Space: Final Frontier

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October 2008
- Diary That Survived Shuttle Blast Goes on Display
  
  Associated Press | Oct 4, 08 7:21 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Pages from the diary of an Israeli astronaut who perished with the space shuttle Columbia go on display tomorrow at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, the AP reports. Ilan Ramon's diary was found in a field 2 months after the crash. It had fallen 37 miles to earth when the shuttle disintegrated. The museum's curator says its survival defies rational explanation. More »
September 2008
- It's Snowing on Mars
  
  Washington Post | Sep 30, 08 4:27 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Snow has been falling nightly in the Mars atmosphere for about a month now, giving scientists more reason to believe that life may have once existed in the red planet's polar regions. Lasers onboard the Phoenix lander have tracked icy snow falling for a mile from clouds drifting 2.5 miles above the planet’s surface, but they can’t tell whether the snow is reaching the ground, the Washington Post reports. More »
- Hubble Glitch Delays NASA Repair Mission
  
  Orlando Sentinel | Sep 29, 08 5:13 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope has been delayed after the apparatus stopped transmitting data Friday, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Shuttle crews will be retrained to deal with the new problem, and the launch rescheduled so NASA can have a second shuttle ready in case a rescue mission is needed. More »
- Chinese Astronaut Takes Spacewalk
  
  Associated Press | Sep 27, 08 6:52 AM CDT
  
  (AP) - A Chinese astronaut took the nation's first spacewalk today, floating outside the orbiter module's hatch for about 13 minutes. "Greetings to all the people of the nation and all the people of the world," he declared in a live broadcast on state TV, waving a Chinese flag. More »
- Planned Spacewalk Would Be Giant Leap for Chinese
  
  Time | Sep 24, 08 4:33 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - China is set to become the third nation to send a human strolling through space this week, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The shuttle Shenzhou VII will launch tomorrow with a crew of three, one of whom will don a Chinese- or Russian-made spacesuit for the spacewalk, seen as another signal of China’s arrival among top-tier world powers. More »
- Experiment Raises Hope of Solar Power From Space
  
  Space.com | Sep 13, 08 10:19 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - An experiment in beaming solar power has raised hopes that humanity can harness huge amounts of solar energy from satellites, Space.com reports. Researchers sent the energy about 90 miles between two Hawaiian islands via radio waves. The transmission of energy a hundred times further than earlier experiments proves the concept can work, said the former NASA scientist behind the test. One hurdle: Only a small fraction of the energy survived the transmission. More »
August 2008
- Mission Accomplished on Mars
  
  Wired | Aug 29, 08 5:32 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Time's almost up for NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander: With its 90-day mission complete, the $480 million project will continue testing soil samples until the punishing winter puts it out of commission. Wired recaps Phoenix triumphs with an interactive timeline, from its flawless landing at Mars' north pole to its groundbreaking analysis of Martian ice and water. More »
- Iran Aims to Put a Man in Space
  
  CBC (Canada) | Aug 21, 08 5:30 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Iran plans to send a manned mission into orbit within the next 10 years, the CBC reports. The news comes on the heels of a recent, and disputed, rocket launch the Iranians claim put a satellite, its first, into space. The country says its space presence would monitor weather and improve communications, but the international community is wary of military applications. More »
- Experts: Warp Drive Is Possible
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Aug 16, 08 5:20 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Two physicists believe the fictional "warp drive" of Star Trek fame could someday become a reality, the Daily Telegraph reports. The scientists theorize that a mysterious cosmic force called dark energy could be harnessed to warp space around a vessel, allowing a spacecraft to travel faster than light—"like a surfer riding a wave." More »
- Dutch Teacher Discovers Green 'Space Ghost'
  
  NPR | Aug 10, 08 2:14 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A Dutch schoolteacher earned her moment in the sun by discovering a cosmic ball of gas some have labeled a space “ghost,” NPR reports. Hanny van Arkel, 25, was working as a volunteer with a galaxy-classifying website when she came upon what “looked like a regular galaxy but much bluer.” Experts say it consists of hot gas that is perhaps reflecting the light of a distant galaxy. More »
- Branson's Aircraft: Beyond Space Tourism
  
  Economist | Aug 3, 08 11:19 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Though space tourism is an exciting feat in itself, it’s just the beginning of the possibilities for Virgin Galactic’s White Knight Two , the Economist notes. The carbon-composite plane doubles as a spaceship’s first stage, and is capable of launching satellites, transporting replacement engines, and facilitating the study of the inaccessible “ignorosphere” —believed central to climate change. More »