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NASA's Dawn asteroid mission ends as fuel runs out![]() Washington (AFP) Nov 1, 2018 Dawn, a NASA spacecraft that launched 11 years ago and studied two of the largest objects in the asteroid belt, has ended its mission after running out of fuel, officials said Thursday. Scientists have known for about a month that Dawn was essentially out of hydrazine, the fuel that kept the spacecraft's antennae oriented toward Earth and helped turn its solar panels to the Sun to recharge. When the spacecraft missed scheduled communications with NASA's Deep Space Network on Wednesday and Thurs ... read more |
Water cycle along the northern rim of Hellas Basin throughout Mars' historyMountain View CA (SPX) Nov 02, 2018 The northeastern rim region of Hellas impact basin, located in the southern hemisphere of Mars, contained numerous ephemeral lakes throughout Mars' history, a new study reveals. A new paper publishe ... more
NASA team investigates ultrafast laser machining for multiple spaceflight applicationsGreenbelt MD (SPX) Nov 02, 2018 An ultrafast laser that fires pulses of light just 100 millionths of a nanosecond in duration could potentially revolutionize the way that NASA technicians manufacture and ultimately assemble instru ... more
Dawn Mission to Asteroid Belt comes to endPasadena CA (JPL) Nov 02, 2018 NASA's Dawn spacecraft has gone silent, ending a historic mission that studied time capsules from the solar system's earliest chapter. Dawn missed scheduled communications sessions with NASA's Deep ... more
Shape-shifting robots perceive surroundings, make decisions for first timeIthaca NY (SPX) Nov 01, 2018 General-purpose robots have plenty of limitations. They can be expensive and cumbersome. They often accomplish only a single type of task. But modular robots - composed of several interchangea ... more |
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NASA will keep trying to contact stalled Mars rover OpportunityWashington (AFP) Oct 30, 2018 NASA has changed its mind about how long it will continue to seek contact with an aging robotic vehicle that was blanketed in a dust storm on Mars back in June and has been stalled ever since. ... more
NASA's mission to Jupiter's trojans given the green light for developmentGreenbelt MD (SPX) Oct 31, 2018 NASA's mission to perform the first reconnaissance of the Trojans, a population of primitive asteroids orbiting in tandem with Jupiter, has passed a critical milestone. NASA has given approval for t ... more
Neil Armstrong's huge souvenir collection to be auctionedNew York (AFP) Oct 31, 2018 Talk about a pack rat: thousands of things that Neil Armstrong saved over the course of a career that saw him become the first man to walk on the moon will be auctioned off this week. ... more
NASA retires Kepler Space Telescope, passes planet-hunting torchMoffett Field CA (SPX) Oct 31, 2018 After nine years in deep space collecting data that indicate our sky to be filled with billions of hidden planets - more planets even than stars - NASA's Kepler space telescope has run out of fuel n ... more
Quantum on the edge: Light shines on new pathway for quantum technologySydney, Australia (SPX) Nov 02, 2018 Scientists in Australia have for the first time demonstrated the protection of correlated states between paired photons - packets of light energy - using the intriguing physical concept of topology. ... more |
![]() NASA researchers teach machines to "see"
Sci-Fi inspired tractor beam helps researchers boldly go where none have gone beforeAdelaide, Australia (SPX) Oct 30, 2018 A light driven energy trap similar to tractor beams used to capture spaceships in science fiction movies such as Star Trek and Star Wars has been developed by researchers in South Australia. T ... more |
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Astroscale secures new funding for LEO debris clean up conceptSingapore (SPX) Nov 01, 2018 Astroscale has obtained additional funding of US $50 million from a group of investors led by INCJ Ltd. (INCJ), and including funds operated by SBI Investment Co., Ltd.(SBII) and Mitsubishi Estate C ... more
OSIRIS-REx executes third asteroid approach maneuverGreenbelt MD (SPX) Oct 30, 2018 NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has executed its third Asteroid Approach Maneuver (AAM-3). The trajectory correction maneuver (TCM) thrusters fired in a series of two braking maneuvers designed to slow ... more
FEFU astrophysicists studied asteroid 3200 PhaetonVladivostok, Russia (SPX) Oct 30, 2018 Polarimetric investigation of a near-Earth asteroid Phaethon was carried out in December 2017 on its closest approach to the Earth. The study was conducted in collaboration with scientists from the ... more
Humans help robots learn tasksStanford CA (SPX) Oct 29, 2018 In the basement of the Gates Computer Science Building at Stanford University, a screen attached to a red robotic arm lights up. A pair of cartoon eyes blinks. "Meet Bender," says Ajay Mandlekar, Ph ... more
How hibernators could help humans treat illness, conserve energy and get to MarsNew Orleans LA (SPX) Oct 29, 2018 Researchers gathered Friday to discuss the potential for hibernation and the related process, torpor, to aid human health in spaceflight at the American Physiological Society's (APS) Comparative Phy ... more |
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Water cycle along the northern rim of Hellas Basin throughout Mars' history Mountain View CA (SPX) Nov 02, 2018
The northeastern rim region of Hellas impact basin, located in the southern hemisphere of Mars, contained numerous ephemeral lakes throughout Mars' history, a new study reveals. A new paper published in Astrobiology examines a region where depressions may have been hosted ponding water that originated from different sources, including precipitation, fluvial transportation and ground water.
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Neil Armstrong's huge souvenir collection to be auctioned New York (AFP) Oct 31, 2018 Talk about a pack rat: thousands of things that Neil Armstrong saved over the course of a career that saw him become the first man to walk on the moon will be auctioned off this week.
