NASA
You may think the greatest satellite data of the week is the updated mosaic of Earth at night (included below). You are entitled to that opinion. In my mind, however, it's the gravity map of the Moon produced by NASA's twin GRAIL spacecraft. GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B, casually known as Ebb and Flow, have been orbiting the Moon since the start of the year. Their mission: to make a high resolution map of the Moon's gravitational field. From this, scientists can infer information about the Moon's interior and its thermal history
Not only is the resulting data sexy, so is the science of how they do it. The two spacecraft are in identical orbits around the Moon, orbits which are altered ever so slightly by surface (or interior) features where there is more or less mass. More mass and the spacecraft will be pulled closer to the Moon, less mass and they will move farther away. These changes are so slight that they are almost impossible to measure; that's where the dual spacecraft come in. Each can measure the precise distance it is from the other, isolate the changes due to gravity, and VOILA - gravity map!
To see the map in all its lunar glory and side-by-side with an elevation map of the Moon, click here.
Here's that other sexy dataset of the Earth at night from NASA's Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership. One of the most stunning aspects, in my opinion, is the contrast of the eastern and western U.S.
More science for your weekend:
Several caterpillar species discovered to shoot their excrement large distances at high speeds to avoid predation. Gives new meaning to the phrase...
Researchers date stalagmite in Oregon cave to 13,000 years ago allowing them to infer how the climate varied in the Pacific Northwest.
A new study shows the Grand Canyon may predate the extinction of the dinosaurs, and be ten times older than originally thought.
And speaking of dinosaurs, fossilized bone found languishing in London museum collection may be from the earliest dinosaur yet.
How do porcupines mate? Very carefully and within an 8 - 12 hour window.
Antarctic fur seal tries to mate with a king penguin. Outcome not so great.
To wrap up this week's sexy science, check out this web series on the science of sex in the animal kingdom. You'll never be so happy to be a boring human in your life once you see what some of these animals must go through. Needless to say, it's educational, entertaining, and often NSFW.
Hope that tides you over till next week! @Summer_Ash
Leave a Comment:
pretty imagery of datasets.
Where's God this week?
God has become an atheist!
Did we say something wrong?
Angel, I don't know. But they did say Benen was on a holiday and will be back this week.
It's 2012 I want my flying cars damnit! and Moon bases! Saturday morning cartoons owe me an explanation!
Kill the wabbit, rubber baby buggy bumpers.
That is pretty freaking amazing. The side by side gravity and elevation video in the WIRED article is awesome. As for theupdated night satellite map there were a couple things that stood out for me. First, what's all that light on the north shore of Alaska? I'm assuming that's all due to oil and gas drilling and exploration, but sweet jeebus that's a lot of light. Second, as always the stark line that separates North and South Korea is telling about what life must be like in the north.
The concentric gravity rings on the moon most likely are impact zones of from very large meteor strikes, where the impacted areas underwent partial melts of the crust and substructures.
The Grace satellites are pretty cool too. Tom and Jerry. They're like Ebb and Flow for the earth, and we can use the fluctuations in gravity to map groundwater storage. Awesome.
Very sexy data, indeed. Beautiful stuff.
Thank you Summer.
Please allow me some leeway on the following.
The cover pic reminds me of the sixties light show, projecting liquid with coloring swirling and melting into each other set to music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW733Ut5zE0
Sorry, a little psychedelic blast from the past.
Very cool light show (though I was slightly disappointed to find it was unaccompanied by an appropriate soundtrack - the Dead, Floyd, Hendrix, etc.).
Thanks!
Yeah, me too. Maybe open another tab with your choice or how about this one?
http://grooveshark.com/s/In+A+Gadda+Da+Vida+Full+Version/3Pdfck?src=5
Fred Haise got sick on Apollo 13 so now we know what he did with it!
Summer - thanks again for yet another tasty serving of Geek salad. Olive it was good, but:
Hilarious!
And, I knew that reminded me of something:
Hedgehog Mating Rituals (Sir David Attenborough from Life of Mammals on BBC).
Looks like a moldy pizza sphere! Hey Newt you wanna slice of Green Chesse Pizza?
You've looked upon moldy pizza before?
hasn't everybody who has lived alone or with roommates? don't tell me that you've never discovered that moldy slice a week after "that night."
Sorry to tell you cheese is moldy milk!
@temp, never that I can remember. Pizza within my reach never lasted that long.
Dear Dr. Ash,
Thank you for the eye-opening animal sexathon. I do not recall my Behavioral Ecology class in undergrad being so....so....so....well, reading Dawkins was fun and all, but hot damn!
Respectfully submitted,
MG
All of this good stuff can also end. Pfft. Just like that.
WARNING - MAJOR RANT AHEAD.
The situation facing NASA is just a part of the crisis facing all of "science," the lack of enthusiasm for science in general by the American public. Most non-scientists tend to lump basic research and technological development under the catchall label "science." Those that actually do science haven't even communicated what science is to the general public. How can we expect the public to know just how valuable science and technology are without even that basic level of communication?
