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Spaceinfo.com.au is your daily news round-up of all the most fascinating developments in astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, spaceflight and Earth observation science, with information sourced from observatories, and space and science agencies around the world. 
Latest news from Mars5-6 July 2008 > Phoenix to bake ice-rich soil next weekThe next soil sample delivered to NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyser (TEGA) will be ice-rich. > Phoenix finds 'almost perfect' soil for analysisNASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has scraped up little piles of icy soil that scientists say are ideal for the lander's analytical instruments > POSTCARD: A view of MarsTo celebrate the near-alignment of both Earth and Mars' solstices, the Phoenix mission team has released a wide view of the Red Planet's surface. > Daily coverage of the Mars Phoenix mission … |
Latest news stories5-6 July 2008 The mysteries of MercuryThe MESSENGER spacecraft has revealed new information on Mercury's volcanoes and magnetic field, settling 30-year-old mysteries. Mercury lacks ironThe MESSENGER spacecraft' has confirmed an apparent planet-wide iron deficiency in Mercury's surface rocks What Mercury is made ofA sensor on the MESSENGER spacecraft has provided the first observations about the surface and atmospheric composition of the closest world to the Sun. Einstein's theories pass another testA rare double-pulsar star system has helped astronomers add more evidence to back up Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. |
4 July 2008 Airborne observatory gets shiny new mirrorNASA's new eye on the universe is now ready for installation in its specially-modified Boeing 747SP aircraft. First measurements of solar wind's final shockThe Voyager 2 spacecraft, travelling outward from the Sun for 31 years, has made the first measurement of where the solar wind crashes into interstellar gas.
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Latest news stories3 July 2008 > Hubble sees ribbon of celestial fireworksAn image from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope reveals a thin remnant of a stellar explosion that occurred more than 1,000 years ago. > Orbiting observatory recovers from computer glitchNASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer spacecraft has resumed normal operations after recovering from a shutdown caused by an anomaly with the satellite's electronics. > POSTCARD: Saturn rings the changesSummer is coming to Saturn's northern hemisphere. |
1-2 July 2008 Clues to dusty origin for Earth-like planetsAnalysis of a 4.6 billion-year-old meteorite raises questions about the dust cloud from which Earth and the other planets formed. NASA to attempt historic solar sail missionA NASA team hopes to be the first to deploy a working 'solar sail' in space. POSTCARD: Saturn's changing seasonsNew hues are creeping into Saturn's northern cloud bands as winter gives way to spring there. |
30 June 2008 SOHO discovers its 1,500th cometThe SOHO spacecraft has just discovered its 1,500th comet, making it more successful than all other comet discoverers throughout history put together. Cassini spacecraft starts its second lifeNASA's Cassini mission is embarking on a new two-year mission that will bring it closer to two of its most intriguing targets—Titan and Enceladus. Look back in wonderThe EPOXI spacecraft has snapped an amazing image of the Earth and Moon from almost 50 million kilometres away! |
28-29 June 2008 Asteroid-hunting satellite a world firstCanada's NEOSSat space telescope will find near-Earth objects and track high-altitude satellites. POSTCARD: Saturn's clumpy ring edgeA high-resolution view from the Cassini spacecraft reveals the effect that one of Saturn's moons has on the planet's rings.
