HABITABLE CAVES ON MARS FOUND?

Images of the discovered holes, dubbed "Seven Sisters." Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/USGS
One of the three images in this set covers the same patch of Martian ground, centered on a possible cave skylight informally called "Annie," which has a diameter about double the length of a football field. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/USGS

NASA Orbiter Finds Possible Cave Skylights on Mars!
PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft has discovered entrances to seven possible caves on the slopes of a Martian volcano. The find is fueling interest in potential underground habitats and sparking searches for caverns elsewhere on the Red Planet.
Very dark, nearly circular features ranging in diameter from about 100 to 250 meters (328 to 820 feet) puzzled researchers who found them in images taken by NASA's Mars Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor orbiters. Using Mars Odyssey's infrared camera to check the daytime and nighttime temperatures of the circles, scientists concluded that they could be windows into underground spaces.
Evidence that the holes may be openings to cavernous spaces comes from the temperature differences detected from infrared images taken in the afternoon and in the pre-dawn morning. From day to night, temperatures of the holes change only about one-third as much as the change in temperature of surrounding ground surface.
"They are cooler than the surrounding surface in the day and warmer at night," said Glen Cushing of the U.S. Geological Survey's Astrogeology Team and of Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Ariz. "Their thermal behavior is not as steady as large caves on Earth that often maintain a fairly constant temperature, but it is consistent with these being deep holes in the ground."
A report of the discovery of the possible cave skylights by Cushing and his co-authors was published online recently by the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
"Whether these are just deep vertical shafts or openings into spacious caverns, they are entries to the subsurface of Mars," said co-author Tim Titus of the U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff. "Somewhere on Mars, caves might provide a protected niche for past or current life, or shelter for humans in the future."
The discovered holes, dubbed "Seven Sisters," are at some of the highest altitudes on the planet, on a volcano named Arsia Mons near Mars' tallest mountain.
"These are at such extreme altitude, they are poor candidates either for use as human habitation or for having microbial life," Cushing said. "Even if life has ever existed on Mars, it may not have migrated to this height."
The new report proposes that the deep holes on Arsia Mons probably formed as underground stresses around the volcano caused spreading and faults that opened spaces beneath the surface. Some of the holes are in line with strings of bowl-shaped pits where surface material has apparently collapsed to fill the gap created by a linear fault.
The observations have prompted researchers using Mars Odyssey and NASA's newer Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to examine the Seven Sisters. The goal is to find other openings to underground spaces at lower elevations that are more accessible to future missions to Mars.
"The key to finding these was looking for temperature anomalies at night -- warm spots," said Phil Christensen of Arizona State University, Tempe, principal investigator for the Thermal Emission Imaging System on Mars Odyssey. That instrument produced both visible-light and infrared images researchers used for examining the possible caves.
"No other instrument at Mars could give the thermal information crucial to this research," said the project scientist for Mars Odyssey, Jeffrey Plaut of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "This is a great example of the exciting discoveries Odyssey continues to make." Mars Odyssey reached Mars in 2001, years before any of the other spacecraft currently examining the planet. Its predecessor, Mars Global Surveyor, ended its mission last year.
Mars Odyssey is managed by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project and built the spacecraft. The orbiter's Thermal Emission Imaging System was developed by Arizona State University, Tempe, in collaboration with Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing, Santa Barbara, Calif., and is operated by Arizona State University. For additional information about Mars Odyssey and the new findings, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/odyssey.

WANT TO REPRESENT THE UNIVERSE AS AN AMBASSADOR?

Wanted: Ambassadors to the Stars!

NASA's Solar System Ambassadors program is looking for volunteer space enthusiasts to join us in sharing the wonders of space exploration with the public.
Ambassadors come from all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The program is one of the longest-running NASA volunteer outreach projects. It includes volunteers from various career fields and occupations, including teachers, computer software writers, students, firefighters and soldiers.
Each ambassador receives online training from JPL, and educational materials supplied by various space missions, such as Dawn, which is poised to become the first spacecraft to orbit two different celestial bodies after leaving Earth. Dawn is scheduled to launch later this month.

"Volunteers Bringing the Solar System to the Public"

The Solar System Ambassadors Program is a public outreach program designed to work with motivated volunteers across the nation. These volunteers communicate the excitement of JPL's space exploration missions and information about recent discoveries to people in their local communities.
There are now 494 Ambassadors in 50 states, Washington DC and Puerto Rico bringing the excitement of space to the public. Ambassadors are space enthusiasts from various walks of life who are interested in providing greater service and inspiration to the community at large.
The Solar System Ambassadors Program builds on and expands the outstanding efforts undertaken by the Galileo mission since 1997. Because of the success of the original Galileo Ambassadors program, JPL missions exploring Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, Asteroids, Comets, Earth, the Sun and the Universe now come together to expand the program's scope to the Solar System and beyond.
The Solar System Ambassadors Program is sponsored by the JET PROPULSION LABORATORY in Pasadena, CA, an operating division of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and a lead research and development center for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Ambassadors furnish short biographical statements for the purpose of detailing their areas of interest and expertise. Following the biography is a list of past events conducted by the Ambassador to further aid in decision making. Inquiries about an Ambassador's availability should be made by sending an email directly to the individual.

