WASHINGTON - The first "sniffs of air" of two huge far-away planets reveal that they seem to be missing water, a surprising finding amid weather unlike any planets in our solar system with blast furnace-like gusts amid supersonic winds.
The absence of water from the atmosphere of both these Jupiter-sized gaseous bodies upsets one of the most basic assumptions of astronomy.
One of the researchers, Harvard University astronomy professor David Charbonneau, called the planets "very different beasts ... unlike any other planets in the solar system."
So far, scientists have found 213 planets outside our solar system — they are called exoplanets. But only eight or nine are in the right orbit and location for the type of study reported by three teams using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
The closest of the two planets studied, HD 189733b, is 360 trillion miles from Earth in the constellation Vulpecula. The other planet, HD 209458b, is about 900 trillion miles away in the constellation Pegasus and it has a strange cloud of fine silicate particles. Two different research teams studied it.
The two suns the planets orbit closely have hydrogen and oxygen, the stable building blocks of water. The planets' atmospheres — examined for the first time using light spectra to determine the air's chemical composition — are supposed to be made up of the same thing, good old H2O.
"We had expected this tremendous signature of water ... and it wasn't there," said Carl Grillmair of the California Institute of Technology and Spitzer Science Center. He and Charbonneau studied the closer of the two planets, and their work is being published online in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Our own solar system has two planets without water in the atmosphere, Grillmair noted: Mercury, which doesn't have an atmosphere, and Venus, which is a different type of planet from the huge gaseous ones that would be expected to have the components of water in the air.
But consider the atmosphere on the second of the two exoplanets, the one 900 trillion miles away: "Weather today on 209458 is hot, dry, probably cloudy with a chance of wind," study team leader Mark Swain of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab said in a Wednesday teleconference.
How hot? Try 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. How windy? Somewhere between 500 and 2,000 mph.
Another research team found indications that the atmosphere has grains of silicon-oxygen compounds. That team, led by L. Jeremy Richardson of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, is reporting its research in Thursday's issue of Nature.
But the key finding is dry.
"In NASA's search for life beyond Earth, the mantra has been to follow the water," said Carnegie Institution of Washington astronomer Alan Boss, who wasn't involved in any of the research.
Scientists say it's possible the water is hiding beneath dust clouds or that all the airborne water molecules are the same temperature, making it impossible to see using an infrared spectrograph. Or maybe it's just not there and astronomers have to go back to the drawing board when it comes to these alien planets.
"The very fact that we've been surprised here is a wake-up call. We obviously need to do some more work," Grillmair said.
Charbonneau said these surprising "sniffs of air from an alien world" tell astronomers not to be so Earth-centric in thinking about other planets. "We're limited by our imagination in thinking about the different avenues that these atmospheres take place in," he said.
Swain called the results "a very important stepping stone for our ultimate goal of characterizing planets around other stars where life could exist."
___
On the Net:
Spitzer Space Telescope: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/
Nature: http://www.nature.com.
The Astrophysical Journal Letters: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/ApJ/rapid.html
By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
U.N. urged to take action on asteroid threat
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - An asteroid may come uncomfortably close to Earth in 2036 and the
United Nations' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> United Nations should assume responsibility for a space mission to deflect it, a group of astronauts, engineers and scientists said on Saturday.
Astronomers are monitoring an asteroid named Apophis, which has a 1 in 45,000 chance of striking Earth on April 13, 2036.
Although the odds of an impact by this particular asteroid are low, a recent congressional mandate for
NASA' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> NASA to upgrade its tracking of near-Earth asteroids is expected to uncover hundreds, if not thousands of threatening space rocks in the near future, former astronaut Rusty Schweickart said.
"It's not just Apophis we're looking at. Every country is at risk. We need a set of general principles to deal with this issue," Schweickart, a member of the Apollo 9 crew that orbited the earth in March 1969, told an American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in San Francisco.
Schweickart plans to present an update next week to the U.N. Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on plans to develop a blueprint for a global response to an asteroid threat.
The Association of Space Explorers, a group of former astronauts and cosmonauts, intends to host a series of high-level workshops this year to flesh out the plan and will make a formal proposal to the U.N. in 2009, he said.
Schweickart wants to see the United Nations adopt procedures for assessing asteroid threats and deciding if and when to take action.
The favored approach to dealing with a potentially deadly space rock is to dispatch a spacecraft that would use gravity to alter the asteroid's course so it no longer threatens Earth, said astronaut Ed Lu, a veteran of the
International Space Station' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> International Space Station.
The so-called Gravity Tractor could maintain a position near the threatening asteroid, exerting a gentle tug that, over time, would deflect the asteroid.
An asteroid the size of Apophis, which is about 460 feet
long, would take about 12 days of gravity-tugging, Lu added.
Mission costs are estimated at $300 million.
Launching an asteroid deflection mission early would reduce the amount of energy needed to alter its course and increase the chances of a successful outcome, Schweickart said.
NASA says the precise effect of a 460-foot (140-meter) object hitting the Earth would depend on what the asteroid was made of and the angle of impact.
Paul Slovic, president of Oregon-based Decision Research, which studies judgment, decision-making and risk analysis, said the asteroid could take out an entire city or region.
By Irene Klotz
United Nations' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> United Nations should assume responsibility for a space mission to deflect it, a group of astronauts, engineers and scientists said on Saturday.
Astronomers are monitoring an asteroid named Apophis, which has a 1 in 45,000 chance of striking Earth on April 13, 2036.
Although the odds of an impact by this particular asteroid are low, a recent congressional mandate for
NASA' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> NASA to upgrade its tracking of near-Earth asteroids is expected to uncover hundreds, if not thousands of threatening space rocks in the near future, former astronaut Rusty Schweickart said.
"It's not just Apophis we're looking at. Every country is at risk. We need a set of general principles to deal with this issue," Schweickart, a member of the Apollo 9 crew that orbited the earth in March 1969, told an American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in San Francisco.
Schweickart plans to present an update next week to the U.N. Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space on plans to develop a blueprint for a global response to an asteroid threat.
The Association of Space Explorers, a group of former astronauts and cosmonauts, intends to host a series of high-level workshops this year to flesh out the plan and will make a formal proposal to the U.N. in 2009, he said.
Schweickart wants to see the United Nations adopt procedures for assessing asteroid threats and deciding if and when to take action.
The favored approach to dealing with a potentially deadly space rock is to dispatch a spacecraft that would use gravity to alter the asteroid's course so it no longer threatens Earth, said astronaut Ed Lu, a veteran of the
International Space Station' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> International Space Station.
The so-called Gravity Tractor could maintain a position near the threatening asteroid, exerting a gentle tug that, over time, would deflect the asteroid.
An asteroid the size of Apophis, which is about 460 feet
long, would take about 12 days of gravity-tugging, Lu added.
Mission costs are estimated at $300 million.
Launching an asteroid deflection mission early would reduce the amount of energy needed to alter its course and increase the chances of a successful outcome, Schweickart said.
NASA says the precise effect of a 460-foot (140-meter) object hitting the Earth would depend on what the asteroid was made of and the angle of impact.
Paul Slovic, president of Oregon-based Decision Research, which studies judgment, decision-making and risk analysis, said the asteroid could take out an entire city or region.
By Irene Klotz
Monday, February 12, 2007
Dark Matter's Link to Brilliant Galaxies Confirmed
A new cosmic map confirms a close relationship between galaxies with supermassive black holes at their centers and the distribution of the invisible dark matter in the early universe.
Video: Black Holes: Warping Time & Space
Quasars are incredibly bright objects located at the center of galaxies and thought to be powered by gas falling into enormous black holes up to a billion times the mass of the sun. Although smaller than our solar system, a single quasar can outshine an entire galaxy of a hundred billion stars.
Compared to normal galaxies, quasars are extremely rare, about 200 million light years or more apart from one another on average. The new map was created using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-II) and includes more than 4,000 quasars, some as far as 11 billion light years away. The universe is estimated to be only about 14 billion years old.
The new map [image] reveals a close relationship between quasars and dark matter, as predicted from theory.
'By measuring the clustering of quasars, we can learn about the dark matter halos in which they sit, and we find that they live in these very rare and very massive dark matter halos in the early universe,' said study team member Michael Strauss of Princeton University.
The new map will be detailed in an upcoming issue of The Astronomical Journal.
Dark matter is a mysterious hypothetical substance that does not interact with light photons and is thus invisible to current detection instruments. Scientists estimate that only about one-sixth of the matter in the universe is visible, while the rest is dark matter.Current theories predict that matter-both the dark and visible variety-was smoothly distributed in the early universe, and that over time, it became more concentrated.
'Dark matter halos are a dime a dozen in the present day universe, but in the young universe, they were really quite rare,' Strauss said.
It was in these rare spots of concentrated dark matter that the first massive galaxies and quasars formed.
'The quasars themselves are sort of a signpost to those very massive [dark matter] halos, and our work makes that a little more clear,' Strauss told SPACE.com.
Avi Loeb, an astronomer at Harvard University who was not involved in the study, says the new findings could help answer a major question in cosmology: How did the first quasars form at all?
'How did black holes grow to a billion times the mass of the sun when the universe was only a tenth of its current age?' Loeb said. 'The SDSS measurements will help us answer this question.'
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Quasar
Understanding Dark Matter and Light Energy
Astronomers Create 3D Map of Dark Matter
Dark Matter Exposed: Animation Offers Clues to Cosmic Mystery
Original Story: Dark Matter's Link to Brilliant Galaxies Confirmed
Visit SPACE.com and explore our huge collection of Space Pictures, Space Videos, Space Image of the Day, Hot Topics, Top 10s, Multimedia, Trivia, Voting and Amazing Images. Follow the latest developments in the search for life in our universe in our SETI: Search for Life section. Join the community, sign up for our free daily email newsletter, listen to our Podcasts, check out our RSS feeds and other Reader Favorites today!
Ker ThanStaff WriterSPACE.com
Video: Black Holes: Warping Time & Space
Quasars are incredibly bright objects located at the center of galaxies and thought to be powered by gas falling into enormous black holes up to a billion times the mass of the sun. Although smaller than our solar system, a single quasar can outshine an entire galaxy of a hundred billion stars.
Compared to normal galaxies, quasars are extremely rare, about 200 million light years or more apart from one another on average. The new map was created using the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-II) and includes more than 4,000 quasars, some as far as 11 billion light years away. The universe is estimated to be only about 14 billion years old.
The new map [image] reveals a close relationship between quasars and dark matter, as predicted from theory.
'By measuring the clustering of quasars, we can learn about the dark matter halos in which they sit, and we find that they live in these very rare and very massive dark matter halos in the early universe,' said study team member Michael Strauss of Princeton University.
The new map will be detailed in an upcoming issue of The Astronomical Journal.
Dark matter is a mysterious hypothetical substance that does not interact with light photons and is thus invisible to current detection instruments. Scientists estimate that only about one-sixth of the matter in the universe is visible, while the rest is dark matter.Current theories predict that matter-both the dark and visible variety-was smoothly distributed in the early universe, and that over time, it became more concentrated.
