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December 28, 2016
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MOON DAILY
China plans probes to far side, poles of Moon



Beijing (XNA) Dec 28, 2016
China is planning missions to explore the far side of the Moon and to send robots to explore both lunar poles. Plans to send astronauts to the Moon are also being discussed, according to Wu Yanhua, vice director of the China National Space Administration. Wu told a press conference on Tuesday that work on the Chang'e-5 lunar mission, scheduled to make a soft landing on the Moon and return to Earth by the end of next year, is proceeding smoothly. Asked about private capital in the space ... read more

MOON DAILY
Lunar sonic booms
The sonic boom created by an airplane comes from the craft's large, speeding body crashing into molecules in the air. But if you shrank the plane to the size of a molecule, would it still generate a ... more
MOON DAILY
India Inc joins hands to bid for moon mission
An Indian aerospace start-ups's plans to send a mission to moon as part of the Google's Lunar XPRIZE challenge has received a major boost in funding from local corporate houses and entrepreneurs. A ... more
MOON DAILY
TeamIndus signs contract with ISRO for lunar mission
Domestic space technology startup TeamIndus on Thursday signed a first-of-its-kind contract with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to send a TeamIndus robot to the Moon. TeamIndus will l ... more
MOON DAILY
Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin stable after South Pole health scare
Retired astronaut Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon, was recovering in a New Zealand hospital Friday after being medically evacuated from the South Pole while on a tourist trip, his management said. ... more
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MOON DAILY
Russian Space Agency Confirms Plans to Implement Lunar Sample-Return Mission
Russia's space agency said that Roscosmos does not intend to abandon the implementation of the Luna-Grunt (Lunar Sample-Return) project aimed at delivering lunar soil to the Earth. Roscosmos does no ... more
MOON DAILY
Skygazers gawp at extra bright 'supermoon'
Skygazers took to high-rise buildings, observatories and beaches Monday to get a glimpse of the closest "supermoon" to Earth in almost seven decades, and snap dramatic pictures. ... more
MOON DAILY
There's an 'extra-super' Moon on the rise
An unusually large and bright Moon will adorn the night sky next Monday - the closest "supermoon" to Earth in 68 years and a chance for dramatic photos and spectacular surf. Weather permitting ... more
MOON DAILY
November 14th's Super-Close Full Moon
The full Moon on Monday, November 14th, will be a little bigger and brighter than normal, because on that day the Moon will be closer to Earth than it's been in nearly 69 years. At 6:23 a.m. E ... more
MOON DAILY
China "well prepared" to launch Chang'e-5 lunar probe in 2017: top scientist
China is well prepared to launch the Chang'e-5 lunar probe in 2017 to collect and bring back moon rock samples for scientific research, a leading Chinese scientist said Sunday. Chief Scientist ... more


Switch Flipped on LAMP in Lunar Orbit to Improve Data

MOON DAILY
New Model Explains the Moon's Weird Orbit
The moon, Earth's closest neighbor, is among the strangest planetary bodies in the solar system. Its orbit lies unusually far away from Earth, with a surprisingly large orbital tilt. Planetary scien ... more
MOON DAILY
New Theory Explains How the Moon Got There
Earth's moon is an unusual object in our solar system, and now there's a new theory to explain how it got where it is, which puts some twists on the current "giant impact" theory. The work is publis ... more


Small Troughs Growing on Mars May Become 'Spiders'
Erosion-carved troughs that grow and branch during multiple Martian years may be infant versions of larger features known as Martian "spiders," which are radially patterned channels found only in the south polar region of Mars. Researchers using NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) report the first detection of cumulative growth, from one Martian spring to another, of channels resultin ... more
All eyes on Trump over Mars

