
In Japan, Eight People With Two Laptops Launch A Telescope Into Orbit
• http://www.popsci.com, By Francie DiepA new low-cost, highly automated rocket from Japan's space agency launched Saturday with just eight crew members and two laptops on-site. Japan's previous launches required teams of 150.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency sent the first of its new generation of launch vehicles into orbit carrying a telescope that will observe the atmospheres of Venus, Mars and Jupiter. The telescope's measurements will provide astronomers with clues to events early in the solar system's history, according to the agency's description of the project.