Space: Final Frontier

Stories

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July 2008
- Discoveries Boost Hope for Alien Life
  
  Washington Post | Jul 20, 08 12:47 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Humans have always wondered about the possibility of alien life somewhere out there. And while scientists seem to agree that the discovery of extraterrestrials will not happen soon, growing numbers are convinced it will happen. The search is being fueled in part by recent discoveries of strange new life forms on Earth, which is raising scientists' hope for similar types of life on other planets, reports the Washington Post. More »
- Scientists Hatch Round-Trip Mission to Mars
  
  Guardian (UK) | Jul 14, 08 9:05 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Before scientists can put a man on Mars, they first need to figure out how to get a mission back to Earth, reports the Guardian. An international team is doing just that—developing an $8 billion mission to travel to Mars and return with rock samples and possibly microscopic life. The trip would launch between 2018 and 2023 and would require the expertise and financial backing of NASA, the European Space Agency, and other space programs. More »
- How to Take a Solar Eclipse Road Trip
  
  Wired | Jul 12, 08 9:28 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Thousands of people will trek to the hinterlands on August 1 just to stand in the dark for three minutes. The reason: a total solar eclipse is set to sweep over a path spanning from China to Canada. Wired clues would-be eclipse chasers in on ways to maximize each sunless second. Maximum shadow time: This year the Russian city of Nadym will see the longest total eclipse, set to click in at 2 minutes, 27 seconds. Don't waste your time traveling to a partial eclipse. More »
- 'It's In, Thank God': Astronauts Finish Risky Chore
  
  Houston Chronicle | Jul 10, 08 5:17 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Two Russian astronauts successfully removed an apparently defective bolt from their Soyuz spacecraft during a risky spacewalk today, the Houston Chronicle reports. The bolt itself packed the punch of an explosive firecracker, so the astronauts had to disconnect it, then stuff it into a steel case. "It's in, thank God," said one of the spacewalkers. More »
- Water Found in Moon Rock
  
  Space.com | Jul 10, 08 5:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Water has been detected in moon rock brought to Earth by Apollo astronauts, reports Space.com. A team used a new super-sensitive technique to discover the water in volcanic glass beads in the rock. The stunning find, detailed in the journal Nature , is forcing scientists to rethink theories about the moon's origin 4.5 billion years ago. More »
- There's a New Space Race, and US Is Losing
  
  Washington Post | Jul 9, 08 2:19 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - While the rest of the world cooperates incessantly on all matters extraterrestrial, the US, hampered by self-imposed regulations meant to keep weapons out of enemies' hands, is swiftly losing dominance of the final frontier, the Washington Post reports. The US’ military space program is still gargantuan, but the civil program, NASA included, suffers from “limited public interest in space activity.” More »
- Moon Rocks Still Giving Up Gritty Secrets
  
  New York Times | Jul 8, 08 6:00 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Almost 40 years after Apollo astronauts brought samples of the moon back to Earth, the extraterrestrial rocks are still yielding new information, the New York Times reports. In addition to attention from the Johnson Space Center, where they reside, samples are mailed out—on loan only, and usually less than a gram—to 40 or 50 research groups around the world each year. More »
- Upgrade Will Boost Hubble Vision
  
  Washington Post | Jul 7, 08 2:10 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Spectacular images from the Hubble telescope are about to get even more awe-inspiring, thanks to a $900-million upgrade during an upcoming space shuttle mission—the fifth and last mission to the orbiting observatory. Two new high-tech instruments and a series of repairs will make Hubble able to probe even deeper into space and see farther back into time for its last 5 or 6 years in operation, reports the Washington Post . More »
- Thinking 'Bots May Probe Planets for Us
  
  Space.com | Jul 6, 08 6:10 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - WALL-E they aren't, but future space robots may decide how and where we explore other planets, Space.com reports. Using what expert Wolfgang Fink calls “tier-scalable reconnaissance,” orbiting spacecrafts could choose where to deploy airships that drop rovers on planet surfaces. NASA and Europe may test the software on a planned 2017 mission to Titan and Europa. More »
- Mercury Is Shrinking
  
  Los Angeles Times | Jul 3, 08 6:35 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The planet Mercury is shrinking, the LA Times reports. Data from NASA’s Mercury Messenger spacecraft reveal that the planet’s diameter has shrunk by a mile over its history, probably because its core is cooling. Messenger flew in for a close-up in January, and scientists are now piecing together the new information and re-evaluating some long-held beliefs about the planet. More »
- Earth Hits Cosmic Pitch
  
