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Trace Gas Orbiter sends its first color view of Mars

Korolev Crater
An image from the CaSSIS camera on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter shows the rim of Korolev Crater on Mars. Click on the image for a larger version. (ESA / Roscosmos / CaSSIS Image)

The first color image to come from a camera aboard the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter in its Mars-mapping orbit shows the ice-coated rim of Korolev Crater in sharply shadowed detail.

“We were really pleased to see how good this picture was, given the lighting conditions,” Antoine Pommerol, a member of the science team for the Color and Stereo Surface Imaging System, said today in a news release. “It shows that CaSSIS can make a major contribution to studies of the carbon dioxide and water cycles on Mars.”

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, a mission jointly supported by the European and Russian space agencies, is built to measure the composition of Mars’ thin atmosphere with unprecedented accuracy. Its top task is to look for methane and other trace gases that could hint at biological or geological activity.

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Plasmonic modulator could lead to new chips

Electro-optic modulator
Artist’s rendering shows an electro-optic modulator. (VCU Illustration / Nathaniel Kinsey)

Researchers have created a miniaturized device that can transform electronic signals into optical signals with low signal loss. They say the electro-optic modulator could make it easier to merge electronic and photonic circuitry on a single chip. The hybrid technology behind the modulator, known as plasmonics, promises to rev up data processing speeds.

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Scientists go gaga over Gaia’s galaxy survey

Gaia view of Milky Way
A newly released image from the European Space Agency’s Gaia star-mapping mission shows a full-sky view of our Milky Way galaxy and neighboring galaxies in color. (ESA / Gaia / DPAC)

The European Space Agency has released the world’s most exhaustive star catalog, pinpointing the positions of nearly 1.7 billion stars.

Today’s release, based on 22 months’ worth of data from ESA’s Gaia sky-mapping satellite, follows up on an initial version of the catalog that was released in 2016. This second release adds readings from the period between September 2015 and May 2016.

The Gaia mission’s second data release was presented at the ILA Berlin Air and Space Show in Germany. In addition to the positional data, the new catalog lists parallax and velocity readings for 1.3 billion stars — making it easy for astronomers to plot their distances and motions with respect to Earth.

“The observations collected by Gaia are redefining the foundations of astronomy,” Günther Hasinger, ESA’s director of science, said in a news release.

Astronomy fans agreed, and gushed over the treasure trove on Twitter.

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Boeing earnings give a lift to its outlook – and 767s

Boeing 767s in factory
Boeing 767 jets take shape at the company’s factory in Everett, Wash. Boeing says it’s raising 767 production due to strong demand for the jet as a cargo freighter. (Boeing Photo)

The Boeing Co. is raising its financial sights for the year as a result of a stronger-than-expected first quarter, and that was reflected today in its stock price as well.

First-quarter revenue was up 6 percent year over year at $23.4 billion. and net earnings per share rose 57 percent to $4.15, the company reported. Adjusted earnings per share hit $3.64, 68 percent higher than the year-ago figure and 40 percent higher than the consensus forecast from analysts.

Vertical Research Partners’ reaction to the financial results was headlined “Everything Goes Right.”

Boeing attributed the improved performance to higher commercial airplane deliveries, with a more profitable mix of planes, plus growth in its defense and service lines. As a result, the company’s full-year guidance for earnings per share was increased by 50 cents, to between $16.40 and $16.60.

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Shipwreck sleuths document WWI sub’s remains

Stern torpedo tube
A remotely operated vehicle uses its robotic arm to inspect the stern torpedo tube of the Australian submarine AE1. (Image courtesy of Paul G. Allen, Find AE1, ANMM and Curtin University / © Navigea Ltd.)

Score another undersea revelation for the crew of the Petrel, a research vessel backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.

This time it’s the AE1, Australia’s first submarine and the first Allied submarine loss of World War I.

The AE1 was lost at sea with 35 officers and crew on board on Sept. 14, 1914, after it sailed away on patrol near the Duke of York Islands, east of Papua New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean.

