Moon Exploration and Science News

December 13, 2012

Cassini Spots Mini Nile River on Saturn Moon
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 13, 2012
Scientists with NASA's Cassini mission have spotted what appears to be a miniature, extraterrestrial likeness of Earth's Nile River: a river valley on Saturn's moon Titan that stretches more than 200 miles (400 kilometers) from its "headwaters" to a large sea. It is the first time images have revealed a river system this vast and in such high resolution anywhere other than Earth. Scientists deduce that the river, which is in Titan's north polar region, is filled with liquid hydrocarbons because it ... read more

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Apollo's Lunar Dust Data Being Restored Forty years after the last Apollo spacecraft launched, the science from those missions continues to shape our view of the moon. In one of the latest developments, readings from the Apollo 14 and 15 ... more		To the moon and back for less than 2 billion dollars Two former top NASA officials unveiled plans Thursday to sell manned flights to the moon by the end of the decade, in an announcement 40 years after the last human set foot there. ... more		What trends will take upper hand in space exploration? Space exploration in the future is linked to the creation of habitable bases on the moon. This opinion was expressed by head of Russia's leading research institute of the country's space agency Genn ... more
				NASA's GRAIL Creates Most Accurate Moon Gravity Map Twin NASA probes orbiting Earth's moon have generated the highest resolution gravity field map of any celestial body. The new map, created by the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mis ... more		Chinese astronauts may grow veg on Moon Chinese astronauts may get fresh vegetables and oxygen supplies by gardening in extraterrestrial bases in the future, an official said after a just-concluded lab experiment in Beijing. Deng Yi ... more

CubeSats, SmallSats and MicroSats

NASA's Cassini Sees Abrupt Turn in Titan's Atmosphere Data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft tie a shift in seasonal sunlight to a wholesale reversal, at unexpected altitudes, in the circulation of the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan. At the south pole, ... more		WSU researchers use 3-D printer to make parts from moon rock Imagine landing on the moon or Mars, putting rocks through a 3-D printer and making something useful - like a needed wrench or replacement part. "It sounds like science fiction, but now it's really ... more		With Trump mum, last US-Russia nuclear pact set to end India budget pledges record infrastructure and defence boost Lockheed ramps up THAAD interceptor output with new framework deal and Camden facility		Cassini Finds a Video Gamers' Paradise at Saturn You could call this "Pac-Man, the Sequel." Scientists with NASA's Cassini mission have spotted a second feature shaped like the 1980s video game icon in the Saturn system, this time on the moon Teth ... more
				Fly me to the universe In the eye of Ouyang Ziyuan, Chinese will not only explore the moon and Mars, but the sun, Venus and Jupiter, as well. "I wish we could travel further away," said Ouyang, chief scientist of Ch ... more		Meteorite samples provide definitive evidence of water and rock types on Mars Researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, NASA's Johnson Space Center, Lunar Planetary Institute, and Carnegie Institute of Washington report on geochemical studies that help towards settlin ... more

Solar systems for home and business

CubeSats, SmallSats and MicroSats

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

China's Chang'e-3 to land on moon next year China will launch its latest lunar satellite in the second half of next year, the Chang'e-3, paving the way for a future manned moon landing, a senior space industry official said on Saturday. ... more		Obama Win Keeps NASA's Space Plans on Course The reelection of US president Barack Obama could mean one small step back to the moon and a giant leap to landing astronauts on Mars and asteroids. In 2010, the Obama administration set a goa ... more		Sentinel 1 maps reveal flexible crust beneath Tibetan Plateau Stable water tables help wetlands curb methane emissions Rock microbes reveal hidden groundwater carbon engine		A New Technique to Protect Astronauts from Space Radiation The complexities of traveling to and working in space present challenges to astronauts that NASA scientists and engineers have been working on since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first stepped on t ... more
				Moon crater yields impact clues NASA scientists say an almost perfectly preserved crater on the moon should yield clues to the evolution of impact craters on Earth and other rocky bodies. ... more		Dawn Sees "Young" Surface on Giant Asteroid Like a Hollywood starlet constantly retouching her makeup, the giant asteroid Vesta is constantly stirring its outermost layer to present a young face. Data from NASA's Dawn mission show that a form ... more

Charitum Montes: a cratered winter wonderland

Opportunity Continues Rock Studies

Curiosity Rover Nearing Yellowknife Bay

Cassini Spots Mini Nile River on Saturn Moon

Titan, Saturn's Largest Moon, Icier than Scientists Thought

NASA's Cassini Sees Abrupt Turn in Titan's Atmosphere

Halfway Between Uranus and Neptune, New Horizons Cruises On

Dwarf planet Makemake lacks atmosphere

Keck Observations Bring Weather Of Uranus Into Sharp Focus

Apollo's Lunar Dust Data Being Restored

To the moon and back for less than 2 billion dollars

NASA's GRAIL Creates Most Accurate Moon Gravity Map

	Study: Moon basin formed by giant impact A flattened 1,800-mile-wide section of the moon was likely caused by a collision with an asteroid the size of Austria, Japanese researchers say. ... more		China unveils large radio telescope in Shanghai A massive radio telescope for use in space observation was unveiled Sunday at the foot of Sheshan Mountain in Shanghai. The telescope will be used to track and collect data from satellites and space ... more		NASA's LADEE Spacecraft Gets Final Science Instrument Installed Engineers at NASAs Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., have installed the third and final science instrument that will fly onboard NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LAD ... more		Astrium presents results of its study into automatic landing near the Moon's south pole What technologies are needed to ensure a safe, accurate Moon landing and in-situ lunar research? Astrium is currently investigating this question in Lunar Lander studies for the European Space Agenc ... more

US contract vehicle to speed US made defense semiconductors into military systems

Equities and precious metals rebound after Asia-wide rout

Physicists predict significant growth for cadmium telluride photovoltaics

Monitoring Io's Insane Volcanic Activity from the Comfort of Earth		European mission to search for moon water		Proof at last: Moon was created in giant smashup		Massive planetary collision may have zapped key elements from moon		Giant impact scenario may explain the unusual moons of Saturn
Model reconciles Lunar Earth composition with giant impact theory		Giant smashup created the Moon, say scientists		What's Baking on Titan?		University of Tennessee study confirms solar wind as source for moon water		UNH scientists provide window on space radiation hazards

Solar wind particles likely source of water locked inside lunar soils

Moon water could have solar source: study

Russia to launch lunar mission in 2015

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