AScribe Science News Service articles from August 2004

AScribe Science News Service archives from August 2004

August Star Trak: Meteor Shower and Cluster of Bright Stars and Planets.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Indiana University BLOOMINGTON, Ind., Aug. 2 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Perseid meteor shower, a summer tradition for many people, will have a dark sky for a backdrop this year. At the shower's peak on the night of Aug. 11-12, the...

Kavli Gift Jumpstarts MIT Astrophysics, More.
August 3, 2004... Byline: MIT CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 3 (AScribe Newswire) -- MIT research on the most exciting questions in astrophysics and space science has been recognized by a $7.5 million gift from the Kavli Foundation that will jumpstart new studies...

Saturn's Shadow and Titan's Glow Shed Light on Complex System.
August 5, 2004... Byline: Jet Propulsion Laboratory PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 5 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Cassini spacecraft, which began its tour of the Saturn system just over a month ago, has detected lightning and a new radiation belt at Saturn, and a glow...

First Director Named to Lead UC Davis Tahoe Research Center.
August 5, 2004... Byline: University of California, Davis DAVIS, Calif., Aug. 5 (AScribe Newswire) -- Geoffrey Schladow, a UC Davis civil and environmental engineer who has conducted extensive research at Lake Tahoe, has been named the founding director of...

Deeper-Diving Human Occupied Submersible to Replace Alvin; New 6,500-Meter Vehicle Will Provide Expanded Capabilities for U.S. Scientists.
August 6, 2004... Byline: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 6 (AScribe Newswire) -- After 40 years of scientific research that led to the discovery of new life forms, helped confirm the theory of plate tectonics, and enthralled...

Saint Joseph's University Lands Second Government Contract to Support Protection of Nation's Food Supply.
August 10, 2004... Byline: Saint Joseph's University PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 10 (AScribe Newswire) -- Saint Joseph's University's Early Responders Distance Learning Center (ERDLC) and Center for Food Marketing (CFM) have been awarded a $750,000 contract from the...

Award-winning Astrophysicist/Engineer to Speak at Cal State L.A.'s Satellites & Education Conference; Teenagers From Around the World to Present Solutions on Global Warming.
August 10, 2004... Byline: Calif. State University, Los Angeles LOS ANGELES, Aug. 10 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Satellites & Education Conference XVII-the internationally recognized premier conference exploring the role of satellites and related technologies...

Relays From Mars Show International Interplanetary Networking.
August 10, 2004... Byline: Jet Propulsion Laboratory PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 10 (AScribe Newswire) -- One of NASA's Mars rovers has sent pictures relayed by the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter for the first time, demonstrating that the orbiter...

Farmers, Fishermen Fix Marine 'Dead Zones'; Study Shows That Composting Manure Counteracts Environmental Disasters.
August 11, 2004... Byline: Straus Communications CHESAPEAKE BAY, Md., Aug. 11 (AScribe Newswire) -- New research released today by The Rodale Institute (TRI) and funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) shows that by composting...

This 'Houseboat Party' Is for the Fish: Boatful of Students, Scientists Study Ways to Improve Life for Migrating Salmon.
August 13, 2004... Byline: University of California, Davis DAVIS, Calif., Aug. 13 (AScribe Newswire) -- In the unhealthiest spot for fish in the San Francisco Bay-Delta region, students from UC Davis and Stanford University are crowded onto a houseboat...

Scientists Discover Ganymede Has a Lumpy Interior.
August 13, 2004... Byline: Jet Propulsion Laboratory PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 13 (AScribe Newswire) -- Scientists have discovered irregular lumps beneath the icy surface of Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede. These irregular masses may be rock formations,...

Corpse Flower Unfurls With Odiferous Welcome.(Brief Article)
August 13, 2004... Byline: University of California, Davis DAVIS, Calif., Aug. 13 (AScribe Newswire) -- It's show time for Tabatha the Titan. The giant, rare, stinky flower in the Botanical Conservatory at UC Davis has begun to unfurl its maroon-colored,...

News Update About Mars Rovers Set for Aug. 18.(Brief Article)
August 16, 2004... Byline: Jet Propulsion Laboratory PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 16 (AScribe Newswire) -- New developments in the exploration of Mars by the NASA rovers Spirit and Opportunity will be presented by rover team members at a news briefing on Wednesday,...

'Native Universe: Voices of Indian America': National Geographic Publishes Illustrated History to Mark Museum Opening.(Book Review)
August 16, 2004... Byline: National Geographic Society WASHINGTON, Aug. 17 (AScribe Newswire) -- To mark the opening of the Smithsonian's new National Museum of the American Indian in September, National Geographic, in collaboration with the museum, is...

Media Briefing Set to Discuss Dramatic Midair Spacecraft Capture.
August 17, 2004... Byline: Jet Propulsion Laboratory PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 17 (AScribe Newswire) -- A news briefing about the upcoming midair capture of the Genesis space capsule will be held at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., at 11 a.m....

Carnegie Mellon Prepares to Celebrate 25th Anniversary of Its Robotics Institute.
August 23, 2004... Byline: Carnegie Mellon University PITTSBURGH, Aug. 23 (AScribe Newswire) -- Carnegie Mellon University will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its world-famous Robotics Institute with an exciting, thought-provoking, robotics extravaganza...

Cassini-Huygens Mission Status Report: Spacecraft Successfully Completes 51-Minute Engine Burn.
August 23, 2004... Byline: Jet Propulsion Laboratory PASADENA, Calif. Aug. 23 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Cassini spacecraft successfully completed a 51-minute engine burn that will raise its next closest approach distance to Saturn by nearly 300,000...

Periodic Dimming of Bright Starlight Reveals Distant Planet.
August 24, 2004... Byline: National Center for Atmospheric Research BOULDER, Colo., Aug. 24 (AScribe Newswire) -- Scientists have made their first direct discovery of a planet orbiting a bright star using a network of small telescopes and the "transit method"...

Environmental Law Institute Releases New Report on Control of Florida's Invasive Species.
August 27, 2004... Byline: Environmental Law Institute WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (AScribe Newswire) -- The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) today released Filling the Gaps: Ten Strategies to Strengthen Invasive Species Management in Florida. The report analyzes...

NASA Sets Genesis Spacecraft Midair Recovery Media Day Sept. 1.
August 27, 2004... Byline: Jet Propulsion Laboratory PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 27 (AScribe Newswire) -- Hollywood stunt pilots are working with NASA's Genesis mission to capture the first samples returned from space since the Apollo era. A media event...

Astronauts, Purdue Alumni Add Their Contributions to New Slide-Rule Exhibit.
August 30, 2004... Byline: Purdue University WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Aug. 30 (AScribe Newswire) -- Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Jerry Ross, along with about 200 other Purdue University alumni, have added their slide rules to a new exhibit at their alma mater...

Scientists Discover First of New Class of Extrasolar Planets.
August 31, 2004... Byline: Jet Propulsion Laboratory PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 31 (AScribe Newswire) -- Astronomers announced today the first discovery of a new class of planets beyond our solar system about 10 to 20 times the size of Earth - far smaller than...