Panel Says NASA Should Skip Moon, Fly Elsewhere Oct 23, 2009
Norman Augustine, chairman of reviewing the agency's spaceflight plans, said it makes more sense to land on a nearby asteroid or one of the moons of Mars ... It would take less fuel to land and return from asteroids or comets that swing by Earth or even the Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, Augustine said. (Fox News)
Panel says NASA needs more funding Oct 23, 2009
The committee said a Moon-first option is a viable strategy, but the report cites the advantages of what it calls the flexible path approach, in which a heavy-lift rocket would blast astronauts millions of miles into space, perhaps to a near-Earth asteroid or even to one of the moons of Mars. Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company. (Boston Globe)
Panel says NASA shouldnt revisit moon Oct 23, 2009
Asteroids, Martian moons suggested as alternate destinations ... During a Thursday news conference, the panel's chairman, retired aerospace executive Norman Augustine, focused on fresh destinations for NASA. He said that it makes more sense to develop America's space capability with the aim of putting astronauts on a nearby asteroid or one of the moons of Mars destinations that could be reached more easily than the moon ... It would take less fuel to land and return from asteroids or comets... (MSNBC -- Technology)
Volunteers wanted for simulated 520-day Mars mission... Oct 23, 2009
Volunteers wanted for simulated 520-day Mars mission. Volunteers wanted for simulated 520-day Mars mission. (The Drudge Report)
LCROSS captures all phases of Centaur impact Oct 22, 2009
NASA refines asteroid's path toward Earth. Using updated information, NASA scientists have recalculated the path of the large asteroid Apophis that significantly reduces its chances of striking Earth in 2036. (Astronomy Now Online)
* Kaohsiung amateur astronomer discovers asteroid Oct 21, 2009
Kaohsiung amateur astronomer discovers asteroid. RECOGNITION: Tsai Yuan-sheng named the asteroid, which is about the size of Kaohsiung airport, after his beloved hometown ... Amateur astronomer Tsai Yuan-sheng explains to reporters in Kaohsiung on Monday how he discovered an asteroid that he named Kaohsiung, after his home town. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Sports)
Last Visit Home For ESA's Comet Chaser Rosetta Oct 21, 2009
The craft is scheduled for a close encounter with asteroid 21 Lutetia in July next year ... 6, 2008) The European Space Agency's comet chaser, Rosetta, has flown by a small body in the main asteroid belt, asteroid Steins, collecting a wealth of information about this rare type of minor Solar System ... A NASA mission to two asteroids, one formed of lava and the other potentially containing water, will help find clues about the formation of our solar. (Science Daily)
Weekend News Roundup Oct 20, 2009
Asteroids, lunar plumes, crafty Android marketing and more ... Asteroid Narrowly Misses Earth On late Friday evening a small asteroid named 2009 TM8 zoomed past the Earth, just inside the moon's orbit ... The asteroid was first spotted by the space rock hunters over at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (LPL) in Pasadena, CA, where a dedicated team is constantly on the look out for objects that could pose a threat to the Earth. (IGN Gear)
When Is a Species Endangered? Revising the Numbers Oct 20, 2009
But unlike major extinction events of the past like the Permian-Triassic event 250 million years ago, in which 70% of all terrestrial species were wiped out, probably because of an asteroid impact or a similar natural disaster this time human beings are the cause. Hard numbers are difficult to find, but many scientists believe Earth's species are going extinct at a rate that is up to 1,000 times higher than before human beings came on the scene. (Time.com)
New dinosaur extinction theory causes debate Oct 20, 2009
To have created an oval-shaped crater an incoming asteroid would have had to skim in at a very shallow angle, which is a rare occurrence. Chatterjee admitted these are coincidences, but suggested that maybe both the Chicxulub and Shiva impacts spawned from one massive space rock, which broke apart into two main pieces. (MSNBC -- Technology)
That stuff about 2012? It's not going to happen Oct 17, 2009
