Monday, April 30, 2012

'Supermoon' Alert: Biggest Full Moon of 2012 Occurs This Week

Date: 30 April 2012 Time: 01:54 PM ET



Skywatcher Tim McCord of Entiat, Washington caught this amazing view of the March 19, 2011 full moon with a telescope.
Skywatcher Tim McCord of Entiat, Washington caught this amazing view of the March 19, 2011 full moon - called a supermoon because the moon was at perigee, the closest point to Earth in its orbit - using a camera-equipped telescope.
CREDIT: Tim McCord


Skywatchers take note: The biggest full moon of the year is due to arrive this weekend.
The moon will officially become full Saturday (May 5) at 11:35 p.m. EDT. And because this month's full moon coincides with the moon's perigee — its closest approach to Earth — it will also be the year's biggest.
The moon will swing in 221,802 miles (356,955 kilometers) from our planet, offering skywatchers a spectacular view of an extra-big, extra-bright moon, nicknamed a supermoon.

MORE: http://www.space.com/15474-supermoon-full-moon-2012.html






gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
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Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

SpaceX test fires rocket bound for space station


SpaceX test fires rocket bound for space station

A week ahead of what is touted as being the first attempt by a private company to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station, SpaceX test fired their Falcon 9 rocket. 

By SPACE.com Staff, http://www.space.com/ / April 30, 2012
SpaceX conducted a static fire of its Falcon 9 rocket on April 30, 2012. During the test, the nine Merlin engines that power the rocket's first stage were ignited for two seconds.
SpaceX
Enlarge
 
The private spaceflight company SpaceX successfully test fired the rocket that will launch the first-ever commercial space capsule to the International Space Station today (April 30), after a slight delay that was caused by an apparent computer glitch.
 
SpaceX officials conducted the so-called "static fire test" of the firm's Falcon 9 rocket today on a second try at 4:15 p.m. EDT (2015 GMT) at Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket is poised on the launch pad, ready to blast off toward the space station on May 7. SpaceX aired the engine test live via the company's website.

MORE: http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0430/SpaceX-test-fires-rocket-bound-for-space-station

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
SPACEWATCHTOWER BLOG: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Feeder Buses Could Save More PAT Bus Service

As the first of seven public speakers before the Board of Directors of the Port Authority of Allegheny County Friday morning (April 27), long-time public transit advocate Glenn A. Walsh proposed using feeder buses to save Port Authority funds, which could be used to preserve additional bus service.

In a prepared statement, Mr. Walsh said, "With the great success of the North Shore Connector and feeder bus routes 14 and 18, Port Authority costs could be reduced by greatly increasing feeder bus lines. With feeder bus lines, you would eliminate the time and money wasted when buses crawl through Downtown traffic, particularly during rush hours. This would be a much more efficient means of providing the same transit service."

Here is Mr. Walsh's complete statement:

Statement before                         Glenn A. Walsh
Board of Directors,                     P.O. Box 1041
Port Authority of                           Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15230-1041 U.S.A.
Allegheny County:           Telephone: 412-561-7876
Proposed Transit             Electronic Mail: < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
Service Cuts                   Web Site: < http://www.planetarium.cc >
2012 April 27                                               Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com >

Good morning. I am Glenn A. Walsh, 633 Royce Avenue, Mt. Lebanon, a regular Light Rail and bus rider who has chosen not to drive a motor vehicle since 1985, to help save energy, protect the environment, and reduce city traffic congestion. I have been an active transit advocate for more than 30 years, including 3 terms on the Allegheny County Transit Council as a Charter Member. Today, my comments are my own and do not reflect those of any organization.

A 35 percent cut in transit service would devastate many people in Allegheny County. Money must be found to reduce, if not eliminate, these proposed cuts.

With the great success of the North Shore Connector and feeder bus routes 14 and 18, Port Authority costs could be reduced by greatly increasing feeder bus lines. With feeder bus lines, you would eliminate the time and money wasted when buses crawl through Downtown traffic, particularly during rush hours. This would be a much more efficient means of providing the same transit service.

