Space News from SpaceDaily.com
May 21, 2020
IRON AND ICE
OSIRIS-REx ready for touchdown on Asteroid Bennu for sample collection



Tucson AZ (SPX) May 21, 2020
NASA's first asteroid sample return mission is officially prepared for its long-awaited touchdown on asteroid Bennu's surface. The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security - Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission has targeted Oct. 20 for its first sample collection attempt. "The OSIRIS-REx mission has been demonstrating the very essence of exploration by persevering through unexpected challenges," said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's associate administrator for science. "Tha ... read more

ROCKET SCIENCE
The UK's first complete ground rocket test in 50 years takes place in Scotland
Edinburgh UK (SPX) May 21, 2020
The UK's Space race heats up as Skyrora effectively made the UK ready for launching rockets into space after a team successfully built a mobile launch complex and completed a full static fire test w ... more
MOON DAILY
US seeks to change the rules for mining the Moon
Bloomington IN (The Conversation) May 21, 2020
Private industries have helped drop the cost of launching rockets, satellites and other equipment into space to historic lows. That has boosted interest in developing space - both for mining raw mat ... more
MOON DAILY
Made in India moon analog soil gets patent for ISRO
Chennai (IANS) May 21, 2020
The Indian space agency has got the patent for its method of manufacturing highland lunar soil simulant or simply lunar/moon soil. As a part of its Moon landing mission Chandrayaan-2, the Indi ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
NASA astronauts arrive in Florida week before SpaceX flight
Washington (AFP) May 20, 2020
Two NASA astronauts arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, one week before they blast off aboard a SpaceX vessel - the first crewed space flight to leave from US soil in nine years. ... more
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SPACE TRAVEL
NASA chief of human spaceflight resigns ahead of launch
Washington DC (UPI) May 20, 2020
NASA's chief of human spaceflight has resigned ahead of a launch that will send astronauts into space from U.S. soil for the first time in a decade. ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
US Space Council meets ahead of private, US crewed launch
Washington DC (VOA) May 21, 2020
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence held a meeting of the National Space Council on Tuesday, just over a week before the program is set to launch astronauts into space from American soil. The meeti ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
NASA telescope named for 'Mother of Hubble' Nancy Grace Roman
Greenbelt MD (SPX) May 21, 2020
NASA is naming its next-generation space telescope currently under development, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), in honor of Nancy Grace Roman, NASA's first chief astronomer, who p ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
How cosmic rays may have shaped life
Stanford CA (SPX) May 21, 2020
Before there were animals, bacteria or even DNA on Earth, self-replicating molecules were slowly evolving their way from simple matter to life beneath a constant shower of energetic particles from s ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
Robert Polsgrove: Commercial Crew to Human Landers
Huntsville AL (SPX) May 21, 2020
As NASA prepares to land astronauts on the Moon for the first time in the 21st Century, engineer Robert Polsgrove is helping commercial companies take the next giant leap to make that possible. ... more
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NUKEWARS
Air Force splits nuclear weapons directorate into two focused groups
Washington DC (UPI) May 19, 2020
The Air Force announced Tuesday that its Nuclear Weapons Center is breaking up the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Systems Directorate into two new directorate teams: the Minuteman III Systems Directorate and the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, or GBSD, Systems Directorate. ... more
MICROSAT BLITZ
Kleos Space awarded contract on Micro-Satellite Military Utility Project
Luxembourg (SPX) May 20, 2020
Kleos Space, a space-powered RF reconnaissance data-as-a-service (DaaS) company, has been awarded a contract to prepare Kleos data to be accessed by the Micro-Satellite Military Utility (MSMU Projec ... more
MICROSAT BLITZ
SatRevolution and Momentus announce orbital deployment contract
Santa Clara CA (SPX) May 21, 2020
Momentus and SatRevolution have announced an orbital deployment contract for SatRevolution's LabSat 3U Cubesat. Momentus will launch the 3U cubesat, called LabSat, on-board the Vigoride Orbit transf ... more
TIME AND SPACE
When materials differentiate between past and future
Dresden, Germany (SPX) May 19, 2020
What happened yesterday and what will happen tomorrow are usually two different and quite independent matters. The past and the future of human life are not symmetric and therefore not reversible. I ... more
TIME AND SPACE
UCLA physicists develop world's best quantum bits
Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 19, 2020
A team of researchers at UCLA has set a new record for preparing and measuring the quantum bits, or qubits, inside of a quantum computer without error. The techniq ... more


