asteroid

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After visiting asteroid, Japan’s Hayabusa 2 probe heads back to Earth with samples

by Alan Boyle on November 13, 2019November 16, 2019 at 10:19 pmComment

Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft and its science team bid a bittersweet farewell to the asteroid Ryugu, 180 million miles from Earth, and began the months-long return trip to Earth with… Read More

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One year after Planetary Resources faded into history, space mining retains its appeal

by Alan Boyle on November 4, 2019November 4, 2019 at 5:19 pm 4 Comments

It’s been a year since the Redmond, Wash.-based asteroid mining venture known as Planetary Resources was acquired by ConsenSys and pivoted to blockchain projects in space — but the idea… Read More

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NASA science chief says NEO Surveillance Mission will seek out threatening asteroids

by Alan Boyle on September 23, 2019September 23, 2019 at 8:36 pmComment

The head of NASA’s science operations says the space agency intends to develop a new space-based infrared telescope to hunt down near-Earth objects — not primarily for science’s sake, but… Read More

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Scientists claim discovery of a fossilized killing field from the day the dinosaurs died

by Alan Boyle on March 29, 2019April 2, 2019 at 11:26 pm 3 Comments

First, there was a violent shock. Then, there was the roar of a 30-foot-high wave of water, throwing fish onto a sandbar in what is now North Dakota. Then there… Read More

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Surprise! NASA’s OSIRIS-REx probe catches asteroid spewing bits into space

by Alan Boyle on March 19, 2019March 19, 2019 at 9:22 pmComment

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has spotted something that hasn’t been seen up close on an asteroid before: plumes of particles erupting into space. The mission’s scientists shared pictures of the plumes… Read More

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Watch Japan’s Hayabusa 2 probe blast away a blizzard of rocks from an asteroid

by Alan Boyle on March 5, 2019March 5, 2019 at 8:22 pm1 Comment

If there was ever any doubt that Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft was able to get access to samples from an asteroid called Ryugu last month, a video released today should… Read More

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Japan’s Hayabusa 2 team says spacecraft touches down on asteroid to grab sample

by Alan Boyle on February 21, 2019February 22, 2019 at 8:44 amComment

Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft successfully touched down today on asteroid Ryugu, more than 200 million miles from Earth, during an operation aimed at blasting away and collecting a sample from… Read More

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Bradford Space Group buys Deep Space Industries, shifting focus from asteroid mining to propulsion

by Alan Boyle on January 2, 2019January 2, 2019 at 9:05 amComment

Bradford Space Group says it’s acquired California-based Deep Space Industries, which means that both of the ventures that were created to mine asteroids have now been bought up to focus… Read More

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OSIRIS-REx probe goes into close orbit around asteroid Bennu and sets a record

by Alan Boyle on December 31, 2018December 31, 2018 at 4:06 pmComment

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft today maneuvered into an orbit that takes it within 4,000 feet of the surface of Bennu, a diamond-shaped asteroid that’s 70 million miles from Earth. The orbit… Read More

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That was fast: OSIRIS-REx probe detects water on asteroid Bennu during approach

by Alan Boyle on December 10, 2018December 10, 2018 at 12:31 pmComment

Just one week after the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft’s official arrival at the asteroid Bennu, the mission’s scientists have announced a significant find: Water appears to be locked inside the diamond-shaped mini-world’s… Read More

OSIRIS-REx probe reaches asteroid Bennu for close-up survey and sample return

by Alan Boyle on December 3, 2018December 3, 2018 at 10:12 amComment

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx today made its official rendezvous with a promising and potentially perilous asteroid named Bennu, after two years of closing in on it. “We have arrived,” telecommunications engineer Javi… Read More

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See a diamond-shaped asteroid from all sides, courtesy of OSIRIS-REx mission

by Alan Boyle on November 6, 2018November 6, 2018 at 6:34 pmComment

Two years after its launch, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is closing in on a near-Earth asteroid named Bennu and sending back pictures that provide one gem of a 360-degree view. Last… Read More

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NASA’s Dawn probe falls silent, ending mission to mysterious dwarf planet Ceres

by Alan Boyle on November 1, 2018November 1, 2018 at 4:49 pmComment

Dawn is dead, but Dawn is not gone: Today NASA said that the Dawn spacecraft has fallen out of contact with Earth, presumably because it’s run out of the thruster… Read More

