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- Articles and News Page 2 BOEING DELIVERS JIMO SPACECRAFT DESIGN PROPOSAL
- Page 4 RESEARCHERS REVIEW EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF MODERN ALGAE
- Page 5 EAVESDROPPING ON OLYMPUS—LET THE GAMES BEGIN
- Page 7 SPACE SCIENCE PIONEER VAN ALLEN QUESTIONS HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT
- Page 9 NASA PLAYS KEY ROLE IN LARGEST ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERIMENT IN HISTORY
- Page 11 NASA INVITES PUBLIC TO EXPLORE "RED PLANET" VIA INTERNET
- Page 12 NASA SELECTS FUTURE MISSION CONCEPTS FOR STUDY
- Page 14 ESA IS LOOKING FOR FEMALE VOLUNTEERS FOR A BED-REST STUDY IN TOULOUSE NEXT YEAR
- Page 19 MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS IMAGES
- INSIDE THE GIANTS: PUZZLING DIFFERENCES IN JUPITER AND SATURN
- UNIQUE OBSERVATIONS OF NEWBORN STAR PROVIDE INFORMATION ON SOLAR SYSTEMS ORIGIN
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Marsbugs is published on a weekly to monthly basis as warranted by the number of articles and announcements. Copyright of this compilation exists with the editor, except for specific articles, in which instance copyright exists with the author/authors. Opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors, and are not necessarily endorsed by the editor or by Lyon College. E-mail subscriptions are free, and may be obtained by contacting the editor. Information concerning the scope of this newsletter, subscription formats and availability of back-issues is available at http://www.lyon.edu/projects/marsbugs. The editor does not condone "spamming" of subscribers. Readers would appreciate it if others would not send unsolicited e-mail using the Marsbugs mailing lists. Persons who have information that may be of interest to subscribers of Marsbugs should send that information to the editor. At 20 times the size of Earth, the largest sunspot observed since the November 2003 series of solar storms is now pointed directly at Earth. Its unusually large size also means that it is now visible to the naked eye (although you should never look at the Sun without a proper filter). The implications of this spot have scientists on the edge of their seats—if the active region generates coronal mass ejections (CMEs), massive explosions with a potential force of a billion megaton bombs, it will be a fairly direct hit to Earth and its satellites and power grids. The last large solar events occurred in the fall of 2003 when seventeen major flares erupted on the Sun. Currently, sunspot group AR 10652 has generated several medium-sized flares and CMEs over the past three and a half days. This view is from the SOHO spacecraft’s Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) instrument from July 23, 2004, at 16:00 UTC. Over the next few days, the region has the potential for unleashing more and larger solar storms. The SOHO is located in an orbit approximately one million miles from Earth in order to gain an unobstructed view of the Sun. It carries 12 instruments and is a joint NASA/ESA mission. More information is available at http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=16616. Articles and News Page 2 BOEING DELIVERS JIMO SPACECRAFT DESIGN PROPOSAL Boeing release Page 3 INSIDE THE GIANTS: PUZZLING DIFFERENCES