Scientists release most thorough map yet of Mars
Moscow (Voice of Russia) Jul 22, 2014 -
Scientists in the United States have produced a new map of Mars that experts say is unprecedented in detail and reveals previously unknown information about the Red Planet.
On Monday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) published its new global geologic map of Mars, created by the agency with the help of four orbiting spacecraft that have spent 16 years in the sky collecting imagery.
In ...
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Lunar Pits Could Shelter Astronauts, Reveal Details of How 'Man in the Moon' Formed
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 22, 2014 -
While the moon's surface is battered by millions of craters, it also has over 200 holes - steep-walled pits that in some cases might lead to caves that future astronauts could explore and use for shelter, according to new observations from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft.
The pits range in size from about 5 meters (~5 yards) across to more than 900 meters (~984 yards) ...
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Sierra Nevada Contacts All Six On-Orbit ORBCOMM Generation 2 Satellites
Sparks NV (SPX) Jul 22, 2014 -
Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) has commenced the on-orbit checkout phase for six ORBCOMM Generation 2 (OG2) satellites, establishing communication with each satellite as planned.
The satellites, which will replenish the current first generation ORBCOMM constellation, were launched on July 14, 2014 via a dedicated SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
S ...
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Peering into giant planets from in and out of this world
Livermore CA (SPX) Jul 22, 2014 -
Lawrence Livermore scientists for the first time have experimentally re-created the conditions that exist deep inside giant planets, such as Jupiter, Uranus and many of the planets recently discovered outside our solar system.
Researchers can now re-create and accurately measure material properties that control how these planets evolve over time, information essential for understanding how ...
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Britain's Cameron urges military sanctions against Russia
London (AFP) July 21, 2014 -
British Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday urged the EU to hit Russia with tougher sanctions over the downing of flight MH17, calling for a ban on military sales and criticising France's deal to build two warships for Moscow.
He called for wider measures targeting whole sectors of the Russian economy if President Vladimir Putin does not press Ukraine's pro-Kremlin separatists to allow ac ...
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Israel mourns, but undeterred by soldier deaths
Jerusalem (AFP) July 21, 2014 -
With 18 soldiers killed in Gaza, the highest military casualty toll in eight years, Israel is in mourning, but has vowed to pursue its mission against Hamas militants.
Thirteen of them were killed on Sunday alone, making it the bloodiest single day for the army since the 2006 war in Lebanon, with the press branding it "a "dark day".
The Israeli death toll has shot up since late Thursday ...
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Insurgent threat shatters Iraq Christians' uneasy peace
Qaraqosh, Iraq (AFP) July 21, 2014 -
Christians in the Iraqi city of Mosul were wrong-footed by its new jihadist masters, who initially left them in relative peace but later forced them to flee for their lives.
The turnaround in the attitude of Islamic State insurgents who overran Mosul last month could indicate the group is now confident enough of its hold on Iraq's second city to impose its extreme rules.
Analysts say th ...
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