News Headlines for May2000
Chandra homes in on a black hole See also: Chandra Clocks 1 million mph wind expanding from vicinity of black hole
The Chandra X-ray Observatory has looked at the violent region around a giant black hole in a distant galaxy.
Arthur C Clarke knighted
The science fiction writer, Arthur C Clarke, has been knighted, more than two years after the title was conferred on him.
Technology From the 1950s May Move Rocketry into the 21st Century
In a contest to find Cheap Access To Space (CATS), decades-old technology is causing a stir.
New Ground-Based Photos of Mercury's Unseen Surface
A team of astronomers from Boston University released images revealing details of Mercury's surface in the May Astronomical Journal and at the American Geophysical Union in Washington, DC.
Riding the 'Vomit Comet'
The US space administration is always on the lookout for new recruits and has devised a programme to give students and the occasional correspondent to give zero gravity a spin.
Wheels in the Sky
The pioneering space station concepts of the mid-1950's don't look much like the erector-set habitat in orbit today. Read about rocket scientist Werner von Braun's early designs for an outpost in space and how he advocated his ideas to the public 50 years ago.
NASA confirms commercial deal
NASA says it has made a deal for the "first major commercial use" of the International Space Station, involving the distribution of imagery and multimedia content from space. The identity of NASA’s newest commercial partner is to be revealed next Friday.
Mir company looks to the future
The company funding the latest mission to the Mir space station says it is already planning the next two flights to the Russian orbital platform.
Intensive observing campaign in Spain to follow up ISO discoveries
The European Space Agency's ISO telescope was the first space observatory revealing the infrared 'face' of the Universe with high sensitivity, and by so doing pictured thousands of objects whose true nature is still unknown. This month a network of European astronomers will try to learn more about these new ISO sources, by observing many of them with about a dozen ground-based telescopes, mainly at the observatories in the Canary Islands (Spain).
Compton supporters seek reprieve for condemned observatory See also: Save our satellite say astronomers and Compton Gamma Ray Observatory poised for suicide plunge
NASA plans to bring down the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory in less than two weeks, but some scientists want to stop the satellite from becoming the largest spacecraft ever brought down in a deliberate, controlled crash.
Astronomers make the Milky Way vanish
Astronomers have produced the first picture of the night sky without the Milky Way, so that they can see the Universe beyond more clearly.
Scientists propose sailing to the stars on solar wind
Four hundred years after Johannes Kepler suggested that ships might someday sail on "heavenly breezes" beyond the Earth, his dream is on the verge of becoming reality.
'Theory of everything' scoops top prize
Brian Greene has scooped the Aventis Prize for Science Books for his best-seller The Elegant Universe.
Just as XMM-Newton happens to be looking, a probable black hole system suddenly dims
XMM-Newton is blessed with good luck! During the current calibration campaign of its science instruments ESA's new X-ray observatory has chanced on a sudden and dramatic alteration in a binary star system, whose properties had not changed for thirty years.
Russian cosmonaut Khrunov dies
Yevgeny Khrunov, a cosmonaut who roared into space 31 years ago, has died at the age of 67, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported Tuesday.
Astronomers want bigger telescopes
If you are an American astronomer then the next decade may offer unprecedented opportunities to study the Universe.
A Pop Quiz for Einstein
- Crystal balls rarely have anything to do with science, but soon NASA researchers will be using a set of four to examine one of the last, untested portions of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. The spheres are heading for Earth orbit on board the Gravity Probe B mission in 2002.
Distant planets blast giant holes in stellar theories
0nce upon a time, astrophysicists said that building a solar system was a piece of cake: Take a big dust pile with a few clumps inside, give it a little spin to flatten the cloud, and let it bake for 1 billion years. Voila, a star-centered system of well-spaced spheres following nice, almost circular orbits appears, with little rocky planets like Earth close in, and their big brothers, composed of frigid gas clouds, farther out. Sadly, reality has intruded on this fairy-tale recipe.
Martian meteorite found in Oman See also: Rare Mars meteorite discovered in Middle East
A brownish grey stone weighing 1,056 grams (2.3 lbs) is thought to be only the 15th known meteorite to originate from Mars.
A Big Moon Close Up
On May 20, 2000, NASA's Galileo spacecraft flew 808 km above the surface of our solar system's largest moon, Ganymede.
Tiny telescope a Canadian achievement
They're calling it the 'humble space telescope' and in size and price, it certainly is.