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Why in the universe is a blockchain company buying the assets of a formerly high-flying asteroid miner?

by Alan Boyle on October 31, 2018November 1, 2018 at 12:32 pm 2 Comments

After months of financial uncertainty, the Planetary Resources asteroid-mining venture says its assets have been purchased by the Brooklyn-based ConsenSys blockchain venture. In a news release, Planetary Resources said its… Read More

MASCOT lander sends back otherworldly views of asteroid Ryugu’s rugged terrain

by Alan Boyle on October 5, 2018October 5, 2018 at 11:35 am1 Comment

Japan’s Hayabusa 2 probe and the German-French MASCOT lander have teamed up to send back amazing views of an asteroid that’s more than 180 million miles from Earth, including a… Read More

Check out close-up views of asteroid (plus a movie) from Japan’s Hayabusa 2 mission

by Alan Boyle on September 27, 2018September 27, 2018 at 11:47 pmComment

The scientists and engineers behind Japan’s Hayabusa 2 mission made history last week when the mission’s mothership dropped two mini-rovers onto the surface of the asteroid Ryugu, 180 million miles… Read More

Japanese mini-rovers send back their first images as they hop around an asteroid

by Alan Boyle on September 22, 2018October 3, 2018 at 9:43 pm 5 Comments

Two mini-rovers have sent their first pictures back from the surface of the asteroid Ryugu, a day after they were dropped off by Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft. The pictures are… Read More

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Japan’s Hayabusa 2 probe drops off rovers at an asteroid and snaps a shadowy selfie

by Alan Boyle on September 21, 2018October 3, 2018 at 9:44 pmComment

Japan’s Hayabusa 2 probe began the climactic phase of its mission overnight by sending out its first two rovers as it hovered less than 200 feet over an half-mile-wide asteroid,… Read More

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This rocks: Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill thanks astronomer for naming an asteroid after him

by Kurt Schlosser on July 17, 2018July 17, 2018 at 12:19 pmComment

Luke Skywalker was always looking to the stars. Stuck on a Tatooine farm with a dream of becoming a pilot, the Star Wars hero wanted to make a name for… Read More

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Amid departures, Planetary Resources is holding out hope for an asteroid mining comeback

by Alan Boyle on June 25, 2018June 26, 2018 at 7:13 am1 Comment

It’s been months since Planetary Resources had to scale back its asteroid aspirations because a fundraising campaign came up short — and the quest for cash is continuing as space industry… Read More

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Japan’s Hayabusa 2 probe closes in on asteroid Ryugu – and captures close-ups

by Alan Boyle on June 21, 2018June 21, 2018 at 5:26 pmComment

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a dumpling … It’s a “Star Trek” Borg cube … It’s the asteroid Ryugu! Our view of Ryugu, a half-mile-wide space rock nearly 180… Read More

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White House lays out updated plan for detecting (and deflecting) killer asteroids

by Alan Boyle on June 20, 2018June 21, 2018 at 10:37 amComment

The White House has issued an updated plan that lays out the roles played by NASA and other federal agencies in anticipating threats from near-Earth objects — and makes clear… Read More

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Asteroid Institute adds Google Cloud and AGI as tech partners for asteroid tracking

by Alan Boyle on March 1, 2018March 1, 2018 at 6:18 pmComment

Google Cloud and AGI (a.k.a. Analytical Graphics Inc.) have gotten on board with the B612 Asteroid Institute to develop a cloud-based platform for keeping track of asteroid discoveries. The two… Read More

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Planetary Resources asteroid venture misses fundraising target, forcing cutbacks

by Alan Boyle on February 19, 2018February 19, 2018 at 12:54 pm 4 Comments

Planetary Resources, a Redmond, Wash.-based venture that aims to make a fortune mining asteroids, is facing a more down-to-earth challenge: a fundraising shortfall. Just last month, the company had its… Read More

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Asteroid miners might need a few good applied astronomers to show them the way

by Alan Boyle on February 17, 2018February 19, 2018 at 9:51 am1 Comment

AUSTIN, Texas — Mining asteroids for water and other resources could someday become a trillion-dollar business, but not without astronomers to point the way. At least that’s the view of Martin… Read More

