Space Science News

Space Science News for March 22, 2000 The Earth's magnetosphere is being buffeted by high-speed solar wind particles from a coronal hole straddling the center of the Sun's disk. The solar wind velocity has increased from 350 to 600 km/s during the past 12 hours. Follow the action at http://www.spaceweather.com SpaceWeather.com MORE SPACE SCIENCE NEWS: #1 Curiouser and Curiouser: The exotic world of gamma-ray astronomy has taken yet another surprising turn with the revelation that half the previously unidentified high-energy gamma ray sources in our own galaxy actually comprise a new class of mysterious objects. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast23mar_1m.htm Curiouser and Curiouser #2 Solar Cycle Update: Is the real Y2K problem just starting? The solar cycle appears to be on schedule for a peak in mid-2000. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast22mar_1m.htm Solar Cycle Update

Space Science News for March 24, 2000 The Compton Gamma-ray Observatory is destined for a watery grave in the remote Pacific on June 3, 2000. At a press conference today, NASA officials cited human safety concerns in explaining their decision to de-orbit the satellite, which has revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos during a highly successful 9 year mission. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast25mar_1m.htm Farewell Compton MORE NEWS: The RADAR Cop in Space -- NASA's IMAGE satellite scheduled for launch on March 25 will revolutionize our understanding of Earth's magnetosphere and improve space weather forecasting. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast24mar_1m.htm The RADAR Caop in Space

SPACE WEATHER NEWS: On March 25, 2000, a solar flare erupted near the center of the Sun's disk. It appears that a coronal mass ejection was launched toward Earth. An interplanetary shock wave could pass our planet during the next 24 to 48 hours, triggering moderate geomagnetic activity and aurorae. For more information and daily updates please visit http://www.spaceweather.com . SpaceWeather.com

NASA Science News for March 29, 2000 With the discovery of extrasolar planets smaller than Saturn, astronomers are increasingly convinced that other stars harbor planetary systems like our own. FULL STORY at http://www.spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast30mar_1.htm Planet Hunters on Safari

Space Weather News for March 29-30, 2000 Aurora Watch: Skywatchers in northern Europe, Canada, Alaska, and the northermost tier of US states could be treated to a display of aurora borealis tonight thanks to elevated levels of geomagnetic activity late in the day on March 29. Also today, the SOHO spacecraft captured beautiful images of a full-halo coronal mass ejection (CME) from the Sun. Full-halo CMEs are massive bubbles of hot gas headed either directly toward or away from Earth. This one appears to have erupted on the back side of the Sun and is proceeding away from our planet. Details on both are available at http://www.spaceweather.com

NASA Science News for March 30, 2000 Next Thursday, April 6, three planets and the thin crescent Moon are going to put on a memorable sky show when the quartet converge inside a circle 9 degrees across. The grouping is just the prelude to a grander alignment of planets on May 5, 2000. Is doom at hand, as many mystics assert? Find out by reading the FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast30mar_1m.htm Planets for Dessert Also, for kids and kids-at-heart, a younger person's version of this article is available at the NASA Kids web site: http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/news/2000/news-planetalign.asp?se The Planets Line Up

Propagation Report from ARRL Geomagnetic indices did rise last Friday, the day before the contest, but even then the planetary K index rose only briefly to 4. On Saturday and Sunday the planetary K index was mostly 1 or 2, and during one period was even 0. What is really interesting is that the College K index, measured in Alaska where the geomagnetic activity is higher due to proximity to the polar region, was actually 0 over six 3 hour periods on Saturday and Sunday. Solar flux and sunspot numbers were higher this week than last, with average sunspot numbers up 54 points and average solar flux rising several points. Solar flux actually peaked for the short term during the previous week on March 22, when the noon reading at Penticton was 233.8 and the reading two hours later was 235.6. The low for week was Tuesday, when solar flux was 200.9. It may go lower this weekend, if solar flux this Sunday goes below 200. The predicted solar flux for the next five days, Friday through Tuesday, is 205, 200, 195, 205 and 210. Flux values may again dip below 200 around April 10-16, then peak near 250 around April 22 or 23. Possible days of geomagnetic upset, based on the solar rotation are April 18 and 19 and April 28. MSNBC ran another story this week on the so-called solar heartbeat. You can see the article at http://www.msnbc.com/news/389042.asp, which explains a theory concerning how layers of gas rotating at different speeds may affect the formation of sunspots and solar flares. MSNBC also ran a story about a new solar satellite that was launched last Saturday. Called IMAGE, or Imager for Magnetosphere-to-Aural Global Exploration, it will be used to study the relationship between solar wind and the earth's magnetosphere. It will deploy four wire antennas that are each 820 feet long, making it the longest artificial object in space. Read about it at http://www.msnbc.com/news/386647.asp?0a=235A162. NASA also ran a story on the IMAGE at http://science.msfc.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast27mar_1m.htm. Sunspot numbers for March 23 through 29 were 236, 230, 243, 255, 227, 232 and 238 with a mean of 237.3. 10.7 cm flux was 224.1, 218.9, 205.1, 211.3, 204.9, 200.9 and 208.8, with a mean of 210.6, and estimated planetary A indices were 11, 10, 8, 5, 5, 5 and 9, with a mean of 7.6.

NASA Science News for April 1, 2000 On April Fools Day, 2000, NASA researchers are questioning the fate of five high-flying sweet treats that disappeared after a meteor balloon flight in April 1999. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast01apr_1m.htm

NASA Science News for April 3, 2000 Like blood pulsing in an artery, newly discovered currents of gas beat deep inside the Sun, speeding and slackening every 16 months. The solar "heartbeat" throbs in the same region of the Sun suspected of driving the 11-year cycle of solar eruptions. Scientists are hopeful that this pulse can help them unravel the origin and operation of the solar cycle. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast03apr_1m.htm

Space Weather News for April 4-5, 2000 The interplanetary magnetic field in the vicinity of Earth turned southward on April 4. This condition often creates a weak point in our planet's magnetospheric shielding against the solar wind. Geomagnetic activity is currently high. If active conditions continue, observers in northern Europe, Canada, Alaska and the northern tier of US states could be in for a display of aurora borealis around local midnight on April 5 (when April 4 turns into April 5). The Moon is just one day past New, meaning that even very faint Northern Lights could be visible against tonight's dark skies. For more information see: http://www.spaceweather.com

NASA Science News for April 5, 2000 The Boulder sunspot number exceeded 300 this week as the sunspot cycle continued its march toward Solar Max. Do these high sunspot counts mean that the solar maximum will be bigger than expected? Find out the answer by reading the FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast05apr_1m.htm REMINDER: On April 6, 2000, the Moon, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn will put on a beautiful after-dinner sky show. DETAILS at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast30mar_1m.htm

NASA Science News for April 6, 2000 During an unplanned rendezvous, the Ulysses spacecraft found itself gliding though the immense tail of Comet Hyakutake, revealing that comet tails may be much, much longer than previously believed. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast06apr_2.htm

Space Science News - April 6, 2000 An interplanetary shock front passed NASA's ACE spacecraft around 1630 UT on April 6, 2000, abruptly raising the solar wind velocity from 375 to nearly 600 km/s. Usually such disturbances arrive at Earth about one hour after they pass ACE. Aurorae at middle latitudes could be in the offing tonight. Follow this developing story at http://www.spaceweather.com.

NASA Science News for April 7, 2000 Subject: Geomagnetic Storm A major geomagnetic storm hit our planet on Thursday after an interplanetary shock wave passed by Earth on April 6, 2000. Displays of aurora borealis were spotted in Europe, Asia, Canada, Alaska and in the continental US as far south as North Carolina. The storm appears to be subsiding, but forecasters note that more aurorae might be visible Friday night. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast07apr_2m.htm

Propagation Forecast Bulletin 14 April 7, 2000 The sunspot number took a big leap this week, rising to 301 on Sunday. It has not been this high since November 12 of last year, when it was 324. Two days prior on November 10 meters the solar flux was 343, which is still the record for this cycle. The average sunspot count for the week was only up about 8 points though, and average solar flux was about the same as last week. Solar flux is a measurement of 2.8 GHz energy from the sun, measured at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory operated by the National Research Council Canada in Penticton, British Columbia. You can visit the observatory web site at http://www.drao.nrc.ca/. Sunspot numbers are calculated by multiplying the number of visible sunspot groups by 10, and adding the number of individual spots in all the groups. A multiplication factor is also used, and it differs for each observatory. You can see a complete explanation for sunspot numbers and their derivation at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast05apr_1m.htm. Geomagnetic indices have been high this week, with the average planetary A index almost double last week's number. The A index was in double-digits every day, with April 4 being the most disturbed. The planetary A index was 21, with planetary K indices as high as 5, and the mid-latitude index at 6 during the same period. Coming up on Saturday and Sunday is the HF CW weekend for the Japan International DX Contest. Unfortunately, as this bulletin is being written on Thursday night, a major geomagnetic storm is raging. An interplanetary shock wave passed earth at 1730z on April 6, and Aurora have been spotted in North America as far south as North Carolina. The planetary K index for the end of thez day on Thursday was 8, and the A index was 56. The Boulder K index at 0300z on Friday is also 8. A severe geomagnetic storm began at 0100z on April 7. For the next five days, Friday through Tuesday, the expected planetary A index is 30, 20, 15, 10 and 7. The predicted solar flux for the same five days is 175, 180, 180, 175 and 170. Solar flux is expected to rise above 200 again around April 14 and stay there well into the month of May. Sunspot numbers for March 30 through April 5 were 225, 248, 287, 301, 252, 184 and 221 with a mean of 245.4. 10.7 cm flux was 205.5, 225.4, 222.9, 219.3, 215.4, 206.7 and 194.4, with a mean of 212.8, and estimated planetary A indices were 10 meters, 19, 14, 16, 12, 21 and 12, with a mean of 14.9.

NASA Science News for April 10, 2000 On the heels of NASA's 7th annual Great Moonbuggy Race, engineers from the Apollo program discuss the challenges of building the original Lunar Rover. This story includes RealVideo of one of the original rovers in action on the Moon. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast10apr_1m.htm

NASA Science News for April 11, 2000 Where's the Edge?: Will humans always be confined to the Solar System? Not if NASA's Advanced Space Transportation Program has a say in the matter! Find out how scientists are working to turn science fiction into standard practise with new and innovative ways to reach the stars. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast11apr_1m.htm

NASA Science News for April 12, 2000 A group of volunteer scientists is converging on Huntsville for an out-of-this-world meeting -- the High Energy Astrophysics Workshop for Amateur Astronomers. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast12apr_1m.htm

NASA Science News for April 14, 2000 The sled dogs of California's Eastern Sierra are unhappy. Why? A persistent La Ni�a condition in the Pacific has left the mountain range with less than its usual supply of snow. As data continue to flow in from Earth orbit, NASA scientists are working to understand how El Ni�o and La Ni�a affect our global climate. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast14apr_1m.htm

NASA Science News for April 17, 2000 NASA's Cassini spacecraft, currently en route to Saturn, has successfully completed its passage through our solar system's asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. FULL STORY at http://www.spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast17apr_3.htm

NASA Science News for April 18, 2000 April's Lyrid Meteor Shower: The oldest known meteor shower peaks on the morning of April 22. Bright moonlight will reduce the number of shooting stars that are easy to see, but many meteor enthusiasts will be watching anyway because it's been over 3 months since the last major meteor display. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast18apr_1m.htm

NASA Science News for April 21, 2000 Amateur astronomers attended a unique meeting in mid-April to learn about high-energy astrophysics and how they can participate in it. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast21apr_1m.htm

NASA Science News for April 24, 2000 Like an excited kid hoping to snag a fly ball at a professional baseball game, NASA's Stardust spacecraft has extended its high-tech "catcher's mitt" to collect a valuable space souvenir -- a batch of interstellar dust particles. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast24apr_1.htm

NASA Science News for April 25, 2000 Stargazers around the globe were treated to an unexpected and rare display of red-colored aurora on April 6-7, 2000, after a vigorous interplanetary shock wave passed by Earth. This story includes a gallery of more than 40 images showing the aurora borealis from Europe and over parts of the United States as far south as Florida. FULL STORY at http://www.spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast25apr_1m.htm

NASA Science News for April 26, 2000 Using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, a team of scientists has attacked one of astronomy's oldest and thorniest problems, determining the distance to a cosmic object. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast26apr_1m.htm

EXPLODING STAR FEATURED ON WEB SITE Wednesday, April 26, 2000 16:04 A spectacular view of an exploding star was released today on a new web site launched to mark the Hubble Space Telescope's 10th year in orbit. The multi-coloured fireball, some 6,500 light years from Earth in the constellation Aquila, looks like a giant eye in space. A few thousand years ago a dying star about the same size as the Sun erupted and threw off its outer layers to create the "planetary nebula" NGC 6751. Shells of gas were hurled into space at speeds of 25 miles per second, glowing with the strong ultra-violet radiation emitted by the star's hot exposed core. The celestial cataclysm offers a sobering vision of what is in store for us. Our own Sun is predicted to undergo the same death throes in about six billion years' time. When it happens nothing in the Solar System, including the Earth, will escape destruction. The image is one of a number of dramatic pictures now available on the new Internet site http://hubble.stsci.edu Others include infant galaxies that existed billions of years ago, and tall, gaseous pillars that serve as incubators for embryonic stars. NGC 6751 shows several poorly understood features. Blue regions mark the hottest glowing gas, forming a ring around the central stellar remnant. Orange and red colours mark the locations of cooler gas, which tends to lie in long streamers pointing away from the central star, and in a tattered ring around the edge of the nebula. The origin of the cooler clouds within the nebula is still uncertain, but the streamers are evidence that they are affected by radiation and raging winds from the hot star at the centre. The star's surface temperature is estimated to be a scorching 140,000C. Hubble will be decommissioned in 2010 and replaced by the even more powerful Next Generation Space Telescope. � Press Association Thanks for this, Maggie*

NASA Science News for April 27, 2000 An international team of cosmologists has released the first detailed images of the universe in its infancy. Analysis of the images is already shedding light on some of cosmology's outstanding mysteries -- the nature of the matter and energy that dominate intergalactic space and whether space is "curved" or "flat." FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast27apr_1.htm

NASA Science News for April 28, 2000 NASA scientists are working to solve the need for computer speed using light itself to accelerate calculations and increase data bandwidth. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast28apr_1m.htm

Propagation Forecast Bulletin 17 - April 28, 2000 Sunspots and solar flux were up this week. The average sunspot number was up over 40 points and average solar flux rose over 30 points over the past week. Geomagnetic indices have been mostly quiet, with April 24 the most active day. Last week's bulletin ARLP016 said that the solar flux should be up around 220 this weekend, but conditions are not cooperating. Although activity has been higher this week than last, it is not as high as expected. Solar flux is expected to hover around 175 to 185 until April 8, then dip below 170, and rise to around 200 from May 19 through 28. The planetary A index prediction indicates unsettled conditions for Friday. The A index should stay quiet from this weekend until May 6 and 7, when it may rise to 15. Predicted solar flux for the next five days, Friday through Tuesday is 180, 175, 175, 180 and 180. Sunspot numbers for April 20 through 26 were 179, 211, 226, 252, 222, 229 and 197 with a mean of 216.6. 10.7 cm flux was 180.6, 187.3, 201.8, 206.1, 205.6, 202.5 and 189.9, with a mean of 196.3, and estimated planetary A indices were 14, 10, 7, 8, 21, 6 and 4, with a mean of 10.

NASA Science News for May 1, 2000 One year ago this week killer tornadoes raged across Oklahoma. Now, NASA scientists are figuring out how to predict such storms using lightning data from Earth-orbit. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast01may_1m.htm

Space Weather News for May 1, 2000 A coronal mass ejection (CME) from a small sunspot group was recorded by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory on April 30, 2000. If material from the eruption is heading toward Earth, as animations of the CME suggest, then the shock wave will probably arrive late on May 2nd or sometime on May 3rd. Forecasters estimate a 30% chance of active geomagnetic conditions at middle-latitudes on May 3, 2000. For more information, please visit http://www.spaceweather.com

Since no one apparently cares to read about this in News I ave created a new topic in Geo for it. Too bad I could not telnet and link the two of them together. But, that is the way it is, and no one seems willing to do it for me. http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/Geo/33/new

I'll do it ! Just email me or ask. In the instructions say "link news topic 21 to science" or whatever it is.

Please link this topic to Geo... I am most grateful. If you want to link it to science that is ok, too, but too many duplicates mess up my hot list! Mahalo plenty!

Linkage complete.

*Big Hugs* Mahalo!

NASA Science News for May 2, 2000 The eta Aquarid meteor shower, caused by bits of debris from Halley's Comet, will peak on May 5-6, 2000. Lunar observers will be watching the Moon on the nights after the shower for possible signs of meteorite impacts. FULL STORY at http://www.spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast02may_1.htm

I couldn't see this posted elsewhere, sorry if i've duplicated, I only just picked it up. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000413/sc/space_quasar.html Astronomers Spot Most Distant Quasar Ever Observed WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Astronomers peering across the universe have spotted the most distant object ever observed, a quasar 26 billion light-years away, researchers said on Thursday. This quasar, confirmed as the most faraway object by scientists working with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, probably started sending its light in Earth's direction when the universe was less than a billion years old, the researchers said in a statement. The universe is thought to be about 14 billion years old now, give or take a couple billion years. And it has been expanding since the theoretical Big Bang that started it all. Quasars are extremely bright but extremely compact objects thought to be powered by matter-sucking black holes as massive as a billion suns. Michael Turner, a spokesman for the Survey at the University of Chicago, said this means that the quasar is about 26 billion light-years away now, but because of the expansion of the universe, it used to be a lot closer. ``When it emitted the light, it was only about 4 billion light-years from the space in the universe where Earth would be eventually,'' Turner said in a telephone interview. ``It's only when we talk about the most distant objects that we have to take the expansion of he universe into account.'' A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, about 6 trillion miles. Another way to think about cosmic distances and ages is to determine how bent the light gets as the universe expands. The more bent it gets to the red end of the spectrum, the older the object is determined to be. This is known as redshift. This newly observed object has a redshift of 5.8, the highest ever measured. It is in fact too red to be seen by the human eye, even with the most sophisticated equipment. But it was observed through data gathered by the Sky Survey last month, and scientists confirmed its distance last week. An image of the distant quasar can be viewed on the World Wide Web at http://www.sdss.org.

