Universe Today - December 23, 1999 |
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the U N I V E R S E T O D A Y Space Exploration News From Around the Internet, Updated Every Weekday. December 23rd, 1999 - Issue #145 http://www.universetoday.com info@universetoday.com To unsubscribe from this newsletter, just reply with only the subject line "UNSUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTER". An HTML version of this Newsletter is available at: http://www.universetoday.com/html/misc/today.html ************************************** ARCHAEOASTRONOMER TONY AVENI ON "DEEP SKY" TODAY AT 8:00PM ET With space exploration about to enter a new century, now is the perfect time to reflect on the astronomy of the past. Archaeoastromomer (they study the astronomy of ancient civilizations) and Cornell professor Tony Aveni is our guide as we follow in the footsteps of the Three Wise Men and persue the Star of Bethlehem. Just what was it anyway? Theories abound. Alignment? Supernova? Miracle? DEEP SKY explores some possibilities. If it wasn't a star as such, it sure wrecks the meter to that Christmas carol…. AND ON COSMIC VISIONS It’s not just millennial turnover that prompts end-of-the-world predictions. The sudden appearance of comets and meteors has always been a handy excuse for people to get overexcited. Not bad for some oddly shaped clumps of rock and ice… COSMIC VISIONS has tried to separate the fact from fiction in an attempt to put these orbital vagabonds into perspective. Watch them both at http://www.spacewatch.com ************************************** -- UNIVERSE TODAY STORY SUMMARY -- * Spacewalkers Successfully Replace Hubble's Broken Gyros * Surveyor's Search for the Polar Lander * Cigarette and Alcohol Tax Could Save Mir SPACEWALKERS SUCCESSFULLY REPLACE HUBBLE'S BROKEN GYROS ------------------------- After an over 8-hour spacewalk, the crew of Discovery were successfully able to replace the damaged gyros in the Hubble Space Telescope. This spacewalk was the second longest in history. Their next step is to replace some of its older equipment, and upgrade the computer hardware. The shuttle is expected to return on Monday. http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/shuttle991223.html http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts103/status.html http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_575000/575683.stm http://cnn.com/1999/TECH/space/12/23/shuttle.02/index.html http://www.foxnews.com/science/122399/space_shuttle.sml http://www.msnbc.com/news/330873.asp http://www.flatoday.com/space/explore/stories/1999b/122399a.htm http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/12/23a.html SURVEYOR'S SEARCH FOR THE POLAR LANDER ------------------------- The Mars Global Surveyor has joined the search efforts to the find the missing Mars Polar Lander. Although the 4-meter lander will probably show up on a photograph taken by Surveyor, it will just be a couple of grey dots, and almost impossible to distinguish from the rest of the photograph. The searchers are hoping to see the Lander's parachute, which would be distinguishable fro the background. http://abcnews.go.com/ABC2000/abc2000science/marslander991222.html http://spaceflightnow.com/news/9912/23mplsearch/index.html CIGARETTE AND ALCOHOL TAX COULD SAVE MIR ------------------------- A Russian newspaper reported that the government could be planning an increase of cigarette and alcohol taxes to help pay maintenance costs for the Mir spacestation. By increasing duties and tax on these goods, it would generate the $200 million needed to keep Mir aloft. The Russian Space Agency has explained that it's just a proposal, and they're waiting for the government to confirm it. http://cnn.com/1999/TECH/space/12/23/space.russia.mir.reut/index.html http://www.foxnews.com/science/122299/mir.sml http://www.msnbc.com/news/349570.asp To unsubscribe from this newsletter, just reply with only the subject line "UNSUBSCRIBE NEWSLETTER". All contents copyright (c) 1999 Universe Today |