Space News from SpaceDaily.com
August 20, 2020
TECH SPACE
NASA selects SwRI to participate in $6B Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition IV Contract



San Antonio, TX (SPX) Aug 16, 2020
NASA has selected Southwest Research Institute to take part in the $6 billion indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition IV contract. SwRI will be listed in the NASA spacecraft catalog used by the U.S. government to easily contract for proven spacecraft. The Rapid IV contracts serve as a fast and flexible means for the government to acquire spacecraft and related components, equipment and services in support of NASA missions and/or other federal government agencies. The s ... read more

EXO WORLDS
The most sensitive instrument in the search for life in space comes from Bern
Bern, Switzerland (SPX) Aug 20, 2020
The question of whether life exists beyond the Earth is one of humanity's most fundamental questions. Future NASA missions, for example, aim to examine the ice moons of Jupiter and Saturn, which may ... more
MARSDAILY
Sustained planetwide storms may have filled lakes, rivers on ancient mars
Austin TX (SPX) Aug 20, 2020
A new study from The University of Texas at Austin is helping scientists piece together the ancient climate of Mars by revealing how much rainfall and snowmelt filled its lake beds and river valleys ... more
MOON DAILY
Orion Window Panel Complete for Front-Row View on Artemis Moon Mission
Huntsville AL (SPX) Aug 20, 2020
As NASA's Orion spacecraft approaches the Moon on the Artemis III mission to put the first woman and next man on the lunar surface, the crew will get a glimpse through the spacecraft's windows. ... more
MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS
Airbus to build BADR-8 satellite for Arabsat
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (SPX) Aug 19, 2020
Airbus has been contracted by Arabsat, one of the world's top satellite operators, to build BADR-8, their new generation telecommunications satellite. BADR-8 will replace and increase Arabsat's capa ... more
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MARSDAILY
Deep learning will help future Mars rovers go farther, faster, and do more science
Austin TX (SPX) Aug 20, 2020
NASA's Mars rovers have been one of the great scientific and space successes of the past two decades. Four generations of rovers have traversed the red planet gathering scientific data, sending back ... more
EXO WORLDS
Microbes living on air a global phenomenon
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Aug 20, 2020
In their first follow-up to a high-profile 2017 study which showed microbes in Antarctica have a unique ability to essentially live on air, researchers from UNSW Sydney have now discovered this proc ... more
SPACEWAR
First female general officer promotes, transfers to Space Force
Washington DC (AFNS) Aug 18, 2020
In a significant milestone for the nation's newest armed service, Lt. Gen. Nina Armagno became the first female officer to promote to three-star general and transfer into the U.S. Space Force during ... more
EARLY EARTH
Exploding stars may have caused mass extinction on Earth, study shows
Champaign IL (SPX) Aug 19, 2020
Imagine reading by the light of an exploded star, brighter than a full moon - it might be fun to think about, but this scene is the prelude to a disaster when the radiation devastates life as we kno ... more
WOOD PILE
NASA study maps the roots of global mangrove loss
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Aug 19, 2020
Using high-resolution data from the joint NASA-U.S. Geological Survey Landsat program, researchers have created the first map of the causes of change in global mangrove habitats between 2000 and 201 ... more
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EARTH OBSERVATION
EOS Data Analytics facilitates satellite data to make Europe's mining industry safer
Menlo Park CA (SPX) Aug 19, 2020
The European Commission has contracted with EOS Data Analytics, a satellite analytics company founded by Max Polyakov, to develop technologies for the monitoring and analysis of mining sites across ... more
CHIP TECH
Artificial materials for more efficient electronics
Geneva, Switzerland (SPX) Aug 19, 2020
We are surrounded by electronic devices. Transistors are used to power telephones, computers, televisions, hi-fi systems and game consoles as well as cars, airplanes and the like. Today's silicon-ba ... more
ROCKET SCIENCE
Vega launch now set for 1 September
Paris (ESA) Aug 18, 2020
A new launch date of 1 September 2020 has been announced by Arianespace for Vega flight VV16. Due to the persistence of exceptionally unfavourable winds at altitude over Europe's Spaceport, Ve ... more
OUTER PLANETS
The Sun May Have Started Its Life with a Binary Companion
Cambridge MA (SPX) Aug 19, 2020
A new theory published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters by scientists from Harvard University suggests that the Sun may once have had a binary companion of similar mass. If confirmed, the presen ... more
EXO WORLDS
Hundred cool worlds found near the sun
Maunakea HI (SPX) Aug 19, 2020
How complete is our census of the Sun's closest neighbors? Astronomers and a team of data-sleuthing volunteers participating in Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, a citizen science project, have discovered ... more


