Webb "Pathfinder Telescope" completes second super-cold optical test
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 01, 2015 -
Recently, the James Webb Space Telescope's "pathfinder telescope," or "Pathfinder" completed its second super-cold optical test that resulted in the first checkout of specialized optical test equipment designed to illuminate the telescope's optics through to the instrument focal planes, and the procedures used to operate this test equipment.
While the actual flight elements of NASA's Webb ...
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Orion's power system to be put to the test
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 01, 2015 -
NASA is about to begin testing the heart of Orion's power systems at the world's largest, most powerful space environment simulation facility early next year. Test engineers at NASA Glenn Research Center's Space Power Facility (SPF) in Sandusky, Ohio, are preparing to put a full-size test version of the European Service Module (ESM) for the spacecraft through a series of crucial tests to verify ...
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Jupiter's whirlwinds: Turning the other way
Munich, Germany (SPX) Dec 01, 2015 -
The numerous whirlwinds covering Jupiter are caused by upward gas flows originating deep within the giant planet. This is the conclusion reached by scientists at the University of Alberta (Canada) and the Max Planck Institute for Solar Research (MPS) in Germany after extensive computer simulations. The ascending flows are deflected in higher-lying, stable gas layers and swirled by the Coriolis f ...
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China's hypersonic weapon capable of overcoming air defense systems
Moscow (Sputnik) Nov 30, 2015 -
China has conducted a sixth flight test of its DF-ZF (previously known as WU-14) hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) designed to defeat US missile defenses.
"The DF-ZF is an ultra-high-speed missile allegedly capable of penetrating US air defense systems based on interceptor missiles," Bill Gertz of The Washington Free Beacon wrote.
The DF-ZF HGV was launched at the Wuzhai missile test cente ...
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"Cyg"-nificant Science Launching to Space Station
Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Dec 01, 2015 -
NASA's commercial partner Orbital ATK plans to launch its Cygnus spacecraft into orbit Dec. 3, atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket for its fourth contracted resupply mission. The flight, known as CRS-4, will deliver samples and equipment to the International Space Station for research investigations that will occur during current and future expeditions in the many science disciplines ab ...
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Tim arrives in Baikonur on his last stop before space
Paris (ESA) Dec 01, 2015 -
ESA astronaut Tim Peake, NASA astronaut Tim Kopra and Roscosmos commander Yuri Malenchenko arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan today ahead of their launch to the International Space Station.
Set for launch on 15 December, the trio will visit their Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft for the first time tomorrow.
The run-up to launch includes preparing experiments, numerous medical c ...
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What Powers the Explosion of Stars
Potsdam, Germany (SPX) Dec 01, 2015 -
Enormous amounts of energy are released when a massive star, many times heavier than our Sun, collapses. Some stars explode in a hypernova - ten times more powerful than a normal supernova - and may emit a high-energy gamma-ray burst. Until now it was not clear how the extremely strong magnetic field needed for these processes is generated.
A research team in the US, in cooperation with th ...
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