Fw: Latest News from the Astrobiology Magazine

[LARRY KLAES]

----- Original Message ----- From: Astrobiology Magazine To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2004 5:34 AM Subject: Latest News from the Astrobiology Magazine Titan: The Moon That Howls Back http://www.astrobio.net/news/article1358.html On Christmas Eve, the Cassini spacecraft will release its wok-shaped Huygens probe on the start of an intimate date with Saturn's largest moon, Titan. On Jan. 14, at 4 a.m. EST, Huygens will enter Titan's methane-rich atmosphere at a speed of 12,000 mph, rapidly decelerate, then deploy its parachute at an altitude above 90 miles. Because methane gas gets depleted quickly, its high concentration on Titan implies a regenerative source. But which one? Antimatter over Antarctica? http://www.astrobio.net/news/article1357.html An international team of researchers will fly a balloon and sensitive detectors over the South Pole. They won't be searching for anything known in our universe of matter. They will seek out remnants of antimatter. Cometary Big Dig http://www.astrobio.net/news/article1356.html The Deep Impact mission will send a large copper projectile crashing into the surface of a comet at more than 20,000 miles per hour, creating a huge crater and revealing never before seen materials and the internal compostion and structure of a comet. The impact will excavate a crater of approximately 100 meters in diameter and 25 meters in depth. Dramatic images from both the flyby spacecraft and the impactor will be sent back to distant Earth in near-real time. Saturn's Lightning Bolts Shocking http://www.astrobio.net/news/article1355.html As hard as it might be to imagine a lightning bolt a million times stronger than on Earth, Saturn offers such enormous storms. The approaching Cassini spacecraft detected disruption of its radio signals nearly 100 million miles from the planet, and the source has been linked to such astonishing storm systems on the turbulent planet. Wednesday, December 22 ------------------------ For more astrobiology news, visit http://www.astrobio.net To unsubscribe, send subject UNSUBSCRIBE to [EMAIL PROTECTED]