Link to Science News 2003
Current Science News
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11May2004: Hubble Repair; New Saturn Pictures
It looks like all the public pressure has made NASA think again.
From the BBC:
By Dr David Whitehouse - BBC News Online science editor
A robotic rescue mission to repair and upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope may be feasible,
according to Nasa's Associate Administrator, Dr Ed Weiler.
More on the Hubble Repair.
Saturn
Beautiful new pictures of Saturn from the Cassini-Huygens space craft.
The last full planet picture as the spacecraft approaches Saturn. Future pictures will
be closeups until it brakes into orbit around July 1 this year, settling in for a detailed
examination of the famous ringed planet.
Read more at The Register
and at CICLOPS, the Cassini operations site. Check out the May 6 "Veils of Titan"
photos of this very interesting moon of Saturn at Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for OPerationS.
24Apr2004: Astronomy Day
Just one day? Well, astronomy can be an interest, a hobby, an avocation or a vocation.
For anyone at any age, astronomy can open up new worlds, literally. You don't even
need a telescope, though that part is a lot of fun too. Just log on to the Hubble site, check
out NASA or do a search on Astronomy. But for today, start by checking out Astronomy Day, and the Astronomy League.
Don't forget the Astronomy Links in the Physics section of the Science Index either.
Then tonight, go outside and look up. The few thousand stars you see are a tiny fraction of
what is out there. Maybe your kids will want to look too.
04Apr2004: NASA to Test Space-Time Fabric; Einstein Online
Forty-five years after it was first proposed, NASA will launch Gravity Probe B.
The biggest challenge was the accuracy required by the mechanism that will
measure Einstein's "Frame Dragging," the distortion of space caused by a large
rotating mass like the earth.
From the Associated Press:
A satellite designed to test two fundamental predictions made
by Albert Einstein about the universe is ready for launch, 45 years after it
was first proposed, NASA and Stanford University officials said.
Since 1959, Gravity Probe B has overcome a half-dozen attempts at
cancellation, countless technical hurdles and several delayed launches. The
NASA-funded, university-developed spacecraft is now scheduled to begin its
mission following an April 17 liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.
Einstein Online: A new web site will fill out the stories about this genius who 101 years ago gave
us E=MC2, opening up our ability to understand and use the power of the atom.
From the site:
More than 900 scientific documents and personal papers detailing the thoughts and emotions of one
of the world's most fascinating minds are now available at the Einstein Archives Online.
In addition to the voluminous collection of Einstein's writings, some never before published and
none previously available online, the website will house an extensive database of 40,000 documents,
images and research on Einstein's life and work, as well as digitized copies of Einstein's professional
and personal correspondence and pages from his notebooks and travel diaries.
Read more about Gravity Probe B at Wired.
Learn about Albert Einstein at his new online site: Einstein Archives Online.
29Mar2004: Cold Fusion is Hot Again; NASA's Scramjet Breaks Mach 7!
I'm not surprised at this but most people will be. Cold Fusion (CF) has been debunked by scientists
and the scientific establishment, papers reporting valid results have been refused by the
science publications, the original scientisits who discovered CF were driven out of the country
and one died. Not exactly the objective evaluation of discoveries that Science claims to follow.
Treatment like this harks back to the Catholic Church's supression of Gallieo's theory that the
earth revolves around the sun.
It is now accepted by the Department of Energy that the CF results are valid. Don't expect to see
any apologies to the original discoverers, or any credit or compensation. They will remain buried
rather than have Big Science face up to its faults.
I don't often get upset about events like CF supression, but I'm really angry about this for two reasons.
The first is the outrageous treatment of scientists who challenged the accepted theories of fusion and
were squashed for their temerity. Every time this happens, useful discoveries are delayed and
the benefits denied to all of us.
The second should anger everyone. Had CF been properly researched, we would now be
seeing practical results in a new, non polluting, non radioactive source of energy that runs
on heavy water, an almost inexhaustable source of energy with harmless byproducts of
water, heat and helium. This does not mean the fight is over - indeed, it has just begun.
The new big threat to the development of CF will be the big energy companies. They have a huge
investment in current energy producing technology from coal, oil, and uranium. When CF can
deliver practical amounts of energy, their investment in old tech is not just worthless, it will cost
money to dismantle and clean up. I expect to see all sorts of subtle interference with CF development
from this source.