Pentagon confirms developing a range of hypersonic weapons

ROCKET SCIENCE
Theory of detonation-driven hypervelocity shock tunnels and its demonstration
Beijing, China (SPX) May 19, 2020
Many 21st century challenges exist in science and technology, and one of these is the hypersonic vehicle from the dream for human beings to fly faster, higher and further. For developing such the hy ... more
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SPACE MEDICINE
AFRL announces grand challenges for biotechnology
Wright-Patterson AFB CO (SPX) May 19, 2020
The Air Force Research Laboratory announced its three Biotechnology Grand Challenges last month in efforts to spearhead innovation among small businesses for the specific needs of the Department of ... more
CIVIL NUCLEAR
US awards two projects utilizing the BWRX-300 Small Modular Reactor Design
Wilmington NC (SPX) May 15, 2020
The U.S. Department of Energy has announced awards to two teams of industry experts to develop tools to transform the operations and maintenance of advanced nuclear reactors through the use of Artif ... more
TECH SPACE
New algorithm predicts optimal materials among all possible compounds
Moscow, Russia (SPX) May 18, 2020
Skoltech researchers have offered a solution to the problem of searching for materials with required properties among all possible combinations of chemical elements. These combinations are virtually ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
NASA's SLS Core Stage Green Run tests critical systems for Artemis I
Huntsville AL (SPX) May 21, 2020
NASA is resuming work on a series of tests to bring the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage to life for the first time, allowing engineers to evaluate the new complex stage that will launch ... more
SPACE TRAVEL
NASA seeking US Citizens for social isolation study for Moon and Mars missions
Houston TX (SPX) May 21, 2020
Astronauts experience various aspects of social isolation and confinement during their missions, NASA researchers are working to develop methods and technologies to mitigate and counteract potential ... more
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Last of NASA's vital, versatile science 'EXPRESS Racks' heads to Space Station
Huntsville AL (SPX) May 19, 2020
When the Japanese HTV-9 Kounotori cargo ship lifts off to deliver supplies and science equipment to the International Space Station, a landmark chapter in the station's story will draw to a close - and a new chapter, helping to chart a course for Artemis-generation voyages into the solar system, will begin. Among the manifested cargo aboard the spacecraft will be the final NASA "EXpedite t ... more
+ Ultra-thin sail could speed journey to other star systems
+ US Space Council meets ahead of private, US crewed launch
+ NASA chief of human spaceflight resigns ahead of launch
+ Robert Polsgrove: Commercial Crew to Human Landers
+ NASA seeking US Citizens for social isolation study for Moon and Mars missions
+ Searching with Sasquatch: Recovering Orion
+ Roscosmos confirms signing contract for NASA Astronaut's flight to ISS
NASA astronauts arrive in Florida week before SpaceX flight
Washington (AFP) May 20, 2020
Two NASA astronauts arrived at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday, one week before they blast off aboard a SpaceX vessel - the first crewed space flight to leave from US soil in nine years. US astronauts have been flying to the International Space Station (ISS) on Russian Soyuz rockets since the shuttle program ended in 2011 - a dependence they are keen to break. "It ha ... more
+ Pentagon confirms developing a range of hypersonic weapons
+ The UK's first complete ground rocket test in 50 years takes place in Scotland
+ Aerojet Rocketdyne powers second mission for US Space Force
+ Theory of detonation-driven hypervelocity shock tunnels and its demonstration
+ Soyuz launch from Kourou postponed until 2021, 2 others to proceed
+ NASA's SLS Core Stage Green Run tests critical systems for Artemis I
+ Atlas 5 launches X-38B for USSF-7 mission


