Space News for March 23, 1999

Lovell Radio Telescope Resumes Search for Life in Space

The damage from September’s Hurricane George has been repaired, and the Arecibo Radio Observatory in Puerto Rico has resumed operations searching for signs of extra-terrestrial life.

Astronomy Now

Crippled Hubble Glimpses Distant Galaxies

Astronomers have published recent snapshots taken by the Hubble Space Telescope of some nearby galaxies. Mostly obscured by dust, the (now damaged) Near Infrared Camera cut through the haze and delivered spectacular images of galactic starbirth.

BBC News
CNN Space

Chinese Satellite Launches from Kazakhstan

A Chinese satellite, the Asiasat 3S, launched aboard a Russian-built Proton-K rocket from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The satellite will transmit television and communication signals throughout Southeast Asia.

CNN Space
SpaceViews

Space Station Crew May Launch Earlier than Expected

NASA is considering launching a permanent crew to the International Space Station as earlier as October of this year, only a few months after the major living portions of the Station have been made livable. This launch date depends on the Russian crew quarters, which are still incomplete because of inadequate funding.

Fox News

Space News for March 22, 1999

Mars Bacteria Seems Earthlike

Two separate Martian meteorites have been found to contain organisms which are very similar to Earth bacteria. NASA researchers who uncovered the resemblance are cautious, but hopeful that they’ve found further evidence of life on Mars.

ABC News
CNN
exn
Fox News

MSNBC
Houston Chronicle

John Glenn Toasted by Friends and Colleagues

Old friends and astronauts spent a night honoring the spaceflight pioneer with toasts, skits, and speeches. Glenn took it all in with good humor, and some wisecracks of his own. It’s been 37 years since Glenn became the first man to orbit the Earth.

CNN

MSNBC

Evidence Supports Theory of Moon Carved from the Earth

NASA’s Lunar Prospector has gathered evidence to determine that the moon has a small iron core. This evidence supports the theory that the moon was formed when a Mars-sized planet collided with the Earth and scraped surface soil into orbit – which later formed into the Moon.

exoScience
MSNBC

Houston Chronicle
Spacer.com

Cosmic Rays Observatory to be Built in Argentina

Four telescopes and 1,600 particle detectors will be arrayed in central Argentina, over the next five years. The $100M project will work by detecting the slight flashes made as cosmic rays strike the upper atmosphere.

Fox News

MSNBC

Climatology