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December 17, 2014

ESA scientists say Philae lander will wake up in 2015
San Francisco (UPI) Dec 17, 2014
The team of scientists and engineers responsible for this fall's historic comet landing are confident Philae's current slumber is only temporary. "I think within the team there is no doubt that we will wake up," lead lander scientist Jean-Pierre Bibring told reporters at the American Geophysical Union's annual meeting, held this week in San Francisco. "And the question is OK, in what shape? My suspicion is we'll be in good shape." The lander isn't necessarily dead, only out of juice. Aft ... read more

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Super-Earth spotted by ground-based telescope, a first For the first time, a ground-based telescope has observed a super-Earth alien planet passing in front of its host star. The exoplanet, roughly twice the size of Earth, is 55 Cancri e. Its host star is 55 Cancri, a Sun-like star 40 light-years away that can be spied with the naked eye in the Cancer constellation. ... more		Oil-dwelling bacteria are social creatures in Earth's deep biosphere Oil reservoirs are scattered deep inside the Earth like far-flung islands in the ocean, so their inhabitants might be expected to be very different, but a new study led by Dartmouth College and Univ ... more		Fermi brings deeper focus to thunderstorm gamma-rays Each day, thunderstorms around the world produce about a thousand quick bursts of gamma rays, some of the highest-energy light naturally found on Earth. By merging records of events seen by NASA's F ... more
				SwRI scientists develop solar observatory for use on suborbital manned space missions Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is preparing to unveil a new, miniature portable solar observatory for use onboard a commercial, manned suborbital spacecraft. The SwRI Solar Instrument Pointing ... more		NASA is letting people name the craters of Mercury The team behind NASA's Mercury orbiter, MESSENGER, has begun a competition to name the craters of Mercury. ... more

Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison & Memory Foam Mattress Review

Physicists explain puzzling particle collisions An anomaly spotted at the Large Hadron Collider has prompted scientists to reconsider a mathematical description of the underlying physics. By considering two forces that are distinct in everyday li ... more		NASA Voyager: 'Tsunami Wave' Still Flies Through Interstellar Space The "tsunami wave" that NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft began experiencing earlier this year is still propagating outward, according to new results. It is the longest-lasting shock wave that researchers ... more		EU states to hold talks on 'drone wall' to protect bloc Denmark military intel fails to identify source of drone flights Lithuania eases rules on shooting down drones		Moon Express testing compact lunar lander at Kennedy NASA is working with U.S. industry to develop the capabilities and cutting-edge technologies that will help send astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit. To achieve this goal, space travelers will need th ... more
				Fraud-proof credit cards possible with quantum physics Credit card fraud and identify theft are serious problems for consumers and industries. Though corporations and individuals work to improve safeguards, it has become increasingly difficult to protec ... more		Scientists measure speedy electrons in silicon The entire semiconductor industry, not to mention Silicon Valley, is built on the propensity of electrons in silicon to get kicked out of their atomic shells and become free. These mobile electrons ... more

Startup in the Land of the Rising Sun; A Japanese Solar Venture - by Bradley L. Bartz

Comet probe in race against time to crown stellar feat Europe's deep-space robot lab Philae worked against the clock Friday, attempting to drill into a comet 510 million kilometres (320 million miles) from Earth to crown a historic exploration before its battery runs out. ... more		Philae probing comet with hours left on battery Europe's probe Philae was busily conducting experiments on a comet 510 million kilometres (320 million miles) from Earth with just hours of onboard battery life left, ground control reported of signals received Friday. ... more		NASA ISRO radar satellite beams first Earth images from space Morocco High Atlas whistle language strives for survival China warns Papua New Guinea over Australian defence deal		Researchers use real data rather than theory to measure the cosmos For the first time researchers have measured large distances in the Universe using data, rather than calculations related to general relativity. A research team from Imperial College London an ... more
Interstellar Mystery Solved By Supercomputer Simulations An interstellar mystery of why stars form has been solved thanks to the most realistic supercomputer simulations of galaxies yet made. Theoretical astrophysicist Philip Hopkins of the California Ins ... more		Observing Solar System Worlds as if They Were Distant Exoplanets "It takes one to know one," as the old truism goes. When it comes to unraveling the mysteries of far-off exoplanets, the same holds true - one more reason why astronomers want to thoroughly understa ... more		SwRI develops solar observatory for use on suborbital manned space missions Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is preparing to unveil a new, miniature portable solar observatory for use onboard a commercial, manned suborbital spacecraft. The SwRI Solar Instrument Pointing ... more		MESSENGER Data Suggest Recurring Meteor Shower on Mercury The closest planet to the sun appears to get hit by a periodic meteor shower, possibly associated with a comet that produces multiple events annually on Earth. The clues pointing to Mercury's ... more

	Galactic Get-Together Has Impressive Light Display At this time of year, there are lots of gatherings often decorated with festive lights. When galaxies get together, there is the chance of a spectacular light show as is the case with NGC 2207 and I ... more		Galactic Gathering Gives Sparkling Light Display At this time of year, holiday parties often include festive lights. When galaxies get together, they also may be surrounded by a spectacular light show. That's the case with NGC 2207 and IC 2163, wh ... more

JUNO begins decade-long mission to probe neutrino mysteries

SFL Missions to Deliver Spacecraft Buses for HawkEye 360 RF Signal Detection Expansion

Voyager debuts first space based multi cloud region to advance orbital data processing

Interstellar Mystery Solved by Supercomputer Simulations		Researchers detect possible signal from dark matter		Researchers detect possible signal from dark matter		Astronomers spot Pluto-size objects swarming about young sun		Rosetta Comet Water Different Than Earth Water
How Did Life Become Complex, And Could It Happen Beyond Earth?		The Science of Magnetic Reconnection		The Geminids meteor shower should be one of the best this year		Researchers report possible dark matter signal		Rosetta fuels debate on origin of Earth's oceans

Saturn's Moons: What a Difference a Decade Makes

UK Plans to Drill Into Moon, Explore Feasibility of Manned Base

Asteroid 2014 UR116 Represents No Threat to the Earth

NASA-funded FOXSI to Observe X-Rays From Sun

Secondary relaxation in metallic glasses key glassy physics

45-year physics mystery shows a path to quantum transistors

Finding the simple patterns in a complex world

Laser-plasma 'tabletop' particle accelerator sets record

Tennessee research offers explanation for Titan dune puzzle

World record for compact particle accelerator

Electron pairs on demand

Microgravity Helping Us Understand Immune System's Tiny Warriors

Warm Gas Pours 'Cold Water' on Galaxy's Star-Making

Asteroid Explorer Hayabusa2 Completion of Critical Operation Phase

Queen's scientist leads study of 'Super-Earth'

European astronomers spot faint asteroid

Finding infant earths and potential life just got easier

Flight Status of Micro Deep-Space Explorer "PROCYON"

Hubble Spies Charming Spiral Galaxy Bursting with Stars

Einstein documents digitization project complete

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