NASA's Perseverance Rover goes through trials by fire, ice, light and sound
Pasadena CA (JPL) May 19, 2020
While auto manufacturers built over 92 million motor vehicles for this world in 2019, NASA built just one for Mars. The Perseverance Mars rover is one of a kind, and the testing required to get it ready to roll on the mean (and unpaved) streets of the Red Planet is one of a kind as well. Because hardware cannot be repaired once the rover is on Mars, the team has to build a vehicle that can ... more
+ NASA's Curiosity Rover Finds Clues to Chilly Ancient Mars Buried in Rocks
+ Mystery of lava-like flows on Mars solved by scientists
+ The little tires that could go to Mars
+ ExoMars rover upgrades and parachute tests
+ The horst and graben landscape of Ascuris Planum
+ Sculpted by nature on Mars
+ Rover avoids sand traps with 'rear rotator pedaling'
More details of China's space station unveiled
Beijing (XNA) May 19, 2020
After the successful maiden flight of the Long March-5B large rocket and the testing of China's new-generation manned spaceship, more details of China's space station have been unveiled. The space station, expected to be completed around 2022, will operate in the low-Earth orbit at an altitude from 340 km to 450 km for more than 10 years, supporting large-scale scientific, technological an ... more
+ China's tracking ship Yuanwang-5 back from rocket monitoring mission
+ China's Kuaizhou rocket industrial park partially operational
+ China's experimental new-generation manned spaceship works normally in orbit
+ Long March-5B rocket enables China to construct space station
+ China's new spacecraft returns to Earth: official
+ China's space test hits snag with capsule 'anomaly'
+ China launches new rocket as it eyes moon trip
Strings of pearls in the night sky - the Starlink satellite project
Wessling, Germany (SPX) May 18, 2020
Every two weeks, late in the evening, people are able to see a swarm of strikingly bright points of light crossing the night sky. An array of images and spectacular videos of such sightings circulate on social media. Word soon gets around that these glowing strings of light are not, in fact, an alien fleet. Rather, they are the Starlink satellites from SpaceX, the US space company run by Elon Mu ... more
+ India allows private firms, start-ups a sneak peek into ISRO data
+ Indian space sector reforms: Will it be a big bang approach?
+ RUAG Space offers new electronics for constellations
+ Intelsat files for bankruptcy, seeks to restructure
+ Bankrupt OneWeb seeks DoD financing to keep assets from Chinese purchase
+ ESA Startup competition: next steps
+ Blackjack focuses on risk reduction flights and simulations
Ultra-long-working-distance spectroscopy with 3D-printed aspherical microlenses
Warsaw, Poland (SPX) May 15, 2020
Additive manufacturing is a technique in which the final three-dimensional object is produced by successively adding new layers of building material to those that have already been deposited. Recently, the commercially available 3D printers have been experiencing rapid development and so do the 3D-printers materials, including transparent media of high optical quality. These advancements open up ... more
+ New algorithm predicts optimal materials among all possible compounds
+ The flame of discovery grows as Saffire sets new fires in space
+ AFRL satellite duo probing Earth's radiation belts
+ AFRL pushes boundaries in metals printing with new research
+ Machine-learning tool could help develop tougher materials
+ Amazon puts heat on eSports giants with 'Crucible'
+ Emissions from road construction could be halved using today's technology