XMM-Newton peeks through Lockman Hole
To demonstrate the remarkable ability of XMM-Newton to discover faint X-ray sources, a series of observations is being made in the area known as the 'Lockman hole'. In the Ursa Major northern hemisphere constellation - the third-largest constellation better known as Great Bear or as the Big Dipper - the Lockman hole region is one of the best studied fields in X-ray astronomy.
Mars Image Library Opens See also: 20,000 new additions to Mars gallery
More than 20,000 images of the planet Mars taken by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft are now available in a web-based photo album -- the single largest one-time release of images for any planet in the history of solar system exploration.
Radio JOVE
Jupiter is a source of powerful radio bursts that can produce exotic sounds on ham radio receivers. NASA scientists are helping students tune in to the giant planet as part of an innovative educational program called Radio JOVE. This story includes sample sounds from Jupiter and explains how to join the Radio JOVE observing network.
New Planck animations
New animations on Planck are now available in the ESA video archive.
A Rocky Wasteland
NEAR Shoemaker photographs Eros under a variety of lighting and viewing geometries suited to different science objectives.
Galileo zooms by Jupiter's moon Ganymede See also: Great Ganymede!
NASA's Galileo spacecraft zoomed by Jupiter's largest moon early Saturday, taking new measurements of Ganymede's magnetic field and images of the surface.
Fix-It Mission See also: Space shuttle docks with international space station and Frustration over the space station
Space shuttle Atlantis slid up to the international space station and docked early this morning, ending a two-day chase and kicking off a week of urgent repairs.
Abandon Ship
Russia is planning to evacuate its aging Mir space station in June but will keep it in orbit in case there is money for more missions.
Voyage through the Universe
Astronomers have unveiled a dramatic computer visualisation of a trip through the Universe based on actual data collected by a sky survey.
Images reveal lakes, snow, geysers on Jupiter moon Io See also: Io's wandering volcanoes , The Secret Lives of Alien Volcanoes and Wandering plumes, seeing red and slip-sliding away on Io
New close-up images of Jupiter's moon Io show a hellish world of poison gas plumes, erupting molten rock and yellow fields of snow.
National Academy of Sciences maps astronomy research priorities
The National Academy of Sciences will release a report Friday detailing how it recommends money be spent on astronomy research over the next decade.
Setting sights on a bigger, better Mir
Russia’s Mir space station, which was one step away from destruction just a few months ago, is back in business as the world’s first commercial space operation. In an interview with MSNBC.com, one of the key financiers behind the revival hints that the best is yet to come - and has some sharp words about the International Space Station, as well.
Chandra survey of distant galaxies provides evidence for vigorous starbursts
Using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers have made the first long-duration X-ray survey of the Hubble Deep Field North. They detected X-rays from six of the galaxies in the field, and were surprised by the lack of X-rays from some of the most energetic galaxies in the field.
Finnish Scientists Spot New Comet See also: Missed Comet Puts Spotlight On Space Guard
Teemu Makinen and his colleagues at the Finnish Meteorological Institute in Helsinki found the comet known as C/1997 K2 while examining old images from an instrument called SWAN on the SOHO satellite.
SETI software hits milestones
SETI@home, the program that analyzes radio data for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, attracted its 2 millionth volunteer user - a Russian - just in time for the first anniversary of the program’s official launch.
The Humming Black Hole
Scientists are monitoring a curious black hole binary star system that has become one of the brightest sources in the sky at x-ray wavelengths.
Saturn's Moon Of Mystery
Saturn's cloud-shrouded moon Titan is struggling to keep its secrets. French astronomers who have peered through the mist using ground telescopes say they have spotted polar caps and lofty mountains covered with methane ice. But an American researcher says that images from the Hubble telescope paint a different picture.
NASA may return to Mars in 2003 See also: Airbags may play a new role on Mars
After two consecutive Mars failures, NASA is considering returning to the Red Planet with a rover that would land in an air bag cocoon like the one used by the successful Mars Pathfinder in 1997.
Mir spacewalk tests new glue
Russian cosmonauts have completed a five-hour spacewalk to begin repairs to the hull of the Mir orbital platform.
Galactic Silhouettes See also: Hubble image sheds light on darkness within galaxies
Through an extraordinary chance alignment, the Hubble telescope has captured a view of a face-on spiral galaxy lying precisely in front of another larger spiral. The unique pair is called NGC 3314. This line-up provides astronomers with the rare chance to see the dark material within the foreground galaxy, seen only because it is silhouetted against the light from the object behind it.
Chandra images supernova blast wave See also: Chandra reveals early stages of a supernova remnant , NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory images a young supernova blast wave and Impact! Chandra images a young supernova blast wave
The full impact of the blast from Supernova 1987A has been revealed in images from Nasa's Chandra X-ray space telescope.
