The old adage that 'no two snowflakes are alike' may ring true for larger snowflakes, but it might not hold true for smaller, simpler crystals that fall before they've had a chance to fully develop.Channel: Science Tags: science snowflakes Read more…

On Wednesday afternoon Robert Joseph, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security at the State Department, gave a speech at the National Press Club about the new national space policy, the first time a senior administration official has spoken about the policy on the record since the policy's release over two months ago. Nor surprisingly, much of Joseph's speech centered on the perception that the policy reflected a trend towards a more unilateral, militaristic approach to American activities in space. Joseph rejected that notion. "At its most basic level, US space policy has not changed significantly from the beginning of our ventures into space," he said. "Consistent with past policies, the United States does not monopolize space. We do not deny access to space for people for peaceful purposes by other nations." The emphasis in that previous quote should be on the phrase "for peaceful purposes". Not everyone, he said, is interested in accessing space for peaceful purposes. "But not all countries can be relied upon to pursue exclusively peaceful goals in space. A number of countries are acquiring capabilities to counter, attack, and defeat US space systems," he said. He did not identify any of the countries that are doing so, and later, when asked in the Q&A session about reports that China has illuminated a US spacecraft with a ground-based laser, would only say that "as a matter of policy" he would not discuss specific threats or other vulnerabilities to US space systems. During his talk, he explained how extensive US use of space systems, in both the commercial and government sectors, made the nation particularly vulnerable to efforts by both nations and "non-state actors" (i.e., terrorists) to "disrupt or destroy them". While that's traditionally been thought to mean attacks on satellites themselves, Joseph said that such efforts also include everything from publishing data on the orbits of US reconnaissance satellites to GPS jammers to attacks on satellite ground stations. Because of that threat, the US must be prepared to "deter and defend" against any potential attacks on space systems. "The United States views the purposeful interference with its space system as an infringement on our rights, just as we would view interference with US naval or commercial vessels in international waters," he said. "If these rights are not respected, the United States has the same full range of options, from diplomatic to military, to protect its space assets, as it has to protect other critical assets." But what about the perceived weaponization of space that this policy supposedly enables? "There is no arms race, and we see no signs of one emerging," he said, adding that because of that, he sees no need for a new international agreement prohibiting weapons in space. "The national space policy doesn't direct the development or deployment of weapons in space," he said in response to a question, "nor does it preclude it." Joseph also suggested during the Q&A session that objections to weapons in space were rooted more in terms of hindering missile defense efforts, saying that "when you strip away the veil of the issue of the weaponization of space, an arms race in space, [there] is a desire to constrain US options for the development of our missile defense capabilities. I find this quite odd, because those missile defense capabilities are designed to counter offensive ballistic missiles that are traveling through space on their way to destroy military or civilian targets." In general, there were few new insights in this speech, and it's unlikely to convince people who see the policy as a sign of growing US interest in space weaponization or related policies. It's a little disappointing that it took this long to get a fairly standard administration statement on the policy, although in Mr. Joseph's case, he and his office are rather busy these days… Read more…

Some links to articles about Robert Joseph's speech about the new national space policy at the National Press Club yesterday afternoon: The AP account of the speech comes first, because it's timestamped at 1:58 pm Wednesday, two minutes before Joseph's talk started. (Presumably the AP's Barry Schweid got an advance copy of speech, and the article doesn't include any of Joseph's comments from the Q&A session that followed.) A Reuters account, by contrast, focuses as much on Joseph's comments in the Q&A session as it does his prepared remarks. including his comments on the linkage between space weaponization debates and missile defense, and his lack of comments about reports that China illuminated a US military satellite with a groundbased laser earlier this year. The Houston Chronicle notes that instead of worrying about treaties to ban weapons in space, the US should focus on bigger arms control issues, notably nuclear proliferation activities in Iran and North Korea. The Washington Times plays up Joseph's comments that the US would consider using military force to defend space assets. Bill Wertz describes the Chinese laser incident as a "ground-based laser gun", although it's not clear from the limited information released to date whether it was a "gun" or a weaker laser rangefinder, and whether the incident damaged or disrupted the spacecraft, or simply got the US military's attention. The State Department has not posted Joseph's speech on its web site. I have an audio recording of the speech (MP3, 4.2 MB, 37 minutes) available if you're really curious. Read more…

Welcome to the world of extraterrestrial medicine animals and the Trickster who can shape-shift while being pursued. It is more than mythology. Read more…

SPACE.com - HOUSTON--Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are due to reel in one of the orbital laboratory's expansive solar wings as part of power grid overhaul by a visiting shuttle crew. Read more…

Reuters - Astronauts aboard the International Space Station prepared for a crucial spacewalk on Thursday to reroute the outpost's power system as NASA engineers worked on plans for a possible fourth spacewalk to fix a stuck solar panel. Read more…

AP - Imagine rewiring your house while living in it. Now imagine you're not even sure the new power system will work and you're 220 miles above the Earth. That's the scenario facing astronauts on the second and third spacewalks of the space shuttle Discovery's mission to the international space station, a two-part process scheduled for Thursday and Saturday. Read more…

Reuters - This year is set to be the sixth warmest worldwide since records began, stoked by global warming linked to human activities, the British Meteorological Office and the University of East Anglia said on Thursday. Read more…

A Solar Flare in the X-3 class forced astronauts in the International Space Station and the Shuttle to go to a more protected areas overnight. This class of flare can also disrupt some satellite transmissions and possibly impact operations on Earth.Channel: Science Tags: space solar flare space shuttle astronauts Read more…

An expedition searching for a rare Yangtze River dolphin ended Wednesday without a single sighting and with the team's leader saying one of the world's oldest species was effectively extinct.Channel: Science Tags: rare dolphin oldest species extinct search china Yangtze River Read more…

PRESS RELEASE Date Released: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 Source: Integral Systems EchoStar Contracts With Integral Systems for the EchoStar 11 Satellite Control System EchoStar Expands its EPOCH IPS System to Support EchoStar 11 Integral Systems, Inc. Read more…

A study published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society finds that moderate alcohol intake (1-2 drinks/day for 3-6 days/week, depending on alcoholic content) may lead to increased quality of life and survival in older women. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health followed nearly 12,000 women in their 70's over a six-year period. The group was comprised of non-drinkers, occasional drinkers and moderate drinkers. Read more…

Research at the University of Liverpool into a large fault zone in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile has produced new insight into how fluid pressure can cause earthquakes. Read more…

Researchers for the first time have demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of continuous-use oral contraceptives that can eliminate menstrual cycles. Read more…

When instructors at Bronx-area community colleges applied for a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to study how students think about fundamental concepts of calculus, they hoped to gain a better understanding of how college students learn mathematics. During the 4-year project, the teacher-researchers integrated ongoing research theories with classroom teaching. As a result, their project has evolved into a tool for helping students reason their way through complex calculus. Read more…

ESA Venus Express Status Report No. Read more…

ESA Venus Express Status Report No. Read more…

ESA Venus Express Status Report No. Read more…

Complex meteorology at Venus PRESS RELEASE Date Released: Friday, October 13, 2006 Source: ESA Venus Express MissionImages In its relentless probing of Venus's atmosphere, ESA's Venus Express keeps revealing new details of the Venusian cloud system. Read more…

ESA Venus Express Status Report No. Read more…

ESA Venus Express Status Report No. Read more…

ESA Venus Express Status Report No. Read more…

ESA Venus Express Status Report No. Read more…

Happy birthday, Venus Express! Read more…

ESA Venus Express Status Report No. Read more…