Space

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}); </script> </div> </div>  <div id="top_stories"> <ul> <li id="top_story0"> <a class="ts_img" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/picobrew-zymatic/29302/" title="PicoBrew Zymatic aims at almost completely automatic beer brewing"></a> <div class="ts_title"> <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/picobrew-zymatic/29302/">PicoBrew Zymatic aims at almost completely automatic beer brewing</a> </div> </li> <li id="top_story1"> <a class="ts_img" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/self-healing-polymer/29334/" title="New polymer spontaneously self-heals at room temperature"></a> <div class="ts_title"> <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/self-healing-polymer/29334/">New polymer spontaneously self-heals at room temperature</a> </div> </li> <li id="top_story2"> <a class="ts_img" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/click-carabiner-skiing-snowboarding-tool/29329/" title="CL!CK Carabiner lets skiers and snowboarders tune bindings anywhere on the mountain"></a> <div class="ts_title"> <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/click-carabiner-skiing-snowboarding-tool/29329/">CL!CK Carabiner lets skiers and snowboarders tune bindings anywhere on the mountain</a> </div> </li> <li id="top_story3"> <a class="ts_img" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/2013-argo-8x8-xti/29312/" title="ARGO 8x8 XTI tackles the toughest lands (and waters) on Earth "></a> <div class="ts_title"> <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/2013-argo-8x8-xti/29312/">ARGO 8x8 XTI tackles the toughest lands (and waters) on Earth </a> </div> </li> <li id="top_story4"> <a class="ts_img" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/ricoh-pentax-k3/29333/" title="Ricoh announces flagship Pentax K-3 DSLR"></a> <div class="ts_title"> <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/ricoh-pentax-k3/29333/">Ricoh announces flagship Pentax K-3 DSLR</a> </div> </li> </ul> <div id="more_top_stories"> <a id="mts_img" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/top_stories/"></a> <a id="mts_txt" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/top_stories/">more top stories</a> </div> <div class="clear_both"></div> </div> <div id="content" class="narrow_content"> <h1>Space</h1> <div class="summary_item noback" data-article="29325"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/alma-final-antenna/29325/">Final antenna arrives at ALMA Observatory</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/author/chris-wood/">Chris Wood</a></div> <div class="date">October 8, 2013</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/alma-final-antenna/29325/pictures">5 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback hero_link" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/alma-final-antenna/29325/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/alma-final-antenna.jpg" title="The last antenna arrives at the ALMA observatory in Chile (Image: ESO)" alt="The last antenna arrives at the ALMA observatory in Chile (Image: ESO)"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> The last 12 meter (40 ft) antenna has arrived at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), pushing the project closer to its full operational potential. The final antenna was supplied by the European side of the venture, and completes the 66 dish array stretching across the Chajnantor Plateau in Chile's Atacama Desert. The telescope, which was <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/alma-inauguration-stellar-baby-boom/26646/" target="_blank">inaugurated</a> in March 2013, has already made a number of significant discoveries despite its incomplete nature.  <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/alma-final-antenna/29325/" class="readmore_link">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div>   <div class="summary_item " data-article="29301"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/safer-test-mars-rover-esa/29301/">ESA set to begin Mars rover tests in Chile</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/author/david-szondy/">David Szondy</a></div> <div class="date">October 7, 2013</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/safer-test-mars-rover-esa/29301/pictures">6 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback hero_link" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/safer-test-mars-rover-esa/29301/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/safer-test.jpg" title="SAFER field test rover (Image: ESA, Michel van Winnendael)" alt="SAFER field test rover (Image: ESA, Michel van Winnendael)"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> The Atacama desert in Chile is so dry that parts of it are utterly devoid of life down to bacteria. That and its sandy, rock-strewn terrain makes it so similar to Mars that it's a perfect spot for ESA to trial its Sample Acquisition Field Experiment with a Rover (SAFER), which will this week carry out tests related to navigation, remote control and the use of scientific instruments. The agency鈥檚 goal is the latest in a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/seeker-rover-mars-testing/23020/" target="_blank">series of tests</a> to develop technologies and gain practical experience in anticipation of ESA鈥檚 launch of the ExoMars rover to the Red Planet in 2018.  <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/safer-test-mars-rover-esa/29301/" class="readmore_link">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="29199"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/cost-effective-laser-based-asteroid-defence-system/29199/">Cost-effective laser-based asteroid defense system pitched to NASA</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/author/david-szondy/">David Szondy</a></div> <div class="date">October 2, 2013</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/cost-effective-laser-based-asteroid-defence-system/29199/#comments">16 Comments</a></div> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/cost-effective-laser-based-asteroid-defence-system/29199/pictures">3 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback hero_link" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/cost-effective-laser-based-asteroid-defence-system/29199/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/asteroid-laser.jpg" title="Artist's impression of a massive asteroid impact (Image: NASA/Don Davis)" alt="Artist's impression of a massive asteroid impact (Image: NASA/Don Davis)"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> Last year, the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow put forward the idea of using fleets of laser-toting satellites to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/satellite-swarm-asteroid-deflection/21965/ " target="_blank">deflect potentially dangerous objects</a> away from Earth. Now, Dr. Richard Fork, principal investigator for the Laser Science and Engineering Laboratory at the University of Alabama and his team have refined the idea, saying that it鈥檚 not only feasible, but could handle anything up to the size of a comet.  <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/cost-effective-laser-based-asteroid-defence-system/29199/" class="readmore_link">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="29233"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/kepler-clouds-exoplanet/29233/">Kepler finds clouds on extrasolar planet</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/author/david-szondy/">David Szondy</a></div> <div class="date">October 1, 2013</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/kepler-clouds-exoplanet/29233/pictures">2 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback hero_link" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/kepler-clouds-exoplanet/29233/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/kepler-clouds.jpg" title="Comparison of Kepler-7b and Jupiter (Image: NASA)" alt="Comparison of Kepler-7b and Jupiter (Image: NASA)"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> "How's the weather?" has just become a topic of interstellar conversation. Using data from NASA's Kepler and Spitzer space telescopes, astronomers have mapped the first clouds discovered on an extrasolar planet. Not only does this technique give us an interesting bit of pure science, it could also be applied in the search for more earth-like planets according to NASA.  <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/kepler-clouds-exoplanet/29233/" class="readmore_link">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="29221"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/falcon-9-1-1-demonstration-launch/29221/">SpaceX launches improved Falcon 9</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/author/david-szondy/">David Szondy</a></div> <div class="date">September 30, 2013</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/falcon-9-1-1-demonstration-launch/29221/#comments">4 Comments</a></div> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/falcon-9-1-1-demonstration-launch/29221/pictures">6 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback hero_link" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/falcon-9-1-1-demonstration-launch/29221/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/falcon-9-1-1.jpe" title="The Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California" alt="The Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> If you saw a UFO over South Africa on Sunday, it was (probably) SpaceX鈥檚 improved Falcon 9 going into orbit. The commercial launch vehicle lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California at 9:00 AM CDT on a demonstration flight of the upgraded booster and a new engine cluster configuration.  <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/falcon-9-1-1-demonstration-launch/29221/" class="readmore_link">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="29222"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/cygnus-dock-iss/29222/">Cygnus docks with International Space Station</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/author/david-szondy/">David Szondy</a></div> <div class="date">September 29, 2013</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/cygnus-dock-iss/29222/#comments">4 Comments</a></div> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/cygnus-dock-iss/29222/pictures">7 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback hero_link" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/cygnus-dock-iss/29222/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/cygnus-docked.jpg" title="Cygnus made its rendezvous with the station at at 8:44 AM EDT on Sunday (image: NASA TV)" alt="Cygnus made its rendezvous with the station at at 8:44 AM EDT on Sunday (image: NASA TV)"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> Orbital Science Corporation鈥檚 unmanned <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/cygnus-launch/29038/" target="_blank">Cygnus</a> cargo ship has successfully docked with the International Space Station. The spacecraft made its rendezvous with the station at 8:44 AM EDT on Sunday, a week behind schedule and 11 days after launching from NASA鈥檚 Wallops Island facility. The delay was due to a software malfunction and the need to make way for the docking of a manned Soyuz spacecraft on September 25.  <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/cygnus-dock-iss/29222/" class="readmore_link">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="29194"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/curiosity-water/29194/">Curiosity finds water on Mars</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/author/david-szondy/">David Szondy</a></div> <div class="date">September 27, 2013</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/curiosity-water/29194/#comments">3 Comments</a></div> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/curiosity-water/29194/pictures">3 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback hero_link" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/curiosity-water/29194/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/curiosity-water.jpg" title="Scoop marks made by Curiosity while collecting soil samples in October 2012 (Image: NASA/J..." alt="Scoop marks made by Curiosity while collecting soil samples in October 2012 (Image: NASA/J..."