SPACE
& SCIENCE NEWS: November 2004
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Cosmic doomsday delayed
(Nov 8, 2004)
You can breathe a sigh of relief: the Universe will last for at least
the next 24 billion years, according to astrophysicists who have modelled
the mysterious force of dark energy to work out the fate of the cosmos.
Andrei Linde, a theoretical astrophysicist from Stanford University,
California, leads a team who previously predicted that the Universe
might end as soon as 11 billion years from now1. But the team's latest
research into dark energy, published online at the preprint server
arXiv2, gives us a stay of execution.
Read
more. Source: Nature |
Rover gets mystery power boost
(Nov 6, 2004)
Scientists have been baffled by a mysterious boost in power to one
of its two robotic rovers which are exploring the surface of the Red
Planet. Overnight, Opportunity's solar panels produced between 2%
and 5% additional power, perhaps due to Martian dust that had settled
on them being removed. This may be increasing the efficiency by which
the panels convert sunlight to electricity in order to power the rover
One theory is that a storm, or dust-devil, blew dust off the panels.
But for now, mission scientists are saying only that Opportunity underwent
two or three significant "cleaning events."
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Hunt for shadowy Kuiper belt objects all
set
(Nov 5, 2004)
An ambitious hunt for small, faint objects in the outer solar system
is set to begin in the next few weeks. The project could shed light
on the shadowy region and reveal the forces that shaped the early
solar system. The project will target the Kuiper Belt, a ring of objects
beyond Neptune left over from the formation of the planets about 4.5
billion years ago. Most of the 1000 Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) discovered
since 1992 orbit the Sun at a distance 30 to 50 times further than
the Earth. Based on their brightness, they appear to range from 100
to 1000 kilometres in width. Astronomers expect to see many more KBOs
of smaller size - which probably formed through collisions - but these
are difficult to detect because they reflect so little light.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Supernova debris found on Earth
(Nov 4, 2004)
Cosmic fallout from an exploding star dusted the Earth about 2.8 million
years ago, and may have triggered a change in climate that affected
the course of human evolution. The evidence comes from an unusual
form of iron that was blasted through space by a supernova before
eventually settling into the rocky crust beneath the Pacific Ocean.
Read
more. Source: Nature |
Prometheus caught stealing from Saturn's
rings
(Nov 3, 2004)
In Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire from the Gods. Now, Saturn’s
tiny moon Prometheus is showing similar tendencies, repeatedly stealing
material from planet’s rings, according to new images taken by the
Cassini probe. The image was taken on 29 October 2004 from a distance
of 791,000 km. It shows a sliver of light about 300 km inside Saturn's
F ring, which lies beyond its main ring system and contains at least
three bright strands of ice and dust. That sliver is the partially
illuminated, potato-shaped moon Prometheus, which is about 150 km
in length. Prometheus and another moon - Pandora, which orbits just
outside the ring - bookend the ring and have been called "shepherd"
moons because they appear to keep the ring in line.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Spider webs untangle evolution
(Nov 2, 2004)
The biologist Stephen Jay Gould famously proposed that if we could
"rewind the tape" of evolution and play it again, chance would give
rise to a world that was completely different from the one we live
in now. But the concept that chance reigns supreme may ring less true
when it comes to complex behaviours. A study of the similarities between
the webs of different spider species in Hawaii provides fresh evidence
that behavioural tendencies can actually evolve rather predictably,
even in widely separated places.
Read
more. Source: Nature |
China aims for five days in orbit
(Nov 2, 2004)
China's second manned space flight will carry two astronauts into
space and will orbit the Earth for five days. The country's space
authorities made the announcement about the mission, which is scheduled
for next year, at an air show in China's Guangzhou Province. Mission
scientists said they have been working to optimise the performance,
safety and reliability of the spacecraft, named Shenzhou VI. China's
first manned mission, Shenzhou V, launched into space in October 2003.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
In the stars: Titan's critical secret
(Nov 1, 2004)
NASA's Cassini spacecraft just flew closer to Saturn's giant moon
Titan than any other device built by humans. The mission, in one of
the far corners of the solar system, is attempting to answer a very
large, critical question – does life exist anywhere else in
the universe? In some ways, the discovery of life on Titan would be
an even bigger story than finding life on Mars. Hidden behind a thick
veil of haze, mysterious Titan is the solar system's only known moon
with an atmosphere. Not only that, its mostly nitrogen atmosphere
also contains methane and possibly ammonia, two of the building blocks
of organic molecules.
Read
more. Source: Space Daily / UPI |
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