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DailyTech's latest edition of the International Space Updates, March 2007

In a scary incident in the skies over the Pacific Ocean earlier in the week, a Chilean jetliner headed to New Zealand narrowly avoided a piece of flaming debris.  It was initially believed that the flaming debris was composed of Russian space debris, but Russia vehemently denies the claim.  NASA said that the debris was likely a disintegrating meteor which entered the Earth's atmosphere.  LAN Chile Airline reported the debris incident to the proper authorities in New Zealand and Chile.  

More than 50 meteoroids enter Earth's atmosphere daily, but most of the falling objects burn up before being a potential danger.

The NASA Spitzer Telescope revealed that planets with dual suns are more common than initially believed by researchers.  "Planetary systems - dusty disks of asteroids, comets and possibly planets - are at least as abundant in twin-star systems as they are in those, like our own, with only one star."  Researchers previously believed there was a certain level of bias against having a planetary system be the formation of the two sun system.

Sunita Williams, a NASA astronaut currently stationed aboard the International Space Station, will participate in the Boston Marathon by running while tethered to a treadmill.  Williams qualified for the prestigious 26.2-mile race by completing the Houston Marathon in 3:29:57.  The organizers of the Boston Marathon have previously been flexible when it comes to qualifiers unable to run in Boston.  For example, water bottles, trophies and finish line tape have been sent to soldiers currently deployed to Iraq.

"I consider it a huge honor to qualify, and I didn't want my qualification to expire without giving it a shot," Williams said.

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Not all that strange, really...
By Goty on 3/31/2007 5:43:15 PM , Rating: 1
I don't see why cosmologists should be surprised that planetary systems around binary stars are commonplace since the majority of stars in the universe seem to be a part of binary (or higher) systems.




RE: Not all that strange, really...
By masher2 (blog) on 3/31/2007 6:29:06 PM , Rating: 1
Actually, in the Milky Way at least, the majority of stars are solitary, not binary.

Cosmologists are surprised over the abundance of planets in binary systems as (in numerical simulations at least) the presence of multiple stars interferes with the formation of the protoplanetary disc.


By Ringold on 4/1/2007 1:10:15 PM , Rating: 1
Funny how things change.

When I was much much younger, I remember the consensus being that most stars are binary.

By the time I was half way through college -- woops, sorry guys, we're wrong.

Of course, I knew ever since Episode IV planets could form in binary star systems so this is really not news to me. :)


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