Stellary Starry Universe

 

Multi-robot planetary exploration would be a complex affair, with humans working with a diverse team of mobile robots operating in a variety of control modes.

“Aurora sees this as an opportunity to expand its multi-vehicle coordination capabilities into the realm of planetary exploration. We view this project as a natural integration of our expertise in space systems and in tools for planning and coordinating autonomous teams,” said Dr. James Paduano, Autonomy Controls and Estimation Group Lead. [...]

Source: Space.com – click here for full article

 

 

The space station unfurled its last pair of solar wings Friday after 10 years of construction. A few comments when the job was completed; “Tremendous news! Great work guys,” Mission Control called back. “You’ve got a whole bunch of happy people down here as well.”

“We’re very happy as well,” Archambault said. “Full power!”

Each of the new 115-foot (35-meter) wings unfolded gracefully, with none of the glitches which have plagued previous array deployments. The astronauts unfolded the new arrays in stages. That allowed them to warm in the sun to reduce the stickiness.

“It was absolutely beautiful,” station commander Michael Fincke said in a televised interview, adding that there was a “shout of triumph” as the wings unfurled.

Source: Space.com – click here for full article

 

 

Before and after images reveal that red supergiant stars are responsible for Type II supernovas.

Type II supernovas are the impressive cosmic explosions that result from the internal collapse of a massive star. (For this reason, they are also known as core-collapse supernovas.)

On average, a supernova will occur about once every 50 years in a galaxy the size of the Milky Way. But scientists don’t know when these stellar powder kegs will blow, so identifying the star that birthed them, called the progenitor star, can be tricky.

Source: Space.com – Click here for full story

 

 

ESA’s Mars Express finds concentration of rust in Aram Chaos crater. The European Space Agency’s Mars Express Orbiter has spied evidence of a large concentration of rust, revealed by erosion, on the planet’s surface.

The finding, detailed in a recent issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research, is yet another clue that will help scientists piece together the picture of Mars’ past climate.

The bright red dust covering most of the planet is known to be enriched in ferric oxides, more commonly known on Earth as rust.

Source: Space.com – click here for full article

 

 

Thousands of new exoplanets may need a new naming system. With so many potential new exoplanets that will likely be discovered maybe it is time to revamp the system of naming planets so it is less confusing.

Source: Space.com – click here for full article