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May 31, 2013

Asteroid approaching for Earth fly-by found to have its own 'moon'
Pasadena, Calif. (UPI) May 30, 2013
An asteroid that will pass by Earth Friday is in fact a binary asteroid, with a smaller asteroid orbiting a larger one like a small moon, U.S. astronomers say. A sequence of radar images of asteroid 1998 QE2 suggest the main body, or primary, is around 1.7 miles in diameter while a preliminary estimate for the width of the asteroid's satellite, or moon, is approximately 2,000 feet. The closest approach of the asteroid pair will occur Friday at 1:59 4:59 p.m. EDT, when they will pass Eart ... read more

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NASA mission solves mystery of moon's uneven gravity NASA says its Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory mission uncovered the origin of massive regions inside the moon that make its gravity uneven. ... more		Scientists capture first 'atom by atom' snapshots of chemical reaction Researchers in California say they've realized every chemist's dream - to capture an atomic-scale picture of a chemical before and after it reacts. ... more		Telescope in Hawaii captures images of comet heading toward Earth An observatory in Hawaii has captured a series of images of a comet on its way into the inner solar system hinting at coming changes, astronomers say. ... more
				NASA's WISE Mission Finds Lost Asteroid Family Members Data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have led to a new and improved family tree for asteroids in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. Astronomers used millions of inf ... more		Cassini Finds Hints of Activity at Saturn Moon Dione From a distance, most of the Saturnian moon Dione resembles a bland cueball. Thanks to close-up images of a 500-mile-long (800-kilometer-long) mountain on the moon from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, sc ... more

CubeSats, SmallSats and MicroSats

Thermal limit for animal life redefined by first lab study of deep-sea vent worms Forty-two may or may not be the answer to everything, but it likely defines the temperature limit where animal life thrives, according to the first laboratory study of heat-loving Pompeii worms from ... more		Low sodium diet key to old age for stars The way in which stars evolve and end their lives was for many years considered to be well understood. Detailed computer models predicted that stars of a similar mass to the Sun would have a period ... more		Maintaining US space dominance requires rapid and reliable delivery of new systems Shield or Spark? The U.S. Golden Dome and the New Missile Arms Race Starcloud partners with Mission Space to protect orbital datacenters with real time space weather intelligence		Moon dust samples missing for 40 years found in Calif. warehouse Samples of moon dust gathered by the first men to walk on the moon and missing for more than 40 years have been found in a California warehouse, officials said. ... more
				Just how secure is quantum cryptography Quantum communication systems offer the promise of virtually unbreakable encryption. Unlike classical encryption, which is used to send secure data over networks today and whose security depends on ... more		Einstein's 'spooky action' common in large quantum systems Entanglement is a property in quantum mechanics that seemed so unbelievable and so lacking in detail that, 66 years ago this spring, Einstein called it "spooky action at a distance." But a mat ... more

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Unusual minerals in moon craters may have been delivered from space Unusual minerals in impact craters on the moon may not have originated on the moon, but may be from asteroids that created the craters a U.S. researcher says. ... more		Coupled particles cross energy wall For the first time, a new kind of so-called Klein tunnelling-representing the quantum equivalent of crossing an energy wall- has been presented in a model of two interacting particles. This work by ... more		Vast reserves, but little to drink: Tajikistan's water struggles Year after northern Nigeria floods, survivors left high and dry Africa's path to low-carbon food security		More precision from less predictability: A new quantum trade-off Researchers at Griffith University's Centre for Quantum Dynamics have demonstrated that, contrary to what the Heisenberg uncertainty relation may suggest, particle properties such as position and mo ... more
				Hubble Sees a Swirl of Star Formation This beautiful, glittering swirl is named, rather un-poetically, J125013.50+073441.5. A glowing haze of material seems to engulf the galaxy, stretching out into space in different directions and for ... more		Detection of the cosmic gamma ray horizon: Measures all the light in the universe since the Big Bang How much light has been emitted by all galaxies since the cosmos began? After all, almost every photon (particle of light) from ultraviolet to far infrared wavelengths ever radiated by all galaxies ... more

Planning Accelerates For Pluto Encounter

'Vulcan' wins Pluto moon name vote

Public to vote on names for Pluto moons

Thermal limit for animal life redefined by first lab study of deep-sea vent worms

Scientists Find Possible Solution to an Ancient Enigma

Arctic bacteria found living in Mars-like environment

Big Weather on Hot Jupiters

Critical Kepler Reaction Wheel Fails: Mission End In Sight

Sifting Through the Atmosphere's of Far-Off Worlds

Rock formations resembling streambeds suggest flowing water on Mars

Chemical reactions with rocks, water may have supported life on Mars

Radiation on trip to Mars near lifetime limit

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China sends 11th group of internet satellites into orbit for global constellation

NASA ISRO radar satellite beams first Earth images from space

NRL coronagraph on NOAA SWFO L1 will enhance space weather forecasts

A Hidden Population of Exotic Neutron Stars		Galaxies Fed by Funnels of Fuel		Astronomers team up with the public to solve decade old puzzle		U Alberta teams with citizen researchers 370 light years from Earth		Asteroid Sample Return Mission Moves into Development
Astronomers measure the elusive extragalactic background light		Professor who once had to work at Subway makes math breakthrough		Ecuador's only satellite may have been damaged in space collision		Wild Weather Could Be Ahead on Titan		NASA Watches Solar Magnetic Field As MESSENGER Clocks Up 2000 Orbits

Arctic bacteria found living in Mars-like environment

World's largest undersea methane seep harbors variety of life

Satellites See Storm System that Created Oklahoma Tornado

Researchers Explain Magnetic Field Misbehavior in Solar Flares

Researchers reveal model of Sun's magnetic field

Fragile Mega-Galaxy Is Missing Link in Cosmic History

A Roadmap for the Future of Astrobiology

RNA capable of catalyzing electron transfer on early earth with iron's help

Iron-platinum alloys could be new-generation hard drives

Black Hole Powered Jets Plow Into Galaxy

Ground and Space-based Observations Unveil Future of Sun

IRIS Mission Readies For a New Challenge

Moon being pushed away from Earth faster than ever

Never-before-seen energy pattern observed at National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

NASA Launching Experiment to Examine the Beginnings of the Universe

Coming into existence: Quantum Style

Three Planets Converge In Western Twilight May 25-28

Galaxy's Ring of Fire

Scientists capture first direct proof of Hofstadter butterfly effect

New method proposed for detecting gravitational waves from ends of universe

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