By Daniel Fischer
Every page present in
Europe & the U.S.!
Ahead | Awards
The latest issue!
A German companion - only available here!
Current mission news: MGS (latest pictures!) + Cassini + Stardust
while the first X-ray images of the Sun have been released and the new solar observatory satellite (see Update # 234 story 5) has been renamed the Reuven Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager: Spectrum Astro, GSFC and Berkeley Press Releases. Calmer space weather ahead: CfA Press Release, CNN. Geomagnetic storms as earthquake-triggers? RP. Aurorae on March 23/24: SpaceWeather.
An archaeoastronomy sensation from Germany?It could be the oldest known depiction of the sky, 3600 years old, or a clever forgery - and now it is on display for a short time in a museum: the »Sangerhausen Star Disk« (Sangerhausener Sternenscheibe), a bronze disk that was apparently unearthed during an illegal dig in the German state of Sachsen-Anhalt in 1997 or 1998. The disk, 32 cm in diameter and weighing 2 kg, has been sold twice since on the grey art market, with the price climbing from 16,000 to 165,000 Euros - until the Swiss police could confiscate it this February 23rd from the third group of owners who wanted to sell it for a whopping 380,000 Euros.
Archaeoastronomers had vaguely known about the unusual disk since about 1999, but neither the identities of the original diggers nor the exact location where it was found (together with a few other artifacts) are known. But the apparent astronomical details on its face are intriguing experts nonetheless: There seem to be the Sun (or Full moon), a lunar crescent or eclipse, a »ship« (or the Milky Way) - and at least 29 stars spread randomly across the disk, with the exception of a tight cluster of 7 stars. The latter could represent the Plejades, the Praesepe or the small constellation Dolphin, for example. If genuine, it could well be the first semi-realistic picture of the sky depicted by man.
Until April 28 the disk and the related objects are now on display in Halle, Germany - before the return to the hands of science for restoration and detailled analysis. Metallurgical studies are already indicating that it is old and at least not a simple forgery. All results will eventually be published, probably more than a year from now, and then the disk, if found to be genuine, will be displayed permanently. Perhaps by then we will also have an idea what its original purpose may have been and how it fits into the history of mankind's desire to understand the Universe. (Based the official website and additional information from Prof. W. Schlosser, University of Bochum)
Even young quasars shrouded in dust, sitting in giant ellipticals, containing big black holesThe understanding of quasars, the most energetic active nuclei of galaxies known, is progressing quickly, some 40 years after the discovery of this astonishing phenomenon. Some of the most recent findings:
ISS UpdateAtlantis is on the way back to Earth after delivering the S-Zero Truss to the ISS where the astronauts put it into place during 4 EVAs in mid-April. Before that a Progress had docked to the ISS on March 24, while the next Soyuz, with two visitors, will launch on April 25 and the return of Expedition 4 is delayed somewhat to June: the status, JSC and Boeing Press Releases on the truss, an MSFC Press Release on new SSMEs, ESA Press Releases on taxi passengers in October and April and the 1st ATV, Energia Release on the deployment of Kolibry, Radio Sh. Rel. on Bass and coverage of April 18: AFP, Reuters, BBC, Sp. April 17: AP, AFP, ST (earlier), NZ. April 16: CollectSpace, SN, ST, FT, NZ, Sp. April 15: SN, AFP, Interfax, ST, RP. April 14: SN, ST, Sp. April 13: HC, SN. April 12: NYT, SN, ST, Sp. April 11: BBC, AFP, NZ. April 10: AFP, ST, AN, RP, Sp.
March 24: ST,
other story), ST.
Teacher-in-space program relaunched, with McAuliffe's back-up to fly in 2004, NASA chief O'Keefe has confirmed during a programmatic speech: ST (earlier), AFP, CNN, SN, the full text of the speech. O'Keefe criticized: ST.
NASA classifies shuttle launch times - the exact launch times will not be released until 24 hours before liftoff for the time being; before that only a four-hour window for the launch is available (though often the time can easily be calculated): AP, BBC, ST.
Galileo gets the go-aheadThe European system of navigation satellites will become a reality after the EU transport ministers gave the official go-ahead on March 26: ESA Press Release [SR] (earlier) and coverage by New Sci., BBC, Sp, RP, NZ. Earlier: New Sci., AP, AFP.
The first pictures from the ENVISAT satellite have been released from two of its instruments: ESA Press Release and pics! Coverage by New Sci., BBC, CNN, NZ. Trouble with a Terra instrument resolved: SC ( earlier).
Shenzhou 3 launched, capsule returnsChina has launched the third Shenzhou spacecraft on March 25, and the descent capsule made a safe landing on April 1 - the successful flight could pave the way for the first launch of a manned spacecraft as early as next year: Coverage of April 15: SC. April 11: Economist, April 9: SD. April 4: SC. April 3: CNN. April 2: SD, Peop., AFP, New Sci., NZ. April 1: Xinhua, AFP, AP, SN, CNN, BBC, ST, SD. March 31: SD. March 28: Peop., SD, ST. March 27: New Sci., AFP. The launch: CCTV pics, SD (analysis), Jane's, Peop. Daily, BBC, New Sci., CNN, AP, SC, ST, NZ, Sp.
