70970
submission
Aglassis writes:
NASA investigators have determined that a software update performed in June of 2006 may have doomed the 10 year old spacecraft. Apparently the software error caused the solar arrays to drive against a mechanical stop which then forced the spacecraft into safe mode. Unfortunately, after that the spacecraft's radiator was pointed at the sun which overheated the battery and destroyed it. Contact was lost with the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft in November of 2006. NASA will form an internal review board to formally determine the cause of the loss of the spacecraft and what remedial actions are needed for future missions.
65756
submission
Aglassis writes:
On Nov 7, 2006 at about 4:30 p.m. several United Airlines employees including several pilots observed a 6 to 24 ft diameter flying saucer-like object above Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. After hovering for several minutes without displaying any lights it then shot straight up and punched a hole in the 1,900 ft cloud ceiling. No explanation has been given nor did the air traffic control tower detect the purported craft on radar. One controller did note that "to fly 7 million light years to O'Hare and then have to turn around and go home because your gate was occupied is simply unacceptable."
35764
submission
Aglassis writes:
The Cassini spacecraft recently observed a hurricane-like storm on the south pole of Saturn. What makes this storm particularly interesting is that this is the first time that a clearly defined eyewall has been seen outside of the Earth in the Solar System. Neither the Great White Spot of Saturn nor the Great Red Spot of Jupiter have had an observable eyewall. NASA, JPL, and the Space Science Institute have released a short movie of the motion around the eyewall (mirrored at YouTube).
20679
submission
Aglassis writes:
The governent of the UK is opposing a propective European Commission directive (PDF) (an amendment to the Television Without Frontiers Directive) that would require sites such as YouTube or Myspace and potentially bloggers who post videos on websites based in Europe to aquire a broadcast license for broadcasting a 'television-like service.' This is to require the websites to comply with EU regulations involving advertisements, hate speech, and child protection. Is regulating the fledgling European video market a wise idea to make it comply with other EU directives or is it just going to hurt European businesses and oppress bloggers?
15037
submission
Aglassis writes:
The 16th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony occured today in the Harvard University Sanders Theater. Among the notable recepients included Francis Fesmire of the University of Tennessee (Medicine) who determined that hiccups can be cured by a "digital rectal massage," Ivan Schwab of the University of California (Ornithology) who answered the age old question of "why don't woodpeckers get headaches?", and Howard Stapleford, the managing director of Compound Security Systems (Peace) who invented an accoustic teenager repellant than has no effect on people older than 30. Also this year marked the return of Roy Glauber, the Keeper of the Broom. Dr. Glauber was absent from last years ceremony because he apparently had better things to do (such as travel to be awarded the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics).
In other news, Dr. Roger D. Kornberg of Stanford University was named to be the recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his studies of the molecular basis of eukaryotic transcription." This marks the first time in 23 years that United States scientists have been able to claim all of the Nobel prizes in the sciences. Sadly, the United States didn't fare so well in this years Ig Nobel Prizes.
13099
submission
Aglassis writes:
The awardees of the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine were announced today to be Dr. Andrew Z. Fire of Stanford University Medical School and Dr. Craig C. Mello of the University of Massachusetts Medical School "for their discovery of RNA interference — gene silencing by double-stranded RNA." The awardees for the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics will be announced on Oct. 3, Chemistry on Oct. 4, Economics on Oct. 9, Peace on Oct. 13, and Literature at a date to be determined by the Swedish Academy.
