SF Site News » Science http://www.sfsite.com/news Just another WordPress weblog Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:05:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Obituary: Norman Edmund http://www.sfsite.com/news/2012/01/24/obituary-norman-edmund/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2012/01/24/obituary-norman-edmund/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:33:38 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1845 Norman Edmund (b.1916) died on January 16. Following World War II, Edmund began a catalog company as a reseller of military lenses rendered obsolete by the invention of radar. The company grew into Edmund Scientific, which sold telescopes, microscopes, chemistry kits, robot parts, gyroscopes, and the famous drinking bird among other scientific equipment and supplies.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2012/01/24/obituary-norman-edmund/feed/ 0 Missing Fossils Found http://www.sfsite.com/news/2012/01/17/missing-fossils-found/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2012/01/17/missing-fossils-found/#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:32:04 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1833 A collection of more than 300 fossils collected an examined by Charles Darwin have been found by Howard Falcon-Lang at the British Geological Survey after being lost for more than 150 years. The fossils included specimens collected by Darwin in the Galapagos as well as samples collected by Darwin’s colleagues, and were used to help Darwin formulate his theory of evolution.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2012/01/17/missing-fossils-found/feed/ 0 Private Rocket to ISS http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/12/09/private-rocket-to-iss/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/12/09/private-rocket-to-iss/#comments Sat, 10 Dec 2011 01:40:10 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1778 NASA has announced that SpaceX has been given permission to dock the Dragon capsule with the International Space Station. The Dragon will be carried aloft by the Falcon 9 Rocket on February 7, contingent on final safety reviews, testing and verification of the craft.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/12/09/private-rocket-to-iss/feed/ 1 Glenn, Armstrong, Aldrin, Collins Honored http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/11/16/glenn-armstrong-aldrin-collins-honored/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/11/16/glenn-armstrong-aldrin-collins-honored/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:14:52 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1741 Astronauts John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins were honored on November 16 when they were each awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in a ceremony at the Capitol Rotunda. The medals were presented by Representatives John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi and Senators Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian award in the United States. Glenn flew into space twice, on the third Mercury mission and on STS-95. Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins flew on the first lunar landing mission and each also flew on a Gemini mission. The Apollo astronauts received the Presidential Medal of Honor in 1969.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/11/16/glenn-armstrong-aldrin-collins-honored/feed/ 1 Yet Another Asteroid Visits Earth http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/11/07/yet-another-asteroid-visits-earth/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/11/07/yet-another-asteroid-visits-earth/#comments Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:57:32 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1728 Asteroid 2005 YU55 is scheduled to pass within approximately 201,700 miles of the Earth on November 8, closer than the Moon’s orbit but further away than many other recent asteroid passes. However, 2005 YU55 is 1,300 feet across, making it the largest asteroid to pass the Earth since 1976, although it doesn’t pose any danger. The next known large asteroid to pass near Earth won’t happen until 2028.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/11/07/yet-another-asteroid-visits-earth/feed/ 0 Search for Snoopy http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/09/20/search-for-snoopy/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/09/20/search-for-snoopy/#comments Tue, 20 Sep 2011 15:06:55 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1664 British amateur Astronomer Nick Howes is leading a search to find Snoopy, the lunar module used by the Apollo 10 crew to fly within 8.5 miles of the lunar surface. Following the mission, the module was jettisoned into a solar orbit while the crew returned to Earth in the command module, Charlie Brown.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/09/20/search-for-snoopy/feed/ 0 NASA and Tor http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/08/23/nasa-and-tor/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/08/23/nasa-and-tor/#comments Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:31:22 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1629 Tor Books and NASA have announced a collaboration to publish a series of
