Jul 02

Images of Apollo Landing Sites Will Soon Hit the Intertubes

Posted in: NASA, science, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has entered into a flawless orbit around the moon, and is now getting ready to snap images from a distance of about 31 miles above the surface, according to Slashdot.

Among the expected findings will be high-resolution, close-up images of the Apollo landing sites from 1969 through 1972, along with some of the old Soviet automatic probes.

To date, the best images we have so far were made by the Japanese probe Kaguya, the report said; they showed a white patch where the lunar module’s engine had blown away dust on the surface.

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Jul 02

Motorola’s Aura Celestial Edition soon taking “giant leaps” for “mankind”

Posted in: luxury, moto, motorola, NASA, space, Today's Chili

Here’s a fact: the world really doesn’t need another mildly tweaked Aura. Sorry, it just doesn’t. That being true and all, we’re still pretty jazzed to see Motorola giving the ultra-luxurious handset another go with the moon-themed Celestial Edition. Word on the street has it that this here handset won’t deviate much from the predecessor, but it will come pre-loaded with multimedia from the original moon landing mission, a laser etched quote honoring the 40th anniversary of the journey and a price tag that’s far, far beyond stratospheric. We’re told that it’s all set to go on sale next month, but good luck finding one.

[Via phoneArena]

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Motorola’s Aura Celestial Edition soon taking “giant leaps” for “mankind” originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jul 01

NASA Launches Free Spirit Web Site for Stuck Mars Rover

Posted in: NASA, science, Space Tech, Today's Chili

NASA_JPL_Mars_Rover_Earth.jpg

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has launched Free Spirit, a Web site dedicated to keeping track of the agency’s efforts to free the stuck rover on the surface of Mars, Space.com reports. NASA currently has an entire team of engineers working to simulate the rover’s predicament using a test rover and several tons of simulated Mars dirt.

“People really like the whole ‘free Spirit,’ idea and we thought we should make it really easy for people to find updates,” said Veronica McGregor, a NASA spokesperson at JPL, in the article. “In a way, we’re trying to make it a campaign that everyone can get involved in.”

The team is still working on the problem of a big rock situated beneath the rover’s stomach, though it appears that it isn’t touching quite enough to become a huge problem. Still, the situation remains precarious. “This is a
very tough situation and we’re not sure we can get Spirit out,” McGregor said in the report. There’s lots more, including a video showing the spinning wheel in the dirt, so head on over to the Free Spirit Web site at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/freespirit/. (Image credit: NASA/JPL)

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Jun 29

Saturn Moon Could Harbor Life: Report

Posted in: NASA, science, Space Tech, Today's Chili

NASA_Cassini_Enceladus.jpgNASA’s Cassini spacecraft has spotted what appears to be huge geysers shooting out of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, suggesting a salty sea below the surface that could harbor extra-terrestrial life, according to AFP.

The report said that European researchers have detected salt particles in volcanic jets that shoot several hundred miles into space. The jets are made of vapor and ice, and are “the strongest evidence to date of a liquid ocean under the moon’s icy crust.”
There are three key ingredients for the potential of life to exist. Scientists already knew that the moon has an energy source produced by “tidal warming,” and also knew of a mix of organic material ejected from plumes, or fractures, on the moon’s surface. Meanwhile, the newly-discovered geysers could indicate the presence of liquid water, which is the third vital component.
The next step, according to the report, would be to learn more about a potential hidden sea beneath the surface of Enceladus. Any volunteers want to go check it out for us? (Via Slashdot) (Image credit: NASA/JPL)
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Jun 26

Stuck Mars Rover Still Doing Science

Posted in: NASA, science, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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The Spirit Mars rover may be stuck in the dirt–but that doesn’t mean it can’t still do some real work out there. Space.com reports that the rover is busy examining its surroundings, a “colorful, layered region” called Troy. It’s situated next to a low plateau about two miles from where the rover first landed in 2004.
Plus, sometimes you just get lucky: one of the rover’s wheel’s dug into the layers of soil, exposing more material to study.

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Jun 24

Future Mars Rover to Get Largest Heat Shield Ever

Posted in: NASA, science, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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The new (and recently renamed) Mars rover Curiosity will get the largest heat shield ever crafted for a probe bound for the red planet, Space.com reports–a fitting device for a vehicle the size of a car.

“The Mars Science Laboratory aeroshell is the most complex capsule to fly to Mars,” said Rich Hund, program manager at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., in the article. “The design had to address the large size and weight of the rover, the largest ever sent to Mars, and the requirement for landing at a more-precise point on Mars.”

