astro
catdynamics | December 14, 2006ROSES 2006 is amended - might be the last one before ROSES 2007?!
With this amendment to ROSES-2006, NASA reestablishes a proposal opportunity in Appendix C.18 entitled "Astrobiology: Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology."
The goal of NASA's Exobiology and Evolutionary Biology program is to understand the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the Universe. Research is centered on the origin and early evolution of life, the potential of life to adapt to different environments, and the implications for life elsewhere. This research is conducted in the context of NASA's ongoing…
catdynamics | December 11, 2006Apparently space shuttle Discovery, currently in orbit, had two sensor anomalies from the left wing tip.
Could be thermal flexing, or could be impacts.
EVA planned to inspect for damage.
space.com says first inspection shows no damage
also on NASA shuttle page (dynamic page, updated frequently)
catdynamics | December 6, 2006As I suspected today's announcement from NASA is on evidence for current liquid water flowing on Mars
Nice result, hopefully to be confirmed soon.
Increases imperative to get more wheel on the ground at Mars, and hopefully some boots in the finite future, if properly funded.
Click for high-res image
Here is the full press release and images
There are a lot of other images showing surface transformations and localised patches of something volatile and flowing appearing within the mission lifetime; very suggestive of subsurface ice becoming fluid and bursting onto the surface (where it has…
catdynamics | December 5, 2006NASA HQ has a press conference wednesday at 1 pm on news on Mars discoveries from the now defunct Mars Global Surveyor.
Not coincidentally, perchance, NASAwatch has a pointer to Aviation Week news snippet on MGS having seen evidence for current flowing liquid water on Mars
This would be very very interesting, if that is the news and if confirmed by current generation of orbiters.
More tomorrow. News is embargoed (and AW&ST is in deep shit if they broke embargo on this).
PS more on Cumbrian Sky
and astronote
Here is a picture that might have started some of the speculation
From Malin…
catdynamics | November 29, 2006Aaaaarrrrrgghhhh!Powder Day declared with 24 inches of fresh powder!
Aspen
One of the most wonderful places to do science is the Aspen Center for Physics, it runs a series of summer multi-week meetings and winter one week workshops which are amazingly productive and fun.
Sounds like this season will be really good, and what topics do they pick... clusters of galaxies in cosmological context, and 20th anniversary of SN 1987a. Come on! No fair!
Can someone please make an important discovery requiring a snap workshop called at short notice, somewhere central, please...
Ah well, we'll hold out…
catdynamics | November 29, 2006Astrobiology journal is making available for free the recently compiled Student Primer for Astrobiology
Aimed at graduate students or advanced undergrads.
It is good.
Full text (79 pages) PDF link
catdynamics | November 29, 2006The Astrophysics Enabled By the Return to the Moon Workshop is on right now at the Space Telescope Science Institute.
It is webcast (link above).
The program looks reasonably interesting, meetings like this have been held before, and the issues look to tbe much the same.
You can do astronomy from the Moon. Some of it would be sensible, if expensive, to do from the Moon.
Some might even be uniquely doable on the Moon. Some should be done from the Moon if it so happens that there is activity taking place there. Might as well give folks something interesting to do.
I ran a mission concept by…
catdynamics | November 20, 2006With last week's announcement on new constraints on dark energy models, the blogosphere chatter on dark energy is inching up, in particular The Babe in the Universe is irate and throwing some harsh comments around
So... let me give a quick perspective on "dark energy" from the astrophysics side:
When analysing cosmological data, on large enough scales, the default model for most scientist is that the dynamics follow General Relativity, and that the universe is well approximated as homogenous and isotropic - that is, it looks the same on average, from any spot and when looking in any…
catdynamics | November 17, 2006
Congratulations Sean!
Best of luck Jennifer!
The Cube of Darkness!
