Binary Systems Capable of Creating Planets

This article talks about the fact that it appears that binary star systems are not only capable but likely to have planets. Previously it was thought that such systems would clear away the debris needed for planets to form. Instead it appears that such systems may have even more dust, and hence a greater possibility to create planets, than normal single star systems. This is also the first time that planetary nurseries (the gas disks) have been studied. The number found around the stars had raised general hopws about the possibility of planets in general, not just ones around binary systems. It may be that when we do find life, its version of a normal solar system could quite possibly be a little different than ours.

Radar Estimates Volume of Water on Mars

http://www.ccnmag.com/news.php?id=4981

With the help of MARSIS, the first topographic map of the sub surface of mars has been created. This map has shown significant amounts of ice. The MARSIS has shown that much of the South Polar region of mars contains ice. Scientists have now estimated that mars contains 1.6 million cubic kilometers of ice.

Phoenix Lander and Future Scout Missions

This article outlines the new NASA probe Phoenix, and talks about its goals and mission plans. Later on in the article though is some more information on upcoming rovers. Phoenix is apparently going to be a stationary platform, whereas the next probe in the Mars Scout series will be the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). This rover will be three times as heavy as Spirit and Opportunity and twice as long! That's pretty cool.

Humans go to Mars?!

This article is about how right now the International Space Station is getting people ready by keeping them in space for six months, the time it takes to get to Mars. Read more about it!

Do We Really Understand Gravity?

Scientists are set to study old data from the Pioneer 10 and 11 missions in order to resolve an old discrepancy. This article discusses the anomaly discovered during those missions which seem to not match what is currently understood about gravity. Once the spacecraft finished their missions and began moving out of the solar system, it was noted that they appear to be traveling slower away from the sun than gravity should predict. No one knows why this would happen. Some people think analyzing the data will yield a new understanding of gravity. Others think that we will find a conventional explanation. Either way, scientists are now set to go through the data after exhaustively recovering the old data off of archived magnetic tapes. Scientists are also interesting in tracking New Horizons once it finishes its mission around Pluto to see if they can see this same effect in a more modern spacecraft. This would prove that the anomaly is real rather than a result of bad data, which the truly skeptic scientists have proposed.

Mars Odyssey mission status

http://www.avionews.com/index.php?corpo=see_news_home.php&news_id=1071652&pagina_chiamante=index.php

Engineers at Nasa are currently examining the backup system on the Mars Odyssey. The backup system has never had to be used in course of the six year mission, but now engineers are trying to determine if the backup system could still be used, if it was needed. New reports have suggested that the power supply to the backup system has stopped working. Because of this, engineers are now trying to figure out a way to restore the power supply to the backup system.

How the Red Planet Got 2 Faces

http://space.newscientist.com/article/mg19325965.300-how-the-red-planet-got-two-faces.html

Scientists now think that mars' lopsidedness could be explained by the fact that the planet was struck by an asteroid. Computer models show that an asteroid could have caused the depression in the northern hemisphere if it struck the planet in a "glancing blow". It was determined that it could not have been a direct hit because that would have caused massive lava flows that would have erased any sign of an impact.

Russian Orbiter To Study Phobos Composition

In the recent news about Russia and China cooperating, there is information regarding the actual Russian mars probe that will be launched, whose mission is to land on Phobos and return with dirt samples. The Chinese probe will analyze the Martian 'space environment'. And even though Phobos is just an asteroid, it'll still be kinda cool to have martian lunar rocks.

Finding Earth-like Planets

This article is a response to a previous longer article about the probability of life elsewhere in the universe. It does a good job of summing up the issues and discussing what we are doing about trying to find aliens. Well, more like finding hospitable planets that could have aliens, but close enough. The author mentions that both the Hubble and COROT telescopes are set to analyze the atmospheres of planets outside the solar system. So far only huge planets have been looked at, but the goal is to start looking at planets that are more likely to be Earth-like. (If you cannot access the article, NY Times has made Times Select free for all college students, so just google "NY Times Select college" and you can sign up. It's impossible to find on teh website otherwise.)

Robert Zubrin at his best

So Robert Zubrin thinks we can make a breathable atmosphere on Mars in about 1,000 years.

Shooting Stars.. Build your own Astrophotography Camera!

