Space News From SpaceDaily.Com
Solar Probe Plus To Plunge Directly Into Sun's Atmosphere
Huntsville AL (SPX) Sep 03, 2010
NASA's daring plan to visit the sun took a giant leap forward with the selection of five key science investigations for the Solar Probe+ spacecraft.
Slated to launch no later than 2018, the smart car-sized spacecraft will plunge directly into the atmosphere of the sun, aiming to solve some of the biggest mysteries of solar physics. The announcement means that researchers can begin building
India To Build World's Largest Solar Telescope
Bangalore, India (PTI) Sep 03, 2010
India is inching closer towards building the world's largest solar telescope in Ladakh on the foothills of the Himalayas that aims to study the sun's microscopic structure.
The National Large Solar Telescope (NLST) project has gathered momentum with a global tender floated for technical and financial bidding by the Bangalore-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA).
The tender th
Canadian to command space station in 2013
Ottawa (AFP) Sept 2, 2010
Astronaut Chris Hadfield in 2013 will become the first Canadian to command the International Space Station (ISS), the Canadian Space Agency announced Thursday.
Hadfield, 51, will rocket on his third trip into space aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in December 2012 and assume command of the station during the second part of a six-month mission.
Over the first four months, as an ISS fligh
Three More GLONASS Satellites Put Into Orbit
Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Sep 03, 2010
Russia's Proton-M carrier rocket put three GLONASS satellites into orbit on Thursday, a spokesman for the Russian Space Forces said.
The Proton-M rocket blasted off from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan at 4:53 Moscow time (0:53 GMT).
"The launch and flight of the carrier rocket, as well as the separation of the satellites, took place on schedule," Alexei Zolotukhin said.
ISRO To Conduct Key Test For GSLV Mk III Rocket Next Week
Bangalore, India (PTI) Sep 03, 2010
After a failed test six months ago, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will be making a fresh attempt next week to conduct long-duration static test of a crucial liquid core stage for a new generation heavy rocket which is being developed.
"The static test of crucial liquid core stage (L110) of GSLV Mk III launch vehicle (rocket) for 200 seconds is slated for 3 pm on September eight
Russian Cosmonauts Long For Hot Showers On ISS
Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Sep 03, 2010
A team of Russian cosmonauts working at the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) are unhappy about the absence of hot showers onboard, a Russian cosmonaut said on Thursday.
The U.S. segment of the station has a shower cabin that was delivered by the Endeavor shuttle in 2008.
"There are wipes and towels onboard instead of a shower. It is not so easy to do without i
God did not create Universe: Hawking
London (AFP) Sept 2, 2010
God no longer has any place in theories on the creation of the Universe due to a series of developments in physics, British scientist Stephen Hawking said in extracts published Thursday from a new book.
In a hardening of the more accommodating position on religion that he took in his 1988 international best-seller "A Brief History of Time", Hawking said the Big Bang was merely the consequenc
Spitzer Finds A Flavorful Mix Of Asteroids
Pasadena CA (JPL) Sep 03, 2010
New research from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveals that asteroids somewhat near Earth, termed near-Earth objects, are a mixed bunch, with a surprisingly wide array of compositions. Like a pinata filled with everything from chocolates to fruity candies, these asteroids come in assorted colors and compositions.
Some are dark and dull; others are shiny and bright. The Spitzer observatio
Setting Sail In The Sun
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Sep 03, 2010
By rigging large pieces of cloth atop boats, early explorers harnessed the wind to voyage across oceans. Now, modern space explorers want to use sails to send spacecraft to the far reaches of the solar system and beyond. These sails will be made of large, ultra-thin gossamer plastic sheets that, instead of wind, will be propelled using sunlight.
Light particles, or photons, exert a small p
Observations Of Supernova Reveal Composition Of 'Star Guts' Pouring Out
Boulder CO (SPX) Sep 03, 2010
Observations made with NASA's newly refurbished Hubble Space Telescope of a nearby supernova are allowing astronomers to measure the velocity and composition of "star guts" being ejected into space following the explosion, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder.
The team detected significant brightening of the emissions from Supernova 1987A, which were consis
