Shuttle Endeavour moves to its launch pad, in final preparation in case something goes wrong with shuttle Atlantis; Saturn's rings may be older than expected; and NASA uses rubber duckies to help study glacial movements
NASA moved shuttle Endeavor out to its launch pad late last week in case shuttle Atlantis needs assistance during its Hubble Space Telescope mission. Shuttle Atlantis will launch on October 10 on a mission to repair the 18-year-old Hubble for the final time. This marks the first time in seven years where two shuttles are on launch pads simultaneously.
Assuming something bad happens, instead of being able to live at the ISS, the astronauts would be able to stay in the shuttle for 25 days maximum, until oxygen and supplies begin to diminish.
After Endeavour is no longer scheduled to be on standby in the unlikely case it needs to rescue Atlantis, it's scheduled to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) on November 12.
Careful calculations indicate Saturn's rings are much larger and older than astronomers previously believed, it has been revealed. It is possible the rings around Saturn were created billions of years ago instead of 100 million years ago, as previously thought, University of Colorado researchers said.
There are two popular theories on the origin of Saturn's rings, although researchers remain unsure which theory is more plausible. The first theory is that the rings are the same age as Saturn, and they formed after left over debris entered the planet's gravitational pull and was unable to leave again. The second theory is that the seven large rings are made up of icy chunks from moons that broke apart.
It is very unlikely Saturn is the only planet in Earth's galaxy to have such large rings.
NASA is using rubber duckies to help study why glaciers speed up in the summer, among other scientific curiosities involving glaciers and global warming. The duckies were placed in several holes of the Jakobshvan Glacier in Baffin Bay, which is the fastest moving glacier in the world.
Each rubber ducky has been labeled with "science experiment," "reward," and e-mail addresses that can be contacted to receive the reward. None of the ducks have been found yet, but the glacier is located in a remote area off the coast of Greenland. NASA will continue to wait patiently for people to find the ducks.
NASA also is using a football-sized robotic probe that has GPS, thermometer, accelerometer and other tools that can record data. Scientists have taken an interest in the Jakobshavn Glacier because the iceberg that sank the Titanic in 1912 likely came from the glacier.
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