Collision Course? A Comet Heads for Mars

by Dr. Tony Phillips for NASA Science News
Huntsville AL (SPX)
Apr 04, 2013

Over the years, the spacefaring nations of Earth have sent dozens of probes and rovers to explore Mars. Today there are three active satellites circling the red planet while two rovers, Opportunity and Curiosity, wheel across the red sands below. Mars is dry, barren, and apparently lifeless. Soon, those assets could find themselves exploring a very different kind of world.

"There is a small but non-negligible chance that Comet 2013 A1 will strike Mars next year in October of 2014," says Don Yeomans of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program at JPL. "Current solutions put the odds of impact at 1 in 2000."

The nucleus of the comet is probably 1 to 3 km in diameter, and it is coming in fast, around 56 km/s (125,000 mph). "It if does hit Mars, it would deliver as much energy as 35 million megatons of TNT," estimates Yeomans.

For comparison, the asteroid strike that ended the dinosaurs on Earth 65 million years ago was about three times as powerful, 100 million megatons. Another point of comparison is the meteor that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February of 2013, damaging buildings and knocking people down. The Mars comet is packing 80 million times more energy than that relatively puny asteroid.

An impact wouldn't necessarily mean the end of NASA's Mars program. But it would transform the program-- along with Mars itself.

"I think of it as a giant climate experiment," says Michael Meyer, lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA headquarters. "An impact would loft a lot of stuff into the Martian atmosphere--dust, sand, water and other debris. The result could be a warmer, wetter Mars than we're accustomed to today."

Meyer worries that solar-powered Opportunity might have a hard time surviving if the atmosphere became opaque. Nuclear-powered Curiosity, though, would carry on just fine. He also notes that Mars orbiters might have trouble seeing the surface, for a while at least, until the debris begins to clear.

A direct impact remains unlikely. Paul Chodas of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program stresses that a 1 in 2000 chance of impact means there's a 1999 in 2000 chance of no impact. "A near-miss is far more likely," he points out.

Even a near miss is a potentially big event. The latest orbit solutions put the comet somewhere within 300,000 km of the red planet at closest approach. That means Mars could find itself inside the comet's gassy, dusty atmosphere or "coma." Visually, the comet would reach 0th magnitude, that is, a few times brighter than a 1st magnitude star, as seen from the Red Planet.

"Cameras on ALL of NASA's spacecraft currently operating at Mars should be able to take photographs of Comet 2013 A1," says Jim Bell, a planetary scientist and Mars imaging specialist at Arizona State University. "The issue with Mars Odyssey and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will be the ability to point them in the right direction; they are used to looking down, not up. Mission designers will have to figure out if that is possible."

"The issue with the Opportunity and Curiosity rovers will be power for imaging at night," he continues. "Opportunity is solar powered and so would need to dip into reserve battery power to operate the cameras at night. Whether or not we will be able to do this will depend on how much power the rover is getting from dusty solar panels in the daytime. On the other hand, Curiosity is nuclear powered, so it could have better odds at night-time imaging."

Researchers will be keenly interested to see how the comet's atmosphere interacts with the atmosphere of Mars. For one thing, there could be a meteor shower. "Analyzing the spectrum of disintegrating meteors could tell us something interesting about the chemistry of the upper atmosphere," notes Meyer.

Another possibility is Martian auroras. Unlike Earth, which has a global magnetic field that wraps around our entire planet, Mars is only magnetized in patches. Here and there, magnetic umbrellas sprout out of the ground, creating a crazy-quilt of magnetic poles concentrated mainly in the southern hemisphere. Ionized gases hitting the top of the Martian atmosphere could spark auroras in the canopies of the magnetic umbrellas.

Even before the comet flyby was known, NASA had already decided to send a spacecraft to Mars to study the dynamics of the Martian atmosphere. If the probe, named MAVEN (short for "Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution"), is launched on time in November 2013, it would reach Mars just a few weeks before the comet in 2014.

However, notes MAVEN's principal investigator Bruce Jakosky of the University of Colorado, the spacecraft won't be ready to observe the comet when it reaches Mars. "It takes a while to get into our science mapping orbit, deploy the booms, turn on and test the science instruments--and so on," he explains. "MAVEN won't be fully operational until perhaps two weeks after the comet passes. There are some effects that I would expect to linger for a relatively long period--especially if the comet hits Mars--and we will be able to observe those changes."

