Scientist uncovers relics of ancient cosmos

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 14, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (19) | 3

(PhysOrg.com) -- A University of Manchester scientist, working as part of an international team, has uncovered an unexpectedly rich trove of relicts from the ancient cosmos.

Pioneering images of both martian moons (w/ Video)

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 11, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (17) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- For the very first time, the martian moons Phobos and Deimos have been caught on camera together. ESA's Mars Express orbiter took these pioneering images last month. Apart from their ‘wow’ ...

Spirit Rover: Rear Wheel Trouble Continues

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 10, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (5) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Results of diagnostic tests on Spirit's right-rear wheel on Sol 2109 (Dec. 8, 2009) continue to indicate a troubled wheel, which may leave the rover with only four operable wheels.

The Meandering Channels of Mars

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 10, 2009 | 4.2 / 5 (6) | 5

Sinuous channels on the Martian surface may be evidence of relatively recent rainfall. Researchers plan to test this hypothesis by studying sinuous streams on Earth.

Rare Scottish mineral may indicate life on Mars

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 10, 2009 | 3.7 / 5 (22) | 7

(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) scientists is looking for clues about life on Mars in an earthy clay mineral found only in Aberdeenshire in Scotland.

Astronaut balancing act: Training to help explorers adapt to a return to gravity

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 09, 2009 | 5 / 5 (3) | 0

Astronauts returning from challenging long-duration missions face one more challenge when they get back to Earth - standing up and walking.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Spacecraft Out of Safe Mode

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 09, 2009 | 4.3 / 5 (3) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter today has been taken out of the precautionary 'safe mode' it had been in since August.

XMM-Newton celebrates decade of discovery

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 09, 2009 | 5 / 5 (2) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray observatory is celebrating its 10th anniversary. During its decade of operation, this remarkable space observatory has supplied new data for every aspect of astronomy. ...

Life on Mars theory boosted by new methane study

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 08, 2009 | 4.9 / 5 (31) | 11

Scientists have ruled out the possibility that methane is delivered to Mars by meteorites, raising fresh hopes that the gas might be generated by life on the red planet, in research published tomorrow in Earth an ...

Superior offspring without genetic modification

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

Dec 08, 2009 | 4.5 / 5 (2) | 0

We don't always turn out like our parents. Sometimes we become even better. How this happens is the subject of a new research project at the University of Gothenburg.

NRL's MISSE7 launched aboard STS-129

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 07, 2009 | 4 / 5 (1) | 0

The Materials on the International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) 7, designed and built by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), launched aboard STS-129 on November, 16, for transport to the International ...

Keeping Mars Contained

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 04, 2009 | 5 / 5 (4) | 1

When robotic spacecraft bring a sample of Mars back to Earth, scientists will need specially-designed facilities to study the samples and prevent them from escaping to the outside world.

STAR TRAK for December: Geminid meteors flash in December skies

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 03, 2009 | 4 / 5 (1) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- The annual Geminid meteor shower, which will reach its maximum on the night of Dec. 13-14, usually offers the best show of the year, outperforming even the Perseid shower of August. This year ...

Sandtrapped Rover Makes a Big Discovery

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 03, 2009 | 4.8 / 5 (56) | 11

Homer's Iliad tells the story of Troy, a city besieged by the Greeks in the Trojan War. Today, a lone robot sits besieged in the sands of Troy while engineers and scientists plot its escape.

Mars Odyssey Orbiter Puts Itself Into Safe Standby

Space & Earth / Space Exploration

Dec 01, 2009 | 5 / 5 (4) | 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter put itself into a safe standby mode on Saturday, Nov. 28, and the team operating the spacecraft has begun implementing careful steps designed to resume Odyssey's ...