Interesting. I wonder if it is the same things as the Keck found a couple of weeks ago. I shall hunt it up and see. Thanks, Maggie!

A suggestion - please! We post articles and comments of length in Geo 24 for space stuff and this should just be for posting the news releases. Does that sound ok?

NASA Science News for May 3, 2000 A team of explorers including astrobiologist Richard Hoover and astronauts Jim Lovell and Owen Garriott traveled to Antarctica in January 2000 to search for meteorites and extreme-loving microbes. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast03may_1m.htm

The gps devices just got accurate down to 5 to 10 feet or better. A friend says he can see when he changes lanes on his now!

GPS stuff has gotten very sophisticated with an enormous constellation of satellites tracking your every move. Great stuff! That is the next thing on my son's wish list - he has installed ground monitors on Kilauea to check for movement in the surface (Supposedly, the entire seaward flank of Kilauea is gonna break off and we will all be dead from the terific tsunami generated thereby!)

Will you let us know when the tsunami heads this way so we can climb up onto some hills?

If you get a tsunami, I shall call you live and direct as you are fleeing! Count on it - and you'd better take my buddy with you *grin* You are both crucial to my well-being! (You gotta see this wallpaper on a good monitor! It is gorgeous! Hope he likes it, as well...)

Thursday's Classroom for May 4, 2000 The Amazing Moon Buggy + Planetary Alignment lessons This week, Thursday's Classroom takes a wild ride on the original interplanetary Sport Utility Vehicle: the amazing Apollo Moon Buggy. Students will tap their toes to the beat of the "Moon Buggy Boogie," play a stimulating game of "Lunar Rover Lunacy," covert measurements from English to metric units in "Moon Math," and more... Please visit: http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com Thursday's Classroom Also, a note for recent subscribers: The March 30, 2000, episode of Thursday's Classroom features lessons and activities related to the May 5, 2000, planetary alignment. See: http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com/index_30mar00.html Planetary Alignments

NASA Science News for May 4, 2000 Interplanetary Low Tide Tidal forces on Earth caused by other planets in the solar system will be at a low point this week when Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn "line up" on the far side of the Sun. The alignment won't be visible to the naked-eye, but there will be a meteor shower that could produce a nice sky show. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast04may_1m.htm Interplanetary Low Tide See also: http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast02may_1.htm 5/5/2000: The Meteor Shower

Three Planets and a Coronal Mass Ejection Space Weather News for May 4, 2000 The planets Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn have entered the field of view of instruments on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory as they approach the Sun for Friday's much-touted conjunction. Animations of this rare event include two coronal mass ejections with three planets in the background. For more information, please see http://www.spaceweather.com SpaceWeather.com

Propagation Forecast Bulletin 18 - May 5, 2000 It seems odd to view the solar disk at the peak of the solar cycle and see few sunspots, but that was the case this week. Solar flux, a measure of 2.8 GHz energy from the sun which correlates roughly with sunspots and the ionization of the particles which reflect HF radio waves, were down sharply this week. On Thursday, when this bulletin was written, the thrice daily solar flux numbers were 133, 134.5 and 134.7. Solar flux has not been this low since January. Average solar flux for this week dropped over thirty points, and average sunspot numbers were down over seventy points, when compared to the previous week. Geomagnetic conditions were fairly unsettled as well, with planetary A indices in the double-digits throughout the week, and K indices often as high as 4. There weren't any severe geomagnetic storms, but geomagnetic conditions were rarely quiet. Looking at monthly trends, the average monthly solar flux for January through April was 159, 174.1, 208.2 and 184.2. The lower activity should continue for the next few days. Predicted solar flux for Friday, May 5 through the following Tuesday is 130, 130, 135, 145 and 150. The predicted planetary A index for those days is 10, 15, 12, 10 and 10. KA5WQM wrote to remark on poor 10 meter conditions. He said that in central Oklahoma the band has been unusable since last Thursday. There are a couple of influences to consider. One is the season. Ten meters is much better right around the equinox, and we are moving every day closer to summer conditions when occasional short skip via sporadic E-layer propagation will be the norm. Of course the other factor is the lower sunspot activity and solar flux. Doing a path projection from Oklahoma to Hawaii with a solar flux of 230, there is a good bet for strong openings on 10 meters from 1800 to 2230z. Lower the solar flux to 170, and the period in which strong signals are likely over that path shrinks to 1930 to 2130z. With the solar flux at 130, communication is possible, but strong openings are much less likely. During this month 15 meters should be far better for long distance HF communications than 10. Sunspot numbers for April 27 through May 3 were 163, 238, 142, 126, 121, 108 and 113 with a mean of 144.4. 10.7 cm flux was 183.5, 183.4, 174.9, 169.5, 157.7, 152.8 and 137.3, with a mean of 165.6, and estimated planetary A indices were 13, 17, 12, 11, 14, 18 and 15, with a mean of 14.3.

Space Weather News for May 6, 2000 The wide field coronagraph on board the orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory recorded a series of dazzling coronal mass ejections (CMEs) on May 5, 2000, with Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn in the background. These eruptions apparently came from active sunspot groups that are just over the Sun's western limb. CMEs like these, seen in profile, are unusually beautiful. This weekend the visible disk of the Sun is remarkably devoid of large sunspots as we approach the peak of the sunspot cycle in mid-2000. For more information and images please visit: http://www.spaceweather.com SpaceWeather.com

NASA Science News for May 8, 2000 NASA astronomers have collected the first-ever radar images of a "main belt" asteroid. It's a metallic, dog bone-shaped rock the size of New Jersey, an apparent leftover from an ancient, violent cosmic collision. The asteroid, named 216 Kleopatra, was discovered in 1880, but until now, its shape was unknown. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast08may_1.htm An Asteroid goes to the Dogs

I saw it, it does look like a giant dog bone.

Yup! Like the North American Nebula looks like its name, and the Owl Nebula and other goodies up there! Thanks for looking!

NASA Science News for May 9, 2000 The Sun appeared nearly featureless this weekend as the sunspot area dropped 10 times below its average value. Nevertheless, scientists say Solar Max is still on the way. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast09may_1m.htm Solar Ups and Downs

NASA Science News for May 11, 2000 Images made by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory show for the first time the full impact of the actual blast wave from Supernova 1987A. The observations are the first time that X-rays from a shock wave have been imaged at such an early stage of a supernova explosion. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast11may_1m.htm Impact! Chandra images a young supernova blast wave

Space Weather News for May 11, 2000 Material from a coronal mass ejection that left the Sun on May 8 is expected to pass by our planet late on May 11 or early May 12. Depending on the characteristics of the magnetic field within the disturbance, it could trigger minor geomagnetic storms on Earth. There is a slim chance of aurorae at mid-latitudes, but auroral activity will more likely be concentrated over high latitude regions including northern Europe, Canada and Alaska. Visit http://www.spaceweather.com for more information and updates. SpaceWeather.com ---

NASA Science News for May 12, 2000 NASA scientists have discovered unexpected spiral-shaped flames on Earth. By studying these peculiar flames, researchers hope to mitigate fire hazards on spacecraft and gain new insights about complex systems in nature. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast12may_1.htm Not Just Another Old Flame

NASA Science News for May 15, 2000 A black hole binary star system called XTE J1550-564 has recently become one of the brightest sources in the x-ray sky. Astronomers are fascinated by fluctuations in the x-ray emission from this source, which if converted to sound waves would feel like the deep rumbling vibrations from a bass speaker at a rock 'n roll concert. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast15may_1m.htm The Humming Black Hole

Aurora Watching The Sun is currently entering a peak of storminess, part of a cycle that lasts 11 years. This causes a stronger "solar wind," which is a constant stream of charged particles. When these particles hit the Earth's magnetic field, the interaction releases visible light, which we in the north know as the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights (there's the Aurora Australis, or Southern Lights, Down Under). During these storm peaks, the spectacular auroras can be visible much further south than usual. You can learn more about auroras, check out the space weather forecast, and download aurora videos at http://www.sec.noaa.gov/ Click here to learn more about auroras. http://dac3.pfrr.alaska.edu/~pfrr/AURORA/INDEX.HTM

NASA Science News for May 16, 2000 The planets Venus and Jupiter will pass less than 42 arcseconds apart on May 17. Because the pair is so close to the Sun, only the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory will have a good view of the close encounter, which is similar to the "Christmas Star" conjunction of 2 BC. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast16may_1.htm?list A Christmas Star for SOHO

Full Halo Coronal Mass Ejection Space Weather News for May 16, 2000 On May 15 a coronagraph on the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory captured rare images of a full halo coronal mass ejection with 4 planets and the Pleiades in the field of view. Material from the eruption could arrive in the neighborhood of Earth on May 17 or 18. For more information and animations, visit http://www.spaceweather.com SpaceWeather.com

Students take control of a prototype Mars Rover NASA Science News for May 17, 2000 Students from around the country will take control of a prototype Mars rover named FIDO as it explores a western Nevada desert. The FIDO rover is a testbed for future missions, including the proposed Mars Mobile Lander that is currently under study for a possible launch in 2003. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast17may_1.htm?list Heel, FIDO, Heel!

Gravitational Lenses The hallmark of a scientific theory is that it makes predictions about the real world that can be tested. Interestingly, Einstein's theory of general relativity posed major problems for verification: The differences it predicted from Newton's laws were so small they were extremely difficult to measure -- especially with the technology available in the early part of the twentieth century. One prediction that could be checked concerned a gravitational field's ability to bend light rays, a phenomenon known as gravitational lensing. Sir Arthur Eddington used a solar eclipse in 1919 to test the theory. He looked at the position of a distant star in line with the edge of the sun during the eclipse (allowing it to be observed in the daytime). It appeared to be shifted 1.75 arc seconds from its actual place in the sky. The gravitational field of the sun was bending the light arriving from that star, providing an early confirmation of Einstein's theory.

To Be or Not to Be, La Nina? NASA Science News for May 18, 2000 Just last month, scientists were predicting that current La Ni�a conditions would persist, but now data from Earth-orbiting satellites show that it may be on the decline. Is it too soon to revise the 2000 hurricane forecast? FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast18may_1m.htm To Be or Not to Be, La Ni�a?

I could not resist posting this image. The solar coronal outburst framed the items you can see listed behind the solar image. Quite extraordinary! Why were conditions so rough on HF? Noise can get very high, especially here in the Pacific North West. Signals get weaker than normal on some bands, and deep fades occur. Why? CME -- that's why. What's a CME? A coronal mass ejection is a huge (like, larger than earth... or bigger!) gas bubble threaded with magnetic field lines. This bubble is ejected from the Sun. This ejection of gas lasts for several hours, and if it is directed toward the earth, can result in a very high energy bombardment into our atmosphere and ionosphere. And our Geomagnetic field becomes very active. A highly active Geomagnetic field degrades radio communications http://hfradio.org/propagation.html#CME1

Great Ganymede! NASA Science News for May 19, 2000 This weekend NASA's Galileo spacecraft will pass 808 km above the surface of our solar system's largest moon, Ganymede. The spacecraft will hunt for signs of mysterious "cryptovolcanoes" and collect new data on Ganymede's unique magnetic field. This story includes plasma wave audio sounds from Ganymede's magnetosphere recorded during a previous flyby. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast19may_1.htm Great Ganymede! __

The Secret Lives of Alien Volcanoes NASA Science News for May 19, 2000 The latest images of Io from NASA's Galileo spacecraft reveal a bizarre world of hot volcanoes, sulfurous snowfields, and slip-sliding mountains. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast19may_2.htm?list The Secret Lives of Alien Volcanoes

Here's some more info on "dark matter". http://dmtelescope.org http://www.bell-labs.com/org/physicalsciences/projects/darkmatter/darkmatter.html

Ooh - good stuff to read on a dark Friday night. But, I am stuck with the W3.1 laptop because my newly installed norton antivirus has frozen the entire computer and everytime it come time to boot the task bar it shuts it down again. and we scandisk and try again with the same results. Now, what do I do?

Yikes, NORTON is hanging your system? I know you mentioned that McAfee caused problems, but I'm surprised about Norton. There's a way to boot the computer up in "windows safe mode", so you can uninstall whatever is causing problems...let me go look it up.

OK, here's the info from my Windows 95 guide (the one distributed with new PCs). 1. Restart your computer. 2. When you see the following text: "Starting Windows 95...", press and release the F8 function key. This should display a menu. 3. Type the number for the option you want (or select it with the down arrow key). I would try the "Safe mode" option, that boots Windows with a minimal configuration, and try uninstalling Norton. Hopefully you'll be able to boot the system normally after that. Then I'd call Norton to complain. Who needs an anti-virus program that causes more problems than an actual virus?? Good luck!

Good advice about booting in to Safe Mode. Sometimes this alone will fix some problems.

That's what I did - as I wrote in computer conf/virus topic, I think the problem might just be the factthat I enabled Norton to check all drives at startup. There is one imbedded (know how to rid of them?!) program which is the first to load on the task bar and that is precisely where the problem came and it would shut down completely each time. I slept on it and came up with the same idea as you did and you can see that it worked. I deleted the Norton but kept the zipped download so I can reinstall it if my conclusions are correct - and have it not examine the drives until everything is up and running. However, if it still has a problem with that particular program (which I never use - an internet connection which I do not prefer but NEC did...), it will continue to shut down my computer at every encounter?! Yes?

Someone even gave me a crutch I did not remember till just now...Your computer's FATE lies in F8. It is a good one to remember!

Radio JOVE -- NASA helps students tune in to radio bursts from Jupiter Jupiter is a source of powerful radio bursts that can produce exotic sounds on common ham radio receivers. NASA scientists are helping students tune in to the giant planet as part of an innovative educational program called Radio JOVE. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast22may_1.htm?list Radio JOVE

Do you know the name of the embedded program? If it's in your Startup folder, you should be able to delete it from the Startup folder to keep it from running. If it's not there, it might be in the win.ini or system.ini file; at least I think Windows 95/98 still has those files...they would be in the c:\windows or c:\windows\system directory. The only other place I can think of would be the Windows Registry, but you'd have to hunt through the Registry keys for it. There should be a Registry Editor program (regedit.exe or regedt32.exe) in the c:\windows or c:\windows\system directory. (I'm not sure exactly where it is on Windows 95/98, and I'm on and NT system right now.)

(Answered the above in The Software/Computer conference) Galileo swoops by the largest moon in the Solar System NASA Science News for May 23, 2000 On Saturday, May 20, 2000, NASA's Galileo spacecraft successfully flew past the largest moon in our solar system -- Ganymede, which orbits around Jupiter. Galileo dipped to 809 kilometers (503 miles) above the surface in the spacecraft's first flyby of Ganymede since May 7, 1997. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast23may_1.htm?list A Big Moon Close Up

Ginny, the really odd thing is that it does not show up in the taskbar remove/add nor in the start/startup folder... it is so exasperating!

