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August 2004


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Index to our previous shows

  • August 26, 2004 - Dr. Frank Drake
  • August 5, 2004 - Kim Stanley Robinson
  • Shows from June, 2004
  • Shows from May, 2004
  • Shows from April, 2004
  • Shows from March, 2004
  • Shows from February, 2004
  • Shows from January, 2004
  • Shows from December, 2003
  • Shows from November, 2003
  • Shows from October, 2003
  • Shows from September, 2003
  • Shows from August, 2003
  • Shows from July, 2003
  • Shows from June, 2003
  • Shows from May, 2003
  • Shows from February, 2003
  • Shows from January, 2003
  • Shows from December, 2002
  • Shows from November, 2002
  • Shows from October, 2002
  • Shows from September, 2002
  • Shows from August, 2002
  • Shows from July, 2002
  • Shows from June, 2002
  • Shows from May, 2002
  • Shows from April, 2002
  • Shows from March, 2002
  • Shows from February, 2002
  • Shows from January, 2002
  • Shows from December 2001
  • Shows from November, 2001
  • Shows from October, 2001
  • Shows from September, 2001
  • Shows from August, 2001
  • Shows from July, 2001
  • Shows from June, 2001
  • Shows from May, 2001
  • Shows from April, 2001
  • Shows from March, 2001
  • Shows from February, 2001
  • Shows from January, 2001
  • Shows from November - December, 2000
  • Shows from September - October, 2000
  • Shows from July - August, 2000





  • Dr. Frank Drake     Listen to this show

    On Thursday - August 26rd, 2004 - our guest was Dr. Frank Drake of the SETI Institute chatting with us about the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. {SETI}

    If there is any idea that defines science fiction it is that of contacting a non-human intelligence. But what is more exciting than any fictional story is the idea that we might actually communicate with intelligent creatures from another world.

    For many years one of the leading figures in the SETI field has been Dr. Frank Drake. He lead the first serious attempt to listen for radio signals from non-Terrestrial civilizations - back in the 1960's - and for more than four decades has been a guiding light for most SETI activities.

    In the early 1960's he attempted to quantify the estimates for the number of communicative intelligences in the galaxy and this lead to the now famous "Drake Equation". {A bastardized version of which was used in Gene Rodenberry's original pitch for Star Trek.}

    We had the chance to speak with Dr. Drake at a space conference a while back. It was a pleasure and an honor to get to spend time with someone who has been so instrumental in forming our ideas for how humans might communicate with other intelligences in our universe.

    The Project OZMA radio telescope.
    The Project Ozma Radio Telescope, which was
    used by Dr. Drake for the first SETI observations.
           Frank Drake.  Image courtesy of SETI Institute. All Rights Reserved
    Image courtesy of SETI Institute.
    All Rights Reserved.



    Dateline: Mars


    NASA is releasing all of the images from the two Mars Exploration Rovers almost as soon as they arrive at JPL. The raw images for the Spirit rover can be found at this Web Page and raw images for Opportunity can be found here. The images that have been released to the press, along with animations and explanatory text, can be found here. You can find larger versions of the images shown below at that last NASA Web Site.

    Opportunity

    Dunes in Endurance Crater. {True Color} Image credit NASA/JPL.

    Dunes in Endurance Crater. {False Color} Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    While Opportunity continued to explore Endurance Crater it returned the above images of the dunes lying on the crater's bottom. Analysis of the false color images, like the lower of the above two images, is helping the geologists to understand the composition and grain size distribution of the materials within these dunes.

    Dunes in Endurance Crater. {hi-res} Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    Analysis of higher resolution versions of those and other images show that there are are a series of successively smaller ripples on these dunes, which suggests that the activity that formed them is continuing into the present time.

    Blueberries and popcorn. {False color}  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Images Credit: NASA/JPL
    Opportunity has returned many pictures of the now famous "blueberries", those hematite rich smooth-surfaced spherical rocks that appear bright blue in the false color images. Now it has found something new - "popcorn".

