Jupiter Blasted by 6.5 Fireball Impacts per Year on Average
Munich, Germany (SPX) May 20, 2016 -
Jupiter is hit by an average of 6.5 objects per year that create impacts large enough to be visible from Earth, according to preliminary results from a worldwide campaign by amateur astronomers to observe the giant planet. The estimate was presented at an international workshop on Jupiter for professional and amateur astronomers organized by Europlanet 2020 Research Infrastructure at the Observa ...
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Ancient tsunami evidence on Mars reveals life potential
Ithaca NY (SPX) May 20, 2016 -
The geologic shape of what were once shorelines through Mars' northern plains convinces scientists that two large meteorites - hitting the planet millions of years apart - triggered a pair of mega-tsunamis. These gigantic waves forever scarred the Martian landscape and yielded evidence of cold, salty oceans conducive to sustaining life.
"About 3.4 billion years ago, a big meteorite impact ...
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US Army Hopes to Have Laser Weapons on the Battlefield by 2024
Washington DC (Sputnik) May 17, 2016 -
With an eye to its future wars, the US military is testing laser weapons, to perfect the latest in energy-based artillery. The Pentagon has been developing laser weapons for years, hoping that the technology can be used to bring down enemy drones, among other things.
Last month, the US military took its High Energy Laser Mobile Test Truck (HELMTT) program to a test range at the Fires Cente ...
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Fregat is fueled in Arianespace's FCube facility for Soyuz Flight VS15
Kourou, French Guiana (ESA) May 20, 2016 -
Arianespace's new Spaceport processing facility has fueled another Fregat stage. This upper stage for the medium-lift Soyuz launcher will be used for the May 24 flight from French Guiana with two European Galileo navigation satellites.
Named the FCube (Fregat Fueling Facility), the purpose-built installation is utilized to "top off" Fregat upper stages during Soyuz launch campaigns at the ...
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Lockheed demos future evolution of its flexible GPS 3 satellite design
Denver CO (SPX) May 20, 2016 -
In the future, when mission needs change for the Global Positioning System (GPS), the U.S. Air Force will be able to respond - thanks to some engineering forethought and the innovative design of Lockheed Martin's GPS III satellite.
Designed with evolution in mind, Lockheed Martin's GPS III satellites for the Air Force's next acquisition will be able to offer on-orbit re-programmability so ...
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Hubble Takes Mars Portrait Near Close Approach
Baltimore MD (SPX) May 20, 2016 -
Bright, frosty polar caps, and clouds above a vivid, rust-colored landscape reveal Mars as a dynamic seasonal planet in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope view taken on May 12, 2016, when Mars was 50 million miles from Earth. The Hubble image reveals details as small as 20 to 30 miles across.
The large, dark region at far right is Syrtis Major Planitia, one of the first features identified o ...
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How Far Away Are Our Stellar Neighbors?
Washington DC (SPX) May 20, 2016 -
In April 2016 the United States Naval Observatory (USNO) released a catalog of distances to over 112 thousand stars, the USNO Parallax Catalog (UPC), using ground-based observations performed with the USNO Robotic Astrometric Telescope (URAT). It is the largest such catalog since the release of the European Space Agency (ESA) Hipparcos mission Catalog in 1997.
The brightest stars in the ni ...
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