Well the title says it all, check out the latest How 2.0 from PopSci

Did Probes Find Martian Life... or Kill it Off?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16516952/

2 probes that visited mars approximately 30 years ago may have killed living microbes. The probes were looking for another form of life and it is possible that they did not recognize that they had found the living microbes. The probe was looking for life that was similar to life on earth, but nasa now believes it is possible that the probe found hydrogen peroxide-based life. A Mars mission is planned for this summer that will test to see if the hydrogen peroxide- based life really exists.

NASA Engineers Work on New Spacesuits

http://www.happynews.com/news/3242007/nasa-engineers-work-new-spacesuits.htm

NASA is trying to design new spacesuits that would be suitable for use on the spacestation, the moon, and mars. The spacesuit much function in very low and high temperatures, shield the astronaut from radiation, and function with very little power. Scientists hope that the new spacesuits will be smaller and lighter than those that have been used previously. NASA is hoping to have the first prototype completed by 2010 and have them ready for use in 2014.

New Supply Software to Help Keep Astronauts Alive and Working

It would appear we've gained yet another bit of technology we will need in order to actually go to Mars. This article announces the creation of resource management software. Basically, this software keeps track of what should be sent off planet in order to keep a mission as well supplied as possible. It ranks different items as more necessary than others, so that astronauts would not run out of necessities like food and have a dozen spare parts they may or may not need. The software is currently only designed for lunar missions, but they intend to add a Martian version soon. The logistics of supplying Mars are a little bit more extensive than the Moon, since the Moon is only three days away by spaceship rather than years away. The purpose of the software is to help plan for the proposed back to the Moon lander missions, but we'll see if we ever really get there.

Orion Spaceship In the Works

This article discusses the progress that has been made on the new Orion spaceship which will replace the shuttle. While not much about the spaceship is mentioned, the article explains how the proposed vehicle is now back within weight specifications and a prototype is soon to be built for testing. The actual spaceship has been delayed by a year to not launch until 2015 at the earliest due to decreased funding. Now that a prototype is in the works, other scientists are now working on the new Ares I and V rockets which will propel the new spacecraft. The Ares I rockets will be used for nearby and lower weight missions like going to the space shuttle, while the Ares V rockets are intended to lift heavy cargo and landers. This work has only just begun in computer simulation, so the rockets will not be ready to go for a while.

New Space Shield May Help Make Mars Mission Reality

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/03/070323-space-shields.html

Scientists are very close to creating a new material that would shield astronauts from deep space radiation. The new material is a graphite nanofiber, and it is much later than the materials that are using to shield radiation here on earth. This nanofiber will be enriched with hydrogen, because when the large, high energy particles strike the shields particles are ejected and hydrogen is the lightest of all the elements, and therefore the least dangerous.

Nasa Scientists and Teachers To Study Mars in the Mojave Desert

http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/NASA_Scientists_And_Teachers_To_Study_Mars_In_The_Mojave_Desert_999.html

From March 25-30, Nasa scientists will take 40 teachers to the Mojave Desert to study microbes the live there. Scientists believe that the inhospitable environment in the Mojave desert is very much like that of the moon and mars. The teachers and scientists will study how microbes and chemical oxidants have effected the formation of the soil. They will use hot air balloons to test new remote-sensing equipment.

NASA to closes Niac

NASA is posed to close down the NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts, a program that has come up with bizzare and ultimately useful concepts that are shocking (like flying robots and space elevators). Niac has come up with some of the ideas that have enables NASA to launch some of its missions, and is being closed due to a lack of funds. The money is instead being spent to fund the ambitious trips to the moon and Mars.

Mechanized Explorers Study the Depths and Chemistry of Mars

This article put out by the US Info Service (apparently a branch of the government) gives a very brief but insightful overview of the mechanical exploration done by the US and other world powers on Mars, including rovers and orbiters. It provides a certain amount of unity for all the big events and objectives for exploring Mars.

the methane sniffing plane...

here is an article about a methane sniffing plane that NASA is creating to possibly find the source of methane gas on Mars... Read more

Sending seeds to Mars

This article is just a basic article about what it would mean to start doing more research into the eventual ability to terraform the Martian surface. Ive been looking into this subject and this article raises questions about the ability and the way Mars would be terraformed. There is even a Martian Terraforming Society on the web that contains more technical articles about the ways this would be done.

