Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
December 30, 2016
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ROBO SPACE
Avatar-style S. Korean manned robot takes first baby steps



Gunpo, South Korea (AFP) Dec 27, 2016
A giant South Korean-built manned robot that walks like a human but makes the ground shake under its weight has taken its first baby steps. Designed by a veteran of science fiction blockbusters, the four-metre-tall (13-foot), 1.5 ton Method-2 towers over a room on the outskirts of Seoul. The hulking human-like creation bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie "Avatar". It is claimed as a world first by its creators at Hankook Mirae Technology, a South Korean ... read more

TECH SPACE
Russian static discharge measure unit to prolong satellite equipment lifespan
The Russian Space Systems holding, which belongs to the state-run Roscosmos space corporation, has created a new miniature electrostatic discharge measurement unit that can help extend the lifespan ... more
TIME AND SPACE
JILA atomic clock mimics long-sought synthetic magnetic state
Using their advanced atomic clock to mimic other desirable quantum systems, JILA physicists have caused atoms in a gas to behave as if they possess unusual magnetic properties long sought in harder- ... more
MOON DAILY
China plans probes to far side, poles of Moon
China is planning missions to explore the far side of the Moon and to send robots to explore both lunar poles. Plans to send astronauts to the Moon are also being discussed, according to Wu Ya ... more
DRAGON SPACE
China Plans to Launch 1st Mars Probe by 2020 - State Council Information Office
China is planning to conduct the first orbiting and roving exploration of Mars by 2020, the country's State Council Information Office (SCIO) said Tuesday in a report. "China intends to execut ... more
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DRAGON SPACE
China sees rapid development of space science and technology
China's space industry has witnessed rapid progress since 2011, said a white paper issued Tuesday by the State Council Information Office. The white paper, titled "China's Space Activities in ... more
DRAGON SPACE
China to expand int'l cooperation on space sciences
China on Tuesday issued a white paper summarizing international cooperation on space sciences since 2011 and the key areas for further cooperation in the next five years. The white paper issue ... more
TIME AND SPACE
Saudi Arabia Adopts Western Calendar
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has taken a near 600-year leap into modernity. The second deputy crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, has announced that the kingdom will transition ... more
OUTER PLANETS
Exploring Pluto and the Wild Back Yonder
As 2016 ends, I can't help but point out an interesting symmetry in where the mission has recently been and where we are going. Exactly two years ago we had just taken New Horizons out of cruise hib ... more
TIME AND SPACE
Stretching time to improve extreme event prediction
Stretching time scales to explore extreme events in nature seemed impossible, yet this feat is now conceivable thanks to a team from the Institut FEMTO-ST (CNRS/UFC/UTBM/ENSMM), which used an innova ... more


PANIC Lander to Revolutionize Asteroid Research

MARSDAILY
Small Troughs Growing on Mars May Become 'Spiders'
Erosion-carved troughs that grow and branch during multiple Martian years may be infant versions of larger features known as Martian "spiders," which are radially patterned channels found only in th ... more
EXO WORLDS
Searching a sea of 'noise' to find exoplanets - using only data as a guide
Yale researchers have found a data-driven way to detect distant planets and refine the search for worlds similar to Earth. The new approach, outlined in a study published Dec. 20 in The Astron ... more


Russia to face strong competition from China in space launch market
In the decade to come Russia will face strong competition from China for the commercial launch of satellites for developing countries, according to Ivan Moiseev, director of the Institute of Space Policy."China is trying to expand its space launching services, developing new boosters for different segments of the market," Moiseev told RIA Novosti. "It has constructed a new spacecraft launc ... more
Vega And Gokturk-1A are present for next Arianespace lightweight mission

Antares Rides Again

Four Galileo satellites are "topped off" for Arianespace's milestone Ariane 5 launch from the Spaceport

Small Troughs Growing on Mars May Become 'Spiders'
Erosion-carved troughs that grow and branch during multiple Martian years may be infant versions of larger features known as Martian "spiders," which are radially patterned channels found only in the south polar region of Mars. Researchers using NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) report the first detection of cumulative growth, from one Martian spring to another, of channels resultin ... more
All eyes on Trump over Mars

Opportunity performs several drives to ancient gully

Full go-ahead for building ExoMars 2020

China plans probes to far side, poles of Moon
China is planning missions to explore the far side of the Moon and to send robots to explore both lunar poles. Plans to send astronauts to the Moon are also being discussed, according to Wu Yanhua, vice director of the China National Space Administration. Wu told a press conference on Tuesday that work on the Chang'e-5 lunar mission, scheduled to make a soft landing on the Moon and r ... more
Lunar sonic booms

India Inc joins hands to bid for moon mission

TeamIndus signs contract with ISRO for lunar mission

Exploring Pluto and the Wild Back Yonder
As 2016 ends, I can't help but point out an interesting symmetry in where the mission has recently been and where we are going. Exactly two years ago we had just taken New Horizons out of cruise hibernation to begin preparations for the Pluto flyby. And exactly two years from now we will be on final approach to our next flyby, which will culminate with a very close approach to a small Kuiper Bel ... more
Juno Captures Jupiter 'Pearl'

Juno Mission Prepares for December 11 Jupiter Flyby

Research Offers Clues About the Timing of Jupiter's Formation



Microlensing Study Suggests Most Common Outer Planets Likely Neptune-mass
A new statistical study of planets found by a technique called gravitational microlensing suggests that Neptune-mass worlds are likely the most common type of planet to form in the icy outer realms of planetary systems. The study provides the first indication of the types of planets waiting to be found far from a host star, where scientists suspect planets form most efficiently. "We've fou ... more
Searching a sea of 'noise' to find exoplanets - using only data as a guide

