Space News
Mars Needs Plutonium! (And so do Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Points Beyond)
Planetary Society - 30 Oct 2013 05:38
Society Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator Casey Dreier visits Planetary Radio with the tale of an element that is essential to exploration of deep space.
Quadrantid Meteor Shower: Odd in Several Ways
SPACE.com - 30 Oct 2013 07:44
The Quadrantids are a meteor shower in January that peak for only about six hours, are named for a constellation that no longer exists and come from an asteroid rather than a comet.
Smog shuts down Harbin, China, as seen from space.
Scientific American - 30 Oct 2013 03:46
Remember the smog that paralyzed Harbin, China – a city of 10 million last week? Here is what that looks like from space: NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response ... --
Countries at climate risk to hold more GDP
Phys.org - 30 Oct 2013 23:50
Nearly a third of the world's economic output, some $44 trillion (32 trillion euros), will by 2025 be in countries at the highest risk of climate change effects, said research published Wednesday.
How Habitable is an Earth-Like Exoplanet?
Discover - 30 Oct 2013 23:38
Looking for planets outside the solar system is cool and all, but the obvious subtext behind much of the searching is the possibility of finding another Earth out there -- a relatively small, mostly rocky planet with liq...
Chasing the trajectory of science, both Big and Small: A panel discussion
Scientific American - 30 Oct 2013 23:34
Here is the link to the YouTube video of my panel discussion with Steven Weinberg , Sara Seager and Neil Turok . I was very pleased to have a productive conversation about the future of science... --
Alien Planet Kepler 78b --A Mystery World that Baffles Astronomers
The Daily Galaxy - 30 Oct 2013 23:20
Alien Planet Kepler-78b "is a complete mystery," says astronomer David Latham of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). "We don't know how it formed or how it got to where it is today. What we do know is ...
NASA advances world's first spaceborne sodium lidar
Phys.org - 30 Oct 2013 23:19
It's used as a coolant in nuclear power plants and as a desiccant to remove humidity that otherwise would ruin moisture-sensitive products. Found in every cell in the human body, it transmits nerve impulses and regulates...
Watching Earth's winds, on a shoestring
Phys.org - 30 Oct 2013 23:19
Built with spare parts and without a moment to spare, the International Space Station (ISS)-RapidScat isn't your average NASA Earth science mission.
Researchers show how universe's violent youth seeded cosmos with iron
Phys.org - 30 Oct 2013 23:15
(Phys.org) --New evidence that iron is spread evenly between the galaxies in one of the largest galaxy clusters in the universe supports the theory that the universe underwent a turbulent and violent youth more than 10 b...
Solar eclipse to sweep Africa, Europe, US on Sunday
Phys.org - 30 Oct 2013 22:20
A rare solar eclipse will sweep across parts of Africa, Europe and the United States on Sunday as the moon blocks the sun either fully or partially, depending on the location.
NASA Hosts Earth Science Social Media Event
PTTU - 30 Oct 2013 22:12
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory News and Features: One-hundred people from 22 U.S. states and some foreign countries will attend a two-day NASA Social on Nov. 4 and 5 at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasaden...
Want to Shape Human Spaceflight's Future? Send a Tweet
SPACE.com - 30 Oct 2013 21:44
You probably already know that social media isn't just about chatting with buddies and sharing photos of cats, but today is the day that one tweet could shape the future of the U.S. human spaceflight program.
China's 'Airpocalypse' Tracked by NASA Satellite
SPACE.com - 30 Oct 2013 21:34
Air pollution in northern China recently reached astonishing lows, with visibility of about 30 feet. The clouds of smoke and smog have been tracked from above by NASA's Aqua satellite.
Improving earthquake early warning systems for California and Taiwan
Phys.org - 30 Oct 2013 21:13
Earthquake early warning systems may provide the public with crucial seconds to prepare for severe shaking. For California, a new study suggests upgrading current technology and relocating some seismic stations would imp...
Eutelsat Says U.S. Military Business Bounced Back During First Quarter
Space News - 30 Oct 2013 21:13
Ninety percent of Eutelsat's satellite capacity-lease contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense that were due to be renewed in September and October have been renewed.
Mars Rover Curiosity Eyes Next Science Target
SPACE.com - 30 Oct 2013 21:12
On Monday, Curiosity took some scouting photos of an outcrop called "Cooperstown" from about 262 feet (80 meters) away. Researchers plan to investigate Cooperstown soon, putting the rover's arm-mounted science gear to us...
NASA sees Tropical Storm Krosa approach the Philippines
Phys.org - 30 Oct 2013 21:11
NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites captured visible and infrared data on intensifying Tropical Storm Krosa as it heads for a landfall in the northern Philippines. Krosa is known as "Vinta" in the Philippines.
Researchers discover that an exoplanet is Earth-like in mass and size
e! Science News - 30 Oct 2013 21:09
In August, MIT researchers identified an exoplanet with an extremely brief orbital period: The team found that Kepler 78b, a small, intensely hot planet 400 light-years from Earth, circles its star in just 8.5 hours — ...
NASA eyes a 'decoupled' Tropical Depression Raymond
Phys.org - 30 Oct 2013 21:09
Satellite data shows that the lower level circulation of Raymond decoupled from the middle layer of the storm. When a Tropical Depression decouples, it means the layers of circulation in the atmosphere are no longer "sta...
Actor Tim Allen, Voice of Buzz Lightyear, Narrates New Moon Exploration Film
SPACE.com - 30 Oct 2013 21:07
Actor Tim Allen will narrate a new 25-minute film called "Back to the Moon for Good," which recounts the history of lunar exploration efforts and previews the coming robotic rush to the moon unleashed by the $30 million ...
Warming will disturb balance of soil nutrients in drylands
Phys.org - 30 Oct 2013 21:00
An increase in aridity due to global warming will disturb the balance of nutrients in the soil and reduce productivity of the world's drylands, which support millions of people, a landmark study predicts.