| December 27, 2006 |
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our time will build eternity |
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Peeling Back The Skin Of Mars Meter By Meter Paris, France (ESA) Dec 27, 2006 
Scientists are finding an older, craggier face of Mars buried beneath the surface, thanks to pioneering sounding radar co-sponsored by NASA aboard the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft. Observations by the first project to explore a planet by sounding radar strongly suggest that ancient impact craters lie buried beneath the smooth, low plains of Mars' northern hemisphere. The technique uses echoes of waves that have penetrated below the surface. "It's almost like having X-ray vision," said Dr. Thomas R. Watters of the NASM's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies. |
Vietnam says parched Red River at record low
China to be world's third biggest wind power producer: media Cost-cutting NASA eyes three cheap space missions Honduras declares state of emergency amid drought Russia in secret plan to save Earth from asteroid: official Sarkozy scrambles to salvage carbon tax French carbon tax ruled illegal Brazil's Lula signs law cutting CO2 emissions 2009 a 'benign' year of natural disasters: German re-insurer Greenpeace Spain demands Denmark release its director 
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Spirit Tests New Computer Smarts
Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 27, 2006Spirit is healthy and conducting scientific analysis of a rock target known as "Palma." During the past week, Spirit tested some new software sequences, including a "watch for dust devil" command and an automatic placement command. On the rover's 1052nd Martian day, or sol, of exploring Mars (Dec. 18, 2006), Spirit ran part of the dust devil watch, acquiring six images during the process, but did not run the dust-devil detection part of the program. Rover handlers planned to rerun the test on sol 1058 (Dec. 24, 2006). Snake-Like Robot and Steady-Hand System Could Assist Surgeons 
Baltimore MD (SPX) Dec 27, 2006Drawing on advances in robotics and computer technology, Johns Hopkins University researchers are designing new high-tech medical tools to equip the operating room of the future. These systems and instruments could someday help doctors treat patients more safely and effectively and allow them to perform surgical tasks that are nearly impossible today. Robotic Whiskers Can Sense Three-Dimensional Environment 
Evanston IL (SPX) Dec 27, 2006Many mammals use their whiskers to explore their environment and to construct a three-dimensional image of their world. Rodents, for example, use their whiskers to determine the size, shape and texture of objects, and seals use their whiskers to track the fluid wakes of their prey. Two Northwestern University engineers have been studying the whisker system of rats to better understand how mechanical information from the whiskers gets transmitted to the brain and to develop artificial whisker arrays for engineering applications. |
Russia Remains Leader In Spacecraft Launches
Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Dec 27, 2006Russia conducted 45% of the world's spacecraft launches in 2006, maintaining its leading position, the head of the Federal Space Agency said Tuesday. "Russia's current share in the spacecraft launch market is about 40%, and counting joint Russian-Ukrainian launches from the Sea Launch platform it totals about 45% of all launches conducted in the world," Anatoly Perminov said at a year-end news conference. Russia Launches Three Glonass Satellites 
Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Dec 27, 2006Russia has expanded its global navigation satellite system (Glonass) with three satellites, a spokesman for the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) said Tuesday. A Proton-K rocket carrying three modernized Glonass-M satellites lifted off at 23:18 Moscow time (8:18 p.m. GMT) Monday from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. The satellites were put into orbit early Tuesday. South Korea Picks Two To Train To Be First Astronaut 
Seoul (AFP) Dec 26, 2006After weighing the merits of some 36,000 applicants, South Korea has selected two finalists -- a male researcher and a female postgraduate student -- in its search for the country's first astronaut. Researcher Ko San, 30, and Ph.D student Yi So-Yeon, 28, were chosen late Monday after a live TV appearance along with four other potential finalists. |
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Eutelsat Selects Alcatel Alenia Space For W7 Satellite
Paris, France (SPX) Dec 27, 2006Eutelsat Communications and Alcatel Alenia Space have announced that the two companies have signed a contract under which Alcatel Alenia Space will manufacture and deliver Eutelsat's W7 communications satellite. To be launched in second quarter 2009 at Eutelsat's 36 degrees East location, W7 will double the capacity currently available at a key neighborhood in the Group's fleet of geostationary satellites. Michoud To Play Continuing Role In US Government Space Program 
Huntsville AL (SPX) Dec 27, 2006When the 124th space shuttle external tank shipped from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, La., this week, it marked another milestone in the facility's history -- beginning with the nation's first trip to the moon and continuing as NASA further explores the moon, Mars and other destinations in our solar system. KIKU No 8 Deploys Large Deploy Antenna Reflectors 
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Dec 27, 2006The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) performed the remaining deployment operations for the large deployable antenna reflectors (LDR) onboard the Engineering Test Satellite VIII "KIKU No. 8" between 6:56 p.m. and 8:10 p.m. on December 26, 2006 (Japan Standard Time, JST) by sending commands from the Okinawa station. These included the release of the lower holding mechanism and the deployment of the reflectors for the sending antenna that were suspended. |
Hybrids In The Universe
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 27, 2006Scientists recently made a discovery that forced them to re-think their theories on the most powerful explosions in the cosmos - gamma ray bursts. A year ago scientists thought they had figured out the nature of gamma-ray bursts. They signal the birth of black holes and traditionally, fall into one of two categories: long or short. A newly discovered hybrid burst has properties of both known classes of gamma-ray bursts yet possesses features that remain unexplained. Metal Ring Round White Dwarf Solves Missing Planets Puzzle 
Warwick UK (SPX) Dec 27, 2006Astrophysicists at the University of Warwick have found an unusual ring of metal-rich gas orbiting very close around a white dwarf star. The presence of the ring helps solve a problem for astronomers who, up till now, have been puzzled by the apparent absence of planets around white dwarf stars. Their research is published today in the Friday December 22nd edition of the journal Science. Click on the picture above for a print quality high resolution artist's impression of the White Dwarf and its ring. Debating The Boundaries Of Life 
Moffett Field CA (SPX) Dec 27, 2006Lynn Rothschild: I'm going to try to get a discussion going on what is "life as we know it." Can we put any boundaries around this? We've had suggestions all the way from lunar rovers and the sun to different solvents, to even the idea that we don't know enough biology to even pose the question, "What is life?" So who would like to take the first stab at that? |
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