Featured Posts
Weirdwarp
24 Aug 2010, 10:18 UTC
Extrasolar planets or for short exoplanets have been found in orbit around many different star systems other than ours. Exoplanets are being found all the time but take a look at this database of exoplanets for an idea on their characteristics. An actual image has been shot sometime back of an exoplanet but as you [...]
Actual and Artist Images of Exoplanets
24 Aug 2010, 10:18 UTC
Extrasolar planets or for short exoplanets have been found in orbit around many different star systems other than ours. Exoplanets are being found all the time but take a look at this database of exoplanets for an idea on their characteristics. An actual image has been shot sometime back of an exoplanet but as you [...]
Space Fellowship
24 Aug 2010, 07:09 UTC
Science ramped up Monday aboard the International Space Station with a variety of experiments as the Expedition 24 crew caught up on investigation time that was lost during the weeks recovering from the July 31 failure of an ammonia pump module in the complex’s Thermal Control System. Flight Engineers Doug Wheelock and Shannon Walker collected samples for the station’s Human Research Facility, placing them in the Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer (MELFI). MELFI supports a wide range [...]
Station Crew Focuses on Science
24 Aug 2010, 07:09 UTC
Science ramped up Monday aboard the International Space Station with a variety of experiments as the Expedition 24 crew caught up on investigation time that was lost during the weeks recovering from the July 31 failure of an ammonia pump module in the complex’s Thermal Control System. Flight Engineers Doug Wheelock and Shannon Walker collected samples for the station’s Human Research Facility, placing them in the Minus Eighty-Degree Laboratory Freezer (MELFI). MELFI supports a wide range [...]
NASASpaceFlight.com
24 Aug 2010, 04:59 UTC
China has launched another new satellite – the TH-1 Tian Hui-1 – on August 24, using a CZ-2D Chang Zheng-2D (Long March 2D) launch vehicle from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Launch took place at 07:10 UTC. The new satellite will be used for mapping using stereo-topographic techniques from orbit. Chinese Launch: The launch of Tian Hui-1 has been pre-empted since the end of 2008, with indications that the development of Tian Hui-1 was merged with the Zi Yuan-3 project – planned for launch in 2011. The Tian Hui-1 is equipped with a three-dimensional survey camera – along with and a CCD camera capable of a ground resolution of 5 meters and a spectral region of 0.51μm to 0.69μm, with a camera angle of 25 degrees. See AlsoChinese Forum Section60 Launch Vehicle Manuals (L2)Click here to Join L2 Also aboard is a multi-spectrum camera with a ground resolution of 10 meters, and a spectral region of 0.43μm to 0.52μm, 0.52μm to 0.61μm, 0.61μm to 0.69μm, and 0.76μm to 0.90μm. The cameras cover an image are 60 kilometres wide, as Tian Hui operates in a 500 km high orbit. The satellite was made by the DongFangHong company, which was established by ...
China launches Tian Hui-1 satellite via Long March 2D
24 Aug 2010, 04:59 UTC
China has launched another new satellite – the TH-1 Tian Hui-1 – on August 24, using a CZ-2D Chang Zheng-2D (Long March 2D) launch vehicle from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Launch took place at 07:10 UTC. The new satellite will be used for mapping using stereo-topographic techniques from orbit. Chinese Launch: The launch of Tian Hui-1 has been pre-empted since the end of 2008, with indications that the development of Tian Hui-1 was merged with the Zi Yuan-3 project – planned for launch in 2011. The Tian Hui-1 is equipped with a three-dimensional survey camera – along with and a CCD camera capable of a ground resolution of 5 meters and a spectral region of 0.51μm to 0.69μm, with a camera angle of 25 degrees. See AlsoChinese Forum Section60 Launch Vehicle Manuals (L2)Click here to Join L2 Also aboard is a multi-spectrum camera with a ground resolution of 10 meters, and a spectral region of 0.43μm to 0.52μm, 0.52μm to 0.61μm, 0.61μm to 0.69μm, and 0.76μm to 0.90μm. The cameras cover an image are 60 kilometres wide, as Tian Hui operates in a 500 km high orbit. The satellite was made by the DongFangHong company, which was established by ...
TheSpaceWriter's Ramblings
24 Aug 2010, 03:35 UTC
A Big Part of Life Flies Under the News Radar I just got through browsing the CNN.com website and after reading about vapid celebrity pregnancy stories, flight attendants venting about passengers, endless food discussions, weird sports stories, and — of course — the actual “news” (which seems to be topped by a story about Tiger Woods’s divorce), it struck me that there wasn’t one story about actual science. And no, the fact that a misguided federal judge threw out stem cell research permissions is NOT science news. It’s politics, as usual. Oh, sure, there’s a “Tech” section on CNN — a sort of vapid ghetto of techie news that seems to be mostly around viral apps. It supposedly has science — at least, that’s the excuse that CNN gave when it canned Miles O’Brien in order to give the stunningly self-aware Anderson Cooper a tech news segment on cable. But, the online news seems to cover such non-science stories as undoing bad emails, a Bieber remix going viral, and how tough it is to sell home viewers on 3D. So, where’s the actual science? You know, the stories about astronomy discoveries and physics breakthroughs and stuff like that? It’s nowhere ...
