Finding Earth 2: Distance-imaging technology

Image: Extra-solar planet
Info: Wikipedia definition of 'extra-solar planet'; current search programs

The search for life on other planets actually begins here on Earth: Our world is teeming with life, and therefore likely represents the kind of place to find extraterrestrial life similar to ours.
The problem at first was whether planets existed outside our solar system. Now that question has been answered and it's time to start searching for smaller, more temperate, earth-like planets, that could harbor forms of life perhaps not too different than our own. Things we can interact with, not amorphous bacteria or wisps of microbial life, but walking, squawking, perhaps even talking, things that will inspire us to visit.

(Enlightened people already know life exists in a myriad of forms in the Universe. We don't have to see it to know it's there--like our belief in God.)

Anyway, NASA's Kepler mission seeks to pull back the veneer of Space and reveal a small portion of what lies beneath. Scientists estimate the orbiting telescope could discover more than 600 Earth-sized planets in its four-year mission, but that's only the beginning. Kepler is merely searching for planets the right size, distance from their sun and composition (rocky surface, evidence of water) to support life. Once that's accomplished, NASA intends to launch the Terrestrial Planet Finder in 2010. That's when the fun really begins as scientist sift through the data, analyzing atmospheric composition and levels of ozone, methane, carbon dioxide and water vapor, to determine which planets are harboring life. Life!
Eventually astronomers hope to actually view continents and surface features (or structures) on these planets, but so far, that's just talk.

Not all of the searches are designed to look for life, however. We all know of the SETI project, and their program to listen for sounds of life. But some scientists believe if you really want to find an alien species, just open your eyes. Light flashes from alien species should twinkle like Christmas lights, but so far, no sign of them.
It seems a long shot, but as far as The Space Ace is concerned, all attempts at proving once and for all that we are not alone, are welcomed.

DART: Not so smart

Image: Apollo program slideshow (click the play button to begin)
Info: DART mission log

It appears DART ran out fuel before completing the most important parts of its mission. Granted, researchers did rely on the highest degree of autonomy: They were unable to communicate with the satellite to take any corrective measures.
Scientists confirmed today it will move to a higher, safer orbit today and that it poses no danger.
The craft did get within 300 feet of its intended target, but was consuming too much fuel doing so. It is unknown if there was a fuel leak.
Unfortunately, yet again we have a case of trying to do too much. If scientists had allowed for some control of the craft would the entire $110 mission have still been a bust? Doubtful. Granted they will; recover some telemetry and have some residual data to review, but that doesn't change the fact the mission failed and the will have to do it again.
Bear in mind, this is an attempt by NASA to do what Russia has been doing for 40 years.
It would only seem logical to use what we know and add a few things we are still experimenting with rather go for the Brass Ring in one shot.
As my mother used to tell me, don't put all your eggs in one basket unless you want them scrambled.
Congratulations NASA, you have proved my mother right.


P.S.--The Space Ace has not forgotten the post on distance-imaging technology. He's just a little behind...

Space Debris: It's a dump in LEO!

What is the problem with human beings? They seem predisposed to dumping their garbage any place. Even dogs refuse to soil where they eat, but not us.
The problem with all the junk in LEO (Low Earth Orbit) is that it represents an inherent flaw in our species: we're not good at looking at the BIG picture. We don't consider the consequences of our actions.
Kinda like the "global warming" question. It's not a question at all, but a sobering fact.

"As the number of objects in Earth orbit increases, the likelihood of accidental collisions will also increase. Currently, hundreds of close approaches between cataloged objects occur on a daily basis. If future spacecraft and rocket bodies are not removed from LEO within a moderate amount of time after the end of mission, e.g., within 25 years, the rate of accidental collisions will increase markedly later in this century." Orbital Debris Quarterly News

That story on the latest distance-imaging technology is still coming. I'll have it posted in a little later today.
Also, I've fixed the e-mail link, so all of you who have been madly trying to e-mail me can do so now. (This means you!)
Send in your questions, if you have any. I'd love to hear from you!

