Carnival of Space #257
http://www.dearastronomer.com/
Welcome to another installment of The Carnival of Space! Here’s some highlights of space and astronomy news from the past week. We’ve got great stories on Mars, The Higgs Boson, Online Astronomy courses, asteroids, space shuttle launches and more!
Starting off this week’s installment are some thoughts on the possibility of a Mars analogue in Kutch region of India. You can check it out at: http://pradx.me/2012/07/03/mars-mangalwar-a-mars-analogue-in-kutch/
Universe Today brings us an awesome video featuring every space shuttle launch made. You can learn more (and check out the awesome video) at: http://www.universetoday.com/96169/all-135-space-shuttle-launches-at-once/
Links Through Space provides an intriguing article on Russia’s Planetary Missions. Anatoly Zak from Russian Space Web writes an eye opener in Russian Space
Programs. Read the full article at: http://linksthroughspace.blogspot.fi/2012/07/russian-scientists-propose-mission-to.html
Lunar Craters. Image Credit: NASA/GSFC/ASU.
Next up are some awesome happenings with CosmoQuest!
For starters, let’s just admit it, Craters are awesome. Help join the CosmoQuest Moon Mappers effort. If you need motivation, check out the promo video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5WMAxr9Vdo&w=500&h=281 and join the efforts at: http://cosmoquest.org/mappers/moon/
Next up from CosmoQuest is their first online course offering. During an 8-session, 4-week course, students will be exploring the modern understanding of the solar system, planetary geology, and extrasolar planets. Learn how solar systems form and how astronomers use all colors of light to study currently forming solar systems. Study the different types of planets, and how we currently define planets (and how maybe that definition should change). Explore all the ways that we are moving beyond our solar system and starting to explore planets orbitting alien stars. You can sign up for the course at: http://cosmoquest.org/Classes
China and the Soviet Union have followed similar paths in space. Is this a coincidence or evidence that we may be in for another space race? Learn more from Amy Shira Teitel at: http://amyshirateitel.com/2012/07/07/are-china-and-the-ussr-equivalent-opponents-to-the-us-in-space/
A boson that resembles the Higgs has been detected by two Large Hadron Collider experiments. Learn more from Discovery’s Ian O’Neill at: http://news.discovery.com/space/higgs-boson-kinda-sorta-discovered-120704.html
Here’s a couple stories from Next Big Future. For starters, There are approximately 1500 asteroids that are close to the earth and relatively easy to access. These asteroids contain substantial quantities of water, as well as precious metals such as platinum. The company Planetary Resources has been operating since 2010 with the primary mission of exploiting these asteroids natural resources. Planetary Resources believes that a combination of robots and satellites can be effectively used to extract both water and metals from these satellites within the next two decades. Read the full article at: http://nextbigfuture.com/2012/07/could-mining-asteroids-become-trillion.html
Next up, The IH (Integrated Hypersonics) program is designed to address technical challenges and improve understanding of long-range hypersonic flight through an initial full-scale baseline test of an existing hypersonic test vehicle, followed by a series of subscale flight tests, innovative ground-based testing, expanded modeling and simulation, and advanced analytic methods, culminating in a test flight of a full-scale hypersonic X-plane (HX) in 2016. HX is envisioned as a recoverable next-generation configuration augmented with a rocket-based propulsion capability that will enable and reduce risk for highly maneuverable, long-range hypersonic platforms. Check out the full scoop at: http://nextbigfuture.com/2012/07/darpa-continues-investments-in-extreme.html
Viewers from Europe (Sorry U.S. friends) will be able to see a nice Jupiter’s occultation next week. Some tips for viewing with an illustration photo in the Venus Transit site at: http://www.thevenustransit.com/2012/07/Jupiter-Occultation.html
Speaking of Venus… The Venus and Jupiter Skyshow continues! Venus is approaching Aldebaran. Learn more at: http://astroblogger.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/venus-and-jupiter-7-8-july-2012.html
Last but not least, Do you think outside the atmosphere? This small arduino-compatible prototyping platform puts a complete space-related development environment in the hands of makers and coders. Get the juicy details at: http://www.kentuckyspace.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=474:firefly-qsimplifies-spaceq&catid=45:kentuckyspaceblog&Itemid=1
That’s it for this week’s Carnival of Space! Stay tuned for the next weekly showcase of articles written on the topic of space.
If you have a science/space blog, joining the carnival is a good way to meet members of the space/science blogging community and help your site reach a wider audience.
If you’d like to be a host for the carnival, please send email to [email protected]
Ray Sanders is a Sci-Fi geek, astronomer and blogger. Currently researching variable stars at Arizona State University, he writes for Universe Today, The Planetary Society blog, and his own blog, Dear Astronomer
2012-12-04 08:07:55
Source: http://www.dearastronomer.com/2012/07/10/carnival-of-space-257/
Source:
