SPACE
& SCIENCE NEWS: October 2005
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Clear skies for Virgin spaceliner
(Oct 23, 2005)
Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic has collected $10m in deposits
from people wanting a quick ride beyond Earth's atmosphere. Another
34,000 would-be astronauts have registered for rides aboard a commercial
version of the experimental Ansari X Prize winner SpaceShipOne. The
cost to experience four to five minutes of weightlessness is about
$200,000 (£113,242).
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Cracks or cryovolcanoes make clouds on
Titan
(Oct 21, 2005)
Like the little engine that could, geologic activity on the surface
of Saturn's moon Titan – maybe outgassing cracks and perhaps
icy cryovolcanoes – is belching puffs of methane gas into the
atmosphere of the moon, creating clouds. This is the conclusion of
planetary astronomer Henry G. Roe, a postdoctoral researcher, and
Michael E. Brown, professor of planetary astronomy at the California
Institute of Technology. Roe, Brown, and their colleagues at Caltech
and the Gemini Observatory in Hawaii based their analysis on new images
of distinctive clouds that sporadically appear in the middle latitudes
of the moon's southern hemisphere. The research will appear in the
October 21 issue of the journal Science.
Read
more. Source: Spaceflight Now/Caltech |
Goodbye, Titan
(Oct 20, 2005)
The mighty Titan – a pillar in American rocketry for five decades
– flew into orbit for the final time Wednesday, capping a distinguished
career of heavy-lifting that has spanned the nation's space age. The
16-story vehicle roared off its Vandenberg Air Force Base launch pad
in California at 11:05 a.m. PDT (2:05 p.m. EDT; 1805 GMT) carrying
a top-secret spy satellite for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office.
Less than 10 minutes later, the Lockheed Martin-built rocket completed
its job by deploying the spacecraft payload.
Read
more. Source: Spaceflight Now |
Plesiosaur bottom-feeding shown
(Oct 20, 2005)
A sea creature killed just before it could defaecate has given new
insight into the feeding habits of plesiosaurs. The fossilised contents
of its lower intestine show the long-necked marine reptile had a fondness
for clams and snails – food items from the sea floor. Plesiosaurs
existed in dinosaur times and were thought to be hunters of fish,
squid and other free-swimming prey. But a research team tells Science
magazine that the discovery suggests plesiosaur diets were far more
varied.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Ravenous black hole enjoys star-studded
banquet
(Oct 19, 2005)
The inexorable spiral of matter down the gullet of a giant black hole
has been captured in unprecedented detail by the Very Large Telescope
in Chile. NGC 1097, a spiral galaxy about 45 million light years from
Earth, glows relatively brightly at its centre. That suggests a black
hole is devouring surrounding stars and gas there, but the light's
glare has overwhelmed any detailed images of the process. Now, astronomers
have used one of the VLT's four 8-metre telescopes to take near-infrared
images of matter whirling towards the galaxy's heart.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Sweden discovers 'zombie worms'
(Oct 19, 2005)
A new species of marine worm that lives off whale bones on the sea
floor has been described by scientists. The creature was found on
a minke carcass in relatively shallow water close to Tjarno Marine
Laboratory on the Swedish coast. Such "zombie worms", as they are
often called, are known from the deep waters of the Pacific but their
presence in the North Sea is a major surprise.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Weightless space travel may suppress immune
system
(Oct 17, 2005)
A set of crucial immunity genes do not turn on in a simulated microgravity
environment, suggest the results of a new study. The findings may
help explain why astronauts get sick so easily. The changes affect
the activation of T-cells, a type of white blood cell that helps defend
the body against disease. Other than weightlessness, the only other
situation that severely diminishes T-cell function is HIV infection.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
China spacecraft returns to Earth
(Oct 16, 2005)
China's Shenzhou VI spacecraft has returned to Earth, after five days
in orbit, says state news agency Xinhua. The craft, carrying two astronauts,
landed at 0432 on Monday (2032 GMT on Sunday), Xinhua reported. Helicopters,
rescue teams and medics were sent to the landing site which was not
specified by the agency but was said to be in China's Inner Mongolia.
It is the second manned spaceflight for China – only the third
country to successfully put a man into space.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Bacterial genes could put plants on Mars
(Oct 16, 2005)
Biologists have embarked on a project to engineer plants that could
withstand the harsh environment of Mars, using genes from hardy bacteria
that thrive around deep-sea vents on Earth. It is one of the schemes
given further funding by the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts,
which promotes futuristic ideas on the leading edge of innovation.
Humans would need oxygen, food and some form of carbon dioxide removal
system to live on Mars. In theory, this could be achieved using plants,
and it would be less expensive than constructing habitats to simulate
the Earth.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Team widens search for 'Hobbits'
(Oct 14, 2005)
The team behind the "Hobbit" finds have been widening their search
for remains of the strange little humans on Flores island –
with tantalising results. Since last year, the remains of at least
nine individuals have been found in a cave on the Indonesian island.
The discovery team has now excavated more than 500 stone tools from
another, much older, site about 40 km away. They believe a population
ancestral to the Hobbits may have lived at this site, which is 850,000
years old.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
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