Space News
Stellar outburst brings water snowline into view
e! Science News - 13 Jul 2016 23:25
A violent outburst by the young star V883 Orionis has given astronomers their first view of a water "snowline" in a protoplanetary disk - the transition point around the star where the temperature and pressure are low en...
Robot would assemble modular telescope--in space
Phys.org - 13 Jul 2016 15:39
Enhancing astronomers' ability to peer ever more deeply into the cosmos may hinge on developing larger space-based telescopes. A new concept in space telescope design makes use of a modular structure and an assembly robo...
Astronomers discover a highly inflated sub-Saturn extrasolar planet
Phys.org - 13 Jul 2016 15:00
(Phys.org)--An international team of astronomers led by Joshua Pepper of the Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has detected an extremely inflated sub-Saturn exoplanet orbiting a bright subgiant star. The newl...
ESA Prepares Revolutionary Air Breathing Rocket Engine
Universe Today - 13 Jul 2016 03:24
If new rocket engines being developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) are successful, they could revolutionize rocket technology and change the way we get to space. The engine, called the Synergistic Air-Breathing Roc...
NASA International Space Station On-Orbit Status 12 July 2016
SpaceRef - 13 Jul 2016 23:00
The newly-expanded Expedition 48 crew is preparing for next week's arrival of the ninth SpaceX mission. In the meantime, the International Space Station's newest trio is getting used to their new home in space and conduc...
China Could Legally Seize Moon's 'Peaks of Eternal Light' --"Will Earth's 1st Space War Over Helium 3 Start There?
The Daily Galaxy - 13 Jul 2016 21:27
A 'research station' on the 'peaks of eternal light' would prevent anyone else from approaching. A Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics senior astrophysicist, Martin Elvis, has sounded the alarm of how an unfriend...
The Moon Is A Real Attention Junkie
Universe Today - 13 Jul 2016 20:40
We're accustomed to seeing stunning images of both the Moon and Earth floating in space. It's the age we live in. But seeing them together is rare. Now, NASA's Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) has captured images ...
Astronomers Spot First-Ever "Snow Line" around Newborn Star
Scientific American - 13 Jul 2016 19:45
The images of water frost forming around the young star V883 Orionis offer new insights into planet formation --
Stellar outburst brings water snowline into view
Phys.org - 13 Jul 2016 19:00
A violent outburst by the young star V883 Orionis has given astronomers their first view of a water "snowline" in a protoplanetary disk - the transition point around the star where the temperature and pressure are low en...
Einstein's 'Time Dilation' Spread Age Gap for Astronaut Scott Kelly & His Twin
SPACE.com - 13 Jul 2016 18:52
Former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly's historic one-year mission aboard the International Space Station made his identical twin Mark an even older brother, by about 5 milliseconds.
Sirens of Titan: Flying Aerobot Drone Could Soar Over Saturn Moon
SPACE.com - 13 Jul 2016 18:02
As the long-running Cassini mission enters its last year at Saturn, NASA is moving forward with an early-stage study to send a drone to its moon Titan.
What Do You Do With a Problem Like Space Debris?
Bad Astronomy - 13 Jul 2016 17:58
Space junk is becoming a real problem. It's a serious issue. There's a common misconception that things in space are just kindof floating out there, moving slowly--and given videos of spacewalks and what we see in movies...
First virus-hunter in space will test device to decode DNA
Phys.org - 13 Jul 2016 17:58
Newly arrived space station astronaut Kate Rubins wore top-level biosafety suits for her work on Earth, but that won't be needed when she fires up a pocket-sized device to decode DNA in space.
Juno Spacecraft Captures First Photo from Jupiter Orbit
Scientific American - 13 Jul 2016 16:40
Image takes in the Great Red Spot, cloud belts and three big moons --
5 Quick Facts about NASA's Juno Mission to Jupiter
Scientific American - 13 Jul 2016 16:00
What is so risky about Juno’s special maneuver? How close will the spacecraft get to the gas giant, and what does it hope to learn? Here are five quick facts summarizing the excitement around... --
"Red Geysers " --Previously Unknown Phenomenon Discovered Killing Off Galaxies of the Universe (Today's Most Popular)
The Daily Galaxy - 13 Jul 2016 15:41
An international team of scientists has identified a common phenomenon in galaxies that could explain why huge numbers of them turn into cosmic graveyards. Galaxies begin their existence as lively and colorful spiral gal...
European Space Agency: Existence of a Black Hole "Gravitational Vortex" Discovered
The Daily Galaxy - 13 Jul 2016 15:10
The European Space Agency's orbiting X-ray observatory, XMM-Newton, has proved the existence of a "gravitational vortex" around a black hole. The discovery, aided by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) ...
Juno's First Light
Bad Astronomy - 13 Jul 2016 15:00
This is pretty neat: The image above is the first one taken of Jupiter and its moons by the Juno spacecraft after achieving orbit last week*. This was taken on July 10, 2016, when the Juno was a little over four million ...
Moon Express Takes Over Delta 2 Rocket Launch Site in Cape Canaveral
SPACE.com - 13 Jul 2016 13:51
Moon Express, a Florida company developing commercial lunar landers, announced July 12 an agreement with the U.S. Air Force to take over a former Delta 2 launch site at Cape Canaveral.
Salty Streaks of Flowing Water Could Morph Mars' Surface
SPACE.com - 13 Jul 2016 13:20
Dark streaks on the surface of Mars may indicate that liquid water flows there today. A new study has revealed more detail about the changes these briny trails are causing on the Martian surface.
Image: Far-out Proba-3
Phys.org - 13 Jul 2016 12:50
ESA's double-satellite Proba-3 mission will be flying where no previous member of the Proba minisatellite family has gone before - up to 60 000 km away, a seventh of the way to the Moon.
ESA commits to next stage of UK revolutionary rocket engine
Phys.org - 13 Jul 2016 12:23
The UK's Farnborough airshow today saw ESA's commitment to the next step in developing a revolutionary air-breathing rocket engine that could begin test firings in about four years.