Reckless Reality |

Fumes of water vapor raising rapidly across the surface of Saturn’s moon Enceladus suggest to be the evidence of water laying underground.

The research, published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, offers new evidence that the moon may harbor an underground ocean of water, meaning conditions might exist that could support life, even if only microbial organisms.

In 2005, the spacecraft Cassini discovered giant geysers erupting from the surface of Enceladus. Read the rest of this entry »

The Endeavor shuttle shot into space last week carrying loads of equipment for the International Space Station.

Among the new gadgets to be installed is a water recovery system that promises to recycle 93 percent of astronaut urine, sweat, exhaled water vapor, and other waste water back into drinkable water.

The whole apparatus cost about $250 million to develop, but that’s still cheaper than having to send periodic shuttles to the station to deliver fresh water.

Of course, the question on everyone’s mind is, what does it taste like? New York Times reporter John Schwartz took it upon himself to find out. Read the rest of this entry »

Japanese millionaire Daisuke Enomoto had planned to dress up as his favourite cartoon character in outer space and spent $21 million to make it happen.

Now, however, he claims the company that was supposed make his dream come true brushed him aside with little more than a “sorry, no refunds.” A federal judge has now heard arguments in Enomoto’s lawsuit against Virginia-based Space Adventures.

It’s a firm that made its name brokering deals with the Russian space agency to put half a dozen space tourists in orbit for fees of $20 million or more.

Space Adventures wants the lawsuit thrown out, saying that Enomoto was disqualified because of a chronic kidney-stone condition.They say his money is non-refundable. Read the rest of this entry »

Astronauts aboard the international space station and the newly arrived shuttle Endeavour planned Monday to start unpacking a new toilet and a contraption that purifies urine and sweat into drinkable water at the orbiting outpost.

The main business of the day is unloading a cargo container nicknamed “Leonardo” from space shuttle Endeavour’s belly and attaching it to the international space station. Inside the 21-foot-long container is almost 15,000 pounds of equipment that will allow the space station to expand from three to six crew members next year.

“Things are going exceedingly well,” said LeRoy Cain, chairman of the mission management team. Read the rest of this entry »

Tiny invertebrates called ‘water bears’ can survive in the vacuum of space, a European Space Agency experiment has shown. They are the first animals known to be able to survive the harsh combination of low pressure and intense radiation found in space.

Better known as water bears, tardigrades are eight-legged invertebrates visible to the naked eye and found throughout the world. They are known for their virtual indestructibility on Earth. The creatures can survive vacuums, intense pressures, temperatures above 300 degrees Farenheit and below minus 240 degrees Farenheit, huge doses of radiation, and years of being dried out.

“They have claws and eyes. They are real animals. And this is the first time such an animal was tested in space,” said Petra Rettberg, an Institute of Aerospace Medicine microbiologist. Read the rest of this entry »