News Headlines for April 1999

A Star-Forming Region in Ara The new Wide-Field Imager (WFI) at the MPG/ESO 2.2-m telescope at the La Silla observatory continues to obtain impressive images of the southern sky. Recently, a series of images were obtained of areas in the Milky Way band, including some in which interstellar nebulae of gas and dust are seen. Of Holes in the Sky and Pretty Galaxies During the continued tests of the two astronomical instruments (FORS1 and ISAAC) at the first VLT 8.2-m Unit Telescope, ANTU (formerly UT1), impressive images have been obtained of a variety of celestial objects. Will Mir 'savior' take Russia for a ride He arrived in town in 1995, a charismatic British gentleman with a charming accent, a James Bond lifestyle and a self-proclaimed pedigree as an international financier. He turned out to be an international con man who bilked a Pittsburgh businessman out of $25,000 in an investment scheme involving an Indian tribe in New York and trust funds in the South Pacific. Now Peter Rodney Llewellyn is making news again -- - especially in England and Russia. Robot space plane arrives A new, reusable and robotic space plane has been revealed by NASA on Apr.30. Mars' Magnetic ''Zebra Stripes'' May Suggest Life Magnetic "zebra stripes" on Mars suggest that tectonic plates once slammed into each other much as they do on Earth, fuelling speculation about ancient life on the Red Planet. Plate Tectonics on Mars? See also: Magnetic discovery on Mars, Magnetic traces of a ‘hidden Mars’, Magnetic stripes preserve record of ancient Mars, Mars once hummed with magnetism, like Earth and Tectonic Mars The discovery of magnetic strips across the face of Mars suggests the barren planet once had geology like that of Earth, with a torrid interior spurting molten rock and massive plates drifting on the surface. New Shuttle Cockpits Unveiled See also: 21st-century ‘glass cockpit’ for space NASA this week unveiled a modern, Boeing 777-style cockpit inside space shuttle Atlantis, an improvement that astronauts say could save their lives. Catalog Of Spiral Galaxies Shows Evidence Of Galactic Collisions Astronomers compiling a catalog of spiral galaxies have discovered that collisions between such galaxies, as well as near-collisions, are more common than had been thought. XEUS - the X-ray Evolving Universe Mission On 26 and 27 May leading scientists from around the world will meet at ESTEC to hear about the scientific goals and technical challenges of XEUS - the X-ray Evolving Universe Mission. This mission, a potential follow-on to ESA's cornerstone XMM X-ray Observatory, is under study as envisaged by the Horizons 2000 Survey Committee to utilize the International Space Station (ISS) for astronomical applications. Once Adored Soviet Cosmonaut Looks Back Men like cosmonaut Gherman Titov, whose space experience dates back longer than any living man, were the Soviet Union's walking gods, pioneers of the great Communist future who crushed the ants of the capitalist West. The Search for Planets: Sherlock Holmes and Extrasolar Worlds Astronomers pore over the entire surface of the sky armed with logic and technology — sometimes crude technology — searching for new planets Investigation grounds NASA's next space telescope NASA's $1.5 billion Chandra X-ray telescope will remain stuck on Earth several extra weeks because of an Air Force investigation into a stranded satellite. Close encounter with Mars See also: Mars gets a little closer to Earth – and Hubble takes a peek On a clear night over the coming week, you should be able to spot the planet Mars shining brightly with a reddish glow in the direction of the constellation Virgo in the south of the northern sky. Only the Moon and Venus will outshine it. More Mir confusion Wednesday (Apr.27) was another day of confusion in Moscow with the company that owns the Mir space station still insisting a UK businessman would hand over millions of dollars to take a trip into space later this year. Tuning in to April Meteor Showers When the Lyrid meteor shower reached its peak on April 22, much of North America was overcast, frustrating stargazers who hoped to view the first major meteor shower of the 1999 observing season. Michael Boschat, an amateur astronomer from Halifax, Nova Scotia, was clouded out, too, but he observed over 150 meteors -- by listening to his radio. More Money for Mir See also: $100m Mir ride denied A British businessman has agreed to pay $100 million for a week-long ride on Russia’s Mir space station, giving the aging outpost a new lease on life. Mir will stay in space See also: Russia rolls out space station service module Russia says Mir will now stay in orbit - the announcement was made