Satellite Shot Destroyed Toxic Fuel

Fifty years later, thousands of descendants have made a home in space

(NEWSER) - Satellites have lost a bit of their star power since Sputnik blasted into orbit. But 50 years later, its grandkids continue to look down at the Earth and out into deep, deep space. Here are some of the coolest, according to Wired:

• James Webb Space Telescope: Putting the Hubble to pasture, this planned telescope will monitor the infrared spectrum to detect new planets.
• Envisat: Making Al Gore proud, this environmental lab monitors sea-ice coverage and changes to glaciers.

It will push defunct satellites into the atmosphere to burn up

(NEWSER) - Switzerland is on a mean cleaning bender: The fastidious folks at the Swiss Space Center are building a "janitor satellite" that will grab space junk orbiting the Earth and push it into the atmosphere to burn up, the AP reports. The first of these spacecraft, the $11 million "CleanSpace One," is currently under construction and should launch in three to five years, the scientists announced today. More»

Females will still not be able to serve as infantry, however: sources

(NEWSER) - Defense Department rules are entering the 21st century. The Pentagon will recommend to Congress today that women in the military should be allowed to serve in a greater number of positions close to front lines. The AP notes that the rule shift would formalize a practice that has already been happening: Though women are technically prohibited from serving in combat battalions, over the past decade many have served at the front lines in roles including medic, military police officer, intelligence officer, and helicopter pilot. The military has previously dodged the rule by "attaching" such women to battalions, rather than formally assigning them, meaning the women would not receive credit for serving in combat arms. More»

EU using eyes in the sky to spot subsidy fraud

(NEWSER) - Satellites and spy drones are scanning farmland in the European Union, and their findings can lead to something nearly as damaging as an air strike: a subsidy cut. The EU spends billions every year in farm subsidies, and eyes in the sky are increasingly being used as a tool to search for fraud and waste.Some 70% of EU farm checks are now being done by satellite, although Austria says the shadows cast by mountains make the checks inaccurate, and Scotland has decided its climate is just too cloudy for the technology to be useful. More»

If bulge 'breaks,' colder currents could hit Europe

(NEWSER) - Scientists have detected an enormous freshwater "bulge" in the Arctic Ocean. The bulge measures nearly 2,000 cubic miles and has risen some six inches in the last nine years. Researchers speculate that the bulge is the result of strong winds whipping up a clockwise current, raising the water height in a section of the Arctic known as the Beaufort Gyre. The growing "dome" was spotted using radar satellites belonging to the European Space Agency. The water is fresh because it's coming largely from rivers running off the Russian side of the Arctic basin. The water being whipped into the gyre likely represents about 10% of all freshwater in the Arctic, reports the BBC . More»