Statistical analysis reveals odds of life evolving on alien worlds
Washington DC (UPI) May 19, 2020
Scientists have used a statistical method known as Bayesian inference to determine the odds of complex extraterrestrial life evolving on alien planets, according to new research published this week. "The rapid emergence of life and the late evolution of humanity, in the context of the timeline of evolution, are certainly suggestive," David Kipping, an assistant professor of astronomy at ... more
+ New study estimates the odds of life and intelligence emerging beyond our planet
+ Exoplanet climate 'decoder' aids search for life
+ Astronomers confirm existence of two giant newborn planets
+ ESO telescope sees signs of planet birth
+ TRAPPIST-1 planetary orbits not misaligned
+ Amsterdam researchers observe iron in exoplanetary atmosphere
+ Scientists reveal solar system's oldest molecular fluids could hold the key to early life
SOFIA finds clues hidden in Pluto's haze
Moffett Field CA (SPX) May 14, 2020
When the New Horizons spacecraft passed by Pluto in 2015, one of the many fascinating features its images revealed was that this small, frigid world in the distant solar system has a hazy atmosphere. Now, new data helps explain how Pluto's haze is formed from the faint light of the Sun 3.7 billion miles away as it moves through an unusual orbit. Remote observations of Pluto by NASA's teles ... more
+ New evidence of watery plumes on Jupiter's moon Europa
+ Telescopes and spacecraft join forces to probe deep into Jupiter's atmosphere
+ Newly reprocessed images of Europa show 'chaos terrain' in crisp detail
+ Mysteries of Uranus' oddities explained by Japanese astronomers
+ Jupiter probe JUICE: Final integration in full swing
+ The birth of a "Snowman" at the edge of the Solar System
+ New Horizons pushing the frontier ever deeper into the Kuiper Belt


Towable sensor free-falls to measure vertical slices of ocean conditions
Boston MA (SPX) May 21, 2020
The motion of the ocean is often thought of in horizontal terms, for instance in the powerful currents that sweep around the planet, or the waves that ride in and out along a coastline. But there is also plenty of vertical motion, particularly in the open seas, where water from the deep can rise up, bringing nutrients to the upper ocean, while surface waters sink ... more
+ Scientist finds dozens of unknown submarine landslides in Gulf of Mexico
+ Less water could sustain more Californians if we make every drop count
+ Multiple factors joined forces to devastate the Great Barrier Reef in 2016
+ Squid and fish use flashes of light to disorient hungry elephant seals
+ DNA in fish feces reveals which species eat crown-of-thorns starfish
+ Two dams fail in US state of Michigan, thousands evacuated
+ Shrub encroachment on grasslands can increase groundwater recharge
Galileo in high latitudes and harsh environments
Prague, Czech Republic (SPX) May 18, 2020
Access to the Galileo signal in a multi-constellation environment is providing benefits and opportunities for businesses, thanks to the enhanced performance and increased accuracy on offer. Here we look at the experience of one GIS technology company in northern Europe that has been leveraging Galileo to increase the positioning accuracy of its solutions. Use of a Galileo-enabled receiver ... more
+ New BeiDou satellite starts operation in network
+ Velodyne Lidar announces multi-year sales agreement with GeoSLAM
+ Galileo positioning aiding Covid-19 reaction
+ GPS celebrates 25th year of operation
+ Galileo Green Lane, easing pressure at the EU's internal borders
+ India develops unique model to hit enemy targets without positioning error
+ Quantum entanglement offers unprecedented precision for GPS, imaging and beyond


Made in India moon analog soil gets patent for ISRO
Chennai (IANS) May 21, 2020
The Indian space agency has got the patent for its method of manufacturing highland lunar soil simulant or simply lunar/moon soil. As a part of its Moon landing mission Chandrayaan-2, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had to prepare an artificial moon surface so that the Vikram lander and Pragyaan rover could be tested. On May 18, the Indian Patent Office granted patent t ... more
+ US seeks to change the rules for mining the Moon
+ Russia says ready to discuss Moon exploration with NASA
+ US hopes Russia will support Artemis Space Development Accords
+ Lunar Surface Trash or Treasure
+ Innovators around the world help NASA improve a moon digging robot
+ Laser-powered rover to explore Moon's dark shadows
+ Faces behind NASA's Gateway
OSIRIS-REx ready for touchdown on Asteroid Bennu for sample collection
Tucson AZ (SPX) May 21, 2020
NASA's first asteroid sample return mission is officially prepared for its long-awaited touchdown on asteroid Bennu's surface. The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security - Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission has targeted Oct. 20 for its first sample collection attempt. "The OSIRIS-REx mission has been demonstrating the very essence of exploration by perse ... more
+ Why ESA and NASA's SOHO Spacecraft Spots So Many Comets
+ Aerojet Rocketdyne delivers DART spacecraft propulsion systems ahead of 2021 asteroid impact mission
+ The discovery of Comet SWAN by solar-watcher SOHO
+ NASA DART mission may cause first ever human-induced meteor shower
+ Hayabusa2 reveals more secrets from Ryugu
+ Hayabusa2's touchdown on Ryugu reveals its surface in stunning detail
+ Last Supermoon of 2020 will wash out asteroid showers


