News Headlines for January 2000

Woman finds space fireball debris Meteorites which spectacularly crashed on Ireland two months ago have been recovered. It is the first time the remnants of a fireball have been found for many years. NEAR image of the day for 2000 Jan 31 On Jan 29 the multispectral imager on the NEAR spacecraft acquired the fourth in a series of color image sequences that will be taken during NEAR's approach to the asteroid 433 Eros. This montage shows 12 views of Eros, one every 30° of Eros's rotation for one 5.27-hour Eros "day." White Dwarf May Hold Key To Dark Matter A White Dwarf star, discovered in the constellation of Taurus, has been shown to be one of the coolest and therefore oldest white dwarfs ever found, and has been shown to be a member of a hitherto unobserved and possibly large population of faint stars in the Galactic Halo. Mir prepares for crew An unmanned Progress cargo ship is scheduled blast off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, to prepare the Mir space station for the return of cosmonauts. Will quiet Mars lander talk to Dutch radar dishes? See also: Mars Polar Lander Mission Status Dutch astronomers will use one of the most sensitive radar arrays in the world to listen for signs of life from the lost Mars Polar Lander. Clouds, Glitch Ground Shuttle See also: Shuttle take-off postponed NASA still has some questions about a crucial computer system aboard the the space shuttle Endeavour — so managers say it’s still not clear if the spacecraft will launch tomorrow. The Los Angeles Meteorite See also: New Mars meteorite found and New Mars meteorite found...in an L.A. junkyard A new Mars meteorite has been found in the Mojave desert in California and consists of two stones of 452.6 & 245.4 grams. Shuttle flew with fault The space shuttle Discovery has flown six times with a faulty engine component that should have been scrapped, Nasa has revealed. Innovative Airborne Astronomy Capability Now Operational The space shuttle Discovery has flown six times with a faulty engine component that should have been scrapped, Nasa has revealed. Scientists surprised at how 77-year-old Glenn handled rigors of space The space shuttle Discovery has flown six times with a faulty engine component that should have been scrapped, Nasa has revealed. Masters of the Universe Scientists seek to understand the cosmos, and some do so by studying a tiny, elusive particle called the neutrino. The lunar eclipse: What you didn't see Two astronomers have captured on film something of the beauty and majesty of last week's lunar eclipse. What future for the space station? Political, technical, and financial problems continue to dog the International Space Station. Helping Astronomers Deal with Wealth of Data Ohio State astronomers are exploring a new technique to pick out which of the many attributes of galaxies -- such as mass, initial rotational speed, and age -- are most important in determining properties that can be observed, such as brightness, diameter, colour. Never Say Die See also: Mars Polar Lander, Faint whisper from Mars could be lost lander , Nasa waits on new Mars search , Mars Polar Lander mission status and Mars Polar Lander: The search continues Can a spacecraft that touched down on Mars in 1997 help find the lost Polar Lander? Hoping the answer is yes, NASA has aimed a camera orbiting the red planet on the landing site of the Mars Pathfinder. How life may live on Europa See also: New energy in debate over alien life A radiation-driven ecosystem could exist in the ocean thought to lie beneath the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa, a scientist has suggested. Flashline.com Secures Naming Rights To M.A.R.S. The Mars Society announced Jan.26 that Flashline.com, the premier software component marketplace, has elected to sponsor the $1.3 million Mars Arctic Research Station (M.A.R.S.), the world's first fully-simulated Mars base. The Andromeda Drain The Chandra X-ray Observatory has spied a peculiar black hole at the center of the Andromeda galaxy. The 30 million solar mass object is surounded by a swirling disk of cool gas that is confounding the experts. Probe readies for Valentine reunion See also: Near Update: January 24, 2000 Scientists have gone onto high alert as the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (Near) spacecraft closes in on asteroid 433 Eros. It will be the first time that a spacecraft has ever gone into orbit around an asteroid. Sun watching satellite catches flashy solar show With seasonal solar activity on the rise, the sun is beginning to put on quite a show for scientists. The Solar & Heliospheric Observatory sun captured images of a "huge eruptive