Mission DART: Better late than never

Image: DART (cgi of the mission)
Info: Russian Space "firsts", Soyuz/Progress spec's, DART site

DART, short for Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology, is launching as I write this. (Keep up as it happens at Space.com) In theory it will travel to another satellite and maneuver around it a few times without any assistance from ground control.
This marks the first time NASA will operate an autonomous docking craft. The Russians have been doing it successfully since 1967. In fact automated Soyuz spacecraft, called Progress spacecraft, have been the real backbone of the International Space Station. Don't believe me? Read what NASA has to say about it here.
Both Soyuz and Progress have a pretty darn good service record. Especially when you consider nobody else is flying anything quite like either of them. (Except for Shenzhou.) Remember, the Progress is an automated spacecraft. It flies up to ISS, drops off cargo and comes back down quite regularly. No fan-fair or parades, just regular work.
That's the type of Space business that will eventually yield profits. Reliable deliveries of whatever you are sending.
NASA has been slow to learn this, relying instead on fully manned craft as a way of spurring public interest in the program, when they should have been worrying about designing the simplest, safest, most reliable spaceships.
Whatever. Next week NASA’s new administrator, Mike Griffin, can add "try to keep up with the Russians" to his list of things to do. This week, let's hope they finally add an automated spacecraft to America's space fleet.

Mike Griffin and Moon Bases

So, looks like the hydra grew a new head: NASA’s new administrator, Mike Griffin, has yet to be sworn in, but is already hard at work rallying the troops.
Sean O’Keefe, who led NASA for years before stepping down in February to become chancellor of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, was a decent enough guy, but he really lacked vision. And vision is an integral part of any exploration program.

Griffin says he has a good idea of what direction to go and how fast NASA needs to get there. With the support of Congress and the Bush Administration, it seems a good bet he'll have what he needs to get the job done.
And it's not a moment too soon.
I was not kidding when I said we were on the verge of a revolution in Space travel. It's not just Americans with their eyes on the celestial bodies: China, Japan, European Union, and India are funding their own programs and quickly racking successes.
Let's hope Griffin hits the ground running and makes good on his "big talk."

Personally, I believe the proof will be in the pudding; he claims he might be able to mount a mission to save Hubble for less than previously estimated. Is it just talk? Time will tell. And it's running out: Hubble will be finished by 2007.
In less time than that we'll know if Griffin has "the right stuff"; over the next few months the whole world will see whether he can lead NASA and America into a brave new future, or let us fall behind in the Space Race that we thought we had already won.

So Long, Enterprise. It seems we hardly knew you.

Images: Enterprise crew wallpaper, Enterprise ship photos and links,
Information: Save Enterprise, general Trek info, official Trek site

After almost two decades, the television landscape will soon be devoid of any prime time saga set in the "Star Trek" universe.
In their infinite wisdom, Paramount executives have mercifully cancelled the long ailing "Star Trek: Enterprise" after just four seasons.
Four seasons of mostly crap.
It's no wonder people weren't watching. Rather than flesh out the already existing fictional "Star Trek" universe, producers felt inclined to take a different path. There was very little mention of things that we had "learned" about the fictional universe from previous shows; suddenly we were dealing with a whole new set of "facts".
It may sound stupid, but when you devote time (say, four decades) to watching a story unfold, you don't anticipate scrapping all that information for the sake of new marketing opportunities.
That would be like someone going back in time to General Hospital, circa 1982, only there's no Luke and Laura or Rick and Monica; it's new characters we never heard of before despite the thousands of episodes we faithfully watched.

The only reason any of this should matter to you is simple: Whether we like it or not, Gene Roddenberry's "Star Trek" universe has forever altered our world. It is pervasive in American society, driving our future.
Scientists working today at NASA grew up following the "voyages" of James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock; those working at Scaled Composites were probably weaned on "Star Trek: The Next Generation"; Gen. X'ers like myself developed a loyalty to those oddball Trek titles "Deep Space 9" and "Voyager."
That's why Sir Richard Branson plans to name his new space craft "VSS Enterprise" and "VSS Voyager."
Do you get it yet?

Not to mention the fact "Star Trek" created incredibly diverse and often inspiring female characters. Who can forget the piercing gaze of Seven of Nine? And what of the latest intelligent, beautiful and commanding character, T'Pol. Capt. Kathryn Janeway was the first female captain with a major recurring role and the term Orion Slave Girl is now a permanent part of our lexicon.
There were plenty of male characters, of course: Kirk, Spock, Picard, Riker and even Archer. Each had his moment of truth and each succeeded in doing what mere mortals somehow could never achieve.