/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> Water, like gold, is where you find it and NASA鈥檚 Curiosity Mars rover has discovered water in the Martian soil in greater quantities than expected. The unmanned explorer鈥檚 analysis of the first soil samples taken in Gale Crater indicate that water is present globally and uniformly in the Martian topsoil, and isn't found just at the polar ice caps  <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/curiosity-water/29194/" class="readmore_link">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="29100"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/ardulab-space-experiments/29100/">Ardulab provides open source platform for space experiments</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/author/david-szondy/">David Szondy</a></div> <div class="date">September 25, 2013</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/ardulab-space-experiments/29100/#comments">1 Comment</a></div> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/ardulab-space-experiments/29100/pictures">4 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback hero_link" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/ardulab-space-experiments/29100/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/ardulab.jpg" title="An example of an Ardulab experiment" alt="An example of an Ardulab experiment"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> With Raspberry Pis and 3D printing all the rage, ambitious DIY projects have never been more achievable. However, when it comes to space experiments, it鈥檚 still a professionals-only game. Start up company Infinity Aerospace out of the NASA Ames Research Center at Mountain View, California, wants to change that with Ardulab: an open source experiment package based on the Arduino processor that provides students and others with the ability to send experiments into space for under US$5,000.  <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/ardulab-space-experiments/29100/" class="readmore_link">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="29132"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/objective-europa/29132/">Objective Europa wants to send astronauts on a one-way mission to Jupiter's moons</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/author/david-szondy/">David Szondy</a></div> <div class="date">September 24, 2013</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/objective-europa/29132/#comments">31 Comments</a></div> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/objective-europa/29132/pictures">12 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback hero_link" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/objective-europa/29132/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/objective-europa.jpg" title="Artist's impression of the surface of Europa (Image: NASA)" alt="Artist's impression of the surface of Europa (Image: NASA)"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> We鈥檙e used to expendable boosters on space missions, but what about an expendable crew? That is essentially the long-term plan of Objective Europa, a group led by Kristian von Bengtson, founder of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/worlds-smallest-manned-suborbital-vehicle-copenhagen/22525/" target="_blank">Copenhagen Suborbitals</a>, that's contemplating the challenges of sending astronauts to Jupiter's moon Europa to look for life. The only catch is that the trip is one-way with no hope of return at the end of the mission.  <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/objective-europa/29132/" class="readmore_link">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div class="summary_item " data-article="29131"> <div class="summary_details"> <div class="clear_both"> <h2><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/curiosity-methane/29131/">Curiosity finding reduces hopes of finding life on Mars</a></h2> <div class="summary_details_left"> <div>By <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/author/david-szondy/">David Szondy</a></div> <div class="date">September 24, 2013</div> </div> <div class="summary_details_right"> <div class="has_comments"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/curiosity-methane/29131/#comments">10 Comments</a></div> <div class="has_pictures"><a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/curiosity-methane/29131/pictures">2 Pictures</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <a class="noback hero_link" href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/curiosity-methane/29131/"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618im_/http://images.gizmag.com/hero/curiosity-methane-none.jpg" title="Lab demonstration of the Tunable Laser Spectrometer (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)" alt="Lab demonstration of the Tunable Laser Spectrometer (Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech)"/></a> <div class="summary"> <p> NASA鈥檚 Curiosity Mars rover has detected no methane on Mars after more than a year of extensive testing of the Martian atmosphere using the robot explorer鈥檚 Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) laboratory. Since methane is a key indicator for the presence of biological activity, its absence throws into question the notion that there may be life on Mars today.  <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/curiosity-methane/29131/" class="readmore_link">Read More</a> </p> </div> </div> <div id="pagination"> <div class="next_prev"> <span>1</span> <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/space/2/">2</a> <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/space/3/">3</a> <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/space/4/">4</a> <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/space/5/">5</a> <a href="/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/space/2/" class="next_pagination">Next </a> » </div> </div> <div class="dotsontop">  <div id="search_form_bottom"> <form action="https://web.archive.org/web/20131009220618/http://www.gizmag.com/search/" id="cse-search-box-bottom"> <span class="title">Looking for something? 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