Reuters Science News Summary
Following is a summary of current science news briefs.
Cigar-shaped interstellar visitor 'Oumuamua classified as comet
The reddish cigar-shaped object called 'Oumuamua spotted last year tumbling through space is a comet, scientists said on Wednesday, solving the mystery over how to classify the first interstellar object found passing through our solar system. Astronomers said they closely examined the trajectory of 'Oumuamua, which measures about a half-mile (800 meters) long, as it speeds through our cosmic neighborhood after being evicted somehow from a distant star system.
New Cassini findings suggest Saturn moon could support life
Complex organic molecules have been discovered originating from one of Saturn's moons, Enceladus, adding to its potential to support life, researchers said on Wednesday. The Cassini spacecraft first flew close to the ice-covered moon in 2005 as part of a mission to gather data on Saturn that will be analyzed for years to come.
700-year-old Vatican drawing of Australian bird rewrites medieval trade route history
A drawing of an Australasian cockatoo by a Roman Emperor has revealed trade routes between Southeast Asia and Europe were flourishing around 250 years earlier than previously thought, according to a paper published by the University of Melbourne. The 700-year-old drawing by Holy Roman Emperor Fredrick II in a Vatican manuscript, based on a bird he received as a gift for his collection of exotic birds, dates back to between 1241 and 1248.
Japan probe arrives at asteroid after nearly four-year space odyssey
A Japanese space probe named after a falcon arrived at an asteroid 300 million kilometers from Earth on Wednesday after a three-and-a half year journey on a mission to seek the origins of life. The Hayabusa 2 blasted off in December 2014 for the asteroid Ryugu on a pioneering mission to take samples that scientists hope will help reveal how life began. Its round-trip mission is set to take six years.
European firm Arianespace to miss 2018 satellite launch target
Arianespace expects its satellite launches in 2018 to fall short of a record target, hobbled partly by a data glitch that sent a rocket off course earlier this year, the chief executive of the European company told Reuters on Wednesday. The firm's plans for record 14 launches suffered a setback when its Ariane 5 rocket deposited two satellites in the wrong orbit in January after being fed with incorrect data and an issue with satellite availability postponed a May takeoff.