NASA Science News for May 24, 2000 Crystal balls rarely have anything to do with science, but soon NASA researchers will be using a set of quartz spheres to examine one of the last, untested portions of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. The spheres make up four extraordinary gyroscopes heading for Earth orbit on board the Gravity Probe B mission in 2002 to measure the twisting and compression of space and time around our rotating planet. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast24may_1m.htm?list

NASA Science News for May 26, 2000 The pioneering space station concepts of the mid-1950's don't look much like the erector-set habitat in orbit today. Read about Werner von Braun's early designs for an outpost in space and how he advocated his ideas to the public 50 years ago. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast26may_1m.htm?l=NzMwMjk2IG1hcmNpQEFMT0hBLk5FVCBTTkdMSVNUIC66FwsfrRgz

What's the Matter with Antimatter? NASA Science News for May 29, 2000 Antimatter -- it may be the ultimate fuel for space travel, but right now it is fleeting, difficult to work with and measured in atoms instead of kilograms or pounds! In this two-part story we'll explore what antimatter is, and how it may be used for space propulsion. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast29may_1m.htm?list

Solar Activity Puffs Up Earth's Atmosphere NASA Science News for May 30, 2000 As a result of the approaching solar maximum, Earth's atmosphere is puffed up like a marshmallow over a campfire leading to extra drag on Earth-orbiting satellites. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast30may_1m.htm?list

Advanced Space Propulsion Workshop begins this week NASA Science News for May 31, 2000 Scientists and engineers are gathering in Pasadena today to discuss cutting-edge research in space transportation at a workshop sponsored by the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast31may_1m.htm?list

Arctic Asteroid! NASA Science News for June 1, 2000 In January, 2000, a seven meter, 200 metric ton rock from space streaked across the skies of western Canada. The meteor was at least as bright as the Sun before it exploded over the Yukon Territory. Scientists have recovered fragments of the carbon-rich rock, which researchers say is the most valuable meteorite find in at least 30 years. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast01jun_1m.htm?list

Yukon Meteor Blast Thursday's Classroom for June 1, 2000 On January 18, 2000, a "small" 200 metric ton asteroid streaked across the skies of western Canada and exploded in the atmosphere. Now, scientists have recovered fragments of the space rock and discovered that they are members of a rare class of meteorites possibly containing amino acids and other organic compounds. In this week's episode of Thursday's Classroom, students can learn more about the Yukon meteor by attending a "Cosmic BBQ," calculating "Fractions of a Meteorite" and more. VISIT: http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com Thursday's Classroom: Yukon Meteor Blast

Mercury Rising -- see Mercury and the Moon this Saturday NASA Science News for June 2, 2000 There are two really good times to see Mercury this year and next week is one of them. Good Mercury-watching begins this Saturday evening, June 3, when a slender crescent Moon and the elusive planet appear together for stargazers just after sunset. Mercury's apparition as an evening star will continue through mid-June. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast02jun_1.htm?list

First Light for a Space Weather Satellite NASA Science News for June 5, 2000 NASA's IMAGE mission, a unique satellite dedicated to the study of space storms, has returned its first pictures of electrified gas surrounding our planet. Using antennas as large as the Empire State Building, IMAGE is taking an unprecedented look at Earth's magnetic environment and its response to fierce gusts of solar wind. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast05jun_1m.htm?list __

June's Invisible Meteors NASA Science News for June 6, 2000 During the next week thousands of meteors will streak through the sky, but don't expect to see many. They are the Arietids and zeta Perseids -- the most intense daytime meteor showers of the year. The best way for many meteor enthusiasts to enjoy the show is by listening to meteor echoes on a common FM or ham radio. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast06jun_1m.htm?list __

Solar activity report for 6/5/00 Region 9026 continues to produce M-class flares, and the A index increases. Sunspots : 132 SFI : 171 A index : 21 K index : 3 Conditions for the last 24 hours : Solar activity was moderate. The geomagnetic field was unsettled to active. Forecast for the next 24 hours : Solar activity will be moderate to high. The geomagnetic field will be unsettled to active. Solar activity forecast SOLAR ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO BE AT MODERATE TO HIGH LEVELS. REGION 9026 WILL LIKELY PRODUCE M-CLASS FLARES WITH AN ISOLATED CHANCE OF AN X-CLASS FLARE. Geomagnetic activity forecast : THE GEOMAGNETIC FIELD IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE AT UNSETTLED TO ACTIVE CONDITIONS THROUGH DAY ONE. MOSTLY QUIET TO UNSETTLED LEVELS ARE EXPECTED ON DAY TWO. UNSETTLED WITH OCCASIONAL ACTIVE PERIODS ARE LIKELY ON DAY THREE DUE TO A FAVORABLY POSITIONED CORONAL HOLE AND THE POSSIBILITY OF EFFECTS FROM THIS MORNING'S C4/CME AT 05/0325Z.

The above post was from a Yahoo weather club of which I am a memeber. There is another club I'd like you to consider if you are logged into Yahoo, Jack and I would be happy for you to join the conversation going on in there. http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/seti2000

Here Comes the Sun! Space Weather News for June 6, 2000 An intense "X-class" solar flare today was followed by a full-halo coronal mass ejection. Material from the leading edge of the disturbance is expected to arrive on Thursday, June 8, with possible auroral displays to follow. For images and updates please visit http://www.spaceweather.com SpaceWeather.com

More Solar Eruptions on June 7, 2000 Space Weather News for June 7, 2000 Following close on the heels of yesterday's two X-class solar flares, a third powerful X-class flare erupted today at approximately 1545 UT. Soon afterward, coronagraphs on the orbiting Solar and Heliospheric Observatory detected a faint full halo coronal mass ejection. It appears to be heading in the direction of Earth at ~800 km/s. This latest full halo CME will probably extend the geomagnetic disturbances expected to begin on Thursday when an interplanetary shock wave spawned by a CME on June 6 collides with our planet's magnetosphere. Aurora watchers are advised to be on the alert for Northern Lights beginning after sunset on Thursday, June 8. For more information, please visit http://www.spaceweather.com SpaceWeather.com

Impact: An Interplanetary Shock Wave Passes Earth Space Weather News for June 8, 2000 A vigorous shock wave passed NASA's ACE solar wind monitoring spacecraft this morning at 0842 UT. Disturbances detected by ACE usually reach Earth about an hour later. This disturbance was the leading edge of a gigantic bubble of gas ejected from the Sun on June 6. It's been expanding toward our planet for the past day and a half. For more information and updates please visit http://www.spaceweather.com SpaceWeather.com

Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2000 16:40:9 Subject: Solar Storms A'brewing Thursday's Classroom for June 8, 2000 This morning an interplanetary shock wave hit Earth's magnetosphere triggering aurora over some parts of our planet. In this episode of Thursday's Classroom, students can learn more about space storms and aurora by calculating the speed of a coronal mass ejection, playing Sunspot Twister, or producing their own Space Weather report. For more information and activities, please visit http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com Thursday's Classroom

A Little Physics and A Lot of String NASA Science News for June 9, 2000 One day space tethers may be used for boosting orbits, powering satellites, and even sending payloads to the Moon or Mars -- all without the expense of conventional propellants. Scientists discussed this innovative technology at the recent Advanced Space Propulsion Workshop held in Pasadena, CA. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast09jun_1.htm?list __

From that article: "In one variant of a momentum-exchange tether, the faster-moving tether system grabs a slower-moving satellite in a lower orbit using a grapple at the end of a tether line between 20 and 200 kilometers long. After orbiting around the Earth once together, the rotating tether system tosses the satellite forward into a higher orbit, somewhat like a roller derby skater grabbing a teammate and slinging them forward. The first skater transfers some of their momentum to the second skater, leaving the first skater going slower afterward. Similarly, the tether system gives some of its momentum to the satellite, ending up in a lower orbit."

A friend made this comment in email this morning: They used to think about a tether attached to the surface of the earth with the outer end 100's of miles into space. Theoretically the outer end would have orbiting velocity. Objects could climb up the tether into orbit. The problem was the strength and weight of such a tether; probably impossible. These present suggested uses for tethers may be more practical.

A solar flare, a CME, and a solar wind disturbance -- all in one day! Space Weather News for June 10, 2000 The prolific flare-producing sunspot group #9026 unleashed another moderately strong solar flare today. The eruption was accompanied by a partial halo coronal mass ejection (CME) that might be Earth-directed. If so, material from the CME would arrive in the vicinity of our planet on June 12 or 13. A SOHO coronagraph animation of the event shows a beautiful billowing CME peppered by speckles and meteor-like streaks resulting from energetic particles hitting the spacecraft's camera. Earlier in the day, as predicted, a solar wind disturbance from a CME on June 7 struck Earth's magnetosphere. Active geomagnetic conditions were observed for about nine hours, but have since subsided. For more information and pictures, please visit http://www.spaceweather.com

Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2000 08:30:40 -0700 SFI=187 | A=24 | K=3 up from 2 at 1500 on 12 June. SAF: moderate, GMF: at quiet to minor storm levels Aurora Level: 4 Solar Wind: 469.6 km/s at 1.3 protons/cc More: http://hfradio.org/propagation.html

From the Drawing Board to the Stars NASA Science News for June 13, 2000 In this scientific human interest story, Dr. Jim Burch, principle investigator for NASA's IMAGE space weather satellite, describes what it's like to visualize a modern space mission and then, years later, to make it happen. Burch shares his experiences as a competitor for mission funding, as a coordinator of far-flung personnel and institutions, and as an onlooker during the anxious moments of launch. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast13jun_1.htm?list

Solar wind disturbance passes Earth Space Weather News for June 13, 2000 The shock front from a beautiful full-halo coronal mass ejection that left the Sun on June 10 apparently passed by Earth at approximately 2200 UT on June 12. Although the solar wind velocity increased substantially, geomagnetic disturbances so far have been mild. The chances for widespread aurora tonight are low. For more information please see http://www.spaceweather.com SpaceWeather.com ---

Solstice Moon NASA Science News for June 14, 2000 This week's full Moon, which takes place just four days before the June solstice, will appear unusually big and colorful to observers in the northern hemisphere. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast14jun_1.htm?list __ You are subscribed to Science.NASA.gov NASA Science News mailing list with the address marci@ALOHA.NET.

Any solstice celebrations planned, anyone?

Ocean Tides Lost and Found NASA Science News for June 15, 2000 Lunar tides impart tremendous energy to Earth's oceans, but where does it all go? Scientists studying data from the orbiting TOPEX/Poseidon satellite believe they now have an answer. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast15jun_2.htm?list __

Thursday's Classroom for June 15, 2000 This month's full Moon will appear bigger and more colorful than usual because it occurs so close to the northern summer solstice. Students can learn more about the Moon and the famous illusion that makes the Moon appear larger when it's near the horizon by making an edible Moon Munchie spyglass, calculating Loony Basketball Math, and reciting "Full Moon Wherewolf" homonym poetry. For more information, please visit http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com Thursday's Classroom Note: These lessons are relevant even after this week's full Moon. For several days following June 16, the Moon will appear nearly full and, of course, there's another full Moon every month. Each one hovers above the horizon for a while as it rises, triggering the 'Moon Illusion.' The illusion simply lasts longer for northern observers near the time of the summer solstice.

The Incredible Ions of Space Transportation NASA Science News for June 16, 2000 After nearly 40 years of development and the successful flight of Deep Space 1 in 1998-1999, ion propulsion has now entered the mainstream of propulsion options available for deep-space missions. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast15jun_1.htm?list __

From: NASA Science News Precedence: Bulk Space Lasers Take Aim at the Wind NASA Science News for June 19, 2000 NASA scientists are studying a type of radar that uses laser light instead of microwaves to provide snapshots of the winds that travel the globe. Knowing the wind's speed and direction over large areas could help meteorologists answer the riddle of tomorrow's weather and benefit many areas of the world's economy. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast19jun_1m.htm?list

Scientists Discover Sugar in an Interstellar Cloud NASA Science News for June 20, 2000 Scientists have discovered a molecular cousin to table sugar in a giant interstellar cloud known as Sagittarius B2. The discovery of this sugar molecule in a cloud where new stars are forming means it is increasingly likely that chemical precursors to life are formed in such clouds long before planets develop around stars. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast20jun_1.htm?list

Asteroids Have Seasons, Too NASA Science News for June 21, 2000 Earth isn't the only world where seasons are changing this week. Millions of miles from our planet, southern winter is giving way to spring on asteroid 433 Eros. As the Sun rises over the south pole of Eros, instruments on NASA's NEAR-Shoemaker spacecraft will catch a glimpse of never-before-seen terrain. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast21jun_1.htm?list __

Coming Soon: Better Solar Storm Warnings NASA Science News for June 22, 2000 In the past, predicting the onset of a geomagnetic storm was difficult. Forecasters couldn't say with much precision how long it would take for a solar coronal mass ejection to reach Earth. Now scientists have created a model that reliably forecasts the arrival of these billion-ton gas clouds. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast22jun_1m.htm?list __

I heard on the news on the radio on the way to work that they've found water on Mars.

Indeed.......here is the NASA press release: Mars Surprise -- images reveal signs of recent water flow on Mars NASA Science News for June 22, 2000 In what could turn out to be a landmark discovery in the history of Mars exploration, scientists using data from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft have observed features that suggest current sources of liquid water at or near the surface of the red planet. NASA scientists compare the features to those left by flash floods on Earth. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast22jun_2.htm?list __

The Ups and Downs of Ozone NASA Science News for June 26, 2000 Scientists are watching carefully as the ozone layer, which protects animal and plant life from harmful solar ultraviolet radiation, begins an uncertain recovery. Ozone destroying chemicals in the atmosphere are on the decline, but the timing and nature of the expected recovery -- and even whether a recovery is occurring at all -- are controversial topics. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast26jun_1m.htm?list

Giant Planet Power Breakfast NASA Science News for June 27, 2000 Jupiter and Saturn have spent much of the last few months hidden in the bright glare of the Sun. Now they are rising before dawn and are visible again with the naked eye. This week the slender crescent moon will join the pair for a dazzling show in the sky before sunrise. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast27jun_1.htm?list __

Setting Sail for the Stars NASA Science News for June 28, 2000 Scientists met last month to discuss the latest developments in solar sail technology. A new mission, the Interstellar Probe, could carry a spacecraft beyond the edge of the solar system by 2018. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast28jun_1m.htm?list __

Making a Splash on Mars NASA Science News for June 29, 2000 On a planet that's colder than Antarctica and where water boils at ten degrees above freezing, how could liquid water ever exist? Scientists say a dash of salt might help. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast29jun_1m.htm?lis

Earth reaches its greatest distance from the Sun on the 4th of July NASA Science News for June 30, 2000 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. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast30jun_1m.htm?list __

Mars passes by the Sun Space Weather News for July 3, 2000 Solar activity was low over the weekend and is expected to remain so for the next 24 to 48 hours. Nevertheless, on July 1st and 2nd coronagraphs on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory captured a beautiful sequence of images showing Mars as it passed less than one degree from the Sun. The animation includes several coronal mass ejections associated with small solar flares. For more information visit http://www.spaceweather.com

Here Comes Comet Linear NASA Science News for July 05, 2000 Comet 1999 LINEAR S4, which can already be seen through binoculars, is expected to become a faint naked-eye object similar in appearance to the Andromeda Nebula as it glides by the Big Dipper this month. Maximum brightness is expected on July 23, 2000.

Some Comets Like it Hot NASA Science News for July 07, 2000 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. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast07jul_1.htm?list

Space Weather News for July 8, 2000 Coronagraphs on board the orbiting ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) recorded a full halo coronal mass ejection (CME) on July 7th. Forecasters estimate that material from the CME will arrive in the neighborhood of Earth on July 11th. While the CME was ongoing, SOHO's wide field coronagraph also captured the planet Mercury racing by the Sun twice as fast as the drifting field of background stars. Mercury joined two other planets, Mars and Venus, in the coronagraph's field of view. For animations and more information, please visit http://www.spaceweather.com

A solar wind disturbance arrives at Earth Space Weather News for July 10, 2000 The shock front from a July 7th coronal mass ejection has apparently reached our planet about a day earlier than expected. The disturbance, recorded by NASA's ACE spacecraft at 0600 UT on July 10, was not extraordinarily vigorous. Nevertheless, skywatchers are advised to be on the alert for aurora. For more information please visit http://www.spaceweather.com

Cosmic Light Pollution NASA Science News for July 10, 2000 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. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast10jul_1.htm?list

The propagation continues upward: SFI=225 up from 215 | A=28 up from 18 | K=3 down from 4 at 2100 on 11 July. SAF: moderate to high, GMF: at active to minor storm levels Aurora Level: 5 Solar Wind: 543.3 km/s at 5.7 protons/cc More: http://hfradio.org/propagation.html

Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2000 15:26:37 -0500 From: NASA Science News Comet Borrelly or Bust NASA Science News for July 11, 2000 NASA's experimental Deep Space 1 probe --left for dead after a guidance system failure in late 1999 -- was revived last month in a thrilling cross- the-solar-system rescue conducted by JPL engineers. The craft set sail again on June 28, 2000, just in time for a planned rendezvous with periodic comet Borrelly in 2001. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast11jul_1.htm?list

Brown Dwarf Solar Flare NASA Science News for July 12, 2000 The Chandra X-ray Observatory has detected the first-ever flare from what's known as a brown dwarf, or failed star. Scientists were surprised at the outburst, which unleashed an amount of energy comparable to a small solar flare. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast12jul_1m.htm?list

Aurora Warning Space Weather News for July 13, 2000 Stargazers in both hemispheres are advised to watch for auroras tonight as the result of a strong solar wind disturbance that struck Earth's magnetosphere at approximately 0940 UT (5:40 a.m. EDT) on July 13th. The strong geomagnetic storm that started this morning may now be subsiding, but another interplanetary shock wave is expected to arrive on July 14th and extend the current period of geomagnetic unrest. Auroral displays at middle latitudes are possible (but by no means guaranteed) around local midnight on July 13th through 15th. For more information please visit http://www.spaceweather.com Photographers who capture pictures of Northern or Southern Lights during the next few days are invited to send their images as attachments to webmaster@spaceweather.com for display on SpaceWeather.com.

SFI=232 up from 230 | A=31 up from 12 | K=2 down from 5 at 2100 on 13 July. SAF: moderate to high, GMF: at unsettled to minor storm levels Aurora Level: 7 Solar Wind: 618.4 km/s at 3.6 protons/cc More: http://hfradio.org/propagation.html

Pacific Lunar Eclipse NASA Science News for July 14, 2000 This weekend the Moon, the Sun and the Earth will align for the longest total lunar eclipse in 140 years. The best places to see the event are in and around the Pacific Ocean, including Hawaii and Australia. Observers along the west coast of North America will be able to see a partial eclipse just before the Moon sets on Sunday morning. During totality skywatchers may also be able to spot the asteroid 4 Vesta, which coincidentally makes a rare appearance as a naked-eye object during the days around the eclipse. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast14jul_1m.htm?list

Powerful Solar Flare Triggers Radiation Storm Space Weather News for July 14, 2000 This morning an X5-class solar flare, one of the most powerful flares of the current solar cycle, triggered a proton storm in the neighborhood of our planet. Just after the eruption, coronagraphs on board the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory recorded a full halo coronal mass ejection heading toward Earth at greater than 1000 km/s. Please visit http://www.spaceweather.com for details and updates on this developing story.