'Dark matter halos are a dime a dozen in the present day universe, but in the young universe, they were really quite rare,' Strauss said.
It was in these rare spots of concentrated dark matter that the first massive galaxies and quasars formed.
'The quasars themselves are sort of a signpost to those very massive [dark matter] halos, and our work makes that a little more clear,' Strauss told SPACE.com.
Avi Loeb, an astronomer at Harvard University who was not involved in the study, says the new findings could help answer a major question in cosmology: How did the first quasars form at all?
'How did black holes grow to a billion times the mass of the sun when the universe was only a tenth of its current age?' Loeb said. 'The SDSS measurements will help us answer this question.'
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Quasar
Understanding Dark Matter and Light Energy
Astronomers Create 3D Map of Dark Matter
Dark Matter Exposed: Animation Offers Clues to Cosmic Mystery
Original Story: Dark Matter's Link to Brilliant Galaxies Confirmed
Visit SPACE.com and explore our huge collection of Space Pictures, Space Videos, Space Image of the Day, Hot Topics, Top 10s, Multimedia, Trivia, Voting and Amazing Images. Follow the latest developments in the search for life in our universe in our SETI: Search for Life section. Join the community, sign up for our free daily email newsletter, listen to our Podcasts, check out our RSS feeds and other Reader Favorites today!
Ker ThanStaff WriterSPACE.com
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Eternal embrace? Couple still hugging 5,000 years on
Archaeologists in Italy have discovered a couple buried 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, hugging each other.
ROME (Reuters) - Call it the eternal embrace.
ROME (Reuters) - Call it the eternal embrace.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Nuclear, climate perils push Doomsday Clock ahead
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The scientists who mind the Doomsday Clock moved it two minutes closer to midnight on Wednesday -- symbolizing the annihilation of civilization and adding the perils of global warming for the first time.
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which created the Doomsday Clock in 1947 to warn the world of the dangers of nuclear weapons, advanced the clock to five minutes until midnight. It was the first adjustment of the clock since 2002.
"We stand at the brink of a second nuclear age," the bulletin's board of directors said in a statement.
They pointed North Korea's first nuclear test, Iran's nuclear ambitions, U.S. flirtation with "bunker buster" nuclear bombs, the continued presence of 26,000 American and Russian nuclear weapons and inadequate security for nuclear materials.
But the scientists also said destruction of human habitats wreaked by climate change brought on by human activities is a growing danger.
"Global warming poses a dire threat to human civilization that is second only to nuclear weapons," they said.
The announcement was made in news conferences in London and Washington.
"We foresee great peril if governments and societies do not take action now to render nuclear weapons obsolete and to prevent further climate change," theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking of the University of Cambridge, a member of the bulletin's board of sponsors, told reporters in London.
'VILLAGE IDIOTS'
Cambridge astrophysicist Martin Rees added that while the Cold War confrontation between two nuclear-armed superpowers is over, the world is closer than ever to having nuclear bombs used in a localized war or by terrorists in a city center.
"A global village will have its village idiots," Rees said.
Kennette Benedict, the bulletin's executive director, dismissed the notion that by touting the threat posed by global warming, the scientists had diluted their message about the nuclear peril.
Many scientists predict dire consequences from global warming, including higher sea levels that over time could swamp coastal regions, more severe storms and worse wildfires. Human activities like burning of fossil fuels contribute to warming, they contend.
Physicist Lawrence Krauss of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland said if humankind fails to change course on global warming, "there's a great possibility that the Earth in the year 2100 will only dimly resemble our planet today -- and as it has existed over the past 500,000 years."
The bulletin's scientists moved the clock two minutes forward in 2002, to seven minutes until midnight, following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
The bulletin was founded in 1945 by University of Chicago scientists who had worked on developing the first nuclear bomb, and it is now overseen by some of the world's most prominent scientists.
The bulletin created the clock in 1947, two years after the United States ushered in the nuclear age by dropping atomic bombs on two Japanese cities at the end of World War Two, to symbolize the urgent nuclear dangers confronting the world.
It now stands at the closest to midnight since 1984, when it was three minutes to midnight amid a deepening Cold War.
It has been adjusted 18 times in 60 years. It was set as close as two minutes to midnight in 1953 after the United States and Soviet Union tested hydrogen bombs, and as far as 17 minutes to midnight in 1991 at the Cold War's end.
By Will Dunham Wed Jan 17, 2:22 PM ET
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, which created the Doomsday Clock in 1947 to warn the world of the dangers of nuclear weapons, advanced the clock to five minutes until midnight. It was the first adjustment of the clock since 2002.
"We stand at the brink of a second nuclear age," the bulletin's board of directors said in a statement.
They pointed North Korea's first nuclear test, Iran's nuclear ambitions, U.S. flirtation with "bunker buster" nuclear bombs, the continued presence of 26,000 American and Russian nuclear weapons and inadequate security for nuclear materials.
But the scientists also said destruction of human habitats wreaked by climate change brought on by human activities is a growing danger.
"Global warming poses a dire threat to human civilization that is second only to nuclear weapons," they said.
The announcement was made in news conferences in London and Washington.
"We foresee great peril if governments and societies do not take action now to render nuclear weapons obsolete and to prevent further climate change," theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking of the University of Cambridge, a member of the bulletin's board of sponsors, told reporters in London.
'VILLAGE IDIOTS'
Cambridge astrophysicist Martin Rees added that while the Cold War confrontation between two nuclear-armed superpowers is over, the world is closer than ever to having nuclear bombs used in a localized war or by terrorists in a city center.
"A global village will have its village idiots," Rees said.
Kennette Benedict, the bulletin's executive director, dismissed the notion that by touting the threat posed by global warming, the scientists had diluted their message about the nuclear peril.
Many scientists predict dire consequences from global warming, including higher sea levels that over time could swamp coastal regions, more severe storms and worse wildfires. Human activities like burning of fossil fuels contribute to warming, they contend.
Physicist Lawrence Krauss of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland said if humankind fails to change course on global warming, "there's a great possibility that the Earth in the year 2100 will only dimly resemble our planet today -- and as it has existed over the past 500,000 years."
The bulletin's scientists moved the clock two minutes forward in 2002, to seven minutes until midnight, following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
The bulletin was founded in 1945 by University of Chicago scientists who had worked on developing the first nuclear bomb, and it is now overseen by some of the world's most prominent scientists.
The bulletin created the clock in 1947, two years after the United States ushered in the nuclear age by dropping atomic bombs on two Japanese cities at the end of World War Two, to symbolize the urgent nuclear dangers confronting the world.
It now stands at the closest to midnight since 1984, when it was three minutes to midnight amid a deepening Cold War.
It has been adjusted 18 times in 60 years. It was set as close as two minutes to midnight in 1953 after the United States and Soviet Union tested hydrogen bombs, and as far as 17 minutes to midnight in 1991 at the Cold War's end.
By Will Dunham Wed Jan 17, 2:22 PM ET
Friday, January 05, 2007
Lost lakes of Titan are found at last
Lakes of methane have been spotted on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, boosting the theory that this strange, distant world bears beguiling similarities to Earth, according to a new study.
ADVERTISEMENT
Titan has long intrigued space scientists, as it is the only moon in the Solar System to have a dense atmosphere -- and its atmosphere, like Earth's, mainly comprises nitrogen.
Titan's atmosphere is also rich in methane, although the source for this vast store of hydrocarbons is unclear.
Methane, on the geological scale, has a relatively limited life. A molecule of the compound lasts several tens of millions of years before it is broken up by sunlight.
Given that Titan is billions of years old, the question is how this atmospheric methane gets to be renewed. Without replenishment, it should have disappeared long ago.
A popular hypothesis is that it comes from a vast ocean of hydrocarbons.
But when the US spacecraft Cassini sent down a European lander, Huygens, to Titan in 2005, the images sent back were of a rugged landscape veiled in an orange haze.
There were indeed signs of methane flows and methane precipitation, but nothing at all that pointed to any sea of the stuff.
But a flyby by Cassini on July 22 last year has revealed, thanks to a radar scan, 75 large, smooth, dark patches between three and 70 kilometers across (two and 42 miles) across that appear to be lakes of liquid methane, scientists report on Thursday.
They believe the lakes prove that Titan has a "methane cycle" -- a system that is like the water cycle on Earth, in which the liquid evaporates, cools and condenses and then falls as rain, replenishing the surface liquid.
As on Earth, Titan's surface methane may well be supplemented by a "table" of liquid methane that seeps through the rock, the paper suggests.
Some of the methane lakes seem only partly filled, and other depressions are dry, which suggests that, given the high northerly latitudes where they were spotted, the methane cycle follows Titan's seasons.
In winter, the lakes expand, while in summer, they shrink or dry up completely -- again, another parallel with Earth's hydrological cycle.
The study, which appears on Thursday in the British weekly journal Nature, is headed by Ellen Stofan of Proxemy Research in Virginia and University College London.
Titan and Earth are of course very different, especially in their potential for nurturing life. Titan is frigid, dark and, as far as is known, waterless, where as Earth is warm, light and has lots of liquid water.
But French astrophysicist Christophe Sotin says both our planet and Titan have been sculpted by processes that, fundamentally, are quite similar.
The findings "add to the weight of evidence that Titan is a complex world in which the interaction between the inner and outer layers is controlled by processes similar to those that must have dominated the evolution of any Earth-like planet," Sotin said in a commentary.
"Indeed, as far as we know," Sotin added, "there is only one planetary body that displays more dynamism than Titan. Its name is Earth."
ADVERTISEMENT
Titan has long intrigued space scientists, as it is the only moon in the Solar System to have a dense atmosphere -- and its atmosphere, like Earth's, mainly comprises nitrogen.
Titan's atmosphere is also rich in methane, although the source for this vast store of hydrocarbons is unclear.
Methane, on the geological scale, has a relatively limited life. A molecule of the compound lasts several tens of millions of years before it is broken up by sunlight.
Given that Titan is billions of years old, the question is how this atmospheric methane gets to be renewed. Without replenishment, it should have disappeared long ago.
A popular hypothesis is that it comes from a vast ocean of hydrocarbons.
But when the US spacecraft Cassini sent down a European lander, Huygens, to Titan in 2005, the images sent back were of a rugged landscape veiled in an orange haze.
There were indeed signs of methane flows and methane precipitation, but nothing at all that pointed to any sea of the stuff.
But a flyby by Cassini on July 22 last year has revealed, thanks to a radar scan, 75 large, smooth, dark patches between three and 70 kilometers across (two and 42 miles) across that appear to be lakes of liquid methane, scientists report on Thursday.
They believe the lakes prove that Titan has a "methane cycle" -- a system that is like the water cycle on Earth, in which the liquid evaporates, cools and condenses and then falls as rain, replenishing the surface liquid.
