http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (Phys.org) —Many spacecraft just fade away, drifting silently through space after their mission is over, but not GRAIL. NASA's twin GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory) spacecraft went out in a blaze of glory Dec. 17, 2012, when they were intentionally crashed into a mountain near the moon's north pole. http://phys.org/news282922419.html Space & Earth Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:34:01 EST news282922419 (Phys.org)—It weighed about 155 pounds and had a 34-foot wingspan, close to the size of an F-16 fighter jet. A five-foot-long skull looked down from a standing height similar to that of a modern giraffe. By all measures, the ancient pterosaur Quetzalcoatlus was a Texas-sized giant of the air and created a frightening shadow as it soared across the sky. http://phys.org/news271517458.html Other Sciences Wed, 07 Nov 2012 13:31:30 EST news271517458 The European Space Agency said Thursday it had lost contact with Envisat, the biggest Earth-monitoring satellite in history. http://phys.org/news253449371.html Space & Earth Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:36:18 EST news253449371 A mobile phone app that teaches players about flight dynamics has been downloaded more than 10,000 times a week, the Office of Naval Research (ONR), which funded the technology, announced on Aug. 2. http://phys.org/news231589743.html Technology Wed, 03 Aug 2011 11:29:21 EST news231589743 (PhysOrg.com) -- With its beginnings rooted deeply in the historic days of Apollo, the MILA Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network Station has played a key role throughout the 30 years of the Space Shuttle Program. But just as the shuttle program is drawing to a close, so is the long history of MILA. http://phys.org/news229341123.html Space & Earth Fri, 08 Jul 2011 10:52:17 EST news229341123 (PhysOrg.com) -- A group of Cornell-developed, fingernail-sized satellites may travel to Saturn within the next decade, and as they flutter down through its atmosphere, they will collect data about chemistry, radiation and particle impacts. http://phys.org/news223193733.html Space & Earth Thu, 28 Apr 2011 07:16:00 EST news223193733 (PhysOrg.com) -- Many trees disperse their seeds by releasing "helicopters," those single-winged seeds that are also called "samaras." As these seeds fall to the ground, their wing causes them to swirl and spin in a process called autorotation, similar to man-made helicopters. In a new study, researchers have designed and built a mechanical samara whose dynamics are very similar to those of nature’s samaras. After testing the mechanical samara, the researchers then built a variety of remote-controlled robotic samaras with onboard power sources. http://phys.org/news215169479.html Technology Tue, 25 Jan 2011 09:18:19 EST news215169479 (PhysOrg.com) -- An animal group such as a school of fish or a flock of starlings can seem like a single entity governed by a collective mind. A new mathematical analysis of flight dynamics in flocks of starlings suggest this is because the birds are effectively a single network, with every bird’s movements affected by every other bird’s movements, as if they were all connected together. http://phys.org/news195976212.html Physics Thu, 17 Jun 2010 06:50:43 EST news195976212 (PhysOrg.com) -- Beginning today, ESA's Planck satellite will carry out a critical mid-course manoeuvre that will place the satellite on its final trajectory for arrival at L2, the second Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth system, early in July. http://phys.org/news163417527.html Space & Earth Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:45:58 EST news163417527