The following Alerts and Warnings are in effect: sr@hfradio.org The following Alerts and Warnings are in effect: Magnetic A-Index greater than 50 Watch for 15 Jul 2000 UT Comment: K-indices of greater than 6 are possible beginning at 1800 UT on 15 July Magnetic A-Index greater than 50 Watch for 16 Jul 2000 UT Comment: K-indices of greater than 6 are possible beginning at 1800 UT on 15 July Magnetic A-Index greater than 50 Watch for 17 Jul 2000 UT Comment: K-indices of greater than 6 are possible beginning at 1800 UT on 15 July Magnetic K-Index of 6 Observed 14 Jul 2000 from 15:00 to 18:00 UT Comment: None More: http://hfradio.org/propagation.html

A Solar Radiation Storm NASA Science News for July 14, 2000 A powerful solar flare on July 14th triggered an intense radiation storm in the vicinity of Earth. The eruption was followed by a fast-moving coronal mass ejection that is expected to strike Earth's magnetosphere as early as Saturday. The impact could trigger Northern and Southern Lights bright enough to be seen in spite of this weekend's brilliant full Moon. Such a display is by no means guaranteed, but it is possible. Observers across the Pacific could be in for a very rare treat: the sight of shimmering colorful aurora during the total lunar eclipse of July 16, 2000. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast14jul_2m.htm?list __

Solar Wind data is incorrect due to proton overload of the sensors on the spacecraft. True solar wind speed is approx. 775 to 800 km/s with a density of approx. 25 to 30 protons/cm3 ADVISORY: The shock wave from Friday's fast-moving coronal mass ejection could arrive as early as 1900 UT. ALERT(S): Magnetic A-Index Greater than 50 Watch for 15 Jul 2000 UT Comment: K-indices of Greater than 6 are possible beginning at 1800 UT on 15 July Magnetic A-Index Greater than 50 Watch for 16 Jul 2000 UT Comment: K-indices of Greater than 6 are possible beginning at 1800 UT on 15 July Magnetic A-Index Greater than 50 Watch for 17 Jul 2000 UT Comment: K-indices of Greater than 6 are possible beginning at 1800 UT on 15 July Magnetic K-Index of 6 Observed 14 Jul 2000 from 15:00 to 18:00 UT Comment: None Magnetic A-Index Greater than 30 Warning valid from 15 Jul 2000 0000 to 0600 UT Comment: None The following Warning was EXTENDED at 0000 UT on 15 Jul 2000 and is now valid through 0000 UT on 17 Jul 2000 Magnetic K-Index Greater than 6 Warning valid from 13 Jul 2000 1438 to 15 Jul 2000 0000 UT Comment: None The following Alert was CONTINUED at 0100 UT on 15 Jul 2000 Protons Event Greater than 10 MeV @ Greater than 10pfu BEG 14 Jul 2000 1050 UT Comment: The current proton flux is approximately 8500 pfu's. The following Alert was CONTINUED at 0100 UT on 15 Jul 2000 Proton event Greater than 100 MeV @ Greater than 1pfu BEG 14 Jul 2000 1040 UT Comment: The current proton flux level is approximately 100 pfu's . A maximum proton flux of approximately 400 pfu's was reached at 1620 UT on 14 July. Magnetic A-Index Greater than 30 Observed 15 Jul 2000 0600 UT Comment: None Type II Radio Emission 15 Jul 2000 1433 UT Comment: Estimated shock velocity = 788 km/s More: http://hfradio.org/propagation.html

An Extreme Geomagnetic Storm is Underway Space Weather News for July 15, 2000 A powerful shock wave from the fast-moving July 14th coronal mass ejection has arrived in the neighborhood of Earth. An extreme geomagnetic storm was underway at 1900 UT (3:00 p.m. EDT) on July 15th. If conditions persist as they are now, aurora could be visible at middle (and possibly even equatorial) latitudes. The best time to view aurora is usually near local midnight. In this case, sky watchers are advised to look for aurora as soon as night falls. For more information and updates please visit http://www.spaceweather.com Readers are invited to send pictures of tonight's aurora and the July 16, 2000, total lunar eclipse (visible across the Pacific Ocean) as an email attachment to phillips@spacescience.com for possible posting on spaceweather.com and/or spacescience.com. For more information about the lunar eclipse: Pacific Lunar Eclipse http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast14jul_1m.htm ************************** SEVERE GEOMAGNETIC STORM: Kp Index is at 9. A Index is 118. We are in a catagory G5 Storm. NOAA's Space Weather scale indicates the following effects: Power systems: grid systems can collapse and transformers experience damage. Spacecraft operations: extensive surface charging, problems with orientation, uplink/downlink, and tracking satellites. Other systems: pipeline currents reach hundreds of amps, HF (high frequency) radio propagation impossible in many areas for one to two days, satellite navigation degraded for days, low-frequency radio navigation out for hours, and the aurora seen as low as the equator. The Proton Monitor on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory is registering solar wind speeds in excess of 900 km/s The wave of solar particles - known as a solar proton event - is already four times more intense than any other event detected since the launches of SOHO in 1995 and ACE in 1997. At mid-afternoon (UT) on July 14th, the storm of particles from the Sun was still intensifying. More: http://hfradio.org/propagation.html

X-ray Star Stuff NASA Science News for July 18, 2000 Astronomers using the Chandra X-ray Observatory are seeing how supernovae spray the essential elements of rocky planets and life into interstellar space. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast18jul_1m.htm?list

Unveiling the Infrared Sky NASA Science News for July 20, 2000 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! FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast20jul_1.htm?list __

Coronal Mass Ejection 21 July 2000 There is high probability that the CME (Coronal Mass Ejection) from the major M-class solar flare of 19 July 2000 will arrive today. It is expected to hit the Earth almost head-on. It is not expected to be as intense as this last weekend's event. Auroral activity is expected to increase to storm levels on 21 July 2000. There is a good chance for observations of auroral activity from many dark-sky middle latitude regions, particularly prior to midnight when the moon is still below the horizon and optimal observing conditions exist. Moonrise occurs near local midnight. TWO ADDITIONAL M-Class flares occured today: :ALERTS: X-Ray event M5/1B/S12W14 BEG 20 Jul 2000 2022 MAX 20 Jul 2000 2025 END 20 Jul 2000 2028 UT Comment: None X-Ray event M5.5 BEG 21 Jul 2000 1430 MAX 21 Jul 2000 1437 END 21 Jul 2000 1443 UT Comment: None More: http://hfradio.org/propagation.html

Watch for Aurora tonight!!!

Propagation Forecast Bulletin 29 - July 21, 2000 This has been quite a week for solar activity, with blasts of solar wind dominating space weather news. Saturday was the big day for HF radio blackouts and aurora, with the planetary A index jumping to an incredible 152 and the mid-latitude A index at 148. The planetary K index, updated every three hours, was at 9 for three readings on Saturday. A K index reading of 9 over a 24-hour period would be equivalent to an A index of 300. This is big, really big. These numbers are associated with an extreme geomagnetic storm that was nearly off the scale. On Friday one of the most powerful solar flares of the current cycle triggered a storm of protons directed toward earth. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory recorded a full halo coronal mass ejection heading toward earth at greater than one-million meters per second. Check out animations of this event at http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/data/CME/. There are only a few events of this magnitude in the average solar cycle. The only factor that probably impeded a spectacular aurora visible far down into the U.S. was that this is the summer season. A dark evening sky would reveal a rich tapestry of northern lights. Of course, it being winter in the southern hemisphere, bright displays were reported in Australia and New Zealand. The author made a weak attempt Saturday night, walking barefoot into the middle of the street and trying to peer north past city lights, but no auroral glow was visible. Seattle is north of the 47th parallel, and although there were no local reports of aurora, there were observations as far south as 40 degrees in Europe, Asia, and parts of Eastern North America. If you point your web browser toward http://www.sec.noaa.gov/info/kp-aurora.html you will see a nice map from the June, 1968 issue of Sky and Telescope which shows how far south aurora may be visible depending on the planetary K index. What is not clear from this map is whether it shows how far south the edge of the aurora extends, or how far south it is visible when looking north. Another coronal mass ejection emerged on Wednesday, July 19, but the predicted effect is uncertain because the ejection may not be aimed squarely at earth. On Thursday the planetary K index went up to 6 for several hours, but by the end of the UTC day it was 3. The planetary A index for Thursday was 43, and the College A index, recorded in Alaska, was 57. The latest forecast shows the planetary A index rising to 50 on Friday, then dropping to 20 and 15 and then 10 on Saturday through Monday. Solar flux peaked for the recent short term at 252.9 on Thursday, and is expected to drop to 245, 235, 230 and 225 on Friday through Monday. The next short term minimum is predicted around July 28 at 170, followed by another peak above 200 around August 6-9. The author has received many more inquiries recently asking for explanations of the various parameters reported in this bulletin. Although the explanations were repeated six weeks ago, it is probably time to run them again, and they follow this paragraph. Feel free to send questions to the author via k7vvvarrl.net. Amateur Radio operators who use HF generally like increased sunspots because they correlate with better worldwide radio propagation. When there are more sunspots, the sun puts out radiation which charges particles in the earth's ionosphere. Radio waves bounce off of these charged particles, and the denser these clouds of ions, the better the HF propagation. When the ionosphere is denser, higher frequencies will reflect off of the ionosphere rather than passing through to space. This is why every 11 years or so when this activity is higher, 10 meters gets exciting. 10 meters is at a high enough frequency, right near the top of the HF spectrum, that radio waves propagate very efficiently when the sunspot count is high. Because of the wavelength, smaller antennas are very efficient on this band, so mobile stations running low power on 10 meters can communicate world wide on a daily basis when the sunspot cycle is at its peak. There are also seasonal variations, and 10 meters tends to be best near the spring or fall equinox. The sunspot numbers used in this bulletin are calculated by counting the sunspots on the visible solar surface and also measuring their area. Solar flux is measured at an observatory in British Columbia using an antenna pointed toward the sun tuned to 2.8 GHz, which is at a wavelength of 10.7 cm. Energy detected seems to correlate with sunspots and with the density of the ionosphere. Other solar activity of concern to HF operators are solar flares and coronal holes, which emit protons. Since the charged ions in the ionosphere are negative, a blast of protons from the sun can neutralize the charge and make the ionosphere less reflective. These waves of protons can be so intense that they may trigger an event called a geomagnetic storm. The Planetary A index relates to geomagnetic stability. Magnetometers around the world are used to generate a number called the Planetary K index. You can hear the Boulder K index updated every three hours on WWV, or by calling 303-497-3235. A one point change in the K index is quite significant. A K index below 3 generally means good stable conditions, and above 3 can mean high absorption and poor reflection of radio waves. Each point change reflects a big change in conditions. Every 24 hours the K index is summarized in a number called the A index. A one point change in A value is not very significant. A full day with the K index at 3 will produce an A index of 15, K of 4 means A of 27, K of 5 means A of 48, and K of 6 means A of 80. You can find an explanation of these numbers on the web at http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/GEOMAG/kp_ap.html. The number reported here is the Planetary A index, which is a worldwide average based on the K readings from a number of magnetometers. The numbers reported on WWV are the Boulder K and A index, measured in Colorado. Generally the higher the latitude of the measuring station, the higher the K and A indices reported. This is because the effects of geomagnetic instability tend to concentrate toward the polar regions of the globe. Currently we are near the peak of the solar cycle, so conditions are generally better because of the increased ionization of the ionosphere. But along with the increased sunspots come more solar flares and coronal holes, producing disturbed conditions. Sunspot numbers for July 13 through 19 were 240, 243, 229, 268, 335, 343 and 342 with a mean of 285.7. 10.7 cm flux was 231.9, 203.9, 213.1, 218.9, 228.3, 261.9 and 249.9, with a mean of 229.7, and estimated planetary A indices were 33, 35, 152, 46, 9, 13 and 15, with a mean of 43.3.

Contrary Thermometers NASA Science News for July 21, 2000 Scientists are working to understand why the lower atmosphere isn't heating up as fast as some global warming models predict. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast21jul_1m.htm?list

Station Sightings NASA Science News for July 24, 2000 Thanks to a new NASA web site, stargazers can track the progress of the growing International Space Station (ISS) from their own backyards. Because it reflects sunlight down to Earth, the ISS often looks like a slow-moving star as it crosses the sky. It can even appear as bright as the star Sirius if you know when and where to look. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast24jul_1m.htm?list

Camping Out with the Planets NASA Science News for July 25, 2000 Earth's slender crescent Moon will glide by two brilliant planets in the dawn sky this week as it heads for a close encounter with Mercury on July 29th. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast25jul_1m.htm?list

You can tell when you look into the night sky which are stars and which are satellites. the satelittes are brighter and move across the sky. I don't get to see much of the night sky right now with this weather. I don't even get to use my pc in the evening, there is so much lightening that I have to unplug it.

Yikes, Dear!!! Blessed be the laptops which enable use even with lightning... but not connected to a modem. Alas, you are in down-time summer I guess. A Lot Less Snow NASA Science News for July 27, 2000 An instrument on board NASA's Terra satellite recorded much less snow than usual over parts of North America during the winter of 1999-2000. This story includes a snow map of North America in March 2000 and sample pictures from Terra's snow-mapping "MODIS" instrument. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast27jul_2m.htm?list

Comet LINEAR Misbehaves NASA Science News for July 28, 2000 Although comet LINEAR was not bright enough to see with the unaided eye when it passed by Earth this week, the comet is grabbing the attention of astronomers with peculiar behavior, including orbit-altering jets and fragments breaking away from its nucleus. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast28jul_1m.htm?list __

Comet LINEAR breaks apart Space Weather News for July 28, 2000 There is growing evidence that comet LINEAR, which made its closest approach to the Sun earlier this week, is disintegrating. Today's spaceweather.com features images and animations of the apparent breakup. Also, an interplanetary shock wave struck Earth's magnetosphere on July 28, 2000, triggering minor geomagnetic activity. For more information please visit http//www.spaceweather.com http//www.spaceweather.com

Back to the Future on Mars NASA Science News for July 28, 2000 In 2003, NASA plans to launch a relative of the now-famous 1997 Mars Pathfinder rover. Using drop, bounce, and roll technology, this larger cousin is expected to reach the surface of the Red Planet in January 2004 and begin the longest journey of scientific exploration ever undertaken across the surface of that alien world. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast28jul_2m.htm?list __

The Stuff Between the Stars NASA Science News for July 31, 2000 The cosmos is laced with tiny specks of dust that decide the fate of young stars and planets. Now, NASA scientists can study the properties of far-flung space dust using special laboratory facilities at the Marshall Space Flight Center. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast31jul_2m.htm?list _

Meltdown! Comet LINEAR comtinues to disintegrate.... NASA Science News for July 31, 2000 Comet LINEAR continued to blow itself apart this weekend as astronomers around the world monitored the action. The comet is still bright enough to see through amateur telescopes, but it's fading fast. This story compares the breakup of comet LINEAR with another famous fragmented comet, Shoemaker-Levy 9, that collided with Jupiter six years ago. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast31jul_1m.htm?list

Looking Forward to the International Space Station NASA Science News for August 02, 2000 Scientists at a recent media forum said they are eager to begin using the International Space Station as an innovative orbiting research laboratory. "The Hubble Space Telescope is to astrophysicists as the International Space Station will be to other researchers -- a working science laboratory in space," noted one participant. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast02aug_1.htm?list

Watching Wildfires from Space NASA Science News for August 04, 2000 NASA satellites are keeping a close eye on wildfires raging across the Western US. Every few hours, a global map of smoky aerosols is updated at the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer web site. Now, anyone with a connection to the Internet can share the same "bird's eye" view enjoyed by NASA scientists. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast04aug_1m.htm?list

A Comet Comes Apart Thursday's Classroom for August 3, 2000 http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com Late last month stargazers were eagerly anticipating the arrival of Comet LINEAR, which was expected to become the first naked-eye comet in three years. But the comet surprised observers by blowing apart as it passed near to the Sun. Even now, astronomers are watching intently as Comet LINEAR dissolves into a haze of gas and dust. This week's episode of Thursday's Classroom features stories for kids and educational lesson plans about comets and Comet LINEAR. Activities include: * Comet Cones -- Kids who sample one of these delicious treats will never forget the "dirty snowball" model for comets. * Really Big Numbers -- How many zeros are in Comet LINEAR's distance from Earth? Kids find out in this lesson about scientific notation. * The Comet Coloring Book -- Students can color original art by Duane Hilton as they follow along with this week's lessons. ...and more! Please visit http://www.thursdaysclassroom.com

Space Weather News for August 4, 2000 http://www.spaceweather.com Comet LINEAR blew apart so thoroughly last week that astronomers can't find any sizable pieces from its fractured icy core. New groundbased images of the comet posted today revealed no fragments brighter than 22nd magnitude. The new data are fueling speculation that Comet LINEAR itself might have been the fragment of a larger body that passed through the inner solar system centuries ago. On a related note, SpaceWeather.com is pleased to announce a new feature: the weekly Meteor Outlook by Robert Lunsford, secretary general of the International Meteor Organization. Updated every Friday, the Outlook offers a comprehensive preview of likely meteor activity suitable for novices and experts. This week's update describes the growing rate of pre-dawn Perseid meteors leading up to the shower's maximum on August 12th.