    The "popcorn" rocks are slightly larger than the "blueberries" and have a frothy surface. The image above shows a false color view of a mixed group of "blueberries" and "popcorn". The yellow box marks the area shown in the enlarged images below.

    Blueberries and popcorn.  CLoser. {Gray Scale}  Image credit NASA/JPL.     Blueberries and popcorn.  Even closer. {Grey Scale}  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Images Credit: NASA/JPL
    And surprise of surprises, the "popcorn" rocks turn out to be "blueberries" with some kind of crust. Understanding how they formed is sure to provide another clue to the geology of Mars and will tell us much about the history of water on Mars.




    Spirit

    At the Columbia Hills.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    Spirit has now reached the "Columbia Hills" and is continuing its program of exploration by driving up the side of those hills. This will also allow it to find a place where it can get a bit more sunlight during the Martian winter and thus stay warmer and get more energy from its solar panels.

    View from the hills, grey scale.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    Here is an image that Spirit took from a vantage point on the side of the "Columbia Hills". Note how the horizon is tilted due to the slope of the hill. This tilt is also what will be providing the rover with a bit more power from its solar arrays since they can be pointed a bit more directly at the Sun.

    From a view to a hill.  Color.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    This true color mosaic has been adjusted so that the horizon is no longer tilted. Scientists were surprised and pleased to discover that this rock outcrop contains some local bedrock and that those rocks show evidence of standing water in the Martian past.

    Rocks - color.  Image credit NASA/JPL.     Rocks - false color.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    This pair of images, the one on the left is true color and the one on the right is in false color, show some rocks on the Martian surface that appear to have some of the freshest exposed surfaces of any rocks seen by the two rovers.




    Listen to this show

    webcasting
    • Click here to listen to the entire show. {1:08:50}
      Or
    • Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
    • Click here for the show's opening. {25:07}
    • Click here for our interview with Dr. Frank Drake. {41:19}
    • Click here for the show's closing.{1:43}

    • Click here for links to all of our previous Shows that you can listen to on the Hour 25 Web Site.
    If you enjoyed this show and would like to know when other interviews are uploaded to the Hour 25 web site, then send an email to me at wwjames@earthlink.net and I will add your name to the free Hour 25 Newsletter mailing list. That way you'll get a brief notice in your email every time a new show gets uploaded to the web.





    Links for more information relating to this week's show

    Dr. Frank Drake and SETI
  • To learn more about Dr. Frank Drake you can view his biography at the SETI Institute.
  • You can find out about the first attempt to listen in on non-human radio communications - which was done by Dr. Drake - by reading "A Reminiscence of Project Ozma".
  • For more information about the work of the SETI Institute be sure to visit their Web Site.
  • You can learn more about the Drake Equation by visiting this web page at the SETI Institute or this web page which includes a calculator to let you run the numbers for yourself.
  • More information about SETI and related topics can be found at the on-line publication Astrobiology Magazine. This link will take you to a series of articles derived from a public forum held in Palo Alto, California in 2003 entitled "The Drake Equation Revisited", which addressed the questions of estimating the probabilities for finding intelligent life elsewhere in the universe.
  • Amateur astronomers will be interested in the work of the SETI League {check here for a fact sheet about their work} and anyone with a computer can take part in the work of SETI@home. The Planetary Society also is involved with a number of SETI Activities.