Nobody really knew the extent of the stuff Armstrong amassed during his 82 years on earth, not even the children of the man who made history with his feat on July 20, 1969. Some of the mementos are from his spa ... more |
SwRI team makes breakthroughs studying Pluto orbiter mission San Antonio TX (SPX) Oct 25, 2018
A Southwest Research Institute team using internal research funds has made several discoveries that expand the range and value of a future Pluto orbiter mission. The breakthroughs define a fuel-saving orbital tour and demonstrate that an orbiter can continue exploration in the Kuiper Belt after surveying Pluto. These and other results from the study will be reported this week at a workshop on fu ... more |
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NASA retires Kepler Space Telescope, passes planet-hunting torch Moffett Field CA (SPX) Oct 31, 2018
After nine years in deep space collecting data that indicate our sky to be filled with billions of hidden planets - more planets even than stars - NASA's Kepler space telescope has run out of fuel needed for further science operations. NASA has decided to retire the spacecraft within its current, safe orbit, away from Earth. Kepler leaves a legacy of more than 2,600 planet discoveries from outsi ... more |
Rocket Lab enters high frequency launch operations Huntington Beach CA (SPX) Nov 01, 2018
US orbital launch provider Rocket Lab has confirmed the launch window for the upcoming 'It's Business Time' mission. The nine-day launch window will open from 11 to 19 November (NZDT), with daily launch opportunities between 16:00 - 20:00 NZDT (03:00 - 07:00 UTC).
The Electron launch vehicle is on site at Launch Complex 1 undergoing final pre-launch checkouts, following a final successful ... more |
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China's space programs open up to world Beijing (XNA) Oct 24, 2018
When German scientists were conducting micro-gravity experiments on China's recoverable satellite in the 1980s, Chinese space engineer Tang Bochang was busy solving technical problems, while carefully keeping Chinese secrets.
Tang joined the China Academy of Space Technology in 1970, the same year China launched its first satellite. He has participated in the development of returnable sate ... more |
Dawn Mission to Asteroid Belt comes to end Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 02, 2018
NASA's Dawn spacecraft has gone silent, ending a historic mission that studied time capsules from the solar system's earliest chapter. Dawn missed scheduled communications sessions with NASA's Deep Space Network on Wednesday, Oct. 31, and Thursday, Nov. 1. After the flight team eliminated other possible causes for the missed communications, mission managers concluded that the spacecraft finally ... more |
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Lockheed Martin's missile defense laser concept continues toward development Sunnyvale CA (SPX) Nov 01, 2018
The Missile Defense Agency awarded Lockheed Martin a nine month, $25.5 million contract extension to continue development of its Low Power Laser Demonstrator (LPLD) missile interceptor concept. This program, awarded Aug. 31, builds on a 2017 contract to develop an initial LPLD concept.
Lockheed Martin's LPLD concept consists of a fiber laser system on a high-performing, high-altitude airbo ... more |
Raytheon's SM-3 IIA successful in ballistic missle defense test Washington (UPI) Oct 29, 2018
Raytheon's Standard Missile-3 Block IIA variant anti-ballistic missile system completed a second round of successful tests for the U.S. Navy and Missile Defense Agency.
Crew members on the USS John Finn on Friday launched the SM-3 Block IIA missile to successfully destroy a a land-launched target that resembled a ballistics missile.
The target missile was launched from the Pacifi ... more |
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Saturn's Moon Dione Covered by Mysterious Stripes Tucson AZ (SPX) Oct 25, 2018
Mysterious straight bright stripes have been discovered on Saturn's moon Dione, says research by Planetary Science Institute Associate Research Scientist Alex Patthoff.
The origins of these linear virgae (virgae meaning a stripe or streak of color) are most likely caused by the draping of surface materials like material from Saturn's rings, passing comets, or co-orbital moons Helene and Po ... more |
Next generation of watch springs Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Oct 31, 2018
Applied research is not always initiated by industry - but oftentimes it yields results that can swiftly be implemented by companies. A prime example can be seen on the Empa campus in Thun: Tiny watch springs are on display at the Laboratory for Mechanics of Materials and Nanostructures. These springs - the beating heart of every mechanical clock - are not your usual components. They are not mad ... more |
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Gravitational waves could shed light on dark matter Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Oct 24, 2018
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) will enable astrophysicists to observe gravitational waves emitted by black holes as they collide with or capture other black holes. LISA will consist of three spacecraft orbiting the sun in a constant triangle formation.
Gravitational waves passing through will distort the sides of the triangle slightly, and these minimal distortions can be de ... more |
JILA researchers see signs of interactive form of quantum matter Washington DC (SPX) Nov 01, 2018
JILA researchers have, for the first time, isolated groups of a few atoms and precisely measured their multi-particle interactions within an atomic clock. The advance will help scientists control interacting quantum matter, which is expected to boost the performance of atomic clocks, many other types of sensors, and quantum information systems.
The research is described in a Nature paper p ... more |
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Shape-shifting robots perceive surroundings, make decisions for first time Ithaca NY (SPX) Nov 01, 2018
General-purpose robots have plenty of limitations. They can be expensive and cumbersome. They often accomplish only a single type of task.
But modular robots - composed of several interchangeable parts, or modules - are far more flexible. If one part breaks, it can be removed and replaced. Components can be rearranged as needed - or better yet, the robots can figure out how to reconfigure ... more |
US Army tests DARPA autonomous flight system, pursuing integration with Black Hawk Washington DC (SPX) Oct 31, 2018
An S-76B commercial helicopter flew over a small crowd gathered at Fort Eustis, Virginia, landed in an adjacent field after adjusting to miss a vehicle, and rose up to hover perfectly motionless for several minutes. The mid-October demonstration was remarkable because the pilot carried out the maneuvers using supervised autonomy in an aircraft equipped with DARPA's Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Autom ... more |
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