So do not despair that "Star Trek: Enterprise" will soon be gone. It will take more than a few network executives to stop the juggernaut that is "Star Trek."
It doesn't belong to them anymore. It belongs to us now, a part of the fabric of our folk history, and we will carry it with us in our hearts and in our minds as we journey to the stars for real.

Chinese Space program: Inside Shenzhou

Images: Shenzhou V (CGI series)
Information: Complete history of Shenzhou program, including photos, spec's and links


The Chinese Project 921-1 Spacecraft was personally named ‘Shenzhou’ by Chinese President Jiang Zemin. The name Shenzhou has been variously translated as "Vessel of the Gods", "Divine Craft" and "Divine Mechanism."
And Shenzhou truly is a Divine Mechanism. Designed by scientists to emulate the best functions of the Soyuz program (In fact, it is theorized the Russians sold them a stripped-down Soyuz craft to reverse engineer) only larger and built using newer, stronger materials, it is another example of combining the best of what we have known for some time with the best of what we have just learned.
The Chinese are still new at this and not as open as the Russians and Americans about their project, but they have made some bold claims. Like the intention to build an orbiting laboratory of their own and eventually even a Lunar base.
No one doubts the technical ability of Chinese scientists to accomplish their goals. Obviously the people who invented the rocket would have no problem reaching the Moon.
It was just a matter of time.

Russian Kliper is Go!

Images: Kliper de-orbit (illus.), Kliper w/chutes deployed(illus.), Kliper photo set (excellent!)
Info: Russian Space program timeline (short) (longer)

Promising "The Kliper spacecraft can fly to the Moon and farther" Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian space agency Roskosmos, told Itar-Tass reporters the new ship will replace the "outdated" Soyuz and the U.S. Space Shuttle fleet. (SpaceDaily.com had the story, click my post title to go to it.)

The Russians have been promising the Kliper for some time now. In June they will debut a full size mock-up at the French international aerospace show at Le Bourget. They say the new ship incorporates all the positives gleaned by researchers on both sides of the Atlantic and avoids costly expenses. For instance, using parachute recovery rather than a high-stress "landing."

Sure, there are plenty of people questioning the design, but most are basing their opinion soley on the word "shuttle." This is a completely new spacecraft. The similarities between it and Discovery, for instance, end at the word "shuttle."
Sure, they look alike. But appearances can be deceiving. This craft has an autonomous flight system and capability for long distance or orbital flights.

One of the things I especially like about this program is that just about everything is open for review. Check out their main site. They pretty much lay their cards on the table and say, "read 'em and weep."
The fact is, it took them longer and they experienced more failures (maybe) but ultimately, they have built a better space "shuttle."
(SpaceShipOne is still miles ahead of both because of its "carefree re-entry" but that's another post.)
Another thing I like about the Kliper is its ability to create a bridge between communities. It took the best and brightest of four countries, utilizing their individual strengths for a common goal, to make this new Spaceship happen.
Which proves once again the emptiness of Space can bring us together.

Super Volcano: Discovery Channel tonight!

Today's Images: Volcano on Io and plume from Io volcano

Today's Term: Hybrid Rockets

Last week I mentioned the supervolcano lurking beneath Yellowstone (Link). Tonight Discovery Channel is premiering a special which promises to show us "what could happen when Yellowstone erupts."

If you like scary movies I suggest you tune in. Nothing is quite as scary as a mass extinction event, especially when we're the ones who could go extinct. No funny business here, just actual scientists trying to explain just how big this thing could be when it blows and what would happen to the world if it did.
Check it out.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is hoping for success with its latest plan to lower launch costs and increase launch capabilities. (The U.S. Air Force is co-sponsoring the research.) Flush with success after 2004's Grand Challenge, the agencies hope to spur development of low cost rocket hardware.
At stake, defense department contracts worth billions. What DARPA hopes to get is an autonomous rocket capable of putting a 1,000 pound satellite in orbit more than 100 miles up in less than 24 hours. They also need to do it for $5 million or less.
Several companies are already hard at work. According to the Space-travel.com story, one company, SpaceX, already has a bit of a head start:

"DARPA will be able to choose among a broad array of technologies and systems. SpaceX is building a two-stage, liquid-fueled reusable booster that also is the model for the firm's larger Falcon 5 launcher. Company president Elon Musk -- creator of the highly successful Internet business PayPal and other ventures -- plans to use his rockets eventually to launch people into space. In working on the DARPA contract, Musk will attempt to undercut his own already under-market $6 million launch fee."

