Tucson - May 21, 2002 Dust devils - 100 times larger than those on Earth - churn tons of electrically charged dust particles through the martian atmosphere. Not only does dust possibly play an important role in climate change, it poses a major hazard to both robotic and human exploration, for the charged particles could trigger lightning bolts and discharges that might fry computers and delicate electronics, interfere with radio communications, or rip apart pressurized human habitat.
House Democrats Seek To Reinvigorate US Space Exploration Washington - May 15, 2002 U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson (D-TX) has introduced bipartisan legislation to establish a series of goals to advance the nation's human space flight program over the next twenty years.
LockMart Picks Up Welcome Order For Two A2100 Birds Newtown - May 16, 2002 Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS) announced today that construction of two A2100 geosynchronous satellites is underway for SES Americom, Inc., based on a contract awarded in 2000. The Ku/Ka-band satellites, designated AMC-15 and AMC-16, will provide distribution of video channels as well as broadband data and internet services across North America.
NASA Brings New Earth Monitoring Technology To Light Pasadena - May 15, 2002 A new, cost-effective technology based on the venerable global positioning system (GPS) may soon revolutionize the way Earth's atmosphere is monitored.
Gardens In Space Paris (ESA) May 17, 2002 A model of a system for growing plants to plan biological experiments in space has just left the company of Rovsing, in Ballerup near Copenhagen, on its way to ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands.
Gamma-Ray Burst Mystery Solved: Exploding Stars The Culprit Canberra - May 17, 2002 Australian telescopes have helped provide the clinching evidence that gamma-ray bursts - the biggest bangs in the Universe - are produced when massive stars explode and their cores collapse to form black holes.
No Change To 'Rogue States' List In US Report On Terrorism: Officials Washington (AFP) May 18, 2002 Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan and Syria will remain on the US list of "state sponsors of terrorism" in a report to be released next week by the State Department, officials said Saturday.
Bombs Fall As Iraqi Sanctions Regime Modified Washington (AFP) May 20, 2002 US warplanes struck a radar in southern Iraq after a surface-to-air missile was fired at coalition aircraft patrolling the no-fly zone in the south, the US military said Monday.
Russia Downplays US Concerns About N.Korea Moscow (AFP) May 20, 2002 Russia defended North Korea on Monday against US claims it was part of an "axis of evil" as a top Pyongyang official arrived in Moscow just days ahead of US President George W. Bush's visit.
India Preparing For Limited Punitive Strikes In Kashmir: Analyst New Delhi (AFP) May 21, 2002 Indian troops have been given the green light for "limited punitive" action against targets inside Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, a leading defence analyst said Tuesday.