Jupiter's moon Io may feature more volcanoes than previously thought
Pasadena, Calif. (UPI) Aug 5, 2013 -
Jupiter's moon Io featured three massive volcanic eruptions within a two-week span last summer, leading astronomers to believe the "pizza moon" - named so for its cratered, pepperoni-like surface - may spew molten rock more often that scientists previously believed.
"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years, and they're usually not this bright," explained Imke de P ...
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'Impossible' engine may actually work, NASA engineers suggest
Washington (UPI) Aug 4, 2013 -
The laws of classical physics require a rocket's thrusters to push against something, creating acceleration by expelling matter (burned fuel) in the opposite direction.
Thus, so-called space drives - engines that don't require fuel, but use alternative mechanisms to thwart the laws of physics and create thrust out of thin air (really thin space air) - have always been considered "impo ...
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SpaceX launches AsiaSat8 into orbit via Falcon 9 rocket
Cape Canaveral, Fla. (UPI) Aug 5, 2013 -
SpaceX took a break from launching resupply missions to the International Space Station in order to put a new commercial satellite into orbit.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, blasting off early Tuesday morning. The rocket carried with it AsiaSat8, a new commercial satellite expected to dramatically boost video and broadband services in Asia a ...
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China confirms new generation long range missiles: report
Beijing (AFP) Aug 01, 2014 -
China has acknowledged the existence of a new intercontinental ballistic missile said to be capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads as far as the United States, state-run media reported Friday.
A government environmental monitoring centre in Shaanxi said on its website that a military facility in the province was developing Dongfeng-41 (DF-41) missiles, the Global Times reported.
T ...
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GPS-guided shell in full-rate production
Tucson (UPI) Aug 1, 2013 -
Raytheon's Excalibur Ib precision guided artillery projectile has entered full rate production for the U.S. Army, the company announced.
Approval of full-rate production by the Army came with a $52 million award for continued manufacture of the shells.
"The full rate production decision is the culmination of superb teamwork between the U.S. Army and Raytheon," said Lt. Col. Josh ...
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US Congress approves funding for Israel's Iron Dome
Washington (AFP) Aug 02, 2014 -
The US Congress on Friday approved $225 million for Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile defense system, credited with destroying missiles fired by Hamas before they could reach their targets.
House of Representatives approved the funding by 395-8 in a late Friday vote. The Senate earlier approved the measure unanimously before the start of its five week summer recess.
The measure now awaits ...
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Brazil's Flight Tech exporting UAV
Sao Jose Dos Campos, Brazil (UPI) Aug 1, 2013 -
Brazilian aviation company Flight Tech has been contracted to supply a mini unmanned aerial vehicle to an unidentified African country.
The contract - the first Brazilian export award for a UAV - includes a provision for logistical support and holds promise for additional orders from the client.
Flight Tech said it will supply the country with its Horus FT-100, which was develo ...
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The new MAD: An era of assured disruption
Washington DC (UPI) Aug 01, 2014 -
For much of the Cold War, the major strategic and security paradigm between east and west was largely (and misleadingly) defined as an era of mutual assured destruction or MAD. MAD meant both sides could assure the near total destruction and defeat of the other in a nuclear or thermonuclear war. Today, despite the presence weapons of mass destruction, the era of MAD is over. But a new strategi ...
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Targeting device that helps reduce collateral damage tested by the Army
White Sands Missile Range, N.M. (UPI) Aug 1, 2013 -
A developmental hand-held precision targeting device for soldiers has been tested by the U.S. Army in a mountainous environment in New Mexico.
The device is to enhance the ability of soldiers to differentiate between enemy combatants and non-combatants operating in very close proximity to one another, allowing the employment of precision weapons and reducing the risk of collateral damag ...
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AsiaSat 8 Successfully Lifts Off
Hong Kong (SPX) Aug 06, 2014 -
AsiaSat 8 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle successfully lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, U.S.A. at Hong Kong Time 4:00 p.m. (4:00 a.m. EDT or Cape Canaveral local time) on the 5th of August.
The spacecraft successfully separated from the launch vehicle 32 minutes after liftoff. AsiaSat has acquired the first signals from the satellite in Hong Kong 54 ...
