HOUSTON — NASA and Roscosmos have selected two veteran International Space Station (ISS) crewmembers for a yearlong assignment to the 14-year-old orbiting science laboratory that is intended to shed new light on human adaptation to long-duration spaceflight and other challenges facing explorers on future deep-space missions. Scott Kelly, a 48-year-old U.S. Navy captain, and Mikhail Kornienko, a 52-year-old RSC Energia test engineer, will begin a two-year training program for the mission early next year.

Houston – Researchers at Rice University have merged advances in nanotechnology and solar energy for the efficient generation of “solar steam,” a technology they suggest could find initial application in sanitation and water purification in developing countries.

Hopes to contribute roughly €15 million to ESA’s Program for Life and Physical Sciences

Naples, Italy – The European Space Agency (ESA) will spend €588 million ($752 million) over the next two years to continue work on an upgrade of the Ariane 5 rocket, conduct detailed design studies of a successor and identify as many synergies between the two launch vehicles as possible, including development of a common upper stage.

Lander would have incorporated technologies, hardware developed for Europe’s ATV

Naples – The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russian space agency Roscosmos approved a draft agreement on Nov. 19 to cooperate on the two-pronged ExoMars mission to the red planet and discussed the potential for joint cooperation on Jupiter exploration and lunar robotics.

Houston – U.S., Japanese and Russian astronauts dropped through a wintry overcast sky for a rare night Soyuz landing in northern Kazakhstan early Nov. 19, bringing their 127-day mission to the International Space Station to a successful conclusion.

Has found more than 2,300 candidate extra-solar planets in 3.5-years