SPACE
& SCIENCE NEWS: November 2005
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Space cadets taken for a ride
(Nov 22, 2005)
It is all set to be the thrill of a lifetime. A group of intrepid
adventurers, having fought off dozens of other hopefuls, will head
into space for a five-day voyage, to be watched and envied by millions.
Except they won't. Space Cadets, which hits British television screens
next month, is the latest ambitious experiment in 'reality TV'. The
show's organizers have rigged a Hollywood space-shuttle set with all
the sights, sounds and shakes of a genuine space flight. But, unbeknownst
to the participants, the craft will never leave the ground.
Read
more. Source: Nature |
Cassini lets Pandora's secret out of the
box
(Nov 21, 2005)
The Cassini spacecraft has captured the best view yet of Saturn’s
moon Pandora, revealing a tiny, heavily cratered world covered with
fine debris. Cassini made its closest approach ever to the diminutive
moon on 5 September 2005, sweeping passed at a distance of 52,000
kilometres. Even from this far away, the spacecraft's narrow angle
camera was able to pick up small grooves and ridges in the dust-fine
icy material that has collected over Pandora’s craters.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Celestial odd couple baffles astronomers
(Nov 20, 2005)
New observations with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have deepened
a mystery over the ghostly remains of two dead stars that appear to
be haunting the same region of space. The mystery involves a glowing
double-lobed structure called DEM L316 that lies about 160,000 light
years away in a nearby galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC).
The structure appears to be made of two supernova remnants – the hot
gas and scattered ashes of massive stars that ended their lives in
a violent explosion. But supernova remnants are rarely found in pairs
– prompting astronomers to question how the double structure formed.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Japan's asteroid touchdown fails
(Nov 20, 2005)
An unmanned Japanese space probe sent to collect what would be the
world's first samples from an asteroid has failed to touch down on
its target. The Japanese space agency said the Hayabusa probe had
got to within 17 metres (56ft) of the asteroid before they temporarily
lost contact with it. The agency said it hoped to make a second attempt
to land the craft.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Private company revives old NASA shuttle
design
(Nov 18, 2005)
A private company wants to sell NASA trips into orbit on a shuttle-like
spaceship that the agency itself designed two decades ago. SpaceDev,
an aerospace company based in California, US, has announced plans
to build a spacecraft that will carry both tourists and astronauts
into orbit. Called Dream Chaser, it is based on a small, plane-like
craft called the HL-20 that NASA designed in the 1980s as an alternative
to the space shuttle. It cost the space agency $2 billion to develop
the design, along with a full scale prototype, but a working HL-20
was never built.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Space trip delay for Trek actor
(Nov 17, 2005)
Plans to send the remains of late Star Trek actor James Doohan into
space have been delayed pending further engine tests, rocket technicians
have said. The Canadian-born actor, who played Montgomery Scott in
the original TV show and films, died in July, aged 85. Tributes from
fans will accompany his ashes on the flight, which will also carry
the remains of 200 other people. Flight operator Space Services said
the launch in California was likely to be postponed to February from
December.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Heavy-lift Ariane flies skyward
(Nov 17, 2005)
Europe's most powerful rocket – the Ariane 5-ECA – has
launched two satellites from French Guiana. It roared away from Kourou
spaceport with the thrust of 10 Concordes, on cue at 2046 local time
(2346GMT). It was only the third flight for the 780-tonne rocket,
which experienced the ignominy of having to be destroyed on its maiden
outing in 2002. The ECA has the power to push 10,000kg of payload
towards geostationary orbit, 36,000km above the Earth.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Polarised light may reveal hidden exoplanets
(Nov 16, 2005)
Scattered starlight may soon reveal the presence of extrasolar planets
that cannot be detected by any other means, according to a pair of
scientists in India. But some other experts say the method is best
suited to studying the properties of known exoplanets – not turning
up new discoveries. Astronomers have already discovered about 155
extrasolar planets by watching how they make their host stars wobble
or dim as they circle around them. But these methods are best suited
to detecting so-called "hot Jupiters" – giant planets that orbit
close to their stars, leaving any smaller or more distant planets
unseen.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
'Lunar lawnmower' to deal with Moon dust
menace
(Nov 15, 2005)
Astronauts who think joining a lunar colony would mean no more Earthly
chores should reconsider. One important task for any future Moon residents
could well be mowing the lunar lawn. NASA plans to return people to
the Moon as early as 2018 and lunar dust is likely to be a major problem
for future missions. The Apollo missions ran from 1961 to 1972, and
from the moment Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon
in 1969, lunar astronauts have complained of dust sticking to their
space suits and getting into seals.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
'Blended wing' craft passes wind-tunnel
tests
(Nov 14, 2005)
A futuristic "blended wing" plane developed by NASA has passed crucial
wind-tunnel tests. These reveal that engineers may have overcome some
of the controllability challenges associated with the revolutionary
aircraft design. Designs for blended wing planes are a dramatic leap
from that of today's passenger jets – instead having a tube-like
fuselage; they look more like paper aeroplanes with engines mounted
on top and at the rear. The unusual shape is much more aerodynamic
than a normal plane, which means it could use 20% less fuel.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
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