I wrote about Musk last week too. It's here.

Crunch time for NASA

Image(s) of the Day: Pluto or Pluto and Charon
Term of the Day: Kuiper Belt and Astronomical Unit


NASA administrators, working under the latest presidential directive to broaden exploration efforts in our Solar System, are trying to determine the best course of action.
At stake are missions to several interesting Jovian moons; Scientists theorize Europa and Io are hiding environments that support some form of life, albeit most likely microbial, but we'll never know if we don't go.
Also under consideration are missions to the "outer planets", resting comfortably in the Kuiper Belt. Scientists disagree whether these celestial bodies are actually planets, or just big chunks of rock and ice bound together by gravity and locked into a wide orbit around the Sun. There is very little light that far out and very little hope any of these bodies harbor life. But they might hold much more.
Hidden in the Kuiper Belt could be a giant chunk of water ice, a planet of Dark Matter, or possibly something we haven't even thought of yet.
That's the best part about exploration: Christopher Columbus was stoked not to sail off the edge of the world, but he was even more excited at the sight of a new land mass. (Not that we should follow in the footsteps of an explorer who's actions led to the decimation of an entire culture within his lifetime, but you get the point.)
Our Solar System is a big place, full of wonders we have yet to imagine. Let's hope the findings of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board are seriously considered, so we can first figure out what mission we want to do, and then successfully accomplish that mission in the most cost effective and productive way.

How do you like them apples?

Ok, so now that most of you have tuned out, I finally get the format down the way I want it. (Check out today's post.)

Every day expect this:

An Image or Word or Spacecraft "of the day" relating to the day's top story--which will come with no more than seven links. Tune in and get a jolt of knowledge, or stay for the full story. It's up to you. But either way it shouldn't take longer than a few minutes to learn something fun about Space. Who knows, you might end up using that knowledge to impress your friends, teachers, co-workers, parents, maybe even your boss. It's hard to tell who's a Space nut like me.

I have an e-mail link now and as always, am soliciting comments. If you can read this then you have time to leave me a comment. So get busy. I love questions: Fire away!
Or lament how all the other blogs are created by good writers and people who know how to write HTML.
Go ahead...I dare you

It's back! Shuttle Discovery

Image of the Day: The Space Shuttle
Complete Return to Flight Special Report by Space.com


The stories have all been written. Here's one from SpaceDaily.com concerning Discovery's last minute preparations for launch.
According to the story:
"Everybody at the US space agency, including the astronauts, understand that there are no risk-free shuttle missions, but nonetheless firmly believe that the only way to improve its performance is to send it back up into orbit." SpaceDaily.com

If you are wondering about precautions the story says:
"The insulation foam around the fuel tank has been completely modified to reduce the size of any piece that might tear away during liftoff. NASA believes there should be no damage from loose insulation, but just in case has trained astronauts to inspect and repair the shuttle in orbit." SpaceDaily.com

Space.com ran a similar story today. Here

It had a little more about updated safety features:
"Engineers have redesigned portions of shuttle external fuel tanks to prevent the type of foam shedding that doomed Columbia. An emergency plan to house the crew aboard the International Space Station has been sketched out in the off chance Discovery suffers critical damage during the mission." Space.com

Mission scientists also seem much more optimistic about the chances of conducting in-orbit repairs:
"Meanwhile, Noguchi and Robinson will test two methods of repairing the tiles and reinforced carbon carbon (RCC) panels that protect orbiters from the searing heat of reentry as part of their first spacewalk. A third repair technique to plug small holes in RCC panels will be demonstrated inside Discovery, while the two men wear spacesuit gloves." Space.com

The fact is, no repair system is perfect, no mission absolutely safe. The shuttle has always been an accident waiting to happen. The wait is over. The best we can hope for now is a system of stop-gap measures--review of launch images for possible damage and in-orbit inspections conducted with remote cameras--to avoid a complete loss. An emergency layover at International Space Station has also been approved.
We done what we can. Those of us not actively working on the project have done our share of fretting and praying and worrying. All that's left to do is wait.
It's not our call anyway. The crew says they are eager to get back to business.
It seems you can't keep a good group of astronauts down.
That's the way I like it.

ISS: Mission survival

Super volcano. It's real, no Hollywood fantasy I'm afraid. It would end life as we know it and set the human race back a thousand years. If we survived at all. And the one in Yellowstone National Park is about 20,000 years overdue.

