BioSentral

Orbiting junk in space, once a nuisance, is now a threat - Earth's widening belt of clutter puts future space exploration at risk, but the solutions are expensive. [International Herald Tribune]

Penis prank can be seen from space - The outline of a penis drawn on a lawn by two British teenagers using weed killer can be seen from space through a series of satellite images. [upi.com]

China silent on satellite killer - BEIJING: China's defence ministry refused to confirm on Friday that it conducted a test in space of a satellite-killing weapon, following US claims that the controversial event occurred last week.
US Criticizes China Over Missile Test ABC News
Star Wars missile test heralds new arms race in space Times Online
International Herald Tribune - Voice of America - Washington Post - Bloomberg

[Google News Headlines]

NASA Schedules Briefing to Announce Significant Find on Mars

WASHINGTON - NASA hosts a news briefing at 1 p.m. EST, Wednesday, Dec. 6, to present new science results from the Mars Global Surveyor. The briefing will take place in the NASA Headquarters auditorium located at 300 E Street, S.W. in Washington and carried live on NASA Television and www.nasa.gov.

The agency last week announced the spacecraft's mission may be at its end. Mars Global Surveyor has served the longest and been the most productive of any spacecraft ever sent to the red planet. Data gathered from the mission will continue to be analyzed by scientists.

Panelists include:
- Michael Meyer -- Lead Scientist, Mars Exploration Program, NASA Headquarters, Washington
- Michael Malin -- President and Chief Scientist, Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, Calif.
- Kenneth Edgett -- Scientist, Malin Space Science Systems
- Philip Christensen -- Professor, Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.

Reporters at participating agency field centers will be able to ask questions. For more information about NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit the web at:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

Report offers details on plans for private spaceport - (AP) -- A spacecraft taking off from a private West Texas spaceport being bankrolled and developed by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos would take off vertically, but unlike NASA's space shuttle would also land vertically, according to an environmental study that offers a glimpse into the secretive plans. [CNN Science & Space]

Astronomers play down fears with asteroid set for Earth flyby

ITV.com

Astronomers play down fears with asteroid set for Earth flyby
RIA Novosti -
ST. PETERSBURG, July 3 (RIA Novosti) - A large asteroid will fly near Earth Monday, but is unlikely to cause any harm to the planet, Russian astronomers have said. "An asteroid discovered in 2004 will have ...
Earth in near miss with space rock Register
Earth in near-miss with asteroid Daily Mail - UK
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PhysOrg SD: You've said that a mission to Neptune could be accomplished in 15-and-a-half days? PC: Yes, at 1G acceleration all the way. You're accelerating at 1G all the time, and then when you get halfway, you turn the engine around and you decelerate at 1G. SD: Can you describe the powerplant that produces this? PC: The Russians have said that by 2050 they will have a highly efficient system that uses an extremely small amount of propellant. It's almost a massless propulsion system. It interacts with the space energy structure, producing extremely high-velocity particles that come out of the engine.

This is an easy one to answer....they form by maaaaggic! In other words, a higher being forms them as he prances among the stars on the back of a unicorn spreading fairy dust throughout the universe. That's an excerpt, just a taste, from the new science text book im writing. Stay tuned!

How do massive stars form? - In an upcoming issue, the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics will publish the most complete picture of a triggered star-forming region. Induced (or triggered) star formation is one of the processes that are supposed to lead to the formation of massive stars. Massive stars play a key role in the chemical and dynamical evolution of galaxies. [Physorg.com]