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SSA PROGRAM : PRESS RELEASE

ANNOUNCEMENT OF OPPORTUNITY...
Become an Ambassador to your community!
Highly motivated individuals will be given the opportunity to represent JPL as Solar System Ambassadors to the public for a one-year, renewable term beginning January 1, 2008. Applications for the program will be accepted from September 1 through September 30, 2007. Click title link above for more information from JPL direct.
Of course since time is running out you can always apply for the next term after studying the parameters of becoming an official AMBASSADOR OF MAN FOR THE UNIVERSE!

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GOOGLE & X-PRIZE FOUNDATION TO OFFER $30 MILLION TO FIRST FIRM ON THE MOON!

GOOGLE BACKS PRIVATE MOON LANDING!

More cash will be given for snaps of old equipment left on the Moon
Search giant Google is offering a $30m prize pot to private firms that land a robot rover on the Moon.
The competition to send a robot craft to the Moon is being run with the X-Prize Foundation.
To claim the cash, any craft reaching the lunar surface must perform a series of tasks such as shoot video and roam for specific distances.
Firms interested in trying for the prize have until the end of 2012 to mount their Moonshot.

In a statement announcing the competition, Google and the X-Prize Foundation said it had been created in a bid to stimulate research into low-cost robotic exploration of space.
The top prize of $20m will be given to the private firm that soft lands a rover on the Moon which then completes a series of objectives.
These include roaming the lunar surface for at least 500m and gathering a specific set of images, video and data.
A prize of $5m will be given to the second firm that manages to reach the Moon with a rover that roams the surface and shoots some pictures.
Google said it would give bonuses of $5m if the rovers complete other objectives such as travelling further on the Moon, taking pictures of Apollo hardware, finding water-ice and surviving the freezing lunar night.
Rovers taking part must be fitted with high-definition video and still cameras.


"We are confident that teams from around the world will help develop new robotic and virtual presence technology, which will dramatically reduce the cost of space exploration," said Dr Peter Diamandis, chairman of the X-Prize Foundation in a statement.
The prize will be on offer until 2012. After that a smaller sum of $15m will be offered and, if the cash goes unclaimed, the competition will end in 2014.

The rocket plane SpaceShipOne claimed the Ansari X-Prize
Sending a robot rover to the Moon is a formidable task - involving far greater hurdles than the first X-Prize competition. Indeed, sending any sort of craft to the Moon would normally require the funding support of national or international space agencies.
The prize is the third offered and administered by the X-Prize Foundation.
The first was run to encourage private space travel. The $10m (£4.9m) Ansari-sponsored prize was won in October 2005 when the SpaceShipOne rocket plane climbed to an altitude of 100km twice inside seven days.
In October 2006, the X-Prize Foundation created the $10m Archon X-Prize for Genomics, which will be given to the first private research group to sequence 100 human genomes in 10 days.


THE CLASSIC APOLLO MANNED ROVER:


THESE RUSSIAN LUNOKHOD ROVERS WERE ACTUALLY THE FIRST MANMADE MACHINES TO ROAM THE MOON!
The spacecraft which carried Lunokhod 1 was named Luna 17. Lunokhod was the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another world.The spacecraft soft-landed on the Moon in the Sea of Rains on November 17 1970 at 03:47 UTC. The lander had dual ramps from which the payload, Lunokhod 1, could descend to the lunar surface. At 06:28 UT the rover moved onto the moon's surface.



A photo from Lunokhod 1 showing the Luna 17 lander.

