News Headlines for July 2000

Latest suitor abandons Iridium Another would-be savior is abandoning Iridium LLC in bankruptcy court, raising the possibility again that a $5 billion satellite system for mobile phones will be reduced to ashes in the Earth's atmosphere. First ISS crew will not launch before Oct. 30 The first extended mission to the International Space Station will be launched "no earlier than October 30, as originally planned," according to the head of the Russian Aerospace Agency, Yuri Koptev. Hubble Sees Comet Linear Blow its Top See also: Look for Comet Linear , Comet Linear Misbehaves and Comet erupts violently as Hubble watches Lackluster comet LINEAR (C/1999 S4) unexpectedly threw astronomers a curve. Using the Hubble telescope, researchers were surprised to catch the icy comet in a brief, violent outburst when it blew off a piece of its crust, like a cork popping off a champagne bottle. The eruption, the comet's equivalent of a volcanic explosion (though temperatures are far below freezing, at about minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the icy regions of the nucleus or core), spewed a great deal of dust into space. This mist of dust reflected sunlight, dramatically increasing the comet's brightness over several hours. NASA Unveils Mars Mission See also: New probe for Mars It’ll be stop, bounce and roll for the next Mars mission scheduled for 2004, according to NASA. The agency announced its choice of a wheeled-roving vehicle to explore the Red Planet, instead of the orbiting explorer it had also been considering. Mars mission critical for Nasa Missions to parts of our solar system may be routine these days but Nasa knows only too well that they remain extremely difficult. Planet lovers campaign to save Pluto Express The largest space interest group in the world wants Congress to ensure funding for a mission to Pluto that it fears NASA might call off for budgetary reasons. China Ready for Man in Space - We Think There have been rumors for much of the past decade about China developing a manned spacecraft. Now it appears it will actually happen later this year. Or next year. Or 2002. Or maybe later. It depends on which rumor, news story or public statement you believe. NASA orbiter backs off asteroid Eros A NASA spacecraft shifted into higher orbit around the asteroid Eros this week, after spending five months moving steadily closer to the space rock. Space Station Connects With Russian Module See also: Zvezda docks with space station , With Module in Place ISS Construction To Move Ahead as Planned and Russian Zvezda docks with station Opening what exultant space officials called a new era in space, the long-delayed international space station linked up smoothly today with the Russian-made Zvezda control module. Women in Astronomy For four millennia, the female of the species has advanced the study of astronomy. NASA’s X-34 experimental rocket plane begins new pre-flight test series NASA’s X-34 experimental rocket plane program has kicked off a new phase of tests to prepare it for flight. Hot-spring bug goes into space The controversial theory that microbial life was once delivered to Earth on a meteorite is about to be tested by researchers. Software to plan Mars Express mission orbit by orbit Scientists building instruments for Mars Express are taking delivery this month of a software package to help them plan how and when to operate their instruments during each of the 2293 orbits the spacecraft will make during its first 687 E arth-days of operation. "The mission has to be planned orbit by orbit: there's no other way. STAT (Science Timeline Analysis Tool) is a very comprehensive software package for planning science operations," says Agustin Chicarro, Mars Express project scientist. Evidence of a Mass Extinction It was bigger than the mass-death of the dinosaurs, and the first evidence of Earth’s greatest extinction was found in the Zuni Mountains of western New Mexico, a scientist says. Beware: The Next Giant Asteroid Belt Is Overdue A group of scientists known in government circles as "The X Files committee" has warned that the Earth is overdue for an asteroid strike serious enough to wipe out 10 percent of its population. Amateur astronomers capture Salsa and Samba dancing in the sky Two amateur astronomers from the Starkenburg observatory in Heppenheim, near Darmstadt in Germany, have succeeded in photographing the first two Cluster satellites, Salsa and Samba, during their daily dance around the Earth. Space exploration gets boost in poll A new survey suggests that Americans strongly support space exploration in general and Mars exploration in particular. The idea of a human mission to Mars received somewhat less support — but 51 percent of those surveyed said they would go to the Red Planet if space travel were available to all citizens. New web articles about Mars Express instruments A series of new articles about the Mars Express instruments is now available on the ESA website. Based on interviews with Principal Investigators, the articles describe the instruments and the science they plan to accomplish. Sun Rise At South Pole Will Complete Eros Map NEAR Shoemaker has by now imaged the entire surface of Eros at least once, but our task is not yet complete. The last portion of Eros to be imaged was the south pole, because this region has been in shadow until this month. Partial eclipse to darken the sun A partial solar