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New thruster design increases efficiency for future spaceflight Washington DC (SPX) Aug 17, 2017 Hall thrusters (HTs) are used in earth-orbiting satellites, and also show promise to propel robotic spacecraft long distances, such as from Earth to Mars. The propellant in a HT, usually xenon, is accelerated by an electric field which strips electrons from neutral xenon atoms, creating a plasma. Plasma ejected from the exhaust end of the thruster can deliver great speeds, typically around 70,000 mph. Cylindrical shaped Hall thrusters (CHTs) lend themselves to miniaturization and have a smaller su ... read more |
NASA studies CubeSat mission to solve Venusian mystery Greenbelt MD (SPX) Aug 17, 2017 Venus looks bland and featureless in visible light, but change the filter to ultraviolet, and Earth's twin suddenly looks like a different planet. Dark and light areas stripe the sphere, indicating ... more Santa Barbara CA (SPX) Aug 16, 2017 In the 2009 film "Star Trek," a supernova hurtles through space and obliterates a planet unfortunate enough to be in its path. Fiction, of course, but it turns out the notion is not so farfetched. ... more Tucson AZ (SPX) Aug 16, 2017 For the first time, astronomers have observed a cosmic event in great detail that they only had glimpses of before: a supernova and its explosive ejecta slamming into a nearby companion star. The di ... more Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Aug 17, 2017 A group of NASA and National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists are teaming up this month for an airborne mission focused on studying severe storm processes and intensification. Th ... more |
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Previous Issues | Aug 16 | Aug 15 | Aug 14 | Aug 11 | Aug 10 |
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'Dragon captured' as cargo arrives at space station Miami (AFP) Aug 16, 2017 SpaceX's unmanned Dragon cargo vessel, carrying the first super-computer to space as part of its 6,400 pound (2,900 kilograms) payload arrived Wednesday at the International Space Station. ... more Sydney, Australia (SPX) Aug 17, 2017 Once again, the ever-fluid deadline for the Google Lunar X-Prize (GLXP) has been extended. This award is now getting well beyond its use-by date. The GLXP was already on shaky ground before this. Th ... more Washington (UPI) Aug 15, 2017 The U.S. Army has successfully launched a Kestrel Eye reconnaissance microsatellite aboard a SpaceX mission to the International Space Station. ... more Plainsboro NJ (SPX) Aug 16, 2017 A computer code used by physicists around the world to analyze and predict tokamak experiments can now approximate the behavior of highly energetic atomic nuclei, or ions, in fusion plasmas more acc ... more Washington DC (SPX) Aug 14, 2017 DARPA's Defense Sciences Office (DSO) has announced the first programs under its new Disruptioneering effort, which pushes for faster identification and exploration of bold and risky ideas with the ... more Albuquerque NM (SPX) Aug 16, 2017 Last week, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories flew a tethered balloon and an unmanned aerial system, colloquially known as a drone, together for the first time to get Arctic atmospheric tem ... more |
New SQUID-based detector opens up new fields of study with new level of sensitivity Edinburgh, UK (SPX) Aug 16, 2017 West Antarctica's vast ice sheet conceals what may be the largest volcanic region on earth, research has revealed. The continent's ice covers almost 100 newly discovered volcanoes, the largest of wh ... more Tempe AZ (SPX) Aug 16, 2017 A loss of oxygen in global ocean seawater 94 million years ago led to a mass extinction of marine life that lasted for roughly half a million years. Scientists have found several potential explanati ... more Houston TX (SPX) Aug 16, 2017 A microplate discovered off the west coast of Ecuador adds another piece to Earth's tectonic puzzle, according to Rice University scientists. Researchers led by Rice geophysicist Richard Gordon disc ... more Washington (UPI) Aug 15, 2017 Far beneath the ocean waves lies the benthic zone - the cold dark region at the bottom of the sea that is home to some of the most important marine organisms, called meiofauna. No larger than a few grains of table salt, the tiny creatures live in and around seabed sediment and play a crucial role breaking down organic matter in the deep ocean and recycling nutrients throughout the marine food chain. ... more |
Miami (AFP) Aug 14, 2017 SpaceX on Monday blasted off its unmanned Dragon cargo ship toward the International Space Station, carrying a host of science experiments and the most powerful computer ever sent into orbit. "Three, two, one, and liftoff," a SpaceX commentator said as the white Falcon 9 rocket climbed into the blue sky over Cape Canaveral, Florida at 12:31 pm (1631 GMT). Three minutes after launch, the ... more NASA: let's say something to Voyager 1 on 40th anniversary of launch Disruptioneering: Streamlining the Process of Scientific Discovery NASA Offers Space Station as Catalyst for Discovery in Washington |