Opportunity performs several drives to ancient gully

Full go-ahead for building ExoMars 2020

Cassini offers a crash course in ring world orbital mechanics
It may look as though Saturn's moon Mimas is crashing through the rings in this image taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, but Mimas is actually 28,000 miles (45,000 kilometers) away from the rings. There is a strong connection between the icy moon and Saturn's rings, though. Gravity links them together and shapes the way they both move. The gravitational pull of Mimas (246 miles or 396 kil ... more
Saturn's bulging core implies moons younger than thought

Cassini Makes First Ring-Grazing Plunge

Cassini Beams Back First Images from New Orbit

Exploring Pluto and the Wild Back Yonder
As 2016 ends, I can't help but point out an interesting symmetry in where the mission has recently been and where we are going. Exactly two years ago we had just taken New Horizons out of cruise hibernation to begin preparations for the Pluto flyby. And exactly two years from now we will be on final approach to our next flyby, which will culminate with a very close approach to a small Kuiper Bel ... more
Juno Captures Jupiter 'Pearl'

Juno Mission Prepares for December 11 Jupiter Flyby

Research Offers Clues About the Timing of Jupiter's Formation

'Passengers' and the real-life science of deep space travel
From "Aliens" to "Interstellar," Hollywood has long used suspended animation to overcome the difficulties of deep space travel, but the once-fanciful sci-fi staple is becoming scientific fact. The theory is that a hibernating crew could stay alive over vast cosmic distances, requiring little food, hydration or living space, potentially slashing the costs of interstellar missions and eradicat ... more
NASA Readies for Major Orion Milestones in 2017

India achieves advances multiple space systems in 2016

Spacewalk for Thomas Pesquet at ISS



Going green with nanotechnology
Nanotechnology offers many chances to benefit the environment and health. It can be applied to save raw materials and energy, develop enhanced solar cells and more efficient rechargeable batteries and replace harmful substances with eco-compatible solutions. "Nanotechnology is a seminal technology. The UMWELTnanoTECH project association has delivered excellent results. Even the smallest ac ... more
Nanocubes simplify printing and imaging in color and infrared

New aspect of atom mimicry for nanotechnology applications

ANU demonstrates 'ghost imaging' with atoms

United Launch Alliance launches EchoStar XIX satellite
A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the EchoStar XIX satellite lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 Dec. 18 at 2:13 p.m. EST. EchoStar XIX will dramatically increase capacity for HughesNet high-speed satellite Internet service to homes and businesses in North America. Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services procured the Atlas V for this mission. This is ULA's 12th ... more
New round of wind tunnel tests underway for bigger SLS version

Preparing to Plug Into NASA SLS Fuel Tank

Ultra-Cold Storage - Liquid Hydrogen may be Fuel of the Future



China Plans to Launch 1st Mars Probe by 2020 - State Council Information Office
China is planning to conduct the first orbiting and roving exploration of Mars by 2020, the country's State Council Information Office (SCIO) said Tuesday in a report. "China intends to execute its first Mars exploration operation, and grasp key technologies for orbiting, landing and roving exploration. It plans to launch the first Mars probe by 2020 to carry out orbiting and roving explor ... more
China to expand int'l cooperation on space sciences

China sees rapid development of space science and technology

Chinese missile giant seeks 20% of a satellite market

Rudolph's antlers inspire next generation of unbreakable materials
Scientists from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) have discovered the secret behind the toughness of deer antlers and how they can resist breaking during fights. The team looked at the antler structure at the 'nano-level', which is incredibly small, almost one thousandth of the thickness of a hair strand, and were able to identify the mechanisms at work, using state-of-the-art compute ... more
China to improve space debris database, spacecraft protection

Meet a 'Spacecraft Dressmaker'

Purdue analyzes environmental impact of space-based ADS-B



MIT researchers reveal new technique for measuring gravity
Researchers have found a way to improve atom interferometers, the most common and precise tool for measuring gravity. Atom interferometers measure difference in wave characteristics between atomic matter. They rely on an exotic state of matter called Bose-Einstein condensates. Researchers in MIT have found a way to improve the precision of atom interferometers by augmenting the condensa ... more
A population of neutron stars can generate gravitational waves continuously

