A Few Cosmic Distractions

If you need a break from the day-to-day struggles of life on the blue planet, here are a few recent astronomy developments that will send your thoughts drifting into space. *** First, let your mind wander to Hawaii. Not its lush, tropical beaches, but the deserted, rocky slopes of the Mauna Loa volcano. There, in an abandoned quarry, lies Mars. Not the real Mars, of course, but a 1200 square foot dome where crews of six live for months at a time, emerging only in space suits, as participants in ...