Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Thursday, November 4, 2010
NASA Deep Impact spacecraft visits another comet
PASADENA, Calif. – A NASA spacecraft
is getting up close and personal with a small comet.
Mission controllers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory clapped and cheered Thursday when the Deep Impact craft sent a signal to Earth minutes after the planned flyby of comet Hartley 2, telling them it's still alive.
Scientists are waiting for the first images to be beamed back that will show them how the rendezvous went.
Thursday's mission is not the first for Deep Impact. In 2005, it dazzled the world when it fired a copper probe into another comet Tempel 1, giving scientists their first look at the interior.
Scientists are interested in comets because they're icy leftovers from the formation of the solar system. Studying them could provide clues to how Earth and the planets formed 4.5 billion years ago.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Five years after a NASA spacecraft bombarded a comet, it will visit another one Thursday. This time, there won't be celestial fireworks.
Speeding at 27,000 miles per hour, the Deep Impact craft instead will swing by a small comet, passing within 435 miles.
During the rendezvous, it will snap pictures of comet Hartley 2 as it races by, marking only the fifth time that a comet's core has been viewed up close.
Scientists hope the flyby will help them better understand how comets differ. Comets are icy bodies left over from the formation of the solar system some 4.5 billion years ago. Studying them could provide clues to how Earth and the planets formed and evolved.
"We're going to see pictures of a world we've never seen before — plain and simple," said mission scientist Jessica Sunshine of the University of Maryland.
The encounter is actually an encore mission for Deep Impact. It set off cosmic fireworks on July 4, 2005, when it fired a copper probe that crashed into comet Tempel 1. The high-speed collision spewed a cloud of debris into space, giving scientists their first peek of the interior.
After the $333 million comet-buster, NASA recycled Deep Impact for a new mission to visit another comet. It was supposed to target comet Boethin in 2008, but it was nowhere to be found. Scientists theorized the comet may have broken up into small pieces.
Deep Impact was then redirected to Hartley 2. Roughly three-quarters of a mile wide, Hartley 2 is the smallest comet to be photographed up close. On its way there, the craft spent several months scanning a cluster of nearby stars with known planets circling them.
While its latest task lacks the Hollywood drama, researchers still consider it an important mission.
"There are a lot of open questions about comets and their life cycle," said project manager Tim Larson of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the $42 million encore mission. "We have so little data that every time we have an opportunity to go near a comet, it's a chance to expand our knowledge."
Since September, Deep Impact has been stalking Hartley 2 like a paparazzo, taking images every 5 minutes and gathering data. Already, scientists have learned that the comet is quite spunky, releasing more gas outbursts than some of its bigger counterparts.
Hartley 2 passed within 11 million miles of Earth on Oct. 20 — the closest it has been to our planet since its discovery in 1986.
British-born astronomer Malcolm Hartley, who discovered the comet, said he never imagined a spacecraft would get so close to his namesake find.
"When I saw the comet, it was millions and millions of kilometers away," he said. "I'm extremely excited and feel very privileged. After all, I only discovered it."
___
On the Net:
Comet mission: http://epoxi.umd.edu/
is getting up close and personal with a small comet.Mission controllers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory clapped and cheered Thursday when the Deep Impact craft sent a signal to Earth minutes after the planned flyby of comet Hartley 2, telling them it's still alive.
Scientists are waiting for the first images to be beamed back that will show them how the rendezvous went.
Thursday's mission is not the first for Deep Impact. In 2005, it dazzled the world when it fired a copper probe into another comet Tempel 1, giving scientists their first look at the interior.
Scientists are interested in comets because they're icy leftovers from the formation of the solar system. Studying them could provide clues to how Earth and the planets formed 4.5 billion years ago.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Five years after a NASA spacecraft bombarded a comet, it will visit another one Thursday. This time, there won't be celestial fireworks.
Speeding at 27,000 miles per hour, the Deep Impact craft instead will swing by a small comet, passing within 435 miles.
During the rendezvous, it will snap pictures of comet Hartley 2 as it races by, marking only the fifth time that a comet's core has been viewed up close.
Scientists hope the flyby will help them better understand how comets differ. Comets are icy bodies left over from the formation of the solar system some 4.5 billion years ago. Studying them could provide clues to how Earth and the planets formed and evolved.
"We're going to see pictures of a world we've never seen before — plain and simple," said mission scientist Jessica Sunshine of the University of Maryland.
The encounter is actually an encore mission for Deep Impact. It set off cosmic fireworks on July 4, 2005, when it fired a copper probe that crashed into comet Tempel 1. The high-speed collision spewed a cloud of debris into space, giving scientists their first peek of the interior.
After the $333 million comet-buster, NASA recycled Deep Impact for a new mission to visit another comet. It was supposed to target comet Boethin in 2008, but it was nowhere to be found. Scientists theorized the comet may have broken up into small pieces.
