Yet another victim of Britain’s (non) space policy

Andrew Roberts may be the best popular historian currently working on either side of the Atlantic. The Holy Fox, his biography of Lord Halifax, who almost became prime minister of Britain in 1940 instead of Winston Churchill, is a small masterpiece. Roberts has a near-perfect grasp of mid-20th century British politics and has an excellent and wide-ranging understanding of the history of the rest of the late, unlamented 20th century. His new book A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900 picks up where Winston Churchill’s History of the English-Speaking Peoples left off.

NASA's Mars Rover Finds Evidence of Ancient Volcanic Explosion

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has discovered evidence of an ancient volcanic explosion at "Home Plate," a plateau of layered bedrock approximately 2 meters high at the rover's landing site in Gusev Crater. This is the first explosive volcanic deposit identified with a high degree of confidence by Spirit or Opportunity rovers. Scientists suspect that the explosion that formed Home Plate may have been caused by an interaction of basaltic lava and water. "When you look at composition of the rocks in detail, there are hints that water may have been involved," Squyres said. One example is the high chlorine content of the rocks, which might indicate that basalt had come into contact with a brine.

Opening wallets, closing windows

In popular culture, “rocket science” is a phrase used to describe something extremely difficult. While arguably inaccurate—it is, after all, more engineering than basic science—it refers to the technical challenges involved in developing a vehicle that can fly into space, as illustrated by the many failed efforts to do so, particularly in the early Space Age. If it’s rocket science, it’s tough.

NASA's Mars Rover Finds Evidence of Ancient Volcanic Explosion

NASA's Mars Rover Finds Evidence of Ancient Volcanic Explosion
NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit has discovered evidence of an ancient volcanic explosion at "Home Plate," a plateau of layered bedrock approximately 2 meters ( 6 feet ) high within the "Inner Basin" of Columbia Hills, at the rover's landing site in Gusev Crater. This is the first explosive volcanic deposit identified with a high degree of confidence by Spirit or its twin, Opportunity.

Soft power and soft logic

At last, it seems, we have the ultimate reason NASA needs to return to the Moon: to seize the ultimate high ground.
“China also wants to go to the moon, and they want the moon to become a military base in space,” said Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) last week in a meeting with a group of business leaders from northern Alabama visiting Washington, according to the Huntsville Times. “We’ve got to get back to the moon first and be able to stay there. The nation’s investment in space should be one of our top national security priorities.”

Last Post: Loss of a Good Man

Walter Schirra died on Thursday from a heart attack at his home in California. Schirra was an amazing astronaut and big practical joker. He was best known as Wally, though he never set foot on the moon his flights were vital to the US eventually reaching the moon. President Bush said "his ventures into space.... helped pave the way for mankind's first journey to the moon."

USA TODAY- Friday May 4, 2007--- pg 6A

Unique Canadian Rock-Dock Maneuver

http://www.marstoday.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=22554

The Canadian Space Agency has been selected to head a mission in which a lander will touch down on the surface of Mars' mysterious moon phobos. Scientists believe Phobos may hold clues to the origin and evolution of Mars and the solar system. Several missions by Russia and other countries have come close to Phobos, but study leader Dr. Robert (Bob) Richards, Director of Optech’s Space Division, thinks that Canada and its international partners have what it takes get to the surface and unlock some its mysteries. “This mission would be a wonderful evolution of Canada’s leadership role in planetary science and exploration to support the advancement of human knowledge of Mars and our solar system,” said Dr. Richards.

Probing for answers in outer space

University of Arkansas researchers, in partnership with a local company, will develop a probe for future planetary rovers that will help scientists study materials on other planetary bodies. The probe will help explain the history of the solar system by examining the properties of layers of material beneath the surface of the moon, Mars, comets and other planetary bodies.

Which Glove?

Six NASA teams assemble to see which one of their space gloves is a better creation. The Astronaut Glove Challenge is a two day competition beginning today (May 2).

""We're looking for something different, to show us something unique," said Alan Hayes, CEO of the non-profit Owings, Maryland firm Volanz Aerospace, which is overseeing the Astronaut Glove Challenge for NASA. "

NASA Ponders Death & Sex On Mars Mission

When should the plug be pulled on a critically ill astronaut who is using up precious oxygen and endangering the rest of the crew? Should NASA employ DNA testing to weed out astronauts who might get a disease on a long flight?

With NASA planning to land on Mars 30 years from now, and with the recent discovery of the most "Earth-like" planet ever seen outside the solar system, the space agency has begun to ponder some of the thorny practical and ethical questions posed by deep space exploration.

Gone With the Martian Wind

http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_mars_wind_070426.html
The harsh Martian winds are causing the oxidized martian soil to be blown away revealing darker, sub-surface soil which will result in a increase in temperature across the entire planet. As a result of this heating effect Mars is experiencing its own brand of climate change which is not related the Earth's global warming phase but it can shed light on how planets evolve and change over time. The mechanism for the warming is due to the change in albedo of the martian surface. The light, bright, oxidized martian surface soil reflects a significant amount of solar radiation which maintains Mars' cool temperature. The darker, more absorbent subsurface soil, revealed after a windstorm or dust devil passes through on Mars, retains more heat, just as wearing dark clothes will on that same hot summer's day here on earth. The result of more exposed dark soil is that the temperature of Mars has gone up between one and two degrees over the last two decades.

Rocket ship

Every eleven years or so our good neighbor the Sun becomes more restless. Sunspots are the most visible aspect of this, sometimes so large and numerous that they can be seen with the naked eye (not that you’re supposed to do that, of course). But this more active period is also accompanied by massive solar flares and coronal mass ejections—great geysers of starstuff packing enough energy to boil an ocean, spewed out across our solar system and occasionally at Earth, where it mucks up radios, jams electrons into electrical cables so that transformers burn out, and sometimes fries satellites, or at least addles their fragile electronic brains.

Gone With the Martian Wind

Gone With the Martian Wind

Mars is a very windy place--so windy, in fact, that bright, oxidized martian soil is being scoured away by martian winds and dust devils to reveal darker, sub-surface soil with the end result of making the whole planet warmer. Mars is experiencing its own brand of climate change. Is this related to planet earth's greenhouse gas driven climate change? No. Is understanding the process important for our understanding of how planets evolve and change over time? Absolutely.

Computer Coding Error Led to Loss of Mars Space Probe

Command system upgrade sent performance settings to the wrong areas of memory

Computer coding errors apparently caused the loss of the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft last year, the NASA space agency has revealed. The spacecraft, launched in November 1996, began its orbit of Mars the following September as part of a nearly 10-year scientific survey. It mapped the surface and atmosphere of Mars, provided extensive images of the planet and even assisted in locating a landing spot for other spacecraft.