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26 June 2008 Twin galaxies pass in the nightAstronomers have captured two nearly-identical spiral galaxies, 90 million light-years away, in the early stages of a gentle gravitational embrace. POSTCARD: Saturn's swirling stormsIn a dramatic image from the Cassini spacecraft, a line of dark vortices has been spotted charging through Saturn's 'Storm Alley'. NASA mission will answer ocean questionsNASA mission to answer lingering questions from deep blue sea, and help researchers understand climate change. |
26 June 2008 Mars has the largest crater in the Solar SystemNew analysis of Mars' terrain reveals what appears to be by far the largest impact crater ever found in the Solar System. NASA study gives green light to lunar outpostNASA engineers and scientists have completed a milestone review that will help determine the systems needed to return humans to the Moon and establish a lunar outpost. Celestial clues for eclipse in Homer's OdysseyDid Odysseus return home to experience a total solar eclipse? Two researchers think they have evidence that he did. Lunar spacecraft passes pre-flight testsA mission to confirm the presence or absence of water ice at the lunar poles has passed another milestone on the way to launch later this year. Huge lenses will study cosmic dark energyA milestone has been reached in the construction of one of the largest ever cameras, which will search out the universe's mysterious Dark Energy. POSTCARD: Saturn's spiralling ringsMixed in amongst the Saturn's main rings, a thin ring spirals around the planet in ever-decreasing circles. |
25 June 2008 Galactic cannibalism revealedRadio-telescope images have revealed that previously-unseen galactic cannibalism leads to feeding frenzies by gigantic black holes. Double pulsar does the tangoFor the first time, astronomers have detected X-rays from both stars in a binary pulsar system, revealing an ideal 'laboratory' for studying high-energy physics. Europeans line up to become astronautsOver 8,000 aspiring individuals have applied to join the European Astronaut Corps in its first intake in 15 years. POSTCARD: Rhea's cratered crustThe surface of Saturn's moon Rhea is a mixture of the old and the new. |
24 June 2008 Space station's orbit boostedThe European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle has raised the orbit of the International Space Station in a record 20-minute-long re-boost. POSTCARD: Distant starsNASA's Cassini spacecraft watched as two of the stars of the Alpha Centauri system peered over the edge of Saturn. POSTCARD: Lord of the GapsThe tiny moon Pan acts like a road sweeper, cleaning out a lane in the middle of Saturn's rings. DOWN TO EARTH: MadagascarMadagascar, once an island paradise, is suffering from deforestation and population growth. |
23 June 2008 Icy bodies on the outerHow many icy bodies like Pluto are there in the distant reaches of the Solar System? Perhaps not as many as first thought. Jason satellite will monitor oceansA new oceanography satellite has been launched on a globe-circling voyage to continue charting sea level, a vital indicator of global climate change. NASA selects two new missionsA mission to study black holes and one to study Earth's atmosphere have been selected for development by NASA. |
21-22 June 2008 Ocean satellite launch critical to Australian scienceA new Earth observing satellite being launched today will help guide future Australian ocean and climate science. GLAST observatory looking good after launchNASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, is safely up-and-running well in orbit. Earth's laws apply in distant UniverseThe laws of nature are the same in the distant Universe as they are here on Earth, according to new research. Chemicals hint at origin of Earth-like planetsThe dust clouds from which the building blocks of the Earth and neighbouring planets formed were much denser than previously supposed. Volcano contains fingerprint of planetary formationAnalysis of lava samples could provide definitive evidence for how the Moon formed. |
20 June 2008 Identical twin stars show surprising differencesThe youngest pair of identical twin stars yet found have revealed they're not so similar after all. Black hole find supports EinsteinThe biggest black holes may feed just like the smallest ones, a discovery that supports Einstein's theory that black holes of all sizes have similar properties. Spotlight on Saturn's auroraeResearchers have discovered that Saturn has two sparkling aurorae, not one, and started to unravel the mechanisms that drive them. |
19 June 2008 Aussie astronomers take control in ChinaCSIRO astronomers have remotely controlled telescopes in three countries and streamed their data to back to Australia for processing in real time. Dying star spotted even before it explodedAstronomers detected an internal flash inside a supergiant star weeks before it exploded as a supernova. Europe's cargo craft exceeds expectationsEurope's Automated Transfer Vehicle is turning out to be a raging success on the International Space Station. DOWN TO EARTH: Hong Kong from spaceAsia's dynamic island city looks dramatically different from space. |