science based, commercial fiction books, referred to as “NASA inspired Works of Fiction.” The series will allow authors to work closely with NASA Subject Matter Experts to ensure that the science incorporated into the novels is accurate. The Goddard Space Flight Center’s Innovative Partnerships Program (IPP) Office will host a two-day workshop for authors.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/08/23/nasa-and-tor/feed/ 0 Juno En Route http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/08/05/juno-en-route/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/08/05/juno-en-route/#comments Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:35:19 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1614 NASA’s Juno spacecraft took off at 12:25 ET on a five year mission to Jupiter. The solar-powered spacecraft is expected to help scientists learn more about the origin of the solar system as well as about Jupiter itself.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/08/05/juno-en-route/feed/ 0 Piece of Columbia Found http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/08/02/piece-of-columbia-found/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/08/02/piece-of-columbia-found/#comments Tue, 02 Aug 2011 17:36:44 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1611 A power reactant storage and distribution from the space shuttle Columbia has been found at the bottom of a Texas lake. The four-foot diameter PRSD is a tank that provided power and water for shuttle missions. It was found after drought caused the waters of Lake Nacogdoches to recede enough to uncover the unit. Columbia disintegrated during re-entry over Texas on February 1, 2003.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/08/02/piece-of-columbia-found/feed/ 0 Obituary: R.C.W. Ettinger http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/29/obituary-r-c-w-ettinger/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/29/obituary-r-c-w-ettinger/#comments Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:06:21 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1605 Scientist R.C.W. Ettinger (b.1918) died on July 23. Ettinger is best known as one of the pioneers of the cryonics movement and founded the Cryonics Institute in 1976. His body is the 106th body frozen by the institute. Ettinger was injured during World War II and came up with some of his ideas during his long recuperation and his love of science fiction. Ettinger also published two science fiction stories in 1948 and 1950.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/29/obituary-r-c-w-ettinger/feed/ 0 The Rains of Enceladus http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/27/the-rains-of-enceladus/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/27/the-rains-of-enceladus/#comments Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:31:05 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1602 The Herschel spacecraft, launched by the European Space Agency, has determined that water in the upper atmosphere of Saturn comes from the moon Enceladus, which orbits approximately 238,000 km from the planet. Enceladus spews water into space at a rate of 250kg/s. Scientists estimate that between 3-5% of that is captured by Saturn, which is enough to account for the levels of water found in Saturn’s atmosphere.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/27/the-rains-of-enceladus/feed/ 0 First Earth Trojan Found http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/27/first-earth-trojan-found/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/27/first-earth-trojan-found/#comments Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:26:31 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1601 Astronomers have discovered the first asteroid to orbit in the leading Lagrange point of the Earth. 2010 TK7 is nearly 300m across and has an irregular orbit which can bring it within 20 million kilometers of the Earth. The asteroid was discovered by the Near Earth Orbit project using the WISE satellite, launched in 2009.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/27/first-earth-trojan-found/feed/ 0 First Pluto, Now Archaeopteryx http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/27/first-pluto-now-archaeopteryx/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/27/first-pluto-now-archaeopteryx/#comments Wed, 27 Jul 2011 19:19:45 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1600 Chinese paleontologists have announced a study which determined that archaeopteryx was a dinosaur rather than a bird, contrary to the understanding of the creature’s role in evolution since its discovery in 1861. Rather then being the earliest known bird, scientists believe the archaeopteryx was a feathered dinosaur of the deinonychosaur group, which includes velociraptors. In recent years, many of the avian features found in archaeopteryx have also been found in non-avian dinosaurs.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/27/first-pluto-now-archaeopteryx/feed/ 0 Lunar Probe Found http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/26/lunar-probe-found/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/26/lunar-probe-found/#comments Tue, 26 Jul 2011 09:51:22 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1597 Images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter may show the crash site of the Lunar Orbiter 2, which helped map potential landing sites for Apollo missions in 1967. After completing its mission, NASA instructed the LO2 to crash into the farside of the moon, although the exact location of its crash was unknown. The LRO was launched in 2009 to fully map the lunar surface and create 3D maps for a potential return to the moon. The LRO has previously mapped all six Apollo landing sites and has found evidence of volcanism on the moon.