The rover’s heat shield and conical backshell together make up its 15-foot wide aero shell, the report said. That’s not only larger than the 8.5-foot shields that surrounded the current NASA Spirit and Opportunity rovers, but also larger than the 13-foot shell used for manned Apollo missions to the moon.

Curiosity is currently set for a fall 2011 launch.

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Jun 19

Lunar Orbiter on the Way to the Moon

Posted in: NASA, science, Space Tech, Today's Chili

NASA_LRO_Moon.jpg

The return to the moon is officially underway: NASA has launched its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to take a comprehensive survey of the moon, according to CNN. NASA officials described the launch as a “flawless” liftoff from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 5:32 p.m. ET yesterday.

The orbiter launched aboard an Atlas V Rocket powered by two liquid-fueled engines and a pair of solid-fueled boosters, the report said. The orbiter will collect data and send it back to Earth. Scientists here will then use the data in designing and building an eventual permanent lunar outpost on the moon’s surface.
Among the kinds of data the orbiter will send include day-night temperature maps, color imaging, UV reflection, and a study of areas of the moon that “may have continuous access to sunlight and where water may exist.” In addition, NASA is hoping the orbiter will help locate safe landing sites and moon resources, and uncover more data about how the moon’s radiation environment would affect humans in an extended stay, according to the article.
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Jun 18

Scientists: Evidence of Ancient Mars Lake Discovered

Posted in: NASA, science, Space Tech, Today's Chili

Mars_Lake_U_of_Colorado.jpgThe case for the presence of water on Mars, at least historically, continues to pile up: a University of Colorado at Boulder research team claims “the first definitive evidence of shorelines on Mars” in a statement released today, according to Space.com. The scientists discovered signs of a “deep, ancient lake” that could have harbored life on the red planet.

“This is the first unambiguous evidence of shorelines on the surface of Mars,” Di Achille said. “The identification of the shorelines and accompanying geological evidence allows us to calculate the size and volume of the lake, which appears to have formed about 3.4 billion years ago.”
As is always with findings like this, the tech behind it is cool. For the study, the scientists used images taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, or HiRISE camera, on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the report said. (Image credit: G. Di Achille, University of Colorado)
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Jun 12

NASA to Unite Lucky 13, Also Build Porch

Posted in: NASA, science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili
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The space shuttle Endeavour is set to blast off Saturday morning at 7:17 a.m. ET, for a 16-day mission to help expand the International Space Station. As CNN reports, when the seven crew members meet up with the six astronauts already on the station, the 13 people will make up the largest space “get-together” yet.
In addition, with Endeavor’s launch, a total of 500 people will have now traveled into space, the report said. The blast-off will also be the first time two Canadians–Julie Payette and Robert Thirsk–will be in space at the same time.
The mission’s main purpose is to install a porch. Well, not exactly–the crew will install two platforms for the Japanese Kibo Laboratory, which is already part of the station, the report said. One platform will ride up and down to the shuttle, while the other will stay fixed to the lab for experiments out in open space. During the mission, the crews will have to be extra careful (as if they weren’t already), due to the busier-than-usual communication channels during the shuttle’s five spacewalks. (Image: Endeavor at Sunrise. Credit: NASA)
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Jun 09

Stuck Mars Rover Images Itself

Posted in: NASA, science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

NASA_Mars_Spirit_Underside.jpg

When in doubt, take a picture? NASA’s Spirit rover has taken photographs of its underside in order to help engineers figure out the best way to free the stuck rover, according to Space.com. The rover is currently buried up to its hubcaps, with the problem being that if someone gives it the wrong command–such as flooring it, which admittedly did work once before–the rover could end up even more stuck.

To get a better look, Spirit took images of its belly on June 2nd (Sol 1925). Scientists utilized the rover’s microscopic imager instrument, which is mounted on the end of her robotic arm, according to the report. Project scientists tested out the operation using the other rover, Opportunity, which is currently exploring the opposite side of the red planet. (If it looks a little blurry, that’s because the camera was designed to focus on targets only a few centimeters away.)
The next step is for scientists to figure out whether a small mound, showing in some of the photos, is in fact touching the rover–and whether it is a rock or more of the same soft soil, according to Steve Squyres, lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Rover Project. The report said that a rock would mean more risk for any emergency maneuvers. (Image credit: NASA/JPL/USGS)
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