SPACE
& SCIENCE NEWS: December 2006
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New theory behind 'cold faithful' on Saturnian
moon
(Dec 18, 2006)
An enormous plume erupting on Saturn’s moon Enceladus
may be emanating from a substance much colder than liquid water, scientists
announced today. The great geyser, discovered by the Cassini
spacecraft, was believed to have been fed by cavities of liquid water
sitting below the frozen surface of the moon. But a new model suggests
that these jets spring from an ice phase called clathrate.
Read
more. Source: space.com |
Astronauts rewire space station
(Dec 17, 2006)
Two crew members of the space shuttle Discovery
have completed the delicate rewiring of the International
Space Station (ISS) during a third spacewalk. But Astronauts Robert
Curbeam and Sunita Williams struggled to fix a jammed solar panel
on the ISS. NASA has approved a fourth spacewalk, due to take place
on Monday, which will delay the shuttle's return by a day.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Comets hold life chemistry clues
(Dec 15, 2006)
The idea that comets
delivered the chemical "seeds" for life to the early Earth has been
given a big boost. Scientists studying the tiny grains of material
recovered from Comet Wild-2 by NASA's Stardust
mission have found large, complex carbon-rich molecules. They are
of the type that could have been important precursor components of
the initial reactions that gave rise to the planet's biochemistry.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Mars rover nears bathtub ring of blueberries
(Dec 15, 2006)
A bumper crop of "blueberries" has been found around the rim of Mars's
Victoria Crater by NASA's Opportunity
rover. The discovery suggests that when the rover descends into
the crater in a few months, it may find a bathtub ring of the tiny
concretions – an ancient high-water mark suggesting the area
was altered by ground, not surface, water.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Final stage for telescope design
(Dec 14, 2006)
A project to build the world's biggest telescope has been given the
go-ahead to move into its final design stage. European Southern Observatory
(ESO) officials have given approval for a detailed design study of
the European Extremely Large Telescope to proceed. The 57m euro (£38m)
design study, will make it possible to start construction of the telescope
in three years time.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Mountain range spotted on Titan
(Dec 13, 2006)
The Cassini spacecraft
has spied the tallest mountains yet seen on Titan,
Saturn's major moon. The range is about 150km long (93 miles), 30km
(19 miles) wide and about 1.5km (nearly a mile) high. The feature
was identified by the probe on a recent pass, using a combination
of radar and infrared data.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Astronauts make first spacewalk
(Dec 13, 2006)
Two astronauts have carried out the first spacewalk of Space
Shuttle Discovery's 12-day mission to the International
Space Station (ISS). The pair installed a truss that forms the
backbone of the station during their walk of more than six hours.
Earlier, the crew used a camera on the ISS's robotic arm to examine
an area on the shuttle's left wing where sensors detected a "very
low" impact.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Peak of Geminid meteor shower set to dazzle
(Dec 12, 2006)
The annual Geminid meteor
display is expected to peak on Wednesday night. With up to 100
meteors per hour visible from a dark site, the Geminids rival the
Perseids in August for the title of best meteor display of the year.
The paths of Geminid meteors appear to point back to a spot near the
bright stars Castor
and Pollux in the constellation
Gemini,
giving the shower its name.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Preliminary inspections show shuttle in
good health
(Dec 11, 2006)
The space shuttle Discovery
appears to have survived its lift-off on Saturday with no critical
damage to its all-important heat shield from falling foam or ice,
preliminary observations suggest. As the shuttle tried to catch up
to the International Space
Station on Sunday, the seven astronauts onboard scanned the leading
edges of the orbiter's wings and its nosecap with a device mounted
on the end of an extension to its robotic arm.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Shuttle lifts off in night launch
(Dec 10, 2006)
The space shuttle
Discovery has lifted off from Cape
Canaveral – the first night shuttle launch in four years.
Discovery launched at 2047 (0147 GMT on Sunday), two days after poor
weather forced a lift-off to be cancelled. Rocket flares from the
shuttle were visible in the night sky across much of the south-eastern
United States.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
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