Ø Bus routes that circle Allegheny Center or Allegheny Commons Park could feed into the North Side Subway Station.
Ø Most West End buses could feed into the Allegheny Station. Route G2 would continue on Carson Street, to serve The Duquesne Incline, and terminate near the Gateway Subway Station.
Ø South Busway buses could feed into the T at South Hills Junction.
Ø A consolidation of routes 40 and 43 could circulate on Mt. Washington and feed into the Monongahela Incline, with free transfer to the T.
Ø Routes 48 and 51, and perhaps other South Side bus lines, could feed into the T at Station Square.
Ø Many East End bus routes could feed into the Steel Plaza Subway Station, while Mon Valley bus routes could feed into the First Avenue Station.
Ø East Hills bus routes could feed into the Wilkinsburg Station.

Money could be saved by implementing such feeder bus service. This money could be used to preserve some bus service now slated for elimination.

Even if some State money is eventually forthcoming, it may not be the entire $64 million needed. Implementation of a feeder bus system could provide the additional funds necessary to keep more buses on the road.

Even if you vote today to approve the proposed service cuts, please evaluate the financial viability of this feeder bus system proposal.

Thank you.

gaw 
 
At this link is a Large Print version of the public statement:

>>> http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit/pat/statements/ST-PAT_-servicecuts2012-4-27LP.htm

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
SPACEWATCHTOWER BLOG: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Leonard Nimoy to Shuttle Enterprise: 'Live Long and Prosper' in NYC

Date: 27 April 2012 Time: 01:02 PM ET


Leonard Nimoy talks about the space shuttle Enterprise on April 27, 2012
Leonard Nimoy of "Star Trek" fame says a few words after NASA's prototype space shuttle Enterprise touched down in New York City on April 27, 2012.
CREDIT: Tariq Malik/SPACE.com
NEW YORK — Science fiction met fact with a "Star Trek" twist here today (April 27) when the space shuttle Enterprise, named in honor of the starship from the beloved television show, came face-to-face with Spock — Leonard Nimoy, that is.
The "Star Trek" actor was on hand at John F. Kennedy International Airport when the shuttle Enterprise flew in atop a jumbo jet Friday morning. Enterprise was delivered from Washington, D.C. to the Big Apple, where it will eventually go on display at Manhattan's Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

MORE: http://www.space.com/15458-leonard-nimoy-shuttle-enterprise-star-trek.html



gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
SPACEWATCHTOWER BLOG: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Scientists detect subatomic particle


European scientists said Friday they had detected a subatomic particle that sheds light on one of the basic forces of nature which determines the structure of matter.
The particle, a baryon called Xi_b, cannot be detected directly as it is too unstable, but scientists observed traces of it in a test at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research's Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

MORE: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gkNyzVMkcbGp_IiYDUEahzpePg6g?docId=CNG.e6f3d96e0d9b89e72c30357dadcfcfed.201

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
SPACEWATCHTOWER BLOG: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Photos: Ghosts of Gemini Space Missions


Photos: Ghosts of Gemini

Forgotten photos show the human face of NASA's early astronaut program.

  • By Tony Reichhardt
  • AirSpaceMag.com, March 20, 2012

1 of 17 |
NASA/JSC/Arizona State University


Gemini was the middle child of the early space program, the one we always have trouble remembering. Mercury had the right stuff, Apollo had the moon. Gemini had…hardware demonstrations. Yet these two-man missions—10 over the course of 20 months in 1965 and 1966—worked out some of the fundamentals of spaceflight, from spacewalking to orbital docking.

The Gemini astronauts also took some of the most memorable photos in NASA history. You’d think we would have seen them all by now. But with NASA's help and funding, a team of researchers at Arizona State University led by lunar scientist Mark Robinson has retrieved from the archives (and scanned at high resolution) dozens of outtakes that never made it into wide circulation.
MORE PHOTOS: http://www.airspacemag.com/multimedia/Ghosts-of-Gemini.html

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
SPACEWATCHTOWER BLOG: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Amazing! 3D pictures without special glasses

Amazing! 3D pictures without special glasses


Below are some amazing pictures that look 3D without you having to wear any special glasses!
How does it work? The most significant factor which contributes to depth perception is bionocular disparity–it’s the fact that your left and right eye, because they’re separated by a few inches, see a slightly different picture of what is in front of you. Your brain integrates these two pictures into a coherent vision but it uses the difference between the pictures to give you a sense of depth. To see what I mean look away from your computer screen across the room. Alternate closing one eye than the other; notice both the difference between the pictures from each eye and also that with one eye closed the world seems flat.