As on Earth, Titan's surface methane may well be supplemented by a "table" of liquid methane that seeps through the rock, the paper suggests.
Some of the methane lakes seem only partly filled, and other depressions are dry, which suggests that, given the high northerly latitudes where they were spotted, the methane cycle follows Titan's seasons.
In winter, the lakes expand, while in summer, they shrink or dry up completely -- again, another parallel with Earth's hydrological cycle.
The study, which appears on Thursday in the British weekly journal Nature, is headed by Ellen Stofan of Proxemy Research in Virginia and University College London.
Titan and Earth are of course very different, especially in their potential for nurturing life. Titan is frigid, dark and, as far as is known, waterless, where as Earth is warm, light and has lots of liquid water.
But French astrophysicist Christophe Sotin says both our planet and Titan have been sculpted by processes that, fundamentally, are quite similar.
The findings "add to the weight of evidence that Titan is a complex world in which the interaction between the inner and outer layers is controlled by processes similar to those that must have dominated the evolution of any Earth-like planet," Sotin said in a commentary.
"Indeed, as far as we know," Sotin added, "there is only one planetary body that displays more dynamism than Titan. Its name is Earth."
Sunday, December 31, 2006
French space agency to publish UFO archive online
PARIS (Reuters) - The French space agency is to publish its archive of UFO sightings and other phenomena online, but will keep the names of those who reported them off the site to protect them from pestering by space fanatics.
Jacques Arnould, an official at the National Space Studies Center (CNES), said the French database of around 1,600 incidents would go live in late January or mid-February.
He said the CNES had been collecting statements and documents for almost 30 years to archive and study them.
"Often they are made to the Gendarmerie, which provides an official witness statement ... and some come from airline pilots," he said by telephone.
Given the success of films about visitations from outer space like "E.T.," "Close Encounters of The Third Kind" and "Independence Day," the CNES archive is likely to prove a hit.
It consists of around 6,000 reports, many relating to the same incident, filed by the public and airline professionals. Their names would not be published to protect their privacy, Anould said.
Advances in technology over the past three decades had prompted the decision to put the archive online, he said, adding it would likely be available via the CNES website www.cnes.fr.
Jacques Arnould, an official at the National Space Studies Center (CNES), said the French database of around 1,600 incidents would go live in late January or mid-February.
He said the CNES had been collecting statements and documents for almost 30 years to archive and study them.
"Often they are made to the Gendarmerie, which provides an official witness statement ... and some come from airline pilots," he said by telephone.
Given the success of films about visitations from outer space like "E.T.," "Close Encounters of The Third Kind" and "Independence Day," the CNES archive is likely to prove a hit.
It consists of around 6,000 reports, many relating to the same incident, filed by the public and airline professionals. Their names would not be published to protect their privacy, Anould said.
Advances in technology over the past three decades had prompted the decision to put the archive online, he said, adding it would likely be available via the CNES website www.cnes.fr.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Full Moon Names for 2007
Full Moon names date back to Native Americans, of what is now the northern and eastern United States. Those tribes of a few hundred years ago kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to each recurring full Moon. Their names were applied to the entire month in which each occurred.
There were some variations in the Moon names, but in general the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England on west to Lake Superior. European settlers followed their own customs and created some of their own names. Since the lunar ("synodic") month is roughly 29.5 days in length on average, the dates of the full Moon shift from year to year.
Here is a listing of all the full Moon names, as well as the dates and times for 2007. Unless otherwise noted, all times are for the Eastern Time Zone.
Jan. 3, 8:57 a.m. EST - The Full Wolf Moon. Amid the zero cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. It was also known as the Old Moon or the "Moon After Yule." In some tribes this was the Full Snow Moon; most applied that name to the next Moon.
Feb. 2, 12:45 a.m. EST - The Full Snow Moon. Usually the heaviest snows fall in this month. Hunting becomes very difficult, and hence to some tribes this was the Full Hunger Moon.
March 3, 6:17 p.m. EST - The Full Worm Moon. In this month the ground softens and the earthworm casts reappear, inviting the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signals the end of winter, or the Full Crust Moon because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. A total lunar eclipse will take place on this night; the Moon will appear to rise will totally immersed (or nearly so) in the Earth's shadow over the eastern United States. The rising Moon will be emerging from the shadow over the central United States, while over the Western U.S. the eclipse will be all but over by the time the Moon rises.
April 2, 1:15 p.m. EDT - The Full Pink Moon. The grass pink or wild ground phlox is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names were the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and -- among coastal tribes -- the Full Fish Moon, when the shad came upstream to spawn. This is also the Paschal Full Moon; the first full Moon of the spring season. The first Sunday following the Paschal Moon is Easter Sunday, which indeed will be observed six days later on Sunday, April 8.
May 2, 6:09 a.m. EDT - The Full Flower Moon. Flowers are abundant everywhere. It was also known as the Full Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon.
May 31, 9:04 p.m. EDT - The Blue Moon. The second full Moon occurring within a calendar month is usually bestowed this title.
Although the name suggests that to have two Full Moons in a single month is a rather rare occurrence (happening "just once in a . . . "), it actually occurs once about every three years on average.
June 30, 9:49 a.m. EDT - The Full Strawberry Moon. Known to every Algonquin tribe. Europeans called it the Rose Moon.
July 29, 8:48 p.m. EDT - The Full Buck Moon, when the new antlers of buck deer push out from their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, thunderstorms being now most frequent. Sometimes also called the Full Hay Moon.
Aug. 28, 6:35 a.m. EDT - The Full Sturgeon Moon, when this large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water like Lake Champlain is most readily caught. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because the moon rises looking reddish through sultry haze, or the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon. A total lunar eclipse will coincide with moonset for the eastern United States. The Central and Mountain Time Zones will see the Moon's emergence coincide with moonset, while the western United States will see the entire eclipse.
Sept. 26, 3:45 p.m. EDT - The Full Harvest Moon. Always the full Moon occurring nearest to the Autumnal Equinox. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice-- the chief Indian staples--are now ready for gathering.
Oct. 26, 12:52 a.m. EDT - The Full Hunter's Moon. With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can ride over the stubble, and can more easily see the fox, also other animals that have come out to glean and can be caught for a thanksgiving banquet after the harvest. The Moon will also be at perigee later this day, at 7:00 a.m., at a distance of 221,676 miles from Earth. Very high tides can be expected from the coincidence of perigee with full Moon.
Nov. 24, 9:30 a.m. EST - The Full Beaver Moon. Time to set beaver traps before the swamps freeze to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Beaver Full Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now active in their preparation for winter. Also called the Frosty Moon.
Dec. 23, 2:51 a.m. EST - The Full Cold Moon; among some tribes, the Full Long Nights Moon. In this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and the nights are at their longest and darkest. Also sometimes called the "Moon before Yule" (Yule is Christmas, and this time the Moon is only just before it). The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long and the Moon is above the horizon a long time. The midwinter full Moon takes a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite to the low Sun.
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York.
Joe Rao
SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist
There were some variations in the Moon names, but in general the same ones were current throughout the Algonquin tribes from New England on west to Lake Superior. European settlers followed their own customs and created some of their own names. Since the lunar ("synodic") month is roughly 29.5 days in length on average, the dates of the full Moon shift from year to year.
Here is a listing of all the full Moon names, as well as the dates and times for 2007. Unless otherwise noted, all times are for the Eastern Time Zone.
Jan. 3, 8:57 a.m. EST - The Full Wolf Moon. Amid the zero cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. It was also known as the Old Moon or the "Moon After Yule." In some tribes this was the Full Snow Moon; most applied that name to the next Moon.
Feb. 2, 12:45 a.m. EST - The Full Snow Moon. Usually the heaviest snows fall in this month. Hunting becomes very difficult, and hence to some tribes this was the Full Hunger Moon.
March 3, 6:17 p.m. EST - The Full Worm Moon. In this month the ground softens and the earthworm casts reappear, inviting the return of the robins. The more northern tribes knew this as the Full Crow Moon, when the cawing of crows signals the end of winter, or the Full Crust Moon because the snow cover becomes crusted from thawing by day and freezing at night. The Full Sap Moon, marking the time of tapping maple trees, is another variation. A total lunar eclipse will take place on this night; the Moon will appear to rise will totally immersed (or nearly so) in the Earth's shadow over the eastern United States. The rising Moon will be emerging from the shadow over the central United States, while over the Western U.S. the eclipse will be all but over by the time the Moon rises.
April 2, 1:15 p.m. EDT - The Full Pink Moon. The grass pink or wild ground phlox is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring. Other names were the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and -- among coastal tribes -- the Full Fish Moon, when the shad came upstream to spawn. This is also the Paschal Full Moon; the first full Moon of the spring season. The first Sunday following the Paschal Moon is Easter Sunday, which indeed will be observed six days later on Sunday, April 8.
May 2, 6:09 a.m. EDT - The Full Flower Moon. Flowers are abundant everywhere. It was also known as the Full Corn Planting Moon or the Milk Moon.
May 31, 9:04 p.m. EDT - The Blue Moon. The second full Moon occurring within a calendar month is usually bestowed this title.
Although the name suggests that to have two Full Moons in a single month is a rather rare occurrence (happening "just once in a . . . "), it actually occurs once about every three years on average.
June 30, 9:49 a.m. EDT - The Full Strawberry Moon. Known to every Algonquin tribe. Europeans called it the Rose Moon.
July 29, 8:48 p.m. EDT - The Full Buck Moon, when the new antlers of buck deer push out from their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. It was also often called the Full Thunder Moon, thunderstorms being now most frequent. Sometimes also called the Full Hay Moon.
Aug. 28, 6:35 a.m. EDT - The Full Sturgeon Moon, when this large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water like Lake Champlain is most readily caught. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because the moon rises looking reddish through sultry haze, or the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon. A total lunar eclipse will coincide with moonset for the eastern United States. The Central and Mountain Time Zones will see the Moon's emergence coincide with moonset, while the western United States will see the entire eclipse.
Sept. 26, 3:45 p.m. EDT - The Full Harvest Moon. Always the full Moon occurring nearest to the Autumnal Equinox. Corn, pumpkins, squash, beans, and wild rice-- the chief Indian staples--are now ready for gathering.
Oct. 26, 12:52 a.m. EDT - The Full Hunter's Moon. With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can ride over the stubble, and can more easily see the fox, also other animals that have come out to glean and can be caught for a thanksgiving banquet after the harvest. The Moon will also be at perigee later this day, at 7:00 a.m., at a distance of 221,676 miles from Earth. Very high tides can be expected from the coincidence of perigee with full Moon.
Nov. 24, 9:30 a.m. EST - The Full Beaver Moon. Time to set beaver traps before the swamps freeze to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Beaver Full Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now active in their preparation for winter. Also called the Frosty Moon.
