Seoul (AFP) Oct 20, 2016 -
North Korea on Thursday conducted what was believed to be another failed test of a powerful medium-range missile capable of hitting US bases as far away as Guam, the South Korean military said.
It was the second failed launch in less than a week of the nuclear-armed North's powerful Musudan missile, which some experts warn could become operational as early as next year.
The last test on ...
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Beijing (AFP) Oct 19, 2016 -
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said it was "time to say goodbye" to the US during a visit to China on Wednesday, as the combative leader reconfigures his country's diplomatic alliances.
Duterte is in China for a four-day trip that is expected to confirm his tilt away from Washington and towards Beijing's sphere of influence.
During a speech addressing the Filipino community in Beij ...
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Kourou, French Guiana (ESA) Oct 21, 2016 -
Fueling operations have begun with the four Galileo spacecraft to be orbited next month from French Guiana on Arianespace's first launch that uses its Ariane 5 in deploying Europe's constellation of navigation satellites.
The fueling activity is now underway in the Spaceport's S3B payload preparation facility. One of the first to be processed is named "Antonianna," after an Italian child w ...
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 21, 2016 -
A new science instrument, slated to be installed onboard the International Space Station (ISS) in late 2017, is expected to yield interesting results regarding quantum phenomena. The Cold Atom Laboratory, or CAL, will study degenerate quantum gases in the microgravity environment of the orbital outpost.
The compact, atom-chip based instrument will be capable of trapping such elements like ...
moreNew Instrument on ISS to Study Ultra-Cold Quantum Gases
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 21, 2016 -
A new science instrument, slated to be installed onboard the International Space Station (ISS) in late 2017, is expected to yield interesting results regarding quantum phenomena. The Cold Atom Laboratory, or CAL, will study degenerate quantum gases in the microgravity environment of the orbital outpost.
The compact, atom-chip based instrument will be capable of trapping such elements like ...
more | |
Four Galileo satellites are "topped off" for Arianespace's milestone Ariane 5 launch from the Spaceport
Kourou, French Guiana (ESA) Oct 21, 2016 -
Fueling operations have begun with the four Galileo spacecraft to be orbited next month from French Guiana on Arianespace's first launch that uses its Ariane 5 in deploying Europe's constellation of navigation satellites.
The fueling activity is now underway in the Spaceport's S3B payload preparation facility. One of the first to be processed is named "Antonianna," after an Italian child w ...
more | |
Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 21, 2016 -
Ten thousand volunteers viewing images of Martian south polar regions have helped identify targets for closer inspection, yielding new insights about seasonal slabs of frozen carbon dioxide and erosional features known as "spiders." From the comfort of home, the volunteers have been exploring the surface of Mars by reviewing images from the Context Camera (CTX) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbi ...
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Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 19, 2016 -
Opportunity is located at the feature called 'Spirit Mount' on the rim of Endeavour Crater, the first science waypoint of the 10th extended mission.
The rover is by the surface featured called 'Gasconade,' conducting detailed in-situ (contact) investigations with the robotic arm. On Sol 4515 (Oct. 5, 2016), Opportunity used the robotic arm to collect a Microscopic Imager (MI) mosaic of the ...
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Tucson AZ (SPX) Oct 21, 2016 -
Astronomers have discovered possible evidence for water on the surface of the largest metallic asteroid in the solar system. Named 16 Psyche, the object is one of the most massive in the asteroid belt, measuring 186 miles across and consisting of almost pure nickel-iron metal. It is thought to be the remnant core of a planetary embryo that was mostly destroyed by impacts billions of years ago. ...
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Greenbelt MD (SPX) Oct 21, 2016 -
After investigating the upper atmosphere of the Red Planet for a full Martian year, NASA's MAVEN mission has determined that the escaping water does not always go gently into space. Sophisticated measurements made by a suite of instruments on the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, or MAVEN, spacecraft revealed the ups and downs of hydrogen escape - and therefore water loss.
The escape ...
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Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 21, 2016 -
With the conclusion of the international Cassini mission set for September 15, 2017, the spacecraft is poised to soon begin a thrilling two-part endgame. Cassini will enter the first part of this denouement on November 30, 2016, when the spacecraft begins a series of 20 passes just beyond the outer edge of the main rings. These weekly loops around Saturn are called the F ring orbits, and they se ...
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New Rochelle NY (SPX) Oct 21, 2016 -
The existence of microbial life on Mars remains highly controversial, but recent evidence of water, complex organic molecules, and methane in the Martian environment, combined with findings from the 1976 Viking mission, have led to the conclusion that existing life on Mars is a possibility that must be considered, as presented in an article in Astrobiology, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann ...
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Paris (AFP) Oct 20, 2016 -
Europe's second attempt to reach Mars' surface appeared in peril Thursday as initial analysis suggested the latest lander may have plummeted to its demise.
