Like an earthquake in space, so-called spacequakes are temblors in Earth’s magnetic field caused by plasma flying off the sun that could help generate the colorful auroras that dance high in Earth’s atmosphere, a new study suggests.
Violent Spacequakes Shake Earth’s Magnetic Field
July 28th, 2010NASA could get funds for solar-storm warning system
July 28th, 2010Congress is keeping an eye out for stormy weather in space. Last week, the House Science and Technology Committee approved an authorization bill for NASA that includes provisions for issuing warnings about inclement solar weather in the form of storms that could damage satellites and affect space and Earth-based communications systems and power grids.
Shields up! Force fields could protect Mars missions
July 28th, 2010Interplanetary adventurers must contend with deadly solar radiation – but the moon’s magnetic memories may hold the key to safe space flight
FOR SPACE SHUTTLE WORKERS, THE END IS HERE
July 28th, 2010NASA’s future may be up in the air, as Congress debates a myriad of options for the U.S. human space program, but 1,394 shuttle workers are getting a concrete reminder this week of what’s in store — no job.
Space Elevator one step closer to heaven?
July 28th, 2010There’s a feeling I get When I look to the west And my spirit is crying For leaving
Yes, there is excitement in the air–high in the air–at the prospect of an elevator being built, one that ascends into outer space and allows humanity to go beyond its dreary earthly penthouses.
NASA Panel Calls for Asteroid Defense Office
July 28th, 2010Protecting Earth from menacing space rocks that could impact our planet should be designated a top-level NASA strategic goal, according to an agency task force. To achieve that goal, NASA should establish a Planetary Defense Coordination Office to oversee the effort, the task force said.
Meet Google’s Space Commander
July 28th, 2010Ms. Montague is the manager of Google’s space initiatives –- overseeing things like sending robots to the moon and ogling Mars. It’s not exactly the stuff that keeps the lights on at the Googleplex, but this type of work seems to make Sergey Brin and Larry Page happy.
Food for Mars:It’s a daunting challenge, NASA says
July 28th, 2010Most people find the palatability of in-flight entrees an oxymoron. But even frequent fliers seldom encounter more than a few such meals per week. Astronauts, in contrast, may have to survive months in orbit dining on a really limited menu of processed foods and reconstituted beverages served from oh-so-glamorous plastic pouches.
Editorial: Habitable planets, comets and Opportunity keeps knocking
July 28th, 2010How quickly what was once considered near-miraculous becomes routine.
Until close to the end of the last century, it was believed that we might — although statistically it seemed improbable — be alone in the universe. No astronomer had ever detected a planet outside our solar system.
Massive Black Hole Bends Light to Magnify Distant Galaxy
July 28th, 2010A giant black hole spouting energy from inside a galaxy is acting like a cosmic magnifying glass, giving astronomers a clear view of an even more distant galaxy behind it.
Time to go atomic on space station
July 28th, 2010THE International Space Station will soon host the most accurate clock ever sent into space. It will allow for better synchronisation of clocks on Earth and also probe exotic physics.
A closer look at cosmic impacts
July 28th, 2010On the far side of the Moon, a river of dark rock spills from a 3-kilometre-wide crater and divides like a forked tongue. The flow was formed when an asteroid or comet slammed into the surface and heated the rocks to more than 1,000 °C, causing molten material to spread 3 kilometres from the crater rim.
VERY EARLY WARNING: 1-IN-1,000 CHANCE OF ASTEROID IMPACT IN 2182
July 28th, 2010The not-so-romantically named (101955) 1999 RQ36 — discovered in 1999 — measures approximately 510 meters in diameter and is classified as an Apollo asteroid. Apollo asteroids pose a threat to our planet as they routinely cross Earth’s orbit.
Curiosity Rover Grows by Leaps and Bounds
July 27th, 2010Talk about a growth-spurt. In one week, Curiosity grew by approximately 1 meter (3.5 feet) when spacecraft technicians and engineers attached the rover’s neck and head (called the Remote Sensing Mast) to its body. At around 2 meters (about 7 feet) tall, the next rover to Mars now stands head and shoulders above the rest.
NASA finds “buckyballs” in space for the first time
July 27th, 2010Astronomers using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope have discovered carbon molecules, known as “buckyballs,” in space for the first time, NASA says. Buckyballs are soccer-ball-shaped molecules that were first observed in a laboratory 25 years ago.
Listening for Aliens: What Would E.T. Do?
July 27th, 2010What would E.T. do? It’s an improbable question, but it’s one Gregory Benford has been thinking about a lot lately. That’s not entirely surprising, since Benford is an award-winning science-fiction writer. In this case, though, he’s speaking in his capacity as a professor of physics at the University of California at Irvine. Along with his twin brother, James, and James’ son Dominic, Benford has been rethinking the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI, now celebrating its 50th year.
Commercial Spaceflight, We Have a Problem
July 27th, 2010A key element of the White House’s revised direction for NASA is turning over the transportation of astronauts to and from low-Earth orbit to the private sector.
Solar Sail Experiment Could Prove Space-Time Theory
July 27th, 2010Solar sails that use sunlight pressure instead of fuel to fly through space have long been touted by space exploration advocates, but the novel space travel method could also be tapped to settle an unproven theory by famed scientist Albert Einstein.
Despite Losing Tools, Cosmonauts Complete Spacewalk
July 27th, 2010A lost tool and washer marred an otherwise routine spacewalk by two Russian cosmonauts outside the International Space Station Tuesday.
Getting Out of the Gravity Well on One Thin Dime
July 27th, 2010Seemingly lost among the noise following last week’s actions of the House Commerce and Science Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee on marking up a NASA budget is the issue of the agency’s proposed new technology programs. Both the House and Senate sharply cut the Obama Administration’s original request.