SPACE
& SCIENCE NEWS: November 2007
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Outing for giant military rocket
(Nov 11, 2007)
The Delta IV Heavy –
the US military's biggest satellite launcher – has flown for
only the second time. The huge rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral
in Florida and successfully placed a spy spacecraft in orbit. The
2.3-tonne Defense Support Program (DPS) satellite will monitor missile
launches and gather intelligence.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Life could survive longer on a super-Earth
(Nov 11, 2007)
It seems super-Earths would be a pretty super place to live compared
with our puny planet. These big rocky planets in other solar systems
could stay warm enough for life up to 35 per cent longer than Earth.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
NASA blasted for ignoring smaller asteroids
(Nov 11, 2007)
NASA is being slammed for sacrificing public safety by resisting calls
to enlarge its search for potentially
dangerous asteroids which might strike the Earth. "NASA cannot
place a new NEO [near-earth object] program above current scientific
and exploration missions," maintained Scott Pace, associate administrator
for program analysis and evaluation at the US space agency.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Mars's tiny moons – one small step
for mankind?
(Nov 9, 2007)
Forget Mars – the
Red Planet's moons Phobos
and Deimos could be
the next stop in the solar system for humanity, according to planetary
scientists. During a conference at the agency's Ames Research Center
in Moffett Field, California, on Wednesday, scientists said astronauts
could make their first footprints on one of them within 10 years.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Clue to cosmic rays discovered
(Nov 8, 2007)
Black
holes are the most likely source of the mysterious ultra high-energy
cosmic rays that
bombard the planet, scientists have discovered. Observations at the
world's largest cosmic ray detector suggest the particles are emitted
by huge black holes in the middle of nearby galaxies. The findings,
unveiled in Science, may solve a long-running puzzle.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Mars rover Spirit to head north for the
winter
(Nov 8, 2007)
NASA's Mars
rover Spirit will soon begin to trundle towards a slope on which
it will try to ride out the coming winter – its third on the
Red Planet. The slope will help maximise the sunlight reaching the
rover's power-producing solar panels, which are still coated with
dust from a global dust storm that darkened the planet's skies for
much of July and August.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Discovery shuttle returns safely
(Nov 7, 2007)
Space shuttle Discovery
has landed in Florida after an eventful 15-day mission to the International
Space Station (ISS). The crew touched down at 1301 ET (1801 GMT)
at the Kennedy Space Center. During their time at the orbiting outpost,
the shuttle's crew delivered a new unit, dropped off a new resident
and completed a series of spacewalks.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Largest extrasolar planetary system discovered
(Nov 7, 2007)
A fifth planet has been discovered around a nearby star, making it
the largest planetary system known outside our own. The planet appears
to be a gas giant
like Saturn, but scientists say any large moons it may have could
potentially host life, since the planet lies in the habitable
zone around its star, where liquid water can exist. The planet
was discovered around 55
Cancri, a star about 41 light years away from Earth and slightly
cooler and dimmer than the Sun.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
A new Earth?
(Nov 6, 2007)
Almost every week now, planet hunters are discovering new worlds,
not in our solar system but in the far reaches of our galaxy. So how
close are astronomers to finding a planet that supports life?
Read
more. Source: The Guardian |
Chinese probe begins Moon orbit
(Nov 5, 2007)
China's first lunar module has begun orbiting the Moon,
12 days after blasting off, officials have confirmed. The satellite,
named Chang'e I, slowed down as it reached lunar gravitational pull,
200km (120 miles) from the Moon. Scientists intend to keep the probe
in orbit for one year while it studies the surface and beams back
images.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
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