U.S. astronomers rediscover lost minor planet
Astronomers said Friday they had rediscovered a "lost" minor planet, named 719 Albert, which was last seen in 1911.
Close-up on the the early Universe
Astronomers have obtained the most detailed images yet of the Universe when it was just a few hundred thousand years old.
Setting sail for the stars See also: NASA charts course to sail to the stars on largest spacecraft ever built
Nasa scientists are developing space sail technology to power a mission beyond the planets.
Science fiction powers space research
The European Space Agency (Esa) is studying science fiction for ideas and technologies that could be used in future missions.
Spacecraft cozies up to distant asteroid
First, there was the man in the moon. Then, there was the face on Mars. Now a NASA probe has uncovered a new fanciful feature in the solar system: The dog on the asteroid.
Deflected light 'sees' dark matter
Astrophysicists have announced the first observations of so-called cosmological shear, an effect predicted by Einstein's theory of relativity.
Earth's Mobility
On October 31, 1992, Pope John Paul II decreed that Galileo was right: The Earth is going around the sun (and not vice versa). Yet as accepted as Earth's motion around the fiery sun is today, most people don't know what evidence serves as proof.
Three pieces in a cosmic puzzle
Three new scientific reports — dealing with cosmic microwaves, gamma rays and dark matter — serve to demonstrate how much we still don’t know about the universe.
Firm offers Moon burial See also: Ashes to ashes ... on the moon
The ultimate in peaceful final resting places may now be within reach as a US company is offering a burial service on the Moon.
Eight new 'planets' discovered
Eight new "planets" have been discovered by Swiss astronomers. Their detection brings to about 40 the number of known planets outside our Solar System.
XMM-Newton views a cluster of jewels
Calibration of XMM-Newton's science instruments is continuing at a steady pace in view of the start of the operational phase of the mission next month. Since the end of commissioning, ESA's new X-ray space observatory has been viewing an average of one or more calibration target every day. One such target has been NGC 2516, a young open cluster in the southern hemisphere.
Planetary alignment comes and goes See also: Cosmic convergence hits its peak
The sun, the moon and five of the planets marched right into perfect formation, just as the doomsday prophets had said they would. But the world didn't end.
Steward Observatory Mirror Lab to Cast 2nd 8.4-Meter LBT Mirror
The University of Arizona Steward Observatory Mirror Lab is about to cast a second 8.4-meter mirror for the Large Binocular Telescope, a full binocular telescope like no other telescope in the world.
Planetary Alignment Commemorated In Silver Coin
To mark this event, The Perth Mint in Western Australia has issued a spectacular Planetary Alignment 10oz coin, made from 99.9% fine silver, with a coloured central design and a proof-like finish.
Lost in space memorabilia
The stargazing folks from all over the world who will bid this weekend on items at Superior Galleries' space memorabilia auction in Beverly Hills are not looking for prop "Star Trek" phasers or "Empire Strikes Back" trading cards. These space junkies are looking for something that has been up among the stars for real, like a Mercury spacesuit or an Apollo 17 tool kit, among numerous other pieces discarded by the National Aeronautics Space Administration or the Russian Space Agency.
The Moon and SMART-1 at EGS Millennium Assembly
With ESA's SMART-1 leading the way in 2002, the first half of this decade will be seeing a small flotilla of spacecraft exploring the Moon. These projects and their lunar science objectives were evoked with enthousiasm at the Annual General Assembly of the European Geophysical Society held in Nice, France between 24-29 April
Internet Node In Space
NASA has demonstrated the ability to use standard Internet protocols to communicate with an orbiting spacecraft just like any other node on the Internet.
Astronomers Detail Budget Planetary Missions
Astronomers have obtained extraordinary radar images of a giant, dog bone-shaped asteroid.
Astronomers see 'dog bone' asteroid See also: Scientists picture bone-shaped asteroid and NASA unveils images of giant 'dog bone' asteroid
They plan to visit Mars, Mercury, even Jupiter's icy moon Europa, but the world's space scientists acknowledged Tuesday they will have to do it on a budget.
Lasers shine New Light on Gravity Waves
In the past 50 years, scientists have added immensely to their understanding of the universe by exploring it through different forms of radiation, but limitations still remain. Much of the universe is dark matter, which emits virtually no electromagnetic radiation. Gravitational waves seem to offer astrophysicists the best hope of studying objects composed of dark matter, but the problems are considerable. Static objects, even those that are large, will not emit gravitational waves. These, Einstein predicted, are produced when objects are accelerated, or when strong gravitational fields interact dynamically. Likely sources include supernovae and the merging or collision of entities like neutrino stars and black holes. These phenomena should produce extremely intense gravitational waves.