prominence" shooting out of the fireball this month. The prominence at one point was about 100 times wider than Earth. Beagle 2 team assesses landing sites The Beagle 2 team has selected two potential landing sites on Mars for further study. Why Earth Is a Lonely Planet More and more scientists believe that while complex life beyond Earth is probably very rare, simple life might be everywhere. NASA Scientist Improves Solar Predictions The Beagle 2 team has selected two potential landing sites on Mars for further study. Yukon Meteor Blast A thunderous meteor streaked over the Yukon last week. Now a NASA airplane has flown through the debris cloud in search of extraterrestrial particles. Scientists hope to learn more about the origin and composition of the meteoroid that exploded over Canada. Robot hunts down meteorite See also: Robot spots its first polar meteorite The robot scouring the Antarctic ice for meteorites has tracked one down. Space program needs to ignite excitement, news panelists say News coverage of NASA is not as intense as it once was, but neither is America's space program, speakers at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex said Monday. NEAR Aces Final Flight Test The NEAR spacecraft passed its final flight test last week, flawlessly rehearsing the 30-hour rendezvous sequence that will precede its orbit of asteroid Eros. Top gun astronomers spy asteroid Astronomers in America have been flying in supersonic fighter aeroplanes in order to get a better look at the heavens. Hubble Opens its Eye on the Universe and Captures a Cosmic Magnifying Glass See also: Hubble reopens celestial eye to Eskimo nebula, galactic zoom lens Scanning the heavens for the first time since the successful December 1999 servicing mission, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has imaged a giant, cosmic magnifying glass, a massive cluster of galaxies called Abell 2218. This "hefty" cluster resides in the constellation Draco, some 2 billion light-years from Earth. Hubble Reopens Eye on the Universe See also: Hubble is 'better than new' ,Hubble Opens for Business and Hubble reopens eye on the Universe In its first glimpse of the heavens following the successful December 1999 servicing mission, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured a majestic view of a planetary nebula, the glowing remains of a dying, Sun-like star. This stellar relic, first spied by William Herschel in 1787, is nicknamed the "Eskimo" Nebula (NGC 2392) because, when viewed through ground-based telescopes, it resembles a face surrounded by a fur parka. NASA considering crashing Gamma Ray Observatory back to Earth See also: NASA Considers Suicide Dive for Compton Gamma Ray Observatory NASA may have to crash an orbiting telescope into an empty stretch of the Pacific Ocean this spring to avoid the risk of the 17-ton instrument falling randomly to Earth. The Dilemma Of Influenza Does solar activity contribute to influenza pandemics, is the question two scientists pose in the wake of Britain's worst flu outbreak in decades. NASA Dryden Participating in Meteor Event Data Collection NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., participated in a data recovery mission for one of the largest meteor events of the past 10 years. Moon glows red See also: Lunar eclipse gets rave reviews and Moon Basks in Earth's Shadow Thursday Night Skywatchers got a stunning view of a total lunar eclipse on Friday. The Moon went a deep shade of red as it turned out of the light of the Sun and into the Earth's shadow. Armchair astronomy - catch a supernova from home? Once upon a time astronomers were passionate star-lovers who were eager to climb up a mountain just to get the clearest view of the night sky. Not anymore. It seems that the climbing - though not the passion - can now be avoided. On 12 January a supernova explosion was discovered by an Italian amateur astronomer who was operating a telescope from his home computer, via the Internet. And it is not the first time it has happened: the same group found another supernova in the same way just before Christmas. "Of course we are very excited about these findings!", says Alessandro Dimai, one of the happy discoverers. Final Tests before MELIPAL "First Light" Happy expectations are again growing at ESO's Paranal Observatory. For the third time in less than two years, the special moment of "First Light" for an 8.2-m VLT Unit Telescope is getting close - now is the turn of MELIPAL. Seti@home gets an upgrade See also: Alien detection 2.0 Seti@home, the screensaver search for aliens, comes out with a new version. Russia says ISS project remains top priority The International Space Station remains the