  Space.com | Jul 1, 08 3:55 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Earth’s atmosphere produces a natural sound and beams it off into the universe, Space.com reports. The sound—a painful series of chirps and whistles—is made by the collision of charged particles from the solar wind with Earth’s magnetic field. More »
June 2008
- 'You Might Be Able to Grow Asparagus' on Mars
  
  Reuters | Jun 26, 08 4:47 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Samples of Martian soil analyzed by instruments onboard the Phoenix lander have earth-bound scientists “flabbergasted.” Why? Readings indicate that the extraterrestrial loam could, perhaps has, and possibly will, support life, Reuters reports. Along with ice the lander discovered earlier, “We basically have found what appears to be the requirements, the nutrients, to support life,” a scientist said. More »
- New Planets Yield Hopes of Life Beyond
  
  New York Times | Jun 24, 08 1:43 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The discovery, announced last week, that rocky, Earth-sized planets appear to be circling sun-sized stars in our own galaxy should thrill the closet Star Trek geek in all of us, Natalie Angier writes in the New York Times. "If planets abound, scientists suspect that life abounds, too, at least of the microbial kind," she writes—exciting stuff, given previous news of unfriendly gas giants. More »
- Computer Woes Slow Mars Craft
  
  Associated Press | Jun 19, 08 3:16 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Phoenix Mars Lander stopped digging yesterday to give its memory a rest after a computer glitch caused the loss of photographs and scientific data, the AP reports. Scientists were alerted to the problem after the lander transmitted a single piece of information 45,000 times. "It's unfortunate to lose any bit of science," one scientist said. "But it's not really critical stuff that you kick yourself over." More »
- Mars Lander Finds Ice... or Salt
  
  Associated Press | Jun 17, 08 1:20 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Phoenix Mars lander has found… well, something. While digging a pair of trenches on the Red Planet’s North Pole, the little robot sent back images of soil streaked with something white. Now scientists are wondering whether it’s the ice they’d hoped for, a salt deposit, or something else. If it’s ice, scientists expect it to transform from liquid to gas when the sun touches it. More »
- Discovery Returns to Earth
  
  Associated Press | Jun 14, 08 12:30 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The space shuttle Discovery swooped back to Earth today after successfully expanding the International Space Station, the AP reports. The shuttle’s seven crew members delivered Kibo, the new billion-dollar Japanese science lab, and a pump to repair a broken toilet. Discovery also brought home flight engineer Garret Reisman, who’d talked of missing his wife, calling her “my favorite earthling.” More »
- Strange Object Baffles Astronauts
  
  Houston Chronicle | Jun 13, 08 11:10 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Discovery’s crew was perplexed today when it spotted a mysterious object floating past the right wing, the Houston Chronicle reports. The astronauts sent videos and photos of the light-colored, rectangular object to NASA. They also noticed an unusual protrusion on the tail rudder. “We’re in data assessment mode at this point,” a mission control spokesman said. More »
- Astronomers Throw Pluto a Bone
  
  BBC | Jun 12, 08 11:46 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Pluto-fans depressed over the former planet's demotion may be cheered by a new decision that small, nearly spherical objects orbiting beyond Neptune will be called "plutoids." The new name has been sanctioned by the International Astronomical Union, the same organization that stripped Pluto of its planetary status 2 years ago, reports the BBC. More »
- Shake 'N Bake: Unclogged Phoenix Ovens Ready
  
  Los Angeles Times | Jun 12, 08 7:26 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Scientists were cheering yesterday after a tricky operation succeeded in shaking Martian dirt into the Phoenix lander's oven, the Los Angeles Times . The spacecraft will now spend the next few weeks heating up soil samples and analyzing gases. Scientists hope the tests and photos being sent back today will help them understand why the planet's strange, clumpy soil is so different from what they expected. More »
- New Telescope Joins Alien Hunt
  
  Space.com | Jun 11, 08 2:47 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - If ET is within a hop, skip, and a solar system, a shiny new European telescope might just turn him up, Space.com reports. Made up of up to 25,000 antennae scattered throughout Europe, the LOFAR, or Low Frequency Array, will be able to scan light signals overlooked by higher-frequency telescopes of yore. If aliens are like us, they’ll use those frequencies for radio and TV signals. More »