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| Our Cosmic Patch |
| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
01/03/05 |
| Summary: Astronomer Royal, Sir Martin Rees talks to Astrobiology Magazine about the conditions for life. How unique is our world? Is the universe itself just the byproduct of many failed, sterile or stillborn universes that might have preceded it? |
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| On Top of Titan's Mountain |
| Topic: Titan |
12/08/04 |
| Summary: When Cassini flew by Saturn's moon Titan on October 26, scientists got a small taste of the discoveries to come. Athena Coustenis of the Paris-Meudon Observatory discusses a potential landscape of mountains and lakes on this strange, smog-filled world. |
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| The Martian Methane Surprise |
| Topic: Mars |
12/06/04 |
| Summary: Is the methane on Mars coming from deep underground? Astrobiologist Mike Mumma discusses some possibilities while explaining how to measure methane on another world. |
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| Spirit's Mars Reads Like a Mystery Novel |
| Topic: Mars |
12/01/04 |
| Summary: Principal investigator for the science package on the Mars Exploration Rovers, Steve Squyres, talks with Astrobiology Magazine about the future of the Spirit rover and what has been learned so far from its exploration of Gusev Crater. |
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| Martian Retrospective |
| Topic: Mars |
11/24/04 |
| Summary: As the rovers try to survive the dead of martian winter, what do readers want to know about their first nine-months on the red planet? Questions and answers range from how long the rovers may last to what it's like to live four months on martian time. |
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| Big Planet, Tiny Vehicles |
| Topic: Mars |
11/22/04 |
| Summary: What can the Mars rovers do after reaching Endurance Crater? Principal investigator Steve Squyres talked with Astrobiology Magazine about what's next: Can Opportunity drive five more kilometers to Victoria Crater, while being commanded by dedicated graduate students? He introduces two tiny vehicles to a big planet where the work is never done. |
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| RADAR Surprises from Titan |
| Topic: Titan |
11/17/04 |
| Summary: As scientist puzzle over the Titan images from the recent Cassini flyby, some of the most intriguing landforms appear in radar reflections. Ralph Lorenz from the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Lab takes a tour of Titan's surprises including what may be icy volcanoes. |
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| Water from a Stone |
| Topic: Mars |
11/15/04 |
| Summary: One question that has puzzled planetary scientists is where is the water on Mars today? One answer that is being investigated is mineral storage, particularly hydration of magnesium sulfate salts. If these storehouses protect water from evaporation, a second set of questions arise as to whether their delicate balance between temperature, pressure and humidity could be controlled on any future sample return mission. |
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| Tugboat as Lifeboat? |
| Topic: Meteorites, Comets and Asteroids |
11/10/04 |
| Summary: Among the proposals for diverting an asteroid collision with Earth, one involves gently pushing the incoming rock over the course of a year. This low-thrust solution has its challenges since at various stages of that perilous year, if it ever came, locations on Earth would naturally see human influences as they became the bullseye. |
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| Where Cosmic Rays Come From |
| Topic: Cosmic Evolution |
11/05/04 |
| Summary: A century-old mystery is the origin of cosmic rays. Viewing a supernova remnant with high energy detectors, or gamma-ray eyes, shows that particles are likely accelerated by such massive explosions. Cosmic rays are thought to have played a major role in the early Earth's evolution and life's first mutations. |
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