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/26/lunar-probe-found/feed/ 0 Shuttle Lands, Ending Era http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/21/shuttle-lands-ending-era/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/21/shuttle-lands-ending-era/#comments Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:51:48 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1591 The space shuttle Atlantis landed this morning at 5:57:00, completing both STS-135 and the shuttle program. The first shuttle, Columbia was launched in April 1981. Over the intervening thirty years, two shuttles and their crews were lost in flight, five shuttles flew in total, and the crafts traveled a total of 548,049,445 miles. The landing of Atlantis marks the first time in 30 years that the United States has not had the capacity to put humans into space. Atlantis will spend its retirement on display at the Kennedy Space Center.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/21/shuttle-lands-ending-era/feed/ 0 Pluto + 4 http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/20/pluto-4/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/20/pluto-4/#comments Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:14:45 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1590 Scientists have announced the discovery of a fourth moon in orbit around Pluto. Pluto’s first discovered moon, Charon, was found in 1978. Two more moons, Nyx and Hydra, were identified in 2005. The new moon, which is currently called P4, is believed to be between 13 and 34 km in diameter and orbits Pluto every 32 days at a distance of about 59,000 km, between the orbits of Nyx and Hydra.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/20/pluto-4/feed/ 0 Vestal Visit http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/16/vestal-visit/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/16/vestal-visit/#comments Sat, 16 Jul 2011 16:26:51 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1581 NASA’s Dawn Spacecraft entered orbit around the asteroid Vesta at 1 am on July 16. This is the first time an asteroid has been orbited by a spacecraft. Dawn will orbit Vesta, which was the fourth asteroid discovered, until July 2012 when the spacecraft will travel to the dwarf planet Ceres, which was the first asteroid discovered.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/16/vestal-visit/feed/ 0 Final Shuttle Launch http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/08/final-shuttle-launch/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/08/final-shuttle-launch/#comments Fri, 08 Jul 2011 15:37:26 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1572 NASA launched the Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-135, its final mission, and the final mission of the 30 year long shuttle program at 11:29 ET. The mission was delayed with an unexpected hold at T-31 seconds when an error indicated that the Gaseous Oxygen Vent Arm had not fully retracted. Visual examination showed the error was a computer glitch and the countdown continued. Originally, Atlantis was supposed to have flown its last mission in May, 2010, but the current mission was added on October 11, 2010. The first shuttle launch, of Columbia, occurred on April 12, 1981.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/07/08/final-shuttle-launch/feed/ 0 Missing Lunar Dust Found http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/06/24/missing-lunar-dust-found/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/06/24/missing-lunar-dust-found/#comments Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:14:22 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1548 a speck of lunar dust about the size of a finger nail, which has been missing since shortly after it was brought back to Earth by the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, has been recovered by NASA and the US Attorney’s Office from an auction house in St. Louis. Originally lifted from a film canister, the dust was sold in 2001 to a German collector whose widow was trying to sell it. When informed of the dust’s provenance, she returned it to the US government.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/06/24/missing-lunar-dust-found/feed/ 0 Near Miss Scheduled for Monday http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/06/24/near-miss-scheduled-for-monday/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/06/24/near-miss-scheduled-for-monday/#comments Fri, 24 Jun 2011 12:16:03 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1542 Asteroid 2011 MD is expected to pass less than 8,000 miles above Earth’s surface on Monday, June 27. Closest approach will take place off the coast of Antarctica, but the asteroid may be visible from the Americas, the Pacific, and eastern Asia prior to its passage.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/06/24/near-miss-scheduled-for-monday/feed/ 0 Asteroid Flies by Earth http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/06/03/asteroid-flies-by-earth/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/06/03/asteroid-flies-by-earth/#comments Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:35:19 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1511 A 7 meter long asteroid, 2009 BD, passed within 346,000 kilometers of the Earth on June 2, coming inside the Moon’s orbit. Because 2009 BD is a co-orbital object, it will remain relatively close to the Earth for the next month or so, generally about 3,850,000 km away.