Aurora mysteries unlocked with NASA's THEMIS mission

SPACEWAR
US Space Force promotes first general officer
Washington DC (AFNS) Aug 16, 2020
Maj. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman was the first U.S. Air Force general officer transferred and promoted to lieutenant general in the U.S. Space Force during a ceremony at the Pentagon Aug. 14. Duri ... more
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MISSILE DEFENSE
MBDA and Lockheed Martin submit proposal for Germany's Integrated Air And Missile Defense System
Schrobenhausen, Germany (SPX) Aug 16, 2020
MBDA Deutschland and Lockheed Martin, the TLVS bidders consortium (TLVS JV), have submitted an updated proposal to the German Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Se ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Mystery gas discovered near center of Milky Way
Canberra, Australia (SPX) Aug 20, 2020
An international team of researchers have discovered a dense, cold gas that's been shot out from the centre of the Milky Way "like bullets". Exactly how the gas has been ejected is still a mys ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Debris from Stellar Explosion Not Slowed After 400 Years
Cambridge MA (SPX) Aug 20, 2020
Astronomers have used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to record material blasting away from the site of an exploded star at speeds faster than 20 million miles per hour. This is about 25,000 times ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Experiments replicate high densities in 'white dwarf' stars
Rochester NY (SPX) Aug 18, 2020
For the first time, researchers have found a way to describe conditions deep in the convection zone of "white dwarf" stars, which are home to some of the densest collections of matter in the Univers ... more
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Arecibo Observatory data help lead to discovery of cosmic 'heartbeat'
Orlando FL (SPX) Aug 18, 2020
An international team of researchers using data from Arecibo Observatory and the Fermi Space Telescope have discovered what they call a "gamma-ray heartbeat" coming from a cosmic gas cloud. Th ... more
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Moonstruck 'aroma sculptor' builds scent from space
Montegut-Lauragais, France (AFP) Aug 12, 2020
He may never have pulled on a spacesuit or flown in a shuttle but that has not stopped Frenchman Michael Moisseeff from reaching for the stars. After years of exploring and reconstructing the scents of planet Earth, the 66-year-old "aroma sculptor" set himself a new goal - capturing the smell of the moon. Moisseeff, with his floral shirt and a head of white hair tied up at the back, s ... more
+ Take Me to Mars
+ A QandA on the Demo-2 mission
+ Power, bones, bubbles and other Weightless action on the Space Station
+ Roscosmos teases names of next year's ISS tourist group flight
+ Richard Branson space-bound in early 2021 says Virgin Galactic
+ Work Begins on Delta Faucet's Droplet Formation Space Station Experiment This Week
+ ESA Astronauts Maurer and Pesquet continue training at JSC
NASA begins installing orion adapter for first Aartemis lunar flight
Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Aug 14, 2020
Technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida are working to install an adapter that will connect the Orion spacecraft to its rocket for the Artemis I mission around the Moon. This is one of the final major hardware operations for Orion inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building prior to integration with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The spacecraft adapter c ... more
+ Artemis I rocket moves closer to hot fire test
+ SpaceX sets rocket booster reuse record in satellite launch
+ US Air Force and Lockheed Martin complete another successful hypersonics test
+ NASA, SpaceX targeting October for next astronaut launch
+ Vega launch now set for 1 September
+ Ariane 5's third launch of 2020
+ Sierra Nevada aims to complete Dream Chaser space plane in March


