Today in Science/Astronomy:
* Search for Life at the Top of the World http://www.space.com/searchforlife/seti_licancabur_020919.html The highest lake in the world hides near the summit of a dormant volcano, a small icy pool in a sleeping giant towering nearly 20,000 feet above Chile's Atacama Desert. The volcano's name is Licancabur, and its largely unexplored lake poses many questions that are directly relevant to space exploration and astrobiology. * Astronotes: Possible Water Detected in Extrasolar Planet http://www.space.com/news/astronotes-1.html A team of Italian astronomers, using a radio telescope, say they've found tantalizing signs of water in the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet. If true, the finding would be of the landmark variety, other experts said. But they agreed the findings need to be verified by further work. * Scientists Create 'Star Trek' Antihydrogen in Quantity http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/generalscience/anti_hydrogen_020918.html European scientists say they have created enough antihydrogen -- a type of the mirror-image, antimatter stuff that fictionally powers spaceships on Star Trek -- to test a widely held basic model of the universe. * An Inside Look at the Mars Gravity Biosatellite Project http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/mars_biosatellite_020918.html Yes, it's true. Mars needs women -- as well as men -- to carry out the first landmark expedition to the red planet. But before humans set boot on the far-off world, what's really mandatory are a few good mice. * Ferrari Red Paint Set for Trip to Red Planet http://www.space.com/news/ferrari_red_020919.html Hoping to raise its public profile, the European Space Agency (ESA) is teaming with Italian race-car maker Ferrari to fly a few drops of Ferrari-red paint aboard ESA's Mars orbiter, scheduled for launch next summer on a mission to survey the surface and atmosphere of the red planet. |