Part of the problem is the public education system in this country where budgets rule and science is not one of the "three R's" and therefore an "extra" cost (but not as important, obviously, as football). This is exacerbated by the fact that there is a large and very vocal minority who truly see science as an evil that has to be fought tooth-and-nail to preserve the purity of their religious beliefs. Add to these problems the attitude that "we can cut science budgets because we can" and we have the basis for our current situation. After all, nobody cares except a few eggheads and who listens to them?
The budgeting processes at the federal, state and local levels are always influenced by special interest groups vying for every dollar. There is no broad-based, continuous, organized support for science that is fighting for a share of these dollars. Scientists and technologists will occasionally band together, temporarily, to lobby for a project at the federal level but how many are talking to their local school boards? If people are not being made aware of the need for science and science education at the local level how can we expect support at the national level for things like NASA.
I do not dismiss the need for a clear vision of the mission of NASA or for genuine leadership at the head of NASA. But, until we can convince sufficient numbers of the general public that their tax dollars are being better spent "up there" than "down here where they could do some real good" we don't stand a chance. What this country needs for progress in the sciences and technology is a change in attitude. The average person has to believe that they are valuable and will write their congresscritters when they threaten science and technological development with ill-advised budget cuts.
I tend to agree with folks like Neil DeGrasse Tyson who has noted that the American space program is blandly going where many have gone before. NASA has a role in the ISS program but it shouldn't be the primary mission. Sure, keep astronauts on the ISS because it's the best training ground for working in microgravity but there's more to it than that. NASA does it's best when doing the things that nobody has ever done before. How are we to do those things when NASA doesn't even have it's own man-rated systems capability anymore? We have devolved to the point where American astronauts have to buy rides to orbit on Russian launch vehicles inside Russian capsules.
NASA needs a real, guaranteed budget to develop the next big things in space. Surely we can afford more than one half of one percent of the federal dollar. That much is saved every year when weather satellites give hurricane warnings in time for people to prepare. More money and resources are saved by remote sensing of conditions on the ground from telling farmers how much water to use on their crops to telling them when the best harvest time has occurred to accurately measuring available ground water supplies. And, these benefits are all "old" technology.
There's a whole universe out there and the spirit of exploration has always driven great undertakings. Our attitude in the 1950's and 1960's was "we can do ANYTHING." That spirit is sadly lacking today. Perhaps something can be done. Lets get our poop in a group, folks.
Are they trying to turn it into another amusement park? This world is chaotic enough, I don't think you can find anymore quiet places, except out in the woods, cemeterys' are pretty quiet, except for the road traffic.
Maybe they can send all the Publicans to Mars, that planet is already trashed, so there's one less thing to worry about.I'm sure they would find a way to trash it, like they've done to Earth.By the way that junkie is your sister.
My dog regularly tries to mate with my slipper.
Have scientists ever studied dogs? My dog regularly tries to mate with my slippers.
He's in love with you, so he gets your scent from the slippers, you could wash them and see what happens. My cat used to pull bikini tops and bras out of the drawers and drag them all over the house, so it was pretty embarrassing when people came to visit.
I see lines in this image, which I will conquer then, that it is a copy of the moon. The moon is 3d even maybe 4. It affects bodies of water, because it was once just a test pilot(if you will). for studying gravity. Now, it's use is to somehow navigate water on our planet, planets also help each other out in order to survive. It is still alive as such are many other planets. They have to start cleaning up our planet, I mean really clean, we are always settling for less, We need to stop lowering our standards. People need to start cleaning up after themselves.
Porcupines are a good omen, it's a good sign for hunters and if you see one near your house, it suggests an early winter brought in by a cold wind. Better bundle up.Someone said something about sexy, but I just don't see it. I do believe my fairmones are rising. Somethings in the air, one can only hope. Stay positive today, one positive thought erases 10 negative statements. Don't worry, be happy.
Looks like a jawbreaker.
Drill three holes in it and it would make a crazy looking bowling ball!
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2009971/google-adds-do-not-track-to-chrome-by-years-end.html
Why are we leaving so many lights on at night? That's not conservative at all. On one image it looks like there's a shadow of a muppet, believe it or not. They could manufacture nightime globes for children. It could peak their interest in Science. Made in U.S.A., when was the last time you saw that written anywhere? Right about the time Reagan was in office. The large corporations have been pulling the rug out from under us for a long time, shame on them for using us to pay for their expensive taste. Now, we will have to show them how it's really done. Let's be friendlier to each other, noone has anything to be conceited about. Instead they should bow their heads in shame for wanting it all. America shares. We just have ourselves a bunch of bad apples in our Governing process. Wall st. is becoming ever so boring.
That IR sshot of US clearly shows the gas flare off from the Bakken field, where the race for crude oil sees drillers venting enough natural gas to power a city.
So, we apparantally are on fire.