2014

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A most anticipated analysis in the mission of the space probe Rosetta concerned the water present on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The reason is that scientists are looking for a definitive answer to the problem of the origin of water on Earth. Comets are among the main candidates but the analyzes revealed by ESA and published in the journal “Science” show that the water analyzed by Rosetta is different from that on Earth.

A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke

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The novel “A Fall of Moondust” by Arthur C. Clarke was published for the first time in 1961.

The Selene is a boat very different from those that travel to Earth. It sails on the layer of dust covering one of the seas on the Moon. For this reason, it’s more like a spacecraft than a boat of the Earth’s seas but it’s not equipped with engines for space travel.

During a cruise, an moonquake causes the collapse of an underground cave upsetting the balance of the layer of dust on it. When the Selene passes in that area, sinks and ends about 15 meters below the dust surface. The signal transmitted by boat’s beacon is no longer received and that warns the authorities but as how can they find the Selene and rescue its crew and passengers before they run out of oxygen?

An evenly layered rock photographed by the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on the Mars Rover Curiosity shows a pattern typical of a lake-floor sedimentary deposit (Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)

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Yesterday NASA presented the analyzes of the data collected by the Mars Rover Curiosity in Gale Crater. They indicate that in ancient times it was a lake and that Mount Sharp is the result of progressive sediment deposits in the lake bed in the course of tens of millions of years. This could have happened only if Mars maintained a thick atmosphere with certain levels of temperature and humidity for longer than scientists thought.

An Eligible Boy by Ian McDonald

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The novelette “An Eligible Boy” by Ian McDonald was published for the first time in 2008.

Jasbir is looking for a wife but in India in 2045 that’s not easy. The imbalance in the gender ratio caused by the fact that many parents wanted no daughters caused heavy consequences. Jasbir met a girl using a dating agency but to conquer her his friend and roommate Sujay advised him to get help from an artificial intelligence.

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A few hours ago the NASA’s space probe New Horizons has sent the first radio signals after being awakened from a hibernation phase. Receiving the diagnostic procedure transmission that followed allowed to confirm that the systems are now fully active and New Horizons is ready to fulfill its primary mission to study Pluto and its moons. The probe will pass within 10,000 kilometers from the dwarf planet in July 2015.