Science News
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First Look Inside Moon's Shadowed Craters
January 16, 2009
News and Features -
Using a NASA radar flying aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, scientists are getting their first look inside the moon's coldest, darkest craters.
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Seeing Exoplanets from Earth
January 16, 2009
News and Features -
Two independent groups have made the first ground-based detection of thermal emissions from extrasolar planets. The studies open a new frontier for monitoring alien worlds from Earth, and also paves the way for further observations of extrasolar atmospheres.
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Methane Discovery Reveals Mars is Not a Dead Planet
January 16, 2009
News and Features -
A team of NASA and university scientists has achieved the first definitive detection of methane in the atmosphere of Mars. This discovery indicates the planet is either biologically or geologically active.
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Climate and Earth’s Energy Budget
January 15, 2009
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Earth’s temperature depends on how much sunlight the land, oceans, and atmosphere absorb, and how much heat the planet radiates back to space. This fact sheet describes the net flow of energy through different parts of the Earth system, and explains how the planetary energy budget stays in balance.
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NASA Tests Engine Technology for Landing Astronauts on the Moon
January 15, 2009
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A technology development engine that may help NASA safely return astronauts to the lunar surface has successfully completed its third round of testing.
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Methane-Spewing Martians?
January 15, 2009
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The methane found on Mars could be a sign of life on the red planet. Researchers are devising an instrument to measure the isotopic abundances that could distinguish a biological origin from a geological one.
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Discovery At the Launch Pad
January 15, 2009
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Discovery rolled to the launch pad Wednesday for its STS-119 mission, targeted to launch on February 12. Commander Lee Archambault and crew will deliver the final set of solar arrays to the space station.
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S'COOL Kids Still Have Their Heads In The Clouds For NASA Science
January 14, 2009
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For 12 years, elementary school students have helped NASA scientists verify satellite measurements of the atmosphere.
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Keeping an Eye on the Sky
January 14, 2009
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The University of Arizona's Catalina Sky Survey, which has discovered 70 percent of all known near Earth objects, is about to begin operating a new telescope. The Mount Lemmon telescope will increase survey productivity, helping to identify potentially hazardous objects like asteroids and comets on collision courses with Earth.
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The Human Factor: Understanding the Sources of Rising Carbon Dioxide
January 14, 2009
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Every time we get into our car, turn the key and drive somewhere, we burn gasoline, a fossil fuel derived from crude oil.