Most 3D pictures achieve their effect by showing a slightly different picture to each eye. The old fashioned red and blue glasses did it by color filtering; the modern day 3D movies use oppositely polarized lenses.
Below is a new technique I’ve never seen before: by alternating the left and right eye image fast enough your brain integrates them to give you a sense of depth.

[Claud pointed out in the comments below that these images work equally well with one eye closed, so it's probably not binocular disparity but instead motion parallax that causes your brain to perceive depth. Motion parallax is the change in relative position of objects in the foreground and background as you move. Lean left and right as you look across the room and notice how the objects nearest to you change position relative to objects further away. Basically, the images below are simulating movement even while you're sitting stationary at your screen tricking your brain into perceiving depth.]

MORE--3D IMAGES: http://tasteoftomorrow.com/amazing-3d-pictures-without-glasses/

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
SPACEWATCHTOWER BLOG: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Friday, April 27, 2012

NASA Offers Expertise to Help Private Companies Build Rockets, Capsules

Date: 27 April 2012 Time: 04:27 PM ET


Liberty rocket would revive part of NASA's scrapped Ares I rocket designe.
The new Liberty launch vehicle, which draws on parts of NASA's cancelled Ares I rocket and Europe's Ariane 5 rocket, will use existing infrastructure at Kennedy Space Center--including, possibly, the mobile launch platform shown in this illustration.
CREDIT: ATK


To help spur the development of a new fleet of commercial spacecraft to carry astronauts to and from the International Space Station, NASA has partnered with select private companies to foster the design and testing of the new vehicles. But the firms that received funding from NASA are not the only players in the game.
NASA has also made deals with several other commercial companies under so-called unfunded Space Act Agreements. As part of these arrangements, the agency provides expertise that could help the companies develop their vehicles or launch systems, but does not give out any money.

MORE: http://www.space.com/15464-nasa-private-spaceflight-unfunded-agreements.html


gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
SPACEWATCHTOWER BLOG: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Europe Solar Orbiter Moves Ahead With De-scoped NASA Participation

Europe Solar Orbiter Moves Ahead With De-scoped NASA Participation
Posted by Amy Svitak 5:27 AM on Apr 27, 2012
NASA's funding woes continue to have an impact on the European Space Agency (ESA) as it presses ahead with plans to launch a next-generation solar probe in 2017.
NASA was expected to provide up to four instruments and a launch vehicle to ESA's Solar Orbiter Collaboration, a robotic sun probe designed to help scientists understand the causes of space weather and provide the closest-ever view of the sun during the spacecraft's seven-year design life.
But rising launch costs coupled with flat spending in the U.S. forced NASA last year to pare back its Solar Orbiter commitment, leaving ESA to fund two instruments – the Suprathermal Ion Spectrograph and Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment – on its own.
MORE: http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog:04ce340e-4b63-4d23-9695-d49ab661f385&plckPostId=Blog%3a04ce340e-4b63-4d23-9695-d49ab661f385Post%3afbac2cc2-4b1a-4d06-ae38-214ceb7334af

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
SPACEWATCHTOWER BLOG: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Fragments Found of Meteor That Exploded Over California

California Meteor Near the site of the discovery that launched the Gold Rush more than 150 years ago, meteorite hunter Robert Ward has tracked down another sort of rock —fragments of a minivan-sized meteor that blew up in the sky above California's Sierra foothills early on Sunday.
Ward, who has been hunting for meteorites for more than 20 years, told the Associated Press Thursday that he found a pair of fragments weighing about 10 grams each roughly 35 miles northeast of Sacramento nearby Sutter's Mill, the famous location where James W. Marshall discovered gold in 1848.

MORE: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2403642,00.asp


gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
SPACEWATCHTOWER BLOG: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Russian-U.S. space station crew returns to Earth



KOROLYOV, Russia (Reuters) - A Soyuz capsule carrying two Russian cosmonauts and a U.S. astronaut from the International Space Station (ISS) landed safely in Kazakhstan on Friday.

