Space and astronomy news
Here’s a cool picture taken by Cassini of Saturn and one of its moons, Mimas – 397 kilometers (247 miles) across. If you look really closely, Mimas is that grey dot down near the bottom right-hand corner of the picture. Cassini took this photo on May 11, 2007 when it was approximately 720,000 kilometers (448,000 miles) from Saturn.
Original Source: NASA/JPL/SSI News Release
NASA researchers have developed a new technique that gives them a precise measurement for the position of the centre of the Earth, to the closest millimetre. This is harder than it sounds, since the centre doesn’t stay in one position.
As the Earth rotates in space, its centre of mass ranges over a distance of 2 to 5 millimetres (.08 to .20 inches) a year. Until now, the best calculations differed by 1.8 millimetres a year. That doesn’t sound like much, but its actually important for very precise measurements. For example, the rise in global sea level due to increasing temperatures is measured in a handful millimetres. In other places, the Earth is rebounding after the weight of glaciers during the last ice age, 20,000 years ago.
The researchers combined 4 different space-based techniques to get this accurate measurement: the global positioning system, laser stations that track orbiting satellites, radio telescopes that measure the position of the Earth against quasars, and a French network of tracking satellites called DORIS.
Original Source: NASA/JPL News Release
I’ve got to say, I nearly fell out of my chair when I read this today. NASA Administrator Mike Griffin was interviewed on NPR about the threat of global warming. Apparently, he’s not convinced it’s a problem.
When it comes to the science on global warming, NASA is one of the good guys. They’ve got a fleet of spacecraft and aircraft analyzing every aspect of the planet. They measure ice levels, global temperatures, cloud cover, ocean levels, snow melt, rainfall patterns, dust storms, desertification and more. It’s amazing how many scientific instruments they have working on this project. They have luminaries from the scientific community working for them, like Dr. James Hansen.
And they release a hail of press releases. Just from the last week, we’ve got a story about how they detected increased snow melt in Antarctica, measuring Greenland’s glaciers, and a new release about how the Earth’s climate is approaching the point of no return.
Here’s what Griffin said on NPR:
I have no doubt that … a trend of global warming exists. I am not sure that it is fair to say that it is a problem we must wrestle with.
So he’s convinced that global warming is happening and it’s man made. But he thinks it’s arrogant for humans to decide what the perfect climate is.
… I would ask which human beings – where and when – are to be accorded the privilege of deciding that this particular climate that we have right here today, right now is the best climate for all other human beings. I think that’s a rather arrogant position for people to take.
Wow.
Sure, there’s a possibility that dramatic climate change could end up being better overall for the majority of humans on Earth, on average.
But there’s also a possibility that it’s not the case. That severe climate disruption will be terrible for a huge percentage of the population of the Earth. That the wrenching effects of change will hit the people least able to defend against it, and will suffer the most: the poor in undeveloped countries. Griffin thinks it’s okay to roll the dice. That’s it’s arrogant to not roll the dice.
If it’s okay to take that chance; if it’s arrogant to err on the side of caution, why bother investing in climate science at all? Just cut the funding, and take your chances.
NASA went into damage control mode today after Griffin’s statement, and posted a statement on its website.
“NASA is the world’s preeminent organization in the study of Earth and the conditions that contribute to climate change and global warming. The agency is responsible for collecting data that is used by the science community and policy makers as part of an ongoing discussion regarding our planet’s evolving systems. It is NASA’s responsibility to collect, analyze and release information. It is not NASA’s mission to make policy regarding possible climate change mitigation strategies. As I stated in the NPR interview, we are proud of our role and I believe we do it well.”
But this statement doesn’t really take back what Griffin said. I suspect he’s going to have an uncomfortable few weeks.
A Union Pacific train carrying space shuttle parts derailed on Wednesday, injuring six people. The train derailed when the wooden trestle it was traveling across collapsed, near the Tombigbee River in western Alabama.
The train was carrying 8 solid rocket booster motors and two end cones for future shuttle missions. These are interchangeable parts, and would be used for upcoming shuttle missions in October and December. It’s not known if the derailment will cause a delay for any upcoming mission. The next launch of the space shuttle Atlantis, scheduled for June, won’t be delayed, because the spacecraft already has its boosters.
Original Source: Reuters Article
NASA announced today that veteran astronaut Walter M. “Wally” Schirra has passed away at the age of 84. His family said that he died of natural causes on Wednesday at a hospital in La Jolla, California. In a statement, NASA Administrator Mike Griffen said, “with the passing of Wally Schirra, we at NASA note with sorry the loss of yet another of the pioneers of human spaceflight.”
Schirra was started his career in aviation at the Naval Academy, later fighting in the Korean War. He was chosen as one of the original seven Project Mercury astronauts, but he went on to participate in all three early space exploration programs: Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.
His Mercury flight lifted off on October 3, 1962, making him the fifth American in space, on the third orbital flight. He and Tomas P. Stafford flew on the Gemini 6 mission, which was the first attempt to rendezvous with another spacecraft in orbit. He was joined by Donn Eisele and Walter Cunningham aboard Apollo 7, the first flight after the tragic Apollo 1 fire killed 3 astronauts.
Original Source: NASA News Release
Not surprisingly, NASA announced this week that it was dismissing astronaut Lisa Nowak. I’m sure you have no idea who I’m talking about.
Continue reading “Nowak Fired from NASA”
The New York Times is reporting that recent cutbacks to NASA’s budgets will probably push back the human return to the Moon. Instead of retiring the Space Shuttle and sending the first spacecraft back to the Moon in 2014, the first missions won’t be until 2015 instead, according to NASA administrator Michael Griffin.
Continue reading “NASA Cutbacks Will Delay Moon Missions”
For the upcoming lunar return missions, the astronauts will be staying on the surface of the Moon far longer than they did during the Apollo. They’ll need someplace safe to live.
Continue reading “NASA Reveals a Sample Lunar Base”
NASA’s THEMIS mission was blasted into space on Saturday, February 17 atop a Delta II rocket. THEMIS stands for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms, and it’s comprised of 5 separate spacecraft.
Continue reading “NASA’s THEMIS Mission Blasts Off”
As you’ve probably heard by now, NASA astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak was arrested this week, and charged with attempted kidnapping. Nowak, who flew on board the space shuttle Atlantis just last July, was captured by police when she attempted to confront rival Colleen Shipman over the affections of a third astronaut: Bill Oefelein. Nowak was found with a variety of weapons on her and in her car.
Continue reading “NASA Astronaut Charged With Attempted Murder”