It makes the money, time and countless human resources spent on the International Space Station seem a pittance in comparison to what's at stake. Perhaps our survival, or our childrens or our grandchildrens.
Skylab led the way; Someday soon we will stand on another world again, securing a back-up home, if you will, as a precaution against earthquakes, tsunamis and asteroids. And these stations are making that future possible.

Read the inspiring words of the next ISS crew; See the images that will leave you speechless.

We've lost too many astronauts in the shuttle to send up anymore, but we have no choice. It is the workhorse for the ISS. The latest ship rolled onto the launch pad this week as the crew furiously prepped itself for duty.
A duty the entire planet will no doubt one day be very grateful for.

The smell of money

Success!
Another private rocket company, this one headed by another Dot-Com billionaire, is on the verge of starting a full time launch schedule. Link

Elon Musk hardly qualifies as a novice, however. This is the guy who brought us Pay Pal after all. He wasn't the first to get started in the rocket business, but he does have a good business plan and the technical savvy to get it accomplished. He's aiming for profitability; he's not trying to land anything on the Moon (yet.) He's just filling a niche is a quickly widening market. Link

The man definitely has a plan, and with a bulk of his fortune resting in the balance you can be assured of his most likely success. I say that only because when it comes to Space, take nothing for granted.
I came across an excellent interview with Musk at Hobbyspace.com
The Space Ace says, Check it Out!Link

And another thing...

It's a pretty good bet Alan Binder, Ph.D, the scientist responsible for the Lunar Prospector mission, won't be at Tuesday's Space Symposium either. He recently published a book highly critical of the "business as usual" stance of NASA administrators.
Here's a little story about that:

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/lunar-05p.html

Do you remember that mission? It was pretty exciting actually.
Here's a run down of its highlights:

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/missions/lunar_prospector_000614.html


There's also an institute set-up to continue sifting through the data collected from the mission. You can visit it here:

http://www.lunar-research-institute.org/

If you are concerned about the future of space flight and exploration, as managed by NASA administrators, you should check this out. Read the guy's book. You can find it here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1928771319/qid=1112629289/sr=2-1/103-8694666-0696618?v=glance&s=books

What Binder is trying to show is that space missions, of any kind, have too long been left to the mysterious and secretive realm of NASA bureaucrats. He proves that private projects, free of the endless debate that often follows government sponsored space missions, can be much more cost effective. He throws around a number: He states he reduced the mission costs by a factor of 10. That means if it cost NASA $10 million, he could do it for $1 million.
Those of you with some business acumen know that's quite a feat.
It's too bad however, that instead of embracing this change, NASA resisted it and still resists it.
It reminds me of that old saying:
If you continue to do the same thing over and over again, you will continue to get what you have always gotten.
Business as usual.

Big Space Symposium: Who Cares?

More than 6,000 space professionals are expected to attend the 21st National Space Symposium which kicks off Tuesday in Colorado Springs. I wish I had received an invitation but alas, the best I can do is pick apart the news stories filed by the people who will be there.
Here's one from Space.com:

http://www.space.com/spacenews/businessmonday_050404.html

It tells very little about what they hope to accomplish at this symposium. Or even what may have been accomplished at the previous 20 symposiums. I'm sure someone could rattle off a list of things "discussed without end" but what sort of actual, concrete ANYTHING, ever came out of one these soirees?
The Space.com story does include this little nugget:

"The four-day event will feature panel discussions of a number of hot topics in the space business including the future of private spaceflight and the role entrepreneurs will play in that development, the latest in satellite technology, new requirements, new concepts, and new directions for the launch industry, the implications of the bush Administration’s plans for reform of the intelligence community, remotes sensing, Earth observation and geo intelligence uses of space data; corporate issues, and launch activity in the Pacific Ocean region."


If you want more detailed info check out the official Web site for the symposium here:

http://www.spacesymposium.org/national05/information/index.cfm

I think this story may be a little more enlightening. It's from the media (That's me) section of the main site:
http://spacesymposium.org/national05/media/

Even after reading all of these stories and scanning all of these sites I am still no closer to understanding what it is they plan to do at this symposium other than talk.
Not that I am against a good old-fashioned "rap session" about Space as an exchange of information. It's just this thing seems more like a mini-vacation disguised as real work.
Of course the Media (that's me again) is to blame. It's nice that they let us know what's going on and who's going to be there, but how about a little more about what gets accomplished or at least, what they HOPE to get accomplished.
It is interesting to note, I didn't see one single name from Scaled Composites; No Rutan, no Binnie, no Melville.
Hhhhmmmm. I might be wrong, but it seems I recall these guys doing something groundbreaking recently...I just can't seem to remember what it was..
http://www.space.com/astronotes/astronotes_oct17_oct30_04.html

Oh yeah. That was it. I can't believe they have nothing to contribute. Can you?

