Results tagged “Astronomy”

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's the Moon Rover!!!!!

Just in time for a 2020 roll out date, NASA is hard at work on the next Moon Rover which will combine old school smarts with new technology.

From National Geographic:

The new lunar rover, informally known as the Chariot, is a prototype being developed as part of NASA's Constellation program, which aims to put people back on the moon by 2020.

One of the biggest modifications is an optional pressurized cabin that comes fully equipped with beds, a pantry, a waste-management system, and a pair of space suits, allowing astronauts to live and work "on the road" for up to two weeks.

Sign me up! I want to take a test drive!

National Geographic has the best photos! And they have had them for a long, long time. Here are some that caught my eye this week.

Go check out this article, photos and video from NASA as we get back images of what Earth looks like from 31 million miles away. This will give astronomers ideas of how to look for other earthlike planets...cool, eh?

This is a photo taken by an obsevatory of the Supernova Remnant, Cassiopeia A. Isn't it gorgeous? And study has given scientists the ability to figure out the cause for the Supernova. Very cool.

Check out this beautiful new Red Spot on Jupiter. Though it is tinier than the other red spots and it may have a short life, it is still very cool to look at!

Did you realize that the giant red spot is as wide as the Earth! Jupiter is hugamongus!!!!!! Scientists are waiting to see if the 'tiny' spot will be repelled by the big red spot or absorbed...

Yesterday evening, Daniel and I were anxious to watch the news and see if the Phoenix landed safely on Mars. But then the rain came and the signal went out and we had to wait until today to see how it all turned out.

Well done, NASA! The Phoenix completed its soft landing and is now exploring the icy soil to see if it can find any signs of life. The Phoenix now has 3 months to explore and take samples of the soil and run these samples through tests looking for water and life. While they are only expecting the Phoenix to last three months, one never knows. Since Spirit and Opportunity are still chugging along after 4 years!

For more information on The Phoenix you can read articles at Bloomberg.com and BBC News.

And here is a video with explanation and pictures

G1.9+0.3A, seen here in a composite x-ray, radio, and infrared image, is the Milky Way's youngest supernova, a new study has found.

If it weren't so obscured by dust, people in the late 1800s would likely have seen G1.9+0.3 appear in the constellation Sagittarius.

Isn't that just the coolest thing you ever saw!!!!???

If you have seen the amazing movie Apollo 13, or if you were alive during those dramatic days when NASA and the astronauts aboard Apollo 13 worked around the clock to return three astronauts home safely after a huge explosion, then you will remember the moments of terror when communication with Apollo 13 was disrupted and how the world waited in silence for the crew to speak so we would know they were okay.

This is the same kind of terror that the NASA team is preparing for on May 25th. Minutes of silence when they will lose communication with the Mars Lander, Phoenix. They are praying that communication will resume and the landing will be successful, but there is always a chance that during that critical time, communication will be lost forever.

If successful, the probe will be the first lander to reach a Martian pole and the first to actually touch the planet's water ice.The tension for this mission seems especially intense, since Phoenix is not the first craft to attempt a landing at a Martian pole.

I have been fascinated with the images the Rovers have sent back to Earth. I think it would be awesome for astronauts to visit Mars. I want our world to reach out to the stars to explore, and to me, this seems like the logical next step. With bated breath, I will be waiting to see how things go on the 25th. Good luck, Phoenix!

I am more than a bit behind with my National Geographic feed reading. So I am going to make a big post linking to some of the stories that interested me the most from the past couple of weeks. Hopefully you will find something here that interests you as well!

"Extinct" Plants Discovered Blooming in Australia - these plants haven't been seen since 1891 and were listed as extinct in 1922.

VIDEO: Terra-Cotta Army Coming to U.S. - This would be very neat to see!

Colossal Squid Thawing; Hints at Even Bigger Beasts A Colossal Squid that was accidentally captured February 2007 is revealing answers to the scientists in charge of thawing it and studying it.

I never ever tire of seeing photos from space. The colors, the formations...it is all so cool! National Geographic has 7 photos (one of which is below) that show astronomical sights that resemble some down-to-earth creatures.

1. First Lungless Frog Found The Indonesian frog pictured above respires entirely through its skin and lacks lungs, a new study says. The trait, though rare in nature, may have evolved because of the amphibian's habitat of oxygen-rich, fast-moving water—which might more easily carry away a frog with air-filled lungs.

2. Rare Seahorses Found in the River ThamesShort-snouted seahorses have set up residence in the recovering River Thames, conservationists announced.

3. Alligator Blood May Lead to Powerful New AntibioticsAlligators often engage in violent fights over territories and mates, and scientists have puzzled over why their wounds rarely get infected. Now researchers think the secret lies in the reptiles' blood. Chemists in Louisiana found that blood from the American alligator can successfully destroy 23 strains of bacteria, including strains known to be resistant to antibiotics. In addition, the blood was able to deplete and destroy a significant amount of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.