Space Science News from NASA HQ
From: Craig Tupper (dtupper@hq.nasa.gov)
Hey universe fans,
Lots new at http://spacescience.nasa.gov :
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An interdisciplinary study by astronomers and climatologists has found a
correlation between holes in the outermost layer of the sun–or the
corona–and the globally averaged temperature of the Earth. This points up
the need for a good understanding of the sun’s input, as scientists try to
gauge the effects of human activity on global climate.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/03/000315080417.htm
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We have selected the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) to be flown on the Gamma
Ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) mission, planned for launch in 2005.
Story at ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2000/00-039.txt , GLAST
page at http://glast.gsfc.nasa.gov/
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In a story related to the above, amateur astronomers have detected for the
first time the faint afterglow from a gamma-ray burst billions of light
years away. Nice story at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast14mar_2m.htm
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Tons of new stuff out of Mars Global Surveyor:
MGS has caught dust devils and landslides in the act of changing the
surface of Mars. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2000/mgsdevils.html
MGS observations also reveal that Mars’ flat northern lowlands may have
been the site of rapid water accumulation, and show evidence for large,
buried channels that could have formed from the flow of enormous volumes of
water. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2000/mgsmola.html
MGS has also enabled an interesting comparison of Mars’ northern and
southern polar caps. A cheesy story at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2000/mgscheese.html
Images also via the MGS page at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/
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Scientists with the NEAR mission held a press conference discussing results
from the first month in orbit around the asteroid Eros. Meanwhile, the
spacecraft has been renamed to honor Dr. Eugene M. Shoemaker, a legendary
geologist who influenced decades of research on the role of asteroids and
comets in shaping the planets.
1st month story: http://www.jhuapl.edu/public/pr/000313.htm
renaming: http://www.jhuapl.edu/public/pr/000314.htm
——————
The report on Faster, Better, Cheaper Project Management, and the Report on
Project Management in NASA by the Mars Climate Orbiter Mishap Investigation
Board, are now online in Adobe Acrobat format. NASA Administrator Dan
Goldin also had some comments following the release of these reports.
FBC report: ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/reports/2000/fbctask.pdf
MCO Board: ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/reports/2000/MCO_MIB_Report.pdf
Goldin comments: ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2000/00-037.txt
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A new chronology of meteoroid impacts on the moon shows some surprising
correlations with major biological events on Earth, including a rise in
impacts beginning around the time of the great explosion of life known as
the Cambrian. Survival of the fittest, and diversification of the
shellshocked?
http://www.urel.berkeley.edu/urel_1/CampusNews/PressReleases/releases/03-09-2000a.html
(watch out for wrapping of some of that long url!)
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Scientists using SOHO have figured out a way to image the far side of the
sun, a technique which should help provide additional advance warning of
solar storms. Images based on pressure waves! Spooky science at
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2000/00-033.txt , images and more at
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/hotshots/
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Using Hubble, scientists have probed the glowing gas surrounding 27 dying
stars, called planetary nebulae, in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2000/09/index.html
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Where is most of the universe hiding? A new generation of particle
detector has dedicated itself for more than a year to the search for exotic
particles that, according to some theories, make up more than 90 percent of
the mass of the universe. The device has yet to find evidence of such
particles – known collectively as WIMPs, or weakly interacting massive
particles. Did they check my basement?
http://www.urel.berkeley.edu/urel_1/CampusNews/PressReleases/releases/02-29-2000.html , another long url…
Cheers!
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