Perseid Dawn NASA Science News for August 08, 2000 The Perseid meteor shower peaks on August 12, 2000. This year the bright, nearly-full Moon will outshine the Perseids most of the night, but for an hour between moonset and sunrise on Saturday morning, star gazers could witness a brief but beautiful meteor shower. The setting Moon may put on a show of its own Saturday. Wildfires and dust storms have filled parts of our atmosphere with aerosols. A low-hanging Moon seen through such dusty air can take on a beautiful pink or orange hue. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast08aug_1.htm?list

Meteors and a Full-halo Coronal Mass Ejection Space Weather News for August 9, 2000 http://www.spaceweather.com SOLAR ACTIVITY: The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory recorded a full-halo coronal mass ejection today from sunspot group 9114, near the center of the Sun's visible disk. Material from the eruption could trigger geomagnetic activity when it arrives in the vicinity of Earth in approximately three days. NEW ONLINE METEOR COUNTS: As part of our expanding coverage of meteor and comet activity, spaceweather.com will now feature daily meteor counts reported by a network of observers across North America. The daily-updated data includes visual and radio meteor detections. COMET LINEAR: A new picture from the ESO Very Large Telescope shows mini-comets inside Comet LINEAR's disintegrating core. For images, animations and expanded coverage of these items, please visit http://www.spaceweather.com

Perseid meteor update + an ongoing geomagnetic storm Space Weather News for August 11, 2000 http://www.spaceweather.com On the eve of the Perseid meteor shower, sky watchers report seeing 10 to 15 meteors per hour streaming from the constellation Perseus. That's consistent with an expected peak rate between 30 and 50 visual meteors per hour before dawn on August 12th. The projected maximum is somewhat weaker than Perseid maxima of recent years, but observers are also reporting that this year's Perseid meteors have been pleasantly bright. The shower should put on a good show for northern hemisphere observers this Saturday morning. Readers are invited to send their photos of the 2000 Perseids to phillips@spacescience.com (Tony Phillips). There is a chance that Saturday morning sky watchers at higher latitudes could spot colorful auroras during the Perseid meteor shower. Our planet is experiencing an ongoing geomagnetic storm triggered by a southward-pointing interplanetary magnetic field in the vicinity of Earth. If conditions persist, high latitude (and possibly even mid-latitude) auroras are possible. For more information, please visit http://www.spaceweather.com

Twin Rovers Headed for Mars NASA Science News for August 10, 2000 The traffic on Mars is expected to double in the near future. NASA today announced plans to launch two large scientific rovers to the red planet in 2003, rather than the original plan for just one. This story includes a striking new video of the planned Mars 2003 rover mission. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast10aug_1.htm?list

Aurora & Meteor Alert Space Weather News for August 12, 2000 http://www.spaceweather.com Last night, during the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, a shock wave from the Sun set off a beautiful display of aurora borealis. Observers in dark-sky areas across Canada and much of the United States were treated to the unusual spectacle of meteors seen against a backdrop of colorful Northern Lights. Auroras were spotted as far south as Los Angeles, CA. Conditions remain favorable for more aurora borealis Saturday night and Sunday morning. Plus, the Perseid meteor shower is not entirely over. Stargazers could see as many as 25 meteors per hour before dawn on Sunday, Aug. 13. If you have pictures of weekend auroras and/or Perseid meteors, we invite you to submit them to SpaceWeather.com as an email attachment sent to phillips@spacescience.com (Tony Phillips). For more information, including pictures of last night's aurora and the coronal mass ejection that energized the ongoing geomagnetic storm, please visit http://spaceweather.com

The Extraordinary Geomagnetic Perseid Meteor Shower NASA Science News for August 14, 2000 An interplanetary shock wave from the Sun struck Earth's magnetosphere just before the peak of the Perseid meteor shower on August 12, 2000, triggering a powerful geomagnetic storm. Stargazers across Canada and the United States were treated to the rare spectacle of a meteor shower seen against the backdrop of colorful Northern Lights. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast14aug_1.htm?list

NASA goes on SAFARI NASA Science News for August 16, 2000 Southern Africa offers a unique climate sub-system where scientists can study the effects of industrial activity, biomass burning and changing patterns of land usage on the environment. Last weekend an international team of scientists launched an intensive campaign -- part of the SAFARI 2000 project -- to study this complex region from the ground, the air and from space. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast16aug_1m.htm?list

The Indefatigable Ions of Deep Space 1 NASA Science News for August 17, 2000 NASA's Deep Space 1 probe, en route for an encounter with Comet Borrelly, has run its unique propulsion system for more than 200 days -- longer and more efficiently than anything ever launched. The almost imperceptible thrust from the system is equivalent to the pressure exerted by a sheet of paper held in the palm of your hand. The ion engine is very slow to pick up speed, but over the long haul it can deliver 10 times as much thrust per pound of fuel as more traditional rockets. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast17aug_1.htm?list

Arctic Ice Revealed NASA Science News for August 22, 2000 An orbiting radar has cut through clouds and dark of night to monitor the ebb and flow of Arctic ice. Scientists say the data could reveal important trends in global climate change. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast22aug_1.htm?list

Hot X-rays from a Cold Comet NASA Science News for August 23, 2000 Normally, x-ray astronomers concern themselves with the most violent and fiery denizens of the Universe. Colliding galaxies, supernova explosions and black holes are common targets for x-ray telescopes like NASA's powerful Chandra X-ray Observatory. But, last month researchers solved a cosmic mystery when they turned Chandra toward Comet LINEAR, a chilly snowball from the outer solar system. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast23aug_1m.htm?list

Counting Brown Dwarfs NASA Science News for August 24, 2000 Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have taken attendance in a class of brown dwarfs and found indications that these odd and elusive objects also tend to be loners. The Hubble census -- the most complete to date -- provides new and compelling evidence that stars and planets form in different ways. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast24aug_1.htm?list

Antibiotics in Orbit NASA Science News for August 25, 2000 Pilot studies indicate that microbial antibiotic production can be increased by up to 200 percent in space-grown cultures. Scientists who studied such antibiotics during the "John Glenn" shuttle mission in 1998 are looking forward to more low-gravity experiments on the International Space Station. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast25aug_1m.htm?list

New Evidence for an Alien Ocean NASA Science News for August 28, 2000 Fluctuations in the magnetic field surrounding Jupiter's moon Europa are a telltale sign of salty liquid water beneath the moon's icy crust. Europa could harbor the solar system's largest ocean. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast28aug_1.htm?list

Comet Champion of the Solar System NASA Science News for August 28, 2000 Less than seven months after the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory registered its 100th comet discovery, amateur astronomers help SOHO double its record-setting total. Scientists think that most of SOHO's comets are fragments from the breakup of a single giant comet long ago. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast28aug_2.htm?list

Culprits of Climate Change NASA Science News for August 29, 2000 For many years, researchers agreed that climate change was triggered by "greenhouse gases," with carbon dioxide from burning of fossil playing the biggest role. However, NASA funded scientists suggest that climate change in recent decades has been mainly caused by air pollution containing non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast29aug_1.htm?list

Evil-doers Beware! Space Scientists are on the Case NASA Science News for August 31, 2000 Two NASA scientists are working with the police and the FBI to track down criminals using out-of-this-world video technology. The new technique, called VISAR, is also expected to improve military reconnaissance, medical research and video on home computers. This story includes pictures and video of VISAR in action. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast31aug_1.htm?list

A Close Encounter with a Space Rock NASA Science News for September 01, 2000 This morning a half-kilometer wide space rock is zooming past Earth barely 12 times farther from our planet than the Moon. In cosmic terms, it's a near miss, but there is absolutely no danger of a collision. Instead, the encounter offers astronomers an unusually good opportunity to study a near-Earth asteroid. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast01sep_1.htm?list

Sunbathing at Solar Maximum NASA Science News for September 05, 2000 NASA scientists say that Solar Maximum is now in full swing. Does that mean you're more likely to catch a sunburn at the beach? The answer is "no," and this story explains why. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast05sep_1.htm?list

It's very hot in Austin right now, two days ago was the hottest day in history, About 110. And we're in solar max to boot!

I noted it was 112 in Austin tying the all time record and 115 in San Antonio. That is not civilized!!! How does that feel?? Instant mummification??!!

Ozone Hole Update NASA Science News for September 08, 2000 Antarctica's ozone hole now covers an area three times larger than the entire land mass of the United States - the largest such ozone-depleted region ever observed. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast08sep_1.htm?list There is a graphic: http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/read/Geo/4.2

Audacious & Outrageous: Space Elevators NASA Science News for September 07, 2000 Science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke was once asked when the "space elevator," a notion he helped to popularize, would become a reality. Clarke answered, "Probably about 50 years after everybody quits laughing." Nowadays NASA scientists are taking the idea seriously. In fact, they've compiled plans that could turn the space elevators of science fiction into a real-life mass transportation system to space by the end of the 21st century. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast07sep_1.htm?list

Watch Out for the Harvest Moon NASA Science News for September 11, 2000 The Harvest Moon, arguably the most famous Full Moon of the year, arrives on Wednesday, Sept. 13th. Check out this story to discover what makes the Harvest Moon special and to ponder the possibility of Harvest Moons on another planet. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast11sep_2.htm?list

Where did all the sunspots go? Space Weather News for Sept 12, 2000 http://www.spaceweather.com Telescopes monitoring the Sun recorded something extraordinary yesterday -- the solar disk was nearly devoid of spots. With solar maximum in full swing, the Boulder sunspot number dropped to its lowest value of the year. In spite of the "blank Sun," our planet could be in for a bit of space weather on Tuesday if, as expected, a solar coronal mass ejection that left the Sun on Saturday strikes a glancing blow to Earth's magnetosphere. The impact could trigger modest geomagnetic activity. In other space weather news, astronomers have discovered a bright Near Earth Asteroid that will pass by our planet on Sept. 17. Amateur astronomers can monitor the fast-moving space rock in 8-inch or larger telescopes. For more information, please visit http://SpaceWeather.com

Three Coronal Mass Ejections and a Near-Earth Asteroid Space Weather News for Sept. 17, 2000 http://www.spaceweather.com No fewer than 3 coronal mass ejections appear to be heading toward Earth following solar eruptions on Friday and Saturday. The CMEs could trigger aurora at middle-latitudes when they arrive during the next few days. We invite aspiring aurora photographers to visit our online aurora gallery, which includes photo settings that worked well during the geomagnetic storm of August 12, 2000. Also, the bright Near-Earth asteroid 2000 RD53 will fly by our planet on September 17, barely 11 times farther away than the Moon. Amateur astronomers with 8 inch or larger telescopes can spot the space rock as it zooms by. (Note: There is no relationship between the asteroid and the CMEs.) For more information please visit http://www.spaceweather.com

A Good Month for Asteroids NASA Science News for September 20, 2000 September has been a good month for astronomers studying Near-Earth asteroids (NEAs). No fewer than five sizable minor planets have flown past our planet since the beginning of the month, affording astronomers a close-up look at these ever-scary space rocks. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast20sep_1.htm?list

from the cool astronomy picture of the day site, \

http://www.heavens-above.com/ GSOC satellite tracking pages, good stuff! Tells you when to spot the shuttle, Mir, and other satellites.

Thanks for that...it is a great url to add to the bookmark list!!! I have used it to watch them go overhead. You can really see them just after it gets dark in the evening and same with the morning!

HAPPY AUTUMNAL EQUINOX Interplanetary Fall NASA Science News for September 22, 2000 Today Earth joins two other worlds in the solar system where it is northern autumn. Read this story to learn more about Earth's September equinox and to ponder the bizarre seasons of other planets. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast22sep_1.htm?list89800

I'm a day late, but I hope everyone (in the Northern Hemisphere) did have a Happy Autumnal Equinox. For those south of the Equator it was, of course, their Vernal Equinox.

What about the people that live on the Equator? I quess everyday is pretty much the Equinox for them.

It might be. Maybe Marcia can clear up what it would be.

Since it is "an imaginary line" encircling the globe - much like other latitude and logitude lines - it is likely and "imaginary" equinox! Can one stand on an imaginary line since it is just there - no width, no depth? Hmmm...Virtually, perhaps? I am devoid of incoming mail so I am back to using telnet to Hawaii on Line and Pine for email. The virtual stone age is back. They are going to get a call from me in the morning!

Mail returned to normal... Bright Planets and Random Meteors NASA Science News for September 28, 2000 This week's new Moon sets the stage for a "sporadic" meteor show featuring a cast of eye-catching stars and planets. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast28sep_1.htm?list

Peering into the Ozone Hole NASA Science News for October 02, 2000 Concentrations of ozone-destroying gases are down, but the Antarctic ozone hole is bigger than ever. It turns out there's more to ozone destruction than just CFCs. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast02oct_1.htm?list89800

The Moonlit Leonids 2000 NASA Science News for October 10, 2000 Our planet is heading for a minefield of cosmic dust streams laid down by periodic comet Tempel-Tuttle. The result could be a series of meteor outbursts on Nov. 17 and 18, 2000. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast10oct_1.htm?list ---

Sun Sample Return Mission Nears Launch NASA Science News for October 12, 2000 The science payload for NASA's Genesis spacecraft, which will collect samples of the solar wind and return them to Earth, is now complete. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast12oct_1.htm?list89800

Aren't they going to do some work on the space station, also?

I think that is also planned. Provinding they can move around in there once it is entirely stocked. Sounds claustrophobic... They will be in the direct path of solar wind and it behooves them to study it, certainly!

I guess the 100th Shuttle is up there now, right?

Shuttle finally got off the ground after the hurricane and mysterious pin kept it grounded. Check NASA tv to watch their goings-on http://www.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/countdown/video/video45m.html Backyard Gamma-ray Bursts NASA Science News for October 16, 2000 With the successful launch of NASA's HETE-2 satellite, amateur astronomers will soon be able to spot the most powerful explosions in the Universe from the comfort of their own back yards. Professionals are also looking forward to the new data, which they hope will unravel the mysteries of gamma-ray bursts. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast16oct_1.htm?list

Number 100?

A Close Encounter with Asteroid Eros NASA Science News for October 26, 2000 5:00:00 PM NASA's NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft swooped 5 kilometers above the surface of 433 Eros on Oct 26th, marking its closest-ever approach to the tumbling space rock. Scientists hope the flyby will uncover clues about extra boulders and missing craters on the near-Earth asteroid. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast26oct_2.htm?list89800

Think so the 100th shuttle mission...and back down again.

Trick or Treat: It's Toutatis! NASA Science News for October 31, 2000 NASA scientists are monitoring a large near-Earth asteroid that tumbled past our planet on the morning of Halloween 2000. Amateur astronomers can spot it for themselves in telescopes later this month and through binoculars when it passes even closer to Earth in Sept. 2004. FULL STORY at http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast31oct_1.htm?list89800

Water on the Space Station NASA Science News for November 2, 2000 Rationing and recycling will be an essential part of life on the newly-populated International Space Station. In this article, the first of a series about the challenges of living in orbit, Science@NASA explores where the crew will get their water and how they will (re)use it. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast02nov_1.htm?list89800

They picked the callsign "alpha" in a jublilant video conference to Mission HQ. It's the beginning of man in space for perhaps the rest of history, there may never be a time when man is not in space from now on.

Much Ado about 2000 SG344 NASA Science News for November 7, 2000 Later this century a relic from NASA's earliest space exploration efforts might return to Earth, if current estimates are confirmed. The near-Earth object, which follows an orbit almost identical to our planet's, looks like an asteroid but may be an Apollo-era rocket booster. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast06nov_2.htm?list89800

Space Weather News for Nov. 9, 2000 http://www.spaceweather.com RADIATION STORM: High-energy particles are bombarding satellites this morning after a solar eruption unleashed a strong radiation storm. Radio blackouts and minor satellite glitches are possible while the storm persists. NEAR-EARTH ASTEROID 2000 UG11: A 250-meter asteroid zoomed past Earth on Tuesday just 6 times farther from our planet than the Moon. New video clips show the space rock racing through the sky on Nov. 1st - 7th. AURORA BOREALIS: Geomagnetic storms on November 3rd and 6th triggered widespread aurora. Pictures of the Northern Lights are now available on SpaceWeather.com. For more information and images please visit http://www.spaceweather.com

Aurora Alert Space Weather News for Nov. 9, 2000 http://www.spaceweather.com The Nov. 8th solar eruption that triggered an ongoing radiation storm around Earth also launched a coronal mass ejection (CME) that appears to be heading in the direction of our planet. The CME raced away from the Sun traveling faster than 2000 km/s and it could strike Earth's magnetosphere late Friday or Saturday. Forecasters estimate a 25% chance of severe geomagnetic storms at middle latitudes during the next 48 hours. Stay tuned to http://spaceweather.com for continuing coverage. Photographers who capture images of the aurora are invited to send them as email attachments to webmaster@spaceweather.com for display on SpaceWeather.com.

Breathing Easy on the Space Station NASA Science News for November 13, 2000 Life support systems on the International Space Station provide oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, and manage vaporous emissions from the astronauts themselves. It's all part of breathing easy in our new home in space. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast13nov_1.htm?list89800

Wanted: Leonid Meteor Spotters Space Weather News for Nov. 15, 2000 http://www.spaceweather.com The 2000 Leonid meteor shower is just around the corner. Forecasters expect at least two outbursts of shooting stars as Earth passes through debris from comet Tempel-Tuttle this Friday and Saturday. Spaceweather.com will post current meteor counts and reports from around the world beginning Thursday and continuing through the end of the shower. We invite all our readers to participate and report what they see. All you need are clear skies! Visit http://www.spaceweather.com for more information and observing tips. And don't forget NASA's live webcast of the Leonids from the stratosphere! Visit http://www.leonidslive.com for details.