A collision between Nibiru and another planet supposedly created both Earth and the asteroid belt ... The reality about the universe is that it is, in fact, wild and woolly, with all manner of exploding stars, gamma-ray bursts, black holes, not to mention comets that plunge toward the sun and rogue asteroids that just maybe have Earth's number ... In recent years, astronomers have mapped all the asteroids near Earth that are 2 miles in diameter or larger, Morrison said. (AZCentral -- News)
Orionids Meteor Shower Starts This Weekend Oct 17, 2009
When a comet comes into the inner solar system which includes Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and the asteroid belt the sun's heat turns some of the comet's ice into gas. Without the ice to hold them to the comet, some rocky fragments fall away. (National Geographic)
India Asteroid Killed Dinosaurs, Made Largest Crater? Oct 17, 2009
India Asteroid Killed Dinosaurs, Made Largest Crater ... India Asteroid Killed Dinosaurs, Made Largest Crater ... The dinosaurs' demise may have been due to an asteroid double-whammy two giant space rocks that struck near and a few hundred thousand years apart, scientists say. (National Geographic)
Small asteroid will fly by Earth tonight Oct 17, 2009
A small asteroid will buzz the Earth late Friday EDT, flying just inside the orbit of the moon ... The asteroid hunters at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif ... An asteroid this size can hit the Earth once every seven years or so, he said. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Giant Impact Near India -- Not Mexico -- May Have Doomed Dinosaurs Oct 16, 2009
Asteroids are rich in iridium, and such anomalies are thought of as the fingerprint of an impact ... The impact of a giant asteroid created massive tsunamis and spewed forth a global cloud of carbon gases that. (Science Daily)
Mel's Arecibo Adventure Oct 16, 2009
Luckily, that evening astronomer Marina Brozovi (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) planned to "ping" a small near-Earth asteroid designated 1999 AP10 to try to determine its shape and surface characteristics ... Even though an affirms that the observatory provides "unmatched precision and accuracy" in detecting asteroids or comets that could hit the Earth, as things stand now there'll be no more money to fund Arecibo's unique radar capability after fiscal year 2010 ... She helps visiting astronomers... (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Asteroid Is Actually A Protoplanet, Study Of First High-resolution Images Of Pallas Confirms Oct 14, 2009
13, 2009) Britney E. Schmidt, a UCLA doctoral student in the department of Earth and space sciences, wasn't sure what she'd glean from images of the asteroid Pallas taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. But she hoped to settle at least one burning question: Was Pallas, the second-largest asteroid, actually in that gray area between an asteroid and a small planet ... n asteroid and a small planet. (Science Daily)
Giant asteroid named after Brisbane Oct 12, 2009
An image shows the size of the Brisbane asteroid in comparison to its namesake city. Brisbane can now stake a claim on a small part of the cosmos after the city had an asteroid named after it ... The rock, estimated to be about 7 kilometres in diameter, is believed to be about half the size of the asteroid which slammed into Earth 65 million years ago, wiping out the dinosaurs. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Technology)
2nd largest asteroid in Solar System protoplanet Oct 11, 2009
2nd largest asteroid in Solar System identified as protoplanet_English_Xinhua. 2nd largest asteroid in Solar System identified as protoplanet ... LOS ANGELES, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- The second largest asteroid in the Solar System is actually a protoplanet, a building block to the actual, larger planets, a new study suggests. (Xinhuanet, China)
NASA downgrades threat of large asteroid Oct 10, 2009
NASA on Wednesday downgraded the odds of an 885-foot asteroid striking the planet in 2036 ... But the threat was lowered to a 1-in-250,000 chance after researchers recalculated the asteroid's path ... Chesley and his colleagues refined the asteroid's orbit after an astronomer in Hawaii analyzed previously unreleased images that gave scientists a better idea of Apophis' position. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Shoot the Moon: NASA Plans Lunar Dust-Up Oct 9, 2009