at the unveiling of the new International Space Station module. Surveyor '01 seeks eye-catching logo Two years from now NASA's newest spacecraft will be launched to Mars, but right now it is still missing one crucial detail: a mission logo. That's where you come in. The Mars Surveyor 2001 mission is sponsoring a contest to pick its new logo to illustrate the orbiter, lander and rover that will be the next visitors to Mars. The Next Leg of the Space Race: Spaceports When Fred Welch surveys 1,000 acres of prairie near the Texas coast, he thinks not of the land before him but of the stars above. Welch has a vision for this stretch of soil about an hour south of Houston. He sees a spaceport, with rocketships coming and going as easily as 747s at an airport. NASA Is Testing a Laser Propelled Flying Saucer It looks like something out of a 1950s science-fiction film — NASA is building a flying saucer. 64 Eyes Searching the Sky The world’s largest observatory — an array of 64 giant telescopes — to be built on a 16,000-foot high desert plateau in the Andes will be able to look further back in time than even the powerful Hubble Space Telescope. Travel beyond our solar system on congress agenda Armies of scientific probes exploring every planet in Earth's neighborhood. People going to Mars. And maybe, just maybe, humans traveling beyond our solar system. Those possibilities for exploration in the 21st century and beyond will be a highlight of this year's Space Congress. When worlds collide A new BBC television series is about to take viewers on an amazing voyage of discovery around the Solar System. Not-so-stupid space tricks What do peanuts and planets have in common? Well, drawing a connection can put a human perspective on issues at the limit of our understanding — and provide a bit of fun at the same time. Consider, for example, buying the solar system: It’s just $28.83 at a supermarket near you. Astronomers debate diamonds in space Russian space officials are to begin preparations to raise Mir's orbit. It is a move that will be seen as a strong indication that Russia does not plan to abandon Mir later this summer. Orbit boost for Mir Russian space officials are to begin preparations to raise Mir's orbit. It is a move that will be seen as a strong indication that Russia does not plan to abandon Mir later this summer. Pathfinder's Legacy: Opening The Doors To Mars' Past And Present Around the world, Pathfinder was one of the most popular space exploration programs ever; its web site received 566 million visits during the first month alone, including a one-day record 47 million on July 8, 1997. Millions also viewed television images of the Martian surface beamed back from the landing site, which was named the Sagan Memorial Station in honor of the late astronomer, Carl Sagan. A close encounter with Mars Go outside about 2 hours after sunset and look toward the East. That brilliant red star you see just above the horizon is Mars, and it's headed our way. Space Tourism ready for take-off The time when ordinary people can go into space as tourists is fast approaching believes space visionary Sir Arthur C Clarke. He told BBC News Online that it is about time we built a hotel in space. Prehistoric Moon map unearthed A map of the Moon 10 times older than anything known before has been found carved into stone at one of Ireland's most ancient and mysterious Neolithic sites. New X-34 Spaceplane to Be Unveiled at Dryden NASA will unveil a new reusable, robotic rocket plane in the high desert of California next week. China to Build World's Largest Radio Telescope China is to build the world's largest radio telescope, according to Nan Rendong, a researcher with the Beijing Astronomical Observatory. Troubleshooting continues with Mars Global Surveyor's stuck communications antenna See also: Surveyor Antenna Tests Look Bleak Flight controllers for NASA's Mars Global Surveyor mission are continuing to work toward isolating what caused a hinge on the spacecraft's high-gain telecommunications antenna to stop moving last week. Salamander deaths in space baffle scientists Six salamanders have died mysteriously on the Russian space station Mir and parts of their tails will be brought back to earth for analysis. Argentine craters could be Russian satellite scars NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft is no longer in contingency mode and this afternoon (Apr.21) flight controllers have turned the entire spacecraft to point the high-gain telecommunications antenna toward Earth. Surveyor Dumping Data Ahead Of Testing NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft is no longer in contingency mode and this afternoon (Apr.21) flight controllers have turned