Astronomers around the world are monitoring 2013 A1. Every day, new data arrive to refine the comet's orbit. As the error bars shrink, Yeomans expects a direct hit to be ruled out. "The odds favor a flyby, not a collision," he says...

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Collision_Course_A_Comet_Heads_for_Mars_999.html.

Russians Land Mars Rover

Mon, Apr 01, 2013

Roscosmos Sends Race Challenge To NASA
ANN April 1 Special Coverage

In what may be the ultimate off-road spectacle, Roscosmos has challenged NASA to a Baja-style race between Curiosity and Russia's' Mars rover that it secretly landed on the red planet last week.

"We kept the mission very, very quiet," said Roscosmos spokesman Uri Nuttinksi. "Just in case we had another failure, we needed to keep the launch out of the press. But now that our "Chelyabinsk" rover is on the planet, it's time to see just who's got the faster explorer."

Chelyabinsk is the Russian city over which a meteor exploded last month. The object is thought to have passed near Mars before it encountered the Earth, and a Russian school child thought it would be an appropriate memorial of the event to name Russia's first Martian rover after the city.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden accepted the challenge, saying that the space agency's association with NASCAR gives it an edge in go-fast technology. "We had gotten wind that the Russians were up to something," Bolden said, "and that computer switch we did in March was actually done to activate NASCAR-developed technology on Curiosity. Believe me, if the Russians want to Cha-Cha ... we're ready to put the pedal to the Martian metal." The agency has recruited "Top Gear" host Rutledge Wood, a well-known NASCAR fan, to drive Curiosity for the race.

NASA TV will carry the race live, which is expected to see speeds of up to 7.34 miles per hour. "That may seem slow," Bolden said. "But heck, people watch sailboat races on TV. We figure we'll at least be competitive with that."

The race has generated a friendly wager between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin. If Curiosity wins, Putin will send Obama an An-124 loaded with Russian Vodka. Should Chelabinsk prevail, Obama will send Putin a C-5A Galaxy's worth of poi from his native Hawaii.

Source: Aero News Network.
Link: http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=20795e41-75dd-43d5-9737-18dd340bdb1d.

Michelle Bachelet says she's going back to Chile

March 16, 2013

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who became head of the U.N. agency promoting women's equality in July 2010, said Friday night that she is giving up the post and returning home, an announcement that comes amid widespread speculation she plans to run for president again this year.

Bachelet, who was Chile's first woman president, ended a speech at the closing session of a two-week meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women on a personal note. However, she did not mention Chile's presidential race or give any specifics on when she was leaving or what her future plans are.

"This will be my last CSW," she said. "I'm going back to my country." U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Bachelet had informed him of her intention to step down and expressed "tremendous gratitude for her outstanding service."

"Michelle Bachelet was the right person in the right job at the right time," he said. "Her visionary leadership gave UN Women the dynamic start it needed. Her fearlessness in advocating for women's rights raised the global profile of this key issue. Her drive and compassion enabled her to mobilize and make a difference for millions of people across the world."

Ban said her achievements include new steps to protect women and girls from violence, new advances on health, and a new understanding that women's empowerment must be at the core of what the United Nations does.

"This is a stellar legacy, and I am determined to build on it," he said. Bachelet is widely expected by Chileans to be a candidate in the Nov. 17 presidential election, though she did not address the political angle. Recent polls have said that 54 percent of voters support her, and the center-left opposition views her as its best chance to defeat conservative President Sebastian Pinera and regain power.

"I'm happy for the country," Osvaldo Andrade, leader of the Socialist party told CNN Chile. "There must be a nervous breakdown in downtown Santiago. It's an unequivocal sign." Carlos Larrain, head of the conservative National Renewal party, said a Bachelet candidacy "will be healthy for the system" by giving voters a choice between the social welfare policies of her previous term and those of Pinera's right-of-center government.

Chile is respected for its fast-growing economy and transparent institutions, but it also has the worst inequality rate among the 34 countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and widespread protests of inequalities have harried the administrations of both Bachelet and her successor, Pinera.

Millions of Chileans have staged widespread and frequent protests demanding a wider distribution of Chile's copper riches, free education and the return of ancestral lands to Mapuche Indians in a southern region where members of Chile's largest indigenous group often clash with timber companies and landowners.

The 62-year-old Bachelet, who was elected president of Chile in 2006 and served one term that ended in 2010, is the daughter of an air force general who was tortured to death for opposing the coup that put Gen. Augusto Pinochet in power. She and her mother also were arrested and then exiled. After returning to Chile, Bachelet became a pediatrician and then entered politics, serving as minister of health and as minister of defense before winning the presidency.

