Send Medianews mailing list submissions to
[email protected]
To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
You can reach the person managing the list at
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
than "Re: Contents of Medianews digest..."
Today's Topics:
1. Mars' Missing Atmosphere May Just Be Hiding (Greg Williams)
2. Legendary astronaut still finds herself star-struck
(Greg Williams)
3. [Fwd: Re: AMC 18 on the move , looks like METEOSAT 6 been
retired] (Greg Williams)
4. Europe Eyes Old Birds for Satellite Radio (George Antunes)
5. Iran ready to launch satellite (George Antunes)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 01:34:40 -0500
From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Mars' Missing Atmosphere May Just Be Hiding
To: Media News <[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,247159,00.html
Rather than having had its air knocked out into space, Mars might just
be holding its breath.
New findings suggests the missing atmosphere of Mars might be locked up
in hidden reservoirs on the planet, rather than having been chafed away
by billions of years' worth of solar winds as previously thought.
Combining two years of observations by the European Space Agency's Mars
Express spacecraft, researchers determined that Mars is currently losing
only about 20 grams of air per second into space.
Extrapolating this measurement back over 3.5 billion years, they
estimate that only a small fraction, 0.2 to 4 millibars, of carbon
dioxide and a few centimeters of water could have been lost to solar
winds during that timeframe.
(A bar is a unit for measuring pressure; Earth's atmospheric pressure is
about 1 bar.)
Missing greenhouse
According to the "warm and wet early Mars" model, liquid water once
flowed on the Red Planet's surface. Evidence from channels and gullies
recently spotted on Mars suggest the water layer might have been more
than half a mile deep in places.
For Mars to keep that much water in liquid form, the planet must have
had a much higher atmospheric temperature, which scientists think was
made possible by a strong greenhouse effect in the planet's past.
Mars' atmosphere must have been between 1 to 5 bars to maintain that
kind of greenhouse effect, scientists think. But Mars' atmospheric
pressure today is only a small fraction of that ? about 0.008 bars, or
about 0.7 percent of the average surface pressure at sea level on Earth.
What happened to Mars' atmosphere ? and by association, its water ? is
one of the central mysteries surrounding the Red Planet today.
One idea was that the atmosphere was eroded over the course of several
billion years by the Sun's solar winds.
The new findings, detailed in the Jan. 26 issue of the journal Science,
suggest this might not be the case.
Hidden reservoir?
Where the atmosphere went is still unclear, but the authors speculate
that it might still be contained somewhere beneath the Martian surface.
"There are different alternatives," said study leader Stas Barabash of
the Swedish Institute of Space Physics in Kiruna, Sweden. "One is that
it is still stored somewhere on Mars in some hidden reservoir we cannot
find."
Another, more controversial, idea is that Mars' atmosphere was blown
away in a catastrophic impact with a giant asteroid or comet sometime in
the planet's ancient past.
Barabash estimates that Mars would have had to have been struck by a
space rock at least 6 miles (10 km) wide to obliterate its atmosphere.
Uncovering what happened to Mars' atmosphere is key to understanding the
overall evolution of the planet, Barabash told SPACE.com.
It could also help answer the question of whether life might have once
existed there.
"If we can show that conditions on early Mars were really moderate ?
that the temperature was sufficiently high and there was plenty of
water," Barabash said, "then all our suggestions and ideas that life
might have existed on Mars become more solid."
--
Greg Williams
K4HSM
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.twiar.org
http://www.etskywarn.net
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 01:41:04 -0500
From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Legendary astronaut still finds herself
star-struck
To: Media News <[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/01/26/shannon.lucid.profile/index.html
Legendary astronaut still finds herself star-struck
POSTED: 12:20 p.m. EST, January 26, 2007
(CNN) -- During the last space shuttle mission to the international
space station, television cameras panned around the Johnson Space
Center's Mission Control and landed on the CAPCOM desk -- the relay
station between astronauts on the ground and those circling in orbit.
There sat astronaut Shannon Lucid, diligently taking notes and talking
Discovery astronauts through procedure after procedure. At 64, Lucid
continues to work as an active member of the NASA astronaut corps and
loves every minute of it.
Lucid's career at NASA is the stuff of legends -- she was in the first
class of NASA's female astronauts, flew on five shuttle flights and
spent six months on Russia's Mir space lab. She's known for her zest for
life, steely determination and resourcefulness. (Photo gallery: Explore
Lucid's career)
"The very thought of exploring space I just find really exciting. And I
figure I'll work as long I'm happy to wake up every day and think 'Wow,
I'm so glad to be going to work,'" Lucid said.
Lucid's interest in space began as a young girl with a curiosity about
rockets and science fiction.
"I'd read about Robert Goddard [the father of modern rocket propulsion]
and his rockets out in New Mexico, and I had read a lot of science
fiction. And I thought it would be so cool to go up and explore the
universe."