Lighting Up the Ecosphere NASA Science News for Nov. 15, 2000 Using satellite images of city lights at night, NASA scientists are mapping the spread of urban areas around the globe and monitoring their impact on our planet's ecosystem. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast15nov_1.htm

Flowing Sand in Space NASA Science News for Nov. 17, 2000 NASA scientists are sending sand into Earth orbit to learn more about how soil behaves during earthquakes. Their results will help engineers build safer structures on Earth and someday on other planets, too. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast17nov_1.htm

A Solar Flare Stuns Stardust NASA Science News for November 22, 2000 Earlier this month one of the most intense solar radiation storms in decades temporarily blinded NASA's Stardust spacecraft, which is heading for a rendezvous with comet Wild-2. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast22nov_1.htm?list89800

Weekend Aurora Warning; Asteroid Toutatis Brightens Space Weather News for Nov. 24, 2000 http://www.spaceweather.com SOLAR FLARES: This morning, two powerful solar flares triggered an ongoing radiation storm around Earth. The eruptions from a sunspot group near the center of the Sun's visible disk also launched two coronal mass ejections toward our planet. Sky watchers should be alert for aurora when the CMEs strike Earth's magnetosphere later this weekend. ASTEROIDS: Near-Earth asteroid Toutatis, which passed close to Earth on Halloween, is actually brightening as it moves away from our planet. Amateur astronomers can spot the space rock in 8- to 10-inch telescopes as it reaches peak brightness next week. For more information, visit http://www.SpaceWeather.com .

Microscopic Stowaways on the ISS NASA Science News for November 26, 2000 Wherever humans go microbes will surely follow, and the Space Station is no exception. In this article, NASA scientists discuss how astronauts on the ISS will keep potentially bothersome microorganisms under control. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast26nov_1.htm?list89800

That was pretty interesting. It shows that there is so much more think about than you first realise when going into space. I always thought it was a case of piling five guys into a rocket and shooting them up to an orbiting spacecan. I guess it's not that simple...

Nope, or we would have done it long ago... and a lot more guys would have died...

Sky show tonight: a close encounter between Venus and the Moon Space Weather News for Nov. 29, 2000 http://www.spaceweather.com The recent spate of geomagnetic disturbances produced auroras mainly at high latitudes. Middle- and low-latitude observers didn't see much in the way of Northern Lights. But tonight there's a sky show that anyone can enjoy: a dazzling close encounter between Venus and the crescent Moon. Visit http://www.spaceweather.com for details about that and to view a gallery of pictures captured during this week's geomagnetic storms.

Far-out Housekeeping on the ISS NASA Science News for November 29, 2000 Life in space is a daring adventure, but somebody still has to cook dinner and take out the trash. Science@NASA interviews two astronauts about the thrill and routine of daily life in orbit. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast29nov_1.htm?list89800

The ham satellite (the big one the hams have been waiting for) is succesfully up! Any news on this Marci?

Oh, I forgot to mention, someone pointed out Jupiter to me when I was in Japan. Is it possible to see Jupiter with the naked eye??? I was unconvinced but secretly impressed :-)

Of course it is, Jupiter can be very visible.

Well I wasn't sure :-) Cool, I've seen Jupiter :-)

Get a cheap pair of binoculars, Mike - you can see the four Galillean moons easily. And, they change from night to night as you watch them orbit!!!

EO-1: It's not just a good idea, it's the law! NASA Science News for December 4, 2000 NASA's Earth Observing-1 satellite blasted off last week with a payload of new instruments that could revolutionize remote sensing. The work of the new satellite is regarded as so important it's actually required by law. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast04dec_1.htm?list89800

Sedimentary Mars NASA Science News for December 4, 2000 4:00:00 PM New Mars Global Surveyor images reveal sedimentary rock layers on the Red Planet that may have formed underwater in the distant martian past. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast04dec_2.htm?list89800

So, they're debating how much water may have been on Mars, and whether the liquid was water (probably), these sedimentary layers were found on the giant canyon that would stretch from NY to California. They should drop the next lander in this sediment!

..but only if they are sure it would be able to hear their commands. We lost the last one that way... I'd like a specimen for my collection, thank you!!! Santa,I have been naughty but soooo nice this year...

The best of both worlds, right? Which is more important, this sedimentary area or the ice cap areas where there may be water for a landing? And when is the next Mars launch?

I'll let you know when I know - stay tuned... A Disintegrating Glacier NASA Science News for December 6, 2000 Recent satellite images reveal two new icebergs floating off the Antarctic coast. The icy behemoths are fragments of the Ninnis Glacier. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast05dec_1.htm?list89800

Latest Mars updates are available at http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/

Get a cheap pair of binoculars, Mike - you can see the four Galillean moons easily. And, they change from night to night as you watch them orbit!!! That is cool, Marcia!! When I was in school I dropped Astro so that I could concentrate on other stuff (like smashing rocks to pieces with hammers and blowing up alternate universes with Quantum singularities... :-) I should definitely start checking out the sky a bit more. Trouble is it means going outside at night when it's all cold. Still, I guess in the summer it could be a joint trip with one of my lady friends.... :-)

One of the brightest objects in the sky will be the space station with the solar panels unfurled. Has anyone seen this yet or does anyone know a website for times, dates to view it?

Terry, I posted the satellite tracking and spotting of ISS back a few... for all satellites: http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/RealTime/JTrack/ For ISS and such: http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/RealTime/JTrack/Spacecraft.html

Cool, I'll check it out, have you seen it yet?

ISS updates http://www.spaceflightnow.com/ops/stage4a/status.html This is Shuttle mission 97

Have not yet seeen it. The last time I looked I saw the space junk re-entry. That was REALLY neat!!! ISS seems to orbit so they are over Hawaii quite frequently, so I'll hunt again. Did see the Shuttle and MIR linked up - brilliant like Venus!!!

Pass the Can Opener, Please In early December engineers in Waco, Texas, will cut a hole big enough to drive a truck through in the aft fuselage of a 747SP jumbo jet. It's a key step in converting the airliner into the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), whose 2.5-meter (98-inch) telescope will peer at the heavens from an altitude of 41,000 feet beginning in 2003. A Yuletide Partial Solar Eclipse During the partial eclipse of the Sun on December 25, 2000, the Moon passes slightly north of the Sun's center as seen from nearly all parts of North America south of the Arctic Circle. A Passing Affair Cassini will pass 9.8 million km from Jupiter, en route to Saturn, on December 30th.

The Baffling Geminid Meteor Shower NASA Science News for December 8, 2000 Most meteor showers are caused by comets, but the Geminid meteor shower, which peaks next Wednesday morning, seems to come from a curious near-Earth asteroid. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast08dec_1.htm?list89800

Curious indeed!

Marcia, maybe Santa Claus will bring you that Martian rock for Christmas this year. Do you have a Lunar rock to go with it? Just kidding. On the disintergrating glazier, a few years ago an iceberg broke off the Anarctic Ice Shelf that was slightly smaller than the state of Rhode Island. Suffice to say, it was easily visible from space.

It's probably still afloat?

That, or fused into the polar ice sheet next winter....

NEWSALERT: Sunday, December 10, 2000 @ 0557 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now MISSION ACCOMPLISHED, SHUTTLE DEPARTS STATION --------------------------------------------- With hugs and handshakes, the Endeavour astronauts bid farewell to the crew of space station Alpha Saturday, closed hatches between the two spacecraft and undocked to wind up an edge-of-the-seat mission to install a huge set of solar arrays. http://spaceflightnow.com/ops/stage4a/001209fd10/ Follow the mission's progress in our status center: http://spaceflightnow.com/ops/stage4a/status.html Watch video clip of shuttle crew departing station: http://spaceflightnow.com/ops/stage4a/video/001209farewell_qt.html FOUR ADDITIONAL MOONS DISCOVERED ORBITING SATURN ------------------------------------------------ An unprecedented surge in planetary moon discoveries continued this week as astronomers reported the discovery of four more moons orbiting Saturn, bringing the total number of moons found around the planet since October to ten. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/10saturnmoons/ DELAYED ARIANE 4 ROCKET LAUNCH RESET FOR MONDAY ----------------------------------------------- After a postponement to double-check the rocket's nose cone, Arianespace has rescheduled the flight of Ariane 4 launcher carrying the Eurasiasat 1 communications satellite for Monday evening from South America. http://spaceflightnow.com/ariane/v137/status.html

The Incredible Shrinking Ozone Hole NASA Science News for December 12, 2000 After reaching record-breaking proportions earlier this year the ozone hole over Antarctica has made a surprisingly hasty retreat. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast12dec_1.htm?list89800

Christmas Eclipse NASA Science News for December 14, 2000 A solar eclipse is coming on Christmas Day, 2000. The winter landscape across parts of North America will assume an eerie cast, and cooler-than-usual winds might swirl, as the New Moon glides across the face of the Yuletide Sun. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast15dec_1.htm?list89800

This Mars life story is *new*, as reported by MSNBC today. "Dec. 13 � A new scientific report offers compelling evidence that primitive life existed on Mars, NASA says. Researchers report that tiny magnetite crystals, identical to those used by aqueous bacteria on Earth as compasses to find food and energy, have been found in the Martian meteorite ALH84001."

Really nice!!!! Thank you Big Time for posting that image!

NEWSALERT: Friday, December 15, 2000 @ 1612 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now HUBBLE SEES SATELLITE FOOTPRINTS IN JUPITER AURORA -------------------------------------------------- Check out a spectacular Hubble Space Telescope close-up view of an electric-blue aurora that is eerily glowing one half billion miles away on the giant planet Jupiter. Auroras are curtains of light resulting from high-energy electrons racing along the planet's magnetic field into the upper atmosphere. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/15hubble/ UNIVERSE'S MOST MASSIVE SPIRAL GALAXY REVEALED ---------------------------------------------- The most massive spiral galaxy known so far in the Universe has been discovered by a team of astronomers. This galaxy is located at a distance of approximately 6 billion light-years and its measured mass is more than 1,000 billion times that of the Sun. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/15spiral/ TWIN TELESCOPES POISED TO EXPLORE STRUCTURE OF UNIVERSE ------------------------------------------------------- More than 300 people traveled thousands of miles to a remote mountaintop in Chile for the dedication of two of the most powerful survey instruments ever built: the Baade and the Clay 6.5-meter reflecting telescopes. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/15carnegie/

Weekend Aurora Watch Space Weather News for Dec. 14, 2000 http://www.spaceweather.com A coronal mass ejection that left the Sun on Thursday appears to be heading for Earth. The disturbance could trigger aurora late Saturday or (more likely) Sunday when it strikes our planet's magnetosphere. For details and animations please visit http://www.spaceweather.com .

NEWSALERT: Saturday, December 16, 2000 @ 0520 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now CHINA PLEDGES DEVELOPMENT OF MANNED SPACE PROGRAM ------------------------------------------------- China is poised to launch the second test flight of its Shenzhou spacecraft -- an orbiter capable of carrying an astronaut into space -- a Chinese official said this week in his year-end press briefing in Washington. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/15china/ STATION CREW AWAITS SPARE PARTS FOR AIR SCRUBBER ------------------------------------------------ The international space station's air purification system is working smoothly, NASA's lead flight director said Friday. But unexpected equipment failures during the crew's first six weeks in space have left the astronauts just one failure away from a possible forced evacuation. http://spaceflightnow.com/ops/stage4a/001216scrubber/ KENNEDY SPACE CENTER CELEBRATES ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF 2000 ------------------------------------------------------- During the past year, NASA's Kennedy Space Center began an ambitious schedule of Space Shuttle launches as construction of the International Space Station shifted into high gear, plus managed six rocket launches and formed partnerships across the board. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/16ksc2000/

CHRISTMAS SOLAR ECLIPSE http://www.skypub.com/sights/eclipses/solar/001225partial.html

Learning from Lightning NASA Science News for December 17, 2000 Little by little, lightning sensors in space are revealing the inner workings of severe storms. Scientists hope to use the technique to improve forecasts of deadly weather. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast17dec_1.htm?list89800

Geomagnetic activity alert + near-Earth asteroid news Space Weather News for Dec. 19, 2000 http://www.spaceweather.com METEORS & AURORA: Sky watchers who venture outside to view the Ursid meteor shower Thursday night or Friday morning might also spot aurora borealis. A coronal mass ejection that left the Sun on Monday is likely to buffet Earth's magnetosphere later this week. Forecasters estimate a 20% chance of severe geomagnetic activity when the CME arrives. NEAR-EARTH ASTEROIDS: A newly-discovered near-Earth asteroid, 2000 YA, will pass just two lunar distances from Earth on Dec. 22nd. There's no danger of a collision, say scientists, but the small space rock will be near enough to see through large amateur telescopes or through small telescopes equipped with CCD cameras. For more information, images and animations, please visit http://www.spaceweather.com

There was a very interesting piece this morning on NPR on the Saturn moon, Euuropa. It seems there may be water beneath the ice that may support life. Even though the sun's energy is very distant, there is some kind of gravitational tide effect from Saturn and other moons that may be enough to generate higher temperatures and enable liquids under the icy surface. There is some kind of underwater sub expedition planned by NASA in the next 10 years. This could be an exciting development, I haven't searched o the net yet, but I'm sure there's more out there on this, on NPR.org's site for sure.

Correction, substitute Jupiter for Saturn. Big detail. EUROPA & HOW LIFE BEGINS $ NPR's Richard Harris explores what it would take for life to begin elsewhere in the solar system. Pictures released yesterday of Jupiter's moon Europa suggest that the chemicals necessary for life may exist in large frozen oceans there -- just waiting for the right conditions to sprout life. On Earth, oceanographers think that life may have begun in a similar primordial soup at the bottom of the ocean. They're looking at unique heat-resistant organisms that live next to hot-gas vents on the ocean floor.

I posted that bit of info in Geo 24 - the astronomy topic update. Fascinating stuff! (...and we knew which planet you meant *hugs*)

Martian Micro-Magnets NASA Science News for December 20, 2000 Certain types of bacteria on Earth are atomic engineers -- atom by atom they build tiny magnetic crystals to help themselves follow our planet's magnetic field. Now scientists have found such crystals in an unlikely place: a martian meteorite! FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast20dec_1.htm?list89800

Watching the Angry Sun NASA Science News for December 22, 2000 As the Sun's stormy season approaches its zenith, solar scientists have the best seat in the house, using the largest coordinated fleet of spacecraft and ground observatories ever assembled to observe angry outbursts of solar radiation. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast22dec_1.htm?list89800

A meteor outburst, after all.... Space Weather News for Dec. 22, 2000 http://www.spaceweather.com METEORS: Sky watchers in Europe and on the US west coast spotted a modest outburst of Ursid meteors Thursday night. Astronomers had hoped for a more impressive display, but the flurry of faint shooting stars was nevertheless welcomed because it confirmed a new model of cometary debris streams. AURORA WATCH: Conditions may be favorable for high-latitude auroras tonight. The interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) near Earth turned sharply southward after a solar wind disturbance arrived in the neighborhood of our planet. South-pointing IMFs make our magnetosphere more vulnerable than usual to solar wind gusts -- additional gusts could trigger Northern Lights. For more information visit http://www.spaceweather.com

NEWSALERT: Monday, December 25, 2000 @ 0050 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now AN OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD HOLIDAY GREETING ------------------------------------- The international space station crew offer the people of planet Earth greetings for the holiday season in a message from their orbiting home 235 miles up. The three men are the first residents of the new station, beginning what is planned to be a continuous human presence in space for the 21st century. Watch video message: http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage5a/video/001224greetings_qt.html Astronauts report first Santa sighting: http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage5a/video/001224santa_qt.html CARGO SHIP SET FOR REDOCKING TO SPACE STATION --------------------------------------------- Spaceflight Now will have complete live coverage of Tuesday's redocking of the Progress M1-4 cargo freighter to the international space station. Cosmonaut Yuri Gidzenko will manually guide the craft to the orbital linkup using two joysticks and a television picture. http://spaceflightnow.com/station/status.html See our timeline of the redocking sequence: http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage5a/fdf/redocking.html RARE CHRISTMAS ECLIPSE VIEWABLE IN NORTH AMERICA ------------------------------------------------ On Christmas Day, step outside and get a rare Christmas present-a partial solar eclipse! Sky watchers living in the continental United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean will have a perfect view of the partially eclipsed Sun. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/24eclipse/ SANTA BECOMES TEST PILOT AT FLORIDA'S SHUTTLE LANDING SITE ---------------------------------------------------------- Not only does Santa Claus know when you are sleeping or awake -- bad or good, he also knows with pinpoint accuracy the exact location of each planned delivery stop. With newly-installed GPS on his sleigh, Santa plans to fly by the Kennedy Space Center to test his space-age equipment. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/24santaslf/ OBSERVATIONS CONFIRM THE UNIVERSE WAS HOTTER IN PAST ---------------------------------------------------- A fundamental prediction of the Big Bang theory has finally been verified. For the first time, an actual measurement has been made of the temperature of the cosmic microwave background radiation, at a time when the Universe was only about 2.5 billion years old. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/24vlthot/ SCIENTISTS DELIGHTED BY FIRST IMAGES FROM EO-1 SATELLITE -------------------------------------------------------- Scientists have seen the first images from NASA's Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) spacecraft launched last month and now flying in formation with the Landsat 7 satellite. Researchers say they are excited with the performance of the instruments on the EO-1 technology demonstrator. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/23eo1first/ SPACEHAB RESEARCH MODULE TO FLY ON '02 SHUTTLE MISSION ------------------------------------------------------ A commercial Spacehab Research Double Module will be flown aboard a space shuttle in 2002 for a NASA science flight. Spacehab is marketing a portion of space in the module to commercial users, including other national space agencies. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/23sts112/

too bad it's rainy here, we won't be able to witness the christmas eclipse *frown*

check in Geo 24 for my ex's Pennsylvania shots.

did, thanks sweetie! *HUGS*

Merry Christmas Dear - and *Happy Hugs* to go with it. What was your surprise??? (We need to talk, I think)

yes--did you get my msn invite? (for IM?)

nope!!! I'll send you one!!! I had this problem with B earlier.

