January 2007 - Posts
BonNova |
An artist's conception shows the Lauryad Lunar Lander in a Day-Glo desert.
|
The starting gun is about to go off for this year's lunar lander marathon - an eight-month season that begins with the release of the rules and registration procedures, sometime in the next week or so, and reaches its climax at October's X Prize Cup with the running of the $2 million Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge.
Last year, Texas-based Armadillo Aerospace almost won a $350,000 NASA-backed rocket prize in the first-ever Lunar Lander Challenge. This year, competition organizer Will Pomerantz expects about 10 teams - including Armadillo - to enter the vertical-takeoff-and-landing contest. One competitor, Los Angeles-based BonNova, is coming out of stealth mode just today with a fund-raising plan that involves an eBay auction.
CONTINUED >>
• New Scientist: What about a bot for a boss?
• Wired: What we don't know (via Daily Grail)
• The Australian: Water from wind (via Slashdot)
• IEEE Spectrum: Putting up the Ritz
• 10 Zen Monkeys: Why chicks don't dig the singularity
In the wake of the O'Hare UFO incident, there's been a flurry of reports about unidentified flying objects - from Hawaii and North Carolina, for example. Is this an alien invasion? It's far more likely to be a clustering effect - stoked by public interest and perhaps this month's satellite shootdown as well.
CONTINUED >>
• The New Yorker: Google's moon shot
• PhysOrg: Habitats for polar and space colonists (via GeekPress)
• Discovery.com: Is there a link between autism and addiction?
• N.Y. Times (reg. req.): Will humanity survive? Want to bet?
Will there ever be another horse like Barbaro? Maybe so, if it were up to cloning researcher Katrin Hinrichs. Theoretically, you could take a tissue sample from the now-dead racehorse, culture some cells and freeze them for future Barbaro clones, she said.
"It just seems to make sense to do that when you have an animal that's genetically valuable," the veterinarian who heads Texas A&M's Equine Embryo Laboratory told me today.
CONTINUED >>
• Esquire: Will cloned humans have souls?
• Science News: Perchance to hibernate
• Popular Science: The scariest ideas in science
• Discover Magazine: 20 things you didn't know about aliens
The top scientist behind NASA’s mission to Pluto, Alan Stern, says the icy world is making a comeback among astronomers: The debate over Pluto’s planethood is resurging at scientific meetings, and even the International Astronomical Union hasn't yet delivered the final word on its planet definition. When all is said and done, it may be the IAU – or, as Stern terms it, the "Irrelevant Astronomical Union" – that ends up getting Plutoed, he says.
CONTINUED >>
• Discovery Channel: '2057'
• 'Nova' on PBS: 'Crash of Flight 111'
• Science @ NASA: The moon is a harsh witness
• ESA: Probe has asteroid Lutetia in its sights
• The Economist: Weighing the universe
• New Scientist: Street-fighting robot challenge announced
• Wired.com: Bright launch for moonshot documentary
CSSI |
The effects of China's anti-satellite test are graphically seen in an animation showing the debris that it created, and how all that junk matches up with the orbits of the international space station and other spacecraft. A satellite-tracking expert created the video clip to draw attention to the potentially perilous traffic in low Earth orbit - a space jam that just got worse.
CONTINUED >>
Last week, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said he would be putting off the next launch of his low-cost Falcon 1 rocket until mid-February at the earliest, due to a glitch involving the thruster control system. At the time, he still intended to go ahead with a static-fire engine test on the launch pad, on Omelek Island in the Pacific Ocean's Kwajalein Atoll. Today, however, Musk said the static-fire test would be delayed as well:
"In an excess of caution, we decided not to proceed with the static fire this month. The vehicle is now back in the hangar, where the stages are being de-mated for careful inspection.
"The static fire and launch window is now mid- to late February, due to Kwaj having to configure for an incoming Minuteman and then reconfigure back to handling a Falcon launch. During this downtime, we will take the opportunity to go over every inch of the rocket with a microscope again.
"As Andy Grove said, 'Only the Paranoid Survive.'"
Considering that the first Falcon 1 rocket launch failed due to an errant nut and a resulting fuel leak, you could cite yet another saying: "Once burned, twice shy."
•
AIP: "Cosmic Journey: A History of Scientific Cosmology" •
Daily Grail: Updates on the O'Hare UFO incident •
National Geographic: Explore the human heart •
Defense Tech: The next-generation ray gun
Legislation to create multimillion-dollar prizes for hydrogen energy technology has been reintroduced as promised, and one of the bill's biggest boosters says it could come up for a vote "pretty quickly." But the H-Prize Act doesn't really address the energy priorities outlined in President Bush's State of the Union address - such as increased ethanol production or tougher fuel economy standards. So why not offer prizes for a wider range of energy alternatives, including ethanol and biodiesel, rather than just for hydrogen?
