Ups and downs of water escape from Mars

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After investigating the upper atmosphere of the Red Planet for a full Martian year, NASA's MAVEN mission has determined that the escaping water does not always go gently into space. Hydrogen in Mars' upper atmosphere comes from water vapor in the lower atmosphere. An atmospheric water molecule can be broken apart by sunlight, releasing the two hydrogen atoms from the oxygen atom that they had been bound to. Several processes at work in Mars' upper atmosphere may then act on the hydrogen, leading to its escape.
via Science Daily
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Possible clouds on Pluto, next target is reddish

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Stern said that Pluto's complex, layered atmosphere is hazy and appears to be mostly free of clouds, but the team has spied a handful of potential clouds in images taken with New Horizons' cameras. "If there are clouds, it would mean the weather on Pluto is even more complex than we imagined," Stern said.
via Science Daily
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Eta Carinae: VLT Interferometer captures raging winds in famous massive stellar system

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Astronomers have used the Very Large Telescope Interferometer to image the Eta Carinae star system in the greatest detail ever achieved. They found new and unexpected structures within the binary system, including in the area between the two stars where extremely high velocity stellar winds are colliding. These new insights into this enigmatic star system could lead to a better understanding of the evolution of very massive stars.
via Science Daily
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ExoMars TGO reaches Mars orbit while EDM situation under assessment

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The Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) of ESA’s ExoMars 2016 has successfully performed the long 139-minute burn required to be captured by Mars and entered an elliptical orbit around the Red Planet, while contact has not yet been confirmed with the mission’s test lander from the surface.

via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars/ExoMars_TGO_reaches_Mars_orbit_while_EDM_situation_under_assessment

ExoMars briefing

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Watch live: Status report on the ExoMars mission. Streaming starts 08:00 GMT / 10:00 CEST 
via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/ExoMars/Watch_ExoMars_arrival_and_landing

Signals from Mars

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Initial signals received from Mars indicate the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has completed its orbit insertion manoeuvre as planned. Mission teams continue waiting for confirmation of progress from the Schiaparelli lander
via ESA Space Science
http://www.esa.int/mars_live

M45: The Pleiades Star Cluster

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Zazzle Space Gifts for young and old

ExoMars Mission to Join Crowd of Spacecraft at Mars

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The joint mission of the European and Russian space agencies consists of an orbiter and a lander looking for methane and testing landing technologies.
via New York Times

Trilobites: Pluto May Have Clouds, New Data Indicate

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Findings from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft include images showing seven small, bright spots that might be clouds floating just above Pluto’s surface.
via New York Times