Deep Impact was then redirected to Hartley 2. Roughly three-quarters of a mile wide, Hartley 2 is the smallest comet to be photographed up close. On its way there, the craft spent several months scanning a cluster of nearby stars with known planets circling them.
While its latest task lacks the Hollywood drama, researchers still consider it an important mission.
"There are a lot of open questions about comets and their life cycle," said project manager Tim Larson of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the $42 million encore mission. "We have so little data that every time we have an opportunity to go near a comet, it's a chance to expand our knowledge."
Since September, Deep Impact has been stalking Hartley 2 like a paparazzo, taking images every 5 minutes and gathering data. Already, scientists have learned that the comet is quite spunky, releasing more gas outbursts than some of its bigger counterparts.
Hartley 2 passed within 11 million miles of Earth on Oct. 20 — the closest it has been to our planet since its discovery in 1986.
British-born astronomer Malcolm Hartley, who discovered the comet, said he never imagined a spacecraft would get so close to his namesake find.
"When I saw the comet, it was millions and millions of kilometers away," he said. "I'm extremely excited and feel very privileged. After all, I only discovered it."
___
On the Net:
Comet mission: http://epoxi.umd.edu/
Friday, October 29, 2010
"Saw 3D" set for killer opening at box office
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Rival studios are doging the extra-dimensional buzz saw of "Saw 3D" at the North American box office this weekend.
Halloween crowds have been titillated by a new "Saw" picture annually since 2004, but the Lionsgate torture series has been losing its edge in recent years.
Bolstered by premium-priced 3D engagements, the new film is expected to earn more than $20 million during its first three days through Sunday. That will be a vast improvement on last year's "Saw VI," which launched with a disappointing $14.1 million en route to a $27.9 million total.
"Saw III" holds the franchise record for the best debut, earning $33.6 million in 2006; it finished up with $80.3 million, just short of the record $87 million collected a year earlier by "Saw II" after a $31 million start.
Meanwhile, Paramount's haunted-house picture "Paranormal Activity 2" -- last weekend's No. 1 movie with a $40.7 million opening -- is expected to suffer a big decline. But even a 60% slide would yield $16 million for the weekend and likely the weekend's silver medal.
"In a perfect world, it would be great if there was no direct competition," Lionsgate executive vp distribution David Spitz said. "But 'Saw 3D' is tracking really well, and we think it's going to have a good weekend."
The session's sole wide opener, "Saw 3D" is also the most expensive production in the franchise with production costs estimated at less than $20 million.
Halloween crowds have been titillated by a new "Saw"
picture annually since 2004, but the Lionsgate torture series has been losing its edge in recent years.Bolstered by premium-priced 3D engagements, the new film is expected to earn more than $20 million during its first three days through Sunday. That will be a vast improvement on last year's "Saw VI," which launched with a disappointing $14.1 million en route to a $27.9 million total.
"Saw III" holds the franchise record for the best debut, earning $33.6 million in 2006; it finished up with $80.3 million, just short of the record $87 million collected a year earlier by "Saw II" after a $31 million start.
Meanwhile, Paramount's haunted-house picture "Paranormal Activity 2" -- last weekend's No. 1 movie with a $40.7 million opening -- is expected to suffer a big decline. But even a 60% slide would yield $16 million for the weekend and likely the weekend's silver medal.
"In a perfect world, it would be great if there was no direct competition," Lionsgate executive vp distribution David Spitz said. "But 'Saw 3D' is tracking really well, and we think it's going to have a good weekend."
The session's sole wide opener, "Saw 3D" is also the most expensive production in the franchise with production costs estimated at less than $20 million.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Cameron returns to space with 2 'Avatar' sequels
LOS ANGELES – James Cameron will start writing the scripts for two "Avatar" sequels early next year, aiming to land the first one in theaters four years from now.
Executives at 20th Century Fox announced Wednesday that Cameron has settled on two sequels to the blockbuster hit as his next film projects with plans to begin production in late 2011.
The studio hopes to have the first of the as-yet-untitled sequels in theaters in December 2014, with the third movie in the franchise following in December 2015.
Cameron will decide whether to shoot the films back-to-back after he completes the scripts for the sequels to his sci-fi sensation. Set on the distant Pandora, "Avatar" is the biggest modern blockbuster, with $2.8 billion at the box office worldwide.
"In the second and third films, which will be self-contained stories that also fulfill a greater story arc, we will not back off the throttle of `Avatar's' visual and emotional horsepower, and will continue to explore its themes and characters, which touched the hearts of audiences in all cultures around the world," Cameron said in a news release.
"I'm looking forward to returning to Pandora, a world where our imaginations can run wild."