CONTINUED >>
•
PhysOrg: Physicists develop test for string theory •
Archaeology: Burying man's best friend •
Science a Go Go: The universe as magic roundabout •
NASA: Hubble's successor can 'squint' at far galaxies
NASA / JPL / SSI |
Saturn and its rings are backlit by the sun in an image from Cassini.
|
A blue sunset on Mars and a backlit portrait of Saturn and its rings have taken the top spots in two photo contests celebrating NASA's most popular interplanetary missions. The Martian sunset comes from the Spirit rover, the Saturnian view comes from the Cassini orbiter - and the best thing about both those missions is that there's likely to be much, much more to come.
CONTINUED >>
•
N.Y. Times (reg. req.): Do you believe in magic? •
Wired.com: Military builds robotic insects •
Popular Mechanics: The physics of football •
Popular Science: Hijacking the Red Planet
As President Bush prepares a renewed "State of the Union" push to break America's addiction to oil, lawmakers and industry types are redoubling efforts to create multimillion-dollar prizes for automotive energy alternatives.
CONTINUED >>
•
Planetary Society petitions president to save space science •
Science News: Urban sprawl is hazardous to your health •
New Scientist: Exploding robots may scout hazardous asteroids •
Scientific American: The universe's invisible hand •
Discover magazine: Why we can't find Osama bin Laden
Elon Musk - the millionaire founder of Space Exploration Technologies, better known as SpaceX - often says there's a reason why rocket science is a stereotypically hard thing to do. Further proof of that came today, when Musk announced that the long-anticipated second launch of his Falcon 1 rocket would have to be delayed until next month due to a problem with the craft's control system.
CONTINUED >>
Egyptologist Betsy Bryan and her Johns Hopkins University team are gearing up for another field season at the Mut Temple Precinct, a place of archaeological wonders in the environs of ancient Luxor. During last year's expedition, archaeologists turned up a 3,400-year-old statue of Tutankhamun's grandmother, Queen Tiy. Over the years, Bryan has also gleaned lots of information about sex, drugs and rock and roll in ancient Egypt. You can keep tabs on this year's exploits by checking out Johns Hopkins' Egypt expedition diary - and don't forget to browse the archives as well. For a recap of last year's highlights, sit back and watch this audio slide show.
•
The Telegraph: It's official, Elvis lives! •
Daily Mail: TV program reveals the real Frankensteins •
JHU via EurekAlert: Hydride fuel? You heard it here first •
World Net Daily: UFO frenzy ignited by Air Force officer
UC-Riverside |
Researchers have designed a molecule that can carry a couple of carbon dioxide molecules with it as it "walks" in a straight line. It may sound like a stupid molecule trick, but the technique is expected to lead to the new drug-delivery techniques and nanotech assembly lines.
CONTINUED >>
The millionaire founder of Space Exploration Technologies (a.k.a. SpaceX) says the preparations for the next launch of the company's Falcon 1 rocket have been set back a day. That means a key engine test on the Pacific island launch pad is due on Friday, and the actual launch will be Monday at the earliest. Here's what Elon Musk had to say on his update page:
"The static fire has moved to Friday (California time) and launch to Monday, January 22. We have not encountered any new issues – the shift in timing is primarily to provide for additional risk reduction activities on site, as we continue to operate with a healthy paranoia.
"As stated in the prior update, there is a high likelihood that the dates will continue to change, given the broad array of vehicle robustness upgrades. This will remain true all the way up to the final few seconds of the countdown, as our new health verification software executes hundreds of systems checks between engine ignition at T-3 sec and liftoff at T-0, when the hold down clamps release the rocket for flight. This is a critical phase for verification, given that the vehicle will have undergone substantial state changes throughout the first stage and avionics system."
Even though the Falcon 1 launch is purely for demonstration purposes, it's being closely watched - particularly in light of the rocket's failure during its maiden launch in November 2005. If the Falcon rises without a hitch this time, it could represent a significant step in Musk's crusade to lower the cost of access to space and push humanity further toward becoming a multiplanet species.
Eventually, Musk intends to build a spacecraft capable of sending humans into orbit - as well as rockets that could someday take people beyond Earth orbit. But first things first: Let's see how the next few days go.
