Mars Methane Lasts Less Than A Year

Map of methane concentrations in Autumn (first martian year observed). Peak emissions fall over Tharsis (home to the Solar System's largest volcano, Olympus Mons), the Arabia Terrae plains and the Elysium region, also the site of volcanos. Bottom: True color map of Mars. Credit: NASA/Universita del Salento.

Laser Tool for Studying Mars Rocks Delivered to JPL
Pasadena CA (JPL) Sep 23 - The NASA Mars Science Laboratory Project's rover, Curiosity, will carry a newly delivered laser instrument named ChemCam to reveal what elements are present in rocks and soils on Mars up to 7 meters (23 feet) away from the rover.

The laser zaps a pinhead-sized area on the target, vaporizing it. A spectral analyzer then examines the flash of light produced to identify what elements are present. The completed and tested instrument has been shipped to JPL from Los Alamos for installation onto the Curiosity rover at JPL.

ChemCam was conceived, designed and built by a U.S.-French team led by Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, N.M.; NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.; the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (the French national space agency); and the Centre d'Etude Spatiale des Rayonnements at the Observatoire Midi-Pyrenees, Toulouse, France.

Shuttles for sale: Less than 130 million miles, new paint

Shuttles for sale: Less than 130 million miles, new paint - CNN.com

In the market for a new ride? For a mere $28.8 million you can own one of NASA’s recently retired shuttles. The spacecrafts each have less than 130 million miles on them, and come with a crisp white paint job.

Of course, since one of these bad boys likely won’t fit in your garage, museums might have a better chance of nabbing one.

Even if you were ready to plunk down nearly $30 million, chances are your garage can't fit a space shuttle next to the lawn mower. But there are a few places willing to pay the price. And for the most part, they've got the space, too.

When the shuttle Atlantis touches down Wednesday morning (weather permitting), the orbiter will become the first of the three remaining shuttles to officially retire. By the end of the year, Discovery and Endeavour will follow.

The question is: Where will they retire to?