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/06/03/asteroid-flies-by-earth/feed/ 0 Spirit Rover Shutdown http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/05/26/spirit-rover-shutdown/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/05/26/spirit-rover-shutdown/#comments Thu, 26 May 2011 12:53:56 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1495 NASA sent the shutdown command to the Mars Spirit Rover on May 25, seven years after the exploration vehicle landed. Spirit was scheduled to operate for approximately three weeks and cover a distance of a couple hundred yards. Instead, it operated for more than five years and covered almost five miles. Spirit made its last transmission on March 22, 2010. Spirit‘s sister craft, Opportunity, is still operating.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/05/26/spirit-rover-shutdown/feed/ 0 Final Shuttle Launch Scheduled http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/05/20/final-shuttle-launch-scheduled/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/05/20/final-shuttle-launch-scheduled/#comments Fri, 20 May 2011 18:56:48 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1482 NASA has announced that the final launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis will occur on July 8, 2011. This will also be the final launch of the space shuttle program, which began with the launch of Columbia in 1981. Atlantis was previously scheduled for a final launch in May, 2010.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/05/20/final-shuttle-launch-scheduled/feed/ 0 Final Endeavour Launch http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/05/16/final-endeavour-launch/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/05/16/final-endeavour-launch/#comments Mon, 16 May 2011 13:18:25 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1465 The final launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour occurred at 8:56 ET on May 16. The mission, Endeavour‘s twenty-fifth, is being commanded by Mark Kelly and is expected to last 16 days, with a landing scheduled on May 24.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/05/16/final-endeavour-launch/feed/ 0 Endeavour Launch Postponed Again http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/04/29/endeavour-launch-postponed-again/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/04/29/endeavour-launch-postponed-again/#comments Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:58:26 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1440 The final launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour has been postponed at least 72 hours due to concerns relating to the shuttle’s heating system. The external fuel tank will be drained of its oxygen and hydrogen propellants. This will the 25th and final mission of Endeavour.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/04/29/endeavour-launch-postponed-again/feed/ 0 Shuttles Land at Museums http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/04/12/shuttles-land-at-museums/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/04/12/shuttles-land-at-museums/#comments Tue, 12 Apr 2011 17:42:39 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1409 NASA announced the four museums which will receive the space shuttles Discovery, Endeavour, Atlantis, and prototype shuttle Enterprise at a press conference held on the fiftieth anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s flight and the thirtieth anniversary of the first launch of Columbia. Discovery has already flown its final mission. Endeavour‘s final launch is scheduled for April 29 and Atlantis‘s final launch for June 28.

The disposition of the shuttles is:

  • Discovery: Smithsonian Institution’s Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.
  • Endeavour: California Science Center, Los Angeles, CA
  • Atlantis: Kennedy Space Center, Florida
  • Enterprise: Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, New York, NR

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/04/12/shuttles-land-at-museums/feed/ 0 Last Flight for Endeavour Postponed http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/04/04/last-flight-for-endeavour-postponed/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/04/04/last-flight-for-endeavour-postponed/#comments Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:43:47 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1398 STS-134, the final flight for the space shuttle Endeavour has been postponed from April 19 until April 29. The delay removes a scheduling conflict with a Russian Progress supply vehicle scheduled to launch April 27 and arrive at the station April 29.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/04/04/last-flight-for-endeavour-postponed/feed/ 0 Mycenaean Tablet Found at Iklaina http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/04/04/mycenaean-tablet-found-at-iklaina/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/04/04/mycenaean-tablet-found-at-iklaina/#comments Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:32:25 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1397 A Mycenaean tablet with writing has been found at an archaeological site in Iklaina on the Peloponnesian Peninsula. The tablet has been dated to between 1450 and 1350 B.C., which would make it the oldest known writing found in Europe. The tablet contains Linear B and seems to record financial information. The tablet survives because the clay was baked in a garbage bin fire.
