'undeclared war,' urges UN probe		Curiosity Adds Reverse Driving for Wheel Protection Terrain that NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is now crossing is as smooth as team members had anticipated based on earlier images from orbit. On Tuesday, Feb. 18, the rover covered 329 feet (100.3 ... more
				Orion Underway Recovery Testing Begins off the Coast of California About a hundred miles off the coast of San Diego, in the Pacific Ocean, a U.S. Navy ship's well deck filled with water as underway recovery operations began Feb. 18 on a test version of NASA's Orion ... more		The Wisps of Dione Although the crack-like features seen here on Dione's surface appear wispy and faded, they are in reality a series of geologically fresh fractures! Lit terrain seen here is on the trailing hem ... more

CubeSats, SmallSats and MicroSats

International Conference on Protection of Materials and Structures From Space Environment

Developing the Next-Generation Military Radar while Maintaining Current Systems; IDGA�s Military Radar Summit - April 2014

Europe sets plans for 2024 planet-hunting mission Europe on Wednesday unveiled plans to launch a major space observatory in 2024 aimed at finding planets orbiting other stars, one of the new frontiers of astronomy. ... more		Scientist: Exoplanet research needs less hype, more patience The search for exoplanets and alien life is generating a lot of hype but the study needs patience and refinement, a U.S. review of exoplanet research suggests. ... more		Toxic homes a lasting legacy of Los Angeles fires 'Greatest con job ever': Trump trashes climate science at UN Turkey facing worst drought in over 50 years		Curiosity Drives On After Crossing Martian Dune NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is continuing its traverse toward enticing science destinations after climbing over a dune spanning a gap in a ridge. The rover covered 135 feet (41.1 meters) on Fe ... more
				Amazonas 4A is prepared for Arianespace's second Ariane 5 flight of 2014 Pre-launch checkout is now underway in French Guiana with Amazonas 4A, one of two satellite passengers to be orbited on Arianespace's next mission with its workhorse heavy-lift Ariane 5 - which is s ... more		What to expect from Dyson's new robotics lab James Dyson's decision to fund a robotics laboratory at Imperial College London may not lead to the super advanced robot friends of our dreams, but what he has planned could make robotic domestic ap ... more

Arianespace to launch OPTSAT 3000 and VENuS satellites

Amazonas 4A is prepared for Arianespace's second Ariane 5 flight of 2014

New Russian Rocket Mock-Up Rolls Out to Launch Pad

NASA Mars Orbiter Views Opportunity Rover on Ridge

Curiosity Adds Reverse Driving for Wheel Protection

Curiosity Drives On After Crossing Martian Dune

Lunar ownership laws: a future necessity?

Chang'e-2 lunar probe travels 70 mln km

LADEE Sends Its First Images of the Moon Back to Earth

Thanks America, New Horizons Ahead

Countdown to Pluto

A Busy Year Begins for New Horizons

	Busy Week of Imaging and Robotic Arm Studies Opportunity is climbing 'Murray Ridge' up on Solander Point, part of the rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover continues to explore the region called 'Cook Haven.' The rover has turned its attention to ... more		ASC Signal Selected by Newtec to Provide Transmit Receive Satellite Antennas for Pan-European Network ASC Signal Corporation has been selected by Newtec to provide over 50 satellite antennas across Europe. The antennas will be used to support Newtec's construction of a new broadcast distribution net ... more		Robotic fish aids understanding of how animals move The weakly electric black ghost knifefish of the Amazon basin has inspired Northwestern University's Malcolm MacIver and an interdisciplinary team of researchers to develop agile fish robots that co ... more		Making nanoelectronics last longer for medical devices, 'cyborgs' The debut of cyborgs who are part human and part machine may be a long way off, but researchers say they now may be getting closer. In a study published in ACS' journal Nano Letters, they repo ... more

How quantum computers can be validated when solving unsolvable problems

Neutrinovoltaic master formula published as pathway to scalable clean energy

Boeing defense workers reject deal to end strike

Lighter engines a headache for satellite launcher Ariane		Giant leap for nuclear fusion as lasers blast new route to ultimate energy source		ILS Proton Successfully Launches TURKSAT-4A for Turksat		Another Vega launcher for Arianespace takes shape at the Spaceport		The World Above and Beyond
NASA Welcomes University Participants to Develop Science Payloads		An Early 2014 Surprise - Arianespace Needs More Money		Inside astronaut Alexander's head		Responding to Potential Asteroid Redirect Mission Targets		Chang'e-2 lunar probe travels 70 mln km

Robotic construction crew needs no foreman

New system combines control programs so fleets of robots can collaborate

NASA Tests New Technologies for Robotic Refueling

What's up, Yutu

Space junk endangers mankind's usual course of life

Boeing Commercial Crew Program Passes NASA Hardware, Software Reviews

Is truth stranger than fiction? Yes, especially for science fiction

NASA, International Space Station Partners Announce Future Crew Members

LADEE Sends Its First Images of the Moon Back to Earth

Mars Rover Heads Uphill After Solving 'Doughnut' Riddle

Airbus Defence and Space wins new ESA contract for Ariane 6

MIT robot may accelerate trials for stroke medications

Russian-European spacecraft to go on Martian mission in Jan 2016

ASU Mars camera to get new views of Red Planet

ORBITEC Supports NASA Kennedys Advanced Plant Habitat for ISS

Calculated Risks: How Radiation Rules Mars Exploration

'Pinnacle Island' Rock Studies Continue

NASA Moves Longest-Serving Mars Spacecraft for New Observations

Scientists develop 'friendly' robot to improve human-android bond

NASA Mars Orbiters See Clues to Possible Water Flows

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