Archive for February, 2008
First Experiment Starts in ISS Columbus Module Testing Plant Growth
The brand new ESA Columbus Module installed on the International Space Station (ISS) by the STS-122 crew last week is beginning a first run of biological experiments. This first experiment tests the reaction of root growth in different gravitational states. Of particular interest is how the roots of seeds develop in space when compared to terrestrial conditions. This has obvious applications for growing plants in space, underpinning agricultural science in some of the most extreme and challenging environments man will experience.
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Shuttle Endeavour to Launch on March 11th; View the STS-123 Interactive Mission Timeline
We haven't had time to catch our breath after STS-122 touched down on February 20th, only nine days ago, and yet the next launch date to the International Space Station (ISS) has been announced today. The date? March 11th - only 11 days from now. This time NASA has put together a nice little interactive gadget so you can see the 17 day mission from day to day…
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Final Detector in Place at the Large Hadron Collider
One of the most complicated construction projects ever attempted reached a major milestone today. The final large detector element for the ATLAS instrument was lowered into the Large Hadron Collider. And this baby's big. Weighing in at 100 tonnes. When the collider finally comes online, this instrument will measure the cascade of particles generated in proton-proton collisions.
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What Happens When Supermassive Black Holes Collide?
As galaxies merge together, you might be wondering what happens with the supermassive black holes that lurk at their centres. Just imagine the forces unleashed as two black holes with hundreds of millions of times the mass of the Sun come together. The answer will surprise you. Fortunately, it's an event that we should be able to detect from here on Earth, if we know what we're looking for.
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Massive Stars Need Their Smaller Siblings To Grow
So how do rare massive stars grow 10 to 150 times the mass of our Sun? It turns out that a standard star-forming nebula is way too cold for big stars to form. So how can these clouds of gas and dust be prepared so massive stars can develop? Answer: Let small stars do the hard work and heat that nebula up…
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Development Problems May Delay Mars Science Laboratory Mission Until 2011
NASA's over budget Mars Science Laboratory mission, scheduled for a 2009 launch, may be delayed due to problems with the atmospheric re-entry shield design. A new shield will cost up to $30 million, adding to the $1.8 billion price tag, $165 million more than planned. The mission uses innovative landing technologies and is powered by a mini-nuclear reactor, giving it the ability to travel faster and carry a bigger payload over the Martian terrain. This new setback may postpone the launch until 2011.
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NASA and ESA Orbiters Join Forces to Prepare for Phoenix Arrival on May 25th, 2008
When the Phoenix lander hits the Martian atmosphere at over 20,000 km/h, at least it will feel safe in the knowledge that it has three buddies looking out for it. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey are already preparing for Phoenix’s arrival, and now ESA's Mars Express has been asked to assist in watching the lander's 13-minute descent.
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Security Now 133: TrueCrypt 5 - Sponsored by Astaro Corp.
Hosts: Steve Gibson with Leo Laporte
Steve explores whole-drive encryption and details the release of TrueCrypt 5.0.
For 16kpbs versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6.
Security Now is brought to you by Astaro Internet Security.
Bandwidth for Security Now! is provided by AOL Radio.
Running time: 1:08:54
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