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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/04/04/mycenaean-tablet-found-at-iklaina/feed/ 1 Mercury from Orbit http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/03/30/mercury-from-orbit/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/03/30/mercury-from-orbit/#comments Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:46:50 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1391 NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft has achieved Hermian orbit and has sent back the first photograph of Mercury from Orbit, an image that shows an Debussy crater with ejecta rays. In the first six hours after orbital insertion, MESSENGER took more than 360 images. It will be photographing portions of Mercury not captured by three previous flyby missions. MESSENGER main science mission, which includes a complete surface mapping, is expected to begin on April 4.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/03/30/mercury-from-orbit/feed/ 0 Stardust Memories http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/03/25/stardust-memories/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/03/25/stardust-memories/#comments Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:52:50 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1385 The Stardust probe, which was launched in 1999 to study the asteroid 5535 Annefrank and Comet Wild 2, was shut down by NASA on March 24. In addition to its primary mission, which ended when a capsule of dust from Comet Wild were returned to Earth, Stardust had a flyby of Comet Tempel 1 earlier this year to follow-up on the mission of the 2005 Deep Impact probe. Before shutting down, Stardust notified NASA of its remaining fuel to help gauge consumption of future missions and then burned off 146 seconds worth of fuel.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/03/25/stardust-memories/feed/ 0 Final Landing of Discovery http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/03/09/final-landing-of-discovery/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/03/09/final-landing-of-discovery/#comments Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:31:41 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1362 The Space Shuttle Discovery completed its final mission at 11:57 AM ET on March 9, 2011. Discovery has flown 39 missions since it was first launched at 12:41 PM on August 30, 1984. Discovery has spent 365 days in space traveling 148,221,665 miles in 5,830 orbits. On its final mission, Discovery was crewed by Alvin Drew, Nicole Stott, Eric Boe, Steven Lindsey, Michael Barratt, and Steve Bowen

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/03/09/final-landing-of-discovery/feed/ 0 Discovery Cleared for Launch http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/23/discovery-cleared-for-launch/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/23/discovery-cleared-for-launch/#comments Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:09:10 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1338 NASA has cleared Discovery for its final launch on Thursday, February 24 at 4:50 pm. Discovery is the most traveled manned spacecraft in history, having traveled nearly 143 million miles in its 38 missions since its first launch in 1984. This mission will take Discovery to the International Space Station.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/23/discovery-cleared-for-launch/feed/ 0 Comet Tempel Flyby http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/16/comet-tempel-flyby/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/16/comet-tempel-flyby/#comments Wed, 16 Feb 2011 15:29:02 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1319 The Stardust-NExT probe flew to within 112 miles of Comet Tempel I on February 14, taking a series of photos of the comet. Comet Tempel had previously been visited by a NASA spacecraft in 2005, when Deep Impact collided with the comet. This is the first time a comet has been revisited after a complete orbit. Photos have shown that erosion has changed the face of the comet, but the impact crater left by Deep Impact appears to have partially healed itself.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/16/comet-tempel-flyby/feed/ 0 Visit from a Small Planet http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/04/visit-from-a-small-planet/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/04/visit-from-a-small-planet/#comments Fri, 04 Feb 2011 20:54:15 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1298 A small asteroid (2011 CQ1) discovered on February 3, passed around 7,500 miles from Earth on February 4 at 19:40 UT. This is about a quarter of the distance that 2010 TD54 passed by the Earth in October. 2011 CQ1 is between 1 and 2 metres across, making it smaller than a standard sofa. Had the asteroid hit Earth, it would have vaporized in the atmosphere.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/04/visit-from-a-small-planet/feed/ 0 Kelly Go For Shuttle Commander http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/04/kelly-go-for-shuttle-commander/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/04/kelly-go-for-shuttle-commander/#comments Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:45:19 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1297 Mark Kelly, whose wife Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head during a public meeting on January 8, has confirmed that he will command the final scheduled flight of the space shuttle Endeavour, currently scheduled for an April 19 launch. Kelly has flown three previous shuttle missions and his brother is currently on the ISS.