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As preparations ramp up for the first test flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft in December, agency officials say they will be closely involved in all aspects of the mission even though the flight itself will be run by Lockheed Martin. The Orion spacecraft for the mission, designated Exploration Flight Test 1 (EFT-1), arrived at Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, in the early morning hours of Nov. 12, after completing a circuitous 35-kilometer trip from the Launch Abort System Facility at the Kennedy Space Center. Workers hoisted the spacecraft later that day atop the United...

For many space-faring nations, ambitions for Mars run broad and deep. Now, add China to the list of countries with Mars in their sights. News reports from China disclosed that country is considering a future Mars rover mission, with a potential 2020 launch date. Additionally came other hints that China may be looking to develop a next-generation heavy-lift launch system. This new project, while early in development, reveals how Chinese aspirations are growing rapidly. Human space flight successes have been followed by recent lunar mission successes of the Yutu lunar rover and the Chang’e-5 T1 test of a sample return...

Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson is in Southern California for a series of appearances. Johnson is slated to visit the Islamic Center of San Gabriel Valley on Thursday to meet with community leaders as well as local and state law enforcement officials to discuss the Department of Homeland Security’s ongoing collaboration with these groups on civil rights and other issues.

A two-pound kitten was rescued Wednesday morning after she somehow ended up on a busy San Clemente freeway during rush-hour traffic. The kitten was discovered by Caltrans workers beneath a piece of wood in the center median on the 5 Freeway at the Vista Hermosa exit. The crew had arrived for cleanup efforts and rescued the ball of fur. “What they had told me was they had moved it initially. Were nervous that the kitten would escape so they placed the wood back in place and then were able to capture the kitten,” Kim Cholodenko told CBS2’s Michele Gile. Cholodenko...

A European robot probe has made the first, historic landing on a comet, but its status remains uncertain after harpoons failed to anchor it to the surface. Officials said the craft may have lifted off the comet after touchdown before returning to the surface. Lander project manager Stephan Ulamec said: "Maybe we didn't just land once, we landed twice." Further analysis is needed to fully understand the situation. However, Dr Ulamec told the BBC that at last radio contact with the probe that he believed it to be in a stable configuration. "This is the indication right now," he explained....

The Sylmar soldier killed over the weekend never deployed despite a report issued by the LAPD, it was revealed Wednesday. United States Army officials confirmed to CBS2/KCAL9 that 21-year-old Francisco Garcia did not serve time in Afghanistan, or any other country, as originally reported by police. Garcia was fatally shot early Sunday morning after a party on Dronfield Street in Sylmar. According to the initial statement issued by the LAPD’s Mission Division Sunday, “A 22-year-old army veteran, recently returned from Afghanistan, was shot and killed early this morning after a dispute erupted outside a party celebrating his homecoming.” The news...

We are now in the final hours before Rosetta’s Philae lander is released to attempt a first-ever landing on a comet. At 9:03 GMT (1:03 AM PST) on Wednesday, November 12, 2014, Philae will be released and directed towards the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.... Rosetta’s and Philae’s software and hardware must work near flawlessly to give Philae the best chance possible of landing safely. And even with flawless execution, it all depends on Philae’s intercepting a good landing spot on the surface. Philae’s trajectory is ballistic on this one way trip to a comet’s surface. It’s like a 1 mile...

Something strange is happening on comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko 67P as space engineers prepare for a historic landing: the icy space rock is 'singing'. The mysterious sound has baffled scientists, who recorded it using a Rosetta instrument originally designed to analyse the comet's magnetic field. Instead, this instrument picked up a strange bubbling sound which scientists believe was created by a stream of electrically-charged particles. 'This is exciting because it is completely new to us,' said Karl-Heinz Glaßmeier, principal investigator with Rosetta's Plasma Consortium. 'We did not expect this and we are still working to understand the physics of what is happening.'

Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Wayne Ellington has been granted an indefinite leave of absence Tuesday following the murder of his father Sunday night in Philadelphia. “My family and I are devastated by the news of my father’s murder on Sunday night in Philadelphia,” Ellington said in a statement. “We appreciate everyone’s support and ask that you respect the privacy of our family during this very difficult time.” Ellington’s father, 57-year-old Wayne Ellington Sr., was apparently shot while sitting in his car Sunday night by an unknown gunman and he died later at a hospital, according to TMZ.com. “Our players...

No one knows exactly why a NASA solar probe stopped talking to Earth six weeks ago, but it’s possible the spacecraft is out of power and is drifting without a way of calling for help, the agency said in an update. On Oct. 1, NASA suddenly lost contact with one of the two Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft, which are currently examining the far side of the Sun. The probes are considered crucial for solar forecasting, so the loss is a blow. While the STEREO-Behind probe has been mute since then, the agency says “not all hope is lost”...