eclipse is due to unfold Sunday over the northwestern United States as well as northern and western Canada — but if you want to see this show safely, you’ll have to take precautions. It came from outer space: Rock that damaged car is a meteorite It was no ordinary rock that broke Rick Wirth's windshield four years ago. It came from outer space. And it's older than the Earth. Tips on spotting the International Space Station See also: Station Sightings The International Space Station should be easy to locate from the ground. Even without the new service module, expected to dock with the orbiting outpost late Tuesday, the other two segments together rank among the largest spacecraft ever in orbit. A Handy Robot The scientists behind NASA’s newest robot have outfitted their creation with an ancient tool that’s still a giant leap forward: hands. Youngest Brown Dwarf Yet in a Multiple Stellar System Recent observations with the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) of a "young" Brown Dwarf in a multiple stellar system are taking on particular importance. An evaluation of the new data by an international team of astronomers shows that it is by far the youngest of only four such objects found in a stellar system so far. The results are now providing new insights into the stellar formation process. Elusive Tau Particle Is Detected See also: Science finds particle perfection and Tau Neutrino In what is being hailed as a heroic achievement in physics, scientists have found the first direct evidence of the tau neutrino, an elusive and ghostly subatomic particle that was thought to be the last missing piece in the architecture of matter. New moon discovered around Jupiter See also: Captured Comet or Trapped Asteroid ? For the first time in more than a quarter of a century, a new moon has been discovered orbiting Jupiter, astronomers announced Friday. They said this moon, previously thought to be an asteroid, measures only a few miles in diameter. Mars 'colonists' undaunted by bad luck, punishing weather See also: Mars-style home rises in Arctic Battered buildings. Freezing rains. Endless sunlight. Despite facing such hardships, scientists simulating life on Mars have pushed the limits of red planet science on a barren island in the Arctic. Marking Time In Our Journey Into Space The heroic age of space exploration is over. Recent years have brought a slow, steady build-up in our understanding of the universe. But as man stares at the stars and wonders about the century ahead, he is faced, not with with fewer questions but more. Salsa and Samba in perfect step After one of the most complex series of manoeuvres ever carried out by Earth-orbiting spacecraft, the first Cluster pair have successfully reached their final elliptical orbit. Salsa (FM 6) and Samba (FM 7) are now dancing in step between 16 869 km (perigee) and 121 098 km (apogee) above the Earth. NEAR Team Seeks Clues in Close Orbit Boulders or big dirt piles? Still dust or shifting particles? The NEAR team hopes the high-resolution pictures NEAR Shoemaker sends back from its current 22-mile (35 kilometer) orbit around Eros can answer the range of questions they have about the asteroid's surface. Marshall Web site lets skywatchers track International Space Station As the Russian service module "Zvezda" nears its July 25 rendezvous with the International Space Station, stargazers and space enthusiasts can track the progress of construction on the ambitious space research facility. And they can do it with the naked eye. Another funding request from the russian space agency Jeff Parker editorial cartoon. 'Slinky' magnetic loops seen on Sun On 14 July, an active region on the Sun's surface, designated AR9077, erupted in one of the most energetic flares seen on the surface of our star for years. NASA postpones Mars mission announcement Which will it be: an orbiter with a precise high-resolution camera or a large rover that lands on airbags? NASA had planned to announce on Monday which of the two proposed robotic missions it will send to Mars three years from now. But the space agency decided Friday to delay an official decision. Mir Station to Resume Manned Missions in 2001 International investors in Russia's idle Mir space station said on Thursday they would finance permanent missions to the craft beginning from 2001 and send up the first space tourist. A 10 billion billion billion megaton bomb in space Astronomers have found a star that will produce one of the biggest explosions in our Universe. Neutrinos fired through Earth's crust Japanese scientists have sent a beam of neutrinos through the Earth's crust in an experiment to probe the particles' fundamental properties. Theory: Black hole winds allow some matter to escape Black holes might produce great winds that allow some matter to escape their deadly clutches, scientists said Wednesday. The new theory could reconcile a conflict between theoretical models and observational data on black holes. Study: Women less inclined to support space exploration Men may be from Mars, but a new study says women are, well, earthbound -- at least when it comes to supporting space research and exploration. Moon-walk 'model' returns to Cape Thirty-one years ago today, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human on the moon. More lunar walkers followed -- but the guy shown here, Gary Morse, wasn't one of them. Unveiling the Infrared Sky Your home computer can