Dec. 23, 2:51 a.m. EST - The Full Cold Moon; among some tribes, the Full Long Nights Moon. In this month the winter cold fastens its grip, and the nights are at their longest and darkest. Also sometimes called the "Moon before Yule" (Yule is Christmas, and this time the Moon is only just before it). The term Long Night Moon is a doubly appropriate name because the midwinter night is indeed long and the Moon is above the horizon a long time. The midwinter full Moon takes a high trajectory across the sky because it is opposite to the low Sun.
Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for The New York Times and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, New York.
Joe Rao
SPACE.com Skywatching Columnist
Friday, December 22, 2006
Space Shuttel Discovery Landing: Mission STS 116
6:10 p.m. - Capcom Ken Ham just announced to the STS-116 crew, "Discovery, your mission is done. See you back at the ranch." Commander Polanksy thanked everyone for their hard work and wished them all "Happy Holidays."
5:53 p.m. - Just about 20 minutes after touchdown at Kennedy Space Center, the crew of Discovery has been given the "go" to climb out of their orange launch and entry suits.
5:49 p.m. - Discovery received the go-ahead for APU shutdown. The external tank umbilical doors have been opened.
5:47 p.m. - Discovery has been given the "go" for GPS powerdown.
5:46 p.m. - The side hatch is safed as well.
5:42 p.m.- The Discovery crew reports that the drag chutes are safed.
5:39 p.m. - Here are some official times for this evening's landing: Main gear touchdown took place at 5:32:00 p.m. at a mission elapsed time of 12 days, 20 hours, 44 minutes and 24 seconds. Nose gear touchdown followed 12 seconds later at 5:32:12 p.m. at a mission elapsed time of 12 days, 20 hours, 44 minutes and 36 seconds. Discovery's wheels stopped on the runway at 5:32:52 p.m. at a mission elapsed time of 12 days, 20 hours, 45 minutes and 16 seconds. Discovery and the STS-116 crew traveled 5,330,000 miles during this mission and landed on the 204th orbit.
5:34 p.m. - Comm checks are being performed between Discovery and the landing support convoy at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility. Post-landing safing is under way.
This convoy consists of about 25 specifically designed vehicles or units and a team of about 150 trained personnel who assist the crew in leaving the orbiter, and who "safe" the orbiter, prepare it for towing and then tow the vehicle to the Orbiter Processing Facility. The team that recovers the orbiter is primarily composed of Kennedy Space Center personnel, whether the landing takes place at Kennedy, Edwards Air Force Base or elsewhere.
5:33 p.m. - Wheel stop. Welcome home, Discovery! "Congratulations on what was probably the most complex mission to date," Mission Control said to Commander Mark Polansky for the entire crew.
5:32 p.m. - Main gear is down and locked. ...Main gear touchdown. ...Chute deployed. ...Nose gear touchdown. Discovery is rolling out at sunset on Runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center after a 5.3 million mile mission to the International Space Station.
5:31 p.m. - Altitude 6,000 feet.
5:30 p.m. - Discovery reports that the landing field is in site. Altitutude 11,300 feet.
5:29 p.m. - The shuttle's trademark twin sonic booms just echoed across Kennedy Space Center as we await the return of Discovery on this 13 day mission to the International Space Station.
5:28 p.m. - Commander Mark Polansky is flying Discovery, taking the orbiter out over the water and setting up for the final approach to Runway 15.
5:26 p.m. - Discovery is 86 miles from home.
5:24 p.m. - The crew of the International Space Station is tracking the return of Discovery from a signal sent up from Houston.
5:23 p.m. - There are no issues with weather. So far it's a smooth entry for Discovery, which is now at 104,000 feet. Range to Kennedy Space Center is 120 miles.
5:22 p.m. - Discovery is 125 statute miles from Kennedy and only a little more than nine minutes until touchdown.
5:20 p.m. - During reentry and landing, the orbiter is not powered by engines but instead flies like a high-tech glider, relying first on its steering jets and aerosurfaces to control the airflow around it.
5:19 p.m. - The MILA Tracking station at Kennedy Space Center acquires Discovery about 13 minutes before landing and begins supplying controllers in Houston with voice, data and telemetry communications starting about one minute later. At 11 minutes before touchdown, the orbiter begins receiving navigation signals from the TACAN, the homing beacon and navigation signal at the Shuttle Landing Facility. As Discovery intercepts the heading alignment circle, the first video should become available from the pilot's point-of-view video camera and the orbiter will begin following the curved approach path of the microwave scanning beam landing system. As Discovery crosses directly overhead of the landing facility and out over the Atlantic Ocean, it makes a gradual right turn toward a 7-mile final approach to Runway 15.
5:18 p.m. - Having served its purpose, Discovery's reaction control system has been turned off.
5:17 p.m. - Discovery is now 190,000 feet above Louisiana. Range to Kennedy Space Center is 800 miles.
5:16 p.m. - Discovery is now traveling 11,200 miles per hour and tracking due north of Houston at an altitude of 195,000 feet.
5:15 p.m. - Discovery's atltitude is now 39 statute miles. The spacecraft is traveling 12,600 miles per hour as it crosses into Texas. It's 1,100 statute miles from home at the Kennedy Space Center.
5:12 p.m. - Twenty minutes to touchdown. Discovery will touch down right at sunset at 5:32 p.m.
5:11 p.m. - Discovery is skirting along the edge of the Baja Penninsula. It will continue on a northeasterly course across west Texas. The orbiter is expected to pass about within about 34 miles of Houston, swinging down the Gulf Coast of Mexico, heading toward Kennedy Space Center.
5:06 p.m. - Discovery is traveling 16,300 miles per hour, 25 minutes to touchdown.
5:03 p.m. - The orbiter will perform a series of roll maneuvers, banking first to the right and then to the left to help slow down its speed as it descends toward landing. The first roll is under way now, with the first roll reversal due at about 5:22 p.m.
5:00 p.m. - Discovery has reached entry interface.
4:58 p.m. - The orbiter is approaching the southern tip of the Baja Penninsula from the southwest. Discovery's altitude is 78 statute miles.
4:57 p.m. - In addition to the traditional runway edge and approach light system, the Shuttle Landing Facility has 16 xenon lights that produce 1 billion candlepower with an effective range of 6.2 miles. These are being turned on to light the way for Commander Mark Polansky as he brings Discovery in for a landing.
4:50 p.m. - Discovery is traveling over 16,500 miles per hour and approaching entry interface about nine and a half minutes from now. At entry interface, the orbiter begins to encounter the first effects of the Earth's atmosphere, usually at an altitude of roughly 400,000 feet.
Did You Know?
The first Kennedy Space Center landing was for mission 41-B on Feb. 11, 1984. + Read More
4:42 p.m. - The convey of landing support vehicles is moving to the staging point at the Shuttle Landing Facility.
4:39 p.m. - Surface winds are predicted to be a direct headwind of 16 knots peaking up to 24 knots, but wind from this direction is not considered an issue for landing. The propellant dump took approximately 60 seconds.
4:35 p.m. - The Discovery crew is now maneuvering the shuttle to the best position for landing on Runway 15 at Kennedy. We're less than an hour from touchdown.
4:30 p.m. - And Mission Control confirms a good burn of Discovery's two orbital maneuvering system engines, with no trim required. After nearly two weeks in space, Discovery and crew are headed home to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
4:26 p.m. - DEORBIT BURN! We have two good engines burning as Discovery begins its descent toward home. The burn will last for three minutes and 46 seconds.
4:20 p.m. - In Mission Control, Houston, the poll has been conducted and the Flight Team has given the go for deorbit burn.
"Believe it or not, we're going to give you the go for the deorbit burn," said Capcom Ken Ham to Mark Polansky and his crew aboard Discovery. "We have worked this one as hard as we can and we are pretty confident we are going to keep you clear of clouds and rain."
+ View Video
So after an afternoon of very dynamic weather conditions, Discovery will indeed be returning home to Kennedy Space Center. Deorbit burn will take place at 4:26 p.m. and landing is set for 5:32 p.m.
4:19 p.m. - We are standing by to hear the "go/no-go" decision for the deorbit burn. The burn is coming up at 4:26 p.m., so we should find out shortly if Discovery's crew receives the go-ahead.
4:16 p.m. - Time to deorbit burn: 10 minutes 20 seconds. Flight control is receiving one final weather report. Stay tuned.
4:12 p.m. - The flight control team is continuing to look at the radar, which reveals showers moving towards the Kennedy Space Center. The showers are dissipating as it comes closer to the landing circle, so the discussion centers on whether or not the showers will still be there in an hour and 20 minutes when Discovery would be approaching for landing.
4:10 p.m. - With under 17 minutes left to go before deorbit burn for the Kennedy Space Center, Mission Control is in constant communication with astronaut Steve Lindsey regarding the weather at "the Cape."
4:06 p.m. - The Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy has been cleared of all non-essential personnel.
4:00 p.m. - The runway of choice would be Runway 15 at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility, with an approach from the northwest and a high overhead left hand turn over the water. The landing time for this opportunity, which would come on orbit 203 for the STS-116 mission, would be 5:32 p.m.
3:54 p.m. - Capcom Ken Ham just informed the Discovery crew that they are no-go for Edwards due to winds. New coordinates will be given to the crew shortly for a possible Kennedy landing. Stay tuned.
3:50 p.m. - Pilot Bill Oefelein has been given the "go" for APU (auxiliary power unit) prestart.
3:47 p.m. - At Edwards Air Force Base in California, the landing convoy is beginning to move into position for the possible arrival of shuttle Discovery. Meanwhile, the entry team in Houston is still evaluating the weather at Edwards and at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The main issue with the Florida landing opportunity are the showers within the area, and where they will be at landing time.
3:44 p.m. - As the crew steps through the entry checklist, Mission Control just gave the go-ahead to do a gimble check of Discovery's two orbital maneuvering system engines, which will fire during the deorbit burn.
Did You Know?
If the orbiter lands anywhere other than Kennedy Space Center, it must be ferried back atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy. The mate/demate device at the facility enables the orbiter to be lifted off the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and placed on the runway.
+ Read More
3:24 p.m. - Mission Control is advising the Discovery crew of the preliminary advisory data, or "PAD," for a landing at Edwards. The update includes specific information regarding the engine burn, APU start and mission elapsed time.
3:13 p.m. - In Mission Control, Capcom Ken Ham is giving the crew a weather briefing. The winds at Edwards are becoming more favorable, so they may be able to land there after all. They've also been given the "go" for fluid loading, in which they drink large amounts of fluids to help them re-acclimate to Earth's gravity after landing. Each crew member drinks approximately 32 ounces of fluid -- about eight ounces every fifteen minutes -- and takes salt pills to help increase their fluid volume. Crew members can choose to drink chicken consomme, orange-aid or water.
3:05 p.m. - If we land at Edwards Air Force Base, a ferry flight could take place after about 7 days. A ferry flight from White Sands could result in a turnaround time of 25-45 days.