fro the uneducated, movie loving crowd out there, i'll quote "armageddon", when the snooty nasa scientists reacts to the general saying "why not soot all our nukes" at the asteroid (which was 10,000's of times smaller than the moon), the scientist said "it would be like shooting a b-b gun at a freight train." there is no way in he11 that this would have any affect upon the lunar orbit or the tides on earth. open a book people. (CBS News)
> read more Oct 9, 2009
Every so often, Earth is hit by a small chunk of asteroid that in its atmosphere. Fortunately, for the moment all the beefier asteroidal bodies in Earth's vicinity seem to be whizzing by harmlessly planetary astronomers continue to tell us that no known body has a significant chance of hitting home for the foreseeable future ... The problem is that when asteroids rotate, their orbits change due to a subtle phenomenon, called the whose consequences for impact predictions have only recently been... (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Forensic examination of asteroid crash scene Oct 9, 2009
The four metre-wide asteroid that blew up in the sky above Sudan on 7 October 2008 was a tumbling, irregularly shaped piece of shrapnel from a larger body that had been bombarded with impacts billions of years ago before being destroyed ... The four metre-wide asteroid that blew up in the sky above Sudan on 7 October 2008 was a tumbling, irregularly shaped piece of shrapnel from a larger body that had been bombarded with impacts billions of years ago before being destroyed ... Asteroid 2008TC3... (Astronomy Now Online)
'It won't hit us' - NASA Oct 8, 2009
NASA on Wednesday sharply downgraded the threat that a massive asteroid could slam into Earth in 2036 ... "The refined orbital determination further reinforces that Apophis is an asteroid we can look to as an opportunity for exciting science and not something that should be feared," Don Yeomans, manager of the Near-Earth Object Program Office at JPL, said in a statement ... At first, astronomers worried the 270-metre asteroid had a 2. (iAfrica.com)
NASA downgrades threat of large asteroid strike on Earth in 2036 Oct 8, 2009
LOS ANGELES NASA says the chances of an 885-foot asteroid striking Earth in 2036 have been downgraded. Scientists initially believed there was a 1-in-45,000 chance that Apophis could hit the planet on April 13, 2036. (Honolulu Advertiser)
A Fall to Earth, One Year Later Oct 8, 2009
3 crashed into Earth one year ago. But they've made the most of the strange black fragments of it that fell to the ground that day. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Asteroid Apophis' Path Toward Earth Refined Oct 8, 2009
NASA Refines Asteroid Apophis' Path Toward Earth ... NASA Refines Asteroid Apophis' Path Toward Earth ... 8, 2009) Using updated information, NASA scientists have recalculated the path of a large asteroid. (Science Daily)
Quick Rebound From Marine Mass Extinction Oct 3, 2009
3, 2009) In 1980, Luis Alvarez and his collaborators stunned the world with their discovery that an asteroid impact 65 million years ago probably killed off the dinosaurs and much of the the world's living organisms ... An artist's rendering of the asteroid impact that took place 65 million years ago and likely killed off nearly every large vertebrate species on the planet, including, many think, the dinosaurs ... (June 16, 2008) If you are curious about Earth's periodic mass extinction events... (Science Daily)
Fungus feasted off world's worst extinction Oct 3, 2009
Finding rests idea that asteroid impact may have had a hand in destruction ... The finding offers evidence against an alternative theory that rampant algae fed off the dead forests and puts to rest an old idea that an asteroid impact may have had a hand in the massive destruction ... And it further puts to rest the idea that an asteroid impact caused the destruction. (MSNBC -- Environment)
An unfamiliar neighbourhood Sep 30, 2009
Earlier, the solar system - loosely defined as the chunk of space under the sun's gravitational pull - was thought of as nine planets with an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Mike Brown, astronomer at Caltech, recalls that when he was in school, kids were given a handy mnemonic to remember the planetary order: 'Martha Visits Every Monday And Just Stays Until Noon Period. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Did comet crashes help spark Earth life? Sep 25, 2009
