More water on the moon: Using radar aboard India’s CHandrayaan-1 spacecraft, NASA had detected as much as 1.3 million pounds of water on the moon. The water is located in permanently shadowed craters as ice. This is exciting news ….oh we aren’t going back there soon…..
http://www.moondaily.com/reports/NASA_Radar_Finds_Ice_Deposits_At_Moon_North_Pole_999.html
China has sights set on the moon: Although the US plans to drop their program to return to the moon, China is planning on sending astronauts to the moon within a decade.
http://www.moondaily.com/reports/US_lunar_pull-out_leaves_China_shooting_for_moon_999.html
Lunar astronaut takes the stage again: The second man to set foot on the moon, Buzz Aldrin, is now setting his famous feet on the dance floor. At 80 years old, he is one of the new contestants on Dancing with the Stars. MTV reports that he is their favorite for this season. Cut that rug, Buzz!
http://newsroom.mtv.com/2010/03/02/dancing-with-the-stars-buzz-aldrin/
Astrobiologists study Yellowstone hot springs: Astrobiologists are studying extremophiles that live in hot springs in Yellowstone Park to try and understand microbial life that existed on earth millions of years ago. The bacterial mats contain a very biodiverse assortment of bacteria and archaea and are responsible for the formation of stromolites. Modern stromalites can be found in Shark Bay, off the coast of western Austrailia.
http://www.livescience.com//space/yellowstone-microbes-earth-life-100301.html
GRA 06128 and 061299 may be remnants of dwarf planet: Two meteorites found in Antarctica may be leftovers from a dwarf planet that existed early on in the history of our solar system. The material in the meteorites indicate that they came from a very large body like those that inhabited the solar system during planetary formation. These bodies probably collided and recombined graviatationally during the formation of the current planetary bodies.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn13456?feedId=space_rss20
Earthquake: The recent earthquake in Chile has shortened the length of the day by 1.26 millionths of a second. NASA scientists also believe that the earth’s axis may have been shifted by as much as 3 inches. When an earthquake of that magnitude occurs, massive amounts of land and water are shifted. The earth’s rotation is affected the same way in which an ice skaters rotation is affected as s/he pulls their arms in toward their body or pushes their arms out. The Indonesion earthquake of 2004 lengthened the day by a small amount as well as causing a shift in the earth’s rotational axis. Read more information and the complete explanation at
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/03/100302-chile-earthquake-earth-axis-shortened-day/
Globe at Night: Do you like to look at the stars? The annual Globe at Night star count begins tomorrow (March 3rd). The number of visible stars from various locations around the world are cataloged in an effort to determine the amount of light pollution that is present in populated areas. If you would like to participate, find the details at
http://www.globe.gov/star/GLOBEatNight_10
3-D White Whale moon of Saturn: Get out your 3-D glasses and check out this moon of Saturn, which was imaged by the Cassini spacecraft. The moon’s surface is heavily cratered, indicating that it has a long history of collisions with other objects.
http://www.saturndaily.com/reports/Behold_The_Violent_History_Of_Saturn_White_Whale_Moon_999.html
Get your cosmonaut suit here: Have you always wanted to dress like the cosmonauts? A suit worn by Anatoli Artsebarsky along with pieces of Soviet space memorabilia is going up for auction. The materials are being sold by an immigrant from Eastern Europe who has been collecting for over 20 years.
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Russian_space_memorabilia_goes_to_auction_999.html
If you know of any 7th to 11th graders who are interested in aviation, check out our ACE Academy on March 15th to 19th! Find out more on the website or call Challenger for information. Participants will get an orientation flight courtesy of Kenai Aviation!
Clear Skies!