2:50 p.m. - Out at Edwards, astronaut Dom Gorie is taking off in the Shuttle Training Aircraft to guage the turbulence in the area. He will fly the aircraft, which mimics the flying quality of the space shuttle, to both ends of the runway -- but the anticipation is that the approach to Runway 04 will be the preference for today's landing due to the sun angle at that time.
2:40 p.m. - Yesterday during their final press conference from orbit, Commander Mark Polansky was asked about the possibility of landing in New Mexico. He said, "My wife cares where we land. I believe she and the other families will be going to Florida, and on a personal note it's always nice to go where the families are. And for processing, Florida is best, but besides that, we don't care. There are a lot of things they're supposed to control on the mission, but the weather is one that they can't."
Did You Know
There are six main events in the landing sequence: deorbit burn, entry interface, maximum heating, exit blackout, terminal area and approach and landing.
2:18 p.m. - Here at Kennedy Space Center, astronaut Steve Lindsey is refueling the Shuttle Training Aircraft and will be back in the air shortly, continuing to monitor the weather conditions at the spaceport.
2:04 p.m. - Ken Ham just informed the crew that we've officially waved off the first landing opportunity at Kennedy Space Center, and the second opportunity isn't looking much better, although they haven't ruled it out yet.
+ View Video
"We are going to stay in the deorbit prep check list at this time," Ham explained. "We will likely be setting up our TIG for Edwards," he said, referring to the deorbit burn time for the first Edwards landing opportunity. (TIG stands for "time of ignition.") Of course, this is just for planning; the "go/no-go" decision for the burn won't come for a while. Stay tuned.
2:00 p.m. - Good afternoon. Thanks for joining today's coverage, coming to you from the NASA News Center at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Discovery is set to land today after a complex but successful mission to the International Space Station. There are several landing opportunities today at Kennedy, Edwards Air Force Base in California, and White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. Kennedy is the preferred landing site, but weather is a major concern here this afternoon, with low cloud ceilings, high winds and possible showers threatening to prevent a Florida landing. The forecast for Edwards calls for high winds. So far, White Sands has the best outlook for today's landing. Only one other shuttle flight has landed there, and that was STS-3 on March 30, 1982.
At this time, the Mission Control team in Houston and the crew aboard Discovery are preparing for a deorbit burn at 2:49 p.m., which would bring the spacecraft home to Kennedy at 3:56 p.m., but the final "go/no-go" decision for the burn has not yet been made.
Capcom Ken Ham recently told the crew that the new word to describe the weather situation at Kennedy is "unstable." An area of showers has popped up to the south and is heading north, and could potentially be within the 30-mile landing circle.
Although the forecast is certainly not promising, "we'd like to keep the hope alive for now," Ham said, adding that the crew should hold off on fluid loading for the time being.
The following events took place prior to the start of today's landing coverage:
This afternoon at 12:30 p.m., Discovery's payload bay doors were closed and locked in preparation for landing. Mission Control gave the crew a "go" to transition to the onboard computers' software package that is used for entry and landing.
The crew members began climbing into their orange launch and entry suits at 1:14 p.m. Commander Mark Polansky and Pilot Bill Oefelein were first, followed by Flight Engineer Thomas Reiter of the European Space Agency, and Mission Specialists Robert Curbeam, Joan Higginbotham, Nicholas Patrick and Christer Fuglesang, also of the European Space Agency.
After getting suited up, they took their seats. + View Seating Assignments
Astronaut Steve Lindsey is flying weather reconnaissance at Kennedy in the Shuttle Training Aircraft and relaying weather information in real time to Mission Control. There are astronauts flying weather reconnaissance at the other possible landing sites as well: Dom Gorie at Edwards and Brent Jett at Northrup Strip in White Sands.
5:53 p.m. - Just about 20 minutes after touchdown at Kennedy Space Center, the crew of Discovery has been given the "go" to climb out of their orange launch and entry suits.
5:49 p.m. - Discovery received the go-ahead for APU shutdown. The external tank umbilical doors have been opened.
5:47 p.m. - Discovery has been given the "go" for GPS powerdown.
5:46 p.m. - The side hatch is safed as well.
5:42 p.m.- The Discovery crew reports that the drag chutes are safed.
5:39 p.m. - Here are some official times for this evening's landing: Main gear touchdown took place at 5:32:00 p.m. at a mission elapsed time of 12 days, 20 hours, 44 minutes and 24 seconds. Nose gear touchdown followed 12 seconds later at 5:32:12 p.m. at a mission elapsed time of 12 days, 20 hours, 44 minutes and 36 seconds. Discovery's wheels stopped on the runway at 5:32:52 p.m. at a mission elapsed time of 12 days, 20 hours, 45 minutes and 16 seconds. Discovery and the STS-116 crew traveled 5,330,000 miles during this mission and landed on the 204th orbit.
5:34 p.m. - Comm checks are being performed between Discovery and the landing support convoy at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility. Post-landing safing is under way.
This convoy consists of about 25 specifically designed vehicles or units and a team of about 150 trained personnel who assist the crew in leaving the orbiter, and who "safe" the orbiter, prepare it for towing and then tow the vehicle to the Orbiter Processing Facility. The team that recovers the orbiter is primarily composed of Kennedy Space Center personnel, whether the landing takes place at Kennedy, Edwards Air Force Base or elsewhere.
5:33 p.m. - Wheel stop. Welcome home, Discovery! "Congratulations on what was probably the most complex mission to date," Mission Control said to Commander Mark Polansky for the entire crew.
5:32 p.m. - Main gear is down and locked. ...Main gear touchdown. ...Chute deployed. ...Nose gear touchdown. Discovery is rolling out at sunset on Runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center after a 5.3 million mile mission to the International Space Station.
5:31 p.m. - Altitude 6,000 feet.
5:30 p.m. - Discovery reports that the landing field is in site. Altitutude 11,300 feet.
5:29 p.m. - The shuttle's trademark twin sonic booms just echoed across Kennedy Space Center as we await the return of Discovery on this 13 day mission to the International Space Station.
5:28 p.m. - Commander Mark Polansky is flying Discovery, taking the orbiter out over the water and setting up for the final approach to Runway 15.
5:26 p.m. - Discovery is 86 miles from home.
5:24 p.m. - The crew of the International Space Station is tracking the return of Discovery from a signal sent up from Houston.
5:23 p.m. - There are no issues with weather. So far it's a smooth entry for Discovery, which is now at 104,000 feet. Range to Kennedy Space Center is 120 miles.
5:22 p.m. - Discovery is 125 statute miles from Kennedy and only a little more than nine minutes until touchdown.
5:20 p.m. - During reentry and landing, the orbiter is not powered by engines but instead flies like a high-tech glider, relying first on its steering jets and aerosurfaces to control the airflow around it.
5:19 p.m. - The MILA Tracking station at Kennedy Space Center acquires Discovery about 13 minutes before landing and begins supplying controllers in Houston with voice, data and telemetry communications starting about one minute later. At 11 minutes before touchdown, the orbiter begins receiving navigation signals from the TACAN, the homing beacon and navigation signal at the Shuttle Landing Facility. As Discovery intercepts the heading alignment circle, the first video should become available from the pilot's point-of-view video camera and the orbiter will begin following the curved approach path of the microwave scanning beam landing system. As Discovery crosses directly overhead of the landing facility and out over the Atlantic Ocean, it makes a gradual right turn toward a 7-mile final approach to Runway 15.
5:18 p.m. - Having served its purpose, Discovery's reaction control system has been turned off.
5:17 p.m. - Discovery is now 190,000 feet above Louisiana. Range to Kennedy Space Center is 800 miles.
5:16 p.m. - Discovery is now traveling 11,200 miles per hour and tracking due north of Houston at an altitude of 195,000 feet.
5:15 p.m. - Discovery's atltitude is now 39 statute miles. The spacecraft is traveling 12,600 miles per hour as it crosses into Texas. It's 1,100 statute miles from home at the Kennedy Space Center.
5:12 p.m. - Twenty minutes to touchdown. Discovery will touch down right at sunset at 5:32 p.m.
5:11 p.m. - Discovery is skirting along the edge of the Baja Penninsula. It will continue on a northeasterly course across west Texas. The orbiter is expected to pass about within about 34 miles of Houston, swinging down the Gulf Coast of Mexico, heading toward Kennedy Space Center.
5:06 p.m. - Discovery is traveling 16,300 miles per hour, 25 minutes to touchdown.
5:03 p.m. - The orbiter will perform a series of roll maneuvers, banking first to the right and then to the left to help slow down its speed as it descends toward landing. The first roll is under way now, with the first roll reversal due at about 5:22 p.m.
5:00 p.m. - Discovery has reached entry interface.
4:58 p.m. - The orbiter is approaching the southern tip of the Baja Penninsula from the southwest. Discovery's altitude is 78 statute miles.
4:57 p.m. - In addition to the traditional runway edge and approach light system, the Shuttle Landing Facility has 16 xenon lights that produce 1 billion candlepower with an effective range of 6.2 miles. These are being turned on to light the way for Commander Mark Polansky as he brings Discovery in for a landing.
4:50 p.m. - Discovery is traveling over 16,500 miles per hour and approaching entry interface about nine and a half minutes from now. At entry interface, the orbiter begins to encounter the first effects of the Earth's atmosphere, usually at an altitude of roughly 400,000 feet.
Did You Know?
The first Kennedy Space Center landing was for mission 41-B on Feb. 11, 1984. + Read More
4:42 p.m. - The convey of landing support vehicles is moving to the staging point at the Shuttle Landing Facility.
4:39 p.m. - Surface winds are predicted to be a direct headwind of 16 knots peaking up to 24 knots, but wind from this direction is not considered an issue for landing. The propellant dump took approximately 60 seconds.
4:35 p.m. - The Discovery crew is now maneuvering the shuttle to the best position for landing on Runway 15 at Kennedy. We're less than an hour from touchdown.
4:30 p.m. - And Mission Control confirms a good burn of Discovery's two orbital maneuvering system engines, with no trim required. After nearly two weeks in space, Discovery and crew are headed home to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
4:26 p.m. - DEORBIT BURN! We have two good engines burning as Discovery begins its descent toward home. The burn will last for three minutes and 46 seconds.
4:20 p.m. - In Mission Control, Houston, the poll has been conducted and the Flight Team has given the go for deorbit burn.
"Believe it or not, we're going to give you the go for the deorbit burn," said Capcom Ken Ham to Mark Polansky and his crew aboard Discovery. "We have worked this one as hard as we can and we are pretty confident we are going to keep you clear of clouds and rain."
+ View Video
So after an afternoon of very dynamic weather conditions, Discovery will indeed be returning home to Kennedy Space Center. Deorbit burn will take place at 4:26 p.m. and landing is set for 5:32 p.m.
4:19 p.m. - We are standing by to hear the "go/no-go" decision for the deorbit burn. The burn is coming up at 4:26 p.m., so we should find out shortly if Discovery's crew receives the go-ahead.
4:16 p.m. - Time to deorbit burn: 10 minutes 20 seconds. Flight control is receiving one final weather report. Stay tuned.
