Posts tagged science/tech

All is set for one of the biggest missions for NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) this year as it prepares on a mission to discover whether its earlier findings of water on the moon is true. Earlier, three different space probes have found the chemical signature of water all over the moon. Thus by bombing the South pole, NASA hopes to expose what it expects to be huge deposits of ice hidden beneath the surface. The LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observing and Sensing Satellite) mission will send a missile to blast a hole in the lunar surface near the moon’s South pole. According to NASA, the impact will produce a
plume which an orbiting satellite will then analyze.

The Centaur rocket will strike first, transforming 2200 kg of mass and 10 billion joules of kinetic energy into a blinding flash of heat and light. Researchers expect the impact to throw up a plume of debris as high as 10 km.

Close behind, the LCROSS mothership will photograph the collision for NASA TV and then fly right through the debris plume. Onboard spectrometers will analyze the sunlit plume for signs of water (H2O), water fragments (OH), salts, clays, hydrated minerals and assorted organic molecules.

Watch the NASA moon bombing live online streaming. The LCROSS NASA moon bombing streaming video is available through NASA TV or via the SLOOH telescope system. Or for those who want to view the event using their own telescopes, here is a guideline from the National Geographic. The impact takes place on Oct 9, 2009 at 4:30 a.m. US PDT (7:30 a.m. US EDT, 10:30pm AEDT).

Unlike most cosmic impacts, though, the LCROSS crashes will have an audience: Many amateur astronomers in the Americas will have their telescopes trained on the impact site. Even more can watch the LCROSS moon impact on the NASA TV Web site.

Enthusiasts on the U.S. East Coast should tune in, since their view of the LCROSS impact will be blocked by early morning sunlight, experts say.

Only North, Central, and South America will be facing the moon at the time of the LCROSS impact, allowing astronomers and stargazers there a rare view, experts say.

Anyone in these regions with at least a 10-inch (25.4-centimeter) telescope should be able to catch a glimpse of dusty debris—and maybe water vapor—billowing into the sunlight above the crater’s rim, astronomers say.

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Move over, Toyota Prius. There’s a new star on the electric/hybrid car market, an automobile that promises to give 230 miles per gallon! Yup, you read it right, 230 mpg. GM’s Chevy Volt electric car has arrived. The Chevy Volt promises specifications and mpg that no current car in the market has. In fact, no one’s even close.

According to General Motors, their new rechargeable electric car should get 230 miles per gallon of gasoline in city driving, more
than four times the mileage of the current champion, the Toyota Prius. Here’s how it works: The car is powered by an electric motor and a battery pack with a 40-mile range. After consuming its electric charge (which can be recharged from a standard home outlet), a small internal combustion engine kicks in to generate electricity for a total range of 300 miles. With gas prices on the verge of making another jump because of growing demand and a more positive outlook on the US economy, this three-digit gas mileage is getting everyone interested.

The promised mpg is yet to be confirmed by the EPA which does the tests for the mileage posted on new car door stickers. But with the Toyota Prius, currently the most efficient car sold in the USA, only reaching 48 miles per gallon of gas, it is still head and shoulders above the competition even if the mpg is proven to be somewhat lower than promised.

For other details about the Chevy Volt, here are the specifications as well as videos and pictures.

Update: The Chevy Volt is expected to cost near $40,000 when launched commercially in 2011. But price is expected to drop with future generations. (Photos courtesy of GM)

Vehicle type:	5-door, front-wheel-drive sedan
Category:	Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV)
E-REV competitors:	none
Chassis:	independent McPherson struts front, compound crank twist axle rear, four-wheel disc brakes, full regenerative brakes to maximize energy capture, electric power-assist steering
Seating capacity:	four
Manufacturing location:	Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly (subject to GM successfully negotiating satisfactory government incentives)

Top speed (mph):	100
EV range, city (miles):	40 (based on EPA city cycle)

Wheelbase (in / mm):	105.7 / 2685
Length (in / mm):	177 / 4404
Width (in / mm):	70.8 / 1798
Height (in / mm):	56.3 / 1430
Cargo volume (cu ft / L):	10.6 / 301

Type:	lithium-ion
Energy (kWh)	16

Power (kW / hp):	111 / 150
Torque (lb-ft / Nm):	273 / 370

Tire and wheel size: specially developed low rolling-resistance tires on 17-inch forged aluminum wheels

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Disclaimer: The author claims full ownership of all articles herein but doesn’t claim ownership of all photos posted on this site. If the respective copyright owners wish for their photos to be taken down, feel free to e-mail me or leave a comment and these will be taken down immediately.