Lucid was 14 years old when the space age began with the launch of
Sputnik on October 4, 1957. When the U.S. announced it would soon have
its own manned space program, it sent her spirits soaring.
She was dumbfounded to find out the first American astronauts were all male.
"I thought, 'Wow, how did this happen?' "
America of the 1950s and '60s provided few opportunities for women in
search of careers -- even fewer for women looking for jobs in science.
In 1963, just weeks away from getting her Bachelor of Science degree in
chemistry from the University of Oklahoma, Lucid recalled talking with
her professor about how to get a job.
He stared back her, stunned. "He said to me, 'A job? You plan on
working? But you're a girl.' "
"People just wouldn't even talk to you if you were a female. But when
the law changed [the Civil Rights Act of 1964], and it said you can't
discriminate, then things started to open up," she said.
Lucid found work in academia as a research biochemist.
"It just never occurred to her that there were things women didn't do,"
said astronaut Ellen Baker. Baker has worked with Lucid for 20 years,
flying together on the shuttle Atlantis in 1989.
"She is probably the most positive and optimistic person I know, who
basically thinks nothing is impossible and really has proven that in her
life," Baker said.
Lucid joined NASA in 1978 as a member of the first astronaut class to
accept females. The group of women also included Margaret Seddon,
Kathryn Sullivan, Judith Resnik, Sally Ride, and Anna Fisher.
"We came here, we were assigned jobs, and we just worked and tried to do
the best that we could," Lucid said, describing her beginnings with NASA.
What they did was prove to NASA and the world that female astronauts
could perform the same as male astronauts.
"The difficult part has always been waiting to be assigned to a flight."
Her hard work and persistence were rewarded; she completed 4 shuttle
flights between 1985 and 1993.
Mir
In 1996, NASA was in the early years of its partnership with the Russian
space agency. As a way to build on their relationship and learn about
living long-term in space, NASA sent astronauts to live and work for
months on Russia's orbiting space lab Mir.
The assignment wasn't appealing when compared to the shuttle flights of
the day. Astronauts had to learn Russian, leave home and train in Star
City, Russia, for a year. Once on Mir, they would spend months
conducting science experiments with two non-English speaking cosmonauts.
"I was wondering what it would be like to spend a long period of time in
space. I told everybody I wanted to do it, and they couldn't find
anybody else who had volunteered. So they said: 'Well OK, go do it,' "
Lucid said.
Her training was intense -- and entirely in Russian.
"It was as if you walked around all day with glasses on that were out of
focus, and you saw the whole world and it was out of focus, and you were
always trying to figure out what it was you were looking at. That's what
it felt like," she said of training in a language she didn't speak.
Lucid said her Mir crewmates Yury Usachev, left and Yuri Onufriyenko
made all the difference. "They are just wonderful people."
"They were really wonderful to live and work with," she said.
"Yury Usachev, was the flight engineer. He was an engineer by training,
and he had a philosophical bent. He liked to talk and philosophize. Yuri
Onufriyenko was the commander, a military pilot. He was born in the
Ukraine, and he was more quiet, but he liked to make sure everything was
done and done right."
Lucid kept busy with science experiments and assisted the crew with
multiple spacewalks. In her spare time she read and looked out the big
window at the Earth, keeping in contact with her family and friends via
a video link up and HAM radio. (Watch as Lucid details her life on Mir
Video)
Her original stay was supposed to last four months, but a shuttle delay
extended her mission by six weeks.
That extra time put her in the record book. She traveled 75.2 million
miles in 188 days, four hours. She holds the U.S. single mission space
flight endurance record on Mir, has the most flight hours in orbit by
any woman in the world and the most flight hours in orbit by any
non-Russian.
For her Mir achievement, President Bill Clinton awarded Lucid the
Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the only women to receive this
award. Russian President Boris Yeltsin awarded her the Order of
Friendship Medal, the highest Russian award that can be given to a
noncitizen.
"Shannon is a true pioneer in space exploration, and has been an
inspiration to me and countless other women in the United States and
around the world," said current NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale.
"We are proud to call a person of such outstanding achievement one of
our own here at NASA."
For Lucid, the Mir experience was "just awesome." An opportunity she is
very grateful to have been given. "I had a really good time thanks to
Yuri and Yury."
NASA's test of endurance
Since the Mir mission, Lucid has served in an astronaut support role for
shuttle flights.
She worked Mission Control during NASA's last shuttle mission in
December and recently traveled with NASA Administrator Michael Griffin
to China where they toured facilities where the Chinese are building
spacecraft.
Both China and the U.S. have ambitious lunar missions for the next
decade: NASA hopes to land people on the moon again by 2020, and China
plans to establish an orbiting space lab by 2015.
Lucid fully understands the difficult task ahead for the space agency.
