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NASA image showcases Ceres mountain named for Kwanzaa![]() Washington (UPI) Dec 28, 2017 NASA honored Kwanzaa this week with an image of a mountain on the dwarf planet Ceres named for the African-American holiday, which is celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the Swahili phrase meaning "first fruits of the harvest." Kwanzaa Tholus - the mountain - is oblong, measuring 22 by 12 miles. It rises two miles above the surrounding terrain, but its slope is gradual, making it difficult to pick out in the natural color image. A second image, co ... read more  | 
 
Scientists engineer 3D shapes from living tissueWashington (UPI) Dec 28, 2017 Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco have developed a technique for creating 3D shapes out of living tissue. ... more  
A particle like slow lightVienna, Austria (SPX) Dec 28, 2017 There was great excitement back in 2015, when it was first possible to measure these 'Weyl fermions' - outlandish, massless particles that had been predicted almost 90 years earlier by German mathem ... more  
Scientists describe how solar system could have formed in bubble around giant starChicago IL (SPX) Dec 28, 2017 Despite the many impressive discoveries humans have made about the universe, scientists are still unsure about the birth story of our solar system. Scientists with the University of Chicago ha ... more  
Quantum noise reduction method for enhanced precision in atomic clocksWashington DC (SPX) Dec 28, 2017 Noise: it affects us all by distracting us. Noise also occurs at the quantum scale and can e.g. interfere with the measurements of atomic fountain clocks or with quantum information processing. ... more  | 
 
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'Winking' star 550 light-years away may be devouring wrecked planetsLos Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 28, 2017 A team of U.S. astronomers including UCLA's Benjamin Zuckerman has found evidence suggesting that the strange, unpredictable dimming of a star 550 light-years away may be caused by vast orbiting clo ... more  
Mars: Not as dry as it seemsOxford UK (SPX) Dec 27, 2017 When searching for life, scientists first look for an element key to sustaining it: fresh water. Although today's Martian surface is barren, frozen and inhabitable, a trail of evidence points ... more  
Mars' surface water - the truth is out thereVancouver, Canada (SPX) Dec 27, 2017 An international study co-led by SFU researcher Brendan Dyck has revealed that the sun may not have evaporated away all of Mars' surface water after all. Instead, the surface water on Mars was absor ... more  
Opportunity takes extensive imagery to decide where to go nextPasadena CA (JPL) Dec 26, 2017 Opportunity is continuing her winter exploration of "Perseverance Valley" on the west rim of Endeavour Crater. The rover is positioned upstream of a fork in the flow channels. The team is coll ... more  
Development on muon beam analysis of organic matter in samples from spaceOsaka, Japan (SPX) Dec 27, 2017 Muon has much higher transmissivity than electrons and X-rays. This feature of muon has enabled us to see through volcanoes, pyramids, and nuclear reactors with cosmic-ray induced natural muons. The ... more  
China solicits messages to be sent to moonBeijing (XNA) Dec 26, 2017 China will solicit 20,000 messages which will be sent into space by a relay satellite for the Chang'e-4 lunar probe, according to China's Lunar and Deep Space Exploration Center. The relay sat ... more  | 
![]() Arecibo radar returns with asteroid Phaethon images  
Genes in Space-3 successfully identifies unknown microbes in spaceHouston TX (SPX) Dec 27, 2017 Being able to identify microbes in real time aboard the International Space Station, without having to send them back to Earth for identification first, would be revolutionary for the world of micro ... more  
Ancient fossil microorganisms indicate that life in the universe is commonLos Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 27, 2017 A new analysis of the oldest known fossil microorganisms provides strong evidence to support an increasingly widespread understanding that life in the universe is common. The microorganisms, f ... more  
Powerful new tool for looking for life beyond EarthWashington DC (SPX) Dec 27, 2017 NASA has developed an innovative new spectroscopy instrument to aid the search for extraterrestrial life. The new instrument is designed to detect compounds and minerals associated with biological a ... more  
NASA picks Cornell-led astrobiology science mission as finalistIthica NY (SPX) Dec 27, 2017 Cornell astronomers' exploration of the solar system just got a major boost: Two faculty members will play critical roles in one of the two final concepts that NASA has selected for a robotic missio ... more  | 
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 Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 26, 2017  
Opportunity is continuing her winter exploration of "Perseverance Valley" on the west rim of Endeavour Crater. 
The rover is positioned upstream of a fork in the flow channels. The team is collecting imagery to decide which fork, the north fork or the south fork, to explore next. To support that decision, extensive imagery is being collected on almost every sol. 
On Sol 4941 (Dec. 17,  ... more Oxford UK (SPX) Dec 27, 2017Mars: Not as dry as it seems  Vancouver, Canada (SPX) Dec 27, 2017Mars' surface water - the truth is out there  Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 22, 2017Mars Mission Sheds Light on Habitability of Distant Planets  | 
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 Beijing (XNA) Dec 26, 2017  
China will solicit 20,000 messages which will be sent into space by a relay satellite for the Chang'e-4 lunar probe, according to China's Lunar and Deep Space Exploration Center. 
