A Blog Journal on SPACE

Photo: Wow!....Now THIS is a Comet!!

2006-10-29T01:18:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"Near its closest approach to planet Earth, comet SWAN brightened unexpectedly earlier this week. Telescopic observers also noticed dramatic changes in the comet's colorful coma and tail, seen in this view recorded on October 25th."

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Discovery of gamma rays from the edge of a black hole!

2006-10-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

[Quote]
"The astrophysicists of the international H.E.S.S. collaboration report the discovery of fast variability in very-high-energy gamma rays from the giant elliptical galaxy M 87. The detection of these gamma-ray photons - with energies more than a million million times the energy of visible light from one of the most famous extragalactic objects."

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Was Mars Life Discovered 30 Years Ago?

2006-10-28T04:49:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"A positive on one experiment intended to determine if the red planet harbored life was considered false mostly because the accepted thinking of that time was that nothing would be found. Now, scientists who are more open to the idea of life on mars are taking another look at the results."

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NASA Posts Panorama To Celebrate Rover's 1,000th Martian Day

2006-10-27T05:33:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"Oct. 26, 2006, marks Spirit's 1,000th sol of what was planned as a 90-sol mission. (A sol is a Martian day, which lasts 24 hours, 39 minutes, 35 seconds). The rover has lived through the most challenging part of its second Martian winter.Happy Birthday!"

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NASA Seeks Volunteers to Spend 3 Weeks in Bed (It’s Tougher Than You Think)

2006-10-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

[Quote]
""NASA?s Johnson Space Center is conducting experiments on counteracting the effects of weightlessness. To simulate a zero-gravity environment, volunteers lie down for three weeks on beds with their feet about five inches higher than their heads. They do not get up: they eat propped on an elbow, use bedpans and shower lying down on""

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Russia Can Repel Asteroids to Save Earth

2006-10-24T12:33:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"Russia is prepared to repel asteroids to save Earth "if necessary," deputy head of the Russian space agency Viktor Remishevsky said Tuesday, ITAR-TASS news agency reported."

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International Space Station Status Report...

2006-10-24T12:18:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
""A shipment of supplies began its journey to the International Space Station Monday as the ISS Progress 23 cargo ship was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan...""

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Space Shuttle Launch as seen from ISS, 220 miles up.

2006-10-23T21:48:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"An amazing picture of the Space Shuttle, launching from Florida, as seen out the window of the International Space Station. A must see!"

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Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge Ends With a Crash

2006-10-23T19:37:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"Armadillo Aerospace's third attempt to win the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge ended with a crash, dashing its hopes of winning the $350,000 prize. The team's rocket had 2.5 hours to lift off at one launch pad and hover for 90 seconds at an altitude of 50 metres as it moved to a second launch pad 100 metres away."

[Read More]

Cydonia's 'Face on Mars' in 3D animation

2006-10-23T15:32:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"Recently, ESA's Mars Express delivered photos of the famous 'Face on Mars' in the Cydonia region. The High Resolution Stereo Camera images are some of the most spectacular views of the Red Planet ever taken. Now, there's a stunning 3D animation of the area."

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The Universe on a String

2006-10-23T14:30:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"Brian Greene defends string theory against recent criticism."

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Astronauts offer etiquette lessons to space tourists

2006-10-20T13:48:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"Don't look directly at the Sun. Don't play with your grape juice. And don't hog prime viewing space at the windows. This was the advice several astronauts and space doctors gave to prospective space tourists on Tuesday"

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NASA is having a Space Elevator contest. Top prize is $400,000

2006-10-20T05:48:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"With $400,000 in NASA-provided prize money at stake, 16 teams have gathered this week in Las Cruces, New Mexico, for the second annual Space Elevator Games as part of the X Prize Cup"

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Most amazing image of Saturn (and Earth) ... Ever!

2006-10-17T04:47:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"In the shadow of Saturn, unexpected wonders appear ..."

