Space rocks could reseed life on Earth: related news

What Do You Do If Someone Blows Up Your Satellite? Call a Space Lawyer

As space travel becomes routine and private enterprise gets a foothold in low Earth orbit, it is becoming clear that specialists in the field of space law are required. Until now, lawyers here on the surface have extended their knowledge into space, but there will be a time when terrestrial lawyers will need to be superseded by a space equivalent. For example space lawyers could wrangle who is accountable for the space debris left behind after a satellite gets shot down. What happens if a nation accidentally (or deliberately) destroys another nation's spy satellite? Does this cause retaliation with global consequences or can the dispute be easily settled in "Space Court" with the help of space lawyers? These are extreme examples, but space lawyers may eventually become a part of everyday life for manned excursions into the cosmos.

Life Found a Mile Below Terrestrial Seabed; Implications For Life on Mars

We all know how hard life can be, but spare a thought for the microbes recently discovered 1.6 kilometres (1 mile) below the seabed off the coast of Canada. The living conditions are cramped, the environment is a searing 100°C (212F), and yet these hardy cells appear to be thriving. In the midst of the historic landing of Phoenix in the arctic wastes of Mars yesterday, the interest in finding life on the Red Planet has, yet again, reached fever pitch. Although Phoenix isn't built to look for life, it is assessing the Martian surface water content for signs that it may (or may have been able to) support life. This new discovery of life so deep below the Earth's surface may set some new limits on just how extreme life can be on other planets…

Space rocks could reseed life on Earth

Asteroid and comet impacts on Earth can cause catastrophic extinction events. They can also bring life back, new research shows.

Where Are The Space Advocates?

QuantumG writes "Greg Zsidisin appeared on The Space Show today to ask Where Are The Space Advocates?. For the first time in decades Space is once again a political issue with all four major presidential candidates having something to say about space policy and yet nothing is being heard from space advocates. As we enter a new "Space Nexus" like we did after Apollo, now is a critical time to let your representatives know how you feel about space exploration, and yet no-one has anything to say." The show itself is a podcast if you want to give it a listen. Personally I'm hoping that this election puts space exploration back in the public consciousness- Apollo inspired a generation to learn math and science. I want my kid to be inspired by something bigger than that.

Google's Brin Books a Space Flight

coondoggie writes "Google largely conquered the Earth — now it is taking aim at space. At least co-founder Sergei Brin is. Brin today said he put down $5 million toward a flight to the International Space Station in 2011. Brin's space travel will be brokered by Space Adventures, the space outfit that sent billionaire software developer Charles Simonyi to the station in 2007. Computer game developer (and son of a former NASA astronaut) Richard Garriott is currently planning a mission to the ISS in October 2008. Garriott is paying at least $30 million to launch toward the space station aboard a Russian Soyuz spaceship according to Space Adventures." Make sure to wave when you are over Michigan, man. I'll be the one on my lawn, green with envy.

Life Survived Catastrophic Space Rock ImpactMinerals Needed for Life Found on MarsBits of Ancient Earth Hidden on the MoonHuge Impact Created Mars' Split PersonalityStudy: Mars Had Drizzle and DewAstronomers on Verge of Finding Earth's TwinPhoenix La

From the far reaches of teh solar system, a giant asteroid or comet plunged into Earth near what is now the Chesapeake Bay 35 million years ago (shown in this artist's conception). Credit: © The Virginian-Pilot.

Happy Space Day!

It’s the first Friday in May; therefore it must be Space Day! Since 1997 people around the world have used this day to celebrate humankind’s accomplishments in our exploration of space, as well as recognizing the benefits and opportunities that space exploration provides. While anyone can celebrate this occasion, the main goal of Space Day is to “promote math, science, technology and engineering education by nurturing young peoples' enthusiasm for the wonders of the universe and inspiring them to continue the stellar work of today's space explorers.â€� So, if you can, spend some time today talking about space and astronomy with a young person. Even better: do a space-related activity together….

Avoiding the Technicolor Yawn In Space

Astronauts don't talk much about it, but about half of those who fly in space experience Space Adaptation Syndrome (SAS), or space sickness, which includes nausea, vertigo, visual illusions and headaches. Even though SAS isn't life threatening, the onset of these symptoms at a crucial point in the mission could have potentially detrimental affects. The last thing any space flight needs is a violently ill commander or pilot during important maneuvers like docking to the space station, or a spacewalker doing the Technicolor Yawn in his helmet. Researchers have determined that SAS is not caused so much by the weightlessness experienced in space, but more by the body adapting to a different gravitational force. A Dutch PhD student studying SAS believes she may have developed a ground-based method for identifying people who are subject to spac

Vatican Says Alien Life Plausible

An anonymous reader writes "According to BBC, the director of the Vatican Observatory stated in an article titled 'Aliens Are My Brother' that intelligent beings created by God could exist in outer space. 'The search for forms of extraterrestrial life does not contradict belief in God. — Just as there are multiple forms of life on earth, so there could exist intelligent beings in outer space created by God.' Mind that this is not the same director who said that evolution is more than a mere theory — that was Father Coyne. I myself agree. There might be intelligent beings created by God in outer space even if there are none here on earth."