Sustained planetwide storms may have filled lakes, rivers on ancient mars
Austin TX (SPX) Aug 20, 2020
A new study from The University of Texas at Austin is helping scientists piece together the ancient climate of Mars by revealing how much rainfall and snowmelt filled its lake beds and river valleys 3.5 billion to 4 billion years ago. The study, published in Geology, represents the first time that researchers have quantified the precipitation that must have been present across the planet, ... more
+ Deep learning will help future Mars rovers go farther, faster, and do more science
+ Ingenuity Mars Helicopter recharges its batteries in flight
+ NASA establishes Board to initially review Mars sample return plans
+ NASA scientists leverage carbon-measuring instrument for Mars studies
+ Rice researchers use InSight for deep Mars measurements
+ NASA's MAVEN observes Martian night sky pulsing in ultraviolet light
+ Lava tubes on Mars and the Moon are so wide they can host planetary bases
China seeks payload ideas for mission to moon, asteroid
Beijing (XNA) Aug 07, 2020
China is soliciting ideas for payloads aboard its proposed missions to the moon, an asteroid and a comet, according to the China National Space Administration. It is asking for primary, middle school and university students across the country to provide ideas for payloads that would fly aboard the Chang'e 7 probe to the moon, and on another spacecraft to the asteroid 2016HO3 and the comet ... more
+ China marching to Mars for humanity's better shared future
+ From the Moon to Mars: China's long march in space
+ Tianwen 1 probe to soon blast off for Mars
+ China's newest carrier rocket fails in debut mission
+ China's tracking ship wraps up satellite launch monitoring
+ Final Beidou launch marks major milestone in China's space effort
+ Satellite launch center Wenchang eyes boosting homestay, catering sectors
SES selects ULA to launch two C-Band satellites to accelerate C-Band clearing
Luxembourg (SPX) Aug 07, 2020
SES, the leader in global content connectivity solutions, has selected U.S.-based United Launch Alliance (ULA) to launch two C-band satellites. This launch is part of the company's accelerated C-band clearing plan to meet the Federal Communications Commission's objectives to roll out 5G services in the United States. ULA's Atlas V rocket will launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida in 2022 and carry ... more
+ Kleos to launch second satellite cluster on SpaceX Falcon 9
+ New UK space projects to boost global sustainable development receive cash boost
+ SIA urges FCC to ensure spectrum continues to provide satellite broadband connectivity
+ Exolaunch awarded contracts to deliver Swarm Satellites into orbit on Falcon 9
+ SES selects SpaceX for launch of new C-Band satellites
+ Hisdesat And XTAR Complete Transaction For XTAR-EUR Satellite
+ Amazon to invest $10 bn in space-based internet system
NASA selects SwRI to participate in $6B Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition IV Contract
San Antonio, TX (SPX) Aug 16, 2020
NASA has selected Southwest Research Institute to take part in the $6 billion indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity Rapid Spacecraft Acquisition IV contract. SwRI will be listed in the NASA spacecraft catalog used by the U.S. government to easily contract for proven spacecraft. The Rapid IV contracts serve as a fast and flexible means for the government to acquire spacecraft and related ... more
+ Return of the LIDAR
+ Army researchers explore self-healing materials
+ PredaSAR chooses SpaceX to launch its first synthetic aperture radar satellite
+ A bit of gold grants crystals new electric properties
+ Novel method of heat conduction could be a game changer for server farms and aircraft
+ New Flight Simulator game takes off with French studio in cockpit
+ French firm thrusts Microsoft Flight Simulator to new take-off