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/04/kelly-go-for-shuttle-commander/feed/ 0 Second Life for Shuttles http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/03/second-life-for-shuttles/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/03/second-life-for-shuttles/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 15:31:30 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1292 United Space Alliance has proposed the Commercial Space Transportation Service, which would keep two orbiters in the space shuttle fleet, Atlantis and Endeavour active and flying two missions each year from 2013 through 2017 while the United States gets a new generation of manned launch vehicles ready. NASA has not officially commented on the USA plan and is publicly stating that the current plans to send the three orbiters to museums.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/03/second-life-for-shuttles/feed/ 0 Kepler Finds New Planets http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/03/kepler-finds-new-planets/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/03/kepler-finds-new-planets/#comments Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:37:04 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1287 Results from the first four months of observation from the Kepler space observatory have been released indicating the discovery of more than 1200 potential planets, including 165 Jupiter-class planets, 662 Neptune-class planets, 288 superEarth class planets, and 68 Earth-class planets, 54 of which are considered to be in the habitable zone. Kepler has been searching a portion of the sky that includes the constellation Cygnus and Lyra and looked at 156,000 stars during the period covered by the released data.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/02/03/kepler-finds-new-planets/feed/ 0 Supernova Discovered by 10 Year Old http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/01/04/supernova-discovered-by-10-year-old/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/01/04/supernova-discovered-by-10-year-old/#comments Tue, 04 Jan 2011 17:01:19 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1242 Kathryn Aurora Gray, a 10-year-old from Fredericton, Canada, discovered a supernova in the constellation Camelopardalis on January 3 in an image she took with her father on New Year’s Eve. Supernova 2010lt is a magnitude-17 supernova in galaxy UGC 3378. The supernova is about 240 million light-years away from Earth.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/01/04/supernova-discovered-by-10-year-old/feed/ 0 Indian Rocket Explodes http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/26/indian-rocket-explodes/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/26/indian-rocket-explodes/#comments Sun, 26 Dec 2010 17:57:03 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1232 An Indian GSLV F06 rocket exploded moments after launch on Saturday, December 25. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists poured over the flight data trying to figure out what caused a failure in the communication system that was supposed to carry commands to the rocket. The rocket veered off course within 47 seconds of launch and caught fire within another 16 seconds at which time a self-destruct command was successfully relayed to the rocket. The rocket had a communications satellite payload.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/17/atomic-weight-change/feed/ 1 Roman Statue Unearthed by Storm http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/15/roman-statue-unearthed-by-storm/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/15/roman-statue-unearthed-by-storm/#comments Wed, 15 Dec 2010 13:53:54 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1214 A Mediterranean storm that caused part of the Israeli coast to collapse unearthed a 1.2 meter tall statue of a woman in a toga which is believed to be between 1800 and 2000 years old. The statue was part of a bathhouse complex.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/15/roman-statue-unearthed-by-storm/feed/ 0 Abdalati Named Chief NASA Scientist http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/15/abdalati-named-chief-nasa-scientist/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/15/abdalati-named-chief-nasa-scientist/#comments Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:47:43 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1209 Waleed Abdalati has been named Chief Scientist at NASA by NASA Administrator Charles Borden. Abdalati will assume his new position on January 3, 2011. Currently the director of the Earth Science and Observation Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Abdalati will serve as the principal adviser to the NASA administrator on agency science programs, strategic planning and the evaluation of related investments. Previously, Abdalati was head of the Cryospheric Sciences Branch at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/15/abdalati-named-chief-nasa-scientist/feed/ 0 Voyager Nears the Heliopause http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/15/voyager-nears-the-heliopause/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/15/voyager-nears-the-heliopause/#comments Wed, 15 Dec 2010 11:43:37 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1208 The Voyager 1 space probe has entered the Heliosheath, an area where the solar wind drops to zero velocity. The heliosheath is the final region of our solar system and scientists believe that Voyager is within five years of crossing the heliopause, the edge of the solar system, and entering interstellar space. Scientists had previously thought Voyager was preparing to make the jump to interstellar space in 2005, but since the probe is in unknown territory, it is still sending back data which is changing astronomers’ models of the solar system. Launched in 1977, Voyager completed its mission to study the Jovian planets in 1989 when it passed Neptune. It is now located about 17.4 billion miles from Earth and is still sending back data.