    Space Related Organizations
    If you are interested in learning more about current space activities there are many local and national organizations you might want to know about. Joining these organizations and taking part in their activities is a good way to stay abreast of things going on in space as well as a way to show your support for those activities. Listed below are some of those organizations.
  • The Organization for the Advancement of Space Industrialization and Settlement has long been place for persons living in the Los Angeles area to gather and discuss the promise of space. Be sure to check out their Web Site for information about their meetings and other activities.
  • The Orange County Space Society is another Los Angeles area organization that provides a focal point for persons who are interested in space developments to get together and share their ideas. They have created a number of displays explaining the history and importance of space exploration that have appeared at various public events. Be sure to check their Web Site for information about their meetings and other events.
  • The National Space Society has a long history of being an advocate for a vigorous space program and provides much information to its members through their magazine and Web Site.
  • The Space Frontier Foundation is a strong advocate for a non-governmental space program and serves as a focal point for much activity in that arena. Their annual conference in Los Angeles during the Fall is a great way to find out what is happening in the non-government space arena.
  • The Space Access Society is focused on reducing the cost of going into space by promoting non-governmental launch vehicle programs. Their annual conference in the spring is a major source of information on non-traditional launch vehicle activities.
  • The Planetary Society is focused on the exploration and has a wealth of information for its members and others.

    Space News - Mars
  • For more information about the Mars Exploration Rovers be sure to check out the MER Web Site at JPL or this Mars Rover site at Cornell University.
  • To learn more about the Mars Express mission you can go to this ESA Mars Express Web Site, this Mars Express Web Page from JPL, this NSSDC Mars Express Web Page, or this Web Page from Mars News.Com.
  • For more information about the Exploration of Mars be sure to go to the JPL Mars Exploration Site, the Center for Mars Exploration at NASA Ames, or the Mars Missions Web Site at the Planetary Society.
  • Information about the data returned by previous Mars missions can be found at this Mars Web Page at the NSSDC.
  • Information about the Phoenix Mission to Mars can be found at this Press Release from the University of Arizona. You can view a 3D picture of the Mars Phoenix spacecraft here.
  • For more Mars news be sure to check out the Mars News.Com Web Site.
  • Percival Lowell did much to shape our ideas about Mars in the early years of the 20th Century. You can learn more about his work by reading this on-line copy of his 1895 book Mars.

    Space News - The Cassini Mission to Saturn
  • Much information about the Cassini mission can be found at the Project's Official Web Site at JPL.
  • JPL is constantly releasing pictures from Cassini. You can find them by going to this JPL Web Page.
  • Additional information about the Cassini mission can be found at this ESA Web Site.

    For On-Going Updates on Space News
  • Links relating to the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia can be found here.
  • The Reusable Launch & Space Vehicle News Web Site Web Page that is part of the Hobby Space Web Site is a really good place to watch for news about, well... Reusable Launch Vehicles and related subjects. I check it out just about every day and often find news there that doesn't show up anywhere else. Give it a look. {And while you're there be sure to check out some of the site's other pages. Wow! Is there a lot of information there.}
  • The Space Today Web Site is a great place to find space news from all over the 'net.
  • The Spaceflight Now Web Site carries real time information about current space missions and presents a lot of space and astronomy news. This is the place I go to when I want up to the minute information about current space missions. Do I need to say more?
  • The NASA Watch Web Site is another great place for getting information about current space missions. Check there also for news about other 'goings on' within NASA. Highly recommended.

    ISS News
  • The Florida Today Web Site has a very interesting report about the causes of the ISS budget problems and their impact on the space program. It makes very interesting reading.
  • Click here to view the press kits for various ISS missions.
  • Check out the NASA International Space Station Web Page or the Boeing Web Page to learn more about this project.
  • A great source of news about Russian space activities, including their work on the ISS, can be found at the Russian Space Web.
  • Do you wonder where the Space Station is right now? You can use your browser to view real time maps showing the location of the ISS by going to this link at the NASA Space Link Web Site or here at the Johnson Spacecraft Center. Please note that your browser must support Java to make use of this satellite tracking software.
  • You can find out when the ISS - or many other spacecraft - can be seen from your location by going to this NASA Web Page. Please note; your browser must support Java for this application to work.

  • Click here for information about the audio files used for Hour 25 and for information about configuring your browser and downloading audio players.

    Please note Web Pages from external sites will open in a separate browser window and that Hour 25 Productions are not responsible for the content of any external Web Sites.

