Space
Capt. Kirk's Vulcan entry wins Pluto moons contest
February 26, 2013 9:28 am | by Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer | News | CommentsAn online vote to name Pluto's two newest, itty-bitty moons is over. And No. 1 is Vulcan, a name suggested by actor William Shatner, who played Capt. Kirk in the original "Star Trek" TV series. The contest was conducted by SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., the research base for the primary moon hunter. The 10 astronomers who made the discoveries will take the voting results into account, as they come up with what they consider to be the two best names.
Future evidence for extraterrestrial life might come from dying stars
February 25, 2013 1:08 pm | News | CommentsEven dying stars could host planets with life—and if such life exists, we might be able to detect it within the next decade. This encouraging result comes from a new theoretical study of Earth-like planets orbiting white dwarf stars. Researchers found that we could detect oxygen in the atmosphere of a white dwarf's planet much more easily than for an Earth-like planet orbiting a sun-like star.
SwRI ultraviolet instrument selected for ESA's JUICE mission
February 22, 2013 2:07 pm | News | CommentsAn ultraviolet spectrograph designed by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has been selected for flight on the European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer (JUICE). NASA is funding development of the instrument, which will observe ultraviolet emissions from the Jovian system.
Japan identifies some Boeing 787 problems
February 21, 2013 11:19 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsJapanese investigators have identified the causes of fuel leaks and other problems with Boeing's 787 but are still investigating the more serious battery problem that forced an emergency landing in January and the worldwide grounding of the jets. The Transport Ministry on Friday released the results of its investigation into problems that occurred with 787 Dreamliner jets in January.
Supercomputers journey to limits of spacetime
February 21, 2013 1:19 pm | News | CommentsResearchers have used the 3D simulation capabilities of the supercomputers at the Texas Advanced Computing Center to predict the formation of accretion disks and relativistic jets that warp and bend more than previously thought, shaped both by the extreme gravity of the black hole and by powerful magnetic forces generated by its spin. Their highly detailed models of the black hole environment contribute new knowledge to the field.
Mercury may have harbored an ancient magma ocean
February 21, 2013 7:53 am | by Jennifer Chu, MIT News Office | News | CommentsBy analyzing Mercury's rocky surface, scientists have been able to partially reconstruct the planet's history over billions of years. Now, drawing upon the chemical composition of rock features on the planet's surface, scientists have proposed that Mercury may have harbored a large, roiling ocean of magma very early in its history, shortly after its formation about 4.5 billion years ago.
Astronomers find smallest known planet
February 20, 2013 4:45 pm | News | CommentsA team of scientists including two Yale University astronomers has discovered the smallest planet yet detected. In recently published research, the scientists reported finding a planetary system, Kepler-37, with three planets. Two of them are smaller than Earth, and one of these is smaller than Mercury, the smallest of the eight planets in Earth's solar system.
NASA rover prepares to analyze Mars rock dust
February 20, 2013 3:21 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsFresh off drilling into a rock for the first time, the Mars rover Curiosity is prepping for the next step—dissecting the pulverized rock to determine what it's made of. NASA said Wednesday it received confirmation that Curiosity successfully collected a tablespoon of powder from the drilling two weeks ago and was poised to transfer a pinch to its onboard laboratories. It's the first time a spacecraft has bored into a rock on Mars to retrieve a sample from the interior.
Researchers replicate ice crystal icing formation in aircraft engine
February 20, 2013 9:02 am | News | CommentsFor the first time, researchers are demonstrating ice crystal icing formation in a full-scale engine test facility at NASA's Glenn Research Center. The tests duplicate the natural event of cloud formation, ingestion by an aircraft engine of ice crystals created by the cloud, and the reduction of engine power that can result. This phenomenon is being studied to gain an understanding of the physics behind ice crystal formation in a turbine engine.
Japan probe finds miswiring of Boeing 787 battery
February 20, 2013 6:49 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsA probe into the overheating of a lithium ion battery in an All Nippon Airways Boeing 787 found it was improperly wired, Japan's Transport Ministry said Wednesday. The Transport Safety Board said in a report that the battery of the aircraft's auxiliary power unit was incorrectly connected to the main battery that overheated, although a protective valve would have prevented power from the APU from doing damage.
Water on the moon: It's been there all along
February 19, 2013 8:10 am | News | CommentsTraces of water have been detected within the crystalline structure of mineral samples from the lunar highland upper crust obtained during the Apollo missions, according to a University of Michigan researcher and his colleagues. The lunar highlands are thought to represent the original crust, crystallized from a magma ocean on a mostly molten early moon. The new findings indicate that the early moon was wet and that water there was not substantially lost during the moon's formation.
Russian scientists recover meteor fragments
February 18, 2013 10:32 am | News | CommentsScientists have found more than 50 tiny fragments of a meteor that exploded over Russia's Ural Mountains with the power of dozens of atomic bombs. Most are less than a centimeter in diameter, but locals saw a big meteorite fall into the lake on Friday, leaving a 6-m-wide hole in the ice. A meteor up to 50-60 cm could eventually be found in the lake.