•
The Economist: How grue is your valley? •
BBC: Your PCs forecast climate future •
Wired.com: 'Fantastic Voyage' ... departure 2009 •
The Guardian: Why the aliens haven't found us yet
What is the universe expanding into? How could we possibly make trips to other star systems? What happens when two black holes meet? Is a "theory of everything" within reach? Such are the questions that Cosmic Log readers posed for Stephen Hawking, arguably the world's most famous physicist as well as the world's most famous quadriplegic.
We've shipped off a selection of queries for Dr. Hawking to consider, but we can already address the questions we've just listed, as well as other questions relating to his favorite music - and even his favorite episode of "The Simpsons."
CONTINUED >>
•
Popular Science: 20 science mysteries explained •
Discovery.com: Parrot talk is cleverer than you think •
Technology Review: Bomber's gait is a dead giveaway •
Slate: How long can you keep an embryo frozen?
KEK |
The next big machine in the world of science is the Large Hadron Collider, an $8 billion particle accelerator due to start operations late this year on the French-Swiss border. The LHC just might lift the veil on exotic physics such as the "God particle" and the extra dimensions in which we live.
There's yet another next big machine, in a slightly different field: the $13 billion ITER experimental fusion reactor, slated to be built in France by 2015. That could eventually open the door to clean, abundant, relatively safe nuclear power.
So what's the next, next big machine? What future international science project might the United States pursue? As far as the world's leading physicists are concerned, that would be the International Linear Collider - a huge multibillion-dollar installation that would follow up on the leads generated by the LHC. But is it really necessary? And is there really any chance of bringing the project to the United States?
CONTINUED >>
•
N.Y. Times: The warming of Greenland •
XCOR Aerospace: Methane rocket engine tested for NASA •
The New Yorker: The dodos return to Mauritius •
Fortean Times: Photographing phantoms (via
Daily Grail)
Nine months ago, economist/entrepreneur Sam Dinkin set up an online skill game called Space Shot. People paid $3.50 a shot to forecast the weather, in hopes of winning a future suborbital trip into space. But so far, the competition has yielded no winners - so today Dinkin launched the venture's second stage.
Instead of pay-for-play, the contest is now free for players, and dependent instead on advertising revenue. The offered prizes now include a zero-gravity airplane ride as well as flights on next-generation suborbital, orbital and round-the-moon spacecraft that have not yet been built. And the target market is next-generation as well: Dinkin is hoping to grab the attention of pre-teens who are years away from being able to take their ride to space. Will Space Shot 2.0 fly any higher than 1.0? That all depends on the kids.
CONTINUED >>
•
Science News: Digital fingerprints •
Hamilton Spectator: 21st-century suit of armor (via
Slashdot)
•
The Guardian: We may all be Martians (via
Daily Grail)
•
Discover magazine: Consciousness in a cockroach
Calling all fans of space imagery: NASA wants you ... to help judge a couple of contests over the next couple of weeks. And if you want to get your name in the cosmos, the Planetary Society is offering a couple of opportunities. Read on for the details:
CONTINUED >>
•
The Economist: Sealing wax and string for outer space •
'Nova' on PBS: 'Arctic Passage' •
The Loom: Cancer ... an evolutionary disease •
Defense Tech: Is cop tech the key to the war in Iraq? •
The Onion: Scientists create world's largest novelty atom
Back when there were nine planets, you could keep them straight with a cute little memory aid: "My very eager mother just served us nine pizzas." But now, at least according to the International Astronomical Union, there are only eight (planets, that is ... not pizzas): Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
Pluto was drummed out of the planet platoon in part because something was finally discovered out on the solar system's edge that was bigger than Pluto: an icy world at first nicknamed Xena, and now dubbed Eris. Does Eris' co-discoverer, Michael Brown of the California Institute of Technology, feel bad about Pluto's comedown? If so, he still has a sense of humor about it all, based on his favorite memory aid for the solar system's current lineup: "Mean, very evil men just shortened up nature."
CONTINUED >>
•
Flight Global: Sweden to host Virgin Galactic spaceport •
Mainichi Daily News: Mind-reading device developed •
New Scientist: Desktop fabricator may spark revolution •
The Guardian: What is beauty? A slim waist
Robin Loznak / Great Falls Tribune |
If you can get yourself someplace that has a clear view of sunset this evening, take the opportunity: You're likely to see the brightest comet in a generation as it's reaching its peak.
Yes, Comet McNaught is now brighter than Hale-Bopp, Kohoutek or Hyakutake - earlier comets that sparked high hopes but didn't quite meet their high expectations. In fact, according to the ICQ Comet Information Website, McNaught is almost as bright as Jupiter in the night sky. It's been 31 years since a comet was that bright.