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/15/voyager-nears-the-heliopause/feed/ 0 Spaceship Comes Home http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/03/spaceship-comes-home/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/03/spaceship-comes-home/#comments Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:39:55 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1199 NASA’s X-37B, an unmanned spacecraft launched via rocket in April, landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base after a seven month long mission that NASA says was used as a test for the spacecraft itself. According to officials, the flight was to test guidance, navigation, control, thermal protection, and autonomous operation in orbit, re-entry, and landing. NASA plans to launch the craft again some time in 2011

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/03/spaceship-comes-home/feed/ 0 “Alien” Life on Earth http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/03/alien-life-on-earth/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/03/alien-life-on-earth/#comments Fri, 03 Dec 2010 18:31:49 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1196 NASA has discovered a microorganism in California’s Mono Lake which has replaced phosphorus with arsenic in its cell components. This is the first organism ever discovered to use arsenic in this manner, which expands the possibility for the search for life, both terrestrial and extraterrestrial. Until this discovery, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur were considered the six basic building blocks of all known forms of life on Earth.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/03/alien-life-on-earth/feed/ 0 Penultimate Shuttle Launch Delayed http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/03/penultimate-shuttle-launch-delayed/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/03/penultimate-shuttle-launch-delayed/#comments Fri, 03 Dec 2010 18:17:28 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1193 The second-to-last scheduled space shuttle launch has been delayed again. Originally scheduled for November 5, NASA now says the last flight of Discovery will occur no earlier than February 3. The Discovery launch has been plagued with fuel tank issues and cracks appearing in the stringers. The delay in Discovery‘s mission also pushes back the date of the final launch of the program, for Endeavour to April 1.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/12/03/penultimate-shuttle-launch-delayed/feed/ 0 Change Among the Plutoids http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/11/11/change-among-the-plutoids/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/11/11/change-among-the-plutoids/#comments Thu, 11 Nov 2010 14:09:01 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1166 Recent measurements of Eris, the dwarf planet discovered in 2005 which led to the reclassification of Pluto, indicate that the object may be smaller than originally believed. Eris’s high density means that the plutoid is most likely smaller, although more massive, the Pluto, which may now be the largest of the dwarf planets. The new measurements of Eris were conducted during an occultation by the plutoid of a star in Cetus, observed in the Chilean Andes on November 6.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/11/11/change-among-the-plutoids/feed/ 0 Shuttle Tanks Cracked http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/11/11/shuttle-tanks-cracked/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/11/11/shuttle-tanks-cracked/#comments Thu, 11 Nov 2010 13:48:34 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1165 Following a delay in the final launch of the space shuttle Discovery, NASA has discovered two nine-inch long cracks in the shuttle’s external fuel tank. Earlier, a twenty-inch crack had been discovered. The new cracks appeared on the fuel tank’s stringers, vertical, composite aluminum ribs on the tank’s exterior. The launch will not take place until sometime after November 30, with the new cracks possibly delaying the launch even more.

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]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/11/11/shuttle-tanks-cracked/feed/ 0 Obituary: Joseph Gavin http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/11/06/obituary-joseph-gavin/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/11/06/obituary-joseph-gavin/#comments Sat, 06 Nov 2010 22:51:51 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1154 Joseph G. Gavin, Jr. (b.1920) died on October 30. Gavin was the Director of the Lunar Module Program for Apollo at Grumman for ten years before becoming the company’s President in 1972. He was not only responsible for the Lunar Module’s design, but also headed the program when the Lunar Module was used as a lifeboat for the Apollo 13 mission. He received the NASA Distinguished Public Medal in 1971.

]]> http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/11/06/obituary-joseph-gavin/feed/ 0 Visit to a Small Comet http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/11/04/visit-to-a-small-comet/ http://www.sfsite.com/news/2010/11/04/visit-to-a-small-comet/#comments Thu, 04 Nov 2010 16:23:01 +0000 Steven H Silver http://www.sfsite.com/news/?p=1149 Deep Impact passed within 700 km (435 miles) of Comet Hartley 2 on November 4, returning pictures of the comet’s head which show the object to be shaped like a bowling pin. Comet Hartley 2 is about 1.6 km (1 mile) long. Deep Impact took several thousand images during its fly-by. This is the second cometary fly-by for Deep Impact, which had a fly-by and dropped an impactor on Comet Tempel 1 in 2005.

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