So far, the blob has been unavailable for comment...

However, it does have a name: 'Himiko' a reference to a mysterious Japanese queen.

The newly discovered blob was named by Masami Ouchi of the Carnegie Institution for Science, lead researcher of an international team of astronomers. 

The most distant and ancient large object ever spotted - Himiko's existence poses a mystery for astronomers and cosmologists.

European Space Agency's GOCE satellite 'flies' on the edge of the atmosphere...

Skimming the edge of the Earth's atmosphere at a height of 250km up, the ESA's Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) has the look of science fiction about it.

Designed to take micro-measurements of Earth's gravity, data from GOCE will be used to construct a high-resolution map of our planet.  One of the benefits is a more intimate understanding of how gravity pulls on water, and hence the behaviour of hot and cold currents.  Scientists believe that studying information gathered by GOCE will greatly improve computer models of climate, helping to predict future climate change.

GOCE: 'way-cool' design...

Iridium satellite destroyed

It was going to happen eventually - and today was the day. 

Iridium Satellite LLC released a statement earlier confirming that it had lost an operational satellite as a result of a collision with a dormant Russian satellite.  According to the official press release from the company, the event will have '...minimal impact on Iridium's service' and result in '...very limited service disruption in the form of brief, occasional outages'.

NASA and the U.S. Space Command is assessing whether or not the spreading debris cloud will become a hazard to other satellites and in particular to the International Space Station; currently occupied by three astronauts.

Iridium is a provider of mobile satellite phone systems and as such it operates the largest privately owned group of satellites in orbit around the earth: 66 operational as well as in-orbit spares.

Links:

Iridium satellite mobile phone system

European Space Agency:space debris

Spacewalk is planned in earth orbit

China's most recent manned excursion into earth orbit launched successfully from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gansu Province at 9:10pm local time  (UTC+8). 

W32.Gammima.AG worm makes it to orbit

Gammima.AG was found on laptops brought by astronauts to the International Space Station.

NASA says that it's not the first virus to be found on it's flown equipment.

In this case, W32.Gammima.AG wasn't harmful to any control systems aboard the International Space Station.  However, it shows that computer security could be tighter as in principle a much more harmful virus could make it's way onto the station.

According to information provided by computer security specialists Symantec, W32.Gammima.AG is spread by copying itself to removable media.  It then makes its way to the new system and lurks there, searching for passwords to a number of online games and sending these back to a central server.

Links:

US Computer Emergency Readiness Team

 <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thoughtposi04-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1858944279&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=FFFFFF&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>    This fascinating book – now updated and available in paperback to mark the 50th anniversary of NASA in 2008 – tells the remarkable history of America’s unrivalled contribution to the exploration of space from the early twentieth century to the present. Award-winning historian Michael H. Gorn covers every US space mission ever undertaken, including those of projects Mercury, Gemini and Apollo, and the development of the Space Shuttle, and brings the story up to date by explaining the functions of NASA’s two windows in space: the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station. This is the first illustrated history of NASA – the National Aeronautics and Space Administration – ever to be published. It reveals the personalities involved – the personal ambitions and temperaments of astronauts, scientists and engineers, and the influence of America’s presidents on the US space programme – as much as the technological advances that have made space exploration possible. Authoritatively and engagingly written, the book is profusely illustrated throughout with 500 stunning photographs.

And all of us here on earth should be very proud....

In 1957, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the US National Aeronautics and Space Act, which  on July 29, 1958 brought into existence the National Aeronautics and Space Administration - which we know as NASA.

5th June 2007: must have been a great night for tv...

The European Space Agency's XMM-Newton satellite has revealed that a star in the constellation Puppis has gone nova - blasting away the top layers of the star's surface in a hugely bright and energetic explosion.