become a portal to a wonderland of stars, thanks to a massive release of images from an infrared sky survey sponsored by NASA and the National Science Foundation. The current release is based on a volume of data several hundred times larger than that contained in the human genome! Cuddling Up In A Quilt Of Gamma-Ray Stars The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory is gone, but its memory lives on -- in a quilt museum located in a rural Virginia town. A retired couple in Elkwood, VA took two gamma-ray images their son received from NASA, back in 1993, and turned them into spectacular coverlets. A trip through time on dusty comets If you've seen one comet, you've seen them all, right? Wrong - according to recent laboratory research and historical observations, comets could have formed at different times during the evolution of the solar nebula, and may reveal their age by the structure of their dust grains. Chemists Find Extraterrestrial 'Anomaly' In Earth's Rocks Chemists at the University of California, San Diego have discovered an isotope anomaly previously thought unique to meteorites and other extraterrestrial rocks in sulfate minerals on Earth. NEAR Shoemaker Science Update NEAR Shoemaker has by now imaged the entire surface of Eros at least once, but the task is not yet complete. The last portion of Eros to be imaged was the south pole, because this region has been in shadow until this month. Unseen Dimensions Could Explain Weakness Of Gravity In just two years, a new proposal for solving some of science's most persistent puzzles -- most important, how to include gravity in an explanation of the fundamental forces of nature -- has become the hottest theory in physics. Declaration of the Young Lunar Explorers On the occasion of the Fourth International Conference on the Exploration and Utilisation of the Moon, held in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, we, the Young Lunar Explorers, convened under the auspices of the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG). Viking Data May Hide New Evidence For Life With little fanfare NASA has begun reviewing data from the Viking Landers that may show evidence for life that no one had previously sought to look for in data oscillations found in the Labeled Release experiment that match one Martian day. X-ray Star Stuff Astronomers using the Chandra X-ray Observatory are seeing how supernovae spray the essential elements of rocky planets and life into interstellar space. New data include images of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A at x-ray wavelengths emitted by ions of silicon, calcium and iron. Zubrin talks Mars water Mars Society founder and author of "The Case for Mars" discusses the implications of liquid water on the red planet for future explorers. Spacecraft gets closest look yet at asteroid The closest images ever obtained of asteroid Eros reveal an intriguing diversity of surface features, mission scientists said this week. Earth throws a wobbly See also: Mystery of Earth's Wobble May Be Solved A mysterious wobble that shakes the Earth as it spins on its axis is caused by pressure changes at the bottom of the ocean, say scientists at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Jodrell Bank faces uncertain future The future of the world-famous Jodrell Bank radio observatory in Cheshire, UK, has been thrown into doubt after questions were raised about its future funding. Apollo-Soyuz: a giant leap in cooperation An astronaut and cosmonaut made history one-quarter century ago, greeting each another with an orbital handshake that helped thaw Cold War tensions and encouraged international cooperation in space. Over the past week, representatives of the United States and Russia commemorated the unprecedented flight with events on two continents. Astronauts Aldrin, Cernan, inducted into hall of fame Astronauts Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Eugene Cernan were inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame on Saturday. Space theme park opens in France A new, hands-on theme park has opened in Toulouse designed to give all ages a chance to explore the final frontier. Cluster satellites go into orbit A European mission to study the physics of so-called space weather has blasted off from Baikonur in Kazakhstan. Space Station Launch Commentary from NPR about the recent launch of the Zvezda module. Cluster II launch aborted till next launch window: Sunday 16 july "The launch has been aborted by the Launch Authorities. They are now investigating and we await their report", says Alberto Gianolio from Baikonur. Exploring Titan From A Helicopter Way out beyond the icy rings of Saturn there's a mysterious world called Titan. The cloud-shrouded surface of this huge moon is one of the largest unexplored regions in the Solar System. Somewhere here, in the icy soup of organic molecules that coats its surface, scientists believe they will discover primitive proteins, or better still, living cells that could help them solve once and for all the mystery of the origin of life. Twin-telescope sky survey "gives you the stars" Your home computer can become a portal to a wonderland of stars, thanks to a massive release of images from an infrared sky survey sponsored by NASA and the National Science Foundation. Guide to lunar eclipse Web coverage See also: A Pacific Lunar Eclipse On Sunday, an eclipse of the moon will be visible from western North and South America, the Pacific Ocean, Australia and eastern Asia. The total phase or totality will last one hour and 47 minutes. Here's a list of Web sites that will carry live coverage of the eclipse. Did Life Rain Down From The Sky Life may have begun not in the sea but in tiny water droplets drifting high in the sky. Thrown up by ocean waves, these droplets could have provided just the conditions needed for complex molecules to form. Dust Gets A Charge In A Vacuum A small layer of dust suspended several feet above the moon's surface that was first photographed by the Lunar Surveyor spacecraft in the 1960s and later observed by Apollo astronauts has been a puzzle to some planetary scientists. 