18 June 2008 Killer asteroids off the hook?A US scientist claims it is the ebb and flow of the sea that has driven some of the world's biggest extinction events. Mission poised to measure rising seasA new NASA mission about to launch, will gauge the rise in the world's oceans as climate change continues to bite. Lakebed microbes could hold clues to life on EarthMini subs will be used to probe odd microbe-covered structures at the bottom of a Canadian lake. |
17 June 2008 A trio of super-Earths foundA harvest of low-mass planets has been discovered around other stars in the southern skies. NASA tests new Moon buggies and spacesuitsNASA has put a suite of prototype Moon robots through their paces in a simulated lunar environment. Put a rocket under it!High-speed 'penetrators' that could one day be used to breach the surface of planets have successfully passed their first test. Satellite sees ice shelf breaking awayAn environmental monitoring satellite has witnessed a huge ice shelf breaking away from Antarctica. POSTCARD: Icy EnceladusSaturn's moon Enceladus is one of the most intriguing bodies in the Solar System. DOWN TO EARTH: China's quake-damaged damsSatellite images of a dam in China show the dramatic changes wrought by the May 12 earthquake. |
16 June 2008 Orbiting observatory reveals weird binary starsA new population of exotic stars has been uncovered which might boost our knowledge of the formation of binary stars. Ancient Aussie minerals reveal Earth's torrid pastNew analysis of ancient minerals suggests that a harsh climate might have scoured destroyed the surface of the Earth's earliest continents. Cosmic ray detector to reach milestoneScientists will soon mark the completion of the first stage of a huge new comic ray detector in Argentina. Ulysses' long odysseyTeamwork kept the Ulysses spacecraft going almost four times as long as planned, despite serious engineering challenges that threatened to scuttle the mission. Student CubeSat to fly next yearA UK undergraduate satellite mission aims to put dust detector into orbit. POSTCARD: Saturn sceneryFrom high above Saturn's ringplane, the Cassini spacecraft spots a moon in the distance. DOWN TO EARTH: Deforestation in Papua New GuineaSatellite images have been used to gauge the extent of deforestation in Australia's nearest northern neighbour, and the news isn't good. |
14-15 June 2008 Life molecules found in Aussie meteoriteScientists have confirmed that an important component of genetic material that has been found in Australian meteorite fragments is extraterrestrial in origin. Shuttle Discovery lands safelySpace shuttle Discovery and its crew landed at 1:15am Sydney time Sunday morning at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, completing a 14-day journey. Astrophysicist wins US$1m science prizeReinhard Genzel has been awarded the US$1m Shaw Prize for identifying the supermassive black hole in the Milky Way's core. International solar mission to endAfter more than 17 years of pioneering solar science, a mission to study the Sun will end at the beginning of July. New mineral found in comet dustResearchers have discovered a new type of mineral in material that most likely came from a comet. Astronauts to get new moonsuitsNASA is moving ahead with a new spacesuit to take astronauts back to the Moon. New Horizons ventures beyond SaturnThe New Horizons spacecraft has crossed the orbit of Saturn on its way to its rendezvous with Pluto Netherlands joins search for extraterrestrial lifeNetherlands scientists are looking at the potential role of the LOFAR telescope in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence. |
13 June 2008 New telescope helps predict solar explosionsA new telescope will make it easier to predict solar explosions that could damage satellites, interrupt radio signals or expose astronauts to hazardous radiation GLAST blasts offNASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, was successfully launched early Thursday morning. Watch the launch video here… Jason to become an astronautThe ocean-monitoring OSTM/Jason 2 mission is timed for launch on June 20 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Better X-ray vision for telescopesNew nano-mirrors could boost X-ray telescopes, and lead to better tools for biology and making computer chips. DOWN TO EARTH: Kennedy Space CentreSeen from orbit, the launch site of America's space shuttle is a prominent landmark. |
12 June 2008 Plutoid chosen as name for objects like PlutoThe International Astronomical Union has decided on the term plutoid as a name for dwarf planets like Pluto. Hubble's sweeping view of a galaxy clusterThe Hubble Telescope has captured the magnificence of the Coma Cluster, one of the densest galaxy groups in the universe. Sydney astronomers find hidden celestial gemTwo Sydney-based scientists have used an orbiting X-ray observatory to re-discover an overlooked celestial gem Sun goes longer than normal without sunspotsPeriods of inactivity are normal for the Sun, but this period has gone on longer than usual. Amateurs help the pros to catch an exploding starRadio astronomers catch an exploding star in the act with timely help from amateur observers. Chute, that's big!Where do you test one of the world's largest parachutes? In the world's largest wind tunnel of course. |
11 June 2008 World's biggest dish joins global networkThe Arecibo Observatory has joined other dishes to simulate a telescope 11,000 kilometres wide. Meet Dodo and Baby BearPhoenix digs in, and gets a little trenchant. POSTCARD: Mars' strangely-shaped dunesWind and sunlight conspire to produce martian dunes with unique shapes and patterns.