Cameron had been up in the air on what he would do next, telling reporters as recently as last week that he had not decided whether to shoot another film before returning to his "Avatar" saga.
The studio was anxious to get back into the "Avatar" business.
"We had no higher priority, and can feel no greater joy, than enabling Jim to continue and expand his vision of the world of `Avatar,'" Fox studio bosses Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman said in a statement.
"`Avatar' is not only the highest grossing movie of all time, it is a created universe based on the singular imagination and daring of James Cameron, who also raised the consciousness of people worldwide to some of the greatest issues facing our planet."
"Avatar" follows the adventures of a man in alien form (Sam Worthington) who falls for a 10-foot, blue-skinned native (Zoe Saldana) of the distant moon Pandora, where greedy humans wage war over the land's natural resources.
will start writing the scripts for two "Avatar" sequels early next year, aiming to land the first one in theaters four years from now.Executives at 20th Century Fox announced Wednesday that Cameron has settled on two sequels to the blockbuster hit as his next film projects with plans to begin production in late 2011.
The studio hopes to have the first of the as-yet-untitled sequels in theaters in December 2014, with the third movie in the franchise following in December 2015.
Cameron will decide whether to shoot the films back-to-back after he completes the scripts for the sequels to his sci-fi sensation. Set on the distant Pandora, "Avatar" is the biggest modern blockbuster, with $2.8 billion at the box office worldwide.
"In the second and third films, which will be self-contained stories that also fulfill a greater story arc, we will not back off the throttle of `Avatar's' visual and emotional horsepower, and will continue to explore its themes and characters, which touched the hearts of audiences in all cultures around the world," Cameron said in a news release.
"I'm looking forward to returning to Pandora, a world where our imaginations can run wild."
Cameron had been up in the air on what he would do next, telling reporters as recently as last week that he had not decided whether to shoot another film before returning to his "Avatar" saga.
The studio was anxious to get back into the "Avatar" business.
"We had no higher priority, and can feel no greater joy, than enabling Jim to continue and expand his vision of the world of `Avatar,'" Fox studio bosses Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman said in a statement.
"`Avatar' is not only the highest grossing movie of all time, it is a created universe based on the singular imagination and daring of James Cameron, who also raised the consciousness of people worldwide to some of the greatest issues facing our planet."
"Avatar" follows the adventures of a man in alien form (Sam Worthington) who falls for a 10-foot, blue-skinned native (Zoe Saldana) of the distant moon Pandora, where greedy humans wage war over the land's natural resources.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
A 'face-book' to measure pain in mice
PARIS — Scientists have for the first time created a sliding scale of pain for mice based on facial expressions, according to study published Sunday.
The so-called "mouse grimace scale" will speed up the development of new analgesics for humans, and could help reduce unnecessary suffering of mice and other animals in biomedical research, the researchers said.
"There are also serious implications for the improvement of veterinary care," said Jeffrey Mogil, a professor at McGill University in Montreal and the main architect of the study.
Research on pain and how to relieve it depends heavily on the use of rodents as stand-ins for humans, so accurate measurement of pain intensity in lab mice is crucial.
Up to now, however, it was not known whether degrees of discomfort and suffering in mice correspond to spontaneous facial responses, as is the case for people.
Doctors and nurses routinely use such scales to assess pain in individuals unable to communicate verbally, such as infants and the cognitively impaired.
Line drawings of faces showing different levels of discomfort are also used to help manage chronic pain in children asked to match what they feel with the appropriate images.
To find out whether rodents grimace when it hurts, Mogil and colleagues monitored and recorded facial movements before and during the injection of a substance known to cause painful inflammation.
The mice showed discomfort through facial expressions in a way similar to humans.
When pain was more intense, for example, the eyes narrowed, the bridge of the nose and cheeks bulged, the ears moved down and back, and the whiskers either bunched up or flattened out against the face.
Using an intensity scale based on changes in these five facial features, persons trained to "read" pain in expressions correctly assessed discomfort levels in the mice, based on photographs, with 80 percent accuracy.
Looking at high-resolution video images, accuracy rates went up to 97 percent.
In another set of experiments, the researchers created a so-called "knock-in" mouse with a genetic mutation known to cause migraine headaches in humans.
As expected, the mice displayed the same telltale grimaces as seen in the animals who had been injected with an inflammatory substance.
When pain-relieving drugs were administered, facial expression returned to normal.
The study, published in the journal Nature Methods, also bolsters Charles Darwin's belief that non-human animals express emotion -- including pain -- through facial expression, and that such displays emerged from the process of natural selection.
In evolutionary terms, the ability to communicate pain experience to others may benefit both the sender and receiver, such that help might be offered or a warning signal heeded.
The fact that three of the facial pain cues in mice are found in humans -- narrowing eyes, along with bulging nose and cheeks -- also support Darwin's century-old prediction that facial expressions have deep evolutionary roots.