4:12 p.m. - The flight control team is continuing to look at the radar, which reveals showers moving towards the Kennedy Space Center. The showers are dissipating as it comes closer to the landing circle, so the discussion centers on whether or not the showers will still be there in an hour and 20 minutes when Discovery would be approaching for landing.
4:10 p.m. - With under 17 minutes left to go before deorbit burn for the Kennedy Space Center, Mission Control is in constant communication with astronaut Steve Lindsey regarding the weather at "the Cape."
4:06 p.m. - The Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy has been cleared of all non-essential personnel.
4:00 p.m. - The runway of choice would be Runway 15 at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility, with an approach from the northwest and a high overhead left hand turn over the water. The landing time for this opportunity, which would come on orbit 203 for the STS-116 mission, would be 5:32 p.m.
3:54 p.m. - Capcom Ken Ham just informed the Discovery crew that they are no-go for Edwards due to winds. New coordinates will be given to the crew shortly for a possible Kennedy landing. Stay tuned.
3:50 p.m. - Pilot Bill Oefelein has been given the "go" for APU (auxiliary power unit) prestart.
3:47 p.m. - At Edwards Air Force Base in California, the landing convoy is beginning to move into position for the possible arrival of shuttle Discovery. Meanwhile, the entry team in Houston is still evaluating the weather at Edwards and at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The main issue with the Florida landing opportunity are the showers within the area, and where they will be at landing time.
3:44 p.m. - As the crew steps through the entry checklist, Mission Control just gave the go-ahead to do a gimble check of Discovery's two orbital maneuvering system engines, which will fire during the deorbit burn.
Did You Know?
If the orbiter lands anywhere other than Kennedy Space Center, it must be ferried back atop the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft to the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy. The mate/demate device at the facility enables the orbiter to be lifted off the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and placed on the runway.
+ Read More
3:24 p.m. - Mission Control is advising the Discovery crew of the preliminary advisory data, or "PAD," for a landing at Edwards. The update includes specific information regarding the engine burn, APU start and mission elapsed time.
3:13 p.m. - In Mission Control, Capcom Ken Ham is giving the crew a weather briefing. The winds at Edwards are becoming more favorable, so they may be able to land there after all. They've also been given the "go" for fluid loading, in which they drink large amounts of fluids to help them re-acclimate to Earth's gravity after landing. Each crew member drinks approximately 32 ounces of fluid -- about eight ounces every fifteen minutes -- and takes salt pills to help increase their fluid volume. Crew members can choose to drink chicken consomme, orange-aid or water.
3:05 p.m. - If we land at Edwards Air Force Base, a ferry flight could take place after about 7 days. A ferry flight from White Sands could result in a turnaround time of 25-45 days.
2:50 p.m. - Out at Edwards, astronaut Dom Gorie is taking off in the Shuttle Training Aircraft to guage the turbulence in the area. He will fly the aircraft, which mimics the flying quality of the space shuttle, to both ends of the runway -- but the anticipation is that the approach to Runway 04 will be the preference for today's landing due to the sun angle at that time.
2:40 p.m. - Yesterday during their final press conference from orbit, Commander Mark Polansky was asked about the possibility of landing in New Mexico. He said, "My wife cares where we land. I believe she and the other families will be going to Florida, and on a personal note it's always nice to go where the families are. And for processing, Florida is best, but besides that, we don't care. There are a lot of things they're supposed to control on the mission, but the weather is one that they can't."
Did You Know
There are six main events in the landing sequence: deorbit burn, entry interface, maximum heating, exit blackout, terminal area and approach and landing.
2:18 p.m. - Here at Kennedy Space Center, astronaut Steve Lindsey is refueling the Shuttle Training Aircraft and will be back in the air shortly, continuing to monitor the weather conditions at the spaceport.
2:04 p.m. - Ken Ham just informed the crew that we've officially waved off the first landing opportunity at Kennedy Space Center, and the second opportunity isn't looking much better, although they haven't ruled it out yet.
+ View Video
"We are going to stay in the deorbit prep check list at this time," Ham explained. "We will likely be setting up our TIG for Edwards," he said, referring to the deorbit burn time for the first Edwards landing opportunity. (TIG stands for "time of ignition.") Of course, this is just for planning; the "go/no-go" decision for the burn won't come for a while. Stay tuned.
2:00 p.m. - Good afternoon. Thanks for joining today's coverage, coming to you from the NASA News Center at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Discovery is set to land today after a complex but successful mission to the International Space Station. There are several landing opportunities today at Kennedy, Edwards Air Force Base in California, and White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. Kennedy is the preferred landing site, but weather is a major concern here this afternoon, with low cloud ceilings, high winds and possible showers threatening to prevent a Florida landing. The forecast for Edwards calls for high winds. So far, White Sands has the best outlook for today's landing. Only one other shuttle flight has landed there, and that was STS-3 on March 30, 1982.
At this time, the Mission Control team in Houston and the crew aboard Discovery are preparing for a deorbit burn at 2:49 p.m., which would bring the spacecraft home to Kennedy at 3:56 p.m., but the final "go/no-go" decision for the burn has not yet been made.
Capcom Ken Ham recently told the crew that the new word to describe the weather situation at Kennedy is "unstable." An area of showers has popped up to the south and is heading north, and could potentially be within the 30-mile landing circle.
Although the forecast is certainly not promising, "we'd like to keep the hope alive for now," Ham said, adding that the crew should hold off on fluid loading for the time being.
The following events took place prior to the start of today's landing coverage:
This afternoon at 12:30 p.m., Discovery's payload bay doors were closed and locked in preparation for landing. Mission Control gave the crew a "go" to transition to the onboard computers' software package that is used for entry and landing.
The crew members began climbing into their orange launch and entry suits at 1:14 p.m. Commander Mark Polansky and Pilot Bill Oefelein were first, followed by Flight Engineer Thomas Reiter of the European Space Agency, and Mission Specialists Robert Curbeam, Joan Higginbotham, Nicholas Patrick and Christer Fuglesang, also of the European Space Agency.
After getting suited up, they took their seats. + View Seating Assignments
Astronaut Steve Lindsey is flying weather reconnaissance at Kennedy in the Shuttle Training Aircraft and relaying weather information in real time to Mission Control. There are astronauts flying weather reconnaissance at the other possible landing sites as well: Dom Gorie at Edwards and Brent Jett at Northrup Strip in White Sands.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Single massive asteroid wiped out dinosaurs: study
A single, gigantic asteroid slammed into Earth 65 million years ago, dooming the dinosaurs and many other species, scientists said on Thursday in a new study rebutting theories that multiple impacts did the deed.
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An examination of rock sediments drilled from five sites at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean strongly supports the notion that one massive hunk of space rock caused the mass extinction, a research team led by University of Missouri-Columbia geology professor Ken MacLeod found.
"It's a completely straightforward, single-impact scenario," MacLeod, whose findings appear in the Geological Society of America Bulletin, said in an interview. "It was a haymaker that nobody saw coming. One shot, and that's all you need to explain it."
Scientists believe that an asteroid about 6 miles wide hurtled to Earth 65.5 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous Period, plunging into what is now Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula to carve out the Chicxulub (pronounced CHIK-shu-loob) crater measuring about 110 miles across.
To put it mildly, it was a bad day to live on Earth.
The impact triggered a worldwide environmental catastrophe, many scientists believe, expelling vast quantities of rock and dust into the sky, unleashing giant tsunamis, sparking global wildfires and leaving Earth shrouded in darkness for years.
The dinosaurs, which had ruled for 160 million years, were wiped out. So were large marine reptiles like the mosasaurs and the plesiosaurs, the flying reptiles known as pterosaurs, the tentacled ammonites that populated the seas and many species of marine plankton. The birds suffered losses but survived.
The mammals made it through as well, allowing these warm-blooded, furry little creatures to eventually dominate the land and ultimately setting the stage for the rise of human beings.
EVIDENCE IN THE ROCK
Evidence of the single-asteroid calamity, in the form of debris from the impact scattered worldwide, is contained in rocks dating back to 65 million years ago.
Scientists 26 years ago found a band of iridium -- a metal rare on Earth but common in meteorites -- dating to the end of the Cretaceous Period that suggested a big space rock had smashed into the Earth and blasted its remains around the globe. The subsequent discovery of the Chicxulub crater, dating to the same time, was hailed by many as the smoking gun.
But a group of researchers led by Princeton University's Gerta Keller has advanced a competing theory that the impact that created the Chicxulub crater actually predated the end of the dinosaurs by 300,000 years and did not cause the mass extinction.
They propose that one or more additional big hunks of space rock later hit the Earth and finished the job, but the impact craters they would have left behind have not yet been found.
MacLeod's team examined sediment drilled far below the sea surface about 2,800 miles from the Yucatan impact site, a location they believed to be ideal. Any rock samples taken too close to the crater may be altered by events that occurred immediately after the impact, like waves, earthquakes and landslides. Samples taken too far away may contain too little debris evidence from the impact.
The samples they examined boasted a telltale layer of impact-related material, but there was none on top or below -- indicating, they argued, there were no other impacts.
Keller said MacLeod's research does not settle the matter.
"Unfortunately, these claims are rather hyper-inflated and do not withstand close examination," Keller said by e-mail.
By Will Dunham
ADVERTISEMENT
An examination of rock sediments drilled from five sites at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean strongly supports the notion that one massive hunk of space rock caused the mass extinction, a research team led by University of Missouri-Columbia geology professor Ken MacLeod found.
"It's a completely straightforward, single-impact scenario," MacLeod, whose findings appear in the Geological Society of America Bulletin, said in an interview. "It was a haymaker that nobody saw coming. One shot, and that's all you need to explain it."
Scientists believe that an asteroid about 6 miles wide hurtled to Earth 65.5 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous Period, plunging into what is now Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula to carve out the Chicxulub (pronounced CHIK-shu-loob) crater measuring about 110 miles across.
To put it mildly, it was a bad day to live on Earth.
The impact triggered a worldwide environmental catastrophe, many scientists believe, expelling vast quantities of rock and dust into the sky, unleashing giant tsunamis, sparking global wildfires and leaving Earth shrouded in darkness for years.
The dinosaurs, which had ruled for 160 million years, were wiped out. So were large marine reptiles like the mosasaurs and the plesiosaurs, the flying reptiles known as pterosaurs, the tentacled ammonites that populated the seas and many species of marine plankton. The birds suffered losses but survived.
The mammals made it through as well, allowing these warm-blooded, furry little creatures to eventually dominate the land and ultimately setting the stage for the rise of human beings.
EVIDENCE IN THE ROCK
Evidence of the single-asteroid calamity, in the form of debris from the impact scattered worldwide, is contained in rocks dating back to 65 million years ago.
Scientists 26 years ago found a band of iridium -- a metal rare on Earth but common in meteorites -- dating to the end of the Cretaceous Period that suggested a big space rock had smashed into the Earth and blasted its remains around the globe. The subsequent discovery of the Chicxulub crater, dating to the same time, was hailed by many as the smoking gun.
