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| Image credit: ESO |
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| Three Dusty Galaxy Images |
| Dec 22, 2003 - The European Southern Observatory has released three new images of distant spiral galaxies, which were taken while astronomers were searching for quasars. NGC 613 is a beautiful barred spiral galaxy in the southern constellation of Sculptor; NGC 1792 is a starburst spiral galaxy located in the southern constellation of Columba; and NGC 3627 is also known as Messier 66 and located in the constellation Leo. |
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| Image credit: Boeing |
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| Delta II Launches GPS Satellite |
| Dec 22, 2003 - A Boeing Delta II rocket successfully launched a Global Positioning System satellite for the US Air Force on December 21. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 0805 UTC (3:05 EST), and the satellite was deployed 68 minutes later. The satellite, designated GPS IIR-10 was the tenth of 21 IIR class GPS satellites that Boeing will be responsible for launching. The next scheduled Delta launch will also be carrying a GPS satellite; it's expected to lift off in early 2004. |
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| Image credit: NASA/JPL |
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| Rovers Will Dig Trenches with Their Wheels |
| Dec 22, 2003 - Scientists are always looking for more ways to cram scientific instruments into spacecraft, and they've come up with an innovative idea for the Mars Exploration rovers: using the wheels to dig trenches to see what the environment on Mars is like a few centimetres beneath the surface. Researchers from Cornell University perfected a technique where the rover locks all but one of its six wheels, and then uses the final wheel to churn up the dirt - tests in the lab allowed them to get at material which was more than 10 cm deep. |
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