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Lots of this topic’s news is a bit on the moldy oldie side… but just incase you missed it:

• Just how many other cilivilations are out there? Apparently 37,964.
• Once thought irrepairable, Hubble’s main camera back and fully functional!
• The Space Elevator programs have run into potentially fatal flaw.
• More good news for the environment, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory launch fails.
• A security camera captures meteorite impacting earth.
• A funny comparison of planet distances using an easy to comprehen metaphor.

• Remember a few weeks ago I was wondering about the number of satellites in orbit around the earth? Well (of course) Google was asking and answering the same question. They’ve now added every satellite to Google Earth and they are all tracked in realtime. Very cool.
• The first planet found in our galaxy that is obitting a sun-like star has been found. Planet orbitting a sun-like star found although its 11 times farther out than Neptune… and has some unique and never-before-seen attributes.
• A molecule known to be critical for the start of life has been indentified in extra-solar-system.
• Apparently the Japense have started work on space elevator!
• Finally, something outside the observable universe is exerting force on the universe itself. Astrophysists are unable to explain the force so far. Have we finally found god in the machine?

I’m sure you’ve all seen or read about the Mars Pheonix lands and its exploits. If you haven’t, check out the official NASA page. We’re suppose to hear more from NASA tomorrow too. However there is a boatload of space news recently:

• Robert Cringley (who I link to all the time) is seriously planning on going to the moon. Originally his plan was to win the Google X-Prize, however recently developments (and seemingly the X-Prize’s stogy foundation) has cause him to abandon the competition… but now he’s planning on doing the same thing but way before the X-Prize rules are even completely set. Its a great story if you haven’t read it alreay.
• The Allen Telescope Array (paid for by microsoft co-founder Paul Allen) has begun its search for Alien Life.
• Apparently (I didn’t hear about it), Congress has recently banned NASA from putting humans on Mars. WTF?
• According to an article from New Scientist (often not an entirely reputable source), human obervation of space (and specifically dark matter) may be shortening the life of the universe. WTF?!

• A winning design for Virgin Galactic’s Space Dock has been approved and building in New Mexico is scheduled to start in 2008.
• NASA’s Dawn space probe (too easy to make fun of IA reader Miniminx here) has blasted off to seek out new life and new frontiers in the Milky Way’s asteroid belt.
• Cringley goes to space! Robert Cringley takes up the Google X-Prize to land a lander on the moon. Seriously!
• A solar hurricane has ripped the tail off of a comet (in pictures!)
• Astonomical group has renamed an asteroid after George Takai (Mr. Sulu represent!). Damn that guy is funny!

• The Space Elevator seems like a really good idea given the amount of energy it takes a rocket to reach space. Recently there was some very level-headed criticisms raised about the real-world possibility of the space elevator. The LiftPort founder has gone through point-by-point to look at the problems and possibilities of building a real world Space Elevator.
• Astronomists are pretty sure they’ve found water on an extra-solar planet for the first time ever. Life -is- out there!
• Speaking of water on planets other than our own, NASA has begun its digging mission in north pole of Mars.
• And speaking of Mars, an interesting look at the weird and wonderful world of gadgets that go to Mars
• Last up in this topic, a team of astronomers has found the largest exoplanet yet… bigger than Jupiter.