The relay satellite will be launched in the first half of 2018 and Chang'e-4 lunar probe in the latter half of next year, according to the center affiliated with the China National Space Administration. 
Peop ... more Rome (SPX) Dec 17, 2017Thales Alenia Space signs 3 contracts for NASA's deep space exploration  Miami (AFP) Dec 14, 2017Will Trump send Americans to the Moon? Money talks: experts  Dallas TX (SPX) Dec 13, 2017Researchers analyze thousands of hours of Apollo mission audio  | 
 Washington (UPI) Dec 19, 2017  
 Scientists can finally explain why Jupiter's jet stream regularly reverses course - like clockwork. The revelation could help scientists better understand similar equatorial jet stream oscillations found on Earth and Saturn. 
 The latest research - published this week in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Planets - reveals that gravity waves are the primary driver of the reversal of J ... more Laurel MD (SPX) Dec 11, 2017New Horizons Corrects Its Course in the Kuiper Belt  Laurel MD (SPX) Dec 13, 2017Does New Horizons' Next Target Have a Moon?  Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 13, 2017Juno probes the depths of Jupiter's Great Red Spot  | 
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 Austin TX (SPX) Dec 22, 2017  
The discovery of an eighth planet circling the distant star Kepler-90 by University of Texas at Austin astronomer Andrew Vanderburg and Google's Christopher Shallue overturns our solar system's status as having the highest number of known planets. We're now in a tie. 
The newly discovered Kepler-90i - a sizzling hot, rocky planet orbiting its star once every 14.4 days - was found using comp ... more Houston TX (SPX) Dec 27, 2017Genes in Space-3 successfully identifies unknown microbes in space  Washington DC (SPX) Dec 27, 2017Powerful new tool for looking for life beyond Earth  Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 27, 2017Ancient fossil microorganisms indicate that life in the universe is common  | 
 Beijing (Sputnik) Dec 29, 2017  
The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force has conducted two flight tests of a new ballistic missile attached to a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), US officials confirmed in a recent intelligence assessment. 
The two DF-17 ballistic missile tests occurred November 1 and November 15, respectively, a US official briefed on the intelligence assessment told the Diplomat on December 28. The Novemb ... more Stennis Space Center MS (SPX) Dec 22, 2017NASA Conducts Final RS-25 Rocket Engine Test of 2017  Los Angeles CA (Sputnik) Dec 28, 2017One Small Step: Massive Stratolaunch Aircraft Conducts First Taxi Tests  Huntsville AL (SPX) Dec 27, 2017Space Launch System solid rocket booster avionics complete key testing  | 
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 Beijing (XNA) Nov 27, 2017  
China is now the world leader in remote sensing technologies for scientific purposes and is able to provide an unprecedented amount of data to support research and development for the world, officials said on Tuesday. 
Remote sensing refers to aerial or satellite-based technologies to detect and measure objects on Earth's surface, atmosphere and oceans. 
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Sci ... more Beijing (XNA) Nov 19, 2017China plans for nuclear-powered interplanetary capacity by 2040  Beijing (Sputnik) Nov 16, 2017China plans first sea based launch by 2018  Beijing (XNA) Nov 02, 2017China's reusable spacecraft to be launched in 2020  | 
 Osaka, Japan (SPX) Dec 27, 2017  
Muon has much higher transmissivity than electrons and X-rays. This feature of muon has enabled us to see through volcanoes, pyramids, and nuclear reactors with cosmic-ray induced natural muons. The artificial muon beam in acceleration facilities also has huge potential for material science. It has already been shown that the muon beam can look inside extraterrestrial samples. 
Recently, Os ... more Washington (UPI) Dec 28, 2017NASA image showcases Ceres mountain named for Kwanzaa  Washington DC (SPX) Dec 27, 2017Arecibo radar returns with asteroid Phaethon images  Belfast UK (SPX) Dec 19, 2017Alien object Oumuama is a natural body transiting our solar system  | 
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 Bothell WA (SPX) Nov 07, 2017  
The US Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) has awarded Lockheed Martin $26.3 million for the design, development and production of a high power fiber laser. AFRL plans to test the laser on a tactical fighter jet by 2021. 
The contract is part of AFRL's Self-protect High Energy Laser Demonstrator (SHiELD) program, and is a major step forward in the maturation of protective airborne laser systems.  ... more Sunnyvale CA (SPX) Oct 09, 2017Lockheed Martin developing technology to intercept missile threats with Directed Energy  White Sands Missile Range NM (SPX) Sep 21, 2017Upgraded Lockheed Martin Laser Outguns Threat in Half the Time  Washington (UPI) Sep 20, 2017ATHENA laser testbed system successfully shoots down drones  | 
 Washington (UPI) Dec 26, 2017  
 Lockheed Martin has been awarded a modified contract by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency that is more than triple its original value for production of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, missile defense system. 