"Going to the moon was an awesome feat. Sometimes when something gets
relegated to the history books it loses its wonder, and people forget
just what an awesome thing it really was to do that and what an awesome
thing it will be to have the ability to do again."
NASA has a good plan laid out and "will go step by step to get there,"
she said. "This is a long-term project. And we're in this for the long
haul."
A project that will no doubt test everyone's endurance. And as long as
she's needed she'll be there to help out.
"I just really enjoy working. ... I came from the generation where women
didn't have many options. That changed after I got out of school. I
still feel in awe that I even have a job. It's like a miracle every day."
--
Greg Williams
K4HSM
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.twiar.org
http://www.etskywarn.net
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 13:46:52 -0500
From: Greg Williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] [Fwd: Re: AMC 18 on the move , looks like
METEOSAT 6 been retired]
To: Media News <[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: AMC 18 on the move , looks like METEOSAT 6 been retired
Resent-Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 09:47:50 -0500
Resent-From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 12:52:50 +0000
From: Peter Wakelin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
References: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Kevin Fetter
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes
>Looks like METEOSAT 6 ( 22912 ) has been retired, and sent to the graveyard.
>
Meteosat 6 is moving to 67.5E to support the Data Collection Platform
Mission.
Meteosat 5 will be switched off on February 6 and boosted up soon after.
Peter
--
Peter Wakelin
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe/Unsubscribe info, Frequently Asked Questions, SeeSat-L archive:
http://www.satobs.org/seesat/seesatindex.html
--
Greg Williams
K4HSM
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.twiar.org
http://www.etskywarn.net
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 20:33:50 -0600
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Europe Eyes Old Birds for Satellite Radio
To: [email protected]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed
Europe Eyes Old Birds for Satellite Radio
Friday, January 26th 2007 @ 11:45 AM PST
By Geoff Duncan
Staff Writer, Digital Trends News
http://news.digitaltrends.com/article12168.html
The European Space Agency has developed a prototype satellite video, radio,
and data system built using aging television satellites.
The European Space Agency has developed a prototype satellite radio system
which uses old television satellites nearing the end of their working lives
to provide high-quality satellite radio in Europe?along with video and data
services. If the service were to go into commercial operation, it would be
the first in-car satellite radio system available to Europeans, who do not
receive service from leading North American satellite radio providers, XM
and Sirius.
The ESA's prototype system rides on an existing network of satellites
originally put into orbit to broadcast television signals. These satellites
typically have operational lifetimes of 10 to 15 years, but eventually run
out of fuel to correct their orbital trajectories. However, the satellites
are still operational, and even if they're useless for television services
which require stationary satellites, they're still useful for data
transmission.
The proposed satellite radio system would broadcast its programming as data
files, rather than traditional radio signals: the data would be picked up
by in-car receivers which would store the programming to a local memory
cache; thus, even if a car goes out of range of a satellite?say in a
tunnel, parking garage, or other structure?the system can continue to play
programming from cache uninterrupted. The data-based approach also means
the system can be used to distribute any sort of digital media or service,
including navigation information and video content
The ESA has also worked on a specially flattened antenna designed to be
integrated into a car's body work so it can pick up transmissions in the Ku
microwave frequency band used by the satellites.
The ESA demonstrated the system at the Noordwjk Space Expo in the
Netherlands; currently, there are no concrete plans to commercialize the
system, but the ESA has been working with nine partners for three years on
creating the prototype.
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Sat, 27 Jan 2007 20:40:50 -0600
From: George Antunes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Medianews] Iran ready to launch satellite
To: [email protected]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Message-ID:
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
Tehran ready to launch satellite
GULF DAILY NEWS [Bahrain]
27th January, 2007
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=168397&Sn=WORL&IssueID=29313
WASHINGTON: Iran has converted a 30-tonne ballistic missile into a
satellite launch vehicle that will be used to send a satellite into space
soon, a move that could have wider security implications.
Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the chairman of the Iranian parliament's National
Security and Foreign Policy Commission, spoke about the upcoming launch to
religious students and clerics in Qom, Aviation Week & Space Technology
magazine reported on its website.
The launcher is a version of the Shahab 3 missile that has a range of
1,285-1,600km, the magazine said, citing unidentified US agencies. A
missile of its kind could reach Saudi Arabia and as far west as Turkey.
Additionally, improvements in space launches could help Iran build an
intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of almost 4,000km,
according to the magazine.
The satellite launch by Iran would likely increase concern by the US and
Europe about its strategic capabilities and intentions, the magazine said
================================
George Antunes, Political Science Dept
University of Houston; Houston, TX 77204
Voice: 713-743-3923 Fax: 713-743-3927
antunes at uh dot edu
------------------------------
_______________________________________________
Medianews mailing list
[email protected]
http://twiar.org/mailman/listinfo/medianews_twiar.org
End of Medianews Digest, Vol 166, Issue 1
*****************************************