Russia, Kazakhstan may manage space base together
February 15, 2013 8:39 am | by Peter Leonard, Associated Press | News | CommentsRussia may suspend its lease for some facilities at the Baikonur space complex in Kazakhstan, opening the way for its joint administration by the two countries, a senior Russian space official says. The launch pad for satellite-deploying Zenit rockets at the complex will be the first facility to be reviewed, Roscosmos deputy head Sergei Savelyev told the Ivzestia newspaper in an interview published Thursday.
Nearly 1,000 injured by blasts as meteor falls in Russia
February 15, 2013 8:30 am | by Jim Heintz, Associated Press | News | CommentsA meteor that scientists estimate weighed 10 tons (11 tons) streaked at supersonic speed over Russia's Ural Mountains on Friday, setting off blasts that injured nearly 1,000 people and frightened countless more. The Russian Academy of Sciences said in a statement that the meteor over the Chelyabinsk region entered the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of at least 54,000 kph (33,000 mph) and shattered about 30-50 km (18-32 miles) above ground.
Expert: Asteroid would explode like a thermonuclear weapon
February 13, 2013 8:36 am | by Jim Schenke, Purdue University | News | CommentsAccording to Jay Melosh, a distinguished professor of earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences and physics and aerospace engineering at Purdue University, if the asteroid rapidly approaching us this week were to impact rather than nearly miss Earth, it would explode with a four-megaton force near what the military calls optimum height for damage. This asteroid would release only half the energy of the Siberian strike in 1917, but the 30,000-foot detonation height could cause significant property damage and loss of life.
Wisconsin scientists help search for alien life
February 13, 2013 3:36 am | by CARRIE ANTLFINGER - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsScientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are helping search for evidence of alien life not by looking into outer space, but by studying some rocks right here on Earth. Some of the rocks are up to 3.5 billion years old. The scientists are looking for crucial information to understand how life might have arisen elsewhere in the universe and guide the search for life on Mars one day.
U.N. agency moves to kill aircraft battery exemption
February 12, 2013 11:08 am | by JOAN LOWY - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsA U.N. agency that sets global aviation safety standards is moving to prevent aircraft batteries like the one that caught fire on a Boeing 787 last month from being shipped as cargo on passenger planes, people familiar with the effort said.
Curiosity rover completes first drill into Mars rock
February 11, 2013 8:32 am | by Alicia Chang, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsIn a Mars first, the Curiosity rover drilled into a rock and prepared to dump an aspirin-sized pinch of powder into its onboard laboratories for closer inspection. Using the drill at the end of its 7-foot-long robotic arm, Curiosity on Friday chipped away at a flat, veined rock bearing numerous signs of past water flow. The exercise was so complex that engineers spent several days commanding Curiosity to tap the rock outcrop, drill test holes and perform a "mini-drill" in anticipation of the real show.
US: 787 battery approval should be reconsidered
February 7, 2013 7:15 pm | by JOAN LOWY - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsThe U.S. government should reassess its safety approval of the Boeing 787's lithium ion batteries, America's top accident investigator said Thursday, casting doubt on whether the airliner's troubles can be remedied quickly.
Closest Earth-like planet “stroll across park”
February 7, 2013 9:50 am | by Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer | News | CommentsEarth-like worlds may be closer and more plentiful than anyone imagined. Astronomers reported Wednesday that the nearest Earth-like planet may be just 13 light-years away—or some 77 trillion miles. That planet hasn't been found yet, but should be there based on the team's study of red dwarf stars. Galactically speaking, that's right next door.
NTSB: Plane batteries not necessarily unsafe
February 6, 2013 12:20 pm | by JOAN LOWY - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsThe use of lithium ion batteries to power aircraft systems isn't necessarily unsafe despite a battery fire in one Boeing 787 Dreamliner and smoke in another, but manufacturers need to build in reliable safeguards, the nation's top aviation safety investigator said Wednesday.
Supersonic skydiver reached 844 mph in record jump
February 5, 2013 8:14 am | by Marcia Dunn, AP Aerospace Writer | News | CommentsSupersonic skydiver Felix Baumgartner was faster than he or anyone else thought during his record-setting jump last October from 24 miles up. The Austrian parachutist known as "Fearless Felix" reached 843.6 mph, according to official numbers released Monday. That's equivalent to Mach 1.25, or 1.25 times the speed of sound. His top speed initially was estimated at 10 mph slower at 834 mph, or Mach 1.24.
AP Exclusive: 787 grounded, but batteries can fly
February 3, 2013 4:34 am | by JOAN LOWY - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsAt the time the government certified Boeing's 787 Dreamliners as safe, federal rules barred the type of batteries used to power the airliner's electrical systems from being carried as cargo on passenger planes because of the fire risk. Now the situation is reversed.
U.S. satellite lost in failed launch from Pacific
February 1, 2013 4:44 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsSea Launch AG says a U.S. communications satellite was lost after a booster rocket carrying it into space failed shortly after its launch from a floating platform in the Pacific. The company said in a statement Friday the Intelsat 27 satellite was lost 40 seconds after the launch due to the failure of the Zenit-3SL rocket.
Japan to send investigators to US for 787 probe
January 31, 2013 10:55 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsJapan's Civil Aviation Bureau is sending investigators looking into problems with Boeing 787 batteries to Seattle, where the aircraft are assembled. The Transport Ministry said members of the team working on the investigation would leave Tokyo on Sunday for Seattle. It provided no further details.