main space priority for Russia even though it may have to struggle to replace ISS rockets that have been reassigned to extend the lifetime of the Mir space station. Capitalism Boosts Mir Russia is teaming up with Western investors to give the ageing Mir space station a new lease of life, with the dream of bringing corporate sponsorship, the Internet and tourism into the space age. The Fake Of Mir By a strange twist of fate, Mir's space memorabilia may have turned out to be a fake. Black Holes Solitary black holes may be more common than thought and drift through the galaxy. NASA Scales Back Shuttle Trip Instead of spending 10 days making detailed topographic maps of Earth, the space shuttle Endeavour will get a day off. NASA officials decided the original mission was just too ambitious. Mir stays in space - official See also: Mir to stay aloft with International Space Station hardware Russia's Mir space station, which has been orbiting the Earth empty for nearly half a year, is to stay in space until August at least. Skywatchers ready for total lunar eclipse See also: Blood-red eclipse… no glasses required , Moon to Bask in Earth's Shadow Thursday Night and Total Lunacy The Earth's shadow was expected to paint the moon red and other strange hues Thursday night, but bad weather threatened to spoil the show in some regions. Giant telescope's close-up on quasars An electronic link-up of telescopes in space and on Earth has produced the most detailed close-up of quasars, superbright exploding objects at the edge of the Universe. Solar Cinema The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory captured images of a dramatic solar prominence on January 18, 2000. As the solar maximum approaches, such events will become more and more frequent. Meteor explodes in air near Alaska, Yukon border A meteor exploded over the mountains of southern Yukon on Jan.18, shaking houses and providing residents of the remote region with a dramatic light show, the Geologic Survey of Canada said. XMM observed from Earth See also: Astronomer's prize catch Following a suggestion from members of the Flight Dynamics department at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany, an amateur astronomer in Australia has managed to take a picture of XMM in orbit. Robot hunts for space rocks Meet Nomad, a clever robot that is sweeping the frozen landscape of Antarctica in search of meteorites. Caught in the Act Two months ago, astronomers photographed a large volcanic eruption on Io just as Galileo was flying by Jupiter's fiery satellite. The data offer scientists the best chance ever to pin down the temperature of lava erupting from the Solar System's most active volcanoes. Lost Canyons and Missing Corpses On Jan. 17, the last long-shot efforts to contact the Mars Polar Lander were abandoned. JPL's efforts are now directed toward trying to do a post-mortem -- which is rather difficult without the corpse. But this hasn't stopped a spate of theories doing the rounds. Beagle Express To Mars Approved Construction of a European spacecraft to explore Mars will go ahead following approval of a design for the spacecraft and despite uncertainty about what caused the loss of US probes to the red planet. Comet debris, not excrement, rains on Spain At least ten melon-sized iceballs that have slammed into Spain in the last week are probably debris from comets, not human excrement as first suspected. "Great Show-Off" Black Hole Is Producing Massive Shock Waves, Cornell Astronomer Reports Something really shocking is going on in a microquasar, or black hole, dubbed "Old Faithful," some 40,000 light years from Earth. It seems to be behaving like a giant particle collider, with massive shock waves generating eruptions every 45 to 90 minutes. Shadowing a Lunar Eclipse See also: Moon to blush bright red and Bright red moon expected during Thursday eclipse Thursday night, if the sky’s clear, you can step outside and crane your neck to see a total lunar eclipse. Earth’s atmosphere will bend the sun’s light, making the eclipsed moon appear red. Best Infrared Images Of Neptune and Titan See also: Dramatic images of Titan, Neptune Astronomers from Lawrence Livermore Laboratory have used the W.M. Keck II telescope in Hawaii to obtain the best images to date of the surface of Neptune and Saturn's moon, Titan. The image surpass those produced by the Hubble Space Telescope. The images were made in the infrared (wavelength of 1.65 microns) using the Keck telescope's adaptive optics system. See images here. Salvage In Deep Space Now in its extended mission, Deep Space 1 is continuing to blaze new trails. On Friday, January 14, the spacecraft accomplished a complex and highly innovative