AbsolutSpaceGuy : Real Time View. Nasa's Curiosity rover prepares to zap Martian rocks. 17 August 2012Last updated at 21:07 ET By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent This 7cm rock is about to become the first object on Mars to be zapped by Curiosity's laser instrument Nasa's Curiosity rover is getting ready to zap its first Martian rock.
A small stone lying just to the side of the vehicle at its landing site on the floor of Gale Crater has been selected as a test target for the ChemCam laser. The brief but powerful burst of light from this instrument will vaporise the surface of the rock, revealing details of its basic chemistry. Dubbed N165, the object is not expected to have any science value, but should show ChemCam is ready for serious work. "I'd probably guess this is a typical Mars basalt - basaltic rocks making up a large fraction of all the igneous rocks on Mars," Roger Wiens, the instrument's principal investigator, told BBC News. Curiosity touched down in its equatorial crater two weeks ago. Hot spot Continue reading the main story Curiosity - Mars Science Laboratory. Here Comes the Sun: NASA Picks Solar Array System Development Proposals. The History of the Universe in 200 Words or Less. Quantum fluctuation.
Inflation. Expansion. Strong nuclear interaction. Particle-antiparticle annihilation. Deuterium and helium production. Copyright 1996-1997 by Eric Schulman. What Does Space Smell Like? Image credit: NASA What is the smell clinging to an astronaut after a spacewalk?
Some have described it as an acrid aroma — others say it reminds them of seared steak. Scale of Universe - Interactive Scale of the Universe Tool. Giant galaxy cluster sets record pace for star creation. Related images(click to enlarge) South Pole Telescope collaboration Daniel Luong-Van Astronomers have found an extraordinary galaxy cluster, one of the largest objects in the universe, that is breaking several important cosmic records.
Observations of the Phoenix cluster with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the National Science Foundation's South Pole Telescope, and eight other world-class observatories may force astronomers to rethink how these colossal structures and the galaxies that inhabit them evolve. Stars are forming in the Phoenix cluster at the highest rate ever observed for the middle of a galaxy cluster. The Phoenix cluster is located about 5.7 billion light years from Earth. Like other galaxy clusters, Phoenix contains a vast reservoir of hot gas, which itself holds more normal matter -- not dark matter -- than all of the galaxies in the cluster combined. For Chandra images, multimedia and related materials, visit: Source: Chandra X-ray Center. Layer 8: NASA exploring possible mission to better track asteroids that threaten Earth. NASA this week put out a call to garner information about what sorts of technologies it might include in a spacecraft that would look for asteroids that threaten Earth.
Such an asteroid spotting system, which isn't on the drawing board, would be capable of detecting and tracking asteroids in orbits very similar to Earth's, including Earth-trojan asteroids, NASA said. RELATED: The sizzling world of asteroids "Very-Near Earth asteroids" are envisioned as a set of asteroids to be discovered, in an orbit very similar to Earth's. This request solicits information from potential sources for an instrument that could be delivered for flight as soon as 2016, NASA said. From NASA: "This instrument might be flown on a US Government or commercially-owned spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit. MORE: No bomb powerful enough to destroy an on-rushing asteroid, sorry Bruce Willis NASA pointed out too that ''potential'' to make close Earth approaches does not mean a PHA will impact the Earth. Layer 8 Extra.
Watch Live: Rare Cluster of Comets Enters the Inner Solar System. A cluster of comets will be invading the inner solar system and you can watch them shoot through space live during a Slooh Space Camera collaboration show starting at 3 p.m.
PDT/6 p.m. EDT. It is rather rare to be able to witness this many comets within such a short timeframe. There's something (potentially dangerous) about molly. Unlike Ecstasy, seen here, which is in the form of a pill, molly is the pure powder or crystal form of MDMA.
Molly is thought to be the "pure" powder or crystal form of MDMAMDMA acts as a stimulant and a psychedelic, according to the Drug Enforcement AdministrationExact numbers detailing molly's use are unclear, but users tend to be younger Editor's note: Pseudonyms are used for the names of young people. (CNN) -- "Have you heard of molly? " the girl next to me asked. She was swaying from side to side, bobbing her head to the bass vibrating throughout the sold-out venue. "Alternative Biochemistries" In his famous lecture, "Life in the Universe," Stephen Hawking observed that what we normally think of as 'life' is based on chains of carbon atoms, with a few other atoms, such as nitrogen or phosphorous.
We can imagine that one might have life with some other chemical basis, such as silicon, "but carbon seems the most favorable case, because it has the richest chemistry. " Several eminent scientists think otherwise, that life in the universe could have a myriad of possible biochemical foundations ranging from life in ammonia to life in hydrocarbons and silicon. The first Curiosity 360-degree panorama including the mountain.