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Huge Balloon Lofts New Telescope
Science Daily is reporting that a new solar telescope has been launched via an enormous balloon filled with helium. Dubbed project "Sunrise" the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), NASA, Germany's Max Planck Institute for Solar Physics, Spain's Astrophysics Institute of the Canary Islands, and the Swedish Space Corporation all partnered to launch the balloon in order to view never before see features of the Sun. "The project may usher in a new generation of balloon-borne scientific missions that cost less than sending instruments into space. Scientists also can test an instrument on a balloon before making a commitment to launch it on a rocket. The balloon, with its gondola of scientific instruments, was launched successfully on the morning of October 3 from the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. It flew for about 10 hours, capturing stable images of the solar surface and additional data from the various instruments of the sophisticated payload. The gondola then separated from the balloon and descended with a parachute, landing safely in a field outside Dalhart, Texas."
A) The went at night.
> landing safely in a field outside Dalhart, Texas.
whereupon it was shot to smithereens by a farmer shouting "The Russians are here, The Russians are here!"
B.
Every experiment which ends in a big bang is a good experiment.
Lots of scientists with high, squeaky voices :p
I have it on good authority from a NASA insider that this is the mission overview for STS-121:
:/
Day 1: Launch
Day 2: Inspect shuttle thermal protection system for damage.
Day 3: Inspect shuttle thermal protection system for damage.
Day 4: Repair thermal protection system.
Day 5: Repair thermal protection system.
Day 6: Repair thermal protection system.
Day 7: Re-inspect shuttle thermal protection system for damage.
Day 8: Mission conclusion, return to Earth.
-Ponga
They sent a great ball of helium up into space in order to get a better look at a great ball of helium up in space?
Also FatPhil on SoylentNews, id 863
It's called night, man!
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