SPACE
& SCIENCE NEWS: November 2008
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New report lists NASA's biggest challenges
(Nov 19, 2008)
Transitioning to the next generation of space vehicles is NASA's "greatest
challenge", says the agency's independent Office of the Inspector
General (OIG). The office released its annual assessment of NASA's
'most serious' challenges on Tuesday. Topping the list of issues is
the agency's ability to fly the space
shuttle safely while developing its replacement, the Ares
I rocket and Orion
crew capsule, slated to be ready to fly by 2015.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Gamma-ray evidence suggests ancient Mars
had oceans
(Nov 18, 2008)
An international team of scientists who analyzed data from the Gamma
Ray Spectrometer onboard NASA's Mars
Odyssey reports new evidence for the controversial idea that oceans
once covered about a third of ancient Mars.
Results from Mars Odyssey and other spacecraft suggest that past watery
conditions likely leached, transported and concentrated such elements
as potassium, thorium and iron.
Read
more. Source: University of Arizona |
Sun shines on future Mars colonies
(Nov 18, 2008)
is weighing up the pros and cons of nuclear and solar power for a
human mission to Mars.
It was generally thought that the sun's rays would be too weak on
Mars to supply a significant amount of energy. However, the MIT team
concludes that with a careful choice of location, solar energy can
provide all the power a colony would need – even in the teeth
of the Red Planet's infamous dust storms.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Shuttle docks with space station
(Nov 17, 2008)
A NASA shuttle,
carrying seven astronauts, has docked with the International
Space Station as part of a mission to refit its living quarters.
Endeavour is carrying
14,000lb (6,350kg) of fittings to allow the station to accommodate
six crew members instead of the current three. A new astronaut, Sandra
Magnus, is also joining the ISS crew.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Planet wobbles could reveal Earth 2.0
(Nov 15, 2008)
Hidden alien moons that could harbour life can be revealed by the
wobbles of their planets. Almost all the 30 known exoplanets that
sit within the habitable zone of their stars are gas giants. "But
they might have rocky, possibly Earth-like moons," says David Kipping
of University College London.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Endeavour space shuttle lifts off
(Nov 15, 2008)
The US space shuttle Endeavour
has launched on the final orbiter mission of 2008, carrying cargo
bound for the International
Space Station. Endeavour is taking equipment to refit the ISS
for six crew members, instead of the current three, and will also
drop off astronaut Sandra Magnus.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Cassini finds mysterious new aurora on
Saturn
(Nov 15, 2008)
Saturn
has its own unique brand of aurora that lights up the polar cap, unlike
any other planetary aurora known in our solar system. This odd aurora
revealed itself to one of the infrared instruments on NASA's Cassini
spacecraft.
Read
more. Source: NASA/JPL |
Indian probe touches down on Moon
(Nov 14, 2008)
India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft, Chandrayaan 1, has placed
a probe on the surface of the Moon.
The probe, painted with the Indian flag, touched down at 2034 (1504
GMT), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. It will
perform various experiments, including measuring the composition of
the Moon's atmosphere.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Exoplanets finally come into view
(Nov 14, 2008)
The first pictures of planets outside our solar system have been taken,
two groups report in the journal Science. Visible and infrared images
have been snapped of a planet orbiting a star 25 light-years away.
In a separate study, an exoplanetary system comprising three planets,
has been directly imaged, circling a star in the constellation Pegasus.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Shuttle Endeavour ready for launch
(Nov 13, 2008)
Countdown clocks began ticking down on Tuesday toward Friday's launch
of the space shuttle Endeavour
on a mission to outfit the International
Space Station for an expanded live-aboard crew. Lift-off is targeted
for 1955 EST (0055 Saturday GMT) from the Kennedy Space Center in
Florida. At a news conference on Tuesday, managers said the shuttle
was in good shape for launch.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
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