the entire spacecraft to point the high-gain telecommunications antenna toward Earth. April's Lyrid Meteor Shower It's been a long 3 months for meteor enthusiasts, but the 1999 intermission in meteor activity is nearly over. It ends this Thursday with the arrival of the annual Lyrid meteor shower. The Lyrids will peak at 1600 UT on April 22 with at least 10-20 meteors per hour. Of Planets and Blind Men It may now be taken for granted that our sun has nine small predictable companions, but in 1845 it had seven of them, and one followed a nonsensical path. Hubble Space Telescope ailing gyroscope fails An ailing gyroscope on NASA's Hubble Space Telescope that engineers had anticipated would fail since it first started behaving erratically in January 1999, stopped functioning Apr.20. The powerful telescope continues to operate normally on its three good gyroscopes. Sundial bound for Mars See also: Sundial Will Mark Passage of Days on Mars and Humanity Will Send Sundial to Another Planet For the first time in history, humanity will send a sundial to another planet. Inscribed with the motto "Two Worlds, One Sun," the sundial will travel to Mars aboard NASA's Mars Surveyor 2001 lander. Ulysses scientists try to catch the solar wind More than 50 scientists met at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, Netherlands, on 14, 15 and 16 April to discuss the latest scientific results to come from the Ulysses out-of-ecliptic mission. Hubble Clicks Images of Io Sweeping Across Jupiter While hunting for volcanic plumes on Io, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured images of the volatile moon sweeping across the giant face of Jupiter. Only a few weeks before these dramatic images were taken, the orbiting telescope snapped a portrait of one of Io's volcanoes spewing sulfur dioxide "snow." Time Capsule to Go Into Orbit See also: Time capsule to orbit Earth for 50,000 years and Time capsule set for space launch A group headed by a French artist is putting together a time capsule that will orbit Earth for 50,000 years before returning with its cargo of messages and other treasures — and you can take part. Pulsars more complicated than previously thought The "lighthouse" model for pulsars, with a single beam of light sweeping through space, may be as antiquated as the old lighthouse itself, according to a multi-wavelength study of the oldest known gamma-ray pulsar by an international team of astronomers. NASA pressing ahead with controversial, Gore-spawned Triana project It has been called boring, worthless, silly and foolish - a pointless, $75 million politically correct screen saver. Surveyor’s Main Antenna Stuck The main communications antenna on NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft has become stuck and unable to automatically point toward Earth. In Deep Space, Darwin Rules A computer that applies Darwinian principles to the exploration of space is being used by NASA to design the ultimate missions of the future. Scientists find exotic X-ray bubbles in their first, detailed observation of a neutron star surface The Centaurus X-3 neutron star spends its day blowing bubbles, but that's not to say it's lazy. In fact, this collapsed star produces extreme gravitational and electromagnetic fields and must spin completely about its axis in less than five seconds to produce these photon bubbles that burst with X-ray radiation up to 2,000 times per second, the fastest pops of X-ray light ever recorded. Astronomers detect activity from 'quiet' supermassive black holes Astronomers have heard the first shy words from seemingly quiet supermassive black holes in the form of a unique type of X-ray light. These black holes exist in the centers of the oldest, largest galaxies and have a mass of about a billion suns, compressed into a region comparable to the size of our solar system. Is anybody out there? Scientists and theologians who gathered in Washington to discuss the origins of life and the Universe ended their conference by trying to answer the question: "Are we alone?" Salvage team puts off search until Monday Hampered by a bad power switch aboard ship, an underwater salvage team on Apr.18 put off by one day its search for Gus Grissom's sunken space capsule. Surprise 1998 Leonid display was a large blast from the past In the early hours of 17th November last year (1998), meteor watchers awaiting the Leonid shower were taken by surprise when a spectacular display of bright meteors occurred 16 hours before the predicted time for the maximum of the shower. The explanation has now been uncovered as a result of research by Dr David Asher and Professor Mark Bailey, of Armagh Observatory, and Professor Vacheslav Emel'yanenko, of South