Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News

December 17, 2015

Cassini gets bull's eye view of Enceladus and Tethys
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 17, 2015
Like a cosmic bull's-eye, Enceladus and Tethys line up almost perfectly for Cassini's cameras. Since the two moons are not only aligned, but also at relatively similar distances from Cassini, the apparent sizes in this image are a good approximation of the relative sizes of Enceladus (313 miles or 504 kilometers across) and Tethys (660 miles or 1,062 kilometers across). This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from 0.34 degrees below the ring plane. The image was taken in red lig ... read more

Previous Issues

Dec 16

Dec 15

Dec 14

Dec 13

Dec 12

NASA: Asteroid to pass by Earth on Christmas Eve That's not Rudolph's nose, it's just a giant rock hurtling through space. NASA scientists calculate that asteroid 163899, also known as 2003 SD220, will make its closest approach to Earth on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2015. ... more		Exoplanets Water Mystery Solved A survey of 10 hot, Jupiter-sized exoplanets conducted with NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes has led a team to solve a long-standing mystery - why some of these worlds seem to have less wa ... more		Study finds evidence for more recent clay formation on Mars Recent orbital and rover missions to Mars have turned up ample evidence of clays and other hydrated minerals formed when rocks are altered by the presence of water. Most of that alteration is though ... more
				Mystery of missing exoplanet water solved Astronomers from the University of Exeter have helped shed light on the atmospheres of a group of planets which orbit stars outside our solar system, known as exoplanets. Exeter academics led ... more		Japan asteroid probe enters 'target orbit' in space quest A Japanese space probe successfully entered "target orbit" and is on its way to rendezvousing with a far away asteroid, in a quest to study the origin of the solar system, authorities said Monday. ... more

Hubble reveals diversity of exoplanet atmosphere Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope to study the atmospheres of ten hot, Jupiter-sized exoplanets in detail, the largest number of such pla ... more		Hayabusa2 Earth Swing-by Result The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) confirmed that the Asteroid Explorer "Hayabusa2" is cruising on its target orbit after measuring and calc ... more		U.S. defense in free fall U.S. and Saudis conduct Middle East's largest counter-drone exercise Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign mutual defense pact		Twin civilisations? How life on an exoplanet could spread to its neighbour Imagine two nearby exoplanets orbiting the same sun, each with its own indigenous civilisation. They're going through history either as companionable neighbours or deadly rivals. This is a familiar ... more
				SSL selected for NASA project to develop robotic on-orbit satellite assembly Space Systems Loral has been selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for a multi-million dollar contract to develop on-orbit robotic satellite assembly technology. ... more		Satellite's Last Days Improve Orbital Decay Predictions Scientists are learning more about how the upper atmosphere and ionosphere affect space satellites as well as communications and navigation here on Earth, thanks to new data from a U.S. Air Force sa ... more

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

Digital Globe to use Raytheon's Constellation Scheduling System Raytheon has been selected by the high-resolution Earth imagery company, DigitalGlobe, Inc., to develop the capability to support a September 2016 launch and mission planning of DigitalGlobe's World ... more		Tech titans pledge $1 bn for artificial intelligence research Several big-name Silicon Valley figures have pledged $1 billion to support a non-profit firm that on Friday said it would focus on the "positive human impact" of artificial intelligence. ... more		Fossil fuels harm health from 'cradle to grave': report Trash, mulch and security: All jobs for troops in Washington Rising oceans to threaten 1.5 million Australians by 2050: report		Time-resolved measurement of the anomalous velocity The movement of charge carriers perpendicular to an electric driving field - even without a magnetic field - constitutes one of the most intriguing properties of carriers in solids. This anoma ... more
Huge organs defy austerity for tiny cave snails in the subterranean realm While most of the knowledge about tiny snails comes from studying empty shells sifted out from piles of dust and sand, the present research is the first contemporary microscopic exploration of organ ... more		Curiosity reaches sand dunes NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has begun an up-close investigation of dark sand dunes up to two stories tall. The dunes are on the rover's trek up the lower portion of a layered Martian mountain. ... more		Opportunity on west rim of Endeavour Crater within Marathon Valley The rover is positioned on steep, north-facing slopes for improved solar array energy production. On Sol 4202 (Nov. 19. 2105), the robotic arm was raised so Panoramic Camera (Pancam) color images co ... more		Computing with time travel Why send a message back in time, but lock it so that no one can ever read the contents? Because it may be the key to solving currently intractable problems. That's the claim of an international coll ... more

	No extraterrestrial laser pulses detected from KIC 8462852 The anomalous star KIC 8462852 has baffled astronomers with its erratic dimming, causing some to speculate that it's orbited by a massive structure built by an extraterrestrial civilization. To help ... more		Pluto's close-up, now in color This enhanced color mosaic combines some of the sharpest views of Pluto that NASA's New Horizons spacecraft obtained during its July 14 flyby. The pictures are part of a sequence taken near New Hori ... more

EU to fast-track review of 2035 combustion-engine ban

Norway sovereign wealth fund drops French miner over environmental fears

EU split on 2040 climate goal ahead of UN summit

NASA's Curiosity rover reaches Martian sand dunes		Zooming in on Pluto's Pattern of Pits		Dwarf planet Ceres: water vapor in Occator crater		German physicists see landmark in nuclear fusion quest		China launches new communication satellite
XPRIZE verifies moon express launch contract, kicking off new space race		Student helps discover new planet, calculates frequency of Jupiter-like planets		Robot adds new twist to NIST antenna measurements and calibrations		New Horizons' catches a wandering Kuiper Belt Object not far off		New clues to Ceres' bright spots and origins

Prometheus up close about Saturn

Robot arm simulates close approach of ESA's asteroid mission

New Visualization of Space Environment at Pluto

UW roboticists learn to teach robots from babies

Peering Through Titan's Haze

Russia's Kanopus-ST Research Satellite Deorbited, Heading to Earth

New US space mining law to spark interplanetary gold rush

Space Debris - A Growth Industry?

Swimming devices could deliver drugs inside the body

Mars Mission Team Addressing Vacuum Leak on Key Science Instrument

Pluto surface details revealed in best images yet

British astronaut Tim Peake to run marathon from space

Letter to Mars? Royal Mail works it out for British boy, 5

What kinds of stars form rocky planets

Japan asteroid probe conducts 'Earth swing-by' in space quest

Dawn spiraling in towards Ceres

NASA team discover how water escapes from Saturn

Rotational movies of Pluto and Charon

Half of Kepler's giant exoplanet candidates are false positives

These are the robots you're looking for

Buy Advertising

Media Advertising Kit

Editorial & Other Enquiries

Privacy statement

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - 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 All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.