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 17, 2017 Hall thrusters (HTs) are used in earth-orbiting satellites, and also show promise to propel robotic spacecraft long distances, such as from Earth to Mars. The propellant in a HT, usually xenon, is accelerated by an electric field which strips electrons from neutral xenon atoms, creating a plasma. Plasma ejected from the exhaust end of the thruster can deliver great speeds, typically around 70,00 ... more SHIIVER tank arrives at NASA's Marshall Center for spray-on foam insulation Russia's S7 group plans to resume Zenit launches from Sea Launch platform 'Dragon captured' as cargo arrives at space station |
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Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 14, 2017 Wispy, early-season clouds resembling Earth's ice-crystal cirrus clouds move across the Martian sky in some new image sequences from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. These clouds are the most clearly visible so far from Curiosity, which landed five years ago this month about five degrees south of Mars' equator. Clouds moving in the Martian sky have been observed previously by Curiosity and oth ... more Opportunity takes in the panoramic view while crossing some rocky terrain For Moratorium on Sending Commands to Mars, Blame the Sun Tributes to wetter times on Mars |
Beijing (XNA) Aug 14, 2017 Chinese scientists have become the first to realize quantum key distribution from a satellite to the ground, laying the foundation for building a hack-proof global quantum communication network. The achievement based on experiments conducted with the world' s first quantum satellite, Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS), was published in the authoritative academic journal Nature on T ... more Xian Satellite Control Center resolves over 10 major satellite faults in 50 years China develops sea launches to boost space commerce Chinese satellite Zhongxing-9A enters preset orbit |
San Diego CA (SPX) Aug 14, 2017 Blue Sky Network, an industry leading global provider of satellite asset tracking and fleet management solutions, announced that the company's new management team, led by President Gregoire Demory, would attend the LABACE trade show August 15th to 17th in Sao Paulo. LABACE is Latin America's largest, and the world's second largest, business aviation trade show. "Our new management and sale ... more India to Launch Exclusive Satellite for Afghanistan ASTROSCALE Raises a Total of $25 Million in Series C Led by Private Companies LISA Pathfinder: bake, rattle and roll |
Salt Lake City UT (SPX) Aug 16, 2017 Researchers at BYU are the first to 3D-print a viable microfluidic device small enough to be effective at a scale much less than 100 micrometers. Microfluidic devices are tiny chips that can sort out disease biomarkers, cells and other small structures in samples like blood by using microscopic channels incorporated into the devices. The accomplishment, which is a major breakthrough toward ... more 2-faced 2-D material is a first at Rice Archinaut Project conducts first large-scale 3D build in space-like environment Fewer defects from a 2-D approach |
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Seattle WA (SPX) Aug 16, 2017 Many exoplanets to be found by coming high-powered telescopes will probably be tidally locked - with one side permanently facing their host star - according to new research by astronomer Rory Barnes of the University of Washington. Barnes, a UW assistant professor of astronomy and astrobiology, arrived at the finding by questioning the long-held assumption that only those stars that are mu ... more Deep-sea animals eating plastic fibers from clothing TRAPPIST-1 twice as old as our solar system A New Search for Extrasolar Planets from the Arecibo Observatory |
Laurel MD (SPX) Jul 17, 2017 In July 2015, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft sent home the first close-up pictures of Pluto and its moons - amazing imagery that inspired many to wonder what a flight over the distant worlds' icy terrain might be like. Wonder no more. Using actual New Horizons data and digital elevation models of Pluto and its largest moon Charon, mission scientists have created flyover movies that offer s ... more Juno spots Jupiter's Great Red Spot New evidence in support of the Planet Nine hypothesis Scientists probe Neptune's depths to reveal secrets of icy planets |
