Picking the landing spot for the next Mars rover is down to four finalists
Picking the landing spot for the next Mars rover: down to four finalists.
Picking the landing spot for the next Mars rover: down to four finalists.
Tag: science
Picking the landing spot for the next Mars rover is down to four finalists
Kepler tracks the tiny light variations and oscillations of 500 stars
Kepler does asteroseismology on 500 sunlike stars. The data says that the theories of star formation need to be revised.
Kepler does asteroseismology on 500 sunlike stars. The data says that the theories of star formation need to be revised.
A galaxy eats a star
Nyiragongo Crater: Journey to the Center of the World
Walking in Nyiragongo Crater in Africa. The pictures are stupendous.
Walking in Nyiragongo Crater in Africa. The pictures are stupendous.
Hot time on the ol’ Sun tonight!
After literally years of inactivity, well below all initial predictions, the Sun truly came to life this past month. Below is the March monthly update of the Sun’s sunspot cycle, published by NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. The red curve is the prediction, while the dotted black line shows the actual activity.
As you can see, the Sun’s sunspot activity shot up precipitously. Though I don’t have the data from past years, the March jump appears to me to probably be one of the fastest monthly rises ever recorded.
Does this mean the newest prediction from the solar scientists at the Marshall Space Flight Center calling for a weak solar maximum in 2013 is wrong? Probably not, though of course in this young field who knows? I would say, however, that the overall trend of the data still suggests the next maximum will be very weak.
Stay tuned! The next few months should finally give us a sense of where the next maximum is heading.
Evidence that liquid water once existed on a comet
Scientists have found strong evidence that liquid water once existed in the interior of a comet.
Scientists have found strong evidence that liquid water once existed in the interior of a comet.
Martian Mud Volcanoes
Tallest Known Cliff in the Solar System
Russia Speeds Up Moon, Mars Plans as U.S. May Cut Spending
Russia is accelerating its space program.
“It is the first time that the government has allocated decent financing to us,” Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, said in a phone interview on April 2. The agency’s $3.5 billion budget for 2011 has almost tripled since 2007, reaching the highest since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. “We can now advance on all themes a bit,” Perminov said.
Unlike 50 years ago, when beating the U.S. into space marked a geopolitical victory in the Cold War, Russia is focusing on the commercial, technological and scientific aspects of space travel. President Dmitry Medvedev has named aerospace one of five industries the government plans to nurture to help diversify the economy of the world’s largest energy supplier away from resource extraction.
Russia is accelerating its space program.
“It is the first time that the government has allocated decent financing to us,” Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, said in a phone interview on April 2. The agency’s $3.5 billion budget for 2011 has almost tripled since 2007, reaching the highest since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. “We can now advance on all themes a bit,” Perminov said.
Unlike 50 years ago, when beating the U.S. into space marked a geopolitical victory in the Cold War, Russia is focusing on the commercial, technological and scientific aspects of space travel. President Dmitry Medvedev has named aerospace one of five industries the government plans to nurture to help diversify the economy of the world’s largest energy supplier away from resource extraction.
The “Pioneer Anomaly”: Case Closed
Will EPA Lose Control of Greenhouse Gas Rules?
Will the EPA lose control of greenhouse gas rules?
The article above, written for the journal Science, is clearly on the side of the EPA. Nonetheless, it does outline well the political dynamics of this regulatory battle between the EPA and Congress.
Will the EPA lose control of greenhouse gas rules?
The article above, written for the journal Science, is clearly on the side of the EPA. Nonetheless, it does outline well the political dynamics of this regulatory battle between the EPA and Congress.
Record loss of ozone over Arctic
I thought the banning of CFCs was going to change this? March sets a record for ozone loss over the Arctic.
Or to put it another way, climate science is far more complicated than too many climate scientists want to admit.
I thought the banning of CFCs was going to change this? March sets a record for ozone loss over the Arctic.
Or to put it another way, climate science is far more complicated than too many climate scientists want to admit.
