Students played with fog, examined photos of the solar system’s largest volcano and felt simulated Martian soil as they explored the newest exhibit recently at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. Marsquest, an interactive exhibit at the museum until September 9, features the Red Planet’s canyons, volcanoes, gravity and climate.
May 18th, 2002
Close encounter with Mars The Herald
These kids know more about geology and space travel than most people, knowledge they showed during a visit Friday from a NASA scientist. The fourth- and fifth-graders at Cedar Wood Elementary School in Mill Creek had lots of questions for Joy Crisp, a scientist working on the Mars Exploration Rover Project set for launch in 2003, who discussed her life’s work with rocks. “How far does the RAT grind into the rock?” asked Andrew Liechty, a fifth-grader. His classmates didn’t need to be told that RAT is an acronym for rock abrasion tool, a diamond-studded device on the yet-to-be-named land rovers that will allow scientists to drill and study the insides of rocks on Mars.
May 8th, 2002
Keeping It Real Technology Review
Ever since seeing the satellite imagery from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, John Hollerbach wants people to walk on Mars. If his virtual reality project reaches fruition, as he claims it will, the Martian sand dunes may open to the public in just a few years. Hollerbach is one of the lead researchers working on the University of Utah’s Treadport, a virtual reality system that uses a technology called “locomotion interface”
May 3rd, 2002
Planet Alignment Peaks Sunday and Monday
The long-awaited gathering of the five naked-eye planets reaches its peak May 5-6 in the western evening sky. In a single glance you’ll be able to see all five planets, a feat not possible again for decades. Further, three of the five planets will crowd into a small spot in the sky, making for a very distinctive formation — officially dubbed a “planetary trio” — that is sure to thrill skywatchers. According to astronomer Robert C. Victor at Michigan State University’s Abrams Planetarium, after the spectacular planetary array of 2002 passes into history, future generations will witness similar compact gatherings of the five naked-eye planets in September 2040, July 2060 and November 2100.
April 23rd, 2002
China Develops First Mars Probe People's Daily
Mars Explorer– the first Mars probe developed by China on its own, is now going through adjustment, which will make its debut with the public at the China Sci-Tech Week to be held in May, as learned from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. “Mars Explorer” is made after “Mars Ranger” developed by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, said Dr Ding Shuiting, dean of vehicle engineering department of the said university who is in charge of the project. With an investment of only RMB 200,000 yuan, the probe is no more than a model with many mechanical details simplified, said Ding. But it is technologically qualified, as capable as US-made probe and independently developed by China.
April 12th, 2002
Viewer’s Guide to the Great Planet Alignment
The finest gathering of all five bright planets in almost two decades is finally coming together in the western evening sky. The gap between the planets will noticeably contract with each passing night. Beginning April 14, the Moon will pay a visit to four of the five planets. It will appear to pass by three planets on three consecutive evenings (April 14: Venus; April 15: Mars; and April 16: Saturn). It will then pass Jupiter
April 6th, 2002
Planets put on a show
An eye-catching group of three planets will shine in the western sky at dusk on Thursday and for the first half of April. Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn will appear close together. The brightest of the three is Jupiter. Look low in the west about an hour after sunset and you cannot miss it. To Jupiter’s upper left is the slightly less bright Saturn. Mars is quite a bit fainter, but it has an unmistakable orange tint.
April 4th, 2002
Hope Yet The Beagle Will Land
Over the past week, there have been two important developments connected with plans by NASA and the European Space Agency to land as many as three spacecraft on Mars during the 2003-04 Mars launch window. Firstly, the Beagle 2 probe – whose status was rather perilous just a few months ago – has now received the official go-ahead from the ESA to be carried on its Mars Express orbiter. Second, the potential landing sites for NASA’s two Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) have now been narrowed down further – but, at the same time, the final decision on their two landing sites has been delayed fully a year.
April 2nd, 2002
Rare Planet Alignment in April and May
Several planets are assembling toward a rare alignment later this month, when five of them will crowd into a patch of sky small enough that all will be visible in a single glance. The setup will provide a planet-watching opportunity that won’t be repeated for a century. Even now, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn form a nearly straight line in the west each night. By late April, Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn will all bunch up in the western sky just after sunset, with bright Jupiter also nearby. Three of the planets — Venus, Saturn and Mars — will crowd into an even smaller patch of sky in early May.
March 29th, 2002
Worlds Apart, but Not for Long: Five Planets Start to Converge The Washington Post
Nature’s magnificence unfolds in a rare sky show during April and May. The visible five planets that now are spread out in the western evening sky — Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn — are getting ready to converge in May. Early this month, look for Venus about 18 degrees above the western horizon as the sun sets. It can be seen between the constellations Pisces and Aries, and it appears to be about 20 degrees away from the dim red planet Mars. While Venus is lower in the sky than Mars, this will soon change. As April progresses, the exceptionally bright Venus and Mars move closer together. They are but 13 degrees apart in the western night sky by the middle of the month.