Common CFC replacements break down into persistent pollutants
Washington DC (SPX) May 15, 2020
The successful phase-out of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) following the landmark 1987 Montreal Protocol has set Earth's protective ozone layer on the path to recovery. Now, compounds developed to replace CFCs for air conditioning and refrigeration have been found to decay into persistent organic pollutants, accumulating in water, soil and ice in the northern hemisphere, and li ... more
+ Tiny NASA satellite captures first image of clouds and aerosols
+ New, rapid mechanism for atmospheric particle formation
+ Space video streaming company Sen awards Momentus orbital deployment contract
+ Cold War nuke tests changed rainfall
+ NASA CubeSat Mission to Gather Vital Space Weather Data
+ Magnetic north and the elongating blob
+ Aeolus goes public with global wind data
Sun is less active than similar stars
Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany (SPX) May 01, 2020
The extent to which solar activity (and thus the number of sunspots and the solar brightness) varies can be reconstructed using various methods - at least for a certain period of time. Since 1610, for example, there have been reliable records of sunspots covering the Sun; the distribution of radioactive varieties of carbon and beryllium in tree rings and ice cores allows us to draw conclus ... more
+ Switchbacks and spikes: Parker Solar Probe data consistent with 20-year-old theory
+ New research helps explain why the solar wind is hotter than expected
+ SwRI to build Space Weather Follow-On L1 for NOAA
+ SwRI-led PUNCH mission achieves milestone
+ High-Res Images Reveal Fine Plasma Threads in Sun's Atmosphere
+ A journey into the northern lights
+ NASA Selects Mission to Study Causes of Giant Solar Particle Storms


Galactic cosmic rays now available for study on Earth, thanks to NASA
Washington DC (SPX) May 20, 2020
To better understand and mitigate the health risks faced by astronauts from exposure to space radiation, we ideally need to be able to test the effects of Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) here on Earth under laboratory conditions. An article publishing on May 19, 2020 in the open access journal PLOS Biology from Lisa Simonsen and colleagues at the NASA Langley Research Center, USA, describes ho ... more
+ No evidence of an influence of dark matter on the force between nuclei
+ How cosmic rays may have shaped life
+ ALMA discovers massive rotating disk in early universe
+ NASA telescope named for 'Mother of Hubble' Nancy Grace Roman
+ Surveying the gamma-ray sky continuously
+ Mysterious delta Scuti stars start to surrender secrets
+ Researchers develop material capable of being invisible or reflective in IR spectrum
UCLA physicists develop world's best quantum bits
Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 19, 2020
A team of researchers at UCLA has set a new record for preparing and measuring the quantum bits, or qubits, inside of a quantum computer without error. The techniques they have developed make it easier to build quantum computers that outperform classical computers for important tasks, including the design of new materials and pharmaceuticals. The research is pu ... more
+ When materials differentiate between past and future
+ Photon discovery is a major step toward at-scale quantum technologies
+ Scientists use light to accelerate supercurrents, access forbidden light, quantum world
+ NIST team builds hybrid quantum system by entangling molecule with atom
+ The Space Station's coolest experiment gets astronaut-assisted upgrade
+ Physicists observe quantum entanglement of 15 trillion atoms
+ Why clouds form near black holes
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