| December 12, 2007 |  |
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Software Helps Mars Rovers Find Winter Havens
Columbus OH (SPX) Dec 12, 2007New software is helping NASA find safe places for the Spirit rover to ride out future Martian winters -- and also plan where Spirit and its companion rover, Opportunity, will explore in the future. The steep Martian mesa dubbed "Von Braun" would be a safe haven, the software and data analysis determined -- but the path that Spirit would have to follow to get there is a little too risky to travel ... more Mars Express Watches A Dust Storm Engulf Mars 
Paris, France (ESA) Dec 12, 2007This summer, Mars suffered a titanic dust storm that engulfed the entire planet. The dust storm contributed to a temporary warming effect around Mars, which raised the temperature of the atmosphere by around 20-30C. However, the surface temperature of the planet itself dropped. Imagine a dust cloud on Earth that started in the Sahara desert and grew to encompass our whole planet. Such a ca ... more Daunting technical problem mars a good year for NASA 
Cape Canaveral, Florida (AFP) Dec 10, 2007A technical problem that has pushed back the launch of the Atlantis until January broke NASA's good track record this year of three successful shuttle launches. The Atlantis' delay is significant since its crew of seven, including a German and a French astronaut, were expected to install the European Columbus laboratory on the orbiting International Space Station. Some 750 people were in ... more Clues From Antarctica Help With Search For Water On Mars 
Columbus OH (SPX) Dec 11, 2007Scientists have gathered more evidence that suggests flowing water on Mars -- by comparing images of the red planet to an otherworldly landscape on Earth. In recent years, scientists have examined images of several sites on Mars where water appears to have flowed to the surface and left behind a trail of sediment. Those sites closely resemble places where water flows today in the McMurdo Dry Val ... more Opportunity Grinds Into Rock In Victoria Crater 
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 11, 2007Opportunity spent part of the past week carefully grinding a hole into the surface of a light-colored ring of rock inside "Victoria Crater" known as "Smith," despite the previous loss of encoders that enabled two of the motors of the rock abrasion tool to operate under control of the tool's flight software. The endeavor was successful, with the rover grinding to a depth of about 1 millimet ... more |
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Moffett Field CA (SPX) Dec 07, 2007Martian clouds may contain less water than previously thought, according to a new NASA study. New NASA laboratory measurements of simulated martian clouds reveal that scientists may have been overestimating the amount of water in the planet's atmosphere. "The martian clouds we are studying are composed of water ice, like some clouds on Earth. However, they are forming at very cold tempera ... more Glitch Delays Shuttle Launch Until At Least Saturday 
Cape Canaveral, Florida (AFP) Dec 6, 2007NASA postponed the planned launch of the space shuttle Atlantis from Friday to Saturday, due to a "complex" technical glitch just hours before it was due to blast off. "We no longer have an opportunity to launch tomorrow, our earliest opportunity we are working to right now is Saturday," Leroy Caine, chairman of the mission management team, (MMT) told reporters here after NASA officials held ... more China To Launch Mars Probe In 2009 
Beijing (PTI) Dec 05, 2007China, which sent its first lunar orbiter to probe the moon's surface recently, will launch its maiden Mars probe onboard a Russian rocket in October 2009, state media reported. Yinghuo-1 would reach the pre-set circling orbit and beam the first images of the red planet in September 2010, the state-run China Daily said, quoting a senior scientist. The prototype of the probe was now being ... more New space mission aims to broaden Europe's ISS role 
Washington (AFP) Dec 4, 2007Europe aims to broaden its participation in the work of the International Space Station with the upcoming mission of the US space shuttle Atlantis, which is scheduled for takeoff on Thursday. Atlantis is to deliver to the ISS a European-built space laboratory named Columbus. Until now, only the United States and Russia have had their own laboratories, which form the heart of the ISS. "We ... more |
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Arlington VA (SPX) Dec 03, 2007Presidential campaigns should publicly express their support of NASA's Constellation Program to ensure America's leadership in space exploration as well as boost education, Aerospace Industries Association President and CEO Marion Blakey said. The exploration program, which will return astronauts to the moon and explore Mars and beyond, should not be delayed under any circumstances since there i ... more Rover Perseveres Despite Stall In Robotic Arm 
Pasadena CA (JPL) Nov 30, 2007Opportunity spent much of the week conducting ongoing studies of a layer of rock known as "Smith," part of a "bathtub ring" of rocks that circumvent "Victoria Crater" beneath the rim. Opportunity acquired images and studied the composition and abundance of iron-bearing minerals in the rock. During tests of the rock abrasion tool on the Earthbound engineering rover similar to the rover on Mars, e ... more Russia Conducts First Experiment In Preparation For Mars-500 
Moscow (RIA Novosti) Nov 30, 2007Russian scientists have completed the first stage of preparations for an experimental Mars mission simulation, Mars-500, a medical research institute announced on Thursday. The purpose of the main experiment, expected to begin in late 2008, is to simulate a space flight to Mars taking into account all ramifications, including a 250-day "trip" to the Red Planet, a 30-day period on its surface, an ... more Rover Slips In Sandy Terrain 
Pasadena CA (SPX) Nov 29, 2007On the way to "Winter Haven 3," the spot on the north face of "Home Plate" where NASA's Spirit rover is headed, the rover has driven into an area below a hummock (elevated area). Spirit has tried unsuccessfully during the past week to climb onto the hummock and make progress toward Winter Haven 3. Because it is critical to reach the north face while enough solar energy is available to get there, ... more
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