Sir Richard throws down

Branson has thrown the gauntlet down, stating Virgin Galactic will launch its first passengers in just 30 months!
You can read about it here:
http://www.space-travel.com/news/tourism-05l.html

and here:

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/tourism-05l.html

If you don't know what Virgin Galactic is, check out their Web site here:

http://www.virgingalactic.com/

Branson intends to use a redesigned Spaceship One which will carry seven passengers. I believe that's five paying customers and two pilots, but I'm not sure. Unfortunately both the preceding stories were very light on design specifics. And don't count on the people at Scaled Composites to be forthcoming either. Their site is empty of information about upcoming ship designs. It's more of a montage of info about Spaceship One's successful shot at the X-Prize (http://www.xprize.org/home.php.)

You would think these guys would be desperate for attention of any kind. (I would be dragging my ship down main street of every town in America--but what do I know?)
Those Scaled Composites people are a fickle group, but they're also the best damn bunch of space scientists since von Braun gathered his "wild bunch" in the '50-s.
(ttp://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/academy/history/VonBraun/SpaceAge.html)

Not everybody in the rocket business takes themselves so seriously. Some of us still have a sense of humor.
Like this guy:

http://www.rocketguy.com/

Despite his rather quirky site, it seems he might be tomorrow's space tycoon:

http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/brian_walker_031029.html

I guess only time will tell. And I can hardly wait.

What a waste

NASA scientists are undaunted in their decision to scrap the Hubble Space Telescope. It's a foregone conclusion now. Read this story from Space.com:
http://www.space.com/news/050331_hubble_deorbit_plan.html

This decision comes despite protests from just about everyone who ever heard of Hubble.
Not surprisingly, Congress decided to try its hand at "Rocket-Science" and attempt its own rescue. To no avail:
http://www.space.com/news/hoyer_hubble_050330.html

I understand the need to reduce expenses; There are exorbitant costs that come with a repair mission to Hubble. That's money that could be better spent on something else. But what about the emotion? What about the feelings of exploration and research Hubble roused in ALL of us?
It wasn't just a handful of American scientists shut-away in some concrete bunker somewhere who were inspired but the images, but everyone who saw the Horsehead Nebula, the Cartwheel Galaxy and its Deep Field Mosaic felt the same sense of wonder. Perhaps, when we view the very beginnings of the Universe we are seeing the fingerprints of God. Who knows? But it sure looks awesome!
Here's a link to an index of great Hubble pictures:
http://www.seds.org/hst/hst.html
You should check it out. The things we have seen with that "obsolete" piece of hardware floating around the planet is enough to bring a tear to the eye of even the most fervently anti-space-exploration conservative doo-doo head around.

Let the countdown begin..in reverse

Like all writers, it kills me not to know who is reading my stuff and what, if anything, they think about it.
So, I've added a counter and I'm soliciting comments.
Duh.
This is only the beginning folks. Soon, I'll figure out how to add photos to this damn thing, so look out!
Words AND pictures...then we'll be cooking with gas!

No fooling!

Check out the awesome new photo of an extra-solar planet!
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/050401_first_extrasolarplanet_pic.html

Granted it's orbit and size are far greater than ours, it's still a fantastic discovery! Astronomers are getting closer and closer to their ultimate goal of imaging an earth-like planet. Scientists around the world agree the technology is soon coming that will enable us to view the surface of planets light-years away. Even map continents and identify specific surface features as small as 1-mile across!
This is not a joke.

Hubble Space Telescope (http://hubblesite.org/)has given us some great images over the years, it's a shame to see it on the verge of destruction. But new, much more powerful telescopes are nearing completion that promise to bring us even better pictures. A Moon-based telescope is also on the horizon: http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/lunar_caps_011212-1.html

Here's the latest NASA telescope: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/

For everything on space telescopes try this: http://www.spacetelescopes.com/

If we can't GET there at least we can look at where we are going!