07/03/07 12 PM Space Exploration

I hope you will join guest host Jim O’Leary today at Noon for a look at some of the most recent and exciting developments in space exploration. 

There are several robotic missions that are about to or just begun.  We’ll talk about the New Horizons mission.  Since January 2006 this space probe has been traveling to Pluto.  It won’t arrive until 2015, but will send back information about atmospheric escape, which will teach us about Earth’s atmospheric evolution.  That’s just the tip of the iceberg for this mission.  The Messenger spacecraft has been en route to Mercury since August 2004.  It will orbit Mercury-the first spacecraft to do so-and will send back the first new information in 30 years about that planet.

And in just a few days, the Dawn spacecraft will be launched.  This spacecraft will be exploring the asteroid belt.

So join us this hour as we discuss these exciting developments in space exploration!

-Jessica