IN JUPITER AND SATURN Page 3 UNIQUE OBSERVATIONS OF NEWBORN STAR PROVIDE INFORMATION ON SOLAR SYSTEM'S ORIGIN Vanderbilt University release Page 4 ET FIRST CONTACT "WITHIN 20 YEARS" By Marcus Chown Page 4 RESEARCHERS REVIEW EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY OF MODERN ALGAE Texas A&M University release Page 4 SCRIPPS RESEARCHERS DOCUMENT SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE DEEP SEA—CLIMATE AND FOOD SUPPLY FLUCTUATIONS MAY HOLD MAJOR CONSEQUENCES FOR LIFE IN THE ABYSS Scripps Institution of Oceanography release Page 5 EAVESDROPPING ON OLYMPUS—LET THE GAMES BEGIN From Astrobiology Magazine Page 6 SPINNING BRAINS By Patrick L. Barry and Tony Phillips Page 7 DOUBLE WHAMMY: ASTEROIDS DELIVERED ONE-TWO PUNCH By Robert Roy Britt Page 7 ANALYSIS: BUSH STANDS BY HIS SPACE PLAN Page 7 SPACE SCIENCE PIONEER VAN ALLEN QUESTIONS HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT By Leonard David Page 7 CHINA TO LAUNCH SECOND MANNED SPACE MISSION IN 2005 From Agence France-Press and SpaceDaily Page 7 THE SPILLPROOF EARTH—ELECTRONS TO PASS THE "WHITE GLOVE" OVER A SPACEPROBE From Astrobiology Magazine Page 9 NASA PLAYS KEY ROLE IN LARGEST ENVIRONMENTAL EXPERIMENT IN HISTORY NASA/GSFC release 2004-242 Page 10 HOWLING AT THE MOON: SPACE ENTREPRENEURS SEE RED OVER MARS FAVORITISM By Leonard David Page 10 METEORITE FROM OMAN RECORDS ITS LUNAR LAUNCH SITE AND DETAILED HISTORY By Lori Stiles Page 11 NASA INVITES PUBLIC TO EXPLORE "RED PLANET" VIA INTERNET NASA/ARC release 2004-74AR Page 12 THE DARKENING EARTH: LESS SUN AT THE EARTH'S SURFACE COMPLICATES CLIMATE MODELS By David Appell Page 12 HOW SPECIAL IS THE SOLAR SYSTEM? Royal Astronomical Society release Page 12 LIFE ON MARS LIKELY, SCIENTIST CLAIMS By Leonard David Announcements Page 12 NASA SELECTS FUTURE MISSION CONCEPTS FOR STUDY NASA/JPL release 2004-186 Page 13 NASA INVESTIGATORS SELECTED FOR HUMAN AND ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY NASA release 2004-248 Page 13 NASA RELEASES BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT FOR EXPLORATION NASA release 2004-249 Page 14 NASA ANNOUNCES SPACE RADIATION MATERIALS RESEARCH GRANTS NASA release 2004-255 Page 14 ESA IS LOOKING FOR FEMALE VOLUNTEERS FOR A BED-REST STUDY IN TOULOUSE NEXT YEAR ESA release 45-2004 Mission Reports Page 14 CASSINI UPDATES NASA/JPL releases Page 17 MARS EXPLORATION ROVERS UPDATES NASA/JPL releases Page 18 MARS EXPRESS IMAGES ESA releases Page 19 MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR IMAGES NASA/JPL/MSSS releases Page 19 MARS ODYSSEY THEMIS IMAGES NASA/JPL/ASU releases Page 20 ROSETTA: MONITORING NEW AVIONICS SOFTWARE ESA release BOEING DELIVERS JIMO SPACECRAFT DESIGN PROPOSAL Boeing release 19 July 2004 Boeing delivered its conceptual design proposal Friday, July 16, for the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO), a spacecraft that could become the nation’s first nuclear-fission-powered exploration vehicle with technologies applicable to future Mars and lunar missions. The JIMO reactor would provide more than 100 times more usable onboard power than has been available to previous science probes and demonstrate nuclear reactors can be operated safely and reliably in space to provide electrical power needed for propulsion and scientific exploration. 
