Space News
"Hacking the Cosmos" --New Systems Able to Process Square Kilometer Array Data Tsunami
The Daily Galaxy - 25 Mar 2015 16:33
It's almost a rite of passage in physics and astronomy. Scientists spend years scrounging up money to build a fantastic new instrument. Then, when the long-awaited device finally approaches completion, the panic begins: ...
Cluster satellite successfully shifts orbit
Phys.org - 25 Mar 2015 15:00
One of the four Cluster satellites has shifted its orbit to ensure a safe reentry when the time comes, as well as providing a rare opportunity to study how a satellite's exhaust plume interacts with the solar wind.
NASA's Opportunity Rover Wins 1st Marathon on Mars
SPACE.com - 25 Mar 2015 00:27
The golf-cart-size Opportunity rover has now traveled 26.219 miles (42.195 kilometers) -- the distance of a marathon race -- since touching down on the Red Planet in January 2004, NASA officials announced today (March 24...
A New Spin on Saturn's Peculiar Rotation
SpaceRef - 25 Mar 2015 23:15
Tracking the rotation speed of solid planets, like the Earth and Mars, is a relatively simple task: Just measure the time it takes for a surface feature to roll into view again....
For Asteroid-Capture Mission, NASA Picks 'Option B' for Boulder
SPACE.com - 25 Mar 2015 23:11
NASA will pluck a boulder off a large asteroid and return it to lunar orbit, rather than target an entire near-Earth object for relocation, agency officials announced today (March 25).
Unexplained Warm Layer Discovered in Venus' Atmosphere
SpaceRef - 25 Mar 2015 23:11
A group of Russian, European and American scientists have found a warm layer in Venus' atmosphere, the nature of which is still unknown....
Black-hole Wind Linked To Galactic Gush of Star-forming Gas
SpaceRef - 25 Mar 2015 23:08
By combining observations from the Japan-led Suzaku X-ray satellite and the European Space Agency's infrared Herschel Space Observatory, scientists have connected a fierce "wind" produced near a galaxy's monster black ho...
Ancient Martian Lake System Records Two Water-related Events
SpaceRef - 25 Mar 2015 23:07
Researchers from Brown University have completed a new analysis of an ancient Martian lake system in Jezero Crater, near the planet's equator....
The Surprising Story Behind 1-Year-Mission Astronaut Scott Kelly's Space Patches
SPACE.com - 25 Mar 2015 23:05
Scott Kelly's name tags were intended to be on the space station by now. The two blue and gold badges were among the items that NASA had arranged to send to the orbiting outpost ahead of Kelly launching on a yearlong exp...
Amazon To Develop Drones Outside US Thanks To Sluggish FAA Regulation
Tech Times - 25 Mar 2015 22:52
Amazon has slammed FAA drone regulation turnaround times, saying last week's testing approval was for an obsolete drone. They are already testing newer models of automated package delivery drones outside the US.
Using 19th Century Technology to Time Travel to the Stars
Universe Today - 25 Mar 2015 22:41
In the late 19th century, astronomers developed the technique of capturing telescopic images of stars and galaxies on glass photographic plates. This allowed them to study the night sky in detail. Over 500,000 glass plat...
Op-ed | The Approaching Battle over the JWST Budget Wedge
Space News - 25 Mar 2015 22:36
The newest member of the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA appears to be eyeing the James Webb Space Telescope's budget wedge to fund human space exploration after JWST finally launches. A former NASA Ast...
Europe poised to launch more navigation satellites
Phys.org - 25 Mar 2015 22:35
Europe is all set to launch the seventh and eighth satellites for its navigation constellation that will ultimately consist of 30 orbiters, operators said on Wednesday.
NASA Invites Reporters to see Stunning New Global Precipitation Portrait
PTTU - 25 Mar 2015 22:03
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center:
After a Martian Marathon, NASA's Opportunity Rover Faces Uncertain Future
Scientific American - 25 Mar 2015 21:53
It's been a long time coming, but this week NASA's Mars Opportunity rover completed the first-ever Martian marathon. After landing on the Red Planet in January 2004 on a mission originally planned to... --
NASA details plans to pluck rock off asteroid, explore it
Phys.org - 25 Mar 2015 21:51
NASA is aiming to launch a rocket to an asteroid in five years and grab a boulder off of it--a stepping stone for an eventual trip sending humans to Mars.
One Year In Space: Preparing For Mars | Video
SPACE.com - 25 Mar 2015 21:50
Human bodies change on long-duration missions. NASA's Scott Kelly and Roscomos' Mikhail Kornienko will spend a year aboard the ISS to understand how to better keep future crews healthy.
Vega To Launch Peruvian Imaging Satellite Along with Skybox Craft
Space News - 25 Mar 2015 21:36
Arianespace will use a Vega to launch Peru's high-resolution optical reconnaissance satellite in the first half of 2016 under a contract signed March 25 with Airbus, the satellite's builder. The post Vega To Launch Peruv...
NASA Chooses Asteroid Mission Plan
SpaceRef - 25 Mar 2015 20:57
NASA Wednesday announced more details in its plan for its Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), which in the mid-2020s will test a number of new capabilities needed for future human expeditions to deep space, including to Mar...
'Astronomical Time Machine' Stars in NYC Museum Video Series
SPACE.com - 25 Mar 2015 20:54
A recent episode of a fantastic video series called "Shelf Life," produced by the American Museum of Natural history, explores how an archive of astronomical images can help astrophysicists look back in time.
Astronomers On the Hunt for Exomoons That May Host Alien Life
SPACE.com - 25 Mar 2015 20:50
The search for alien life doesn't end within the boundaries of our solar system. Scientists are now search for moons orbiting alien planets that might play host to extraterrestrial life.
A new spin on Saturn's peculiar rotation
Phys.org - 25 Mar 2015 20:45
Tracking the rotation speed of solid planets, like the Earth and Mars, is a relatively simple task: Just measure the time it takes for a surface feature to roll into view again. But giant gas planets Jupiter and Saturn a...