But a group of researchers led by Princeton University's Gerta Keller has advanced a competing theory that the impact that created the Chicxulub crater actually predated the end of the dinosaurs by 300,000 years and did not cause the mass extinction.
They propose that one or more additional big hunks of space rock later hit the Earth and finished the job, but the impact craters they would have left behind have not yet been found.
MacLeod's team examined sediment drilled far below the sea surface about 2,800 miles from the Yucatan impact site, a location they believed to be ideal. Any rock samples taken too close to the crater may be altered by events that occurred immediately after the impact, like waves, earthquakes and landslides. Samples taken too far away may contain too little debris evidence from the impact.
The samples they examined boasted a telltale layer of impact-related material, but there was none on top or below -- indicating, they argued, there were no other impacts.
Keller said MacLeod's research does not settle the matter.
"Unfortunately, these claims are rather hyper-inflated and do not withstand close examination," Keller said by e-mail.
By Will Dunham
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Galactic Baby Boom Influenced Life on Earth
The stellar baby boom period of the Milky Way sparked a flowering and crashing of life here on Earth, a new study suggests.
Some 2.4 billion years ago when the Milky Way started upping its star production, cosmic rays--high-speed atomic particles--started pouring onto our planet, causing instability within the living. Populations of bacteria and algae repeatedly soared and crashed in the oceans.
The researchers counted the amount of carbon-13 within sedimentary rocks, the most common rocks exposed on the Earth's surface. When algae and bacteria were growing in the oceans, they took in carbon-12, so the ocean had an abundance of carbon-13.
Many sea creatures use carbon-13 to make their shells. If there is a lot of carbon-13 stored in rocks, it means life, the origin of which is still unknown, was booming. Therefore, variations in carbon-13 are a good indicator of the productivity of life on Earth.
The researchers found that the biggest fluctuation in productivity coincided with star formation, which had an affect on Earth's climate and therefore on the productivity of life on our planet.
According to one theory, when a star explodes far away in the Milky Way, cosmic rays penetrate through the Earth's atmosphere and produce ions and free electrons. The released electrons act as catalysts and accelerate the formation of small clusters of sulfuric acid and water molecules, the building blocks of clouds. Therefore, cosmic rays increase cloud cover on Earth, reflecting sunlight and keeping the planet relatively cool.
Although cold and icy times are generally considered unfriendly to life, the data reveals that biological productivity kept oscillating between very high and very low. The reason, the researchers suggest, is that stronger winds during icy epochs stirred the oceans and improved the supply of nutrients in the surface waters.
"The odds are 10,000-to-1 against this unexpected link between cosmic rays and the variable state of the biosphere being just a coincidence, and it offers a new perspective on the connection between the evolution of the Milky Way and the entire history of life over the last 4 billion years," said study author Henrik Svensmark of the Danish National Space Center.
The study was detailed in a recent issue of the journal Astronomische Nachrichten.
This article is part of SPACE.com's weekly Mystery Monday series.
The Strangest Things in Space
Cosmic Rays Linked to Global Warming
Baffled Scientists Say Less Sunlight Reaching Earth
How Life Began: New Research Suggests Simple Approach
Original Story: Galactic Baby Boom Influenced Life on Earth
Visit SPACE.com and explore our huge collection of Space Pictures, Space Videos, Space Image of the Day, Hot Topics, Top 10s, Multimedia, Trivia, Voting and Amazing Images. Follow the latest developments in the search for life in our universe in our SETI: Search for Life section. Join the community, sign up for our free daily email newsletter, listen to our Podcasts, check out our RSS feeds and other Reader Favorites today!
Sara Goudarzi
Staff Writer
Some 2.4 billion years ago when the Milky Way started upping its star production, cosmic rays--high-speed atomic particles--started pouring onto our planet, causing instability within the living. Populations of bacteria and algae repeatedly soared and crashed in the oceans.
The researchers counted the amount of carbon-13 within sedimentary rocks, the most common rocks exposed on the Earth's surface. When algae and bacteria were growing in the oceans, they took in carbon-12, so the ocean had an abundance of carbon-13.
Many sea creatures use carbon-13 to make their shells. If there is a lot of carbon-13 stored in rocks, it means life, the origin of which is still unknown, was booming. Therefore, variations in carbon-13 are a good indicator of the productivity of life on Earth.
The researchers found that the biggest fluctuation in productivity coincided with star formation, which had an affect on Earth's climate and therefore on the productivity of life on our planet.
According to one theory, when a star explodes far away in the Milky Way, cosmic rays penetrate through the Earth's atmosphere and produce ions and free electrons. The released electrons act as catalysts and accelerate the formation of small clusters of sulfuric acid and water molecules, the building blocks of clouds. Therefore, cosmic rays increase cloud cover on Earth, reflecting sunlight and keeping the planet relatively cool.
Although cold and icy times are generally considered unfriendly to life, the data reveals that biological productivity kept oscillating between very high and very low. The reason, the researchers suggest, is that stronger winds during icy epochs stirred the oceans and improved the supply of nutrients in the surface waters.
"The odds are 10,000-to-1 against this unexpected link between cosmic rays and the variable state of the biosphere being just a coincidence, and it offers a new perspective on the connection between the evolution of the Milky Way and the entire history of life over the last 4 billion years," said study author Henrik Svensmark of the Danish National Space Center.
The study was detailed in a recent issue of the journal Astronomische Nachrichten.
This article is part of SPACE.com's weekly Mystery Monday series.
The Strangest Things in Space
Cosmic Rays Linked to Global Warming
Baffled Scientists Say Less Sunlight Reaching Earth
How Life Began: New Research Suggests Simple Approach
Original Story: Galactic Baby Boom Influenced Life on Earth
Visit SPACE.com and explore our huge collection of Space Pictures, Space Videos, Space Image of the Day, Hot Topics, Top 10s, Multimedia, Trivia, Voting and Amazing Images. Follow the latest developments in the search for life in our universe in our SETI: Search for Life section. Join the community, sign up for our free daily email newsletter, listen to our Podcasts, check out our RSS feeds and other Reader Favorites today!
Sara Goudarzi
Staff Writer
Thursday, October 19, 2006
New image gives insight into colliding galaxies
A seemingly violent collision of two galaxies is in fact a fertile marriage that has birthed billions of new stars, and an image released on Tuesday gives astronomers their best view yet.
The new image of the Antennae galaxies allows astronomers working with the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope to distinguish between new stars and the star clusters that form them.
Most of these clusters, created in the collision of the two galaxies, will disperse within 10 million years but about 100 of the largest will grow into "globular clusters" -- large groups of stars found in many galaxies, including our own Milky Way.
The Antennae galaxies, 68 million light years from Earth, began to fuse 500 million years ago.
A light year is the distance light waves travel in one year -- about 6 trillion miles.
The image serves as a preview for the Milky Way's likely collision with the nearby Andromeda Galaxy, about 6 billion years from now.
Reuters
Friday, October 13, 2006
Nobel Prize in Literature: Turkish author Orhan Pamuk wins
Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk, author of "My Name is Red", "Snow" and half-a-dozen other novels, won the Nobel Literature Prize for a body of work that probes the crossroads of Muslim and Western cultures.
The Swedish Academy said Pamuk "in the quest for the melancholic soul of his native city (Istanbul) has discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures."
Pamuk said he was honored to be awarded the prize.
"It's such a great honor, such a great pleasure," Pamuk told journalists at Columbia University in New York, where he studied as a visiting scholar in the 1980s. "I'm very happy about the prize."
The boyish Turkish author, who is now a fellow at Columbia, said the award was a cause for celebration not just for him, but his country and culture.
"I think that this is first of all an honour bestowed upon the Turkish language, Turkish culture, Turkey and also recognition of my labours ... my humble devotion to that great art of the novel," he said.
The 54-year-old writer is Turkey's best-known author at home and abroad, but also a political rebel whose pronouncements on his country's history have put its respect for freedom of expression under the international spotlight.
"In his home country, Pamuk has a reputation as a social commentator even though he sees himself principally a fiction writer with no political agenda," the Nobel jury noted.
Turkey's decades-old striving to become European -- characterized by clashes between Islam and secularism, tradition and modernity -- along with the painful impact of an aggressive Westernization after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, permeate Pamuk's writing.
Pamuk was the first author in the Muslim world to publicly condemn the 1989 fatwa against Salman Rushdie, and he took a stand for his Turkish colleague Yasar Kemal when the latter was put on trial in 1995.
Pamuk himself faced prosecution after telling a Swiss newspaper last year that 30,000 Kurds and one million Armenians had been killed during World War I under the Ottoman Turks.
The charges against him sparked widespread international protest, and were dropped earlier this year.
Just hours before the Swedish Academy made its announcement, the French lower house of parliament approved a bill making it a punishable offence to deny that the massacre of Armenians constituted genocide.
He declined to be drawn by reporters' questions on the issue on Thursday.
"This is a time for celebration, for enjoying this, rather than making political comments," he told journalists.
When pushed, he said: "This is a day for celebration, for being positive. I have lots of critical energy deep in me but I'm not going to express it today."
Joy at his achievement was particularly effusive in Turkey.
"It is great happiness for us all that a Turkish writer has won such a prestigious award," Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told reporters.
And French President Jacques Chirac added his voice to the congratulations, saying he was "delighted" Pamuk had won the prize and that his "reflection on society is... intelligent, strong and liberal".
Pamuk is the first Turk to win the prestigious prize, and had been rumoured as one of the frontrunners this year.
A chain-smoker, he mostly shuns the public eye, writing for long hours in an Istanbul flat overlooking the bridge over the Bosphorus linking Europe and Asia.
Born in 1952 into a prosperous, secular family, Pamuk was intent on becoming a painter in his youth. He studied architecture at Istanbul Technical University but later turned to writing and studied journalism in Istanbul.
He published his prize-winning first novel, "Cevdet Bey and His Sons", in 1982, a family chronicle in which he describes the shift from a traditional Ottoman family environment to a more Western lifestyle.
His second novel, "The House of Silence", came out in 1983, but it was his third book, "The White Castle", published two years later, that gave him an international reputation.
Structured as a historical novel set in 17th century Istanbul, it is "on a symbolic level, the European novel captured then allied with an alien culture," the Swedish Academy said.
With the 2000 book "My Name is Red" -- a love story, murder mystery and discussion on the role of individuality in art -- Pamuk explores the relationship between East and West, describing an artist's different relationship to his work in each culture.
His latest novel is the critically-acclaimed "Snow", set in Turkey's border town of Kars, once a border city between the Ottoman and Russian empires.
"The novel becomes a tale of love and poetic creativity just as it knowledgeably describes the political and religious conflicts that characterise Turkish society of our day," the Academy commented.
Pamuk will take home the prize sum of 10 million kronor (1.07 million euros, 1.37 million dollars).