For more than a century, the Royal Australian Navy had no idea what happened to the sub. Not a trace of it was found — until last December. That’s when an autonomous underwater vehicle operated by the Royal Australian Navy used side-scan sonar to detect the wreck on the seafloor, more than 300 meters (984 feet) beneath the surface.

The precise location wasn’t disclosed, to keep salvagers from interfering with what’s essentially an underwater gravesite. But the Australian search effort, coordinated by a company called Find AE1 Ltd., enlisted the Petrel and its remotely operated vehicle to capture high-resolution video and stills of the remains.

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Boeing HorizonX invests in Morf3D for 3-D printing

Morf3D innovation center
Morf3D’s R&D Innovation Center is aimed at advancing the state of additive manufacturing. (Morf3D Photo)

The latest addition to Boeing’s venture-capital portfolio is Morf3D, a California startup that focuses on aerospace applications for 3-D printing.

Boeing HorizonX Ventures is a co-leader of the Series A investment round, announced by the companies today. Neither Boeing nor Morf3D detailed how much Boeing was investing, or the total amount raised. However, HorizonX’s investments typically range from seven figures to the low eight figures.

Morf3D is based in El Segundo, Calif., and has been producing 3-D-printed aluminum and titanium components for Boeing satellites and helicopters since the startup was founded in late 2015.

The company uses state-of-the-art software and engineering expertise to reduce mass and increase the performance and functionality of metal parts created through additive manufacturing.

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NASA’s newly sworn-in chief touts bipartisanship

Pence and Bridenstine
Vice President Mike Pence stands behind NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine after his swearing-in ceremony. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle)

WASHINGTON — Just hours after his resignation from the House took effect, Jim Bridenstine was sworn in today as NASA’s 13th administrator and signaled that he’d try to mend the partisan divisions that marked his nomination.

Vice President Mike Pence, chairman of the National Space Council, officiated for the swearing-in ceremony here at NASA Headquarters.

The three NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station played supporting roles during a live space-to-ground video hookup that was only slightly delayed by a glitch in the connection. (“Did we pay the bill?” Pence joked during the wait.)

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Blue Origin says next-gen rocket engine is on track

Blue Origin BE-4 engine
Blue Origin’s BE-4 rocket engine is on display in Colorado Springs. (Blue Origin Photo)

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — For years, there’s been a big question surrounding the next-generation BE-4 rocket engine that’s being built by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture: Will it be good enough for United Launch Alliance, a crucial prospective customer?

Now Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith says the BE-4 has passed all of the technical tests required for ULA to sign onto a production contract.

“We’ve met the technical and performance requirements that they’re looking for,” Smith told GeekWire today during a one-on-one interview at the 34th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. “And so we’re just working through how do we actually get to a production deal. We’re working through terms and conditions, termination liability, all of the things you’d want within a contractual structure.”

Smith said there’s been good interaction with ULA on the technical side of the BE-4 test-firing process. “At this point, we think it’s just, how do we get to the commercial production deal?” he said.

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Senate confirms Jim Bridenstine as NASA chief

Jim Bridenstine
U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla., testifies at his Senate nomination hearing last November. (NASA Photo / Joel Kowsky)

The Senate confirmed U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla., as NASA’s administrator today in a nail-biting vote along party lines.

In a statement, Bridenstine said he was honored to be confirmed.

“I am humbled by this opportunity, and I once again thank President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for their confidence,” he said. “I look forward to working with the outstanding team at NASA to achieve the president’s vision for American leadership in space.”

Bridenstine, 42, has represented his Tulsa-area district since 2013. During his time in Congress, he’s been a strong supporter of space commercialization. He’s the principal sponsor of the American Space Renaissance Act, which aims to beef up the military and commercial side of the space program.

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Funding round raises $214M for SpaceX (so far)

Last week we learned that SpaceX is looking to raise more than $500 million in a new Series I investment round, giving Elon Musk’s space company an estimated valuation of $23.7 billion. Today, SpaceX says it’s brought in $214 million so far, less than two weeks after the round opened.

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