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September 08, 2014

How NASA's New Carbon Observatory Will Help Us Understand Alien Worlds
Moffet Field CA (SPX) Sep 08, 2014
On July 2, NASA successfully launched the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), a remote sensing satellite on a mission to precisely measure carbon dioxide levels in our planet's atmosphere. As a bonus OCO-2 will also help prepare us for eventually probing the atmospheres of alien worlds in sharper detail. Why study carbon dioxide? This gas essentially serves as Earth's thermostat. As a "greenhouse gas," carbon dioxide absorbs radiation emitted by the planet's surface that would otherwise escape ... read more

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Robots do battle over Mars exploration Robots built to traverse the rugged terrain of Mars battled it out in Poland on Friday in a competition to find the best way to explore the Red Planet. ... more		World's Largest Spacecraft Welding Tool for Space Launch System Completed NASA's new Vertical Assembly Center (VAC), a 170-foot-high marvel of machinery that will be used to assemble elements of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS), now is complete and ready to weld par ... more		Geopolitical Tensions Not to Affect ISS Cooperation The current geopolitical situation will not interfere with the joint work of Russian and American astronauts, ISS crew members told journalists on Friday. "We carry out work that is necessary ... more
				Station Trio Preps for Departure as Expedition 40 Nears End As the Expedition 40 crew members head into their final weekend together aboard the International Space Station, the six astronauts and cosmonauts spent Friday preparing for the arrival of a cargo c ... more		Dot Against the Dark As if trying to get our attention, Mimas is positioned against the shadow of Saturn's rings, bright on dark. As we near summer in Saturn's northern hemisphere, the rings cast ever larger shadows on ... more

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

More Than Meets the Eye: NASA Scientists Listen to Data Robert Alexander spends parts of his day listening to a soft white noise, similar to water falling on the outside of a house during a rainstorm. Every once in a while, he hears an anomalous sound an ... more		DNA May Have Had Humble Beginnings As Nutrient Carrier New research intriguingly suggests that DNA, the genetic information carrier for humans and other complex life, might have had a rather humbler origin. In some microbes, a study shows, DNA pulls dou ... more		Sidekick autonomy software guides YFQ-42A test mission for CCA program Infleqtion lists shares on NYSE as neutral atom quantum firm Top Chinese gaming companies continue to challenge		China launches two satellites via one rocket A Long March-2D carrier rocket carrying Chuangxin-1-04 flies in the sky at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gansu Province, Sept. 4, 2014. China successfully launched t ... more
				Small Asteroid to Safely Pass Close to Earth Sunday A small asteroid, designated 2014 RC, will safely pass very close to Earth on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014. At the time of closest approach, based on current calculations to be about 2:18 p.m. EDT (11:18 a ... more		Expedition 40 Heads Into Final Week on ISS Biomedical research and preparations for the departure of three crew members were the focus of activities Wednesday aboard the International Space Station as the six Expedition 40 astronauts and cos ... more

Startup in the Land of the Rising Sun; A Japanese Solar Venture - by Bradley L. Bartz

Robotic Satellite-Servicing Capabilities in Geostationary Earth Orbit An increasing number of expensive, mission-critical satellites are launched every year into geostationary Earth orbit (GEO), approximately 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) above the Earth. Unlike ob ... more		China Sends Life to Moon Later this year, China will launch a spacecraft to the Moon and back. A scale replica of the Shenzhou astronaut capsule will be carried atop a boxy spacecraft based on the Chang'e lunar orbiter, and ... more		Solar-driven ionosphere charges may nudge stressed faults toward rupture Stable black carbon in mangrove soils boosts coastal climate role Low crystallinity iron minerals show promise for chromium cleanup and carbon storage		3-D Printer Could Turn Space Station into 'Machine Shop' Riddle: It's the size of a small microwave, and it may alleviate the need for NASA astronauts to wait for resupply ships to arrive at the International Space Station to get some essential items. ... more
DARPA issues RFI for robotic space services for satellites The U.S. military is looking for space robotic services for critical satellites in geostationary Earth orbit. ... more		Mitsubishi Electric Ready to Deliver Himawari-8 to Tanegashima Mitsubishi Electric has announced that it has completed work on the Himawari-8 satellite, the next-generation geostationary meteorological satellite based on a contract awarded by the Japan Meteorol ... more		Titan's subsurface reservoirs modify methane rainfall The international Cassini mission has revealed hundreds of lakes and seas spread across the icy surface of Saturn's moon Titan, mostly in its polar regions. These lakes are filled not with water but ... more		Science and Departure Preps for Station Crew Expedition 40 Commander Steve Swanson of NASA and his team of five flight engineers tackled a range of science experiments and supported an upgrade of the International Space Station's computers Tue ... more

	NASA Invites Public to Submit Messages for Asteroid Mission Time Capsule NASA is inviting the worldwide public to submit short messages and images on social media that could be placed in a time capsule aboard a spacecraft launching to an asteroid in 2016. Called th ... more		Russia's Space Geckos Die Due to Technical Glitch Two Days Before Landing The five geckos onboard Russia's Foton-M4 satellite died simultaneously two days before landing because of a technical malfunction, the head of the experiment, Sergei Savelyev, told RIA Novosti Tues ... more

AALTO plans Zephyr stratospheric hub in northern Australia and seeks local payload partners

Ancient guano drove Chincha coastal power

UAH lands first DARPA award for biological sciences department

Russian, US Scientists to Prepare Astronauts for Extreme Situations in Space		Aurora Season Has Started		Russia May Continue ISS Work Beyond 2020		Russia Considers Meteor Impact Prevention Project		Singapore launches world's first ZigBee inter-satellite comms system
Magal introducing RoboGuard security system in Israel		Japan space agency unveils asteroid hunting probe		Opportunity Flash-Memory Reformat Planned		Sparks Fly as NASA Pushes the Limits of 3-D Printing Technology		NASA's Spitzer Telescope Witnesses Asteroid Smashup

NASA Wrapping Up Acoustic Testing for Space Launch System

Memory Reformat Planned for Opportunity Mars Rover

'Robo Brain' will teach robots everything from the Internet

NASA deep-space rocket, SLS, to launch in 2018

US Space Debris Tracking Site To Be Build In Western Australia

Russian Military plans switch to Soyuz, Angara launchers From 2016

Robonaut Gets New Legs as Trio Prepares for Homecoming

Orion Rocks! Pebble-Size Particles May Jump-Start Planet Formation

Scientist uncovers red planet's climate history in unique meteorite

A Salty, Martian Meteorite Offers Clues to Habitability

China Aims for the Moon, Plans to Bring Back Lunar Soil

NASA Completes Review of Powerful New Rocket

Hot-spring bacteria reveal ability to use far-red light for photosynthesis

Regulating Asteroid Mining

New Horizons Crosses Neptune Orbit On Route To First Pluto Flyby

Opportunity Mars Rover Suffers a Series of Resets

Same-beam VLBI Tech monitors Chang'E-3 movement on moon

How Titan's Haze Help Us Understand Life's Origins

New EIAST Primary Sat Fab Facilities Ready Soon

Electric Sparks May Alter Evolution of Lunar Soil

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