NASA Plans a Probe to the Sun

NASA is sending the Solar Probe Plus spacecraft to within 4 million miles of the sun in 2018. And the agency is taking every precaution to keep the craft from melting.

NASA plans to launch the Solar Probe Plus mission to the sun. Earth is about 93 million miles  from the sun, and Solar Probe Plus is slated to get within 4 million miles of the blazing star. 

For complete article, select HERE

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope Discovers Record Setting Planets in Habitable Zone

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has discovered a planetary system known to contain seven Earth-size planets around a single star. Three of these planets are located in the habitable zone, the area around the parent star where a rocky planet is most likely to have liquid water. The discovery sets a new record for greatest number of habitable-zone planets found around a single star. All of these seven planets could have liquid water, under the right atmospheric conditions, but the chances are highest with the three in the habitable zone.

For complete article select  HERE

Beam Me Up 481 Now Online

This week on Beam Me Up, episode 481, Ron Huber heads up the program with a reading of a David Scholes short story.

Next I summarize articles from the Beam Me Up blog (wrfrbeameup.blogspot.com).

I finish off the program with part two of Poul Anderson's Inside Earth.

Enjoy

Podcast download HERE

The Dawn spacecraft has detected organic compounds on Ceres, a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. These findings, combined with the fact that Ceres has abundant water and maybe even internal heating, suggests that primitive life could have developed on Ceres.


For complete article select HERE

Japanese cargo craft burns after resupply

A Japanese cargo craft fell back to Earth Sunday Feb. 5 after delivering supplies to the International Space Station  and attempting a novel space-junk experiment. 

The spacecraft, named HTV-6, arrived at the space station in December filled with 5 tons of food, water, clothes, science experiments and other gear. It intentionally burned up in Earth's atmosphere at 10:06 a.m. EST on Sunday (12:06 a.m. Japan StandardTime), according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. 

Episode 480 of beam Me Up is now online

This week in Beam Me Up, Episode 480, I start reading Poul Anderson's story, Inside Earth.

Press HERE to listen to part 1.