Ural University, Chelyabinsk, Russia. Super sound of shooting stars A Croatian astronomer thinks he has recorded the bizarre and apparently super-fast sounds that accompany shooting stars. Bill Nye to Unveil Mars Sundial Bill Nye, the television writer and host of the popular public television children's science program, "Bill Nye, the Science Guy," will unveil the first extraterrestrial sundial at a press conference at Cornell University on Wednesday, April 21. Mercury astronaut's family hopes his capsule remains buried at sea See also: Search for Liberty Bell 7 begins As an underwater salvage team prepares to set sail this weekend in search of Gus Grissom's 38-year-old space capsule, three people are hoping it remains buried in the Atlantic: the astronaut's widow and two sons. Hams jam space spam Swiss watchmaker Swatch appears to have abandoned a satellite launch which amateur radio enthusiasts had criticised as the first incidence of space piracy. Riding the Highways of Light Science mimics science fiction as a working model flying disc - a "Lightcraft" - takes to the air. Hubble Shoots the Moon In a change of venue from peering at the distant universe, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has taken a look at Earth's closest neighbor in space, the Moon. Hubble was aimed at one of the Moon's most dramatic and photogenic targets, the 58 mile-wide (93 km) impact crater Copernicus. Chandra Telescope Delayed? An Air Force investigation into a botched satellite launch could mean another delay for NASA’s $1.5 billion Chandra X-ray telescope. A Family of Giants See also: Scientists Discover Other Worlds Around a Distant Star, One Star, Three Big Planets, Out of this world discovery and Astronomers discover new solar system Astronomers from four research institutions have discovered strong evidence for a trio of Jupiter-sized extrasolar planets that orbit the star Upsilon Andromedae. Exotic Technologies Finish Road Test On Cosmic Highway NASA's Deep Space 1 mission has successfully demonstrated most of its exotic technologies in space -- including an ion engine that is expected to be 10 times more efficient than conventional liquid or solid rocket engines -- proving they are ready for use in science missions of the 21st century. Hearing lost in space It may be floating in the serene silence of space, but the International Space Station (ISS) will be so noisy inside that astronauts could miss warning signals and have their hearing damaged. The name's Bond, James Bond Czech astronomers have named a minor planet they discovered in 1983 after Her Majesty's Secret Agent 007 - James Bond. Astronomers use Hubble to find oldest, most distant galaxy See also: Hubble spies most distant object Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have peered 13 billion years back into time, almost to the dawn of creation, to find the oldest, most distant object ever detected: a galaxy fizzing with new stars. A Wild Ride in Search of Meteors See also: Caught a falling star On April 11, NASA scientists successfully launched a weather balloon designed to capture meteoroids in the stratosphere. Video highlights from the flight include the sunset as seen from 80,000 ft. and eerie gurgling sounds caused by high altitude winds. Chasing The Cosmic Fossil: FUSE Satellite Will Test Big Bang Theory A space telescope designed to sort through the cosmic chemical muck and star-making stew will begin scouring for the fossil record of the origins of the universe when it is launched from Cape Canaveral in a few weeks. Whole Earth Telescope Trains its Sights on Two Star Systems Astronomers from around the world are training their telescopes on two interesting, if not strange, astronomical objects. The objects of their desire -- a white dwarf star thought to be solid and a tightly bound interacting binary star system that has the "sexiest light curve in astronomy." Searching for Mercury Undersea salvage experts are expected to set out this weekend to find and recover the long-lost Mercury space capsule that carried U.S. astronaut Virgil “Gus” Grissom into suborbital flight 38 years ago but then nearly killed him. 40-Year Asteroid Warning See also: Earth set for close asteroid encounter and The truth behind the Doomsday Asteroid An asteroid discovered by New Mexico researchers this year could come dangerously close to Earth in 40 years, according to calculations by astronomers in Italy. A New Class of Black Holes? Astronomers may have discovered a new type of middle-weight black hole in the centers of some galaxies. Night Watch: Desert Monitors Map Space Debris The optical telescope in New Mexico is just one of 18 U.S. sites worldwide keeping a nightly watch on man-made orbital