The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has produced an outstanding image of part of the famous Tarantula Nebula, a vast star-forming cloud of gas and dust in our neighbouring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. In this picture, we see a close-up of the Tarantula’s central region, glowing brightly with ionised gases and young stars.

Riverbed Technology, the IT performance company, today announced its participation at SATELLITE 2011 Conference and Exhibition, taking place March 14 - 17 at the Walter E. Washington Conference Center in Washington, DC. SATELLITE 2011 is the premier annual event dedicated to providing solutions to the satellite end-user community. Attendees can visit booth #949 to learn how Riverbed® helps government organizations achieve greater application performance across satellite networks using wide area network (WAN) optimization and SkipWare.

EADS North America today announced that it has donated $5,000 to the Washington Space Business Roundtable (WSBR) to be used to send five Washington, D.C.-area students to Space Camp at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne successfully completed a series of hot-fire tests of the Bantam demonstration engine for an innovative "pusher" launch abort system on The Boeing Company's CST-100 spacecraft.  The launch abort engine is a critical component of future commercial crew transportation to low-Earth orbit.  Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company.

NASA has signed a $753 million modification to the current International Space Station contract with the Russian Federal Space Agency for crew transportation, rescue and related services from 2014 through June 2016. The firm-fixed price modification covers comprehensive Soyuz support, including all necessary training and preparation for launch, flight operations, landing and crew rescue of long-duration missions for 12 individual space station crew members.

Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have ruled out an alternate theory on the nature of dark energy after recalculating the expansion rate of the universe to unprecedented accuracy.

Canada has played a key role in developing critical technologies for the space sector for more than 50 years. Today if you ask any Canadian what Canada has contributed to space, they will most certainly answer the Canadarm. This iconic piece of robotic technology has created significant brand awareness globally for Canada. However space robotic technologies are evolving and while Canada is still a key contributor, it is not the only one.

What might asteroid Vesta look like? In a new animation, researchers at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) have recreated the asteroid in 3D. In the animation, the asteroid is irregularly shaped, has a slight indentation at its South Pole and numerous impact craters. In July 2011, after a four year journey, NASA's Dawn spacecraft will reach the asteroid, which circles the Sun in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. This will be like taking a journey into the past because Vesta is a celestial body that has not changed much since the formation of the Solar System.

NASA is seeking partner organizations to manage the agency's upcoming Night Rover and Nano-Satellite Launcher Centennial Challenges.

NASA has selected the members of the board that will investigate the unsuccessful March 4 launch of the Glory spacecraft. Bradley C. Flick, director of the Research and Engineering Directorate at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., will lead the mishap investigation board.

Good astronomy equipment is more accessible and more affordable than ever. As such, the interest in astrophotography has spiked in recent years. Getting started in astrophotography is appealing to a lot of people, but most of them have no clue what this hobby entails. To remedy this problem, Buy-Telescope.com has just released a free ebook titled “An Introduction to Astrophotography” which will get any astronomy nut started on the right track.

EnerSys (NYSE: ENS), the global leader in stored energy solutions for industrial applications, announced that its recently acquired ABSL Space Products (ABSL) business had its batteries successfully delivered to the International Space Station (ISS).

Astronomers have used an armada of telescopes on the ground and in space, including the Very Large Telescope at ESO’s Paranal Observatory in Chile to discover and measure the distance to the most remote mature cluster of galaxies yet found. Although this cluster is seen when the Universe was less than one quarter of its current age it looks surprisingly similar to galaxy clusters in the current Universe.

Boston Micromachines Corporation (BMC), a leading provider of MEMS-based deformable mirror (DM) products for adaptive optics systems, announced today that it has been awarded a Phase 1 contract for $100,000 by NASA's Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) to support space-based imaging research.

NASA has announced the winners of the 2010 NASA OPTIMUS PRIME Spinoff Award. The contest encouraged students to produce short, creative videos about their favorite technology from NASA's Spinoff 2009 Publication.