The most sensitive instrument in the search for life in space comes from Bern
Bern, Switzerland (SPX) Aug 20, 2020
The question of whether life exists beyond the Earth is one of humanity's most fundamental questions. Future NASA missions, for example, aim to examine the ice moons of Jupiter and Saturn, which may potentially shelter life in the liquid oceans underneath the thick layer of ice, on the ground. Proving traces of life beyond the Earth is extremely challenging, however. Highly sensitive instr ... more
+ Microbes living on air a global phenomenon
+ Hundred cool worlds found near the sun
+ Surprisingly dense exoplanet challenges planet formation theories
+ Microbes in the seabed survive on little energy
+ NASA's planet hunter completes its primary mission
+ Lava oceans may not explain the brightness of some hot super-Earths
+ Hubble uses Earth as a Proxy for identifying oxygen on exoplanets
The Sun May Have Started Its Life with a Binary Companion
Cambridge MA (SPX) Aug 19, 2020
A new theory published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters by scientists from Harvard University suggests that the Sun may once have had a binary companion of similar mass. If confirmed, the presence of an early stellar companion increases the likelihood that the Oort cloud was formed as observed and that Planet Nine was captured rather than formed within the solar system. Dr. Avi Loeb, F ... more
+ Ganymede covered by giant crater
+ Huge ring-like structure on Ganymede's surface may have been caused by violent impact
+ Inside the ice giants of space
+ Ammonia sparks unexpected, exotic lightning on Jupiter
+ Shallow Lightning and Mushballs reveal ammonia to Juno scientists
+ NASA's Webb Telescope Will Study Jupiter, Its Rings, and Two Intriguing Moons
+ NASA Juno takes first images of Ganymede's North Pole


Malaysia coast guard kill Vietnamese fisherman in S. China Sea clash
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Aug 17, 2020
The Malaysian coast guard shot dead a Vietnamese fisherman whose boat tried to ram a patrol vessel in the South China Sea, an official said Monday. The incident took place inside Malaysian waters, where local fisherman have complained in the past about Vietnamese fishing boats that damage their nets. Coast guard chief Mohamad Zubil Mat Som told AFP that two Vietnamese fishing boats had e ... more
+ Ecuador says Chinese trawlers turned off tracking system near Galapagos
+ Stanford researchers develop new way to study ocean life
+ Alaska's salmon are getting smaller
+ Talks on Ethiopia's mega-dam pushed to Tuesday
+ Scientists discover 30 new species in Galapagos depths
+ Climate change worsens effects of nutrient pollution on marine ecosystems
+ Egypt, Sudan voice optimism over Nile dam talks with Ethiopia
Software upgrades for Beidou to continue
Beijing (XNA) Aug 07, 2020
Designers of China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System will keep upgrading software on Beidou satellites to improve their capabilities and maintain technological advantages, according to a key figure in this program. Lin Baojun, a chief designer of Beidou's third-generation satellite, said at a news conference in Beijing on Monday that once a satellite is launched, it is virtually impossi ... more
+ Launch of Russia's Glonass-K satellite postponed until October
+ Tech combo is a real game-changer for farming
+ GPS 3 receives operational acceptance
+ Air Force navigation technology satellite passes critical design review
+ Beidou's eye can help spot and stop rampant illegal mining
+ Full global service of Beidou signals space tech independence
+ Beidou also belongs to world


Lander exhaust could cloud studies of Lunar ices
Laurel, MD (SPX) Aug 16, 2020
A new study led by scientists at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, shows that exhaust from a midsized lunar lander can quickly spread around the Moon and potentially contaminate scientifically vital ices at the lunar poles. Computer simulations of water vapor emitted by a 2,650-pound (1,200-kilogram) lander - about a quarter of the dry mass of the Apol ... more
+ China's Chang'e-4 probe resumes work for 21st lunar day
+ Orion Window Panel Complete for Front-Row View on Artemis Moon Mission
+ India's Chandrayaan-2 images Sarabhai Crater
+ Russian Cosmonauts Could Be Going to the Moon Without a Super-Heavy Launch Vehicle
+ Study reveals composition of gel-like lunar substance
+ Aerojet Rocketdyne completes its propulsion for NASA's Artemis II mission
+ Russia's Trailblazing Lunar Lander Mission to be Launch-Tested With US Equipment
Second rehearsal puts OSIRIS-REx on path to sample collection
Tucson AZ (SPX) Aug 14, 2020
Yesterday, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft performed its final practice run of the sampling sequence, reaching an approximate altitude of 131 feet (40 meters) over sample site Nightingale before executing a back-away burn. Nightingale, OSIRIS-REx's primary sample collection site, is located within a crater in Bennu's northern hemisphere. The approximately four-hour "Matchpoint" rehearsal took th ... more
+ Tiny Asteroid Buzzes by Earth - the Closest Flyby on Record
+ Surrey academics develop a new method to determine the origin of stardust in meteorites
+ ZTF Finds Closest Known Asteroid to Fly By Earth
+ The Hayabusa2 Re-entry Capsule Approved to Land in Australia
+ 'Oumuamua isn't made from molecular hydrogen ice after all
+ Bright hydrothermal deposits on dwarf planet Ceres have a style all their own
+ Bright areas on Ceres come from salty water below