2 charged with hacking computers at NASA A 15-year-old high school student and a 20-year-old man have been arrested and accused of hacking into NASA computers. 'Youngest' von Braun rocket team member dies Walt Wiesman, the youngest member of Werner von Braun's rocket team, has died. He was 79. Dangerous Spacesuits See also: Fire hazard found in NASA's spacesuits NASA’s spacewalking suits have oil contamination in its emergency oxygen packs, a longtime problem that could have caused the outfits to burst into flames, officials said Friday. Space weather mission ready See also: Cluster II on launchpad Final preparations are under way for the launch of a key European space programme, the Cluster II project, to study the weather in space. After the Gold Rush on Earth a 'Helium rush' to the Moon? Even a Belgian mineral water 'SPA' has contributed to the lively discussions at the Noordwijk lunar conference. "No need to search for water in the South Pole Aitken basin, when we already have it here!" joked one participant. Comet may be visible to unaided eye See also: Comet Linear Reaching Naked-Eye Brightness Astronomers are hoping that a recently discovered comet will become just about visible to the unaided eye in the next few days. Pulsars 'lie about their ages' Pulsars, those spinning, superdense neutron stars that send powerful flashes of radio waves across space may be much older than was thought. A ‘Perfect’ Sun Storm? See also: Space Radiation Storm A magnetic storm that could disrupt radio transmissions and satellites — as well as produce colorful northern lights — is expected to strike Earth Saturday and could last until Monday. Solar storm Spectacle in the night sky. Hubble Watches Star Tear Apart its Neighborhood See also: Hubble watches star demolish its surroundings The Hubble telescope has snapped a view of a stellar demolition zone in our Milky Way Galaxy: a massive star, nearing the end of its life, tearing apart the shell of surrounding material it blew off 250,000 years ago with its strong stellar wind. A flotilla of lunar missions They bear evocative names: 'Lunar-A', 'Selene', 'MoonRaker', 'LunarSat' or 'IceBreaker'. Together they illustrate the enormous attraction of Earth's natural satellite. After SMART-1, all these lunar projects were presented on the third day of 4th International Conference on Exploration and Utilisation of the Moon (ICEUM4). Sniffing Out E.T. Scientists have listened for them and looked for them, now they’re going to try and sniff for them. The latest device for finding extraterrestrial life is a nose — of sorts Space living 'would damage health' Scientists have uncovered a compelling reason why the dream of colonising space may be a non-starter. . Dim star wakes up See also: Chandra captures flare from brown dwarf and A Brown Dwarf Solar Flare Astronomers have detected an explosion on the surface of a failed star, showing that even some the dimmest objects in the Universe have their moments. Billboard Blast-Off See also: Up, Up & Away , Step forward for space station , Zvezda revives enthusiasm for space station , Zvezda's next task: Dock with station , Space Station Back on Track and See How Zvezda Fits The Russian proton rocket that blasted off from Kazakstan Wednesday is emblazoned with a Pizza Hut logo. Some question why NASA isn’t taking similar measures to fatten up its funding. Missing letters sent to museum after 35 years Tom Dixon made a donation to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame on Tuesday, though he knows nothing about it. Thirty-five years ago, Dixon arranged to have envelopes mailed to him from NASA tracking stations around the world on June 3, 1965. That was the launch date for Gemini 4, the mission on which Ed White became the first American to walk in space. Galileo images huge impact crater on Europa A newly discovered, city-sized impact crater viewed by NASAs Galileo spacecraft may shed new light on the nature of the enigmatic icy surface of Jupiters moon Europa. Following in the Moon-steps of the pioneers The scientific quest to better understand Earth's natural satellite, its composition and its evolution in a wider planetary context was at the centre of the second day of the 4th International Conference on Exploration and Utilisation of the Moon (ICEUM4). "The Moon is a laboratory, just waiting for us to move in!" exclaimed one lunar geologist eager to obtain more data on the formation of impact craters. "Fasten your seat-belts, we are going to the Moon - and this time to stay!" Opening proceedings and greeting the many young people present this week in Noordwijk, Bernard Foing, President of the inter-agency International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG) nicely set