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| So you're into sci fi? But what about sci fact? Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction... Each month our very own Voyager Science Queen* will bring you interesting, quirky and downright bizarre tasty morsels from the world of science. And its all completely, totally, 100% true! June Sci-Facts |
Science Page June 2008Red Mars What is it about the planet Mars? We just can’t seem to leave the place alone. People talk about terreforming and living there, but human beings can’t even look properly after the planet we’ve got! Still, talk about a frontier lifestyle, since most of the Earth seems tame by comparison to Mar’s harsh vistas. So, NASA has sent another probe. I can’t help wonder at the minds who name a probe after a mythical bird that bursts into flames. However, the Phoenix Mars Lander made it safely down, and is now in the process of completing its mission. This mission is in collaboration with the University of Arizona, which helped supply the science and technology being used. The aims of the mission are: There is already evidence of ice just under the surface of the landing site. Pictures sent back reveal a hard substrate uncovered by the Lander’s exhaust as it landed. The pictures are being taken by the probe’s robotic arm. The first images have been taken in black and white, for quick and easy transmission back to Earth. Colour images will follow, but processing those images will take longer. For this mission, notice they are using a lander rather than a rover. This is because the rover was collecting rock samples and searching for ice. This mission has been set down where scientists know there should be ice. It is using this combination of strategies that will increase the success of knowledge gathering. I’ve often wished I could visit other planets. In fact, I would take the risk of a continuous space journey, never to return to earth, if I could investigate other life forms. I’m certain it is this urge that motivates all these missions within our own solar system. Me, I’d love to visit other star systems, even other galaxies. I blame Isaac Asimov, for making space exploration sound so stimulating. Anyone who wants to investigate the Phoenix Mars Lander and its mission should go to the NASA site dedicated to this adventure for knowledge. |
| *The Voyager Science Queen is also known as Lynne Green So, who is this woman who attempts to entertain us with Science? Well, I really am a scientist. I have a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Queensland, in Zoology. And, at the moment, I am working in a Pathology laboratory. I have always been intensely curious about every aspect of our universe, from the teeny tiny workings of the gene right up to the mind-bending forces that are twisting and knotting inside a blackhole. So, now I am sharing a brain stuffed full of trivia...and hopefully entertaining people at the same time. As well, I write Fantasy stories and novels. One day, I hope to have a book published, but don't hold your breath. Reading is my other major love, and my favourite authors are Terry Pratchett and Isaac Asimov, though I could list hundreds of others. If I had one wish, I ask for more time to write! Read previous Sci-Facts: Future Wars Looking for more scientific oddities? Have you checked out Dr Steven Juan's website? He is, quite literally, the wizard of odds! |
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