Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Space Highlights - May 25, 2016

May 25, 2016


India's ISRO has conducted a successful, suborbital test of its unmanned spaceplane, demonstrating its autonomous control system and reentry characteristics.
http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/reusable-satellite-launch-test-its-all-about-lowering-the-cost-2815455/
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/india-successfully-launches-reusable-launch-vehicle/article8635448.ece


SpaceX expects to make another launch and recovery attempt this week for its Falcon 9 rocket, when it attempts to launch the Thaicom8 communications satellite.
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/40359/20160524/spacex-targets-thursday-afternoon-to-launch-and-land-falcon-9-with-thaicom8.htm


The EU has successfully launched satellites 13 and 14 in its Galileo system of geopositioning satellites.  The satellites were launched by a Russian Soyuz rocket, from a launch site in French Guiana.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-36368063


Russia is delaying the launch of its next GLONASS navigation satellite by a week.
http://www.insidegnss.com/node/4951


Studies in galactic radiation suggest that many fossils left by early life forms on Mars - if such life forms existed - might be erased by the radiation that bombards the surface, making it more difficult to detect signs of primitive life forms that later went extinct.
http://www.space.com/32962-alien-fossils-mars-europa-radiation.html


Recent geological maps of Mars have uncovered evidence for at lease two "mega-tsunamis" on the northern plains of Mars - locations where giant 400-foot tidal waves left deposits along the shore of an ancient Martian sea.  Scientists speculate that the events could have been triggered by an asteroid impact.
http://www.psi.edu/news/marstsunami
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/20/science/mars-ancient-ocean-tsunamis.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=0


Cassini's final set of orbits, before it plunges into Saturn's atmosphere later this year, are providing fresh views of Saturn's polar regions.
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Cassini_goes_up_and_over_for_final_mission_tour_of_Saturn_999.html


Speeding away from Pluto, NASA has directed the New Horizons spacecraft to train its camera on a more distand Kuiper belt object, 1994 JR1.
http://www.space.com/32946-new-horizons-probes-object-beyond-pluto.html

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