Eight New Very Low-Mass Companions to Solar-Type Stars Discovered at La Silla
The intensive and exciting hunt for planets around other stars ("exoplanets") is continuing with great success in both hemispheres. On May 4th, a team of astronomers of the Geneva Observatory announced the discovery of no less than eight new, very-low mass companions to solar-type stars. The masses of these objects range from less than that of planet Saturn to about 15 times that of Jupiter.
The planets line up -- but don't panic! See also: No doomsday in store when planets align Friday
For followers of Nostradamus, this is a chance to relish. What better time than the year 2000 - prelude to the new millennium -- to predict all sorts of catastrophes driven by celestial objects? And the planets, jointly taunting the doomsayers, have chosen to dance together before their eyes. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn clustered for the first time on 6 April, within a circle 9 degrees wide. On 14 April, they gathered again in a 5-degree circle. And last month's dance was just a prelude to this month's fiesta. On 5 May, Mercury, Venus, the Moon and the Sun join in too, grouping in a circle of 26 degrees.
Mars at the EGS: new techniques for an old planet
If you're going to send a lander to look for life on Mars, you need to choose a landing site with a good chance of harbouring life - preferably a place where water once deposited layers of sediment.
NASA mulling new roadmap for Mars
Exactly five months after the loss of NASA's Mars Polar Lander, U.S. space agency officials said Wednesday they expect a "new architecture" for exploring the Red Planet by year's end.
Rosetta STM feels hot and cold all over
After more than two weeks of being boiled and then frozen, the Rosetta spacecraft has shown that it can withstand the extreme temperatures to be encountered on its 11 year odyssey to Comet Wirtanen. On 16 April, the Rosetta Structural Thermal Model (STM) completed a prolonged series of tests in the Large Space Simulator, a giant thermal-vacuum chamber at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) at Noordwijk in The Netherlands. Preliminary results show that the spacecraft behaved as expected, and engineers are confident that ESA's comet chaser will be able to survive successfully its journey beyond the asteroid belt and back.
Lost and Found: Hubble Finds Much of the Universe's Missing Hydrogen See also: Hubble Finds Missing Hydrogen and Hubble finds missing hydrogen
For the past decade astronomers have looked for vast quantities of hydrogen that were cooked up in the Big Bang but somehow managed to disappear in the empty blackness of space. Now, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered this long-sought missing hydrogen.
Space debris rains down on South Africa
Three pieces of a large U.S. rocket have crashed out of orbit onto South African soil in recent days, prompting a flurry of speculation that more could be on the way.
Life Beyond Sol
Unless by some fluke of life Europa hides a world of complex ocean dwelling lifeforms, we will have to look beyond our own solar system to find multi-celled life -- let alone intelligence -- on other planets.
Io's volcanoes splatter dust into solar system
Fiery volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io are the main source of dust streams that flow from the Jupiter system into the rest of the solar system, according to new findings from NASA's Galileo spacecraft analyzed by an international team of scientists.
Earthly Microbes Have The ID On ET
Evidence of life in Martian meteorites or future rock samples from the Red Planet may be easier to identify thanks to microbes living in hot springs at Yellowstone National Park.
100th anniversary of comet pioneer's birth
Not many people enjoy the privilege of having their name displayed in lights. Even fewer people have their name immortalised by having a heavenly object named after them. One of this select company was a Dutch astronomer, Jan Oort, who was born 100 years ago today.
Earth loses weight See also: Earth weighs less than previously thought
US scientists discover that the Earth is lighter than previously thought.
Cosmic Vote
Hubble space telescope astronomers are inviting votes on which heavenly body to look at next.
Near closes in on Eros
The American spacecraft Near has moved into its closest orbit yet around the asteroid Eros, circling only 50 kilometres from its surface.
Collision Course
The Milky Way is zipping towards the Andromeda galaxy at 310,000 mph, and they will eventually collide. As Andromeda approaches, one scientist says the sky will be bright enough to read a newspaper.
Russia defends role in International Space Station
Russia defended its role in building an International Space Station on Wednesday after a U.S. syndicated columnist called on Washington to freeze Moscow out of the $60 billion project.
ISO measures possible planetary system in formation
The earliest stages of formation of planetary systems remain very poorly known because of the thick layers of opaque dust that hid them. The European Space Agency's infrared space telescope, ISO, has measured the size of a proto-planetary system, surrounding a newly-born star. ISO sees a very young 'baby-star' surrounded by a disk of the same diameter as Jupiter's orbit, in which planets are likely to form in the future.

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