The scary thing is that Cosmic Variance comes up second if you google "Cube of Darkness"!
catdynamics | November 17, 2006Friday again, and we approach the Mighty iPod with a serious astronomical question:
Oh, Mighty iPod - to the extent that the universe is well represented by an FRW like model, homogenous and isotropic and currently dominated by a dark energy component with W = -1 - is it in fact the casethat dW/dz = 0 for all z?
Whoosh goes the randomizer.
Whoosh.
The Covering: The Wheels on the Bus - Twin Sisters
The Crossing: Danse de Cygnes - Tchaikovsky
The Crown: 40 - U2
The Root: O Come All Ye Faithful - King's Choir
The Past:Er nauðsynlegt að skjóta þá? - MX-21
The Future: The Donut Song - Burles…
catdynamics | November 14, 2006The following are the competing mission concepts for the JDEM (Joint Dark Energy Mission) launch slot:
SNAP
DESTINY also press info here
ADEPT
All of these make an interesting case, although how much could be done from the ground with modest HST and JWST followup is a key issue.
It'd be interesting to learn whether DoE would accept a NASA-style forced marriage on mission concepts, which has happened in the past when two groups have different strengths for mission concepts, and only one slot is open.
PS: NASA press conference on thursday - reputedly they will have tighter data points on the…
catdynamics | November 14, 2006Over the next few months, the future of astrophysics in space for the next decade may be set.
It ought to be a rational process (hah!), and it ought to be based on fully symmetric information...
Most of all, it should lead to a decison that someone will stick to for more than a year or two. That may be most important of all.
After talking to a few people, I learned a few interesting things that some of you should know:
The senior majority party congress critters control the appropriations committees. Duh.
Unless it impacts their districts directly, they rarely care about the details at the…
catdynamics | November 13, 2006Two not unrelated pieces on NASAwatch
1) Implication of Congressional elections for NASA
Short version: more oversight of Vision for Space Exploration; may tighten wall again around science;
I'd expect Glenn Research Center to be saved; Marshall and JSC not so favoured any more; GSFC could be big winner.
2) The Ares launcher being developed to launch the new Crewed Capsule is reputedly in trouble.
Underpowered... Easy fix is to stick a couple of solid rocket boosters on the side.
Ooops. Where have we heard that one before...
PS: Mars Global Surveyor is apparently in trouble. It is old,…
catdynamics | November 13, 2006Science and Reason has a good summary on the ongoing Beyond Einstein review at NASA
The NRC committee held its First Meeting (Agenda PDF) last week.
Would some of those who were there like to comment on how it went?
How were the preparations? Everyone have their ducks lined up or did some people drop the ball?
Here again is the committee membership - final version, I presume
My continued impression is that it is light on high energy astrophysics types and very top heavy on cosmologists, which is a bit worrying. I would have liked to have seen 1-2 more people who knew something about gravity…
catdynamics | November 6, 2006The National Science Foundation Senior Review of Astronomy is out, now
Read 'em and weep.
Executive summary (it is almost 100 pages, will take time to digest):
PI grants are going to be squeezed, badly. Can you do anything about that?
Solar physics loses almost all its toys in exchange for the one big new toy.
"Orderly withdrawal" - rather catchy that, maybe we can use it for some other things also...
No more instruments for NOAO or Gemini. GMT or LSST contingent on new MRF funding.
Close Arecibo and VLBI, unless someone else antes up.
Cut back on GBT and start buying into SKA.
Get us more…
catdynamics | October 31, 2006Toil and Trouble
Griffin, Weiler and Mikulski are live on NASA TV right now to make the announcement on Hubble servicing mission number 4.
And the winner is...
... The Hubble Space Telescope!
Griffin has spoken and a Shuttle servicing mission will be added to the planned launches.
applause
I'm glad, somewhat surprised, I didn't think they were going to do it.
Better have it done, then to keep dragging on a no decision.
Formal announcement should be on here in an hour or so.
Ohh, crew announcement - yes! John Grunsfeld got a slot, he was promised and he got it.
catdynamics | October 24, 2006We WILL Rock You
Told you so. Brian May of Queen is a genuine rock star scientist
Hm, I wonder if it is any good...