While holding out faint hope, ground controllers said it seemed the paddling pool-sized lander's parachute may have been discarded too early, and its fall-breaking thrusters switched off too soon.
The lander, dubbed Schiaparelli, was ...
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Paris (AFP) Oct 20, 2016 -
Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has become a veritable graveyard for landers and rovers despatched to its surface from neighbouring Earth.
Only the United States has successfully operated rovers on the Red Planet, four in all, and has lost only one stationary lander.
The former Soviet Union had chalked up repeated failures, while Russia's first attempt at a rover will be a joint mi ...
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Paris (ESA) Oct 18, 2016 -
Next week, ESA's ExoMars has just a single chance to get captured by Mars' gravity. The spacecraft and the mission controllers who will make it so are ready for arrival. The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is on a multiyear mission to understand the methane and other gases in Mars' atmosphere at low levels and could be evidence for possible biological or geological activity.
The 3.7 tonne mother ...
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Huntsville AL (SPX) Oct 18, 2016 -
Engineers are getting ready to put the pressure on hardware for the world's most powerful rocket, NASA's Space Launch System, as part of a rigorous test series to ensure each structure can withstand the incredible stresses of launch. SLS and the agency's Orion spacecraft will travel to new destinations in deep space as NASA continues to prepare for its Journey to Mars.
"Not only is this se ...
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Washington (AFP) Oct 16, 2016 -
Killer satellites, blinding lasers, sophisticated jammers: the world's military powers are quietly readying for a war in outer space - at the risk of fueling a dangerous new arms race.
US military officials have in recent years sounded growing alarm about the potential vulnerabilities of their satellites, which underpin US military power.
Initially, the reserve of the United States and ...
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Huntsville AL (SPX) Oct 18, 2016 -
Technology has made it easier for people to conduct their jobs and connect with others across the country and around the world. The job can be particularly tricky, though, if you're a scientist whose laboratory is orbiting the planet 250 miles up at 17,500 mph, and even trickier if you're one of the first people working on Mars.
Researchers are testing new software on the International Spa ...
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Washington (AFP) Oct 18, 2016 -
Orbital ATK on Monday blasted off its revamped Antares rocket carrying supplies and science experiments to the International Space Station two years after a major rocket explosion.
The unmanned Cygnus cargo ship launched from Wallops Island, Virginia at 7:45 pm (2345 GMT), packed with some 5,100 pounds (2,300 kilograms) of gear bound for the station's astronauts living in orbit.
The rock ...
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Paris (UPI) Oct 17, 2016 -
Thales' new-generation TALIOS laser targeting pod has successfully completed a more than two-hour first flight on a Rafale fighter.
The prototype targeting long-range identification optronic system collected high-quality images taken using the "day" channel, and offered remarkable performances in pointing and telemetry, Thales said.
"TALIOS is the first optronic targeting pod to ...
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United Nations, United States (AFP) Oct 17, 2016 -
The UN Security Council on Monday strongly condemned North Korea after a failed missile launch, threatening further measures against Pyongyang.
North Korea tested a medium-range Musudan missile on Saturday, the latest in series of launches in defiance of UN resolutions. The rocket exploded soon after lift-off.
In a unanimous statement backed by China, Pyongyang's ally, the council "stron ...
moreUN Security Council condemns N.Korea failed missile launch
United Nations, United States (AFP) Oct 17, 2016 -
The UN Security Council on Monday strongly condemned North Korea after a failed missile launch, threatening further measures against Pyongyang.
North Korea tested a medium-range Musudan missile on Saturday, the latest in series of launches in defiance of UN resolutions. The rocket exploded soon after lift-off.
In a unanimous statement backed by China, Pyongyang's ally, the council "stron ...
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Thales targeting pod integrated, tested on Rafale fighter
Paris (UPI) Oct 17, 2016 -
Thales' new-generation TALIOS laser targeting pod has successfully completed a more than two-hour first flight on a Rafale fighter.
The prototype targeting long-range identification optronic system collected high-quality images taken using the "day" channel, and offered remarkable performances in pointing and telemetry, Thales said.
"TALIOS is the first optronic targeting pod to ...
more | |
San Diego (UPI) Oct 16, 2016 -
The USS Nimitz has successfully completed sea trails following 20 months of maintenance, repairs and upgrades, the U.S. Navy reports.
The aircraft carrier (CVN 68) pulled into San Diego on Oct. 10 after completing a successful six-day sea trials and officially marking the completion of a 20-month extended planned incremental availability.
Nimitz got underway for the first time si ...
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Muhanga, Rwanda (AFP) Oct 14, 2016 -
"Three, two, one, launch!" And with that, catapulted from a ramp, the small fixed-wing drone buzzes into the air towards its pre-programmed destination, the Kabgayi hospital two kilometres away.
On Friday Rwanda inaugurated a drone operation that its backers hope will kickstart a revolution in the supply of medical care in rural parts of Africa, in the first instance by delivering batches of ...
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