EOS Data Analytics facilitates satellite data to make Europe's mining industry safer
Menlo Park CA (SPX) Aug 19, 2020
The European Commission has contracted with EOS Data Analytics, a satellite analytics company founded by Max Polyakov, to develop technologies for the monitoring and analysis of mining sites across Europe. The three-year project, called Goldeneye, has a total budget of euro 8.3 million. The project will develop solutions that improve safety, environmental impact, and profitability of mine ... more
+ Meteorological satellites keep eye on clouds
+ China set to launch two advanced marine satellites in 2021
+ Ball Aerospace completes airborne flights of small instruments to enable future Landsat missions
+ Sentinel-1C radar antenna has spread its wings for the first time
+ NASA researchers track slowly splitting 'dent' in Earth's magnetic field
+ Clemson doctoral candidate uses rockets to surf the Alaskan sky
+ Cluster's 20 years of studying Earth's magnetosphere
A method has been developed to study extreme space weather events
Moscow, Russia (SPX) Aug 16, 2020
Scientists at Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), together with colleagues from the Karl-Franzens University of Graz and the Kanzelhohe Observatory (Austria), Jet Propulsion Laboratory of California Institute of Technology (USA), Helioresearch (USA) and Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia) developed a method to study fast Coronal Mass Ejection ... more
+ Aurora mysteries unlocked with NASA's THEMIS mission
+ Uncovering the shape of the Solar System
+ The quiet Sun is much more active than we thought
+ Breakthrough method for predicting solar storms
+ Alaskan seismometers record the northern lights
+ New studies reveal inside of central energy release region in solar eruption
+ Unprecedented look into the 'central engine' powering a solar flare


Debris from Stellar Explosion Not Slowed After 400 Years
Cambridge MA (SPX) Aug 20, 2020
Astronomers have used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to record material blasting away from the site of an exploded star at speeds faster than 20 million miles per hour. This is about 25,000 times faster than the speed of sound on Earth. The Kepler supernova remnant is the debris from a detonated star that is located about 20,000 light years away from Earth in our Milky Way galaxy. In 160 ... more
+ Webb Telescope is an international endeavor
+ Mystery gas discovered near center of Milky Way
+ NASA satellite's lone view of Betelgeuse reveals more strange behavior
+ Hubble finds that Betelgeuse's mysterious dimming is due to a traumatic outburst
+ Arecibo Observatory data help lead to discovery of cosmic 'heartbeat'
+ Experiments replicate high densities in 'white dwarf' stars
+ Strange gamma-ray heartbeat puzzles scientists
First ever observation of 'time crystals' interacting
Lancaster UK (SPX) Aug 18, 2020
For the first time ever, scientists have witnessed the interaction of a new phase of matter known as "time crystals". The discovery, published in Nature Materials, may lead to applications in quantum information processing because time crystals automatically remain intact - coherent - in varying conditions. Protecting coherence is the main difficulty hindering the development of powerful q ... more
+ Breakthrough extends quantum state stability by 10,000 times
+ Physicists cast doubt on neutrino theory
+ Simulating quantum 'time travel' disproves butterfly effect in quantum realm
+ Universe Is More Homogeneous Than Expected
+ Cosmic tango between the very small and the very large
+ New approach refines the Hubble's constant and age of universe
+ Atomtronic device could probe boundary between quantum, everyday worlds
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