maneuver to point its main antenna at Earth. Complex organic molecules form quickly in old stars Chemical synthesis of complex organic molecules, the most basic 'building blocks' for life, can occur rapidly in stellar environments, according to results obtained with the European Space Agency's infrared space observatory, ISO, and presented last Saturday at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Atlanta by a team of astronomers. JPL goes back to the drawing board for Mars missions The photo album of "NEAR's trip to Eros" has a new page: the first image from the spacecraft's approach to the asteroid. Taken Jan. 12 with NEAR's Multispectral Imager, the picture was posted today on the NEAR Web site. More photos will follow in the weeks leading up to NEAR's Feb. 14 rendezvous with Eros. See the image here. Writing Off Polar Lander See also: Nasa ends search for Mars probe After more than a month of searching for a signal from NASA’s Mars Polar Lander, mission controllers today gave up hope of saving the $165 million mission to the Red Planet. NEAR Snaps New Approach Photos of Eros See also: First Asteroid Rendezvous Days Away The photo album of "NEAR's trip to Eros" has a new page: the first image from the spacecraft's approach to the asteroid. Taken Jan. 12 with NEAR's Multispectral Imager, the picture was posted today on the NEAR Web site. More photos will follow in the weeks leading up to NEAR's Feb. 14 rendezvous with Eros. See the image here. Leaky fuel tanks delay X-33 space plane A summer test flight of the $1.2 billion X-33 space plane will be delayed because leaky fuel tanks may need to replaced, the plane's manufacturer said. Beta Pictoris Disk Hides Giant Elliptical Ring System The planetary dust disk around the star Beta Pictoris is dynamically "ringing like a bell," according to astronomers investigating NASA Hubble Space Telescope images. The "clapper" is the gravitational wallop of a star that passed near Beta Pictoris some 100,000 years ago. Huge NASA telescope may be headed for fiery descent to splash landing After nearly nine years in space, a 35,000 pound NASA observatory in low-Earth orbit may be destined for a fiery descent into the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii this spring. Team Collects a Grand Total of 19 Meteorites During a six-hour search session, Antarctica 2000 team plucks another eight, possibly nine, meteorites from the ice. Chandra Finds a ‘Cool’ Black Hole at the Heart of the Andromeda Galaxy In its first look at the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has found that the gas funneling into a supermassive black hole in the heart of this galaxy is a "cool" million degrees. This unexpected result adds one more quirk to the strange behavior previously observed at the center of M31. Chandra Images the Seething Cauldron of Starburst Galaxy NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has imaged the core of the nearest starburst galaxy, Messier 82 (M82). The observatory has revealed a seething cauldron of exploding stars, neutron stars, black holes, 100 million degree gas, and a powerful galactic wind. Chandra Finds X-ray Star Bonanza in the Orion Nebula NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has resolved nearly a thousand faint X-ray-emitting stars in a single observation of young stars in the Orion Nebula. The discovery is the richest field of X-ray sources ever obtained in the history of X-ray astronomy. Chandra Image May Reveal Black Hole in the Milky Way Culminating 25 years of searching by astronomers, researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology say that a faint X-ray source, newly detected by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, may be the long-sought X-ray emission from a known supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Chandra Finds Oxygen and Neon Ring in Ashes of Exploded Star NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has revealed an expanding ring-like structure of oxygen and neon that was hurled into space by the explosion of a massive star. The image of E0102-72 provides unprecedented details about the creation and dispersal of heavy elements necessary to form planets like Earth. Our Solar System May Be Uncommon An Ohio State University astronomer is helping to answer a question mankind has asked since Copernicus first proclaimed that Earth orbited the sun: could many other stars have planetary systems like ours? Graham urges NASA to wait for Russians and Service Module NASA shouldn't bail out on its Russian partner, even though problems overseas are delaying work on the $60 billion International Space Station, according to U.S. Sen. Bob Graham. Stellar