Mars Caves Revealed in Images

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/03/19/marscave_spa.html?category=space&guid=20070319164530&dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000

New photos haave shown 7 caves around the base of one of Mars' volcanoes. These caves openings range in size from 330 ft to 830 ft and it is speculated that these caves may extend more than 400 feet below the surface of the planet. Scientists claim that these caves are very important because they could have provided shelter to past life on the planet. These caves might also be harboring preserved evidence of past life.

drilling cores on Mars

This is an article from The Mars Journal about drilling core samples in hard rocks. Its pretty technical, but it does demonstrate some of the difficulties of operating on Mars that we just don't consider. In this paper, the discussion on the types and effectiveness of drill bits on Mars is prompted by the recognition that the atmosphere and gravity on Mars will make pneumatic devices, or liquid coolants tricky if not impossible. I wouldn't recommend reading the whole article, but the first two pages are relatively interesting.

New info from the Sun

Launched September of last year, Solar-B, renamed Hinode (Japanese for "sunrise"), is the result of a combined Japanese and American effort to study the Sun. Hinode uses instruments that we have talked about in class, and has recorded never-before-seen effects from the sun. There will be a live discussion of these effects tomorrow, March 21st. For more about the Hinode, click here?

Where to Find Underground Water on Mars

This team from the University of Arkansas created an artificial Martian environment in which they placed layers of ice under different types of Martian soil, and at different depths, and simulated the Martian atmosphere and temperature to determine possible evaporation rates and the better places to look for underground water.

Mars' South Pole and Water

This article sums up what we now know about the Martian south pole. The layers of ice have proven deeper than expected indicating that Mars has more water than previously thought. Scientists mapped the ice using radar, so they are very confident of the results. They also now have a pretty good idea of what the surface below the ice is like. All in all, the mission has added a bit more data to the puzzle of life on Mars. Now we know for sure where a lot of the water went when things got cooler. We're just not yet sure what the water was doing before.

Water and Sulfur in Mars' soil

Through a complete accident, Spirit, has discovered water in the soil of mars according to this article. Spirit essentially tripped on soil it then found to have water bound to minerals in it. The rover tripped, because this area was softer than expected and it sank. In the process of getting unstuck, Spirit got some of the soil trapped in its wheels. Over the long Martian winter, when the rover has to stay mostly dormant and immobile, Spirit had lots of time to examine it unexpected companion. Scientists do not know exactly why the soil has water in it, but it proves Mars once had some form of flowing water. The two best guesses so far are that the soil marks an ancient gas vent or groundwater well. More discoveries of this type of soil will eventually explain which theory is correct.

Way To Go!

Observers of Mars and Mercury will use the crescent moon to find the two in the sky... read how to here.

An Addition

Here is another article about the Urey.. this article has a nice little picture with it.

the Urey

NASA-funded researchers are developing a machine that would be able to detect life on Mars. It's called the Urey: Mars Organic and Oxidant Detector. The European Space Agency is planning to put the Urey on its ExoMars rover that will launch in 2013. From a spoon full of Mars soil ground into fine powder, the Urey will "detect key molecules associated with life at a sensitivity roughly a million times greated than previous". It will not only detect the molecules but it will measure how long it takes Mars to "erase" those "molecular clues". Specifically the Urey will look at amino acids. It has a way to detect the abundance of the different forms of amino acids. If there is a 50/50 ratio of both forms, then we know that the amino acids were produced non-biologically, but if there is a very uneven ratio, then it points to a biological source. Read more here.

Space Rock Visits Earth Unexpectedly

A meteorite smashed through the window of a residential home last Monday. According to this article the rock appears to be a genuine meteorite. Usually such rocks are wuite terrestrial, but scientists are pretty sure this one came from somewhere other than Earth. While it makes perfect sense that a meteorite might land in a less than ideal place, until this article, I never thought about it. I suppose that the occurrence is so rare, that there is nothing to worry about. But still, it must have been quite exciting to have a meteorite smash into your house, even if its not that much different than a regular rock.

Pluto a Planet Again...Kind Of

This article while not interesting to read, is a hilarious thing to be doing. The state of new Mexico apparently objected to Pluto being demoted to dwarf planet, and has now passed legislature declaring that it is a planet. They've even declared March 13th to be Pluto Planet Day. How insane are these people? Declaring that Pluto is a planet does not make it one. At least when tomatoes were legally declared vegetables there were import tax reasons for the decision. Pluto's status does not effect anything so logical. In fact, it does not really matter what type of planet Pluto is. What I find funniest about this action on the part of New Mexico is that it achieves absolutely nothing. this is not going to make scientists suddenly reverse their decision. All New Mexico did was make a legislative protest, and in so doing, they made themselves look ridiculous.