LISA Pathfinder's pioneering mission continues

Magnetic mirror could shed new light on gravitational waves

New equipment funded for Joint Russian-German Spektrum-RG Observatory
Replacing electronic equipment for the future Spektrum-RG observatory due to the new estimates of radiation levels cost German participants of this project about five million euros (approximately $5.2 million), Mikhail Pavlinsky, the head of Russian Space Research Institute, said Tuesday. The Spektrum-RG is an X-ray observatory project run jointly by a number of space agencies, including R ... more
Festive nebulae light up Milky Way Galaxy satellite

VLA, ALMA team up to give first look at birthplaces of most current stars

Fluctuations in extragalactic gamma rays reveal two source classes but no dark matter



Russia to face strong competition from China in space launch market
In the decade to come Russia will face strong competition from China for the commercial launch of satellites for developing countries, according to Ivan Moiseev, director of the Institute of Space Policy."China is trying to expand its space launching services, developing new boosters for different segments of the market," Moiseev told RIA Novosti. "It has constructed a new spacecraft launc ... more
Vega And Gokturk-1A are present for next Arianespace lightweight mission

Antares Rides Again

Four Galileo satellites are "topped off" for Arianespace's milestone Ariane 5 launch from the Spaceport

China Plans to Launch 1st Mars Probe by 2020 - State Council Information Office
China is planning to conduct the first orbiting and roving exploration of Mars by 2020, the country's State Council Information Office (SCIO) said Tuesday in a report. "China intends to execute its first Mars exploration operation, and grasp key technologies for orbiting, landing and roving exploration. It plans to launch the first Mars probe by 2020 to carry out orbiting and roving explor ... more
China to expand int'l cooperation on space sciences

China sees rapid development of space science and technology

Chinese missile giant seeks 20% of a satellite market



Moore Foundation provides libraries with a millione solar-eclipse viewers
The Space Science Institute was awarded a grant from the Moore Foundation that will provide 1.26 million solar viewing glasses and other resources for 1,500 public libraries across the nation. They will serve as centers for eclipse education and viewing for their communities. The libraries will be selected through a registration process managed by the STAR Library Education Network (STAR_N ... more
Preparing for the August 2017 Total Solar Eclipse

Giving the Sun a brake

Perspectives on magnetic reconnection

OneWeb announces key funding form SoftBank Group and other investors
OneWeb reports it has secured $1.2 billion in funded capital from SoftBank and existing investors, of which $1 billion will come from SoftBank. The $1.2 billion fundraising round announced will support OneWeb's revolutionary technological development and the construction of the world's first and only high volume satellite production facility. The new facility, based in Exploration Park, Fl ... more
Space as a Driver for Socio-Economic Sustainable Development

Airbus DS and Energia eye new medium-class satellite platform

SoftBank delivers first $1 bn of Trump pledge, to space firm

Daily Newsletters - Space - Military - Environment - Energy

PANIC Lander to Revolutionize Asteroid Research
A US-German team of researchers has proposed to develop a micro-scale low-cost surface lander for the in situ characterization of an asteroid. The tiny spacecraft, called the Pico Autonomous Near-Earth Asteroid In Situ Characterizer (PANIC), could be a breakthrough for the scientific community, offering simple and cheap solutions for asteroid research. The concept of the PANIC mission envi ... more
Ceres Offers Insight Into Prospects For Life in Early Solar System

The case of the missing diamonds

Studies refute hypothesis on what caused abrupt climate change thousands of years ago

Mimicking biological movements with soft robots
Designing a soft robot to move organically - to bend like a finger or twist like a wrist - has always been a process of trial and error. Now, researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering have developed a method to automatically design soft actuators based on the desired movement. "Rather ... more
Marriage and more with robots: science fiction or new reality?

NIST device for detecting subatomic-scale motion may aid robotics, homeland security

A hardware-based approach for real world collaborative multi-robots



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