  • Return to the Index for this month's shows




    Kim Stanley Robinson     Listen to this show

    On Thursday - August 5th, 2004 - our guest will be author Kim Stanley Robinson, chatting with us about his newest book Forty Signs of Rain and other subjects.

    Stan Robinson has been writing memorable science fiction since the 1980's. His book Icehenge was a fascinating exploration into the nature of memory and the relationship between memory and objective reality. His Red/Green/Blue Mars trilogy is justifiably one of the most famous science fictional explorations of the topic of Terraforming. Years of Rice and Salt is a fascinating alternate history that examines how the world would be different if European society had been killed off by the Black Death during the Middle Ages. And..... well I could go on, but you get the picture. Stan's books are always memorable and shape the nature of contemporary science fiction.

    Stan's newest book, Forty Signs of Rain, is no exception to this pattern. This book, which is the first installment of a new series, sets the stage for an exploration of the impact of global warming on the fate of civilization. In this book we watch as various characters become aware of the reality of global warming and what it is doing to the environment and our civilization.

    Since this book is the lead-off volume in a new series it has to spend a lot of time introducing characters and situations, creating problems and developing them, and - in general - laying the foundation for the rest of the story developments. In the hands of a lesser writer this could be the kiss of death, but Stan did a masterful job of getting me hooked on the characters and their problems. Forty Signs of Rain was a very satisfying read that left me hungry for the next installment of the series.

    I enjoyed this book a great deal and commend it to your attention.

    Kim Stanley Robinson at his Hour 25 Interview, picture Copyright © 2004 by Warren W. James, All Rights Reserved     Cover for Forty Signs of Rain



    Dateline: Mars


    NASA is releasing all of the images from the two Mars Exploration Rovers almost as soon as they arrive at JPL. The raw images for the Spirit rover can be found at this Web Page and raw images for Opportunity can be found here. The images that have been released to the press, along with animations and explanatory text, can be found here. You can find larger versions of the images shown below at that last NASA Web Site.

    Opportunity

    The route into Endurance Crater. Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    The picture above shows the route that Opportunity is taking as it continues its descent into Endurance Crater.

    Looking down into Endurance Crater.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Images Credit: NASA/JPL
    Here you see some of the geologic features within Endurance Crater, along with the area where Opportunity is making its descent.

    Layered rocks within Endurance crater with RAT holes.  Image credit NASA/JPL.     Layered rocks within Endurance crater with RAT holes, false color.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    The true color image on the left shows you some of the layered rocks that Opportunity is investigating. Scientists have been using the Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT) to drill through the surface layers of these rocks to determine the effects of surface weathering and to get at pristine samples. If you look carefully at this image you will find over half a dozen places where the RAT has drilled into the rocks. The scientists refer to those places as 'RAT holes'.

    The false color image on the right shows the same area as the left picture. However this image was processed so that the colors correspond to different rock compositions and particle sizes, not the actual color of the rocks. This lets the scientists study the distribution of different rock types and thereby get an understanding of the processes that created this landscape. {And it also makes it easy to see the 'RAT holes' since the drilling process uncovers rocks that have not been modified by surface weathering processes and creates piles of dust that have particle sizes significantly different from the unmodified rocks.}

    RAT hole - true color.  Image credit NASA/JPL.     RAT hole - false color.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    The above two images show a true color image of some 'RAT holes' on the left and an enhanced color version on the right. The enhanced color image exaggerates the colors by making the reds redder and the blues bluer. This brings out subtle color variations and helps the scientists study compositional and texture variations in the rocks. To give you a sense of scale, each RAT hole is 1.8 inches (4.5 cm) in diameter.

    Clouds.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    And here is something you don't see very often on Mars. Clouds.




    Spirit

    Spirit's traverse route  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    This image shows the route that Spirit has taken since it landed in Gusev Crater on January 3, 2004. So far it has covered a bit over 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometers) and has arrived at the "West Spur" region of the "Columbia Hills".

    This image was created using data from the camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. The colors on this image are based on the results from geological mappings of the Martian surface and represent the different geologic units and rock types found there.