He will receive the Nobel Prize, which also consists of a gold medal and a diploma, from Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf at a formal ceremony in Stockholm on December 10.
by Pia Ohlin
The Swedish Academy said Pamuk "in the quest for the melancholic soul of his native city (Istanbul) has discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures."
Pamuk said he was honored to be awarded the prize.
"It's such a great honor, such a great pleasure," Pamuk told journalists at Columbia University in New York, where he studied as a visiting scholar in the 1980s. "I'm very happy about the prize."
The boyish Turkish author, who is now a fellow at Columbia, said the award was a cause for celebration not just for him, but his country and culture.
"I think that this is first of all an honour bestowed upon the Turkish language, Turkish culture, Turkey and also recognition of my labours ... my humble devotion to that great art of the novel," he said.
The 54-year-old writer is Turkey's best-known author at home and abroad, but also a political rebel whose pronouncements on his country's history have put its respect for freedom of expression under the international spotlight.
"In his home country, Pamuk has a reputation as a social commentator even though he sees himself principally a fiction writer with no political agenda," the Nobel jury noted.
Turkey's decades-old striving to become European -- characterized by clashes between Islam and secularism, tradition and modernity -- along with the painful impact of an aggressive Westernization after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, permeate Pamuk's writing.
Pamuk was the first author in the Muslim world to publicly condemn the 1989 fatwa against Salman Rushdie, and he took a stand for his Turkish colleague Yasar Kemal when the latter was put on trial in 1995.
Pamuk himself faced prosecution after telling a Swiss newspaper last year that 30,000 Kurds and one million Armenians had been killed during World War I under the Ottoman Turks.
The charges against him sparked widespread international protest, and were dropped earlier this year.
Just hours before the Swedish Academy made its announcement, the French lower house of parliament approved a bill making it a punishable offence to deny that the massacre of Armenians constituted genocide.
He declined to be drawn by reporters' questions on the issue on Thursday.
"This is a time for celebration, for enjoying this, rather than making political comments," he told journalists.
When pushed, he said: "This is a day for celebration, for being positive. I have lots of critical energy deep in me but I'm not going to express it today."
Joy at his achievement was particularly effusive in Turkey.
"It is great happiness for us all that a Turkish writer has won such a prestigious award," Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told reporters.
And French President Jacques Chirac added his voice to the congratulations, saying he was "delighted" Pamuk had won the prize and that his "reflection on society is... intelligent, strong and liberal".
Pamuk is the first Turk to win the prestigious prize, and had been rumoured as one of the frontrunners this year.
A chain-smoker, he mostly shuns the public eye, writing for long hours in an Istanbul flat overlooking the bridge over the Bosphorus linking Europe and Asia.
Born in 1952 into a prosperous, secular family, Pamuk was intent on becoming a painter in his youth. He studied architecture at Istanbul Technical University but later turned to writing and studied journalism in Istanbul.
He published his prize-winning first novel, "Cevdet Bey and His Sons", in 1982, a family chronicle in which he describes the shift from a traditional Ottoman family environment to a more Western lifestyle.
His second novel, "The House of Silence", came out in 1983, but it was his third book, "The White Castle", published two years later, that gave him an international reputation.
Structured as a historical novel set in 17th century Istanbul, it is "on a symbolic level, the European novel captured then allied with an alien culture," the Swedish Academy said.
With the 2000 book "My Name is Red" -- a love story, murder mystery and discussion on the role of individuality in art -- Pamuk explores the relationship between East and West, describing an artist's different relationship to his work in each culture.
His latest novel is the critically-acclaimed "Snow", set in Turkey's border town of Kars, once a border city between the Ottoman and Russian empires.
"The novel becomes a tale of love and poetic creativity just as it knowledgeably describes the political and religious conflicts that characterise Turkish society of our day," the Academy commented.
Pamuk will take home the prize sum of 10 million kronor (1.07 million euros, 1.37 million dollars).
He will receive the Nobel Prize, which also consists of a gold medal and a diploma, from Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf at a formal ceremony in Stockholm on December 10.
by Pia Ohlin
Nobel Peace Prize: Yunus, Grameen Bank win
Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus and the bank he founded won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for pioneering the use of microcredit, the extension of small loans to benefit poor entrepreneurs.
Grameen Bank has been instrumental in helping millions of poor Bangladeshis, many of them women, improve their standard of living by letting them borrow tiny sums to start businesses.
Loans go toward buying items such as cows to start a dairy, chickens for an egg business, or cell phones to start businesses where villagers who have no access to phones pay a small fee to make calls.
"Lasting peace can not be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty," the Nobel Committee said.
Yunus said the award was "great news" for his homeland.
"I am so so happy," Yunus told The Associated Press when reached by telephone at his Dhaka home shortly after the prize was announced.
Yunus founded Grameen Bank in 1976, after lending $27 out of his pocket to help 42 women in Bangladesh buy weaving stools.
"They got the weaving stools quickly, they started to weave quickly and they repaid him quickly," said Ole Danbolt Mjoes, chairman of the committee.
"Yunus and Grameen Bank have shown that even the poorest of the poor can work to bring about their own development," the Nobel Committee said in its citation.
Today the bank claims to have 6.6 million borrowers, 97 percent of whom are women, and provides services in more than 70,000 villages in Bangladesh. Its model of micro-financing has inspired similar efforts around the world.
"At GB, credit is a cost effective weapon to fight poverty and it serves as a catalyst in the overall development of socio-economic conditions of the poor who have been kept outside the banking orbit on the ground that they are poor and hence not bankable," the committee said.
Yunus and the bank will share in the $1.4 million prize as well as a gold medal and diploma.
The peace prize was the sixth and last Nobel prize announced this year. The others, for physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and economics, were announced in Stockholm, Sweden.
By DOUG MELLGREN
Grameen Bank has been instrumental in helping millions of poor Bangladeshis, many of them women, improve their standard of living by letting them borrow tiny sums to start businesses.
Loans go toward buying items such as cows to start a dairy, chickens for an egg business, or cell phones to start businesses where villagers who have no access to phones pay a small fee to make calls.
"Lasting peace can not be achieved unless large population groups find ways in which to break out of poverty," the Nobel Committee said.
Yunus said the award was "great news" for his homeland.
"I am so so happy," Yunus told The Associated Press when reached by telephone at his Dhaka home shortly after the prize was announced.
Yunus founded Grameen Bank in 1976, after lending $27 out of his pocket to help 42 women in Bangladesh buy weaving stools.
"They got the weaving stools quickly, they started to weave quickly and they repaid him quickly," said Ole Danbolt Mjoes, chairman of the committee.
"Yunus and Grameen Bank have shown that even the poorest of the poor can work to bring about their own development," the Nobel Committee said in its citation.
Today the bank claims to have 6.6 million borrowers, 97 percent of whom are women, and provides services in more than 70,000 villages in Bangladesh. Its model of micro-financing has inspired similar efforts around the world.
"At GB, credit is a cost effective weapon to fight poverty and it serves as a catalyst in the overall development of socio-economic conditions of the poor who have been kept outside the banking orbit on the ground that they are poor and hence not bankable," the committee said.
Yunus and the bank will share in the $1.4 million prize as well as a gold medal and diploma.
The peace prize was the sixth and last Nobel prize announced this year. The others, for physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and economics, were announced in Stockholm, Sweden.
By DOUG MELLGREN
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Nobel Economie Prize: Jobs and Inflation
An American economist who developed theories about unemployment that better capture how workers and companies make decisions about jobs has been named winner of the 2006 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.
Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts Edmund S. Phelps, a professor at Columbia University in New York, was cited yesterday for research into the relationship between inflation and unemployment, giving governments better tools to formulate economic policy.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which announced Phelps's selection in Stockholm, said in its citation that his work ``has fundamentally altered our views on how the macroeconomy operates."
Americans have swept all the Nobels disclosed so far this year, with Phelps being the sixth named for one of the prestigious awards. The economics prize carries an award of $1.4 million.
The winner of the Nobel for literature will be unveiled Thursday, followed by the peace prize on Friday.
Phelps said he had waited for the award for a long time, but wasn't expecting it this year. ``I thought for a time I would get it in my 60s, then I thought I would get it in my 70s, and, more recently, I've been thinking that I would get it in my 80s," he said.
The Swedish academy cited research by Phelps that challenged the view that there was a predictable tradeoff between inflation and unemployment. That view held that any government wanting to reduce joblessness by stimulating the economy would have to tolerate rising prices.
Phelps argued that this view didn't take workers' or companies' decision-making into account, and his research showed that their expectations about both unemployment and inflation affected their actions.
Edmund S. Phelps
Edmund S. Phelps became the first solo winner of the economics prize since 1999.
Age: 73
Education: Bachelor's degree from Amherst College, 1955; master's degree from Yale University, 1956; and PhD from Yale, 1959.
What he does now: Director of Columbia University's Center on Capitalism and Society, now part of the Earth Institute headed by former Harvard University economics professor Jeffrey Sachs.
His theory: Phelps looked at the relationship between inflation and unemployment and showed there is a "natural" rate of unemployment, below which inflation pressures are likely to intensify.
Why his work matters: His theories led to increased vigilance against inflation at the Federal Reserve and other major central banks.
By Associated Press
Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts Edmund S. Phelps, a professor at Columbia University in New York, was cited yesterday for research into the relationship between inflation and unemployment, giving governments better tools to formulate economic policy.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which announced Phelps's selection in Stockholm, said in its citation that his work ``has fundamentally altered our views on how the macroeconomy operates."
Americans have swept all the Nobels disclosed so far this year, with Phelps being the sixth named for one of the prestigious awards. The economics prize carries an award of $1.4 million.
The winner of the Nobel for literature will be unveiled Thursday, followed by the peace prize on Friday.
Phelps said he had waited for the award for a long time, but wasn't expecting it this year. ``I thought for a time I would get it in my 60s, then I thought I would get it in my 70s, and, more recently, I've been thinking that I would get it in my 80s," he said.
The Swedish academy cited research by Phelps that challenged the view that there was a predictable tradeoff between inflation and unemployment. That view held that any government wanting to reduce joblessness by stimulating the economy would have to tolerate rising prices.
Phelps argued that this view didn't take workers' or companies' decision-making into account, and his research showed that their expectations about both unemployment and inflation affected their actions.
Edmund S. Phelps
Edmund S. Phelps became the first solo winner of the economics prize since 1999.
Age: 73
Education: Bachelor's degree from Amherst College, 1955; master's degree from Yale University, 1956; and PhD from Yale, 1959.
What he does now: Director of Columbia University's Center on Capitalism and Society, now part of the Earth Institute headed by former Harvard University economics professor Jeffrey Sachs.
His theory: Phelps looked at the relationship between inflation and unemployment and showed there is a "natural" rate of unemployment, below which inflation pressures are likely to intensify.
Why his work matters: His theories led to increased vigilance against inflation at the Federal Reserve and other major central banks.
By Associated Press
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