CONTINUED >>
•
Inside Science: High-school physics enrollment hits new high •
Nature: Fresh optimism in the search for Higgs boson •
Technology Review: New vaccines could blitz the flu •
LiveScience: Weight-loss strategies that really work
What would you ask Stephen Hawking? Hawking is arguably the most famous physicist in the world today, because of his mental ability as well as his physical disability, so there’s precious little that hasn’t been asked already. Do black holes destroy everything they consume? Yes … um, better make that no. Favorite American TV show? “The Simpsons.” Historical personage he’d most like to meet? Marilyn Monroe. And so on…
Since Hawking will soon be making a sojourn in these parts, we just might have an opportunity to send a few fresh questions his way. So here’s your opportunity to suggest the top question that’s on your mind when it comes to the good doctor and his work.
CONTINUED >>
•
NASASpaceflight.com: Hubble mission set for September 2008•
Discovery.com: Two probes competing for Mars trip •
Science @ NASA: Going metric on the moon •
Improbable.com: Chef Andy's recipe for glowing Jell-O •
The Onion: Amenities on the moon
Famed quadriplegic physicist Stephen Hawking confirms that he's planning to take a zero-gravity flight this year - a weightless adventure that's likely to unfold aboard a specially outfitted Boeing 727 operated by Zero Gravity Corp. Hawking made the comment in a 65th-birthday interview published today in The Telegraph, a British newspaper. "This year I'm planning a zero-gravity flight and to go into space in 2009," he said.
So what does Zero Gravity have to say about that plan?
CONTINUED >>
•
Science News: Most bees live alone •
N.Y. Times (reg. req.): The Ununited States of Weather •
Tech Review: Space billionaire talks about his next great idea •
Capital Times: Future in fusion? (Via
HobbySpace)
GeoEye / Space Imaging |
Archaeologists and NASA experts are using satellite images to find jungle-covered ruins that had been hidden almost literally right under their noses. The 21st-century technology, highlighted in the latest installment of PBS’ “Nova ScienceNow,” led to the discovery of ancient Maya settlements in Guatemala.
But there are still some mysteries left to solve: “We know a lot more about finding the sites than we do about why we’re finding the sites,” University of New Hampshire archaeologist Bill Saturno told me today.
CONTINUED >>
•
Skeptic: The Great Afterlife Debate (via
Daily Grail)
•
The Economist: Are greedy microbes to blame for obesity? •
National Geographic: Last of the Amazon •
Popular Mechanics: Top five robots you can buy right now
AP |
Is ethanol the answer for what ails our energy economy? Or could the ethanol boom destabilize grain markets, and even governments? In a report issued today, the Washington-based Earth Policy Institute says a rapid rise in the demand for corn - the current crop of choice for ethanol production - could stir up global economic chaos, and soon.
"If there are enough urban food riots in the world, it would create a very difficult situation with potentially a lot of instability, and perhaps on a scale that could disrupt global economic progress. ... We're not talking about something five or 10 or 15 years down the road, we're talking about something that might happen in a year or two," Lester Brown, the institute's president and a longtime environmental campaigner, told me today.
CONTINUED >>
•
Discovery.com: How climate change crippled the Tang dynasty •
New Scientist: DNA so dangerous it doesn't exist •
Christian Science Monitor: In hot pursuit of Egypt's lost mummies •
Popular Science: How science conquered television
Blue Origin |
After years of working behind closed doors and locked gates, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos has finally lifted the curtain that shrouded Blue Origin, his space tourism venture.
Among the goodies now displayed on Blue Origin's Web site are photos and videos from the venture's maiden test flight in November, as seen from the ground as well as a rocket-cam ... pictures from the West Texas launch range and Blue Origin's production facility in a Seattle suburb ... and even the Blue Origin coat of arms, emblazoned with the motto "Gradatim Ferociter" (Step by Step, Courageously).
CONTINUED >>
•
Scientific American: A robot in every home, by Bill Gates •
Wired: Li'l robot dinosaur comes to life •
Technology Review: Nanoparticles ready for cancer trials •
UC-Boulder: Software retraces ancient Americans' spirit quest
More than 3,000 reports of unidentified flying objects were sent to the National UFO Reporting Center over the past year - but not one has generated as much buzz as November's sighting at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Was it a metallic-looking, saucer-shaped object rising through the clouds, or nothing more than a meteorological oddity? It's hard to figure out whether the truth is really out there, but one thing is for sure: Clouds can do some positively alien-looking things.
CONTINUED >>
•
N.Y. Times (reg. req.): Do we have free will? Or not? •
Edge: What are you optimistic about? Why? •
Dave Barry: Did anything good happen in 2006? (via
Daily Grail)
•
The New Yorker: How do you operate a shower curtain?
