Space and Science News
Poster: Aron Schatz
Posted on January 14, 2003 at 8:30:21 PM
Ahh, space and science. Your daily dose of real science news.
Comet landing mission called off.
Columbia ready for liftoff.
Searching for SuperNovas.
New Furnace melts any metal.
Comet landing mission called off.
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The first space mission to orbit and land on the surface of a comet has been called off because of concerns over the safety of the mission's launch vehicle. The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft would have needed to launch before 30 January in order to rendezvous with comet Wirtanen in 2011. A handful of other comets are now being studied as possible replacement targets. But ESA has not revealed specific candidates or said when a rescheduled launch might take place.
Columbia ready for liftoff.
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NASA's shuttle fleet is considered a symbol of US financial and technological prowess and therefore a major terrorist target. Thursday's mission STS-107 will also carry an Israeli astronaut into space, potentially adding another motive for an attack by Arab terrorists. Ilan Ramon, previously a fighter pilot in the Israeli army, will make history by becoming his country's first ever astronaut.
Searching for SuperNovas.
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One set of researchers announced last week the discovery of 34 newly detected supernova, all found with the help of the Internet. A wireless Web connection allows images from Caltech's Palomar Observatory to be quickly fed into a database at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. A new image is sent every 30 seconds. At the LBNL, the images are compared to other data to confirm supernovae from a list of candidates.
New Furnace melts any metal.
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The bright, blue Retech Model 150 Plasma Lab Furnace, which arrived at the lab in the fall, will melt just about anything, Jones said. It generates temperatures higher than 10,000 degrees Celsius or more than 18,000 degrees Fahrenheit.