Exploring the floor of Copernicus
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter website recently announced a new way to tour the Moon. The website, called QuickMap, allows a user with any home computer to zoom into any spot on the lunar surface and see the high resolution images being taken by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Using QuickMap, I spent a few hours this past weekend strolling about on the northern half of the floor of the crater Copernicus. It is in this area, annotated in the image on the right, that NASA engineer James Fincannon has already located a slew of collapse features and possible caves, the images of which I have posted previously on behindtheblack. (Click on the image or here to see a larger version of this updated index map.)
(You also can go sightseeing there if you wish. Go to QuickMap and zoom in on 10.1 latitude and -20.1 longitude to get to the floor of Copernicus. Or pick your own spot on the lunar surface and do some of your own exploring!)
What I found in the northern half of Copernicus’s floor was a plethora of possible caves and collapse features. Literally, the crater floor is littered with what appear to be pits, fissures, rills, and sinks. More significantly, sometimes the cave entrances line up with long straight collapse features, suggesting strongly the existence of extensive underground passages beyond the initial entrance pits.
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Ultralights!
Playing with mercury
EPA Whistleblower Criticizes Global Warming Science and Policy in New Peer-Reviewed Study
EPA whistleblower slams global warming science and policy in new peer-reviewed study. The paper’s conclusion:
The scientific hypotheses underlying global warming alarmism are overwhelmingly contradicted by real-world data, and for that reason economic studies on the alleged benefits of controlling greenhouse gas emissions are baseless.
EPA whistleblower slams global warming science and policy in new peer-reviewed study. The paper’s conclusion:
The scientific hypotheses underlying global warming alarmism are overwhelmingly contradicted by real-world data, and for that reason economic studies on the alleged benefits of controlling greenhouse gas emissions are baseless.
The first permanent building at the South Pole, built in the mid-1950s, has been destroyed
The first permanent building at the South Pole, built by the U.S. in the mid-1950s, has been demolished with dynamite.
The first permanent building at the South Pole, built by the U.S. in the mid-1950s, has been demolished with dynamite.
April Fools’ Roundup
China’s second lunar orbiter, Chang’e 2: still in operation after 180 days
China’s second lunar orbiter, Chang’e 2: still in operation after 180 days.
Unfortunately, little of its scientific results have been released.
China’s second lunar orbiter, Chang’e 2: still in operation after 180 days.
Unfortunately, little of its scientific results have been released.
Neighbouring volcanoes on Mars
New Species of Freshwater Stingray Found
A new species of freshwater stingray has been discovered in the Amazon.
A new species of freshwater stingray has been discovered in the Amazon.
Shipwreck of 60-foot, single-masted sloop, c1830, found in Lake Michigan
Shipwreck of 60-foot, single-masted sloop from 1830s found in Lake Michigan.
Shipwreck of 60-foot, single-masted sloop from 1830s found in Lake Michigan.
The ripples in the rings of Saturn and Jupiter were caused by comets that hit them decades ago
The ripples in the rings of Saturn and Jupiter were caused by comet impacts decades ago.
The ripples in the rings of Saturn and Jupiter were caused by comet impacts decades ago.
Comparing the Earth, as seen by Russian and American satellites
Comparing the view of Earth, interpreted differently by Russian and American satellites.
Comparing the view of Earth, interpreted differently by Russian and American satellites.
a giant potato in space
Adventures in Federal Budget Cutting
A cautionary tale: Adventures in federal budget cutting.
The experience has been difficult and has caused me some personal problems. I am afraid this will be the case for anyone who tries to cut spending — in the face of an entrenched bureaucracy that thrives on ever-increasing budgets.
A cautionary tale: Adventures in federal budget cutting.
The experience has been difficult and has caused me some personal problems. I am afraid this will be the case for anyone who tries to cut spending — in the face of an entrenched bureaucracy that thrives on ever-increasing budgets.
A telescope a square kilometer in size
Looking inside red giant stars
Messenger in orbit around Mercury
Above, an annotated version of the first orbital image, showing areas of the south pole never before seen.
From the press conference about the first Messenger images from Mercury orbit:
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Which near-Earth asteroids are ripe for a visit?
Which near-Earth asteroids are ripe for a visit?
Which near-Earth asteroids are ripe for a visit?