Following up on these findings, the researchers are currently investigating whether the scale works equally well in other species, and if mice can respond to facial pain cues in each other.
have for the first time created a sliding scale of pain for mice based on facial expressions, according to study published Sunday.The so-called "mouse grimace scale" will speed up the development of new analgesics for humans, and could help reduce unnecessary suffering of mice and other animals in biomedical research, the researchers said.
"There are also serious implications for the improvement of veterinary care," said Jeffrey Mogil, a professor at McGill University in Montreal and the main architect of the study.
Research on pain and how to relieve it depends heavily on the use of rodents as stand-ins for humans, so accurate measurement of pain intensity in lab mice is crucial.
Up to now, however, it was not known whether degrees of discomfort and suffering in mice correspond to spontaneous facial responses, as is the case for people.
Doctors and nurses routinely use such scales to assess pain in individuals unable to communicate verbally, such as infants and the cognitively impaired.
Line drawings of faces showing different levels of discomfort are also used to help manage chronic pain in children asked to match what they feel with the appropriate images.
To find out whether rodents grimace when it hurts, Mogil and colleagues monitored and recorded facial movements before and during the injection of a substance known to cause painful inflammation.
The mice showed discomfort through facial expressions in a way similar to humans.
When pain was more intense, for example, the eyes narrowed, the bridge of the nose and cheeks bulged, the ears moved down and back, and the whiskers either bunched up or flattened out against the face.
Using an intensity scale based on changes in these five facial features, persons trained to "read" pain in expressions correctly assessed discomfort levels in the mice, based on photographs, with 80 percent accuracy.
Looking at high-resolution video images, accuracy rates went up to 97 percent.
In another set of experiments, the researchers created a so-called "knock-in" mouse with a genetic mutation known to cause migraine headaches in humans.
As expected, the mice displayed the same telltale grimaces as seen in the animals who had been injected with an inflammatory substance.
When pain-relieving drugs were administered, facial expression returned to normal.
The study, published in the journal Nature Methods, also bolsters Charles Darwin's belief that non-human animals express emotion -- including pain -- through facial expression, and that such displays emerged from the process of natural selection.
In evolutionary terms, the ability to communicate pain experience to others may benefit both the sender and receiver, such that help might be offered or a warning signal heeded.
The fact that three of the facial pain cues in mice are found in humans -- narrowing eyes, along with bulging nose and cheeks -- also support Darwin's century-old prediction that facial expressions have deep evolutionary roots.
Following up on these findings, the researchers are currently investigating whether the scale works equally well in other species, and if mice can respond to facial pain cues in each other.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Fridges talk to washing machines at high-tech fair
HANOVER, Germany — A fridge that talks to your washing machine and a television that instructs your dishwasher. It's all possible at CeBIT, the world's top high-tech fair.
But the question is: what's the point?
"Well, for example, you could be sitting on your sofa in your living room and you want to turn on your washing machine," said Christian Prause, a developer of the yet-to-be finalised "Hydra" software.
"If your smartphone is equipped with our technology, you can send a message to the washing machine to turn itself on."
"And if for whatever reason it doesn't work, you can ask your fridge to transmit the order to the washing machine," he added.
Prause said vacationers too need not panic if they realise they leave home in haste.
"Imagine you are 200 kilometres (130 miles) away, on holiday, and you realised you have forgotten to close your curtains."
Not to worry. You can send a quick text message to your curtain remote control. If that doesn't work, you can always get your television or your radio to lend a hand.
The fruit of four years of research by 10 different partners, including the German Fraunhofer Institute, the Hydra project is financially supported by the European Union.
Hydra "saves you time, energy and hassle," Prause insisted. With a bit of luck, "such a system could perhaps eventually appear in the shops."Click Here!
that instructs your dishwasher. It's all possible at CeBIT, the world's top high-tech fair.But the question is: what's the point?
"Well, for example, you could be sitting on your sofa in your living room and you want to turn on your washing machine," said Christian Prause, a developer of the yet-to-be finalised "Hydra" software.
"If your smartphone is equipped with our technology, you can send a message to the washing machine to turn itself on."
"And if for whatever reason it doesn't work, you can ask your fridge to transmit the order to the washing machine," he added.
Prause said vacationers too need not panic if they realise they leave home in haste.
"Imagine you are 200 kilometres (130 miles) away, on holiday, and you realised you have forgotten to close your curtains."
Not to worry. You can send a quick text message to your curtain remote control. If that doesn't work, you can always get your television or your radio to lend a hand.
The fruit of four years of research by 10 different partners, including the German Fraunhofer Institute, the Hydra project is financially supported by the European Union.
Hydra "saves you time, energy and hassle," Prause insisted. With a bit of luck, "such a system could perhaps eventually appear in the shops."Click Here!
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