    Sparkly dust.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    This false-color image shows the rover's tracks along with some sparkly dust-like material that was created when the Martian soil was disturbed. Every time we turn around, Mars shows us mysteries and raises questions. Scientists are still scratching their collective heads over what that sparkly material might be.

    The Santa anita Panorama.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    This true color mosaic, which provides a 360 degree scan around the rover, was taken during May 21-26 from a position roughly three-fourths the way between "Bonneville Crater" and the base of the "Columbia Hills." Spirit was approximately 2,000 feet (~600 meters) from the base of the "Columbia Hills" when this mosaic was taken.

    Although obtained a couple of months ago, the processing of this image delayed its release until mid-July. The image above, along with the two below, have had their resolution seriously reduced in order to reduce the time it takes to load the Hour 25 web page. The mosaic, at full resolution, is over 11Mb in size and can be found on this JPL Web page, just look part way down that page and you will find a link to the 'Santa Anita' Panorama. Take the time to download that full resolution image and then examine it at your leisure. It will take your breath away.

    Shown below are two excerpts from that mosaic showing a bit more detail.

    The road behind.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    Here are the tracks left by Spirit as it drove across Mars.

    The hills ahead.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    But as interesting as the road behind may be, the road ahead is always so much more fascinating.




    Dateline: Saturn


    Saturn, color. Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    The picture above shows a true color image of Saturn as seen by Cassini prior to Saturn Orbit Insertion.

    aturn, color closeup.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Images Credit: NASA/JPL
    Here's a closer view of Saturn.

    Saturn rings, black and white.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    This gray-scale image of Saturn's rings, and the planet's shadow falling across the rings, shows detail that cannot be seen with Earth-based telescopes. At the time this picture was taken the spacecraft was just under a million miles from Saturn.

    The historical view concerning Saturn's rings was that there were only a few of them and that they were separated from each other by gaps that were devoid of ring particles. The two Voyager spacecraft, in the early 1980's, showed that this was not the case. They found that Saturn has thousands of small rings and that even the gaps between the rings contained particles, just not as many as in the rings themselves.

    Saturn, rings in false color.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Images Credit: NASA/JPL
    This false color image of Saturn's rings was taken using the spacecraft's Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph during the time of Saturn Orbit Insertion. The full resolution version of this image shows details as small as 60 miles across, which is roughly 100 times smaller than those seen by the two Voyager spacecraft.

    The turquoise colors in this image correspond to ring particles that have a more icy composition whereas the red colors correspond to particles that are more rocky or perhaps smaller. Studies of the composition of the ring particles and how those particles are distributed within the ring system will tell scientists much about the origin and development of Saturn's rings.

    Saturn, f-ring.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    This picture, which was taken after Cassini had entered into orbit around Saturn, shows the planet's F ring. This is the ring that looks like a series of ropes that have been braided together. Scientists continue to argue about its nature and origin. Perhaps the on-going observations from Cassini will shed some light on this mystery.

    Titan as seen in visible and IR.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Images Credit: NASA/JPL
    Shown above are two images of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. On the left is a true color image taken from a distance of 8.2 million miles (13.1 million kilometers) showing what can be seen with the human eye, i.e. not very much. Titan's atmosphere is cloudy and covered by a photochemical smog that is rich in organic materials, making that moon appear to be nothing more than a featureless orange ball.

    If we were restricted to seeing the universe with just our human eyes, then we'd not be able to see the surface of Titan. But we don't have to suffer from the limitations of our senses, we can go beyond them.

    Titan's cloudy atmosphere is opaque to visible light but partially transparent to infrared light. Our eyes can't see infrared wavelengths, but the camera on Cassini can. By taking pictures of Titan using infrared radiation we can see through those clouds and get a hint about what's on the surface of Titan.

    In the false color image on the right, which was taken through three different infrared filters, we can see features on Titan's surface. The yellow areas are places rich in hydrocarbons, the green areas are icy regions and that bright white spot near the bottom of the picture is a methane cloud. In the upper part of the image is a large circular feature that may be an impact crater.