The blob can learn and teach

Exciting new creatures discovered on ocean floor

Europe and Russia looking at Space Tug Project
Europe's largest aerospace group Airbus Defence and Space (Airbus DS) plans to help the Russian Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia in the practical implementation of a project to create a space tug, head of Airbus DS in Russia Vladimir Terekhov said. According to him, the prospective space tug can be used in commercial aeronautics, and its creation could change scheme of launching, ... more
United Launch Alliance launches EchoStar XIX satellite

India to develop large scale solid fuel mixer

New round of wind tunnel tests underway for bigger SLS version



China Plans to Launch 1st Mars Probe by 2020 - State Council Information Office
China is planning to conduct the first orbiting and roving exploration of Mars by 2020, the country's State Council Information Office (SCIO) said Tuesday in a report. "China intends to execute its first Mars exploration operation, and grasp key technologies for orbiting, landing and roving exploration. It plans to launch the first Mars probe by 2020 to carry out orbiting and roving explor ... more
China to expand int'l cooperation on space sciences

China sees rapid development of space science and technology

Chinese missile giant seeks 20% of a satellite market

PANIC Lander to Revolutionize Asteroid Research
A US-German team of researchers has proposed to develop a micro-scale low-cost surface lander for the in situ characterization of an asteroid. The tiny spacecraft, called the Pico Autonomous Near-Earth Asteroid In Situ Characterizer (PANIC), could be a breakthrough for the scientific community, offering simple and cheap solutions for asteroid research. The concept of the PANIC mission envi ... more
The case of the missing diamonds

Ceres Offers Insight Into Prospects For Life in Early Solar System

Studies refute hypothesis on what caused abrupt climate change thousands of years ago



Northrop Grumman to develop next-gen fighter laser system
Northrop Grumman will help the U.S. Air Force to develop a directed energy laser system that will offer self-protection for the service's next-generation jets, the company announced Wednesday. The work, under an Air Force Research Laboratory contract, will see Northrop Grumman develop and produce the beam control piece of an airborne laser weapon demonstration array that the laboratory ... more
UK to start laser gun program

Russia's Ray Guns: The Military Capability of Moscow's Secret Laser Weapons

Lockheed Martin receives $1.4 billion for Patriot missile sales
Lockheed Martin has received a $1.4 billion foreign military sales contract for Patriot advanced capability production. The contract supports the sale of 205 missile segment enhancements for the governments of South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. The agreement also includes associated ground support equipment for the missiles. ... more
U.S. Air Force approves Lockheed Martin's SBIRS ground system

Raytheon to provide Patriot missile capability for undisclosed country

Saudis intercept missile fired from Yemen



Cassini offers a crash course in ring world orbital mechanics
It may look as though Saturn's moon Mimas is crashing through the rings in this image taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, but Mimas is actually 28,000 miles (45,000 kilometers) away from the rings. There is a strong connection between the icy moon and Saturn's rings, though. Gravity links them together and shapes the way they both move. The gravitational pull of Mimas (246 miles or 396 kil ... more
Saturn's bulging core implies moons younger than thought

Cassini Makes First Ring-Grazing Plunge

Cassini Beams Back First Images from New Orbit

Going green with nanotechnology
Nanotechnology offers many chances to benefit the environment and health. It can be applied to save raw materials and energy, develop enhanced solar cells and more efficient rechargeable batteries and replace harmful substances with eco-compatible solutions. "Nanotechnology is a seminal technology. The UMWELTnanoTECH project association has delivered excellent results. Even the smallest ac ... more
Nanocubes simplify printing and imaging in color and infrared

New aspect of atom mimicry for nanotechnology applications

ANU demonstrates 'ghost imaging' with atoms



MIT researchers reveal new technique for measuring gravity
Researchers have found a way to improve atom interferometers, the most common and precise tool for measuring gravity. Atom interferometers measure difference in wave characteristics between atomic matter. They rely on an exotic state of matter called Bose-Einstein condensates. Researchers in MIT have found a way to improve the precision of atom interferometers by augmenting the condensa ... more
A population of neutron stars can generate gravitational waves continuously

LISA Pathfinder's pioneering mission continues

Magnetic mirror could shed new light on gravitational waves

ALPHA observes light spectrum of antimatter for first time
In a paper published in the journal Nature, the ALPHA collaboration reports the first ever measurement on the optical spectrum of an antimatter atom. This achievement features technological developments that open up a completely new era in high-precision antimatter research. It is the result of over 20 years of work by the CERN antimatter community. "Using a laser to observe a transition i ... more
ALPHA observes light spectrum of antimatter for first time

Existence of a short-lived tetraneutron predicted

Saudi Arabia Adopts Western Calendar

Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

Avatar-style S. Korean manned robot takes first baby steps
A giant South Korean-built manned robot that walks like a human but makes the ground shake under its weight has taken its first baby steps. Designed by a veteran of science fiction blockbusters, the four-metre-tall (13-foot), 1.5 ton Method-2 towers over a room on the outskirts of Seoul. The hulking human-like creation bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the m ... more
Mimicking biological movements with soft robots

Marriage and more with robots: science fiction or new reality?

NIST device for detecting subatomic-scale motion may aid robotics, homeland security

Ford studies using drones to guide self-driving cars
Ford Motor Co. is studying a system to use drones to help guide self-driving vehicles, including on off-road adventures, company officials said. Drones launched from an autonomous vehicle would help guide it by mapping the surrounding area beyond what the car's sensors can detect. Vehicle passengers can control the drone using the car's infotainment or navigation system. "At some point, ... more
General Atomics to perform Reaper, Predator support services

Britain, France continue drone development project

Bird-like drone uses feathers for a more precise flight path



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