The Virginian-Pilot An artist's rendering shows a giant asteroid or comet plunged into Earth near what is now the Chesapeake Bay 35 million years ago. . (MSNBC -- Technology)
Twin Keck Telescopes Probe Dual Dust Disks Sep 25, 2009
"Our new observations suggest 51 Ophiuchi is a beautiful protoplanetary system with a cloud of dust from comets and asteroids extremely close to its parent star," said Marc Kuchner, an astronomer at Goddard and a member of the research team ... Much of the dust in our solar system forms inward of Jupiter's orbit, as comets crumble near the sun and asteroids of all sizes collide ... As asteroid and comet collisions produce dust, the larger particles naturally spiral toward the star. (Science Daily)
Scientists Plan Against Asteroid Attacks Sep 25, 2009
Asteroid attack: Putting Earth's defences to the test - space - 23 September 2009 - New Scientist ... Asteroid attack: Putting Earth's defences to the test ... It is an asteroid, one never seen before. (Newsmax)
Clump Of Swirling Planetary Material Spotted Sep 24, 2009
Over time, this disk fades and a new type of disk emerges, made up of debris from collisions between planets, asteroids and comets ... 27, 2008) New observations from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope indicate that the nearest planetary system to our own has two asteroid belts. (Science Daily)
This Week's Sky at a Glance Sep 22, 2009
Juno, the third asteroid discovered, is at an unusually favorable opposition. This week it shines at magnitude 7. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Astronomical birth event results in a multitude of 'baby' comets Sep 18, 2009
It takes Comet Holmes about six years to circle the sun, traveling between the inner edge of the asteroid belt to beyond Jupiter ... It takes Comet Holmes about six years to circle the sun, traveling between the inner edge of the asteroid belt to beyond Jupiter. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Reach for the stars Sep 18, 2009
All that equipment combines to take visitors on a celestial journey past planets and pulsars, through asteroid belts and into the realm of majestic supernovas. During ceremonies last week, Secretary of State Nina Wells saluted the public and private partnership that resulted in the $700,000 planetarium renovation, including a donation of $500,000 from the Prudential Foundation. (NJ.com -- Times)
Mini-Comets Within A Comet Lit Up 17P/Holmes During Megaoutburst Sep 17, 2009
Holmes takes approximately 6 years to circle the Sun, and travels between the inner edge of the asteroid belt to beyond Jupiter. The comet is now moving away from the Sun but will return to its closest approach to the Sun in 2014, when astronomers will examine it for signs of further outbursts. (Science Daily)
Jupiter Captured Comet For 12 Years In Mid-20th Century Sep 16, 2009
An international team led by Dr Katsuhito Ohtsuka modelled the trajectories of 18 quasi-Hilda comets," objects with the potential to go through a temporary satellite capture by Jupiter that results in them either leaving or joining the Hilda group of objects in the asteroid belt. Most of the cases of temporary capture were flybys, where the comets did not complete a full orbit. However, Dr Ohtsuka s team used recent observations tracking Kushida-Muramatsu over nine years to calculate hundreds of... (Science Daily)
Jupiter Turned Comet Into "Moon" for 12 Years Sep 15, 2009
It currently circles the sun in the solar system's asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Before long, though, another comet is destined for moondom. (National Geographic)
Gotcha! Jupiter turned comet into a moon Sep 15, 2009
An international team led by Katsuhito Ohtsuka of the Tokyo Meteor Network modeled the trajectories of 18 "quasi-Hilda comets," objects with the potential to go through a temporary satellite capture by Jupiter that results in them either leaving or joining the "Hilda" group of objects in the asteroid belt ... Asteroids and comets can sometimes be distorted or fragmented by tidal effects induced by the gravitational field of a capturing planet, or may even impact with the planet. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Which way for NASA? A step-by-step path Sep 12, 2009
