Ion propulsion rocket gets to the Moon
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A European Space Agency rocket entered moon orbit Monday in a unique mission using a pioneering power plant. The s-called SMART-1 spacecraft blasted off from Kourou, French Guiana, Sept.
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A tiny craft powered by `Star Trek&#39; technology is standing at the &quot;gateway&quot; to the moon - and a landmark date in the history of European space exploration.
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European spacecraft Smart 1 is at the Moon&#39;s gateway, the region beyond which the probe is tugged more strongly by lunar gravity than by the Earth&#39;s.
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A fuel-efficient, compact spacecraft has made it into lunar orbit, signaling Europe's first successful mission to the moon and putting the inexpensive probe on course to study the lunar surface, officials said Tuesday.
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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.
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A UK team develops a concept mission to return rock samples to Earth from the Martian moon Phobos.
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Monash scientist Andrew Prentice ponders the probe that will land on the Saturnian moon Titan in January. Photo: Angela Wylie. NASA&#39;s mission to Saturn, Cassini, will pass a crucial milestone
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While the exploration of the Moon and other planets in our solar system is&nbsp;exciting, the first task for astronauts and robots alike is to actually&nbsp;get to those destinations.
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SMART-1, the European Space Agency craft currently in orbit around the moon, makes use of a technology that was pure science fiction until the 1960s - the ion drive.
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Europe&#39;s first mission to the Moon is about to start. The unmanned, solar energy driven SMART-1 spacecraft has entered the orbit around the Moon.
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China launched its first lunar probe Wednesday, the first step in an ambitious 10-year plan to send a rover to the moon and return it to earth.
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Japan's space agency launches its first lunar orbiter for a year-long mission to explore the moon.
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The Dawn spacecraft, which launches Wednesday, will be the first vehicle to visit one celestial body -- an asteroid -- and then power on to another. And the ion-powered craft needs only a small amount of fuel for its seven-year trip.
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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.
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A Japanese spacecraft touted to be the largest aimed at the moon since NASA&#39;s Apollo era rocketed into space late Thursday on an ambitious mission to study the origins of Earth&#39;s nearest neighbor.
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Europe&#39;s first mission to the Moon has arrived and begun orbiting, 14 months after its launch from French Guiana. European Space Agency officials confirmed Tuesday the SMART-1 spacecraft reached
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LONDON, NOVEMBER 11: 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.