 The contract, announced on Friday by the Pentagon, is worth more than $826.6 million under a modification to a previous contract in order to definitize the former c ... more Washington (UPI) Dec 28, 2017Lockheed awarded $102.5M for support of Navy's AEGIS system  Washington (AFP) Dec 26, 2017US sanctions two N.Koreans over ballistic missile program  Washington (UPI) Dec 18, 2017Lockheed Martin to support AEGIS system for Japanese self defense forces  | 
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 Leicester UK (SPX) Dec 21, 2017  
Immense northern storms on Saturn can disturb atmospheric patterns at the planet's equator, finds the international Cassini mission in a study led by Dr. Leigh Fletcher from the University of Leicester. 
This effect is also seen in Earth's atmosphere, suggesting the two planets are more alike than previously thought. 
Despite their considerable differences, the atmospheres of Earth, Ju ... more Uppsala, Sweden (SPX) Dec 14, 2017Electrical and Chemical Coupling Between Saturn and Its Ring  Washington (UPI) Nov 21, 2017Unique atmospheric chemistry explains cold vortex on Saturn's moon Titan  Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 22, 2017Cassini Image Mosaic: A Farewell to Saturn  | 
 Raleigh NC (SPX) Dec 27, 2017  
Researchers from North Carolina State University and MIT have found a simpler way to deposit magnetic iron oxide (magnetite) nanoparticles onto silica-coated gold nanorods, creating multifunctional nanoparticles with useful magnetic and optical properties. 
Gold nanorods have widespread potential applications because they have a surface plasmon resonance - meaning they can absorb and scatte ... more Edmonton, Canada (SPX) Dec 18, 2017Discovery sets new world standard in nano generators  Boston MA (SPX) Dec 14, 2017A 100-fold leap to GigaDalton DNA nanotech  Boston MA (SPX) Dec 07, 2017New nanowires are just a few atoms thick  | 
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 Vandenberg AFB CA (SPX) Dec 28, 2017  
A pair of advanced U.S./German Earth research satellites with some very big shoes to fill is now at California's Vandenberg Air Force Base to begin final preparations for launch next spring. 
Following a year-long test campaign by satellite manufacturer Airbus Defence and Space at IABG in Ottobrunn, near Munich, Germany, the twin Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO)  ... more Santa Barbara CA (SPX) Dec 28, 2017A New Window on the Universe  Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 18, 2017Sierras lost water weight, grew taller during drought  Mainz, Germany (SPX) Nov 30, 2017Researchers measure magnetic moment with greatest possible precision  | 
 Portsmouth UK (SPX) Dec 26, 2017  
New research has provided a deeper insight into emission line galaxies, used in several ongoing and upcoming surveys, to help us further understand the composition and fate of the Universe.
The quest to determine the nature of both dark matter and dark energy has led scientists to adopt new tracers of the large-scale structure of the Universe, such as emission line galaxies. These galaxies pres ... more Gainesville FL (SPX) Dec 22, 2017Black holes' magnetism surprisingly wimpy  Washington DC (SPX) Dec 28, 2017Quantum noise reduction method for enhanced precision in atomic clocks  Warsaw, Poland (SPX) Dec 27, 2017GAMBIT narrows the hiding places for 'new physics'  | 
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 Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 15, 2017  
Lockheed Martin and NEC Corp have announced that Lockheed Martin will use NEC's System Invariant Analysis Technology (SIAT) in the space domain. SIAT's advanced analytics engine uses data collected from sensors to learn the behavior of systems, including computer systems, power plants, factories and buildings, enabling the system itself to automatically detect inconsistencies and prescribe resol ... more Ithaca NY (SPX) Dec 18, 2017Engineers program tiny robots to move, think like insects  Moscow (Sputnik) Dec 13, 2017Not Your Grandpa's Robot: Russian Robot 'FEDOR' May Become Self-Learning  El Segundo CA (SPX) Dec 13, 2017Aerospace's SeedTECH AI advances to second round of $5M IBM Watson XPRIZE  | 
 Washington (UPI) Dec 26, 2017  
 General Atomics has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force for support and services of the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial systems. 
 The contract, announced on Dec. 22 by the Pentagon, is worth more than $328.8 million under a cost-plus-fixed-fee agreement, which is a cost-reimbursement contract that would provide payment to General Atomics of a negotiated fee that i ... more Washington (UPI) Dec 20, 2017Boeing unveils entry in unmanned aerial tanker competition for the Navy  Washington (UPI) Dec 19, 2017Insitu to support Navy's ScanEagle UAV system  The Hague (AFP) Dec 13, 2017Dutch police ground drone-fighting eagles  | 
 
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