What’s a comet that doesn’t look like a comet? The question sounds contradictory, but astronomers believe these objects exist. As comets pass through the solar system, they bleed ice and dust as the Sun’s effects wash over their small bodies. Over time, some of the objects can keep going like ghost ships — just without the ices that used to produce a show. There already is a class of objects called damocloids that are believed to be extinct comets, but scientists believe they have found something new with two mysterious visitors — what they call “naked” comets — from the...

VAN NUYS (CBSLA.com) — A man risked his life when he ran back into his burning apartment to rescue his cat. The fire broke out inside a three-story building in the 8100 block of Langdon Avenue on Sunday, according to LA firefighters. The fire was contained to the one apartment, and the man was able to get out safely. However, he rushed back into the fire to get his cat, which was still in the apartment. In his rescue attempt, the man ended up suffering from smoke inhalation, and firefighters say he was in critical condition on Sunday evening. His...

The meeting between Abe and Xi, which took place in Beijing's Great Hall of the People, came three days after the two countries agreed to work on improving ties and signaled willingness to put their rival claims over disputed islands on the back burner. They met on the sidelines of a gathering of Asia-Pacific leaders, Japan's foreign ministry said. Rebuilding trust between the long-time rivals will not be easy. In signs that fundamental problems would not be resolved easily, Abe has previously said that there had been no change in Japan's stance on the isles at the heart of the...

China's economy, burdened by overcapacity and weak domestic demand, is headed for the slowest full-year growth in more than two decades. Lower oil and metals prices are cutting costs at the factory gate, allowing China's exporters to reduce prices and adding to deflationary pressures globally. "China's domestic demand remained soft and dis-inflationary risks are on the rise on the back of falling global commodity prices," said Chang Jian, chief China economist at Barclays Plc in Hong Kong. "Subdued inflation offers room for more PBOC easing, but broad-based monetary easing will more likely to be triggered by disappointing growth numbers, which...

Cockroaches are tiny and resilient, perfect for getting through the nooks and crannies of a disaster zone. If rescue workers can control them and have them carry mics and cameras, they can be used to track down survivors. This work, published in IEEE Sensors, is a great step in that direction. The researchers equipped their latest biobots with an array of microphones, which together can detect the direction of a sound and steer the biobot toward it. Right now, the microphones pick up any sound at all -- whether or not it's important. The next step is teaching the system...

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Residents throughout much of the Southland will not be allowed to burn wood, nor manufactured fire logs, on Monday under an order issued Sunday afternoon by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. The residential no-burn alert, which is in effect from midnight Sunday to midnight Monday, covers the greater Los Angeles area, Orange County and the Inland Empire. Such mandatory bans are issued to protect public health when a high concentration of fine-particle air pollution is forecast for the region, according to an SCAQMD news release. The ban is not in effect for communities above...

Particle physicists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research announced 2 years ago they had discovered the Higgs particle, considered the foundation particle in the Standard Model of Particle physics, and a Nobel Prize was awarded to Peter Higgs and Francois Englert for their work on the theory of the Higgs boson. Now, though, researchers at the University of Southern Denmark's Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics Phenomenology suggest that while the CERN scientists did discover a unique new particle, there's no conclusive evidence of it being the Higgs boson. The Higgs could explain data obtained by CERN scientists using...

A U.S. Border Patrol Agent has been arrested in connection to a fatal shooting in East Hemet Saturday. Riverside County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call of an assault with a deadly weapon around 12:47 p.m. in the 41100 block of Toledo Drive in the unincorporated community. Adam Thomas, 27, of Moreno Valley, was found at the scene suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to Deputy Patty Stoyer. Thomas was transported to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Investigators believe the suspect confronted the victim at a nearby residence and an argument ensued that resulted in the...

A 54-year-old man accused of peeping in a residential neighborhood was in custody Saturday after attacking a victim last night. According to the Fontana Police Department, officers were sent 9:48 p.m. Friday to the 16200 block of Ramona for reports of an assault victim. Once on scene, Ronald Davis, of Yucaipa, was taken into custody after resisting officer’s arrest. Davis is accused of watching a 57-year-old female victim through her bathroom window while she showered that evening. The victim’s husband ran outside to confront Davis while she called 911. Davis allegedly assaulted the husband, and ripped the phone out of...

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A private club for thrillseekers in Los Angeles will remain men-only after members took the issue to a vote. On Thursday night, for the first time in its 93-year history, the Adventurers’ Club of L.A. faced the monumental decision of whether to allow women to become members of this males-only institution. A two-thirds vote by the members was required in order to allow women in and change the bylaws. However, members voted with a resounding “no,” according to KCAL9’s Kaj Goldberg. “It was massive resistance. I mean, people stood up. I gave my pitch as to...