Rocket Smash Could Find Moon’s Water Ice (via ScienceDaily)
Crashing a rocket into the Moon will create “one more dimple” on the lunar surface and could find water ice on Earth’s nearest neighbour, according to a Durham University expert.
The Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) and its Centaur rocket will smash into a crater in the Cabeus region of the Moon’s South Pole next week. Impact has been timed for approximately 12.30 pm BST (4.30 am PDT) on Friday, October 9.
Approximately 350 tonnes of material will be propelled into the sunlight so scientists can study its composition using ground-based telescopes….
‘Trash Can’ Nuclear Reactors Could Power Human Outpost On Moon Or Mars (via ScienceDaily)
NASA has made a series of critical strides toward the development of new nuclear reactors the size of a trash can that could power a human outpost on the moon or Mars. Three recent tests at different NASA centers and a national lab have successfully demonstrated key technologies required for compact fission-based nuclear power plants for human settlements on other worlds…..
NASA Can Now Create Objects Using Electron Beams (via Gizmodo)
Instead of using traditional 3D manufacturing, NASA has developed an electron beam fabrication system capable of creating any object. And hey, if it uses electron beams. Electron beams, people. That means it’s awesome.
The new method, called Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication (EBF3), uses the electron beam to melt raw material inside a vacuum. The beam can create any mechanical part you want for a small fraction of the cost of previous methods:
The speech Safire wrote for Nixon if Apollo 11 astronauts were stranded on the moon (via BoingBoing)
Astronauts’ Muscles Age Quickly in Space
A young and healthy astronaut who spends six months in the International Space Station is likely to arrive back on earth with the muscles of an 80-year-old, according to a new analysis.
The study, paid for by NASA and published in the April issue of The Journal of Applied Physiology, examined nine American and Russian astronauts who had each spent about six months in the station. They had access to various machines for aerobic and resistance exercise, and crew members kept logs of their exercise time.
The researchers measured leg muscle volume with M.R.I. scans and muscle performance with dynamometers before launching, and again when the astronauts returned. They also did before-and-after calf-muscle biopsies.
Using logs and videos, the researchers estimated that the astronauts averaged the equivalent of 50 minutes of aerobic activity and 30 minutes of resistance training a day. Clearly, this was not enough: by the time they returned to earth, they had lost an average of 13 percent of muscle mass and 20 to 29 percent in muscle performance…. (more @ NY Times)
Briny Pools 'May Exist On Mars'
Pools of salty water might be able to exist just below the surface of Mars, planetary scientists believe.
Researchers previously thought water existed largely as ice or as vapour on Mars, because of the low temperatures and atmospheric pressure.
But Nasa’s Phoenix lander has shown the presence in Martian soil of perchlorate salts, which can keep water liquid at temperatures of minus 70C.
Did Bat Hitch a Ride to Space?
The bat, seen clinging to the external fuel tank of the Space Shuttle Discovery before its launch on Sunday, apparently clung for dear life to the side of the tank as the spaceship lifted off.
NASA Kepler Mission Launch (via NASAtelevision)
The search for ET is on!!!
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