27.02.11

DARPA's Giant Space Junk Net Could Remove Almost All Orbiting Debris

DARPA has a thing for butterfly tech. Last week it was sensors based on butterfly wings. This week, it's a space junk capturing vehicle armed with 200 nets that gathers
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What's On Tap For the Next Ten Years of Astronomy? Find Exo-Earths and Figure Out Dark Energy

The future of astronomy is an amped-up search for exoplanets and for a greater understanding of how the universe formed and evolved, according to a sweeping survey released today. The much-anticipated Astro2010
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Using Home Astronomy Software, Citizen Scientists Discover New Pulsar

Through the Einstein@Home program, about 250,000 private citizens from 192 countries donate time on their home and office computers to help comb through astronomical data. Now, for the first time, three of those citizen scientists -- Chris and Helen Colvin of Iowa and
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VISTA Telescope Reveals Tarantula Nebula in Brilliant Detail

The ESO's VISTA telescope has released a magnificent picture of the Tarantula Nebula in our neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. The image was taken at the start of VISTA's Magellanic Cloud survey, covering 184 square degrees of sky (about a thousand times
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NASA Will Spend $30 Million Buying Private Moon Mission Data, In Lieu of Launching Its Own

In an acknowledgement that the private space industry just might have something going for it, NASA is setting aside $30 million to buy information gleaned from
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Eight-Hour Spacewalk to Repair Faulty ISS Cooling Pump Does Not Succeed

Saturday's emergency spacewalk outside the International Space Station failed to replace the faulty cooling pump that malfunctioned last
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Sweet toolkit of research instruments unveiled for NASA-ESA ExoMars Orbiter

In 2016, NASA and the European Space Agency will launch the first-ever joint U.S./Euro mission to Mars, and Tuesday they unveiled exactly what kind of toys the ExoMars Trace
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After solar flare sprays Earth with charged plasma, a beautiful aurora

On Sunday, sunspot number 1092 emitted a C-class solar flare--not a large one, by solar flare standards. But NASA scientists were intrigued by what accompanied it -- an unusually fast corona mass ejection that sent a large cloud of charged plasma toward Earth. There will be no adverse effects
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In an astronomical first, scientists capture 3D view of exploding star

Those of you who thought 3D had jumped the shark, check this out. Using a new instrument at the Very Large Telescope, astronomers have been able to capture a three-dimensional view of the distribution of the innermost material expelled by a supernova, the
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Are we in the future yet? A robot astronaut is tweeting

R2 was developed through a Space Act Agreement by NASA and General Motors. It is faster, more dexterous and more technologically advanced than its predecessors and able to use its hands to do work beyond the scope of previously introduced humanoid robots. Robonaut-2, NASA's robot astronaut,
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LHC scientists simulate the sound of the 'God particle'

If a theoretical force-carrying, subatomic particle were to materialize in the universe and no one were around to hear it, would it make a sound? Existential aspects aside, physicists at the Large Hadron Collider believe that the elusive Higgs boson, should it prove to
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Yes, Hayabusa asteroid probe contains particles

JAXA, the Japanese space agency, has released the first photographs of the interior of the Hayabusa probe. Last week, we were starting to fear that the seven-year mission had returned to Earth without the crumbs of asteroid Itokawa that it had been sent for.
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ISS crew captures beautiful image of green aurora over the Indian Ocean

Sometimes you're just at the right place at the right time. Astronauts aboard the ISS experienced just such a moment when they captured this captivating image of a rare aurora australis over the Southern
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NASA pronounces Phoenix Mars lander officially dead

In late 2008, NASA's Phoenix lander dropped into deep hibernation at the onset of Martian winter, concluding a successful and long-running mission. But there was some hope that, despite not being built for such hostile temperatures, the craft would emerge
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Hayabusa probe lands in Australia in fiery display, hopefully carrying first asteroid samples

A plucky Japanese probe burned up in a spectacular fireworks display Sunday, celebrating the end of a mission that found success despite being plagued with problems. The Hayabusa
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As ISS cooling system fails, NASA worries about post-shuttle spare part shortage

Proving that no matter how expensive your air conditioner the cooling pump will still break, NASA is planning a pair of emergency spacewalks on the $100 billion International
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Last shuttle mission will test 3D video docking system for shuttle's replacement

In this modern economy, apparently nothing is sacred -- not even the space shuttle is spared the indignity of training its younger replacement. During what is planned to be the last shuttle flight ever, astronauts onboard space shuttle Endeavour next February will test a new docking system
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Debris from China's 2007 anti-satellite missile test makes close ISS flyby

Bits of Chinese space junk are flying near the International Space Station, and the astronauts on board are prepared to take cover. While space junk threats to the station are nothing new, this one is unique -- the debris
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Ageing Odyssey orbiter creates most detailed map of Martian surface

Youth and vigor have their advantages, but there is something to be said for longevity. NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has been circling the red planet since 2001 and has just released the best
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Third Spacewalk Succeeds in Replacing Cooling Pump Aboard ISS

It's been a rough week troubleshooting the ISS, but the third time is a charm; today's emergency spacewalk to replace the faulty cooling system aboard the International Space Station went
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Mars Orbiter Images Suggest Water Flowed on Mars Far Later Than Once Thought

Spirit is still stuck in the sand, and Opportunity's future beyond Mars' next solstice is unclear,
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Next-Gen Mars Rover Gets Carbon-Sniffing Experiment to Detect Ingredients of Life

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory will check extraterrestrial environments possibly favorable to the development of life
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Hubble 3D IMAX Trailer Released, Looks Amazing

Just refrain from trying to touch the screen NASA launched one of its boldest space missions in 2009 to repair and save the aging Hubble Space Telescope. Now everyone can get a glimpse of astronaut derring-do in a preview trailer for the upcoming Hubble 3D IMAX film
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Space Station Toilet Clogged with Calcium Deposits; Could Astronauts' Bone Loss Be the Culprit?

It's a bit clich? to kick off a story about NASA with "Houston, we have
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Neptune and Uranus May Have Oceans of Liquid Diamond

Future humans won't have to wait to travel to Pandora for the chance to mine unobtanium, because
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NASA Awards Contract for a Methane-Powered Balloon to Explore Saturn's Moon

NASA's original concept for a balloon scout on Saturn's moon Titan called for using waste
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A Cannon for Shooting Supplies into Space

John Hunter wants to shoot stuff into space with a 3,600-foot gun. And he?s dead serious?he?s
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Cocaine Found In Space Shuttle Hangar

Apparently, outer space isn't high enough for some folks over at NASA. Earlier today, NASA
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At Cambridge Alien Conference, Scientists Warn Of An Invisible Earth and Hostile ETs

This week, scientists from around the globe converge on Cambridge University in
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Mutant Bacteria Are Likely to Threaten Future Space Travelers

When humans eventually travel to Mars and beyond, they'll have plenty to worry about along with the discomforts of eating freeze-dried food and drinking their own urine. A new report says they will probably be really sick, to boot -- from flare-ups of E. coli,
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