Look for Big Energy to repeat Big Science's tactics, spreading FUD about safety by using the
successful tactic of 'nuclear energy' fear, regardless of facts. They will also want to monopolize
research and development of CF so as to delay its delivery in order to maximize the return on
current investment. This will harm all of us in higher costs of energy, and more important, long term
environmental degredation. Unfortunately, Big Energy owns great influence in the White House
as the current VP is a former energy executive who supports their goals.
The upcoming fight over CF will be the first major battle of the 21st century that will determine
how well we live in the second half of this century. Our children and grandchildren will suffer or
benefit depending on how this fight turns out. Let your Senators know you want clean CF energy.
Read more about the DOE Cold Fusion report at ZPEnergy.
NASA's Scramjet
NASA has successfully launched and flown a scramjet, which is a supersonic combustion ramjet.
Ramjets have no turbines or moving parts that are exposed to very high combustion temperatures.
This makes much hotter combustion possible, which releases more energy than turbine driven engines,
and can be flown at higher speeds. This is a crucial first step to building planes that can fly into space rather
than be launched as a rocket. It also means more payload because it will need less oxygen to be
carried along with the fuel.
There is still a long development road ahead before such a space plane will replace our current
rocket based space launches. But the first step, a proof of real hardware that delivers the promise
of the scramjet concept, has been realized. Read more at NASA's X43 website.
March 18, 2004: Ten Reasons to Save Hubble
Here are Ten Good Reasons why we should save the Hubble Telescope:
- We have already invested about ten billion dollars in Hubble. It is
much cheaper to maintain it than to replace it.
- There are many astronomical studies that only Hubble can do.
- There is no guarantee that the next space telescope, the James Webb,
will actually launch in 2011. The launch could slip years or not get launched at all.
- The schedule of the service mission was already planned and budgeted.
- There is strong public and science support for the 2006 Hubble service mission.
- The US needs the science and discoveries to drive our technology and
economy with spinoffs.
- The risks have not changed, only the perception of the risks by management.
It is quite possible that the reason they gave is not the real reason.
- As long as we can service the Hubble, we can continue to reap the discoveries
that our previous investment has made possible. Why waste our investment?
- There need be no end to the Hubble if we add later service missions.
In the event the James Webb is late or does not fly, servicing Hubble is a
very inexpensive backup.
- Even if the James Webb flies, the Hubble can still perform good research work.
There is always more demand by astronomers than there is telescope time available.
Note that no major telescope on earth has been taken out of service even though better
ones, like Keck in Hawaii, have been built.
Here's four ways to let NASA know you want to save Hubble:
Postal mail:
Office of Public Outreach
Space Telescope Science Insititute
3700 San Martin Drive
Baltimore, MD 21218
Fax:
410.338.4579
Phone (leave a voicemail message):
410.338.4444
Register your opposition at Save The Hubble.
March 15, 2004: Save The Hubble Telescope
The original decision by NASA to not service the Hubble again because of perceived risks
has raised a storm of protest. Now you have a chance to add your voice to the chorus of
those who want Hubble maintained. In addition to the scientific discoveries which Hubble
has already delivered, the Hubble photographs are beautiful and incredible. Many
people use them for desktop background and some have even printed them out in color for
mounting as a print.
Help save Hubble - register your opposition at Save The Hubble. When you are done, check out the recent
Hubble deep sky photo and other links in Science News.
You can find more on Science in the Science Index. For more pictures, check out the
Astronomy section of Physics Science Index.
10Mar2004: Hubble Images 13 Billion Year Old Galaxies
Hubble, a telescope with no planned life support because of 'risks', continues to
make new astronomical discoveries with its upgraded cameras. The latest picture
is a composite from two cameras, which took one million seconds of exposure over
three months time. Now that's patience with a camera!
Here's an excerpt from The Register:
Yesterday, astronomers revealed the deepest-ever picture of the visible
universe, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST).
It contains an estimated 10,000 galaxies clustered in a patch of sky
one-tenth the diameter of the moon. In among the normal spirals and
ellipses are an assortment of odd-looking galaxies. The European Space
Agency explains that this is because we are looking at a time when order
and structure in the universe were just beginning to emerge, and when
the first galaxies were starting to reheat the universe.