Daily THEMIS images of Marsare now being put online in a pretty raw format: ASU Press Release [SN], FT, all pictures and the first release. Odyssey one year in space. And the MGS is also delivering pictures all the time.
Beagle 2 cleared by ESA after the status was rather perilous just a few months ago: SD.
Why Martian water is found on the north pole, not the south: Caltech Press Release, NSU, BBC, SC, AFP. How it hides under the SPC: Newcastle PR. Chlorophyll-on-Mars speculations: Astrobiology abstract, BBC, SC, ST, Sp.
Voyager 1 'serviced' over 12.5 billion km distanceFlight controllers activated a backup position-sensing system, including a Sun sensor and star tracker, on the spacecraft launched 25 years ago: JPL Release, BBC, CNN, DDP.
Cassini adjusts trajectory - the spacecraft successfully completed a course adjustment April 3 during its journey toward Saturn: Status Report.
Bad outlook for a 2006 Pluto missionTop NASA officials said on April 12 it was highly unlikely that a mission to Pluto would be launched by 2006 - and a mission to Jupiter's watery moon Europa also has been canceled: LAT. The scientists continue the preparations for New Horizons anyway: SwRI Press Release.
Mercury orbiter mission passes major milestone - MESSENGER project cleared to build spacecraft: JHU APL Press Release, AN, ST. Dreams of a European "Venus Express": proposal, RAS Press Release, BBC, SC.
NASA Explorer candidates downselectedFollowing detailed mission concept studies, NASA intends to select two of four mission proposals for the next missions in the Explorer Program by early 2003 - the two MIDEX missions will be launched in 2007 and 2008: JPL Release.
Hubble resumes scientific work after servicingAfter three weeks of in-orbit checkout, following its deployment from Space Shuttle Columbia on March 9, the Hubble Space Telescope has been declared healthy and fit: GSFC Release [SN], SC. After Hubble, the NGST: FT.
SIRTF satellite delivered for testing, astronomers anticipate clues to galactic mystery going back to origin of time: Cornell PR.
TDRS spacecraft stranded in transfer orbitA recently launched NASA communications satellite is stranded in a useless transfer orbit as engineers work on a problem with the propulsion system of TDRS-I: Boeing statement, Homepage, BBC, KnR, OS, ST, FT, SR, SC, UPI, NZ.
Old Pegasus reenters with two dead satellitesIn 1996 neither HETE nor SAC-B could separate from the rocket stage (see Update # 12), now all three objects have (mostly) burned up over China: GSFC info, SC ( earlier). Rocket fragment lands in Uganda: AllAfrica.
Progress for the commercial solar sail satellite project: Team Encounter Press Release.
Two 'neutron' stars actually consisting of quark matter?So far the evidence is pretty indirect, but extremely compact stars made of matter never seen outside high-energy lab experiments could explain puzzling X-ray data: papers by Drake & al. and Yakovlev & al., a Chandra Press Release and coverage by NSU, New Sci., NYT, BBC, SC, AFP, SC, ST, APOD, Welt, DDP, RP.
One candidate may be a neutron star after all, as it is more distant than believed, according to the latest HST astrometry: paper by Walter & Lattimer.
Tons of Planetary Nebulaehave been found in the Milky Way - the number of aged stars in their death throes revealed is rapidly overtaking the entire population discovered during the last 75 years: RAS Press Release, SC.
Formation of helium stars explained? A class of variable stars named after their prototype R Coronae Borealis (RCrB) and a related group called 'extreme helium stars' could be the products of mergers between pairs of white dwarf stars: RAS Press Release, Astron.
Chandra observations of merging galaxiesreveal a very diffuse, extended X-ray emission that seems to arise from very hot (a few million K) material ejected from the galaxies: RAS Press Release. Galaxy collision visualization created for big planetarium projection: STScI, NASM Releases. Chandra views the Coma cluster: MSFC Release.
Disturbed spiral galaxy ablaze with the light from millions of new stars, HST images of NGC 7673 show: ESA Science News, Astron., CNN. Interstellar searchlights catch star factories in their beams: RAS Press Release.
New kind of star cluster discovered in nearby galaxiesMuch larger and fainter than typical globular clusters, the new objects were first detected in Hubble Space Telescope images of the lenticular galaxy NGC 1023: UCSC Press Release (more), Sp, NZ.
Star formation stages simulated in the labIn a laboratory in Nottingham, scientists are now creating the uniquely harsh conditions encountered in interstellar space: RAS Press Release, BBC, SC.
Young stars like to hang around in crowds and undergo chaotic close encounters with each other during their formative years, one of the largest and most complex computer simulations has shown: RAS Press Release.
Hunting for 'Vulcanoids' from a fighter planeOnly from above most of the atmosphere astronomers might have a chance to glimpse asteroids that could exist very close to the Sun: DFRF Press Release [SD], AN.
What we learned from NEAR when it touched down on Eros: Science@NASA. Preparations for MUSES-C: SC. An impact that caused an earthquake? "Rock solid evidence" in the case of Manicouagan: GSA Press Rel.
There are more asteroids in the main beltthan believed until now, an analysis of data from the long-defunct ISO satellite implies: ESA News [ESA Science News], NSU, Astron., SC, BdW, NZ.
Compiled and written by Daniel Fischer