Wolfie, I was in up in your 'hood yesterday, Shey and I went to Tyler to see mjy dad, but we had a short visit as we were trying to get home before any of the heavy weather predicted for today.

NEWSALERT: Tuesday, December 26, 2000 @ 1510 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now BRIEF LOSS OF CONTACT RAISES FEARS ABOUT MIR STATION ----------------------------------------------------- Contact with the unmanned Russian Mir space station was briefly lost today. While normal communications later were restored, the incident heightened concern about the Russians' ability to precisely control the abandoned station's upcoming re-entry and breakup. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/26mir/ CARGO SHIP REDOCKS TO INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ------------------------------------------------- Cosmonaut Yuri Gidzenko remotely piloted an unmanned Progress supply ship to a trouble-free manual redocking with the international space station today as the two spacecraft sailed 230 miles above Mongolia. Includes video clips. http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage5a/001226redock/ OCEAN-HARBORING MOON GANYMEDE SEEN BY CASSINI --------------------------------------------- The solar system's largest moon, Ganymede, is captured here alongside the planet Jupiter in a color picture taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft earlier this month at a distance of 16.5 million miles. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/26cassgany/ LAUNCH SCHEDULE --------------- See our Tracking Station for a the latest listing of upcoming space launches for the New Year. http://spaceflightnow.com/tracking/

Solar Eclipse Pictures Space Weather News for Dec. 26, 2000 http://www.spaceweather.com If bad weather, over-sleeping, or simply not living in North America prevented you from seeing the Christmas 2000 solar eclipse, now you have a second chance. The SpaceWeather.com eclipse gallery features dozens of images captured by sky watchers using everything from professional hydrogen-alpha telescopes (that show sunspots and solar filaments) to makeshift solar filters assembled from computer CDs. Visit http://spaceweather.com for more...

NEWSALERT: Saturday, December 30, 2000 @ 0505 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now CASSINI HAS CLOSE ENCOUNTER OF THE JOVIAN KIND TODAY ---------------------------------------------------- NASA's Cassini space probe makes its 6-million mile flyby of Jupiter today at 1012 GMT (5:12 a.m. EST). The encounter acts as a gravity-assisted sling-shot, boosting the craft's speed by 2,500 mph to over 30,000 mph for its continued trek to Saturn. We'll have a wrap up story following a news conference later today. http://spaceflightnow.com/cassini/ CASSINI EYES JUPITER'S CLOUDS IN GREAT DETAIL --------------------------------------------- Images taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft using three different filters reveal cloud structures and movements at different depths in the atmosphere around Jupiter's south pole. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/30cassclouds/ HEAVY DOSE OF RADIATION CAUSES GALILEO GLITCHES ----------------------------------------------- NASA's Galileo spacecraft passed through the highest radiation environment it will experience in its current orbit of Jupiter late Thursday. The exposure caused an alarm from the probe's camera system and a computer reset in another portion of the spacecraft. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/30galileorad/ SPACE STATION RESIDENTS GIVE NEW YEAR'S MESSAGE ----------------------------------------------- The Alpha astronauts beamed down New Year's greetings Friday, saying "let the real space odyssey 2001 proceed." Commander William Shepherd, flight engineer Sergei Krikalev and Soyuz pilot Yuri Gidzenko fielded questions from reporters in an early morning communications session, saying they plan to mark the arrival of the new year with at least one - and probably two - special meals. (Includes video clip!) http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage5a/001229greet01/

Galileo Looks for Auroras on Ganymede NASA Science News for December 28, 2000 NASA's durable Galileo spacecraft flew above the solar system's largest moon this morning in search of extraterrestrial Northern Lights -- a telltale sign of Ganymede's unique magnetic field. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast28dec_1.htm?list89800

New color movie stars Jupiter's clouds / Galileo's dark encount NEWSALERT: Thursday, December 28, 2000 @ 0525 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now CASSINI MAKES FIRST COLOR MOVIE OF JUPITER'S CLOUDS --------------------------------------------------- Imagery from NASA's Cassini spacecraft has been used to generate this first color movie of Jupiter's horizontal bands of clouds from the Saturn-bound probe. The orange and white bands slide in opposite directions from each other and a swirl of winds gyrate around Jupiter's Great Red Spot. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/28jupmovie/ GALILEO HAS DARK ENCOUNTER WITH JOVIAN MOON GANYMEDE ---------------------------------------------------- NASA's intrepid Galileo spacecraft zips past Ganymede on Thursday for a unique close encounter that provides a chance to study the faint auroral glows on the solar system's largest moon. (Includes video clips!) http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/28ganyflyby/ MARTIAN WATER MAY BE ICE IN PLANET'S INTERIOR --------------------------------------------- Liquid water that once flowed on the surface of Mars could now be locked up deep in the planet's interior as an unusual form of ice, scientists reported earlier this month. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/28marsice/ SURPRISE SWITCH FOR MIR EMERGENCY CREW -------------------------------------- Russian space managers have changed the makeup of a two-man cosmonaut crew on standby for a flight to the abandoned Mir space station in the event of any future emergency that might cause an uncontrolled re-entry. http://spaceflightnow.com/mir/001227mircrew/ RESEARCHER PROPOSES DARING ASTEROID SAMPLE RETURN ------------------------------------------------- In the wake of NASA's successful Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous space mission, a University of Arkansas researcher is putting together a team of scientists to take asteroid research to the next level -- bringing asteroid samples back to Earth. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/27asteroid/ CONTACT RESTORED WITH NEW AMATEUR RADIO SATELLITE ------------------------------------------------- The amateur radio community received a welcome Christmas present Monday when workers were able to restore contact with the AMSAT-OSCAR 40 satellite that had been silent for nearly two weeks. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/27ao40/ IRIDIUM SATELLITES USED TO MAP GLOBAL SPACE WEATHER --------------------------------------------------- Scientists are now able to simultaneously measure the magnetic and electrical fields over large areas of the ionosphere above the Earth's polar regions, allowing great improvement in the understanding and forecasting of global space weather and helping prevent disruption of communication and power systems. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/27iridiumsci/ RUSSIANS LAUNCH SIX COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITES --------------------------------------------- A Ukrainian-made Tsyklon 3 rocket loaded with six Russian communications satellites blasted off Wednesday. The launch occurred at approximately 1900 GMT (2 p.m. EST) from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Northern Russia. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0012/27tsyklon/

More Cassini URLs NASA Jupiter Millennium Flyby: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/jupiterflyby/ Cassini mission site: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini Cassini imaging science team: http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/

Retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet NASA Science News for December 27, 2000 Scientists say that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is retreating more slowly than they thought. In fact, it may have been growing just 8,000 years ago -- long after the end of the most recent Ice Age. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast27dec_1.htm?list89800

Wow, what a plethora of space news today. Great work, gleaning all this Marci!

Get our your receivers tonight - over 100/hour expected!! I am delighted you find it interesting - lots of goodies in there! Listen to the Quadrantids tonight Space Weather News for January 2, 2001 http://www.spaceweather.com The Quadrantid meteor shower will peak over North America before dawn on Wednesday morning, January 3rd. No matter where you live you can listen to the shower by tuning in to a radio meteor listening station at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The installation, located in Huntsville, AL, is perfectly situated to detect a Quadrantid outburst. For more information and realtime audio please visit http://www.spaceweather.com

NEWSALERT: Tuesday, January 2, 2000 @ 0541 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now STATION SKIPPER WRITES POEM TO USHER IN THE NEW YEAR ---------------------------------------------------- The international space station's Exedition One commander, Bill Shepherd, has written a poem capturing his thoughts and reflections, as he and Russian shipmates, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, usher in 2001. http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage5a/001231poem/ SHUTTLE ATLANTIS GOES FOR SIX HOUR RIDE TO PAD TODAY ---------------------------------------------------- Rolling along at speeds reaching one-mile per hour, space shuttle Atlantis will be transported from Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building to the seaside launch pad 39A after sunrise today. Atlantis is due for blastoff later this month on a space station assembly mission. http://spaceflightnow.com/station/status.html DESPITE PUMMELING, EARLY EARTH CONDITIONS RIPE FOR LIFE ------------------------------------------------------- Even during an extraordinarily violent era in Earth's early history, when our young planet was being whacked by asteroids and comets so frequently that scientists refer to it as "Late Heavy Bombardment," conditions most of the time at the Earth's surface were quite hospitable for the microbes that lived here, according to new research. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/01earlyearth/ SEA LAUNCH TO LOFT RADIO BROADCASTING SATELLITE ----------------------------------------------- The Sea Launch command ship and Odyssey platform are sailing to the equatorial waters of the Pacific Ocean for next week's flight of a Zenit 3SL rocket with the first of two broadcasting spacecraft for XM Satellite Radio. http://spaceflightnow.com/sealaunch/xm1/status.html THERE WERE A LOT SPACE HEADLINES OVER THE HOLIDAYS! --------------------------------------------------- Do you need to catch up on the news that occurred over the holidays? Check out our weekly archived reports for all the space headlines, including Cassini's beautiful pictures and movies of Jupiter from its recent flyby, the new fears about Mir, NASA's revived mission to Pluto and the latest with the international space station. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/breaking_archive.html LAUNCH SCHEDULE --------------- See our Tracking Station for a the latest listing of upcoming space launches for the New Year. http://spaceflightnow.com/tracking/

A New Look for the New Year NASA Science News for January 3, 2001 The Science@NASA home page has a new look and we're pleased to offer a host of new services as well, including Spanish-language science stories ... and more! FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast03jan_1.htm?list89800 ---

NEWSALERT: Wednesday, January 3, 2001 @ 0601 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES IN DISTANT GALAXIES MEASURED ----------------------------------------------------- Two astronomers at The University of Texas at Austin, working with an international team of collaborators, have shown that they can provide reliable measurements of black hole masses for active galactic nuclei such as quasars even at great distances. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/03holemeasure/ NEXT TEST FLIGHT OF CHINESE CAPSULE EXPECTED SOON ------------------------------------------------- Amid much speculation regarding a possible launch date for China's second prototype manned spacecraft, called Shenzhou, the Hong Kong-based Wen Wei Po newspaper is reporting that workers are readying the spacecraft for a launch some time in early January, possibly this week. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/03china/ COMPUTER TROUBLE FORCES HALT TO ATLANTIS ROLLOUT ------------------------------------------------ A problem with the main computer inside the crawler-transporter Tuesday forced NASA to stop the rollout of space shuttle Atlantis from Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building to the seaside launch pad 39A. Atlantis was returned to the VAB for swap-out of the crawler. Rollout is now set for Wednesday. http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage5a/010102rollout/ THERE WERE A LOT SPACE HEADLINES OVER THE HOLIDAYS! --------------------------------------------------- Do you need to catch up on the news that occurred over the holidays? Check out our weekly archived reports for all the space headlines, including Cassini's beautiful pictures and movies of Jupiter from its recent flyby, the new fears about Mir, NASA's revived mission to Pluto and the latest with the international space station. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/breaking_archive.html LAUNCH SCHEDULE --------------- See our Tracking Station for a the latest listing of upcoming space launches for the New Year. http://spaceflightnow.com/tracking/

Earth at Perihelion NASA Science News for January 4, 2001 This morning at 5 o'clock Eastern Standard time Earth made its annual closest approach to the Sun. Although sunlight falling on our planet is 7% more intense today than it is in July, northerners shouldn't expect any relief from winter. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast04jan_1.htm?list89800

The Case of the Missing Mars Water NASA Science News for January 5, 2001 Plenty of clues suggest that liquid water once flowed on Mars --raising hopes that life could have arisen there-- but the evidence remains inconclusive and sometimes contradictory. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast05jan_1.htm?list89800

Russian PM Orders Demise of Aged Mir Space Station - Jan 5 2001 7:01AM MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov has signed a resolution ordering that the aged Mir space station be taken out of orbit and sunk into the ocean early this year, the Russian space agency said Friday. A spokesman for space agency Rosaviakosmos said that Kasyanov had signed the document on Dec. 30, formalizing a government decision from November to take the nearly 15-year-old Mir, originally intended to orbit Earth for just five years, out of service due to a lack of funding. The order calls for establishing a commission to determine how Mir will be brought down, and also says that resources that had been dedicated to the orbiter were to be focused on the $60 billion International Space Station (ISS). The ISS, a 16-nation venture, uses technology developed for Mir, which for years was the world's only manned space station. During its lifetime Mir helped Soviet and Russian cosmonauts set a string of space endurance records that have been the nation's pride -- and the envy of the envy of the better-funded United States. But in recent years a spate of mishaps dulled the revolutionary space station's image, including a near-catastrophic collision with a cargo craft and a communications failure on Christmas day last month that sparked fears that Mir was spinning out of control. U.S. space officials have pushed Russia to dump Mir, saying it drained sparse resources that would be better spent on Russia's role in the International Space Station.

Aurora Watch and Lunar Eclipse Photos Space Weather News for January 11, 2001 http://www.spaceweather.com AURORA WATCH: SOHO coronagraphs recorded a full-halo solar coronal mass ejection (CME) on Wednesday that could hit Earth's magnetosphere by week's end. Our planet is already inside a faster-than-usual solar wind stream that could set the stage for auroras when the CME arrives. Visit SpaceWeather.com for details and animations of the CME. LUNAR ECLIPSE: While you're at spaceweather.com, check out our growing gallery of images from Tuesday's total lunar eclipse. Pictures include shots of the copper-colored Moon seen over Europe, Asia and the Middle East as well as striking views of a partially-eclipsed Moon rising over the eastern parts of the USA. Visit http://www.spaceweather.com

Chandra Links Pulsar to Historic Supernova NASA Science News for January 11, 2001 New evidence from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory suggests that a known pulsar is the present-day leftover from a stellar explosion witnessed by Chinese astronomers in 386 AD. The discovery could force astronomers to rethink what they know about the ages of neutron stars. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast11jan_1.htm?list89800

Ballooning for Cosmic Rays NASA Science News for January 12, 2001 12:00:00 PM Astronomers have long thought that supernovas are the source of Galactic cosmic rays, but there's a troubling discrepancy between theory and measurements. An ongoing balloon flight over Antarctica could shed new light on the mystery. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast15jan_1.htm?list89800

CME buffets Earth; Stardust flyby Monday morning Space Weather News for January 13, 2001 http://www.spaceweather.com AURORA WATCH: As expected, the leading edge of a coronal mass ejection that billowed away from the Sun on January 10th reached our planet today. Although conditions seemed favorable for auroras, the passing shock wave did not trigger substantial geomagnetic activity. STARDUST: On Monday morning, NASA's Stardust spacecraft will fly by Earth for an orbit-altering gravity assist maneuver designed to send Stardust on its way to comet Wild 2. Amateur astronomers with mid-sized or large telescopes might be able to spot the spacecraft as it races by and brightens, perhaps, to 10th or 12th magnitude. Visit http://www.spaceweather.com for details.

NEWSALERT: Saturday, January 13, 2001 @ 0558 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now CHANDRA FINDS EVIDENCE OF BLACK HOLE 'EVENT HORIZONS' ----------------------------------------------------- Astronomers have used NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory to study some of the darkest black holes yet observed. Their work strongly confirms the reality of the "event horizon," the one-way membrane around black holes predicted by Einstein's theory of relativity. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/13chandrahole/ REMAINS OF OUR GALAXY'S 'LAST MEAL' DISCOVERED ---------------------------------------------- A telltale bulge in the disk of the Milky Way galaxy may be the remnants of a smaller galaxy consumed billions of years ago as our galaxy formed, astronomers announced this week. The discovery may provide scientists with new data to support -- or challenge -- existing models of how galaxies are created. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/13galremains/ STARDUST'S BLURRY VISION FIXED AS CRAFT NEARS EARTH --------------------------------------------------- As NASA's Stardust comet probe barrels towards Earth for a close encounter flyby on Monday, its navigation camera appears to be working again after an apparent post-launch contamination of the device. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/13stardustflyby/ NEWBORN STAR OFFERS INSIGHT INTO OUR SOLAR SYSTEM'S PAST -------------------------------------------------------- Evidence that small dust grains are agglomerating into larger blocks inside a persistent shell of gas and dust around a young, nearby star is giving a team of astronomers a rare glimpse into the process that likely formed our solar system. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/13newborn/ EARLIER HEADLINES ----------------- REPORT: U.S. NEEDS STRONGER DEFENSE ROLE IN SPACE http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/12milspace/ NEW IMAGES SHOW DETAIL OF NEIGHBOR GALAXY'S GAS http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/12galaxygas/ ROCKET STAGE REPLACEMENT ON TAP FOR SEA LAUNCH ZENIT http://spaceflightnow.com/sealaunch/xm1/status.html

New Evidence for Black Holes NASA Science News for January 12, 2001 By seeing almost nothing, astronomers say they've discovered something extraordinary: the event horizons of black holes in space. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast12jan_1.htm?list89800