After she left office, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon chose her as the first head of UN Women, which combined four U.N. bodies dealing with the advancement of women under a single umbrella. Bachelet was tipped as a possible leader of the agency immediately after the General Assembly voted unanimously in July 2010 to create UN Women. But U.N. officials said she initially told them she wasn't interested because she wanted to remain active in Chilean politics after stepping down from the presidency in March 2010 with high approval ratings.

The secretary-general made no mention when he announced her appointment of what changed Bachelet's mind. But Ban said: "I am confident that under her strong leadership, we can improve the lives of millions of women and girls throughout the world."

Bachelet made her announcement minutes after more than 130 countries adopted a 17-page U.N. blueprint to combat violence against women after two weeks of tough negotiations at the Commission on the Status of Women. She called the document "historic."

Maduro sworn in as Venezuela's president, urges dialogue

April 20, 2013

CARACAS (AFP) - Nicolas Maduro was sworn in as president of Venezuela on Friday, replacing the late Hugo Chavez and calling for dialogue with the opposition to build a better country "for everyone, by everyone."

To cheers in the National Assembly, Maduro dedicated his oath of office to "the eternal memory of the supreme commander" Chavez, who dominated this oil-rich South American country for 14 years until dying from cancer in March.

Maduro, 50, said he wanted to begin his presidency "with a call to all Venezuelan men and women to continue to build a better fatherland of peace, an inclusive fatherland for everyone, by everyone."

And he urged the opposition to "converse in the different settings where conversations can be held. I am ready to converse even with the devil."

But the new president also resumed attacks on the opposition, highlighting what has been a week of soaring political tensions since he was declared the winner of Sunday's snap elections by a narrow margin of 1.8 percentage points.

The new leader's speech was briefly disrupted when a man in a red shirt rushed onto the stage and roughly pushed Maduro aside to grab the microphone.

National television coverage of the event was suspended, causing momentary confusion until it returned minutes later after Maduro regained his composure and the intruder had been removed from the stage.

"Security has absolutely failed. They could have shot me here," Maduro complained. Then shaking it off, he added, "Incident overcome."

Watching the ceremony was a packed assembly with foreign leaders, lawmakers and other dignitaries in attendance.

Close allies Presidents Raul Castro of Cuba and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran were in the audience, along with the leaders of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and neighboring Colombia.

Maduro had met the night before in Lima with regional leaders who extended their congratulations to the new government and urged all sides in the bitterly contested elections to accept "the official results."

The endorsement came just hours after Venezuelan election authorities announced they would conduct an expanded audit of Sunday's ballot returns in response to opposition demands for a full recount.

Opposition candidate Henrique Capriles immediately accepted, congratulating his followers on their "struggle for the truth."

Violent post-election protests left eight people dead and dozens hurt, igniting a crisis as Maduro and Capriles traded fiery accusations over who was to blame.

For Maduro, the election was the culmination of a political career that took him from one-time bus driver and union organizer to Chavez's handpicked successor.

"I am the first post-Chavez president in history," Maduro said on the eve of his swearing-in. The new first lady, Cilia Flores, is a heavyweight in her own right in the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela.

But Maduro also lost the votes of hundreds of thousands of Chavez supporters to Capriles, a 40-year-old state governor who lost to the comandante in October by an 11-point margin.

The weak performance suggested Maduro has yet to step out of Chavez's giant shadow with a mandate of his own.

"Maduro is Chavez's legacy. To support him is to support the supreme commander," said Jose Rendo, a 38-year-old electrician who joined hundreds of other Chavez supporters in the nearby Plaza Bolivar for the inauguration.

As Maduro entered the National Assembly, supporters showered him with cheers of "Chavez lives, the struggle continues."

Later at an esplanade dedicated to the country's founders, Venezuelan military leaders pledged their loyalty to Chavez's socialist revolution and their new commander-in-chief.

Honor guards and military units paraded past him in pouring rain as he watched from a covered reviewing stand.

Ensuring the loyalty of the military could be tricky for Maduro, who has never served in uniform and must contend with an officer corps that has played key political roles under Chavez, a former coup leader who was himself briefly ousted from power.

While backed fiercely by the ruling PSUV and the deep pockets of Venezuela's state oil industry, Maduro must also contend with an emboldened opposition and a somber economic outlook.

