The HoodaThunk? Celestial Post

First up today, we turn our attentions skyward because there’s a lot of stuff going on outside of Earth’s atmosphere that’s pretty cool.

First off, China got the rare experience of seeing a total eclipse of the sun. I was trying to find pictures from NASA’s web site but the interest in the eclipse is killing the server over there. Perhaps I can link to some later on. Given the population of the area in question, I have no doubts there will be plenty of video and imagery to be had.

Speaking of NASA, the Mars Lander team announced yesterday that they have confirmed the presence of water ice at the Lander’s site. This is a much bigger deal than it sounds like for 2 reasons. First and foremost, our science has generally shown that where there is water, life is possible. If it’s there, it’s likely microscopic but it would be life nonetheless. Secondly, the presence of water at the site would mean that a manned mission could collect and use the water available there rather than carry it all the way from Earth. The water could be used both for human life support and for the generation of fuel and energy sources. This is the 1st confirmed finding of water outside of Earth’s atmosphere and with that confirmation the chances of finding more on other planets has increased hugely.

Moving further out into the solar system, the Cassini probe, in general Saturnian orbit, has confirmed the presence of a liquid surface on the moon Titan. The lake appears to be the size of our own Lake Ontario and is likely to be comprised of liquified methane and ethane. While not as “useful” as water ice, this confirmation does continue to replace the previous image of every ball of rock outside of earth being a dry, desert-looking place. There also remains the possibility that other kinds of life that can use these substances in a liquid form exist. Our science can only imagine what such life forms would look like or work like, but the possibility is there.

Finally, headed back to Mars, I want to give a quick salute to the Mars Rovers. Spirit and Opportunity have been astounding success stories and continue to operate long, long, long past their intended mission parameters. The work these 2 probes have accomplished has been crucial to our understanding of the Martian environment. Their designers, builders, and operators had done stellar work and they are to be considered the gold standard of unmanned missions for years to come. Spirit completed its 1600th “sol” or Earth-time day back on July 3rd. That’s over 4¼ years on a probe designed for a 90-day mission. Opportunity is right behind Spirit, having completed 1580 sols on July 4th. Both vessels are a real tribute to the American exploration effort.

Well done, to all of these missions!