Thursday, June 5, 2008

Science Thursday!

A few science links that caught my eye:

1) A mission to Mars? There's lots to think about before you consider signing up. This really grabbed my attention:

"Nor will astronauts really be able to talk to anyone, either -- at least not on Earth -- mainly because of a 44-minute communication delay between the Blue and Red planets, 'which means you can't have a nice chat with your kids,' said Kanas. 'You are so far away; you really are isolated.'"

And then there's this:

" Yet the big unknown, according to Kanas, does not involve who astronauts will not be able to talk to or what gifts they will not be able to get, but instead what they will not be able to clearly see: planet Earth. Kanas has even coined a term for the situation: the "Earth out of view" phenomenon. 'Nobody in the history of mankind has ever experienced the Earth as a pale, insignificant blue dot in the sky,' he said. 'What that might do to a crew member, nobody knows.'"

2) A sixteen-year-old has decomposed a plastic bag in three months. I would say that earns him an "A" for his project, right?

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