NASA's Glory mission ended Friday after the spacecraft failed to reach orbit following its launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman has left the agency to return to private industry. Reisman is a veteran of two spaceflight missions, including a long-duration mission on the International Space Station.

NASA research on a meteorite has provided new evidence that the inner planets formed from materials spread far and wide in the early solar system, and not just from nearby matter.

NASA awarded the option for the Space Network Expansion-East, under the Space Network Ground Segment Sustainment contract, to General Dynamics C4 Systems of Scottsdale, Ariz.

NASA's Glory mission launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California Friday at 5:09:45 a.m. EST failed to reach orbit.

NASA began testing a new multi-capability microscope this week on the International Space Station. It will help scientists study the effects of the space environment on physics and biology aboard the orbiting laboratory. The microscope is isolated from vibrations on the station, allowing it to obtain clear, high-resolution images. Using high-resolution magnification, scientists can examine microorganisms and individual cells of plants and animals, including humans.

The first stage of project on MES-system MCIS (Motion Control Information System) implementation by Siemens at the Russian enterprise of the space and rocket industry was fulfilled.

NASA-sponsored research has resulted in the first computer model that explains the recent period of decreased solar activity during the sun's 11-year cycle.

After nine years in a clean room, an instrument that studies the Earth's atmosphere and protective ozone layer has been returned to service.

A do-it-yourself teA do-it-yourself technology space competition sponsored by NASA's Emerging Commercialization Space Office (ECSO) kicked off today.

NASA has announced program office assignments at three NASA field centers to align the president's fiscal year 2012 budget request and the NASA Authorization Act of 2010. The agency also has released three Space Technology Program solicitations.

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. (NYSE: JEC) announced today that it received a test, evaluation and support team (TEST) contract from NASA in support of NASA's White Sands Test Facility located in Las Cruces, N.M.

This image of NGC 247, taken by the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile, reveals the fine details of this highly inclined spiral galaxy and its rich backdrop. Astronomers say this highly tilted orientation, when viewed from Earth, explains why the distance to this prominent galaxy was previously overestimated.

NASA has selected Navarro Research and Engineering Inc. of Oak Ridge, Tenn., to provide environmental management and services at the agency's White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, N.M.

At the commencement of the 2011 Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (NSRC) being held in Orlando, Florida, XCOR Aerospace announced its initial team of suborbital payload integration specialists who will begin taking orders and facilitating experiment development and integration for commercial, educational and government suborbital research missions aboard XCOR's Lynx reusable suborbital launch vehicle. Capable of up to four flights per day, the Lynx is expected to provide three to four minutes of micro-gravity and/or exposure to the harsh environment of space and the opportunity to investigate largely unknown regions of our upper atmosphere critical to environmental studies.

Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, announced today that its engines contributed to Space Shuttle Discovery's (STS-133) on-orbit operations and successful docking to the International Space Station (ISS). Discovery lifted off Feb. 24 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and docked with the ISS on Saturday.

Cascade Aerospace CEO David Schellenberg has been part of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada’s (AIAC’s) national campaign to help Canadians better understand the benefits of the Canadian aerospace sector and to highlight the positive regional impacts as well as the industry growth opportunities for the future. Mr. Schellenberg recently spoke at a Vancouver Board of Trade Lunch and met with business leaders representing the Business Council of BC, BC Chamber of Commerce and others to share the key messages.

NASA signed a contract with InfoPro Corp. in Huntsville for the continuation of engineering technicians and trades support services for the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center. This $55.7 million contract modification includes $18.8 million for mission services and $36.9 million maximum for additional support services. The services can be ordered under the indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity portion of the contract.

Canada has played a key role in developing critical technologies for the space sector for more than 50 years. Today if you ask any Canadian what Canada has contributed to space, they will most certainly answer the Canadarm. This iconic piece of robotic technology has created significant brand awareness globally for Canada. However space robotic technologies are evolving and while Canada is still a key contributor, it is not the only one.