Soaring inflation, a weak currency, shortages of basic necessities, and fiscal constraints are a growing challenge to the costly social programs that were among Chavez's signature achievements.

Although lacking Chavez's magnetism, Maduro nonetheless has taken on major political responsibilities before, serving as speaker of the national assembly, then as foreign minister, and finally as Chavez's vice president.

Seven Killed, Over 60 Injured in Venezuela Protests - Report

17/04/2013

MOSCOW, April 17 (RIA Novosti) - Seven people were killed and 61 injured in protests that flared up across Venezuela following the presidential election over the weekend, FoxNews.com reported, citing the country’s chief prosecutor.

Prosecutor Luisa Ortega did not give details of the causes of deaths, but said that the fatalities were from among the working class.

Nicolas Maduro, the handpicked successor of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, was declared the winner of Sunday’s elections early on Tuesday Moscow time.

According to the Associated Press, Maduro accused the United States of financing and organizing protests in Venezuela following the election.

According to the latest official information, Maduro won by a tiny margin, gaining over 50 percent of the vote, while his election rival Henrique Capriles received almost 49 percent.

Capriles refused to accept the results, saying the polls were plagued by numerous voting irregularities, and called for his supporters to rally in peaceful protest.

Source: RIA Novosti.
Link: http://en.rian.ru/world/20130417/180678958.html.

Drone bill sent to Florida governor's desk

April 18, 2013

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., April 18 (UPI) -- A bill that would limit how local law enforcement can use unmanned drones is headed for the desk of Florida Gov. Rick Scott, officials said.

Scott has praised the bill and said he will sign it, The Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times reported.

The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Joe Negro, bars local officials from using drones without a warrant or threat of a terrorist attack and also prohibits information collected by drones to be used as evidence in court.

Police could still get search warrants for aerial video spying on specific people, locations or vehicles, and the drones could still be used in the case of a missing person or a hostage situation, The Florida Current reported.

The bill passed the House Wednesday and the Senate unanimously last week without debate.

The Miami-Dade Police Department became one of the first major metro police agencies to get permission to operate drones two years ago, and sheriff's deputies in Orange County also have approval to use two drones.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/Technology/2013/04/18/Drone-bill-sent-to-Florida-governors-desk/UPI-89501366291175/.

University of Tennessee professor's research shows Gulf of Mexico resilient after spill

Knoxville TN (SPX)
Apr 15, 2013

The Gulf of Mexico may have a much greater natural ability to self-clean oil spills than previously believed, according to Terry Hazen, University of Tennessee-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Governor's Chair for Environmental Biotechnology.

The bioremediation expert presented his Deepwater Horizon disaster research findings at the 245th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society.

Hazen conducted research following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, which is estimated to have spilled 210 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. His research team used a powerful new approach for identifying microbes in the environment to discover previously unknown and naturally occurring bacteria that consume and break down crude oil.

"The Deepwater Horizon oil provided a new source of nutrients in the deepest waters," said Hazen.

"With more food present in the water, there was a population explosion among those bacteria already adapted to using oil as a food source. It was surprising how fast they consumed the oil. In some locations, it took only one day for them to reduce a gallon of oil to a half gallon. In others, the half-life for a given quantity of spilled oil was six days."

This data suggests that a great potential for intrinsic bioremediation of oil plumes exists in the deep sea and other environs in the Gulf of Mexico. Oil-eating bacteria are natural inhabitants of the Gulf because of the constant supply of oil as food.

Hazen's team used a novel approach for identifying previously recognized kinds of oil-eating bacteria that contributed to the natural clean up of the Deepwater Horizon spill. Instead of growing the microbes in a laboratory, the team used "ecogenomics."

This approach uses genetic and other analyses of the DNA, proteins and other footprints of bacteria to provide a more detailed picture of microbial life in the water.

"The bottom line from this research may be that the Gulf of Mexico is more resilient and better able to recover from oil spills than anyone thought," Hazen said.

"It shows that we may not need the kinds of heroic measures proposed after the Deepwater Horizon spill, like adding nutrients to speed up the growth of bacteria that break down oil or using genetically engineered bacteria. The Gulf has a broad base of natural bacteria, and they respond to the presence of oil by multiplying quite rapidly."

Source: Energy-Daily.
Link: http://www.energy-daily.com/reports/University_of_Tennessee_professors_research_shows_Gulf_of_Mexico_resilient_after_spill_999.html.