    As the Cassini mission progresses we can expect to see many more - and much more detailed - images of the surface of a world that has heretofore been hidden from us by distance and a cloudy atmosphere. Who knows what we will see?

    Iapetus.  Image credit NASA/JPL.     Mimas.  Image credit NASA/JPL.
    Iapetus              Mimas
    Image Credit: NASA/JPL
    And finally, we have pictures of two of Saturn's moons that have something of a science fictional connection.

    On the left is a picture of Iapetus, which played an important part in the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey. In the book, as in real life, Iapetus was described as being a 'two-faced' world, with one hemisphere being about 10 times brighter than the other. This strange fact was first discovered by telescopic observations from the Earth and later confirmed by the Voyager spacecraft.

    In the picture of Iapetus you can see a large dark splotch. That isn't a trick of light and shadow, it's a real feature on the surface of Iapetus. But its origin and nature are a complete unknown. {Though we can probably rule out the presence of a large black monolith.}

    And what can we say about Mimas? {Other than that it's real and it wasn't created by George Lucas.}

    When this moon was first seen by the Voyager spacecraft in the early 1980's everyone's jaw dropped in surprise because it looked so much like the Death Star Battle Station from Star Wars. Some of the scientists and reporters even took to calling Mimas "the Death Star Moon". {And I don't care what anyone says, if Cassini stops working after it has a close encounter with Mimas, I'm going get nervous.}

    That large crater near the top of the image is called Herschel and is 80 miles (130 kilometers) wide and 6 miles (10 kilometers) deep. This crater is almost 1/3 the diameter of Mimas - 247 miles (398 kilometers). If the impacting object that created this crater had been any bigger - or had been moving any faster - then it might have shattered Mimas into a cloud of debris.

    One final note. The two pictures above are not displayed at the same scale. Iapetus is larger than Mimas, being 892 miles in diameter vs 247 miles for Mimas.



    Listen to this show

    webcasting
    • Click here to listen to the entire show. {1:08:05}
      Or
    • Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
    • Click here for the show's opening. {16:03}
    • Click here for our interview with Kim Stanley Robinson. {49:35}
    • Click here for the show's closing.{1:46}

    • You can listen to another interview that we did with Stan during June, 2001 by clicking here.
    • Click here for links to all of our previous Shows that you can listen to on the Hour 25 Web Site.
    If you enjoyed this show and would like to know when other interviews are uploaded to the Hour 25 web site, then send an email to me at wwjames@earthlink.net and I will add your name to the free Hour 25 Newsletter mailing list. That way you'll get a brief notice in your email every time a new show gets uploaded to the web.





    Links for more information relating to this show

    Kim Stanley Robinson
  • You can find more information about Stan and his books at this fan site which also has a number of links to other interviews with him.
  • You might find this article about Stan and his book Years of Rice and Salt interesting, as is this article.
  • The Mars Trilogy Concordance serves as the Unofficial Web Site for Kim Stanley Robinson's Red/Green/Blue Mars Trilogy.
  • You can read another interview with Stan at Locus Online or at Science Fiction Studies Website.

    Burt Rutan and the X-Prize
  • Burt Rutan, and his company Scaled Composites, has been making great progress in their attempt to develop a vehicle that can carry three people on a suborbital journey into space and win the X-Prize. Be sure to check out their Web Site to find the latest results from their flight test program. You can also find information there concerning their upcoming X-Prize flight.
  • Information about the X-Prize can be found at their Web Site.
  • Additional information about the prospects for suborbital space travel can be found at the Web Site for the Suborbital Institute.

    The Cassini Mission to Saturn
  • Much information about the Cassini mission can be found at the Project's Official Web Site at JPL.
  • JPL is constantly releasing pictures from Cassini. You can find them by going to this JPL Web Page.
  • Additional information about the Cassini mission can be found at this ESA Web Site.

