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An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.


NASA's Mars Helicopter Completes Flight Tests
From ACM News

NASA's Mars Helicopter Completes Flight Tests

Since the Wright brothers first took to the skies of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, Dec. 17, 1903, first flights have been important milestones in the life of...

Asteroids, Hydrogen Make Great Recipe for Life on Mars
From ACM News

Asteroids, Hydrogen Make Great Recipe for Life on Mars

A new study reveals asteroid impacts on ancient Mars could have produced key ingredients for life if the Martian atmosphere was rich in hydrogen.

Mars InSight Lander's 'Mole' Pauses Digging
From ACM News

Mars InSight Lander's 'Mole' Pauses Digging

NASA's Mars InSight lander has a probe designed to dig up to 16 feet (5 meters) below the surface and measure heat coming from inside the planet.

NASA Study Reproduces Origins of Life on Ocean Floor
From ACM News

NASA Study Reproduces Origins of Life on Ocean Floor

Scientists have reproduced in the lab how the ingredients for life could have formed deep in the ocean 4 billion years ago. The results of the new study offer clues...

New Horizons Spacecraft Returns Its Sharpest Views of ­ltima Thule
From ACM News

New Horizons Spacecraft Returns Its Sharpest Views of ­ltima Thule

The mission team called it a "stretch goal—just before closest approach, precisely pointing the cameras on NASA's New Horizons spacecraft to snap the sharpest possible...

NASA Selects New Mission to Explore Origins of ­niverse
From ACM News

NASA Selects New Mission to Explore Origins of ­niverse

NASA has selected a new space mission that will help astronomers understand both how our universe evolved and how common are the ingredients for life in our galaxy's...

Six Things to Know About NASA's Opportunity Mars Rover
From ACM News

Six Things to Know About NASA's Opportunity Mars Rover

After 15 years, the mission of NASA's Opportunity rover has come to an end, but its successes on Mars have earned it a spot in the robot hall of fame. Here's what...

New Horizons' Evocative Farewell Glance at ­ltima Thule
From ACM News

New Horizons' Evocative Farewell Glance at ­ltima Thule

An evocative new image sequence from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft offers a departing view of the Kuiper Belt object (KBO) nicknamed Ultima Thule—the target of...

NASA's InSight Places First Instrument on Mars
From ACM News

NASA's InSight Places First Instrument on Mars

NASA's InSight lander has deployed its first instrument onto the surface of Mars, completing a major mission milestone. New images from the lander show the seismometer...

NASA InSight Lander 'Hears' Martian Winds
From ACM News

NASA InSight Lander 'Hears' Martian Winds

NASA's Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport InSight lander, which touched down on Mars just 10 days ago, has provided the...

The 'Camera That Saved Hubble' Turns 25
From ACM News

The 'Camera That Saved Hubble' Turns 25

Twenty-five years ago this week, NASA held its collective breath as seven astronauts on space shuttle Endeavour caught up with the Hubble Space Telescope 353 miles...

Exploding Stars Make Key Ingredient in Sand, Glass
From ACM News

Exploding Stars Make Key Ingredient in Sand, Glass

We are all, quite literally, made of star dust. Many of the chemicals that compose our planet and our bodies were formed directly by stars.

NASA Learns More About Interstellar Visitor 'Oumuamua'
From ACM News

NASA Learns More About Interstellar Visitor 'Oumuamua'

In November 2017, scientists pointed NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope toward the object known as 'Oumuamua,' the first known interstellar object to visit our solar...

Mars Virtual Reality Software Wins NASA Award
From ACM News

Mars Virtual Reality Software Wins NASA Award

A mixed-reality software that allows scientists and engineers to virtually walk on Mars recently received NASA's 2018 Software of the Year Award.

Painting Cars for Mars
From ACM News

Painting Cars for Mars

When John Campanella's friend wanted his beloved Ferrari painted, he knew exactly who to call.

Groundbreaking Science Emerges from ­ltra-Close Orbits of Saturn
From ACM News

Groundbreaking Science Emerges from ­ltra-Close Orbits of Saturn

New research emerging from the final orbits of NASA's Cassini spacecraft represents a huge leap forward in our understanding of the Saturn system—especially the...

NASA Is Taking a New Look at Searching for Life Beyond Earth
From ACM News

NASA Is Taking a New Look at Searching for Life Beyond Earth

Since the beginning of civilization, humanity has wondered whether we are alone in the universe.

Dust Storms on Titan Spotted for the First Time
From ACM News

Dust Storms on Titan Spotted for the First Time

Data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft has revealed what appear to be giant dust storms in equatorial regions of Saturn's moon Titan.

Scientists ID Three Causes of Earth's Spin Axis Drift
From ACM News

Scientists ID Three Causes of Earth's Spin Axis Drift

A typical desk globe is designed to be a geometric sphere and to rotate smoothly when you spin it. Our actual planet is far less perfect—in both shape and in rotation...

Curiosity Surveys a Mystery ­nder Dusty Skies
From ACM News

Curiosity Surveys a Mystery ­nder Dusty Skies

After snagging a new rock sample on Aug. 9, NASA's Curiosity rover surveyed its surroundings on Mars, producing a 360-degree panorama of its current location on...
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