Lockheed MartinAn artist's conception shows linked-up Orion spacecraft during a manned mission to an asteroid ... I deeply respect the parade of "planetary partisans" who have argued for the moon next, or Mars next, or an asteroid next. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Newly Fixed Hubble Telescope Shows Cosmic Beauty Sep 11, 2009
Earlier this summer, Hubble took pictures of Jupiter when an asteroid or comet hit it. View a slide show, and full resolution images with descriptions on NASA's Hubble page. (Missourian Publishing, MO)
Star performer Sep 11, 2009
Hubble's view of Jupiter taken on 23 July: a dark scar is visible near the giant planets southern pole, the result of an asteroid or comet impact. Bookmark with. (BBC News -- Science)
Newly Fixed Hubble's Initial Photos Again Amaze Sep 10, 2009
Earlier this summer, Hubble when an asteroid or comet hit it. Your Comments. (W-USA News, DC)
Hubble Back in Action With New Space Shots Sep 10, 2009
The first photos from the repaired Hubble came earlier this summer, when the telescope took pictures of Jupiter when an asteroid or comet hit it. They were unscheduled quick black-and-white looks; the photos released Wednesday were planned, longer observations. (CBS News)
Photos From Revived Hubble Telescope Wednesday Sep 9, 2009
This Hubble picture, taken on 23 July, is the sharpest visible-light picture taken of the atmospheric debris from a comet or asteroid that collided with Jupiter on 19 July. This is Hubble's first science observation following its repair and upgrade in May. (Newsmax)
John Kelly: Tell us what to do with NASA Sep 8, 2009
Should NASA go back to the moon, or to Mars, or an asteroid, or someplace else entirely ... NASA should spend their budget on unmanned scientific projects, space telescopes, lunar and Mars rovers,asteroid and planet flybys, etc. (Florida Today)
Our space poll allows opinions to lift off Sep 6, 2009
Or perhaps an asteroid. A presidential panel completed its three-month study, including a series of public hearings in August. (Florida Today)
FDA Confirms Amphibian in Diet Pepsi Can Sep 5, 2009
Who do you sue if an asteroid falls in your back yard and ruins your flowerbed ... You "hit the nail on the head." Believe me there are some (probably too many) people out there who would try to find a way to sue someone if an asteroid fell in their back yard. (CBS News)
A Second SoCal Observatory in Peril Sep 5, 2009
Observers there are credited with two asteroid discoveries: (10168) Stony Ridge, spotted in 1995; and (144633) Georgecarroll, found in 2004 and named after the. As of late on September 2, 2009, fire officials believed the devastating Station Fire had already engulfed the site of Stony Ridge Observatory. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
6 Little Known Facts About the Eart... Sep 4, 2009
The second object is called Asteroid 2002, which comes as close as 3. 7 million miles every 95 years. (Suite101.com)
British plan to tackle asteroids Sep 1, 2009
A 3D visualisation of an asteroid before it hit the Earth as devised by Queen's Astrophysics Research Centre astronomers. A team of British scientists are developing plans for a spacecraft that could stop large asteroids from destroying the Earth ... The tractor would steer asteroids away from the Earth. (BBC News -- Technology)
Infrared eye to help search for asteroids Sep 1, 2009
Among its targets: dark asteroids that have slipped beneath the radar of an ongoing project to map objects larger than 1 kilometer that orbit near Earth. Hunting asteroids wasn't in the original plan for the , which arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California this month for launch preparations ... "I was recruited when the team realized they would be seeing a lot of asteroids, some of which may be new," said University of Texas astronomer Robert McMillan who leads Spacewatch, an... (MSNBC -- Technology)
'Gravity tractor' to save earth from asteroids Aug 31, 2009
LONDON: British space scientists have designed a special spacecraft that can save the earth from a catastrophic asteroid collision. The 10 tonne spacecraft named "gravity tractor" would be deployed to intercept an asteroid en route to the earth and has the ability to fly 160 ft alongside it ... Once near an asteroid the craft will use gravitational force to pull the rock towards itself. (India Times, India)
