Dust storm on Mars causes problems for rover Opportunity; news from the Saturnian moon Hyperion;and shuttle Atlantis is back in Florida
A large dust storm forced NASA officials to delay a scheduled mission for the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity to enter the Victoria Crater. The dust storm reportedly is "the most severe storm yet to hit the rovers" since NASA launched them to the Red Planet in 2004. Even though Opportunity is the only rover entering the crater, the storm is so powerful that it gave rover Spirit -- on the opposite side of Mars -- technical difficulties.
The mission has been delayed until at least July 13, according to John Callas, rover project manager. Victoria Crater is 800 meters wide, around 65 meters deep.
The NASA Cassini spacecraft revealed more surface details of the Saturnian moon Hyperion, arguably one of the strangest moons in the Earth's solar system. Recent image analysis indicates Hyperion has a highly porous surface which is able to keep the craters in the same condition as the time they were created. Some of the "cup-like craters" are filled with hydrocarbons, an organic compound necessary for life.
Even though the discovery does not mean life outside of Earth has been found, it means the "basic chemistry needed for life is widespread in the universe."
Shuttle Atlantis safely finished a trip from California's Edwards Air Force Base, landing safely at Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday morning. The shuttle touched down in Florida on a modified Boeing 747 jumbo jet, which completed a $1.7 million trip across the country. Atlantis was unable to land at Kennedy Space Center last week due to thunderstorms and rain fall -- forcing NASA to send the shuttle to California.
NASA plans to launch Atlantis in December, assuming other scheduled launches are on schedule.
"Let's face it, we're not changing the world. We're building a product that helps people buy more crap - and watch porn." -- Seagate CEO Bill Watkins
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