Here’s a ScienceCast report on the possibility that Comet 2013 A1 will hit Mars: ScienceCasts: Collision Course? A Comet Heads for Mars – YouTube
A comet is heading for Mars, and there is a chance that it might hit the Red Planet in October 2014. An impact wouldn’t necessarily mean the end of NASA’s Mars program. But it would transform the program along with Mars itself.
http://youtu.be/04LSzys8pfw
Uwingu is sponsoring a contest to suggest a name for the nearest exoplanet found so far: A public name for ‘Bb’: Opening the naming of the closest planet to our solar system to the people of Earth! – Uwingu
Astronomers have discovered evidence for thousands of planets orbiting distant stars. But all of these planets have only technical names, such as ’Alpha Centauri Bb,’ not memorable ones like the planets in our own solar system.
Uwingu is announcing a contest for the people of Earth to name the closest known exoplanet (planet around another star)!
Anyone can nominate a name—or as many names as you like. The name with the highest number of votes for it on April 15th will be announced as the winner! And what’s more, we’ll be giving out a series of prizes to the namers (that’s you!) of any name that gets at least 100 votes, names that get 1,000 votes, names that get 10,000 votes, and the top vote getter of all.
During the competition you’ll need to work your magic to encourage votes from your social networks, blog followers, friends, family, employers…everyone! And its for a great cause—Uwingu is creating The Uwingu Fund to accelerate space research and education, and we’re already making grants.
Get Started!
Continue..
More about the program and the plan to send some of the money raised to support NASA outreach projects:
Bonhams apace and aviation auction today is getting quite a bit of press. See, for example:
A NASA collaboration with LEGOspace.com led to a batch of LEGO bricks going to the International Space Station and the building of several
space models, including one of the LEGO International Space Station. The bricks are now on their way home: LEGO toys returning from space station on Earth-bound cargo craft – collectSPACE.
The Chinese plan to use Rep. Wolf (R-VA) to undermine the US aerospace industry and university research is working like a charm:
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Ed Wright comments on Charles Bolden’s comments last week to a hearing on the asteroid/comet impact threat: NASA Administrator Falters on Planetary Defense – CitizensInSpace.org
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Chuck Black reports on developments in Canadian aerospace policy: Emerson’s Space Plan Versus the Canadian Budget – Commercial Space
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Res Communis post the latest collection of space and aviation law, regulation and policy links: Library: A Round-up of Reading.
