A new research station at the bottom of the world may give future Antarctica researchers some special treats, like the ability to live above ground and look out a window. German scientists are adapting a habitat designed by the European Space Agency (ESA) to replace the shifting, disappearing and aging Neumayer II Research Station, a pair of metal tubes buried amongst the snow of the Ekstrom Ice Shelf in Antarctica’s Atka Bay. The Antarctic version of ESA’s space house is only the beginning, especially for an agency with loftier goals. “We dream to go to Mars,” SpaceHouse designer Fritz Gampe said. “To do that we need very lightweight housing.” It might be inflatable or use rocket cylinders or the present shell-shaped structure.
September 1st, 2004
Virtual Humans Proposed As Space Travelers
Better make room for an extra crewmember aboard any spaceship heading outward. This person won
August 26th, 2004
Was Venus Alive? ‘The Signs are Probably There’
The planet Venus is like Earth in many ways. It has a similar size and mass, it is closer to us than any other planet, and it probably formed from the same sort of materials that formed Earth. For years scientists and science fiction writers dreamed of the exotic jungles and life forms that must inhabit Earth’s twin sister.
August 24th, 2004
Scientists Seek Scent of Life in Methane at Mars
Sniffing out any whiff of biology on Mars has become a scientific battle of the bands
August 11th, 2004
Redesigning Rockets: NASA Space Propulsion Finds a New Home
While the exploration of the Moon and other planets in our solar system is exciting, the first task for astronauts and robots alike is to actually get to those destinations. To facilitate inter-solar system travel, NASA has committed itself to the study of a number of far-out propulsion methods. Researchers are hoping the space agency’s new Propulsion Research Center will help scientists move at least some of those new methods from the theoretical to reality.
August 9th, 2004
NASA Scientist Sees Possible Mat of Martian Microbes
A future astronaut traipsing across the landing sites of the Mars Exploration Rovers
August 5th, 2004
Glitches Dog Both Mars Rovers
In a prelude of more problems that are likely to arise, both of NASA’s Mars rovers experienced glitches this week as they plow through unknown engineering territory, operating well beyond what the mission blueprints called for. The twins are working at reduced capacity while project managers try to figure out what’s wrong. Both rovers had 90-day primary missions and have more than doubled that time on the surface of the red planet.
August 3rd, 2004
Life on Mars Likely, Scientist Claims
Those twin robots hard at work on Mars have transmitted teasing views that reinforce the prospect that microbial life may exist on the red planet. Results from NASA
August 2nd, 2004
Website Lets Users Scout the Red Planet from Home
For those who want to explore Mars but can
July 28th, 2004
Howling at the Moon: Space Entrepreneurs See Red Over Mars Favoritism
The ability of NASA to rise to the occasion and put into practice U.S. President George W. Bush’s vision for space exploration appears to be up for grabs as his 2005 budget request now founders in Congress. Meanwhile entrepreneurs believe the U.S. space agency’s preoccupation with Mars is eclipsing in importance our closest celestial neighbor: the Moon.