By Ron Cowen of Nature magazine A chemical analysis of lunar rocks may force scientists to revise the leading theory for the Moon's formation: that the satellite was born when a Mars-sized body smacked into the infant Earth some 4.5 billion years ago. If that were the case, the Moon ought to bear the chemical signature of both Earth and its proposed 'second' parent.
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Feed SubscriptionEarth Usually Has Second Tiny Temporary Moon
The moon has been with us for billions of years, almost since the formation of Earth.
Read More »Google Earth, Foreign Wars, And The Future Of Satellite Imagery
DigitalGlobe, the firm that provides much of the imagery for Google Earth, is launching a next-generation satellite in 2014. However, the super-sharp images of the WorldView-3 aren't for Google and Bing Maps: They're going straight to the military and intelligence agencies
Read More »Remains of Satellite May Never Be Found, NASA Says
* Defunct satellite re-entered atmosphere early Saturday * Debris field most likely in Pacific Ocean * Satellite among largest to make uncontrolled re-entry By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Sept 24 (Reuters) - A six-tonne NASA science satellite crashed to Earth on Saturday, leaving a mystery about where a tonne of space debris may have landed.
Read More »The Syrian War Crowdsourcing Experiment
Amnesty International USA and the Standby Task Force have launched an ambitious campaign to crowdsource analysis of Syrian satellite imagery for military movements, demonstrations and checkpoints. So far, volunteers have tagged more than 2000 potential troublespots.
Read More »Satellite Set to Make Big Splash or Thud
Look out below! A defunct satellite the size of a school bus is falling back to Earth. NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, or UARS , is expected to reenter the atmosphere at the end of September.
Read More »Researchers prove existence of antiproton radiation belt around Earth
Italian researchers using data from the satellite PAMELA have proven that theories showing there ought to be a ring of antiprotons encircling the Earth due to cosmic rays colliding with nuclei in the upper atmosphere are correct. Piergiorgio Picozza from the University of Rome, Tor Vergata, and a host of colleagues have published the results of their findings in arXiv.
Read More »Budget Cuts Open Earth Observation Gap
The fiscal 2011 budget compromise crafted by the White House and congressional leaders would delay a key federal climate and weather satellite program, making a lengthy gap in critical environmental data a near certainty. Cuts contained in the 2011 budget plan would push back the launch of the first Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) orbiter by at least 18 months past the current 2016 target, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Jane Lubchenco said yesterday.
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