junk Missing mass hiding in galaxy clusters Some of the Universe's missing mass has been revealed hiding in clusters of galaxies. Astronomers have discovered previously-unseen clouds of hot gas being pulled into the clusters. Reaching for the stars Antimatter: It's one of the most attractive words in science fiction literature and nearly as good a topic at parties as black holes. It might also be the fuel that powers spaceships to the planets and perhaps the stars, even if it's just used as a sophisticated book of matches. NASA planning next generation of plutonium-powered spacecraft; opponents also forming ranks From the fiery sun to frigid Pluto, NASA plans to traverse the extremes of the solar system in the new century with missions that will tell use more about our celestial neighborhood. But to get there, the agency will have to rely on a controversial fuel - radioactive plutonium. Megablasts in space Astronomers have detected the remnants of the most energetic events in the Universe since the Big Bang. X-ray observations show that a nearby galaxy may be host to debris from two explosions a hundred times more violent than any seen before. Cornell astronomer has minor planet named after her How do astronomers say thanks for a job well done? Apparently by naming minor planets after each other. Minor planet 4-8-9-6 P-L is now known as Asteroid 9-2-5-1 Harch, after Cornell astronomer Ann Harch. Mir crew to try patching holes during space walk Two crew members aboard Russia's Mir space station will perform a space walk to set up experiments and test tools designed to patch holes in the aging ship, a news report said Apr.10. All-Women Crews Considered Come 2001, women may have an inside track in the macho world of space. Within the next two years, NASA may be flying all-female space shuttle crews — for science. Mars Global Surveyor starts mapping the Red Planet Over a year later than originally scheduled, the Mars Global Surveyor started mapping the Red Planet with its high-gain antenna last week. And it is beaming back to Earth pictures of unprecedented detail. Ancient tomb captured both Sun and Moon A unique prehistoric tomb in Ireland has been revealed to align to both the midsummer Sun and the midwinter Moon. Alive and Well On Route To Mars Science instruments built at The University of Arizona in Tucson are now halfway to Mars aboard the Mars Polar Lander, and they're doing just fine, according to checks made Apr.08. Stardust mission status report It's not a space race, but NASA's comet-bound Stardust spacecraft, launched in February, has now pulled ahead of two other NASA spacecraft launched earlier on trips to Mars. U.S. Star-Gazers Report Explosion in Medieval Sky Astronomers said on Apr.08 they had found evidence of a stellar explosion that would have lit up the night sky 700 years ago -- yet no mediaeval star-gazer recorded it. NASA's top space station officials quitting NASA says the resignations of the two top administrators for the International Space Station have nothing to do with lengthy delays in the project or problems with Russia. Launch of international station module planned for September The crucial third piece of the international space station will be transported to the Baikonur cosmodrome next month and is likely to be launched in September. Moon to Eclipse Aldebaran See also: An eclipse of a different kind Professional and backyard astronomers across the United States are gearing up for one of the major celestial events of the year on Sunday night, April 18. Meteor balloon set for launch See also: Balloon to bag space dust This weekend scientists will launch a weather balloon designed to capture meteoroids in the stratosphere. The flight will be broadcast live on the web from a video camera carried aloft to 100,000 ft. Setting Sail for the Stars Cracking the whip and unfurling gray sails are among new techniques under discussion at the 1999 Advanced Propulsion Research Workshop Darwinian Design - Survival of the Fittest Spacecraft If two space scientists have their way, the term "mother ship" will take on a whole new meaning. Presenting a paper at the International Conference on Advanced Propulsion held in Huntsville, Ala., Drs. David Noever and Subbiah Baskaran, both of the NASA Marshall Space Sciences Laboratory, discussed the potential of spacecraft reproduction and evolution. Coach-class tickets for space? Getting there is half the fun, goes the old saw about travel. But in space travel, it's the cost, an expensive ticket that chains most plans for exploration to the Earth. Two VLT 8.2-m Unit Telescopes in Action The VLT Control Room at the Paranal Observatory is becoming a busy place indeed. From here, two specialist