The Apollo 11 Saturn V rocket just prior to clearing the launch tower at the Kennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969.
Not all tech needs to be a distraction.
Katalyst's Link spacecraft is tumbling in orbit, which is a troubling sign for a rescue mission.
The heat could be rising from cooling lava flows beneath a layer of solidified crust.
The SMILE mission will spend three years studying how our planet's magnetosphere interacts with solar weather.
The tool isn't a one-step solution to the complex task of mission planning, but it will be a useful in evaluating the best trajectory for each mission, the researchers say.
The tiny chip could allow spacecraft to make decisions on their own without human input.
Photo: NASA 