    Space Related Organizations
    If you are interested in learning more about current space activities there are many local and national organizations you might want to know about. Joining these organizations and taking part in their activities is a good way to stay abreast of things going on in space as well as a way to show your support for those activities. Listed below are some of those organizations.
  • The Organization for the Advancement of Space Industrialization and Settlement has long been place for persons living in the Los Angeles area to gather and discuss the promise of space. Be sure to check out their Web Site for information about their meetings and other activities.
  • The Orange County Space Society is another Los Angeles area organization that provides a focal point for persons who are interested in space developments to get together and share their ideas. They have created a number of displays explaining the history and importance of space exploration that have appeared at various public events. Be sure to check their Web Site for information about their meetings and other events.
  • The National Space Society has a long history of being an advocate for a vigorous space program and provides much information to its members through their magazine and Web Site.
  • The Space Frontier Foundation is a strong advocate for a non-governmental space program and serves as a focal point for much activity in that arena. Their annual conference in Los Angeles during the Fall is a great way to find out what is happening in the non-government space arena.
  • The Space Access Society is focused on reducing the cost of going into space by promoting non-governmental launch vehicle programs. Their annual conference in the spring is a major source of information on non-traditional launch vehicle activities.
  • The Planetary Society is focused on the exploration and has a wealth of information for its members and others.

    Space News - Mars
  • For more information about the Mars Exploration Rovers be sure to check out the MER Web Site at JPL or this Mars Rover site at Cornell University.
  • To learn more about the Mars Express mission you can go to this ESA Mars Express Web Site, this Mars Express Web Page from JPL, this NSSDC Mars Express Web Page, or this Web Page from Mars News.Com.
  • For more information about the Exploration of Mars be sure to go to the JPL Mars Exploration Site, the Center for Mars Exploration at NASA Ames, or the Mars Missions Web Site at the Planetary Society.
  • Information about the data returned by previous Mars missions can be found at this Mars Web Page at the NSSDC.
  • Information about the Phoenix Mission to Mars can be found at this Press Release from the University of Arizona. You can view a 3D picture of the Mars Phoenix spacecraft here.
  • For more Mars news be sure to check out the Mars News.Com Web Site.
  • Percival Lowell did much to shape our ideas about Mars in the early years of the 20th Century. You can learn more about his work by reading this on-line copy of his 1895 book Mars.

    For On-Going Updates on Space News
  • Links relating to the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia can be found here.
  • The Reusable Launch & Space Vehicle News Web Site Web Page that is part of the Hobby Space Web Site is a really good place to watch for news about, well... Reusable Launch Vehicles and related subjects. I check it out just about every day and often find news there that doesn't show up anywhere else. Give it a look. {And while you're there be sure to check out some of the site's other pages. Wow! Is there a lot of information there.}
  • The Space Today Web Site is a great place to find space news from all over the 'net.
  • The Spaceflight Now Web Site carries real time information about current space missions and presents a lot of space and astronomy news. This is the place I go to when I want up to the minute information about current space missions. Do I need to say more?
  • The NASA Watch Web Site is another great place for getting information about current space missions. Check there also for news about other 'goings on' within NASA. Highly recommended.

    ISS News
  • The Florida Today Web Site has a very interesting report about the causes of the ISS budget problems and their impact on the space program. It makes very interesting reading.
  • Click here to view the press kits for various ISS missions.
  • Check out the NASA International Space Station Web Page or the Boeing Web Page to learn more about this project.
  • A great source of news about Russian space activities, including their work on the ISS, can be found at the Russian Space Web.
  • Do you wonder where the Space Station is right now? You can use your browser to view real time maps showing the location of the ISS by going to this link at the NASA Space Link Web Site or here at the Johnson Spacecraft Center. Please note that your browser must support Java to make use of this satellite tracking software.
  • You can find out when the ISS - or many other spacecraft - can be seen from your location by going to this NASA Web Page. Please note; your browser must support Java for this application to work.

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