New Horizons Finds Blue Skies and Water Ice on Pluto
Pluto's haze layer shows its blue color in this picture taken by the New Horizons Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC). The high-altitude haze is thought to be similar in nature to that seen at Saturn’s moon Titan. The source of both hazes likely involves sunlight-initiated chemical reactions of nitrogen and methane, leading to relatively small, soot-like particles (called tholins) that grow as they settle toward the surface. This image was generated by software that combines information from blue, red and near-infrared images to replicate the color a human eye would perceive as closely as possible.
Water Ice on Pluto: Regions with exposed water ice are highlighted in blue in this composite image from New Horizons' Ralph instrument, combining visible imagery from the Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) with infrared spectroscopy from the Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA). The strongest signatures of water ice occur along Virgil Fossa, just west of Elliot crater on the left side of the inset image, and also in Viking Terra near the top of the frame. A major outcrop also occurs in Baré Montes towards the right of the image, along with numerous much smaller outcrops, mostly associated with impact craters and valleys between mountains. The scene is approximately 280 miles (450 kilometers) across. Note that all surface feature names are informal.Read more at New Horizons Finds Blue Skies and Water Ice on Pluto
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Toothy, Smiling Yellow-Eyed Alien
Washington - 7/10/2015: I went to sleep before my husband that night. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened, I don't drink or party. I was fully asleep until I awoke. No noise woke me, just suddenly woke up. I then stared towards the open closet side of our bed. Something was leaning on the bed. I stared at it for only a few seconds. It looked like an average "grey" alien, but it didn't have the elongated head or the small mouth. It had a bigger head, bald, with the room being dark I couldn't tell if it was grey or a weird dark green. When I looked at it two things happened, it started to smile, but it looked like it was the first time it had ever tried smiling before. It's face wrinkled around the big toothed smile. At the same time the eyes, a dull yellow, started to glow. When I say "glow" I mean it looked like the eyes were putting off this yellow mist. It got brighter and brighter until I fell asleep. Normally, I am the person to freak out about these things and run and find someone to protect me. But for some reason, I wasn't afraid of this thing. I simply woke up after that and it was morning. I've had other things happen while sleeping in that room before, but this time I remember the face. And I don't think I'll be forgetting anytime soon. - MUFON CMS
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It's 'Wabbit' Season...
A bunny brouhaha has been brewing for some time in Langley in Island County, Washington. Proliferating rabbits have overrun the city. Residents are ready for action. The island community has lost count of the cottontails, but they know damage is on the rise with rabbit holes hurting foundations at the fairgrounds and causing tripping hazards all over.
“It’s got to stop. It’s not cute anymore,” Langley resident Fran Johnson says. She’s tired of them chewing through her garden. Johnson recalled, with a hint of envy, how her father’s generation would have handled the situation: “You put them in a gunnysack and throw them off the dock. That’s not going to go over too good with too many people,” she said.
Langley residents are split on how to deal with the reproducing rabbits, who are digging up yards and even a middle-school football field. Some residents are feeding and sheltering the rabbits. Others support eradicating them, perhaps calling on raptors to kill the furry intruders. One resident, so frustrated by the bunnies, shot at them with an air-powered gun, which led to a criminal charge.
At a Langley community meeting on Tuesday, residents talked over their options. It is said they found common ground and could be nearing a rabbit resolution. The city is working to get an accurate count on their rabbit problem as they continue to search for a solution that will be a good fit for the whole community. - ‘It’s not cute anymore’: Bunny brouhaha as Langley is overrun with rabbits
NOTE: Mmmm...Hasenpfeffer!
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‘Earth Independent’ Mars Colony Planned
The space agency has outlined its plans to see humans living on Mars within the next three decades.
In a newly released report entitled 'Journey to Mars', NASA has reiterated its intentions to not only send humans to Mars by the 2030s but to set up an ambitious self-sustaining colony there.
The first step will be to continue developing and testing the technologies needed to do this while learning as much as possible from experiments aboard the space station. Of particular importance will be mitigating the health risks posed by prolonged exposure to both radiation and micro-gravity.
Once these problems have been solved the next step will be to carry out test flights and further experiments in cislunar space - the area of space around the moon.
When the first astronauts eventually do arrive on the surface of Mars they will live inside special habitation modules built using a combination of modular architecture and 3-D printing.
The ultimate goal will be to see humans living on Mars without any reliance on supplies from Earth.
"NASA aims to extend human presence deeper into the solar system and to the surface of Mars," the report states. "In doing so, our human and robotic explorers will expand knowledge and discover the potential for life beyond Earth."
"As pioneers, we seek to blaze the trail for others, establishing a presence that leads to economic progress and broad societal benefit."
"We pioneer space to discover life, identify resources, foster economic growth, inspire and educate, protect ourselves from space-based threats, and leave a better future for the next generation." - NASA planning ‘Earth Independent’ Mars colony by 2030s
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