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Scientists to land, and switch off, Rosetta comet probe in September
The European Space Agency's Rosetta mission will end Sept. 30 with a dicey descent to the core of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, a risky, but potentially rewarding finale punctuated by commands to automatically safe the probe's rocket thrusters and turn off its radio transmitter.
Juno switched to autopilot mode for Jupiter final approach
Four days out from arriving at the solar system's biggest planet, NASA's Juno spacecraft received a final uplink of commands Thursday governing the robotic probe's high-velocity braking maneuver Monday to steer into orbit around Jupiter.
VideoWith Juno on Jupiter’s doorstep, Hubble eyes glowing Jovian auroras
Peering a half-billion miles across the solar system, the Hubble Space Telescope has caught a glimpse of brilliant auroras flashing over Jupiter's north pole as NASA's Juno orbiter speeds toward the gas giant for a close-up look.
NASA must decide soon on Dawn mission’s next act
NASA managers face a July 12 deadline to decide whether to send the Dawn spacecraft on an unplanned visit to a third object in the asteroid belt or keep the probe at dwarf planet Ceres until it runs out of fuel next year, officials said this week.
Juno’s British-built engine readied for all-important firing at Jupiter
Ground controllers pressurized the Juno spacecraft's propulsion system Tuesday to prep for a July 4 rocket firing by the probe's UK-made rocket engine that will steer the spinning, solar-powered robot into orbit around Jupiter.
Oxygen finding strengthens case that Mars was once habitable
High concentrations of manganese oxides found in Martian rocks by NASA's Curiosity rover indicate the red planet's atmosphere once had much more oxygen than than previously thought, scientists said Monday.
New and improved space weather observatory goes live next month
NOAA's Deep Space Climate Observatory, a $340 million mission that spent more than a decade grounded in a Maryland warehouse, will begin warning forecasters of dangerous solar storms next month, giving notice of events that could disrupt air travel, radio communications, electrical grids and satellite operations.
Antares rocket’s return-to-flight slips to August
The first launch of Orbital ATK's redesigned Antares rocket since an engine failure doomed a mission in 2014 will likely be delayed more than one month until August to complete analysis of data acquired during a first stage hotfire test, officials said.
Jupiter and its satellites seen by ‘people’s camera’ on Juno probe
The visible camera on NASA's Juno spacecraft is capturing a time-lapse movie of Jupiter and its four largest moons as the orbiter dives toward the giant planet for a July 4 rendezvous, and officials have released a first taste of the views armchair scientists and space enthusiasts can anticipate over the coming weeks and months.
Juno right on target for July 4 rendezvous with Jupiter
NASA's Juno spacecraft, running on solar power more than 500 million miles from the sun, is on final approach for a Fourth of July arrival at Jupiter for a year-and-a-half campaign of exploration.