NASA researchers and other scientists will present findings that provide new insights into the evolution of the solar system during the 42nd annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference.

German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) researchers have been instrumental in the preparation of a report on the changes in the Ozone Layer for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The report was published online by the Geneva-based WMO in January. Recent estimates suggest that, by the middle of the 21st century, the thickness of Ozone Layer will be the same as in the early 1980s.

Studies of ice processes on Mars and early science results from a Japanese mission to an asteroid will highlight the 42nd annual Lunar and Planetary Science Conference March 7-11 in Houston.

Russian Federal Space Agency and Administration of Tula region have signed an agreement which implies introduction of the space technologies in the region, on Feb. 24.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is cordially announcing public release of "Glacial Lake Inventory of Bhutan using the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS, nicknamed "Daichi") Data" (evaluation version). In the Himalayan region, there are numerous lakes in the vicinity of glaciers. These glacial lakes impose potential risks for sudden outbursts and consequent floods. This type of flooding event is referred to as a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF), which occurs frequently enough in the Himalayan region. With a growing amount of public and scientific concern about hazards, climate change, and water management associated with GLOFs, the "Bhutan GLOF Project" (*1) aims at updating and improving glacial lake inventory for Bhutan using new and high spatial resolution data from ALOS. The motivation for this release is to support the research community and various domestic and international projects. By releasing the evaluation version, we hope to collect comments and suggestions for the preparation of the full release of the inventory, now scheduled in the spring of 2012.

The final flight of space shuttle Discovery lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center at 4:53 p.m. EST Thursday to deliver a new module and critical supplies to the International Space Station.

Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope an international team of astronomers has been able to study the short-lived disc of material around a young star that is in the early stages of making a planetary system. For the first time a smaller companion could be detected that may be the cause of the large gap found in the disc. Future observations will determine whether this companion is a planet or a brown dwarf.

Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, announced today that ESA Spacecraft PR6-2011 (Johannes Kepler) – the second of five European Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATV) – successfully launched aboard the European expendable launch system, Ariane 5, out of Kourou in French Guiana.

Experts of the Space Forces and Roscosmos were working hard to complete prelaunch preparations of Soyuz-1.2b rocket with Fregat upper stage and Glonass-K spacecraft. The launch is slated for Feb. 24, at 6.15 a.m.

In a first for the reusable suborbital launch vehicle industry, XCOR Aerospace announced today that the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), a commercial entity, has purchased six suborbital flights to carry SwRI experiments as pathfinder missions for other SwRI suborbital clients.  This is the first such contract SwRI has issued, and XCOR is proud to be chosen for this opportunity.

Here on Earth, the process of boiling is used for tasks ranging from cooking and heating to power generation. In space exploration, boiling may also be used for power generation and other applications, but because boiling works differently in a zero-gravity environment, it is difficult to design hardware that will not overheat or cause other problems.

yet2.com, an intellectual property services firm, in partnership with NASA Tech Briefs, Clean 15, RadTech, Steinbeis Center for Technology Transfer India and yet2 Ventures, is pleased to announce its new Step2Change Technology Competition, with submissions accepted now through March 15, 2011. The competition is designed to connect exciting technology companies in four leading areas to the commercial market: 1) Sustainable Packaging; 2) Materials—lighter/stronger/better/cleaner; 3) Consumer home/health medical devices; and 4) Electronics.

GIA announces the release of a comprehensive global report on the Aerospace and Defense Industry. Emerging from the challenges presented by the economic recession, which came down particularly hard on the commercial aviation sector, the global aerospace and defense industry is expected to recover poise in the short to medium term period to reach US$399 billion by the year 2015. Key factors fingered to drive growth in the industry over the next few years include expansion in commercial airline operations, post recession improvement in international air traffic and continued steady injection of funds into the military/defense sector.

On Feb 22, experts of the Space Forces performed visual inspection of the LV, tests of the upper stage, preparations for integrated tests. Roscosmos specialists took part in the activities. The launch is slated for Feb. 24.