A Boeing-led team of engineers and program planners is working with JPL on a groundbreaking initiative that heralds a new era in space science and exploration. The Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) spacecraft would be the nation’s first nuclear fission reactor-powered scientific spacecraft. It is part of NASA’s Project Prometheus, the space agency’s endeavor to develop safe nuclear power and high-efficiency electric propulsion to open the solar system. With the planet Jupiter as its backdrop, this artist's rendering shows JIMO orbiting the ice-covered Jovian satellites Callisto, Ganymede and Europa. One purpose of the mission is to begin studying the subsurface water ocean suspected to exist on Europa, which could harbor simple extraterrestrial life. JIMO would be the first probe to have the power to orbit multiple planetary objects for weeks at a time. John J. Rankin, artist. "Through Project Prometheus, NASA is developing space nuclear power and electric propulsion technologies that have the potential to revolutionize space exploration. As envisioned, JIMO would change how humans explore the solar system," said Mike Mott, Boeing NASA Systems vice president and general manager. "The Boeing team has the large-scale systems integration capability and experience to make it a success." Boeing submitted the proposal in conjunction with its ongoing $11.8 million Phase A study contract with Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), one of three awarded last year to study options for the reactor, power conversion, electric propulsion and other JIMO subsystems. The orbiter’s proposed mission is to explore Jupiter’s three ice-covered Galilean moons Ganymede, Callisto and Europa and would launch no earlier than 2015, as outlined in the national Vision for Space Exploration. Boeing’s analysis of the proposed mission would have the JIMO spacecraft embark on a direct five- to eight-year interplanetary journey to reach the icy moons avoiding the time intensive gravity assists often used to sling chemically propelled space probes toward their final destinations. Once at Jupiter, the available power and propulsion systems would give JIMO the capability to explore each icy moon extensively for 30 days or more, providing unprecedented science data about the frozen worlds. The spacecraft would extensively explore the moons’ composition, history and potential for sustaining life. The venture supports the Vision for Space Exploration and NASA’s main goal to explore the universe and search for life. "Boeing believes that the prudent use of nuclear power is one key to safely and reliably conducting the exploration initiatives NASA is undertaking for America’s future," said Joe Mills, Boeing vice president leading the company’s JIMO efforts. "The Boeing team has a long heritage of successful nuclear power programs and brings technical and management expertise to support the government in this critical area." The Boeing JIMO program is being led by Phantom Works in partnership with Boeing NASA Systems along with support from Electron Dynamic Devices Inc., for electric propulsion research; Boeing Satellite Systems for spacecraft engineering; and Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power for power conversion and management technologies. Boeing’s partners include BWX Technologies Inc., Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., and General Dynamics Electric Boat. A JIMO spacecraft contractor is expected to be selected in the fall of 2004. Phase B would include the development of system requirements and a preliminary design of the spacecraft. Phase C/D would follow next for the full-scale design, fabrication, integration and test of the space system. Phase E would include launch and post-launch operations. NASA may then contract for up to three additional spacecraft for missions to other outer planet destinations. Phantom Works is the advanced research and development unit and catalyst of innovation for Boeing. Through its Integrated Defense Advanced Systems group, it provides leading edge systems and technology solutions to Boeing Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), one the world's largest space and defense businesses. For more information about the Boeing JIMO initiative, visit http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/space/prometheus/. Contacts: Tanya E. Deason-Sharp Boeing NASA Systems Phone: 281-226-6070 E-mail: tanya.e.deason-sharp@boeing.com
Boeing Phantom Works Phone: 714-372-4742 E-mail: glen.golightly@boeing.com Regina W. Carter BWX Technologies, Inc. Phone: 434-522-5158 E-mail: rwcarter@bwxt.com Emilia Reed Ball Aerospace Technologies & Corp Phone: 303-939-6551 E-mail: ereed@ball.com Neil Ruenzel General Dynamics Electric Boat Phone: 860-433-8556
By Robert Roy Britt From Space.com
Vanderbilt University release 21 July 2004 A new study has caught a newborn star similar to the sun in a fiery outburst. X-ray observations of the flare-up, which are the first of their kind, are providing important new information about the early evolution of the sun and the process of planet formation. The study, which was conducted by a team of astronomers headed by Joel Kastner of the Rochester Institute of Technology and included David Weintraub from Vanderbilt, is reported in the July 22 issue of the journal Nature. Last January, Jay McNeil, an amateur astronomer in West Kentucky, discovered a new cloud of dust and gas in the Orion region. Previously the cloud, now named the McNeil nebula, was not visible from earth. But a new star inside the dark cloud had flared up in brightness, lighting up the surrounding nebula. Looking back at the images taken of this part of the sky revealed that a young star about the size of the sun had burst into visibility last November. Despite the fact that hundreds of telescopes scan the sky nightly, the discovery of a new star is an extremely rare event, having occurred only twice in the last century. What made this star even more special was the fact that it appears to be an extremely young star-far less than a million years old-that is about the same mass as the sun. Astronomers know of fewer than a dozen of these stars, which they call FU-Orionis-type. Although this is the third FU-Orionis that has been caught in the act of flaring, it is the first that has occurred in modern times when its behavior could be monitored not only in visible light, but also in radio, infrared and X-ray wavelengths. "In FU-Orionis stars, these outbursts are very brief," says Weintraub, associate professor of astronomy. "They brighten by as much as 100 thousand times in a few months and then fade away over a number of months." 