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Planetary Resources’ Arkyd-6 prototype imaging satellite has left the building

by Alan Boyle on November 13, 2017December 4, 2017 at 5:07 pmComment

Planetary Resources has been working on its Arkyd-6 imaging satellite for years, and today the company reported that the printer-sized spacecraft has finally begun its journey to an Indian launch… Read More

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Why asteroids loom as a future space frontier for mining and manufacturing

by Alan Boyle on July 31, 2017July 31, 2017 at 5:23 pm1 Comment

It’s been 55 years since satellite communications became the first commercial space frontier, and space tourism is looming as the next frontier. But what comes after that? Would you believe… Read More

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It’s Asteroid Day! Scientists look on the bright side of our cosmic shooting gallery

by Alan Boyle on June 29, 2017June 30, 2017 at 12:56 pmComment

Asteroid experts say they’re looking forward to an explosion – but not the kind of extinction-level blast that killed off the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Instead, they’re anticipating an explosion… Read More

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Are asteroids leaving the spotlight? No way, say Asteroid Day activists

by Chelsey Ballarte & Alan Boyle on June 24, 2017June 24, 2017 at 4:17 pm1 Comment

NASA may be closing down its grand plan to study a piece of an asteroid up close, but the researchers who focus on near-Earth objects aren’t turning their backs on… Read More

An engine for Mars: Aerojet wins $67M NASA contract for solar electric propulsion

by Alan Boyle on April 19, 2016April 20, 2016 at 8:00 am 19 Comments

Aerojet Rocketdyne’s operation in Redmond, Wash., has won a $67 million contract from NASA to design and develop an advanced electric propulsion system that could power future trips to an… Read More

After visiting asteroid, Japan’s Hayabusa 2 probe heads back to Earth with samples

One year after Planetary Resources faded into history, space mining retains its appeal

NASA science chief says NEO Surveillance Mission will seek out threatening asteroids

Scientists claim discovery of a fossilized killing field from the day the dinosaurs died

Surprise! NASA’s OSIRIS-REx probe catches asteroid spewing bits into space

Watch Japan’s Hayabusa 2 probe blast away a blizzard of rocks from an asteroid

Japan’s Hayabusa 2 team says spacecraft touches down on asteroid to grab sample

Bradford Space Group buys Deep Space Industries, shifting focus from asteroid mining to propulsion

OSIRIS-REx probe goes into close orbit around asteroid Bennu and sets a record

That was fast: OSIRIS-REx probe detects water on asteroid Bennu during approach

OSIRIS-REx probe reaches asteroid Bennu for close-up survey and sample return

See a diamond-shaped asteroid from all sides, courtesy of OSIRIS-REx mission

NASA’s Dawn probe falls silent, ending mission to mysterious dwarf planet Ceres

Why in the universe is a blockchain company buying the assets of a formerly high-flying asteroid miner?

MASCOT lander sends back otherworldly views of asteroid Ryugu’s rugged terrain

Check out close-up views of asteroid (plus a movie) from Japan’s Hayabusa 2 mission

Japanese mini-rovers send back their first images as they hop around an asteroid

Japan’s Hayabusa 2 probe drops off rovers at an asteroid and snaps a shadowy selfie

This rocks: Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill thanks astronomer for naming an asteroid after him

Amid departures, Planetary Resources is holding out hope for an asteroid mining comeback

Japan’s Hayabusa 2 probe closes in on asteroid Ryugu – and captures close-ups

White House lays out updated plan for detecting (and deflecting) killer asteroids

Asteroid Institute adds Google Cloud and AGI as tech partners for asteroid tracking

Planetary Resources asteroid venture misses fundraising target, forcing cutbacks

Asteroid miners might need a few good applied astronomers to show them the way

Planetary Resources’ Arkyd-6 prototype imaging satellite has left the building

Why asteroids loom as a future space frontier for mining and manufacturing

It’s Asteroid Day! Scientists look on the bright side of our cosmic shooting gallery

Are asteroids leaving the spotlight? No way, say Asteroid Day activists

An engine for Mars: Aerojet wins $67M NASA contract for solar electric propulsion

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