The Hubble Ultra Deep Field is the result of a million-second (nearly 12
days) exposure and reveals the earliest galaxies to emerge from the
so-called Dark Ages just after the Big Bang.
Read the story at The Register, and take a look at the Oldest Galaxies seen to date.
For more information on the biggest public telescope, click on Hubble.
When you are done, register your voice to Save The Hubble.
09Mar2004: CERN Celebrates 50 Years of Physics Research
CERN, the European research consortium, has been in the business of studying the
nucleus of the atom and its components for fifty years. CERN is currently building
the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the largest physics experiment ever, planned
for operation in 2007. It will generate terabytes of data every day.
Here is an excerpt from the announcement:
Celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of CERN officially begin on 8
March, marking five decades of European co-operation in the search for
the nature of matter.
The European Organization for Nuclear Research is best known for its
fundamental probings into the very small, but CERN can also hold its
head high in tech circles.
Tim Berners-Lee was at CERN when he invented the World Wide Web; and the
organisation is now trying to develop uses for grid computing.
Since its foundation in 1954, CERN's membership has grown from 12 to 20
European states. It has been host to Nobel Prize-winning research,
scientists have discovered neutral currents, sorted the anti-matter from
the matter and created an entirely new form of matter - quark-gluon
plasma \7F last seen just after the big bang
.
The full announcement at The Register, and the Celebration Site at CERN.
See Also: CERN's biggest accelerator, biggest detector and biggest data stream gets
its first test. Check out Large Hadron Collider Grid Goes Live. Also take a look
at the CERN web site.
02Mar2004: Rosetta Launches for a Ten Year Journey
After launch, Rosetta successfully separated from the upper stage.. It is now on an Earth-escape
trajectory, and its next encounter will be with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014.
When it arrives at Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014, Rosetta will finally release the
lander about a kilometer from the comet. Philae, the probe, then faces a 30-minute trip to the surface.
Read more at The Register.
01Mar2004: Saturn Takes Center Stage
The Cassini spacecraft has visited asteroids and Jupiter, now it is nearing it's primary destination -
Saturn. What has gone before is prologue, now the main event begins. From the CICLOPS site:
Cassini's approach to Saturn has begun, and today the Imaging Team is marking the event with the
release of a color composite of the ringed planet made from images taken on February 9, 2004.
Since our last release, the planet has grown in size by 60%, new details in the atmosphere and rings
are becoming visible, and scientists are already puzzling over the noticeable absence of the ghostly
spoke-like dark markings in the rings first seen by Voyager on its approach to the planet 23 years ago.
One thing is manifestly clear: there will be many more puzzles in store for us as the mission progresses.
Read about the pictures and science to come at CICLOPS, Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for
OPerations.
15Feb2004: Spitzer Space Telescope; JPL Planetary Photojournal
JPL is the home to our exploration of the solar system and beyond.
Take a look at Spitzer:
A new window to the universe has opened with today's release of the
first dazzling images from NASA's newly named Spitzer Space Telescope,
formerly known as the Space Infrared Telescope Facility.
Check out the new images from the Spitzer Space Telescope.
Also take a look at JPL's Planetary Photojournal. Select the type of object you want and check
out the great set of planetary photos at JPL's Planetary Photojournal.
15Jan2004: Is Dark Energy Real?
Questions are being raised about why the universe is expanding faster.
Most astronomers believe that the universe is dominated by "dark energy"
because it has been the only way to explain why the universe is
expanding and accelerating at the same time. Now, however, physicists in
the Netherlands and France are suggesting that this energy might not
exist. They claim that the absence of dark energy could account for
recent X-ray observations of the universe that have unearthed puzzling
differences between ancient and present-day galaxy clusters
Read about the controversy at the Physics Web.
26Dec2003: Busy January - A Comet Flyby and Two Mars Landings
A flyby of a comet, Stardust, Comet Wild 2 Encounter on January 2, 2004.
Also, Mars landings - Spirit on Jan 3 and Opportunity on Jan 24.
See Mars Rover missions for details. Note landing times below.
Spirit Lands: January 3, 2004 about 8:35 pm PST
Opportunity Lands: January 24, 2004 about 9:05 pm PST
See also the updated list of JPL Centers in the Science Index.
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- 2004 by Bill Nicholls
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