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NASA's IBEX and Voyager spacecraft drive advances in outer heliosphere research
San Antonio TX (SPX) Aug 06, 2014 -
Scientists yesterday highlighted an impressive list of achievements in researching the outer heliosphere at the 40th International Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) Scientific Assembly in Moscow.
"Between NASA's Voyager and IBEX missions, it's an incredible time for outer heliospheric science," says Dr. Dave McComas, IBEX principal investigator and assistant vice president of the Space ...
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NASA Mars Curiosity Rover: Two Years and Counting on Red Planet
Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 06, 2014 -
NASA's most advanced roving laboratory on Mars celebrates its second anniversary since landing inside the Red Planet's Gale Crater on Aug. 5, 2012, PDT (Aug. 6, 2012, EDT). During its first year of operations, the rover fulfilled its major science goal of determining whether Mars ever offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life.
Clay-bearing sedimentary rocks on the crate ...
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NASA Mars Rover Curiosity Nears Mountain-Base Outcrop
Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 06, 2014 -
As it approaches the second anniversary of its landing on Mars, NASA's Curiosity rover is also approaching its first close look at bedrock that is part of Mount Sharp, the layered mountain in the middle of Mars' Gale Crater.
The mission made important discoveries during its first year by finding evidence of ancient lake and river environments. During its second year, it has been driving to ...
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Center for Orbital Debris Education and Research Recruits Industrial Affiliates
Bethesda MD (SPX) Aug 06, 2014 -
The newly formed Center for Orbital Debris Education and Research (CODER) at the University of Maryland is off to a rapid start. Collaborations with-in the industry are quickly being formed in order to create focused research projects that will hopefully lead to a better understanding of the many complex issues regarding orbital debris and its effects on the future of spaceflight as we know it. ...
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Rosetta Takes Comet's Temperature
Paris (ESA) Aug 06, 2014 -
The observations of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko were made by Rosetta's visible, infrared and thermal imaging spectrometer, VIRTIS, between 13 and 21 July, when Rosetta closed in from 14 000 km to the comet to just over 5000 km.
At these distances, the comet covered only a few pixels in the field of view and so it was not possible to determine the temperatures of individual features. Bu ...
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Extreme Volcanism On Io
Hilo HI (SPX) Aug 06, 2014 -
During the middle of 2013, Jupiter's moon Io came alive with volcanism. Now, an image from the Gemini Observatory captures what is one of the brightest volcanoes ever seen in our solar system. The image, obtained on August 29, reveals the magnitude of the eruption that was the "grand finale" in a series of eruptions on the distant moon.
Io's volcanism is caused by the tidal push-and-pull o ...
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A Hellacious Two Weeks on Jupiter's Moon Io
Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 06, 2014 -
Three massive volcanic eruptions occurred on Jupiter's moon Io within a two-week period in August of last year. This led astronomers to speculate that such "outbursts," which can send material hundreds of miles above the surface, might be much more common than they thought.
"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years, and they're usually not this bright," said Imke de Pat ...
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Rosetta's Comet: Imaging the Coma
Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 06, 2014 -
Less than a week before Rosetta's rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, images obtained by OSIRIS, the spacecraft's onboard scientific imaging system, show clear signs of a coma surrounding the comet's nucleus.
A new image from July 25, 2014, clearly reveals an extended coma shrouding 67P's nucleus.
"Our coma images cover an area of 150 by 150 square kilometers (90 by 90 s ...
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Dawn navigates mini-asteroid belt
Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 06, 2014 -
Patient and persistent, silent and alone, Dawn is continuing its extraordinary extraterrestrial expedition. Flying through the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the spacecraft is using its advanced ion propulsion system to travel from Vesta, the giant protoplanet it unveiled in 2011 and 2012, to Ceres, the dwarf planet it will reach in about eight months.
Most of these logs sinc ...
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Rosetta Arrives At Comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko
Paris (ESA) Aug 06, 2014 -
After a decade-long journey chasing its target, ESA's Rosetta has today become the first spacecraft to rendezvous with a comet, opening a new chapter in Solar System exploration.
Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and Rosetta now lie 405 million kilometres from Earth, about half way between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, rushing towards the inner Solar System at nearly 55 000 kilometres per ...
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