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10 June 2008 Spacewalkers complete all tasksThe third spacewalk of mission STS-124 was a complete success. Radio astronomers find 'baby quasar'Astronomers has found that the most distant radio quasar ever has an unexpected shape. Searching for Dark Matter in the SunScientists are hoping to detect hypothetical particles called axions coming from the centre of the Sun. POSTCARD: Tethys' titanic trenchA huge canyon almost completely encircles Saturn's icy moon Tethys. |
7-9 June 2008 Saturn's rings have a smashing timeScientists have discovered that rapid changes in Saturn's F ring are cause by the changing gravitational tugs of small moonlets. More astronomers get into planet-finding gameA tiny telescope called KELT will be used to hunt for planets around other stars. Second spacewalk successfulAstronauts Mike Fossum and Ronald Garan have wrapped up their second spacewalk of shuttle Discovery's mission to the International Space Station. |
6 June 2008 New technology to search for ETsA group of scientist plan take advantage of new ideas on where to search for possible extraterrestrials in our galaxy. Fully-functioning satellite switched offFunding cuts have forced scientists to switch off a fully-functioning, low-cost scientific satellite. POSTCARD: The shadows of JanusSaturn's moon Janus is riddled with craters, hints of which can be made out even from great distances. |
5 June 2008 Milky Way has slow starsUltra-precise radio measurements have given astronomers their first good look at the motions of the Milky Way's young stars POSTCARD: When stars dieObservations at X-ray wavelengths are revealing new details of how stars die and spread their debris into space. First spacewalk a successAstronauts on the STS-124 mission completed their first spacewalk overnight, helping to install the Japanese Kibo module on the Space Station. |
SPECIAL: Highlights from the American Astronomical Society meeting in Missouri, June 2008Hundreds of the world's top astronomers have gathered in St. Louis, Missouri, this week to announce their latest discoveries. Spaceinfo.com.au will provide daily coverage of the meeting and the major scientific findings announced there. |
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4 June 2008 The Sun goes loopyWarm 'coronal loops' are offering scientists clues to the Sun's mysteriously hot atmosphere. A little bit of Sydney goes into spaceA former University of Sydney staff member took his first flight into space at the weekend as an astronaut on the shuttle Discovery. EarthCARE satellite to study the atmosphereA new environmental satellite will keep an eye on clouds, aerosols and radiation. EPOXI mission gets stuck into planetsNASA's EPOXI space mission has begun its search for 'super Earth' planets around other stars. GLAST mission readies for launchExcitement is building as the GLAST spacecraft readies to launch its Gamma-ray eyes in Earth orbit. New Horizons reaches milestonesThis week, NASA's New Horizons spacecraft will become the first to journey beyond Saturn since 1981. |
3 June 2008 Discovery mission on its waySpace shuttle Discovery and its seven-member crew are on their way to deliver a Japanese laboratory to the International Space Station. The Great Planet DebateTop scientists and educators will convene in the USA in August to explore a basic, but controversial, question: What is a planet? Gravity satellite to help climate researchA satellite to measure Earth's gravitational field will improve our understanding of oceans and climate. POSTCARD: Comparing craters on TitanMost of Saturn's moons have thousands of impact craters, but Titan has very few. DOWN TO EARTH: Irrigation in the heart of SudanThousands of kilometres of canals bring life-giving water from the Nile to the fields of Sudan. |
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Spaceinfo.com.au news stories are updated mid-evening the day prior to the listed publication date.