teams of ESO astronomers and engineers now operate two VLT 8.2-m Unit Telescopes in parallel, ANTU and KUEYEN (formerly UT1 and UT2. Regular science observations have just started with the first of these giant telescopes, while impressive astronomical images are being obtained with the second. Stars join nature's spirals See also: Dust Spiral from Dancing Stars Many things in nature are spiral: sea shells, water as it goes down a plug-hole, cyclonic weather systems and distant galaxies. Now stars can be added to that list. NASA Looks to Future Tech See also: NASA’s chief looks beyond horizon In the 21st century, Americans will fly airplanes like they drive cars and explore the solar system from home via an interplanetary Internet, the head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration predicts. Far Out Propulsion Conference Blasts Off Atoms locked in snow, a teaspoon from the heart of the sun, and the stuff that drives a starship are on the agenda of an advanced space propulsion conference that opened Apr.06 in Huntsville, Ala.. Deep Space 1's exotic technologies continue to impress NASA See also: Back to the future with Deep Space 1 In the 21st century, Americans will fly airplanes like they drive cars and explore the solar system from home via an interplanetary Internet, the head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration predicts. Ion Propulsion -- 50 Years in the Making The ion propulsion system on Deep Space 1 is the culmination of over 50 years of development on electric engine systems in space. Answer to powerful cosmic bursts remains elusive They didn't know they were about to do it, but eight years ago scientists led by a team of astronomers in Huntsville, Ala., were on the verge of discovering the incredible. What appeared to be local firecrackers in the sky, were instead distant megablasts, each releasing more energy in ten seconds than the Sun emits in its entire 10-billion-year lifetime. It was the last thing they expected to find from these accidentally-discovered cosmic enigmas. SETI is ready for your computer After years of development, software that searches for extraterrestrial intelligence will be ready for mass distribution starting next week, say the leaders of the effort. But if you’re waiting for Windows, you’ll have to wait a little longer: The first stripped-down versions of SETI@home will be designed for Unix. NASA to test tethered transportation in space NASA plans to lasso energy from Earth's atmosphere with a tether as part of the first demonstration of a propellant-free space propulsion system, potentially leading to a revolutionary space transportation system. Space transportation experts showcase advanced propulsion research Propulsion systems that get their oomph from lasers, antimatter and other unconventional energy sources will be discussed when space transportation experts gather in Huntsville, Ala., next week. Private Funds Found for Mir See also: Private backers found for Mir, space chief says Several private investors have agreed to keep the aging Mir space station in orbit after government money for the 13-year-old station runs out in August, Russia's space chief said April 2. Looking for life in all the weird places Neil Armstrong received the glory as the first astronaut on the moon, but other earthlings actually beat him to the surface by two years. Stowaways on the Surveyor 3 spacecraft in 1967, a colony of the streptococcus mitus bacteria, remained stranded on the moon until a rescue several years later by astronauts, who brought the harmless, common bacteria home where they were revived. Leonids Sample Return Mission Update Later this month NASA scientists will present initial results from an innovative program to catch meteoroids in flight through Earth's atmosphere. The paper, to be presented at the NASA/Ames Leonid Workshop on April 12-15, will describe tiny particles captured 20 km above Earth's surface during last year's Leonids meteor shower. NASA set to launch Earth-watching satellite New high-resolution images of Earth from space will soon be available when NASA launches the Landsat 7 Earth-observing satellite on April 15. Ooops! 53 Years Later, Magazine Corrects Definition of 'Blue Moon' A 53-year-old error over the term "blue moon" has journalists red in the face. Sky & Telescope magazine has admitted it made an error in an article which said "blue moon" referred to the second full moon within the same month. Multiple Generations of Stars in the Tarantula Nebula At the center of the most violent starburst region in the local universe lies a cluster of brilliant, massive stars, known to astronomers as Hodge 301...

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