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A giant hop for robot-kind

2006-10-16T18:18:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"As Nasa's Martian robot, Opportunity, wheels its way around the edge of the Victoria crater, a new breed of automaton is being developed that could provide a great leap forward, literally, in robotic exploration."

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Cool Picture of the International Space Station silhouetted by the Moon

2006-10-14T16:35:00.000-07:00

[Quote]
"On October 6th, a nearly full perigee Moon shone in Earth's night sky. The bright moonlight, accurate planning, and proper equipment resulted in this amazing composite featuring sharp silhouettes of the International Space Station (ISS) as it rapidly crossed (right to left) in front of the lunar disk."

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Earth has a

2006-10-13T19:51:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"Title says it all. Interresting read. Read on"

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Awesome Photos of the Sun (updated frequently)

2006-10-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

[Quote]
"Don't look directly at the sun or you'll burn out your retinas. Instead, look at this."

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Mapping Mars

2006-10-09T13:17:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"So many probes have been taking pictures of the Red Planet lately that it's easy to be jaded--but that wasn't the case last week, when not one but two missions reached a major milestone. The Opportunity rover began taking close-ups from the edge of Victoria Crater, blasted by an ancient impact. Opportunity may soon descend into this hole."

[Read More]

Edge of black hole

2006-10-08T06:18:00.000-07:00

[Quote]
"NASA scientists and their international partners using the new Japanese Suzaku satellite have collected a startling new set of black hole observations, revealing details of twisted space and warped time never before seen with such precision."

[Read More]

New Bush Space Policy Unveiled

2006-10-08T04:48:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"U.S. President George W. Bush has authorized a sweeping new national space policy, green-lighting an overarching national policy that governs the conduct of America?s space activities."

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Mug Shots of Supernovas Reveal Two Key Findings

2006-10-07T01:33:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"Scientists using NASA's Swift satellite have observed two dozen recent star explosions, called supernovae, quickly after the event and have discovered never-before-seen properties, some of which run counter to prevailing theories."

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NASA Performs Headcount of Local Black Holes

2006-10-06T21:18:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"NASA scientists using the Swift satellite have conducted the first complete census of galaxies with active, central black holes, a project that scanned the entire sky several times over a nine-month period."

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New evidence indicates the universe egg-shaped

2006-10-06T19:31:00.001-07:00

[Quote]
"Using a microwave probe of U.S. space agency NASA, scientists said they have evidence that the universe has a shape somewhat akin to an egg, rather than the expected round."

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Cluster muscles back from deep hibernation

2006-10-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

[Quote]
"On 15 September, flight controllers at ESA's Space Operations Centre watched tensely as 'Rumba', No. 1 in the four-spacecraft Cluster fleet, was switched into a low-power, deep hibernation mode. The aim was to survive a challenging eclipse."

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NASA's Mars Rover and Orbiter Team Examines Victoria Crater

2006-10-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

[Quote]
"NASA's long-lived robotic rover Opportunity is beginning to explore layered rocks in cliffs ringing the massive Victoria crater on Mars. The image above is a view of the Opportunity rover, taken from space by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter."

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Space Image of the Day: Antarctic Ozone Hole

2006-10-05T05:34:00.000-07:00

[Quote]
"This image from September 29, 2006, shows the ozone concentration in the stratosphere above the South Pole observed by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument on NASA's Aura satellite. Greens and yellows show areas with the highest ozone amounts, while blues and purples show where ozone amounts are lowest."

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Rocket Monopoly Approved: Boeing-Lockheed Likely to Increase Costs

2006-10-05T03:33:00.000-07:00

[Quote]
"U.S. antitrust authorities yesterday approved a plan by Lockheed Martin Corp. and Boeing Co. to merge their government rocket businesses, creating a monopoly in a multibillion-dollar market that the Federal Trade Commission acknowledged will probably lead to higher prices and lower quality."

