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R.I.P. Wally Schirra
Astronaut Walter M. “Wally” Schirra Jr., one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts and the only man to fly on all three of NASA’s early space missions, has died at the age of 84, NASA officials confirmed Thursday.Link
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NASA Tackles Death and Sex
Now that NASA is seriously thinking about a Mars mission, not to mention perhaps someday exploring extrasolar Earthlike planets, they’re beginning to consider who-gets-thrown-from-the-lifeboat questions such as how long to keep a critically ill astronaut alive before pulling the plug and conserving the air and energy he’s wasting. In a masterstroke of understatement, they’ve also…
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Hey, Maybe We Can Make the Kessel Run in Less Than 12 Parsecs
Researchers may be ready for experimental tests of an honest-to-goodness hyperdrive engine. If the experiment gets the go-ahead and works, it could reveal new interactions between the fundamental forces of nature that would change the future of space travel. Forget spending six months or more holed up in a rocket on the way to Mars,…
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o/~ Here Comes the Sun… o/~
Sometimes these titles just write themselves….Astronomers have found that the looping magnetic fields along the Sun’s corona carry magnetic sound waves in a similar manner to musical instruments such as pipe organs. The frequency of the sound waves is a couple of orders of magnitude below the human hearing threshold, but researchers have recorded some…
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US Military to Test Internet Router in Space
The Department of Defense is working on an Internet Routing In Space (IRIS) initiative, which plans to deliver military communications through a satellite-based router. This will eventually benefit civilian communications as well, allowing packets to be routed via satellite the same way that TV and phone signals are routed now.Link
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The Future of Spaceports
The latest issue of Air & Space Smithsonian takes a look at the future of commercial spaceports that cater to tourists. In addition to the one that Richard Branson is building in New Mexico, there have been several others proposed all over the globe.Link (via BoingBoing)
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Signs of Water Found Outside of Solar System
Water vapor has been found in the atmosphere of HD 209458b, a Jupiter-type gas giant located in Pegasus (about 150 light years from Earth). While not particularly surprising from a chemical standpoint, this is the first evidence of water outside the solar system so it’s nice to know for sure it’s out there.Link
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Caves Discovered Near Mars Equator
The Mars Odyssey satellite recently spotted seven dark spots near the Arisa Mons volcano that researchers believe could be entrances to underground caves. This is exciting stuff, because caves would offer protection against the harshest effects of the Martian environment and might preserve evidence of past or current microbial life. The caves might also provide…
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Things Are Getting Weird on Saturn
I found this link via Fark, and don’t think I can improve upon the submitter’s description: Scientists spot “bizarre hexagon” on Saturn. As opposed to all the other normal hexagons on Saturn. In related news, Yahoo science writer actually writes, “This thing is a hexagon.” Link One of the stories linked to from this article…
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Tote That Barge…Offplanet
Researchers at MIT are designing software to handle “interplanetary logistics:” Figuring how how to move materials and supplies from Earth to off-world destinations such as the ISS, a lunar base, and so forth. Transportation delays could be significant–as much as six to nine months in the case of Mars–and shipping capacity will be very limited.…