SciTech News

NASA Chief Takes Blame for Budget Backlash

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

NASA chief Charles Bolden said Saturday that he takes full responsibility for the shock and surprise from employees and lawmakers after hearing of the agency&os;s new direction.

Shuttle Endeavour Closes in on Space Station

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

The space shuttle Endeavour is closing in on the International Space Station for a planned Wednesday docking to deliver a new room and space window.

New Solar Observatory to Unlock Sun's Mysteries

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

The all-seeing Solar Dynamics Observatory promises to reveal the sun in HD resolution and help scientists better predict dangerous solar storms.

This Week in Space: Do Space Start-Ups Mean Compromised Safety?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

Astronaut and ATK manager Scott "Doc" Horowitz is deeply skeptical of small private commercial space companies chances of delivering and returning crews.

MISSION UPDATE: Shuttle Astronauts Awake for Docking Day

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

Space Shuttle Endeavour Soars in Predawn Launch

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

The space shuttle Endeavour lit up the predawn sky above Florida when it launched Feb. 8 on its STS-130 mission.

Astronauts Inspect Shuttle for Damage

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

Astronauts aboard the space shuttle Endeavour will scan their spacecraft overnight to search for any signs of heat shield damage from their early Monday launch.

Astronauts Skip Super Bowl for Space Shuttle Launch

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

The six astronauts who rocketed into space early Monday opted to skip watching the Super Bowl in order to blast off on the space shuttle Endeavour.

Shuttle Launch Lights the Night for Last Time

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

There is a lot of history behind NASA&os;s final night launch of a space shuttle — the early Monday liftoff of shuttle Endeavour.

This Week in Space: Nimble Space Companies: Fixed-Price vs. Cost-Plus

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

Are small private firms better suited to reducing the cost of space? Maybe, if we&os;re willing to trade uncertainty for opportunity. Commercial Spaceflight Federation&os;s Brett Alexander and Astronaut Leroy Chiao explore the issues.

Space Shuttle Launch Delayed by Thick Clouds

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

Thick clouds thwarted the attempted predawn launch of NASA&os;s space shuttle Endeavour on Sunday, forcing the orbiter&os;s six-astronaut crew to wait at least one more day before rocketing into orbit.

On LiveScience: Snowpocalypse Seen from Space

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

New Sunspots Could Produce Space Storms

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

A new group of sunspots has produced moderate (M-class) solar flares, but forecasters say it could unleash a large (X-class) flare.

Go Cosmic Sightseeing with Orion, the Hunter

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

Orion is the richest constellation of the winter sky, a perfect place to begin exploring the night sky.

Today's Spiral Galaxies Were Once the Ugly Ducklings

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

Using data from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have created a census of galaxy types and shapes.

Saturn's Moon Does Harbor an Ocean, New Evidence Suggests

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:09 GMT

Evidence suggests liquid water exists inside Saturn&os;s moon Enceladus.

Solar Dynamics Observatory Set For Feb 10 Launch

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:45 GMT

Sidebar: 'Solar Constant' is an OxymoronAstronomers were once so convinced of the sun's constancy, they called the irradiance of the sun "the solar constant," and they set out to measure it as they would any constant of Nature. By definition, the solar constant is the amount of solar energy deposited at the top of Earth's atmosphere in units of watts per meter-squared. All wavelengths of radiation are included—radio, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays and so on. The approximate value of the solar constant is 1361 W/m2.Clouds, atmospheric absorption and other factors complicate measurements from Earth's surface, so NASA has taken the measuring devices to space. Today, VIRGO, ACRIM and SORCE are making measurements with precisions approaching 10 parts per million per year. Future instruments scheduled for flight on NASA's Glory and NOAA's NPOESS spacecraft aim for even higher precisions.To the amazement of many researchers, the solar constant has turned out to be not constant."'Solar constant' is an oxymoron," says Judith Lean of the Naval Research Lab. "Satellite data show that the sun's total irradiance rises and falls with the sunspot cycle by a significant amount."At solar maximum, the sun is about 0.1% brighter than it is at solar minimum. That may not sound like much, but consider the following: A 0.1% change in 1361 W/m2 equals 1.4 Watts/m2. Averaging this number over the spherical Earth and correcting for Earth's reflectivity yields 0.24 Watts for every square meter of our planet."Add it all up and you get a lot of energy," says Lean. "How this might affect weather and climate is a matter of—at times passionate—debate."Because SDO specializes in extreme ultraviolet wavelengths, it won't be making direct measurements of the total solar irradiance, which requires sensitivity across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Nevertheless, a combination of data from SDO and other spacecraft could shed new light on this important topic—and perhaps reveal other oxymorons as well.By Dr. Tony Phillips - Science @ NASA---Image 2: Areas of the USA vulnerable to power system collapse in response to an extreme geomagnetic storm. Source: National Academy of Sciences.

Jazz buys 15 new Bombardier turboprops

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:37 GMT

Air Canada Jazz is buying 15 new Bombardier Q400 turboprops, fuelling speculation that some of the planes will be deployed as part of Jazz's return to Toronto's downtown island airport.

Cassini Evidence Suggests Enceladus Harbors Water

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:40 GMT

Astronomers say it is likely that Saturn's moon Enceladus hides a large body of liquid water just beneath its icy surface, BBC News reported.More data returned from the Cassini probe, which periodically sweeps past the little moon, has provided even more evidence backing the idea of a sub-surface sea below the moon’s surface.Experts theorize that it is the detection of negatively charged water molecules in the atmosphere of Enceladus.

Commercial Paper Investors Recouping Losses: Canada Credit

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:34 GMT

New Gold Inc., Acceleware Corp. and other companies once saddled with insolvent commercial paper in Canada are recouping as much as 60 percent of their investments a year after a C$32 billion debt swap.