Where’s the Science?
24 Aug 2010, 03:35 UTC
A Big Part of Life Flies Under the News Radar I just got through browsing the CNN.com website and after reading about vapid celebrity pregnancy stories, flight attendants venting about passengers, endless food discussions, weird sports stories, and — of course — the actual “news” (which seems to be topped by a story about Tiger Woods’s divorce), it struck me that there wasn’t one story about actual science. And no, the fact that a misguided federal judge threw out stem cell research permissions is NOT science news. It’s politics, as usual. Oh, sure, there’s a “Tech” section on CNN — a sort of vapid ghetto of techie news that seems to be mostly around viral apps. It supposedly has science — at least, that’s the excuse that CNN gave when it canned Miles O’Brien in order to give the stunningly self-aware Anderson Cooper a tech news segment on cable. But, the online news seems to cover such non-science stories as undoing bad emails, a Bieber remix going viral, and how tough it is to sell home viewers on 3D. So, where’s the actual science? You know, the stories about astronomy discoveries and physics breakthroughs and stuff like that? It’s nowhere ...
NASA Watch
24 Aug 2010, 03:32 UTC
Life and Physical Sciences Research for a New Era of Space Exploration: An Interim Report, NRC "In response to requests from Congress, NASA asked the National Research Council to undertake a decadal survey of life and physical sciences in microgravity. Developed in consultation with members of the life and physical sciences communities, the guiding principle for the study is to set an agenda for research for the next decade that will allow the use of the space environment to solve complex problems in life and physical sciences so as to deliver both new knowledge and practical benefits for humankind as we become a spacefaring people."
Bringing Life and Microgravity Science Back From Extinction
24 Aug 2010, 03:32 UTC
Life and Physical Sciences Research for a New Era of Space Exploration: An Interim Report, NRC "In response to requests from Congress, NASA asked the National Research Council to undertake a decadal survey of life and physical sciences in microgravity. Developed in consultation with members of the life and physical sciences communities, the guiding principle for the study is to set an agenda for research for the next decade that will allow the use of the space environment to solve complex problems in life and physical sciences so as to deliver both new knowledge and practical benefits for humankind as we become a spacefaring people."
Astroblog
23 Aug 2010, 20:30 UTC
The Last Quarter Moon is Thursday September 2. Mars Venus and Saturn form an elongated triangle. Venus closes in on the bright star Spica. Mercury is lost from view. Comet Encke may be visible in binoculars. Jupiter can be seen in the east in the late evening.Evening sky looking East as seen from Adelaide at 10:00 pm on Friday August 27 showing Jupiter close to the Moon. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen.The Last Quarter Moon is Thursday September 2.Jupiter rises before midnight, and can be readily seen from about 9 pm local time just above the eastern horizon. By the end of the week you can see Jupiter rising in the east while Venus is setting in the west. On the 26th and 27th Jupiter is close to the Moon. You may be able to use the Moon to guide you to see Jupiter in the daylight, but Jupiter and the Moon set soon after Sunrise.Jupiter is still visible in the north-western sky as the brightest object low in the early morning. Jupiter and Uranus are close together and can be seen near each other in a pair of binoculars. Uranus ...
The Sky This Week - Thursday August 26 to Thursday September 2
23 Aug 2010, 20:30 UTC
The Last Quarter Moon is Thursday September 2. Mars Venus and Saturn form an elongated triangle. Venus closes in on the bright star Spica. Mercury is lost from view. Comet Encke may be visible in binoculars. Jupiter can be seen in the east in the late evening.Evening sky looking East as seen from Adelaide at 10:00 pm on Friday August 27 showing Jupiter close to the Moon. Similar views will be seen elsewhere at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen.The Last Quarter Moon is Thursday September 2.Jupiter rises before midnight, and can be readily seen from about 9 pm local time just above the eastern horizon. By the end of the week you can see Jupiter rising in the east while Venus is setting in the west. On the 26th and 27th Jupiter is close to the Moon. You may be able to use the Moon to guide you to see Jupiter in the daylight, but Jupiter and the Moon set soon after Sunrise.Jupiter is still visible in the north-western sky as the brightest object low in the early morning. Jupiter and Uranus are close together and can be seen near each other in a pair of binoculars. Uranus ...