THE OMEGA STATION : A CRYPTICON DESIGNED SPACEBASE INSTITUTION

THIS IS OUR CUSTOM DESIGNED VISION OF A USRC/UN SANCTIONED PRIVATE SPACEBASE FACILITY. MERGING THE PRIVATE SECTORS WITH THE GOVERNMENTAL INSTITUTIONS, UNDER NASA GUIDELINES TO FUSE THE MESS OF COMPANIES INTO ONE SYSTEM. A SPACEPORT TO OTHER DESTINATIONS - THE MOON AND OTHER PLANETS - THIS IS A DOCK FOR REFUELING AND SCIENTIFIC STUDY AS WELL AS PRIVATE TOURIST AND RESEARCH HABITATS IN THE BIGELOW SECTIONS.
A SPACE CASINO AND ENTERTAINMENT SECTION IS THE MAIN FOCUS OF SPACE COMMUNAL INTERACTION. THIS IS A TEST OF OUR WILL TO COLONIZE IN SMALL HUMAN BATCHES - FAR AND AWAY FROM EARTH. AS A RESULT, EARTH CLIMATE SIMULATION ROOMS, V.R. SIMULATORS AND SENSORY EXCITERS WILL BE ENGINEERED INTO THE STRUCTURE.
SOOTHING SOUNDTRACKS WILL PERMEATE TO PSYCHOLOGICALLY ENHANCE MORALE AND KEEP THE MIND POSITIVE.
SOUNDWAVE TECHNOLOGY IS A LARGE PART OF OUR RESEARCH BUDGET.

DESIGNED BY ALAN KARALIAN AND RYAN GREEN IN 2007.

JAPANESE 'KAGUYA' LUNAR PROBE LAUNCHES

Japan's lunar "princess" shoots for the moon.
By Teruaki Ueno

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan launched its first lunar probe on Friday, nicknamed Kaguya after a fairy-tale princess, in the latest move in a new race with China, India and the United States to explore the moon.
The rocket carrying the three-metric ton orbiter took off into blue skies, leaving a huge trail of vapor over the tiny island of Tanegashima, about 1,000 km (620 miles) south of Tokyo, at 10:31 a.m. (9:31 p.m. EDT) as it headed out over the Pacific Ocean.
The long-delayed lunar explorer separated from the rocket in skies near Chile about 45 minutes after lift off. It is to orbit the Earth twice and then travel 380,000 km (237,500 miles) to the moon.
"Kaguya separated from the rocket smoothly," the space agency's launch commentator said in a live broadcast of the launch on the Japanese space agency's Web site (www.jaxa.jp).
"Now the satellites are flying on their own. This is the first step and I am really impressed," said Tatsuaki Okada, a scientist involved in the project.
Japanese scientists say the 55 billion yen ($479 million) Selenological and Engineering Explorer, or SELENE, is the world's most technically complex mission to the moon since the U.S. Apollo program decades ago.
"If we succeed in this program, we will be able to prove that Japan has the technology," Okada said.
The mission consists of a main orbiter and two baby satellites equipped with 14 observation instruments designed to examine surface terrain, gravity and other features for clues on the origin and evolution of the moon.
The rocket itself was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has said it hopes to send astronauts to the moon by 2025, although Japan has not yet attempted manned space flight.
SELENE also carries a high-definition television camera to shoot the Earth "rising" from the Moon's horizon, footage of which will be sent back to Earth. SELENE will orbit the moon for about a year until it runs out of fuel.
The launch is about four years behind schedule due to rocket failures and technical glitches.
China plans to launch a lunar orbiter called Chang'e One in the second half of this year to take 3D images, and it aims to land an unmanned vehicle on the moon by 2010.
India is planning its first unmanned mission to orbit the moon in 2008, powered by a locally built rocket. It is also discussing sending a person to the moon by 2020.
The United States plans to launch a lunar orbiter next year.
Japan's space program was in tatters in the late 1990s after two unsuccessful launches of a previous rocket, the H-2.
Disaster followed in 2003 when Japan had to destroy an H-2A rocket carrying two spy satellites minutes after launch as it veered off course.
($1=114.78 yen)

A RUSSIAN MOON BY 2025

Russia to send manned mission to the Moon by 2025.


MOSCOW, August 31 (RIA Novosti) - Russia plans to send cosmonauts to the Moon by 2025 and establish a permanent manned base there in 2027-2032, the head of the space agency said Friday.

Anatoly Perminov said that in accordance with Russia's space program through 2040, a manned flight to Mars will be carried out after 2035.
He said that toward the end of this year, Russia will have 103 satellites in orbit, up from the current 95.
There are plans for a new space center in the country, but a site has not yet been selected, he said. Russia currently launches all manned flights from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. Perminov said previously that construction of a new launch facility would only begin after a new type of spacecraft was built.
A major source of revenue for the agency in recent years has been space tourist flights from Baikonur to the International Space Station (ISS), with tickets currently priced at around $30 million. Russia has put five wealthy foreign tourists into space since 2001.
Perminov said the first Russian space tourist, who will fly to the ISS in 2009, is a businessman and politician.
"He asked me not to disclose his name yet. I can only say that he is a serious young Russian businessman and politician. He is currently undergoing medical tests."
The agency chief said that in 2016-25, after the ISS is put out of operation, Russia plans to deploy a platform in a low-earth orbit to assemble spacecraft.
The United States has said the station should be scrapped in 2015, while Russia has proposed using the Russian segment until 2020.
Perminov said: "The ISS will be transformed into a laboratory complex where research will be conducted."