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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: orbit

orbit stories: 11 news summaries

 Climate Change Reverses 
 8 Millennia of Arctic Cooling 

Temps, up 2.2 F Since 1900, Would Be 2.5 Degrees Cooler Without Greenhouse Gases

Sep 3, 09 4:09 PM CDT
(Newser) - Summer temperatures in the Arctic have climbed 2.2°F since 1900 despite an 8,000-year cooling trend, the Guardian reports. For the past few thousand years, the orbit of the Earth and the changing tilt of its axis has put the Arctic 630,000 miles further from the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
climate change • environment • greenhouse gases • global warming • Arctic • temperature • Sun • orbit • scientific study • Arctic sea ice • cooling


 New Planet 
 Expected to 
 Crash and Burn 

It defies laws of physics

Aug 27, 09 10:44 AM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists in the UK have discovered a planet that defies the laws of physics, the Independent reports. WASP-18b, which is orbiting a star 1,000 light years from Earth, is so big and close to the sun that it should be pulled toward it. "The spin of the star... More »

MORE ABOUT:
planet • star • sun • physics • exoplanet • Jupiter • orbit • University of St. Andrews • WASP-18b

 Saturn's Rings 
 Vanish Today 

They'll be out of sight for three months

Aug 11, 09 2:14 AM CDT
(Newser) - Saturn's rings will disappear from sight for three months starting today, Space.com reports. The rings, 170,000 miles long but only 30 feet thick, are visible because they reflect sunlight. But they vanish once every 15 years as equinoxes occur in its 30-year orbit and the rings are directly... More »

MORE ABOUT:
planet • space • Saturn • solar system • orbit

(Newser) - It’s the largest spacecraft mankind has ever built, it’s cost the taxpayers and US allies $100 billion, and in a few years, NASA intends to crash the International Space Station into the Pacific Ocean, letting it burn up in the atmosphere en route. The station is nearly complete,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
NASA • space exploration • space shuttle • International Space Station • orbit • outer space

OPINION

 Time to Clean Up Space Trash 


Feb 22, 09 5:16 AM CST
(Newser) - Space trash is becoming a serious problem, and it's long past time for housekeeping, writes the Economist. Of the 18,000 objects orbiting earth that are bigger than 4 inches across, only 900 are functioning satellites. The rest is debris, from old rocket parts and dead satellites to tools and... More »

MORE ABOUT:
space • trash • satellite • littering • orbit • spy satellite • reconnaissance satellite • junk

(Newser) - In the wake of two satellites colliding this week—and debris apparently falling on several states—Wired runs down a list of objects we've lost in outer space:
  • A spatula: Used to apply heat-shield repair goo, the implement's loss was a blow to one astronaut. "That was my
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
trash • International Space Station • space travel • spacewalk • orbit • space debris • detritus • tool bag

 Moon Will Appear 
 Extra Bright Tonight 

Tonight's sky will seem 30 percent brighter than usual, NASA says

Dec 12, 08 4:29 PM CST
(Newser) - If tonight’s full moon looks bigger and brighter than normal, that’s because it is, Space.com reports. The satellite reaches its perigree today, making its position the closest of the year to Earth—though still some 222,000 miles away. The moon's irregular orbit causes the distance to... More »

MORE ABOUT:
NASA • astronomy • space • full moon • orbit • night sky

Russian Rocket Fails to Put US Satellite in Orbit

Booster failure leaves it short of the altitude telecom device needed

Mar 16, 08 3:15 PM CDT
(Newser) - A Russian rocket was unable to launch a US telecommunications satellite into its designated orbit yesterday, the AP reports. The rocket fell 5,000 miles short of its goal of 22,400 miles when the rocket's second booster turned off too early. The satellite could have reached its destination on... More »

MORE ABOUT:
space • satellite • Kazakhstan • Russian Space Agency • telecommunications • orbit • Proton • International Launch Project

Navy Prepares to Fire on Satellite Tonight

After Atlantis is back, warship will take aim
at rogue orbiter

Feb 20, 08 4:00 AM CST
(Newser) - The US Navy has warned planes and ships away from a large area of the Pacific ahead of an attempt to shoot down a rogue spy satellite carrying toxic fuel tonight, CNN reports. The space shuttle Atlantis is due back on Earth today and military officials are waiting for its... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Navy • space shuttle • satellite • Atlantis Space Shuttle • orbit • space debris • spy satellite

Navy Ship Prepares to
Shoot Down Spy Satellite

Attempt will be made Thursday from ship

Feb 19, 08 3:48 AM CST
(Newser) - The US Navy will attempt to shoot down a rogue American spy satellite Thursday, just days before it re-enters the earth's atmosphere, reports CNN. Officials plan to bring down the satellite from an Aegis cruiser at sea while it is still 150 miles above the earth, leaving enough time for... More »

MORE ABOUT:
NASA • Pentagon • space shuttle • US Navy • orbit • spy satellite • reconnaissance satellite • shootdown • Aegis cruiser • toxic fuel • Delta II • Missile Defense Agency • Defense Dept

Asteroid to Whiz Past Earth

Space rock to be visible Tuesday even through amateur telescopes

Jan 25, 08 9:49 AM CST
(Newser) - A big asteroid is set to speed past Earth on Tuesday night, and those with amateur telescopes will get a peek. NASA discovered the object in October, and scientists believe it's between 500 and 2,000 feet in diameter, LiveScience reports. It won't come closer than 334,000 miles to... More »

MORE ABOUT:
NASA • astronomy • Mars • Earth • asteroid • orbit

11 Stories


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