Tom's Astronomy Blog
23 Aug 2010, 19:48 UTC
Looking quite a bit like the captured asteroids they probably are, the Martian moons were predicted by the astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), and written into the plot of Gulliver’s Travels in 1726. The tiny Martian moons Phobos and Deimos were discovered by Asaph Hall in August, 1877. Deimos on the 12th, Phobos on the 18th. Hall was specifically looking for moons around Mars when he found them. The names come from the Iliad; Phobus and Deimus were the children of Ares, the Greek god of war (“Mars” is the Roman name for the same entity). NASA/JPL Phobos and Deimos Thought to be ancient captures, Phobos will eventually break apart and crash into Mars while Deimos will be pushed away from Mars, eventually drifting free. NASA/ESA JPL Mars, Phobos, Deimos to scale Phobos, the larger of the two moons, is also the closest moon to its primary than any other moon in the solar system. It orbits so fast, so close to the planet that from the surface of Mars Phobos will rise in the West and set in the East. Phobos is heavily cratered; the largest being the Stickney Crater, which looks to have almost disrupted the tiny moon. The ...
The Tiny Terrors of Mars
23 Aug 2010, 19:48 UTC
Looking quite a bit like the captured asteroids they probably are, the Martian moons were predicted by the astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), and written into the plot of Gulliver’s Travels in 1726. The tiny Martian moons Phobos and Deimos were discovered by Asaph Hall in August, 1877. Deimos on the 12th, Phobos on the 18th. Hall was specifically looking for moons around Mars when he found them. The names come from the Iliad; Phobus and Deimus were the children of Ares, the Greek god of war (“Mars” is the Roman name for the same entity). NASA/JPL Phobos and Deimos Thought to be ancient captures, Phobos will eventually break apart and crash into Mars while Deimos will be pushed away from Mars, eventually drifting free. NASA/ESA JPL Mars, Phobos, Deimos to scale Phobos, the larger of the two moons, is also the closest moon to its primary than any other moon in the solar system. It orbits so fast, so close to the planet that from the surface of Mars Phobos will rise in the West and set in the East. Phobos is heavily cratered; the largest being the Stickney Crater, which looks to have almost disrupted the tiny moon. The ...
Parabolic Arc
23 Aug 2010, 18:28 UTC
WMDT-47 News has an interesting story about Maryland Gov. Governor Martin O’Malley’s visit today to the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The story has some interesting information about the importance of the facility to the Maryland economy: NASA and the other organizations at Wallops, including the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) employ approximately 1,800 civilian positions, [...] Launch complexes on Wallops Island, Virginia WMDT-47 News has an interesting story about Maryland Gov. Governor Martin O’Malley’s visit today to the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The story has some interesting information about the importance of the facility to the Maryland economy: NASA and the other organizations at Wallops, including the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) employ approximately 1,800 civilian positions, including government and contractor jobs, 700 of which are held by Marylanders. (...)Read the rest of Maryland Governor Visits Wallops Flight Facility (135 words) © Douglas for Parabolic Arc, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, Orbital Sciences Corp., Taurus II, Wallops Island Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh
Maryland Governor Visits Wallops Flight Facility
23 Aug 2010, 18:28 UTC
WMDT-47 News has an interesting story about Maryland Gov. Governor Martin O’Malley’s visit today to the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The story has some interesting information about the importance of the facility to the Maryland economy: NASA and the other organizations at Wallops, including the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) employ approximately 1,800 civilian positions, [...] Launch complexes on Wallops Island, Virginia WMDT-47 News has an interesting story about Maryland Gov. Governor Martin O’Malley’s visit today to the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The story has some interesting information about the importance of the facility to the Maryland economy: NASA and the other organizations at Wallops, including the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) employ approximately 1,800 civilian positions, including government and contractor jobs, 700 of which are held by Marylanders. (...)Read the rest of Maryland Governor Visits Wallops Flight Facility (135 words) © Douglas for Parabolic Arc, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, Orbital Sciences Corp., Taurus II, Wallops Island Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh
Discovery News - Space News
23 Aug 2010, 17:51 UTC
Mary Roach, guest speaker at the recent SETI-Con event, shares her new book and fascinating space experiences with Discovery News.
The Roach Stuff: Packing for Mars
23 Aug 2010, 17:51 UTC
Mary Roach, guest speaker at the recent SETI-Con event, shares her new book and fascinating space experiences with Discovery News.
Bad Astronomy
23 Aug 2010, 16:05 UTC
For centuries, scientists have wondered how stars were born. There were lots of ideas, but precious little evidence to back them up. That’s changed recently. Oh baby, how that’s changed. Check out this gorgeous image of the star-forming compact gas cloud called GL490: You have to click that to get the ginormous 6000 x 6000 pixel version! It’s stunning. This image is a combination of pictures taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope and the 2 Micron All-Sky Survey, or 2MASS. Both telescopes scan the sky in the infrared, well outside what our eyes can see. In this false-color image, blue represents 2.2 microns (the reddest light our human eyes can detect is about 0.7 microns, so this is three times that wavelength), green is 3.6 microns, and red is 4.5 microns. At these long wavelengths, what you tend to see are objects that astronomers call "warm", but that’s compared to empty space. In non-geek terms, these objects are colder than 100 Kelvin: about -170°C, or -280°F! The green glow is from PAHs, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Again, in non-geek lingo: big molecules of stinky soot. These are created in lots of conditions in space, but are common where stars are ...