Wind Gap Points To Cold Distant Worlds A young star may be forming massive planets much earlier and at greater distances than current planet formation models predict, according to new observations from the Hubble Space Telescope. Hubble repair successful The Hubble Space Telescope has begun science observations again, following repairs in December by space shuttle astronauts. Black Holes on the Loose See also: Lone Black Holes Discovered Adrift in the Galaxy , A Black Hole of a Neighbor and Lone drifter black holes discovered Using gravity as a powerful lens, astronomers have discovered isolated black holes adrift among the stars in our galaxy. The newly-discovered objects are approximately six times the mass of the Sun. Scientists say that such black holes may be common, and that many normal stars may end their lives as black holes instead of as neutron stars One small step for Chandra... See also: Peering Into Deep Space and Chandra solves cosmic X-ray mystery It's another giant leap for x-ray astronomy as Chandra resolves a longstanding mystery in astrophysics and discovers two puzzling new types of cosmic objects. An Expanding Bubble in Space See also: Hubble's bubble close-up Astronomers, using the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on board NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in October and November 1997 and April 1999, imaged the Bubble Nebula (NGC 7635) with unprecedented clarity. For the first time, they are able to understand the geometry and dynamics of this very complicated system. Mars Express construction begins Construction of the Mars Express spacecraft can now begin, after final approval for the design was granted on Tuesday (Jan. 11). Space Station or Space Spa? See also: Mir may become space hotel A U.S. tycoon is pumping millions of dollars into a plan to save Russia’s Mir space station, hoping to transform the empty outpost into an orbiting business park and a vacation resort for highfliers. Space VLBI mission yields detailed views of Quasars Astronomers from around the world will gather in Japan later this month to present the most detailed images of quasars ever seen, produced with data from the Very Long Base Interferometry Space Observatory Program. Space VLBI, as this is known, is a new type of astronomy mission that uses a combination of satellite- and Earth-based radio antennas to create a telescope more than two-and-a-half times the diameter of the Earth. Astronomers find complex organic molecules in space A primordial soup of complex organic chemicals that could be the precursors of life is cooked up very quickly after the birth of stars, new research suggests. Russian space agency approves next mission to Mir, possibly involving actor The Russian Space Agency on Jan.12 said it plans to send two cosmonauts and possibly a movie actor to the Mir space station in March. Be Kind to Mars Explorers The failure of Mars Polar Lander could not have come at a worse time. NASA is plagued by funding difficulties and the tensions over the survival of individual programs that inevitably results from this. Telescope launched from Antarctica to study solar flares See also: Sun-watching telescope launched Scientists have launched a huge telescope-carrying balloon over Antarctica for a detailed study of solar flares, the violent eruptions of radiation and atomic particles that billow from the surface of the sun. Floating 'droids' to roam space corridors of the future Astronauts in the near future could have extra eyes, ears and noses, thanks to hovering mini-robots designed to take care of an assortment of routine and dangerous chores. Spotting a Stellar Nursery Astronomers have spotted jampacked clumps of hundreds of thousands of infant stars still nestled within their stellar nurseries of gas and dust. Understanding Heavenly Halos See also: Milky Way's halo caused by exploding stars and FUSE observes interstellar lifeblood of galaxies The Milky Way is aglow with gases, but astronomers long wondered where the halo came from. Now evidence points to dying stars. The Moon Illusion, Part 2 Columnist Lee Dye didn’t expect such a deluge of mail from his last piece on the so-called moon illusion. He expands further on the topic and seeks to correct some misperceptions. Are We All From Mars? New calculations show through the history of the solar system, billions of Martian rocks blasted into space by colliding comets and meteors eventually crashed into Earth, and vice versa. No escaping asteroids See also: Less Chance of Destruction and Asteroid Numbers Plummet Earth may be threatened by fewer killer asteroids than astronomers thought. But hether an asteroid will hit the Earth is a question of