In this X-ray image taken with the Chandra X-ray Observatory in early March, the small orange object near the center is v1647. Photo courtesy of David Weintraub. Knowing that time was short, Kastner and Weintraub submitted an emergency request for viewing time on the orbiting Chandra X-ray observatory. Because X-rays are generated by extremely violent events, they provide a critical window for observing extreme stellar flare-ups of this sort. The astronomers were granted two viewing times in early and late March. Using Chandra, the astronomers discovered that the star, which has been officially named V1647 Ori, was a very bright X-ray source in early March, but its X-ray brightness had decreased substantially by the end of the month before the star disappeared from view behind the sun. At the same time, the new star was fading in visible and infrared wavelengths. In addition, the astronomers learned that Ted Simon from the Institute for Astronomy in Hawaii had taken some serendipitous X-ray images of the same area in 2002 for another purpose. These showed no X-rays coming from the V1647 Ori's location at that time, supporting the idea that the recent X-ray production was directly associated with the star's flare-up. Kastner and Weintraub propose a novel mechanism to explain their observations. Many stars, including the sun, produce X-rays by a mechanism that depends on the star's rotation rate and convection depth. But the astronomers calculate that the temperature of the gas that is producing the X-rays at V1647 ORI is substantially higher than can be explained by this traditional mechanism. Observations of V1647 Ori indicate that it possesses a "protoplanetary" disk-a thin disk extending out from a star's equator that contains dust and gas left over from the star's formation and from which planets form. Kastner and Weintraub argue that the flare was touched off by a sudden avalanche of disk material falling onto the surface of the star and that this was the source of the intense X-rays as well as the other forms of radiation. If their hypothesis is correct, X-ray observations may help discriminate between young stars that possess protoplanetary disks and those that don't, Weintraub says. There is a disagreement among astronomers about whether FU-Orionis stars undergo outbursts of this sort only once, several times or dozens of times before they settle into maturity. Other astronomers who have looked further back in the astronomical records for V1647 Ori have found that it also flared up in 1965, which provides added support for the multiple outburst theories. Other participants in the study were Michael Richmond at the Rochester Institute of Technology, Nicolas Grosso and H. Ozawa at the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, A. Frank at the University of Rochester, Kenji Hamaguchi at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Arne Henden at the U.S. Naval Observatory. Kastner and Weintraub have been awarded time to conduct additional observations on Chandra so that they can measure the X-ray activity of the new star beginning in October when it becomes visible once again. Read the original news release at http://www.vanderbilt.edu/news/releases?id=13096. An additional article on this subject is available at http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0407/22newbornstar/. Directory: projects -> marsbugs -> 2004 projects -> Rajinder Sachar Committee projects -> Cape Lookout National Seashore Historic Resource Study By projects -> Cape Lookout National Seashore Historic Resource Study By projects -> Revolutionizing Climate Modeling – Project Athena: a multi-Institutional, International Collaboration projects -> What is a Hurricane? projects -> General Information projects -> Press Information projects -> 1 Introduction 3 2 Designing an Embedded System 4 2004 -> Editor/Publisher 2004 -> Editor/Publisher Download 1.87 Mb. Share with your friends:
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