Ion-drive probe ready for lunar injection
11931
PACKING a revolutionary engine that one day may send a robot scout into deep space, Europe&#39;s first mission to the Moon enters a key phase on Monday when the cube-shaped spacecraft is injected into lunar orbit.
473772
Europe&#39;s first mission to the moon, SMART-1, has been placed in orbit around the moon. European Space Agency (ESA) science director David Southwood says the moon&#39;s gravity captured the probe Monday.
664248
NASA's Opportunity Mars rover has come across  an interesting object&nbsp;-- perhaps a meteorite sitting out in the open at Meridiani  Planum. Initial data taken by the robot's Mini-Thermal Emission Spectrometer  (Mini-TES) is suggestive that the odd-looking rock is made of  metal.
637395
Embarking on an ambitious 10-year moon exploration program, China launched its first lunar probe Wednesday Â a leap forward in the Asian space race that gave a boost to national pride, and the promise of scientific and military payoffs.
644097
Europe&#39;s first Moon probe, SMART-1, was put into its lunar orbit on Monday evening as planned, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced here Tuesday.
179553
toomanyairmiles writes &quot;The BBC has an article indicating NASA&#39;s Cassini probe has successfully launched its robot lab on its three-week journey into the atmosphere of Saturn&#39;s moon Titan.
467327
The Genesis desert crash has left scientists wondering about the delicate condition of its solar wind collection. The first release of samples to the community has begun, while new tests for oxygen-isotopes may help uncover which particles might have lunar, solar or terrestrial origins.
629358
A new "gas gauge" chip for laptop batteries provides much more accurate readouts of time left.
548840
LONDON - A spacecraft the size of a washing machine and driven by a revolutionary ion motor will begin a braking sequence on Monday that should make it the first European mission to enter lunar orbit.
592882
The U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and  NASA have agreed to cooperate on the development of a lunar spacecraft intended  as the first shot in a series of robotic probes paving the way for future human  exploration missions, according to an NRO official.
215005
European Space Agency -- From October 10-14, the ion engine of ESAÃ¢ÂÂs SMART-1 carried out a continuous thrust manoeuvre in a last major push that will get the spacecraft to the Moon capture point on November 13.     SMART-1, on its way to the Moon, has now covered more than 80 million kilometres...
86738
The mysterious origins of cosmic rays that slam into the Earth's atmosphere could soon be revealed, thanks to a better ground-based sensor that costs less than balloons or satellites.
123064
A device developed in Boulder has been selected by NASA to fly aboard a $400 million lunar-mapping mission set for launch in 2008.
688094
NASA's rover Opportunity has reached its first stop inside a huge Martian crater and was poised Thursday to carry out the first science experiments inside the giant crater a month after reaching the edge of the crevasse.
486698
Detecting ions, or charged particles from either solar wind or comet tails, is one goal for the comet-chasing space probe, Rosetta.    Astrobiology Magazine -- The Ion and Electron Spectrometer (IES), one of three NASA instruments aboard the European Space Agency (ESA) Rosetta comet orbiter, successfully underwent an intensive commissioning exercise that qualified it for operation during the next decade...
421450
Nanowire electrodes could improve the performance of electric vehicles.
557076
A device from Argonne National Lab takes a fresh approach to generating t-rays.