when, not if. Key ISS Module Delayed See also: New delay for space station , Weldon to NASA: Launch Interim Control Module to space station and Scientists call for space station shift Russia is delaying the launch of the key crew module for the International Space Station after flaws were detected in a booster rocket. The launch has already been delayed 18 months, holding up the entire project. Hubble Space Telescope returns to science operations NASA's Hubble Space Telescope resumed routine science operations this evening, the first time it will have been used for science since being repaired during a Space Shuttle mission in December. Extending Galileo mission will expand knowledge of Jupiter There's good news in the celestial neighborhood. Far away at Jupiter, it looks like NASA's remarkable Galileo probe is getting another lease on life. Does the cosmos have a glass ceiling? Even the cosmos has a glass ceiling, according to information to be discussed at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society this week. Things are not as bad as they were a half century ago, when women were barred from using some of the biggest telescopes in their work. But a report on the status of women in astronomy found they sometimes get short shrift in the job market. Fireworks of star birth light up nearby galaxy Bursting in brilliant yellows, reds and blues, the formation of stars in a nearby galaxy presents some spectacular celestial fireworks, as illustrated in a recently released image taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. ESA's Planck satellite shapes up Planck, ESA's satellite to study the Universe as it was shortly after the Big Bang, is quickly taking shape. Its conceptual design has been settled and was presented to the Planck scientific community just before Christmas. A full size wooden mock-up of the satellite built according to this design has arrived at ESA's Scientific and Technical Research Centre (ESTEC) in The Netherlands and will be assembled in the course of January. Magnetic findings provide evidence of water on Europa See also: Strong new evidence for Europa ocean and Surf's Up on Europa? Eureka Europa! Evidence of liquid water on Jupiter's moon Europa is as conclusive as ever. On January 3, spacecraft Galileo studied changes in Europa's magnetic field to try and determine if an ocean exists beneath the moon's icy surface. NASA had been anxiously weighing possible results ever since. New Tenants for Mir? See also: New crew may visit Mir space station Russia’s Mir space station, which has circled the earth empty since August, may be sent another crew this year for an extended flight, paid for by a U.S. firm. Farming By The Stars In The Andeans For centuries, Andean farmers in Peru and Bolivia have monitored the brightness of Pleiades stars to determine when to plant potato crops for optimal rainfall. Nasa considers back-to-back shuttle missions The American space agency Nasa is considering flying the same crew on two successive missions for only the second time in the space shuttle programme. Asteroids Get Attention In the 1950s, the idea of the Earth being hit by an asteroid, wiping out civilisation at a stroke, was the stuff of pulp science fiction. Today, space rocks are being taken seriously. Get ready for a total lunar eclipse On Jan. 20/21, during the first full moon of the year, you may be surprised to see the moon’s light fade away for nearly two hours. This is not a Y2K glitch. Because of good old-fashioned celestial motion, a total lunar eclipse will occur. NASA starts investigation of Mars Polar Lander NASA's investigation into its failed Mars missions began in earnest Friday with the naming of a 16-member investigation team and an initial round of briefings at space agency headquarters. New Year, new problems for International Space Station Ah the New Year. Time for a clean slate. Out with the old -- in with the new. Resolutions are made. Optimism runneth over. Unfortunately for NASA's marquee manned programs, the new century begins with more of the same. China's Close Encounters China has serious plans to listen for extraterrestrial intelligence and become a space power. The popular interest, however, seems to be spurred by UFO sightings. Official 'Mars flag' unfurls in space CNow that the martian flag has flown high in orbit, it should soon flutter from the "top" of Earth. The red, green and blue banner flew its maiden voyage into space onboard the space shuttle Discovery in late December. Official 'Mars flag' unfurls in space CNow that the martian flag has flown high in orbit, it should soon flutter from the "top" of Earth. The red, green and blue banner flew its maiden voyage into