Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 01, 2012
The second of NASA's two Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft has successfully completed its planned main engine burn and is now in lunar orbit. Working together, GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B will study the moon as never before. "NASA greets the new year with a new mission of exploration," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "The twin GRAIL spacecraft will vastly ex

Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 31, 2011
Opportunity is positioned at a candidate site for Mars' southern hemisphere winter. The rover is at the north end of 'Cape York' on the rim of Endeavour Crater, tilted about 15 degrees to the north for favorable solar energy production. Opportunity experienced anomalously high current in the right-front wheel on Sol 2808 (Dec. 17, 2011). Diagnostics on Sols 2810 and 2812 (Dec. 20 and

El Segundo, CA (SPX) Dec 30, 2011
Raytheon Company has booked $320 million this month in new contract awards related to its active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar programs for domestic and international customers. With active electronic beam scanning, which allows the radar beam to be steered at nearly the speed of light, Raytheon AESA radars optimize situational awareness and provide superior air-to-air and air-

Denver CO (SPX) Jan 01, 2012
Both of NASA's Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft were successfully inserted into orbit around the Earth's moon. The mission will analyze the internal structure and gravitational forces of the moon. Lockheed Martin built the twin robotic spacecraft and is conducting flight operations for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The first orbiter, GRAIL-A fired its m

Hawthorne, CA (SPX) Dec 30, 2011
Orbcomm Inc. and Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) today announced the launch schedule for Orbcomm's second generation (OG2) satellites. The updated plan includes launching the first OG2 prototype satellite on the first Cargo Re-supply Services (CRS) mission in mid-2012, followed closely by an additional launch of two OG2 satellites into a high inclination orbit as a secondary payloa

Mumbai (UPI) Dec 30, 2011
A statue of the world's first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, was unveiled Friday in Mumbai on the grounds of the Nehru Science Center, center officials said. Dignitaries attending the unveiling ceremony Friday included Russian Ambassador to India Alexander Kadakin, Russian General Consul in Mumbai Alexei Novikov and Mumbai Mayor Shraddha Jadhav. "Gagarin is a man who is known and loved

Singapore (AFP) Jan 1, 2012
Six months ago, Singaporean retiree Soon Eng Sam, 70, suffered a stroke that paralysed the left side of his body. Bedridden for three months, he has regained some limb functions on the affected side through conventional physical therapy but now hopes to hasten his recovery with the help of new gadgets designed to make rehabilitation fun. "This therapy is not so boring, not so painful as

Moscow (RIA Novosti) Dec 30, 2011
Russia's space agency Roscosmos has been given until January to rectify security at its plants or face the consequences, after a reported penetration of its rocket plant in northern Moscow. A group of Russian bloggers claimed in a report posted on the Internet that they managed to get inside the Energomash plant in Moscow's Khimki district, which manufactures liquid-propellant engines for

Beijing (XNA) Dec 30, 2011
China on Thursday issued a white paper on the development of space industry since 2006 and the major tasks for the next five years. The white paper titled "China's Space Activities in 2011" was the third white paper on the country's space activities issued by the State Council Information Office, following the one in 2000 and another in 2006. The Chinese government has made the space

Beijing (XNA) Dec 30, 2011
China will push forward human spaceflight projects and make new technological breakthroughs, creating a foundation for future human spaceflight, according to a white paper titled "China's Space Activities in 2011" issued Thursday. During the next five years, China will launch the Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 spaceships and achieve unmanned or manned rendezvous and docking with the in-orbit T

by Staff Writers
Beijing (XNA) Dec 30, 2011 China will launch orbiters for lunar soft landing, roving and surveying to implement the second stage of lunar exploration in next five years, a white paper said Thursday. China's lunar probe projects are based on the idea of "three steps" - orbiting, landing and returning, said the white paper "China's Space Activities in 2011" issued by the State Council Infor

Beijing (XNA) Dec 30, 2011
A white paper published on Thursday said that China has made innovative achievements and breakthroughs in major space projects, and space technology has been upgraded remarkably. The white paper, China's Space Activities in 2011, published by the State Council's Information Office, said that the country's Long March rockets have accomplished 67 successful launches, sending 79 spacecraft in

Beijing (XNA) Dec 30, 2011
China started to run its own satellite positioning system, Beidou, on Tuesday as the country climbed the global tech ladder and challenged the monopoly of the West. Beidou, or Big Dipper, the domestic version of the US Global Positioning System (GPS), started providing navigation, positioning and timing data on a pilot basis to China and the neighboring area for free on Tuesday, Ran Chengq

Beijing (XNA) Dec 30, 2011
China will launch the Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 spacecraft and achieve space rendezvous and docking missions with the orbiting Tiangong-1 vehicle in 2012, a spokesman for the China National Space Administration said Thursday. Spokesman Zhang Wei made the announcement at a press conference held in Beijing for the release of a white paper titled "China's Space Activities in 2011." How

Beijing (XNA) Dec 30, 2011
China's homegrown Beidou Navigation Satellite System is designed to meet diversified civilian needs, said National Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun Wednesday. "As is known to all, all international navigation satellite systems are designed for dual military and civilian use," said Yang, adding that "some people" have been overly worried. China's development of the Beidou system

AP - The cruise to the moon took 3 1/2 months and covered 2 1/2 million miles — far longer than the direct three-day flight by Apollo astronauts.

Reuters - Two robotic probes began orbiting the moon Sunday in preparation for an unprecedented mission to map the lunar interior.

SPACE.com - A pair of NASA spacecraft are ringing in the new year in grand style, with both now successfully circling the moon after journeying through space for more than three months.

The Grail-A spacecraft is orbiting the moon, and its twin Grail-B has joined it today.

From New Year's moon mission to a supernova space oddity. vote for your top space story of the week.