the tone of the event. His call reflected the long- term ambitions of many of those attending the 4th International Conference on Exploration and Utilisation of the Moon (ICEUM4): the pursuit of lunar exploration in all its forms. ISO detects a new molecule in interstellar space ESA's infrared space telescope has once again detected a new molecule in the 'chemistry labs' of the Universe, the clouds of gas and dust in the space amid the stars. The newly-detected molecule is the methyl radical CH3, a so-called 'free-radical' whose existence in the gas in space had been predicted by Nobel winner Gerhard Herzberg, who died last year. Cosmic Light Pollution A series of unmanned balloon flights will measure the subtle ultraviolet glow of the night sky and help unravel one of the most perplexing mysteries of astrophysics -- the origin of ultra high-energy cosmic rays. Earth-approaching space rock found by accident An asteroid - one of the family that can approach the Earth - is found by an astronomer who points his telescope in the wrong direction China First Manned Mission Delayed Until 2002 Even before the news of the speculation of a second unmanned launch of the manned capsule this October, dubbed Shenzhou 2, subsides, two Chinese media outlets in Hong Kong report that the first manned flight probably won't happen until 2002 at the earliest. NASA engineers rescue crippled comet chaser See also: Comet Borrelly or Bust The ailing Deep Space 1 experimental spacecraft on a comet rendezvous mission has resumed powered flight, thanks to an on-the-fly repair by NASA engineers. Scientists Find Super-Hardy South Pole Microbes - In a finding that could have an impact on the search for life on Mars and other planets, scientists say they have detected hardy microbes that seem to thrive in the radiation, cold and darkness at the South Pole. Should students select a wet spot for a Mars landing site Michael Malin and Ken Edgett of Malin Space Science Systems -- the discoverers of possible recent liquid water on Mars -- will work directly with the winning students in The Planetary Society's Red Rover Goes to Mars project to help the kids image a potential landing site for a future Mars sample return mission. 'Moonstruck ' live web forum During the ICEUM4 conference there will be a live web forum where you can put your questions on the Moon and the future of lunar exploration to the experts. To find out details on how to join and for daily updates from the conference visit our 'Moonstruck' web page. Some Comets Like it Hot Amateur astronomers are discovering pieces of a giant comet that broke apart in antiquity as the fragments zoom perilously close to the Sun. You can join the hunt, too. All you need is a computer and an internet connection to view realtime data from the orbiting ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. Hubble spies cosmic searchlight The Hubble Space Telescope has taken pictures of a black-hole-powered jet of superhot gas streaming out from the centre of a galaxy. Chandra maps exploded star Observations of the wreckage of an exploded star have provided the best ever map of the "heavy" elements scattered into space by a stellar explosion. In pictures: Russia prepares space giant See also: Russians ready to launch 'cornerstone' of space station and Zvezda ready for liftoff Wednesday Russia prepares to launch a giant 'Proton' rocket carrying a 24 tonne module, which will form the living quarters for astronauts on the International Space Station. NEAR Shoemaker maneuvers toward lower orbit AA burst from its thrusters on July 7 sent NASA's NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft on a week-long descent toward its closest look yet at the asteroid Eros. Congressman says space agency made $590 million error NASA made a $590 million bookkeeping error in its 1999 financial report and a congressman is demanding an explanation from the agency. British rocketman scores hit in the sky An English space enthusiast seeking to become the first amateur explorer in space said he successfully launched a test rocket on July 6. Space sails cruise through demonstration tests A developing technology that could power interstellar voyages has passed breakthrough tests in the laboratory, NASA said this week. Scientists used microwaves and laser beams to "fill" extremely thin and lightweight prototype space sails, the agency said. Tiny change in elemental force would have changed universe The universe narrowly missed being lifeless, new research suggests. The Case For Outgassing Suggestions that the culprit for Martian gullies is not water but rather outgassings of carbon dioxide that is causing the erosion seen in recent images from MGS. Mars Sample Return: The Medium-Lift Approach When the Apollo program was instigated by President Kennedy, NASA immediately faced the dilemma of designing a suitable mission architecture. Several options were available, all of them with their respective merits and problems. Now similar architectures are being considered for the Mars Sample Return mission. Deuterium raining into the center of the Milky Way In the June 29 issue of the British journal Nature, a team of researchers led by Hofstra University Professor Donald Lubowich and Williams College Professor Jay M. Pasachoff have reported finding a significant amount of deuterium (a rare isotope of hydrogen) raining into the center of our Milky Way. Space invaders: The 'Mercury 