A Good Feeling

This article is about the world's first woman astronaut who says she won't mind a one-way ticket to Mars. She's coming up on her 70th birthday. Hope her wish comes true!

Evaportie Minerals Left by Seeps not Oceans

New studies suggest that some of the minerals found in Meridiani Planum are not from oceans after all, but instead from the evaporation of seeps or springs coming out of the ground. While this indicates that there was groundwater flow, and could mean that there is still groundwater deep down, also doesn't mean that there were never oceans. It merely means that there wasn't an ocean there. To me, I think that knowing there was significant groundwater is more important than ancient oceans, mainly because oceans are obviously gone, but groundwater could still be present.

Mars is not our Only Hope for Finding Life

This article discusses a technology that is not applicable to Mars, but it is very interesting. It is DEPTHX, a deep sea probe. This probe has the possibility of going off-planet to explore oceanic places like Jupiter's moon, Europa. What is very extraordinary about the probe is that it is completely autonomous. It uses its own sonar and radar to build a map that it can use itself to navigate deep underwater. The probe also has an appendage for grasping things of interest and moving them into one of its holding tanks for further research. A microscope and camera are onboard to allow DEPTHX to do its own investigations. The probe cannot currently look for life, but researchers intend to add such features to any version leaving Earth. We may fail to find life on Mars, but researchers are quite hopeful about other places in the solar system.

Earth View Deprivation also another concern?

Whenever people have been in space, they've been able to see earth. Maybe not for a few days when there's no windows, but they know its there. So what happens when that one object we always thought would be there isn't? Some people think it'll take its toll on astronauts. This article talks about how a base on the lunar pole in a crater would be a great controlled test site for seeing what happens, because they can't see earth for months at a time, and would only be able to look up into a vast nothingness while looking down at dusty old rocks.

Bigger, Badder, and Plutonium Powered

The new rover NASA is sending to Mars in September of 2009 is going to be the biggest and most powerful robotic system they have yet sent. Not only does it have a yet untested landing method it will also be nuclear powered. This is crazy and going to be able to do a lot. Check out the MSL.

Opportunity's Odometer Reachers Ten Thousand Meters

http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/mission/rover_update.html

On February 7th, Opportunity had covered 6 miles on mars' surface, more than 17 times the distance it was originally supposed to cover. The rover has been on mars for nearly 2 years. The rover is studying a crater that gives further proof that water existed on mars at one time. The rover is also collecting rocks that offer more information about the composition of the planet.

Intelligent life on Mars Uses Quantum Physics to hide

Intelligent life on Mars Uses Quantum Physics to hide. I cant tell whether this article is a joke or whether the author is a loony, but it is very entertaining. The author claims that we have found nothing but rock on Mars due to a difference in scientific method between us and them. When we try to observe the Martians they are the ones really observing us.

more evidence for water on Mars

There have been more photos released that provide evidence for water underneath the Martian surface. The rocks in Candor Chasma has evidence of long term "chemical altering" from flowing water. There are not that many pictures in this article but they give sources to get them.

Space flight lame, Mars great idea

So, this columnist for the Washington Post sure has some negative stuff to say about space flights. He feels the space station is almost completely useless. But, on the other hand, that trips to the moon are good, and that trips to Mars are even better. Why? Because they are a destination. They are a goal that can lead to further scientific knowledge and possibly new technologies and further understanding of Earth. I thought that's what we were doing in the ISS too, but, what do I know.

Transformers Anyone?

This article is like childhood all over again. Apparently some researchers at USC have created a robot which can form itself out of other robots. So it's really a bunch of robots that link together when they need to do something. Sound familiar? To me, it sounds a lot like the transformers from when we were growing up (I think the show might even still be on), but these things actually work. As a sign of faith, the researchers scored $8 million to continue their research. The idea is that these little guys will replace the rovers on Mars, and elsewhere. They can join together to act as a rover, and then do other things when they're done getting around. If this works, it means a greater variety of research could be carried out, since the robots have more versatility. It would also apparently just increase the number of scientific tools we could send up, because currently we take up a lot of space sending redundant parts. This is why the rovers last so long. These robots are all identical, so they are inherently each others spare. This idea is very interesting to me, and obviously to a lot of other people or they would not be getting so much funding.