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Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 14, 2017 This past week marks the 25th anniversary of the launch of a revolutionary ocean research vessel - a space "ship." As the NASA/CNES Topex-Poseidon satellite ascended into orbit, it ushered in a new era of oceanography with the first highly accurate, global measurements of sea levels. That mission and its three successors, all named Jason, have continuously mapped global ocean currents and ... more New technique offers clues to measure the deoxygenation of the ocean Meadow of dancing brittle stars shows evolution at work Ancient ocean deoxygenation provides an urgent warning |
Washington (UPI) Aug 11, 2017 Harris has delivered its third navigation package to Lockheed Martin for use on U.S. Air Force GPS III satellites expected to first launch next year. The navigation system is mostly digital and has computers and atomic clocks shielded against radiation. "We are now in full production and on target to deliver the fourth GPS III navigation payload to Lockheed Martin this fall," Har ... more IAI, Honeywell Aerospace team for GPS anti-jam system Lockheed Martin Begins Modernizing Receivers for U.S. Air Force's GPS Signal Monitoring Stations Russia, China to Set Up Pilot Zone to Test National Navigation Systems |
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Sydney, Australia (SPX) Aug 17, 2017 Once again, the ever-fluid deadline for the Google Lunar X-Prize (GLXP) has been extended. This award is now getting well beyond its use-by date. The GLXP was already on shaky ground before this. The latest announcement only deepens the wounds to this increasingly questionable project. When it was announced in 2007, the GLXP was an inspiration. It gave publicity and credibility to the rapi ... more Lunar dynamo's lifetime extended by at least 1 billion years Moon's magnetic field lasted far longer than once believed Astronauts to bring asteroid back into lunar orbit |
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 16, 2017 The huge nearly 400-meter wide asteroid Apophis is still on a list of hazardous near-Earth objects (NEOs), regarded as a potential threat to our planet. However, new calculations made by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) scientist, show that Apophis' odds of Earth impact are lower than previously estimated. "We cannot yet exclude the possibility that it could impact our planet, but we ... more Asteroid to shave past Earth on Oct 12: ESA How to watch this weekend's Perseid meteor shower Asteroid 2012 TC4 will fly past Earth in October 2017 |
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Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Aug 17, 2017 A group of NASA and National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists are teaming up this month for an airborne mission focused on studying severe storm processes and intensification. The Hand-On Project Experience (HOPE) Eastern Pacific Origins and Characteristics of Hurricanes (EPOCH) field campaign will utilize NASA's Global Hawk autonomous aircraft to study storms in the Northern ... more Airbus completes MetOp-C platform/payload coupling Ozone treaty taking a bite out of US greenhouse gas emissions Successful filming of fastest aurora flickering |
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Aug 16, 2017 A total solar eclipse happens somewhere on Earth about once every 18 months. But because Earth's surface is mostly ocean, most eclipses are visible over land for only a short time, if at all. The total solar eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017, is different - its path stretches over land for nearly 90 minutes, giving scientists an unprecedented opportunity to make scientific measurements from the ground. ... more Solar eclipses baffle, captivate humans throughout history Day to night and back again: Earth's ionosphere during the total solar eclipse An NJIT researcher throws a global ham radio 'party' to study the eclipse |
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Tucson AZ (SPX) Aug 16, 2017 For the first time, astronomers have observed a cosmic event in great detail that they only had glimpses of before: a supernova and its explosive ejecta slamming into a nearby companion star. The discovery was made possible by a specialized survey taking advantage of recent advances in linking telescopes across the globe into a robotic network. David Sand, an assistant professor at the Uni ... more A fleeting blue glow New mission going to the space station to explore mysteries of 'cosmic rain' Vast new super cluster of galaxies named Saraswati |
Jena, Germany (SPX) Aug 09, 2017 A visit to the optometrist often involves optical coherence tomography. This imaging process uses infrared radiation to penetrate the layers of the retina and examine it more closely in three dimensions, without having to touch the eye at all. This allows eye specialists to diagnose diseases such as glaucoma without any physical intervention. However, this method would have even greater po ... more Innovative way to understand nature of an entire tiny particle Researchers set record for fastest light pulse First observation of the hyperfine splitting in antihydrogen |
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