13' get no respect Bounced from astronaut training because of their gender, the Mercury 13 get no respect. American Astronomy Honoring American contributions to space research on Independence Day. Very big bombs and rockets: Armageddon for real Over thirty years ago, a group of engineers-in-training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology designed a realistic defense against a doomsday rock. Their plan would have involved a half dozen Saturn 5 rockets carrying some really big bombs. China ready for second unmanned spacecraft launch See also: Taikonauts 'ready for 2001' The Earth will reach its greatest distance from the Sun this year on the 4th of July, but don't expect a break from the heat of northern summer. This article discusses Earth's slightly elliptical orbit and the effects (some negligible, some substantial) that lopsided orbits have on planets around the solar system. Countdown for the Cluster quartet See also: Cluster mission launch bumped Only a few days remain before the start of the European Space Agency’s Cluster II mission, a unique expedition to explore the magnetosphere and revolutionise our understanding of the interaction between the Sun and Earth. Officials look at options to 'crash' Galileo After nearly five years of orbiting Jupiter, NASA's exploring Galileo could be nearing the end. y Solving the Secrets of the Sun Why is the sun's corona — the halo of plasma that surrounds it — many times hotter than its surface? NASA disputes report that hacker endangered astronauts NASA denied a British report Monday that a computer hacker endangered space shuttle astronauts during a cyber attack on the space agency in 1997. Aphelion Day The Earth will reach its greatest distance from the Sun this year on the 4th of July, but don't expect a break from the heat of northern summer. This article discusses Earth's slightly elliptical orbit and the effects (some negligible, some substantial) that lopsided orbits have on planets around the solar system. Making a Splash on Mars On a planet that's colder than Antarctica and where water boils at ten degrees above freezing, how could liquid water ever exist? The prospects for life on Mars, both human and martian, could hinge on the answer. In this story, experts discuss conditions on Mars and ways to keep water flowing on the red planet. Leonids Bombard the Moon Flashes produced by the impact of small cometary fragments on the surface of the Moon have been detected for the first time ever by scientists at the Astrophysics Institute of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC) and the Astrophysics Institute of the Canaries (IAC), in collaboration with investigators at the University of Monterrey and the Hispano-German Astronomical Centre of Calar Alto (CAHA) in Almeria (Spain). According to the scientists, these fragments - from the Leonid meteoroidal stream associated with Comet Tempel-Tuttle - have produced craters up to 30 metres in diameter. The conclusions of the observations, carried out in November 1999, are to appear in Nature and open up new avenues in the study of this violent phenomenon. Rocket Raises Mars Mission Hopes, But There's a Catch — It's Nuclear NASA's nuclear plasma rocket could make it to Mars in three months. Water, Water Everywhere? See also: Report: Mars crust holds two times or more water than thought Last week scientists announced they had found signs of liquid water on Mars. But that’s not all the news. A new study finds the Red Planet may have twice as much water than scientists thought. Glimpse of gamma-ray burst galaxy sheds light on star births, deaths See also: Hubble uncovers the first high-resolution details in a gamma-ray burst host galaxy The first high-resolution images of a galaxy in which a gamma-ray burst took place reveal that the intense radiation explosion happened in a region where stars are forming. Near-Earth Asteroids Mapped See also: Scientists plot map of asteroids that could threaten Earth Astronomers are using data from a telescope on Kitt Peak southwest of Tucson to build a “treasure map” of asteroids that should help scientists better predict the risk of a catastrophic collision with Earth. Satellite squadron to probe space weather The first space satellites to fly in formation are ready to investigate the violent space weather which can threaten satellites, astronauts and even power grids on the Earth's surface. Gas 'sweeps' into Milky Way Clouds of ancient gas leftover from the birth of the Universe are sweeping down on the centre of our galaxy, say astronomers. ESA/ESTEC Capital of the Moon on 10-15 July From 10 to 15 July, Noordwijk (NL) will be the "Capital of the Moon" when ESA's establishment ESTEC hosts the 4th International Conference on Exploration and Utilisation of the Moon (ICEUM4). The Moon conference is organised by the International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG). "The purpose of the ICEUM4 conference", says Bernard H. Foing, current ILEWG chairman, " is to gather Lunar Explorers (young and old), scientists, engineers, industrial firms and organisations to review recent activities and prepare for the next steps on the Moon". Summer lets orbiter see asteroid Eros in new light The sun rose over the south pole of Eros this week, illuminating terrain hidden in darkness since a NASA spacecraft went into orbit around the asteroid four months ago.

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