The View From Space

A window on the world (literally):

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100217/ap_on_sc/us_space_shuttle

Are We Alone?

For citizen scientists and others... SetiQuest:


http://setiquest.org/about

Mars Rover "Spirit"... R.I.P.

Born in 2003, active well beyond her expected life, Mars Rover "Spirit's" productive life is over. It was a great 7-year ride. Congratulations NASA!! Meanwhile, her sister "Opportunity" continues to roam the Martian landscape.


http://tinyurl.com/ybjl5k4

Sex In Space

Gotta believe a lot of blogs will be linking to this one:


http://tinyurl.com/2wnns9

Brief report on serious study by NASA of workable positions (they've been tested!) for sex in space (and they're not talking about the backseat of a car... then again, maybe not so different). Serious news report, but still some of the lines a tad funny.

(Update: apparently a hoax story; see comment below)

Planning For Earth's Future

Russians are making tentative plans to 'deflect' an asteroid, 99942 Apophis (estimated to be 3 times larger than the famous 1908 Tunguska meteorite), headed toward earth on a 20-year timetable. I don't expect to still be around at that point, so not too concerned about it, but for those who are, read all about it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/world/europe/31asteroid.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Butterflies In Space

Somehow it's a lovely image; Monarch and Painted Lady butterflies are headed to the International Space Station aboard the shuttle Atlantis as part of a 'science outreach project':

http://news.discovery.com/space/butterflies-atlantis-space-station.html
 

Long Ago and Far Away...

The oldest explosion yet detected in the Universe (~13 billion years ago) reported on here:

http://tinyurl.com/yj9vyrc

Astrophysicist Bing Zhang (...gotta love that name :-)) writes in Nature about the finding.
Next year the Hubble telescope will be used to look for the galaxy from which the star explosion emanated.

LCROSS Moon Mission

The LCROSS impact moon mission coming up Oct. 9, to study moon dust. Astronomy buffs get your telescopes out.

Sunspot Mystery

For over a year now our sun has been missing its usual number of sunspots... and no one knows exactly why??? Something significant or just a cyclic phenomena? See HERE.

Onward To the Red Planet

Former astronaut, and second human to ever walk on the Moon, Buzz Aldrin urges the American space industry to head to Mars next. HERE.