A spacecraft that can prevent Armageddon Aug 31, 2009
LONDON: British scientists have designed a spacecraft which they claim is capable of saving Earth from a catastrophic asteroid collision. A team at British space company EADS Astrium has made the spacecraft, called gravity tractor, which will be deployed when an orbiting rock is detected on a collision course with Earth in fact, it will intercept the asteroid and position itself to fly alongside it, just 160 feet from its surface ... And, from this position, the ten-tonne craft will... (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Budget woes may keep moon rocket earthbound Aug 28, 2009
Obama's special panel looked at other options available for the space program - such as skipping the moon and going directly to Mars or an asteroid, or just cruising in the solar system. The White House told the panel to stay within current budget estimates. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
To the Moon? Maybe Not on NASA's Budget Aug 27, 2009
Obama's special panel looked at other options available for the space program such as skipping the moon and going directly to Mars or an asteroid, or just cruising in the solar system. But they kept using words like "least worst scenario" during their final public deliberations earlier this month. (CBS News)
Were Asteroids Born Big? Aug 27, 2009
com - News from Sky & Telescope - Were Asteroids Born Big ... Were Asteroids Born Big ... In particular, they find, the asteroid belt wouldn't have the assortment of big and small objects we see today (known as its size-frequency distribution, or SFD) if it initially teemed with smallish planetesimals. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Saturns rings still puzzle scientists Aug 25, 2009
A large comet or asteroid collision could also explain the swarm of debris. Another theory proposes that the rings represent primordial throwbacks to an early disk of debris that failed to clump into moons, based on how Saturn's gravitational tidal pull constantly stirs the pot. (MSNBC -- Technology)
2012 Prophecy Aug 18, 2009
HANNITY: So on December 2012, will the galaxy align and humans experience a transformation of consciousness, or will these predictions of a doomsday scenario, like an enormous earthquake or a massive volcano eruption or asteroid smashing into the Earth, will that happen. Most experts say, don't rush out and get your asteroid insurance just yet. (Fox News)
NASA to launch infrared survey explorer in December Aug 18, 2009
Orbiting around Earth, WISE will scan the entire sky at infrared wavelengths, unveiling hundreds of thousands of asteroids, and hundreds of millions of stars and galaxies, according to NASA. ... It will find hundreds of thousands of new asteroids in our main asteroid belt, and hundreds of near-Earth objects, which are comets and asteroids with orbits that pass relatively close to Earth. (Xinhuanet, China)
It's time to re-evaluate NASA missions Aug 17, 2009
The agency's focus on the manned space program should be reoriented toward more pressing needs, such as the deflection of asteroids, and NASA should seriously reconsider leading the search for extraterrestrial life outside our solar system ... Second, NASA's new priorities should include the development of the means to detect and deflect asteroids that might impact Earth ... We know that asteroid impacts have been responsible for catastrophic damage, even leading to the extinction of many... (Herald Online, SC -- Opinion)
NASA's mission about to change Aug 16, 2009
The agency's focus on the manned space program should be reoriented toward more pressing needs, such as the deflection of asteroids and NASA should seriously reconsider leading the search for extraterrestrial life outside our solar system ... Second, NASA's new priorities should also include the development of the means to detect and deflect asteroids that might impact Earth ... We know that asteroid impacts have been responsible for catastrophic damage, even leading to the extinction of many... (Juneau Empire)
NASA Struggles To Protect Earth Fro... Aug 15, 2009
NASA Struggles To Protect Earth From Asteroids. NASA Struggles To Protect Earth From Asteroids ... A congressionally assigned mission given to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration that would protect the earth from dangerously large asteroids is not in use. (Suite101.com)