NEWSALERT: Friday, January 12, 2001 @ 0527 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now HUBBLE FINALLY MAY HAVE PROOF BLACK HOLES DO EXIST -------------------------------------------------- NASA's Hubble Space Telescope may have, for the first time, provided direct evidence for the existence of black holes by observing the disappearance of matter as it falls beyond the "event horizon." http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/11hubblehole/ REPORT: U.S. NEEDS STRONGER DEFENSE ROLE IN SPACE ------------------------------------------------- Calling space a "top national security priority," an independent commission chaired by the nation's next Secretary of Defense concluded in a report released Thursday that the United States military needs to take a more active and better focused role in Earth orbit. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/12milspace/ NEW IMAGES SHOW DETAIL OF NEIGHBOR GALAXY'S GAS ----------------------------------------------- Using radio telescopes in the U.S. and Europe, astronomers have made the most detailed images ever of Hydrogen gas in a spiral galaxy other than the Milky Way -- the galaxy M33, known to amateur astronomers as the Pinwheel Galaxy. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/12galaxygas/ NEARBY GALAXIES YIELD CLUES TO EARLY UNIVERSE --------------------------------------------- Astronomers are using these three NASA Hubble Space Telescope images to help tackle the question of why distant galaxies have such odd shapes, appearing markedly different from the typical elliptical and spiral galaxies seen in the nearby universe. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/11hubbleuv/ ROCKET STAGE REPLACEMENT ON TAP FOR SEA LAUNCH ZENIT ---------------------------------------------------- The Sea Launch vessels have set sail for home, departing the equatorial waters of the Pacific Ocean on a voyage back to the United States so a portion of the Zenit 3SL rocket can be replaced in the wake of an aborted engine ignition sequence this week. http://spaceflightnow.com/sealaunch/xm1/status.html U.S. FIRM TO BUILD CHINESE COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE --------------------------------------------------- Space Systems/Loral announced this week that it had received a contract from a Hong Kong-based satellite operator to build Apstar 5, a replacement for the aging Apstar 1 communications spacecraft. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/12apstar5/

NEWSALERT: Monday, January 15, 2001 @ 1757 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now ENGINEERS ASSESS NEW BOOSTER WIRING ISSUE ----------------------------------------- With shuttle Atlantis poised for launch Friday on a critical space station assembly mission, NASA managers plan to meet late today to assess the resolution of booster wiring problems and the results of weekend inspections that have raised additional concerns. http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage5a/010115srb/ Watch our Mission Status Center for updates today: http://spaceflightnow.com/station/status.html

NEWSALERT: Monday, January 15, 2001 @ 0528 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now SUPERNOVA MAY CONTROL THE CENTER OF OUR GALAXY ---------------------------------------------- Scientists using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have discovered that an apparent supernova remnant in the center of our galaxy might help regulate a nearby supermassive black hole and that such relationships between supernova remnants and black holes might be common throughout the universe. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/15galaxycenter/ MARS ORBITER CHECKS OUT LANDING SITE FOR FUTURE PROBE ----------------------------------------------------- The European Space Agency has announced the selection of a landing site for the British Mars lander, Beagle 2, that will be carried to the red planet aboard ESA's Mars Express orbiter in 2003. Newly released images from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor shows the landing zone. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/15beagle2/ BRITISH AND CHINESE SATELLITES HEAD FOR SPACE RENDEZVOUS -------------------------------------------------------- A tiny British-built spacecraft is achieving a variety of firsts in the nanosatellite technology field. SNAP-1 will finish off this series of ground-breaking accomplishments in the next few months as it approaches a rendezvous with another satellite. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/15snap1/ ATLANTIS ASTRONAUTS BOUND FOR CAPE ---------------------------------- The five astronauts that will ride space shuttle Atlantis into orbit later this week to attach the U.S. Destiny laboratory to the international space station are scheduled for arrival at Kennedy Space Center on Monday evening. Launch is scheduled for early Friday morning from Florida. http://spaceflightnow.com/station/status.html

NEWSALERT: Tuesday, January 16, 2001 @ 0500 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now WIRING CHECKS DELAY SHUTTLE ATLANTIS LAUNCH TO FEBRUARY ------------------------------------------------------- On the eve of shuttle Atlantis' countdown to launch Friday, NASA managers on Monday instead ordered engineers to haul the spacecraft back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for work to test suspect wiring in the ship's booster separation system. http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage5a/010115srb/ MOST DETAILED VIEW INTO DARK CLOUD UNVEILED ------------------------------------------- Astronomers have just taken an important step towards answering the fundamental question of which processes are responsible for transforming a dark and diffuse interstellar cloud of gas and dust into a much denser, shining object. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/16eso/ STARDUST SLING-SHOTS PAST EARTH ON COURSE TO COMET -------------------------------------------------- Officials at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California say that Stardust is now on course to Comet Wild 2, where it will collect dust samples for return to Earth. That word comes after a close encounter with Earth early Monday, marking the completion of the craft's first solar orbit since its launch in 1999. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/16stardust/ A SHOCKING TIME FOR CLUSTER 2 ----------------------------- Studies of near-Earth space will never be the same again. For the first time in the history of space exploration, identical instruments on four spacecraft have begun to return simultaneous measurements of a region of space known as the bow shock. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/16cluster/ GALILEO KEEPS PROBING JOVIAN MAGNETOSPHERE ------------------------------------------ This week finds Galileo completing week 12 of a 14-week-long survey of the Jovian magnetosphere. Playback of data stored during the spacecraft's December 2000 passage through the Jupiter system is not scheduled to start until early next month. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/16galileothisweek/

NEWSALERT: Wednesday, January 17, 2001 @ 0426 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now NASA'S SHUTTLE CHIEF DEFENDS ROLLBACK DECISION ---------------------------------------------- Launch of the next space shuttle mission has been delayed from Friday to no earlier than Feb. 6. NASA's shuttle program manager said in the end, the launch team had little choice after problems surfaced with wiring. "I guard against the phenomena of 'go fever' like it was the plague. And you have to be very sensitive as you get closer to launch." http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage5a/010116dittemore/ Station 'Alpha' reacts to shuttle delay: http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage5a/video/010116shepreax_qt.html CHINA'S SHENZHOU 2 CAPSULE RETURNS TO EARTH SAFELY -------------------------------------------------- The Shenzhou 2 spacecraft returned safely to Earth Tuesday, touching down in China's inner Mongolian region at 1122 GMT after making 108 orbits. The mission paves the way for a future manned mission by the Chinese. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/16china/ INDIVIDUAL STARS SPOTTED IN ANDROMEDA'S BULGE --------------------------------------------- An individual team, including an astronomer of Observatoire de Paris, has recently observed for the first time individual stars in a very dense -- but very interesting -- zone of an external galaxy, enabling for the first time an eagerly awaited comparison with the corresponding zone (bulge) of our Milky Way galaxy. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/17andromeda/ SPACE TUG POISED FOR LAUNCH TO RUSSIA'S MIR STATION --------------------------------------------------- The Progress M1-5 cargo ship, the last spacecraft to visit Russian Mir space station, rolled out to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Tuesday. Blastoff is scheduled for early Thursday. http://spaceflightnow.com/mir/010116progroll/ NASA OPENS 2ND GENERATION REUSABLE ROCKET PROGRAM ------------------------------------------------- NASA has created a new program office to lead its effort to enable development of a new reusable launch vehicle for flight in 2010 that will be dramatically safer and less expensive than today's rockets. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/17rlv2/ THE EASTERN U.S. KEEPS ITS COOL WHILE THE WORLD WARMS ----------------------------------------------------- Much of the Earth has warmed over the last half-century, but the eastern half of the United States has shown a cooling trend. NASA-funded research indicates cooler temperatures in the eastern U.S. are caused by an increase in sun-shielding clouds produced by warmer ocean temperatures in the Pacific. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/17easttemp/

Russia to Lauch Mir Space Station's Nemesis BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (Reuters) - Russia launches a cargo rocket on Thursday to help it bury the last vestige of the Soviet Union's ambitious space exploration program -- the record-breaking Mir space station. The unmanned Progress M1-5 vessel, one of the craft that were used to ferry food and water to Mir, will this time only carry enough fuel for its own engines to guide Mir out of orbit and into the Pacific Ocean. The rocket is due to blast off from Kazakhstan's windswept Baikonur cosmodrome at 0656 GMT. It is scheduled to dock four days later with the 130-tonunmanned space station. In early March, both will crash into the ocean. Space officials have said up to 40 tonnes of debris will reach the earth's surface at a speed high enough to smash through two meters (6.5 feet) of reinforced concrete. Russia has said it expects Mir to hit earth on March 5-6 but the precise date and time will depend on solar activity and the success of the Progress mission. If the automatic docking controlled from the earth fails, a Russian crew of Gennady Padalka and Nikolai Budarin is ready to take off in 12 days to guide the station out of orbit manually. This would end the 15-year history of Mir, whose first part was launched into orbit on February 20, 1986, with an originally designed life-span of just three years. Russia, struggling to overcome an economic crisis after almost a decade of steep recession, could not find $200 million needed to maintain the station. It decided in November to dump Mir into the ocean on its 15th birthday. Yuri Koptev, head of Russia's space and aviation agency, said last month there was little point in maintaining a station where cosmonauts spent 80 percent of their time on repairs. Cash-strapped Russia, where power cuts regularly plunge whole regions into darkness and many people use kerosene lamps and home-made stoves to survive the winter, has long regarded the station as an example of its technological genius. MANY RECORDS SET The station, visited by 28 long-term expeditions with a total of 106 cosmonauts, has set many records. Kazakh cosmonaut Talbat Musabayev spent more than 30 hours in one month working outside the station to secure his place in the Guinness Book of Records. Russian Sergei Avdeyev, who spent 747 days in space, remains the only cosmonaut in the world to have toasted the New Year three times in orbit. But Mir has also seen a number of frustrating glitches. In February 1997, fire broke out when cosmonauts tried to change an air filter. A few months later, Mir's energy supply fell dramatically after a Progress cargo craft hit it during docking and damaged its solar batteries. In September 1997, a computer failed, leaving Mir spinning aimlessly. Two years later, the station went into hibernation after Mission Control shut down its main computer by accident. After the dumping of Mir, Russia will focus on the ambitious $60 billion, 16-nation venture to build the International Space Station (ISS). But for many who remember the heyday of the Soviet space industry, when state funds were spent generously on the sector to dazzle the West with its achievements, the dumping of Mir will mean the end of an epoch. "Thursday's launch would have been nothing out of the ordinary if it wasn't aimed at guiding Mir out of its orbit," Nikolai Zelenshchikov, first deputy head of the Energiya corporation that runs Mir, told Reuters. "This is sad, but we understand that Mir's work must come to an end and we should then switch over to building the ISS."

Precocious Earth NASA Science News for January 17, 2001 Tiny zircon crystals found in ancient stream deposits suggest that Earth harbored continents and liquid water remarkably soon after our planet formed. Life could have established a foothold on Earth 400 million years earlier than expected. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast17jan_1.htm?list89800

NEWSALERT: Thursday, January 18, 2001 @ 0220 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now ICE MAY HAVE FORMED MARTIAN CHANNELS ------------------------------------ Some channels on the surface of Mars believed to have been formed by running water may have instead been carved by streams of ice. Channels in one region of Mars share a number of key characteristics with those created by ice streams that flow beneath Antarctica's surface and empty into the surrounding oceans. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/18marsice/ U.S. WEATHER SATELLITE LAUNCH BUMPED TO SATURDAY ------------------------------------------------ A vintage Titan 2 rocket built in the 1960s is poised for a $430 million launch before sunrise Saturday from Central California carrying a crucial replacement global weather satellite for the U.S. military. The liftoff was delayed 24 hours so workers could replace a faulty cabling used in pre-flight rocket testing. http://spaceflightnow.com/titan/g9/preview.html CASSINI PROBE FAILS TO FIND LIGHTNING ON VENUS ---------------------------------------------- Space physicist Donald Gurnett says that a search for lightning on Venus in 1998 and 1999 using the Cassini spacecraft failed to detect high-frequency radio waves commonly associated with lightning. The possible existence of lightning at Venus has long been controversial. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/18cassvenus/ GLOBALSTAR ACTS TO ASSURE FUNDS FOR FURTHER OPERATIONS ------------------------------------------------------ Globalstar has announced that, in order to have sufficient funds available for the continued progress of its marketing and service activities, it has suspended indefinitely principal and interest payments on all of its funded debt and dividend payments on its preferred stock. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/18globalstar/ EXPERIMENTAL EUROPEAN SATELLITE SWITCHES ROCKETS ------------------------------------------------ Europe has officially dropped a previous agreement with Japan to launch the Artemis experimental communications satellite aboard the unproven H-2A rocket in favor of using an Ariane 5 booster. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/18artemis/

The Eastern U.S. Keeps Its Cool NASA Science News for January 18, 2001 While surface temperatures across most of the globe are on the rise, the eastern U.S. appears to be slowly cooling. Scientists say the trend could be a result of increasing cloud cover triggered by warming Pacific waters. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast18jan_1.htm?list89800

NEWSALERT: Friday, January 19, 2001 @ 0606 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now REMARKABLE NEW VIEWS CAPTURES OF ORION NEBULA --------------------------------------------- Orion the Hunter is perhaps the best known constellation in the sky, well placed in the evening at this time of the year for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres, and instantly recognizable. The new pictures captured by astronomers are a must see! http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/19orion/ NUCLEAR ENGINE PROMISES TO SLASH TRAVEL TIMES TO MARS ----------------------------------------------------- A novel type of nuclear reactor could cut make it possible for spacecraft to travel from the Earth to Mars in as little as two weeks, one Israeli researcher has found. A little-known isotope of an artificially produced element could power future robotic or human spacecraft far more efficiently than chemical or other nuclear propulsion sources. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/19marsnuclear/ SPACE STATION CREW FACES TOUGH SCHEDULE --------------------------------------- An 18-day delay for the next space station assembly mission has thrown a wrench into the on-board crew's timeline, compressing an already busy schedule of work that must be completed before arrival of their replacements in early March, officials said Thursday. http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage5a/010118issupdate/ LAUNCH OF PROGRESS FREIGHTER TO MIR SCRUBBED -------------------------------------------- Orientation troubles aboard the abandoned Russian space station Mir forced officials to scrub Thursday's planned launch of an unmanned freighter that will ultimately deorbit the outpost in March. http://spaceflightnow.com/mir/010118scrub/ TITAN ROCKET TO LAUNCH WEATHER SATELLITE SATURDAY ------------------------------------------------- The 26-hour countdown is scheduled to begin this morning at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California leading to Saturday's launch of a U.S. military weather satellite aboard a refurbished Titan 2 rocket booster. We will have live coverage launch! http://spaceflightnow.com/titan/g9/status.html STARDUST LOOKS DOWN ON MOON'S NORTH POLE ---------------------------------------------- Just after NASA's Stardust spacecraft successfully flew by the Earth on Monday to use the planet's gravity to change its orbit, the comet-bound probe took a series of images of the Moon to calibrate its onboard camera. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/19stardustlunar/ LEONIDS ROSE TO OCCASION, DESPITE BAD WEATHER --------------------------------------------- Read about the adventures and results of European astronomers as they attempted to image the Leonids meteors by splitting up into teams and working from different locations to create stereo observations. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/19leonids/ CASSINI SPACE PROBE JOURNEYS INTO JUPITER'S MAGNETOSPHERE --------------------------------------------------------- NASA's Cassini spacecraft shows that the craft recent was inside Jupiter's magnetosphere at the same time the Galileo probe flew within the vast surrounding environment of charged particles moving under the influence of the planet's magnetic field. This marks the first time humankind has placed two spacecraft within the magnetosphere of an outer planet at the same time. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/19jupmagnet/

Wow, Mirs finally coming down in March.

Yup - hope their aim is good!!! Layers of Mars Last year NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft spotted mysterious layered regions on Mars. If the layers are sedimentary deposits that formed underwater, as some scientists suspect, they could be the best places to hunt for elusive Martian fossils. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast23jan_1.htm?list89800

NEWSALERT: Friday, January 26, 2001 @ 0257 GMT --------------------------------------------------------------------- The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now Sponsored by European AstroFest 2001 http://www.astronomynow.com/astrofest WORLD'S LARGEST HUMAN GATHERING SEEN FROM SPACE ----------------------------------------------- Space Imaging's Ikonos satellite has taken a detailed color photograph of the largest human gathering in the history of the world, the Maha Kumbh Mela, a spiritual event held every 144 years in Northern India. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/26ikonos/ NASA SETTLES ON NEW SPACE SHUTTLE LAUNCH SCHEDULE ------------------------------------------------- As expected, NASA managers Thursday agreed on a revised near-term shuttle launch schedule, delaying the next flight one day to February 7 and the flight after that from March 1 to March 8. Other downstream flights face delays of several weeks and two space station crew rotation missions are under review. http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage5a/010125sked/ See our updated master timeline of Atlantis' flight: http://spaceflightnow.com/station/stage5a/fdf/98plan.html OLD CARGO SHIP LEAVES MIR TO MAKE WAY FOR NEW ONE ------------------------------------------------- The Progress M43 cargo ship departed the Mir space station Thursday. The craft, which joined Mir last October, left from the Kvant-1 module to free up the docking port for arrival of Mir's deorbiting tug launched Wednesday. http://spaceflightnow.com/mir/010125progm43/ NASA CRAFT REVEALS EARTH'S INVISIBLE MAGNETIC TAIL -------------------------------------------------- The first large-scale pictures of the hidden machinations of the Earth's magnetic force-field are now available, including confirmation of a suspected but previously invisible "tail" of electrified gas. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/26image/ EUROPE'S SATELLITES TRACK CLIMATE CHANGES ----------------------------------------- In July an Ariane 5 launcher will send into orbit Europe's big new environmental satellite, Envisat. Scientists will expect fresh insights into how the world is changing from the 8-tonne spacecraft. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/26esaearth/ SCIENTISTS RUSH TO PROPOSE PLUTO MISSION ---------------------------------------- On December 20, NASA announced that it would be soliciting proposals for a mission to the Pluto-Charon system and the Kuiper Belt beyond to arrive at Pluto by 2015. The formal announcement of opportunity was released January 19. Proposals are due on March 21. http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0101/26plutorush/

Earth's Invisible Magnetic Tail NASA Science News for January 25, 2001 The first global views of our planet's magnetosphere, captured by NASA's IMAGE spacecraft, reveal a curious plasma tail that stretches toward the Sun. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast25jan_1.htm?list89800