The Soyuz TMA-22 parachuted down onto the steppe in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, landing on schedule and on target north of the town of Arkalyk after a three-hour descent from the orbital outpost.
MORE: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-russia-space-landingbre83q0n3-20120427,0,5534912.story

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
SPACEWATCHTOWER BLOG: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Student researcher spies odd lava spirals on Mars

Photo credit: AP | This image provided by NASA on Thursday, April 26, 2012 shows lava flows in the shape of coils located near the equatorial region of Mars. Analyzing high-resolution images of the region, researchers have determined the area was sculpted by volcanic activity in the recent geologic past. This is the first time such geologic features have been discovered outside of Earth. (AP Photo/NASA)

LOS ANGELES - (AP) -- A researcher has spotted lava flows shaped like coils of rope near the equator of Mars, the first time such geologic features have been discovered outside of Earth.
These twisty volcanic patterns can be found on Hawaii's Big Island and in the Pacific seafloor on our planet. While evidence for lava flows is present in many places on Mars, none are shaped like this latest find.
"I was quite surprised and puzzled when I first saw the coils," Andrew Ryan, a graduate student at Arizona State University, said in an email. He reported the discovery in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

MORE: http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/student-researcher-spies-odd-lava-spirals-on-mars-1.3684104

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
SPACEWATCHTOWER BLOG: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
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Cassini Finds Saturn Moon has Planet-Like Qualities

The Face of Phoebe Phoebe's true nature is revealed in startling clarity in this mosaic of two images taken during Cassini's flyby on June 11, 2004. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
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April 26, 2012
PASADENA, Calif. -- Data from NASA's Cassini mission reveal Saturn's moon Phoebe has more planet-like qualities than previously thought.

Scientists had their first close-up look at Phoebe when Cassini began exploring the Saturn system in 2004. Using data from multiple spacecraft instruments and a computer model of the moon's chemistry, geophysics and geology, scientists found Phoebe was a so-called planetesimal, or remnant planetary building block. The findings appear in the April issue of the Journal Icarus.
MORE: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-119&cid=release_2012-119&msource=12119

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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Dawn Spacecraft Reveals Secrets of Giant Asteroid Vesta

April 24, 2012

PASADENA, Calif. - Findings from NASA's Dawn spacecraft reveal new details about the giant asteroid Vesta, including its varied surface composition, sharp temperature changes and clues to its internal structure. The findings were presented today at the European Geosciences Union meeting in Vienna, Austria, and will help scientists better understand the early solar system and processes that dominated its formation.

Images from Dawn's framing camera and visible and infrared mapping spectrometer, taken 420 miles (680 kilometers) and 130 miles (210 kilometers) above the surface of the asteroid, show a variety of surface mineral and rock patterns. Coded false-color images help scientists better understand Vesta's composition and enable them to identify material that was once molten below the asteroid's surface.

MORE, PHOTOS, & VIDEO: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2012-117&cid=release_2012-117&msource=12117

Aquilia Area in Color

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
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  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
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  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
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NASA Releases Call For Phase II Visionary Advanced Concepts
 
 
WASHINGTON -- The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program is seeking proposals to continue promising studies for which it has supported the first phase. These cutting-edge concepts have the potential to transform future exploration missions, enable new capabilities, or significantly alter current approaches to launching, building, and operating aerospace systems.

"These transformative concepts have the potential to mature into the new capabilities NASA needs for the challenging space missions in its future," said Michael Gazarik, director of NASA's Space Technology Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

MORE: http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/apr/12-137_NIAC_PhaseII.html

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Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
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New, dramatic Saturn video created from Voyager and Cassini spacecraft images



New Saturn video created from Voyager and Cassini spacecraft images



By Eric Pfeiffer | The Sideshow – 3 hrs ago

Netherlands-based director Sander van den Berg has taken images from NASA's Cassini orbiter and Voyager spacecraft to create an amazing new video of Saturn entitled "Outer Space."
At first, the compilation of images looks like relatively simple computer-generated imagery of the gas giant. But the images become awe-inspiring when you realize they are all actual photos taken by NASA.
The collection of moving images is set to "That Home," performed by the British jazz and electronic band The Cinematic Orchestra.
45 seconds into the video you can see space debris crashing into Saturn's rings. About a minute into the video, the images take on an almost psychedelic turn, as van den Berg captures images of gas geysers on the solar system's second largest planet.

MORE & VIDEO: http://0-news.yahoo.com.precise.petronas.com.my/blogs/sideshow/saturn-video-created-voyager-cassini-spacecraft-images-164450202.html

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
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  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
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