Kennedy Space Center - Space Station Processing Facility, USA

The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is one of the USA's most visible government installations, handling multiple space shuttle, military and commercial launches with payload values exceeding $1 billion per year. The KSC is located on Florida's Space Coast and is 55km (34 miles) long from north to south, and 16km (10 miles) across at its widest point. It is the United States of America's only launch complex for manned operations. KSC houses some of the most unique facilities in the world. Among these is the Space Station Processing Facility (SSPF), which accommodates shuttle payloads for the International Space Station (ISS).

National Space Society Looking For A Space Ambassador To Fly On Virgin Galactic

Virgin_galactic_ss2_on_launch This morning at their annual conference, the National Space Society announced that they are launching a Space Ambassadors program to encourage people to share their passion for space with the public. They will then select a Space Ambassador to, as part of their duties for the society, fly into space.

Space Florida and SPACEHAB, Inc. To Send Validation of Salmonella Vaccine Target to the Space Station on Upcoming Mission of Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Florida and SPACEHAB, Inc. To Send Validation of Salmonella Vaccine Target to the Space Station on Upcoming Mission of Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Florida and SPACEHAB, Inc. to Send Validation of Salmonella Vaccine Target to the Space Station on Upcoming Mission of Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Florida and SPACEHAB, Inc. to Send Validation of Salmonella Vaccine Target to the Space Station on Upcoming Mission of Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Rocks Could Reseed Life on EarthNew Idea Could Solve Black Hole Information MysteryEarth Extinctions Blamed on Cosmic Speed BumpYoungest Exploding Star DiscoveredPiece of Missing Cosmic Matter FoundAlien Life-Searching Techniques TestedSaturn's

Chroococcidiopsis, which was used in this study, is shown here living in a rock from the Negev Desert in Israel. The green line running across the top of the rock is a thin endolithic film formed by the organism. These microbes live just below the surface of the rock, protected from the Sun's UV radiation. Credit: Gerda Horneck

Imminent Discovery of Life On Mars?

Life on Mars?Do you think there is life on Mars? Do you think Phoenix will find evidence of it? Now there's a blog that's trying to collect a snapshot of the opinions of scientists, amateurs, and everyday people. "Imminent Discovery" thinks Phoenix may find simple life. Finding this evidence will definitely become headlines… If it happens. Is it possible it might have originated from earth? Perhaps from space, like the famous Antarctica meteorite which was believed to contain evidence of life transported here from Mars?

First Space Lawyer Graduates

PHPNerd writes "Over at space.com is an interesting article about the first space lawyer. He graduated from the University of Mississippi. 'Any future space lawyer might have to deal with issues ranging from the fallout over satellite shoot-downs to legal disputes between astronauts onboard the International Space Station. The expanding privatization of the space sector may also pose new legal challenges [...] "We are particularly proud to be offering these space law certificates for the first time, since ours is the only program of its kind in the U.S. and only one of two in North America," said Samuel Davis, law dean at the University of Mississippi.'"

Hubble Space Telescope - Hubble Telescope,

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was launched into orbit around Earth on 25 April 1990. HST is an observatory first originally conceived in the 1940s and finally operational in the 1990s. The observatory was designed to have a long life span of 15 years. The HST is a co-operative programme of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The aim of the observatory is to operate a long-lived space-based observatory for the benefit of the international astronomical community.

Hubble - Space Telescope,

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was launched into orbit around Earth on 25 April 1990. HST is an observatory first originally conceived in the 1940s and finally operational in the 1990s. The observatory was designed to have a long life span of 15 years. The HST is a co-operative programme of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The aim of the observatory is to operate a long-lived space-based observatory for the benefit of the international astronomical community.

Canada to launch first-ever space mission to search for asteroids

Canada is preparing to launch the first space mission ever to search for asteroids between Earth and the sun -- the type of asteroid most likely to slam into our planet. Fittingly for this country, the Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite is not a Hubble-sized monster. It is a 60-kilogram micro-satellite, costing a mere $10-million yet able to deliver science results never seen before. NEOSSat will search for asteroids that are closer to the sun than Earth. These are nearly impossible to see from our planet's surface -- there is too much atmosphere and sunshine -- but easier to spot from space. The suitcase-sized satellite is expected to launch in two years. "This is the first space-based asteroid-searching telescope, period. Why shouldn't Canada be the leader in a field? And it happens in this case, we are," said Alan Hildebrand of t

Space shuttle Discovery heads to Earth

The U.S. space shuttle Discovery is separated from the International Space Station June 11 before heading back to Earth. The Discovery crew installed the main component of Japan's Kibo space laboratory. (NASA TV-Kyodo)(Kyodo)

Space Shuttle Astronauts Finish Work on International Space Station

Washington -- 10 June 2008 -- Astronauts from the U.S. space shuttle Discovery have finished their final jobs on the International Space Station, and held a news conference from space. The Discovery astronauts Monday flexed the robotic arm that is part of the Japanese science laboratory they helped to install on the space station.

Russian Space Troops Promise Improved Space Control System

Russia's system for space control is monitoring about 9,000 items of space junk on a low near- Earth orbit, the Space Troops commander, Col-Gen Vladimir Popovkin, told Interfax.

Astronauts say there must be life in space

The US Space shuttle Atlantis lifts off. The human race will find life elsewhere in the universe as it pushes ahead with space exploration, astronauts back from the latest US space mission said. [Agencies]

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