[Read More]

Virgin Galactic Unveils SpaceShipTwo Interior Concept (incl. new VIDEO)

2006-09-28T13:48:00.001-07:00

Future passengers aboard Virgin Galactic spaceliners can look forward to cushioned reclining seats and lots of windows during suborbital flights aboard SpaceShipTwo, a concept interior of which was unveiled by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson Thursday.

You can read more about it here.

Project Orion: NASA's Next Spaceship Takes Shape

2006-09-27T16:16:00.001-07:00

The pieces are coming together for NASA?s next spaceship Orion as space agency engineers begin working with lead contractor Lockheed Martin to shape the vehicle?s cockpit.

You can read more about it here.

Solar Flares Could Seriously Disrupt GPS Receivers

2006-09-27T15:05:00.001-07:00

A minor solar flare in September 2005 produced a noticeable degradation of all GPS signals on the day side of the Earth. When scaled up to the larger solar flares expected in 2011-12, Cornell researchers expect massive outages of all GPS receivers on the day side of the Earth.

You can read more about it here.

Space Transportation Systems: How Space Elevators Will Work

2006-09-26T11:18:00.001-07:00

A new space transportation system being developed could make travel to Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) a daily event and transform the global economy

You can read more about it here.

Six Stunning Images of 'Sunrise Over Saturn and its Rings'

2006-09-25T18:31:00.001-07:00

So Cool, the Photos look Fake.....Truly Awesome. Be sure to Scroll down to see all the Photos

You can read more about it here.

Should NASA be sending up rocket scientists or maintenance workers?

2006-09-25T10:19:00.001-07:00

>From now until the end of the Space Shuttle program in 2010, every mission is geared toward construction and maintenance...this begs the question, should NASA be sending the most brilliant minds up there when all they need are a few mechanics and seasoned construction workers?

You can read more about it here.

Space Has a Smell

2006-09-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

I can't get over this. I just never thought about that space might smell.

You can read more about it here.

NASA Chief Heads to China to Discuss Space Cooperation

2006-09-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

The leader of NASA arrives in China on Sunday for a tour of space agency sites, making him the most senior American space official to go to China to discuss possible cooperation between the countries? programs.

You can read more about it here.

ESA's Proba satellite or the Borg?

2006-09-23T13:02:00.001-07:00

This artist's impression of ESA's Proba (Project for On Board Autonomy) in orbit reminds me of the Borg ship from Star Trek. Of course, since Proba is really only a 60x60x80 cm box shaped aluminum honeycomb structure, appearances can be deceiving. More technical info at: http://www.esa.int/esaMI/Proba_web_site/ESA6AKTHN6D_1.html#subhead1

You can read more about it here.

NASA it's not, but desert spaceport nears first launch

2006-09-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

In a sign that spaceport competition is now an entrepreneurial venture, UP Aerospace is scheduled to make the first launch from New Mexico's nonfederal spaceport - an airport for space travel - Sept. 25.

You can read more about it here.

(Space) Marine Corps plan to deploy through space

2006-09-22T15:04:00.001-07:00

The Marine Corps calls the concept the Small Unit Space Transport and Insertion Capability (Sustain). The concept is to deliver strategic equipment or a small squad of soldiers to any point on the globe -- even the most hard-to-reach location -- within hours of need.

You can read more about it here.

Rebellious Supernova Confronts Dark Energy

2006-09-22T01:47:00.001-07:00

A rebellious supernova in a youthful galaxy is breaking all the cosmological rules, according to an international team of astronomers who published their study in the British journal Nature.

You can read more about it here.

Report lays out science map for return to moon

2006-09-20T08:30:00.001-07:00

Scientific missions to the moon should concentrate on sampling its thin atmosphere and on examining as much of the lunar surface as possible, the National Research Council advised on Tuesday.

You can read more about it here.

NASA's plans to return to the moon

2006-09-20T01:52:00.001-07:00

A panel of scientists strongly endorsed NASA's plans to return to the moon, saying in a report Tuesday that lunar exploration will open the way toward broader studies of the Earth and solar system

You can read more about it here.