rationality and randomness http://awmitchell.posterous.com a personal blog of eclectic interests posterous.com Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:38:06 -0700 Space probes fly in tandem to search for lunar water - New Scientist http://awmitchell.posterous.com/space-probes-fly-in-tandem-to-search-for-luna http://awmitchell.posterous.com/space-probes-fly-in-tandem-to-search-for-luna

A delicate joint manoeuvre between US and Indian space probes orbiting the moon could turn up evidence for valuable lunar water.

Some scientists suspect water ice – which would be a precious resource for future explorers – may be trapped in permanently shadowed craters at the moon's poles.

Water ice can be distinguished from other materials by the way its radar echoes vary according to the position of the listener. In 1994, the US Clementine spacecraft bounced radar signals off the moon and found hints of the water-ice signature.

It's clear that robotic explorers enable us to do a lot more useful science much more cheaply than human explorers. It's a shame that these robotic explorers are on a mission supporting manned return to moon. What a waste.

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http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/4aQUIzR5baEN Andrew Mitchell awmitchell Andrew Mitchell
Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:10:00 -0700 Those plucky little rovers... http://awmitchell.posterous.com/second-robot-deployed-to-help-free-stuck-mars http://awmitchell.posterous.com/second-robot-deployed-to-help-free-stuck-mars
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Spirit has been stuck in a sandpit for nearly four months. Since late June, engineers have been trying to determine the best moves to extricate it by driving a test rover around a sandbox at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California.

Those little rovers have done incredibly well. One of NASA's success stories. Unlike all this manned space flight stuff.

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http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/4aQUIzR5baEN Andrew Mitchell awmitchell Andrew Mitchell