After a LONG hiatus.... a tech post
Oct. 15th, 2008 02:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dracodraconisHere are bunch from the past two weeks at space.com
Scanning Earth for signs of life - The mission is meant to determine how we can detect life on other planets using Earth as a "control". The study is being conducted using the Venus Express spacecraft, currently in orbit around, strangely enough, Venus.
Life inside a cosmic bubble - The latest theory to explain the apparent expansion of the universe without resorting to dark matter has our galaxy residing in an area of the universe that is "lower density" than it surroundings. As a result, the universe could be static but would appear to be accelerating because of light crossing from high- to low-density space.
Pheonix may not rise again from frosty death - Scientists say that when the sun sets for the last time on the Martian Arctic, it is unlikely that Pheonix will restart in the spring. As one scientist put it, the lander is already "past its expiry date". That said, the lander has a "Lazarus mode" that, in theory, might re-awaken the lander in the spring, but they expect that the deep cold of the Martian winter will do it in.
Virgin says no to sex - in space that is. Virgin Galactic was offered $1 million (US) to film 5 minutes of zero-g sex. That will have to wait for Bigelow Aerospaces's Sundancer modules, due to enter orbit in 2011. Unless it's already happened onboard the International Space Station, but so far nobody's talking.
And from other sources...
Servicing satellites in space - Canadian researcher Michael Greenspan is developing a vision-based control system for a space-based repair robot to identify and hook up with an ailing satellite before. The repair robot would then be remotely controlled by ground-based to technicians, hopefully, effect repairs.
Canadian discovers a comet - Rob Cardinal of the University of Calgary discovered a previously-unknown comet. After being confirmed as a "new" comet, it was christened "C/2008 T2 Cardinal".
Martian dust devils - Follow the link to see images of dust devils captured by the Phoenix Lander.
Scanning Earth for signs of life - The mission is meant to determine how we can detect life on other planets using Earth as a "control". The study is being conducted using the Venus Express spacecraft, currently in orbit around, strangely enough, Venus.
Life inside a cosmic bubble - The latest theory to explain the apparent expansion of the universe without resorting to dark matter has our galaxy residing in an area of the universe that is "lower density" than it surroundings. As a result, the universe could be static but would appear to be accelerating because of light crossing from high- to low-density space.
Pheonix may not rise again from frosty death - Scientists say that when the sun sets for the last time on the Martian Arctic, it is unlikely that Pheonix will restart in the spring. As one scientist put it, the lander is already "past its expiry date". That said, the lander has a "Lazarus mode" that, in theory, might re-awaken the lander in the spring, but they expect that the deep cold of the Martian winter will do it in.
Virgin says no to sex - in space that is. Virgin Galactic was offered $1 million (US) to film 5 minutes of zero-g sex. That will have to wait for Bigelow Aerospaces's Sundancer modules, due to enter orbit in 2011. Unless it's already happened onboard the International Space Station, but so far nobody's talking.
And from other sources...
Servicing satellites in space - Canadian researcher Michael Greenspan is developing a vision-based control system for a space-based repair robot to identify and hook up with an ailing satellite before. The repair robot would then be remotely controlled by ground-based to technicians, hopefully, effect repairs.
Canadian discovers a comet - Rob Cardinal of the University of Calgary discovered a previously-unknown comet. After being confirmed as a "new" comet, it was christened "C/2008 T2 Cardinal".
Martian dust devils - Follow the link to see images of dust devils captured by the Phoenix Lander.