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December 28, 2015

Asteroid 2003 SD220 Sleighs by Earth on Christmas Eve
Arecibo Puerto Rico (SPX) Dec 28, 2015
During the month of December, the Planetary Radar Group at Arecibo Observatory has observed near-Earth asteroid (NEA) 2003 SD220, which will have its closest approach to Earth on December 24. Although designated as "potentially hazardous," this asteroid will be 28 times further away than our Moon and therefore poses no present danger to Earth. There is neither chance of impact nor any other effects due to its flyby despite unfounded predictions from online media. The NASA-funded planetary ra ... read more

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Boulders on a Martian Landslide The striking feature in this image, acquired by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on March 19, 2014, is a boulder-covered landslide ... more		Reducing Tics in the Tocks of Atomic Clocks One of the greatest episodes in the history of clockmaking unfolded over three decades during the 18th century in response to a government challenge to overcome a daunting and often deadly problem: ... more		Teaching machines to see Two newly-developed systems for driverless cars can identify a user's location and orientation in places where GPS does not function, and identify the various components of a road scene in real time ... more
				Ringing in a new way to measure and modulate trapped light Researchers working at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a novel way to noninvasively measure and map how and where trapped light vibrates within microscale op ... more		Lowdown on Ceres: Images From Dawn's Closest Orbit NASA's Dawn spacecraft, cruising in its lowest and final orbit at dwarf planet Ceres, has delivered the first images from its best-ever viewpoint. The new images showcase details of the cratered and ... more

Dwarf planet Ceres: water vapor in Occator crater When the Sun shines into the Occator crater on the surface of the dwarf planet Ceres, a kind of thin haze appears above its brightest spot. This can be seen in images taken by the camera system aboa ... more		Chinese rover analyzes moon rocks: First new 'ground truth' in 40 years In 2013, Chang'e-3, an unmanned lunar mission, touched down on the northern part of the Imbrium basin, one of the most prominent of the lava-filled impact basins visible from Earth. It was a b ... 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		NASA offers sneak peak at Christmas Eve asteroid New images, shared Wednesday by NASA, showcase the size and shape of the Christmas Eve asteroid - the highest resolution images to date. ... more
				NASA suspends March launch of InSight mission to Mars NASA has suspended the March 2016 launch of its InSight mission to Mars because of problems with a key scientific component, the US space agency said Tuesday. The lander was set to delve deep ... more		University researchers test prototype spacesuits at Kennedy The spacesuits astronauts will wear while exploring the surface of Mars will protect the person inside, supply air and water, and be flexible enough that astronauts can dig samples and do the other ... more

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

Marshall: Advancing the technology for NASA's Journey to Mars From making rocket engines roar to analyzing the first 3-D printed parts created on the space station and developing new technologies, 2015 was a year of discovery and progress as the team at NASA's ... more		Opportunity positioned on steeper slopes for another Martian winter Opportunity is inside "Marathon Valley" on the west rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover is positioned on steep slopes for improved solar array energy production. The near-term object is to position t ... 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		Scientists produce 50 grams of plutonium-238 For the first time 30 years, federal scientists have produced plutonium-238. ... more
Magnetic nanoparticle chains offer new technique for controlling soft robots Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a technique for using chains of magnetic nanoparticles to manipulate elastic polymers in three dimensions, which could be used to remo ... more		Martian gullies likely contain 'no water': study Months after scientists announced "the strongest evidence yet" of liquid water on Mars, a study Monday said there was none at least in the valleys carved into numerous Red Planet slopes. ... more		Cassini Completes Final Close Enceladus Flyby NASA's Cassini spacecraft has begun transmitting data and images from the mission's final close flyby of Saturn's active moon Enceladus. Cassini passed Enceladus at a distance of 3,106 miles (4,999 ... more		Insight shipped to California for March launch to Mars NASA's next Mars spacecraft has arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, for final preparations before a launch scheduled in March 2016 and a landing on Mars six months later. Lockhee ... more

	Israel's Amos-5 Satellite Failure Caused by Power Supply Malfunction Israel's AMOS-5 satellite failed as a result of a problem either with the power supply or an onboard cable network due to the external impact of high-energy cosmic particles, the manufacture of the ... more		Rare full moon on Christmas Day Not since 1977 has a full moon dawned in the skies on Christmas. But this year, a bright full moon will be an added gift for the holidays. December's full moon, the last of the year, is called ... 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

LADEE Mission Shows Force of Meteoroid Strikes on Lunar Exosphere		Cassini Closes in on Enceladus, One Last Time		New Horizons team releases detailed slice of Pluto		Nearby star hosts closest alien planet in the 'habitable zone'		Canada delivers Laser Altimeter for OSIRIS-REx spacecraft integration
Asteroid WT24 looks even better second time around		ALMA reveals planetary construction sites		Rocks Rich in Silica Present Puzzles for Mars Rover Team		New Mars rover findings revealed at American Geophysical Union Conference		Opportunity performs a week of robotic arm at Marathon Valley

Monster planet is 'dancing with the stars'

Agreement with Chinese Space Tech Lab Will Advance Exploration Goals

Time-resolved measurement of the anomalous velocity

Cassini gets bull's eye view of Enceladus and Tethys

Twin civilisations? How life on an exoplanet could spread to its neighbour

Scientists teach machines to learn like humans

SSL selected for NASA project to develop robotic on-orbit satellite assembly

NASA: Asteroid to pass by Earth on Christmas Eve

Exoplanets Water Mystery Solved

Satellite's Last Days Improve Orbital Decay Predictions

Huge organs defy austerity for tiny cave snails in the subterranean realm

Mystery of missing exoplanet water solved

Hubble reveals diversity of exoplanet atmosphere

Study finds evidence for more recent clay formation on Mars

Hayabusa2 Earth Swing-by Result

Digital Globe to use Raytheon's Constellation Scheduling System

Tech titans pledge $1 bn for artificial intelligence research

Curiosity reaches sand dunes

Opportunity on west rim of Endeavour Crater within Marathon Valley

Japan asteroid probe enters 'target orbit' in space quest

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