space onboard the space shuttle Discovery in late December. What DID happen to Mars Polar Lander? See also: Scientists knew Mars Lander could set down in deep valley Did it get abducted by aliens? Did it crash into the Martian surface? Or did it fall into a deep canyon? That's the last theory of what happened with the $165-million spacecraft that was supposed to land on the Red Planet on December 3 for a 90-day mission. XMM instrument commissioning All of XMM's instruments have been switched ON and their computer software loaded on board. The first task has been to check the health of the instruments repeating the engineering test procedure used on the ground before launch. This has confirmed that all instruments remain in the same condition as before launch. Fireworks of Star Formation Light Up a Galaxy Newly released images obtained with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope in July 1997 reveal episodes of star formation that are occurring across the face of the nearby galaxy NGC 4214. Mars probe canyon crash theory See also: Mars Mystery Continues , Did Mars lander take a tumble? and Mars lander may have tumbled into canyon The Mars Polar Lander (MPL) lost by Nasa a month ago may have met its end in a catastrophic tumble down the sides of a canyon almost a mile deep. Galileo Done With Jupiter Job Galileo, the robot Jupiter explorer, ends its spectacular mission this month. But don’t suggest it should retire. Project scientist Torrence Johnson will have none of that. Taskforce tackles asteroid threat See also: UK Asteroid Task Force to Assess Risks From Space An expert taskforce to assess the threat of an asteroid strike on Earth has been appointed by the UK government. Shedding new light on moon illusion See also: Why Horizon Moon Appears Larger The illusion that the full moon seen near the horizon is bigger than the moon seen overhead is a trick the brain plays when it perceives distance to a far object, according to new research by a father-son team. Saving the world from asteroids A gentle push, not a nuclear blast, would be the best way to deal with an asteroid threatening the Earth, according to a member of the UK government's taskforce which was announced on Tuesday. Happy New Year, Europa See also: Galileo Flies by Europa , Galileo spacecraft successfully flies by Europa and Galileo may get new lease on life On the eve of another extended mission, NASA's Galileo spacecraft swooped past Jupiter's icy moon Europa today at an altitude of 351 kilometers. Another Io flyby is planned for February 22. 01 January 2000 On The Red Planet As many people on Earth celebrated the dawn of a new year, a new century, and a new millennium, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) continued its journey that began with a proposal to NASA neary 15 years earlier in 1985. As the clock rolled over to 2000 A.D., MOC was busily snapping its daily global weather maps and a variety of higher-resolution images. Millennium Gets Deep Space Boost As millions watched the ball drop in the traditional Times Square New Year’s celebration, millennial messages from millions of people were being compiled for broadcast to deep space. Solar activity research improves As the sun reaches the peak of its 11-year cycle of activity this year, scientists say they are closer to understanding the process and more able to predict accurately the severity of solar storms. X-34 Gets Wings Assembly of the second of NASA's three X-34 rocket research planes reached a major milestone last week with the attachment of its composite wing to its fuselage. Space enthusiasts party at historic launch pad As the world launched into the new millennium with stunts such as hot air balloon flights over Idaho and a laser-lighting Ferris wheel in London, a group of dedicated visionaries gathered at the birthplace of space exploration. Aerial search turns up no trace of Mars Polar Lander Scientists trying to track down the Mars Polar Lander reported this week that an initial search conducted last week failed to find any trace of the lost probe. Bugs in space Astrobiologists are to test whether life from Mars could have survived a journey to Earth by hiding inside meteorites. European Mars mission looks for lessons in polar lander loss In 2003, the European Space Agency (ESA) plans to send a low-cost orbiter and lander pair to Mars to search for water and life. Sound familiar? 'Think Mars:' Online petition urges manned mission A group of space enthusiasts are pushing ahead with a petition calling for a manned flight to the red planet, undaunted by the failure in recent months of two unmanned missions to Mars.

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