The Morning Briefing: Exploring space

"The Morning Briefing" is SmartPlanet's daily roundup of must-reads from the web. This morning we're reading about space and technology.

1.) Russian unmanned spacecraft docks on second try. An upgraded Russian unmanned spacecraft successfully linked up with the International Space Station on Sunday on its second attempt to test a new docking system, Russia's space agency said.

2.) China's space race is America's opportunity. Commentators often refer to China as an "emerging space power." This characterization understates China's current space capabilities. China has in many respects already reached the top tier of spacefaring nations -- with profound implications not only for America's own interests in space, but also for the much-touted "pivot" to the Asia-Pacific region.

3.) Star hiccups? Odd pulsar found by Fermi gamma ray space telescope. Astronomers have discovered a weird compact spinning star whose rotation has sped up slightly, causing it to be hidden until now. The star is what's called a pulsar, made of the condensed remnants of a normal star that have been squeezed down to a much smaller volume.

4.) NASA develops new space suit for advanced space missions. NASA has decided to perform a complete makeover on its traditional U.S. space suit in preparation of new space ventures that lie ahead.

5.) Mars science lab fine-tunes path for rover landing. Firing its thrusters for a mere six seconds early Sunday, NASA's Mars-bound Curiosity rover added more precision to its flight path for a high-stakes entry, descent and landing next Monday morning.

Image credit: Luz Adriana Villa A.

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com