From the Paper "Different cultures produce their own particular way of structuring the world they see around them. They use religion and ritual to explain, to gain control, and to express their own sense of connectedness to their environment. Pre-scientific societies develop their own mythologies to explain the origin of the universe and of human life. A comparison of three such societies shows how varied these ideas can be, with reference to the Maya, the ancient Chinese, and the Indians of the American southwest.
The New Text School in China was dominant throughout most of the Former Han dynasty and was given its name only later in apposition to the Old Text school, which rose to prominence in the time of Christ and gained ascendance through the Later Han dynasty. By "old" text the name means that the work was written..."
From the Paper " Fluid Regulation in a Microgravity Environment
The extraterrestrial environment presents human beings with innumerable physiologic challenges. Astronauts engaged in space flight may experience alteration of their bodily fluids and electrolyte balance. Weightlessness generally causes a reduction in total fluid volume. In addition, there is typically a cephalad redistribution of the blood and other body fluids. This cephalad shift initiates a series of compensatory mechanisms, many of which involve hormonal fluctuations. Unfortunately, data collected from human subjects during actual space flight is rather scarce. This paucity has led to the use of various ground-based weightlessness simulations. Two important experimental techniques include the water immersion and bed rest methods. Unfortunately though, despite the considerable research.."
Abstract The Mars Pathfinder Mission was an extremely successful venture, which has boosted the NASA Discovery Program and planet exploration in general. The data collected delivered some interesting surprises, but has contributed to our knowledge about the planet Mars and created basis for further study.
From the Paper "Mars Pathfinder - Generating Useful Data and Goodwill
The Mars Pathfinder Mission was an extremely successful venture, which has boosted the NASA Discovery Program and planet exploration in general. The data collected delivered some interesting surprises, but has contributed to our knowledge about the planet Mars and created basis for further study.
The Mars Pathfinder mission was the second launch in the NASA Discovery Program. Missions falling under this umbrella are of short duration, three years or less, and relatively low cost at 150 million dollars. The specific mission of the Mars Pathfinder was primarily to provide an engineering demonstration of the key technologies and concepts which will eventually be used in future missions. The mission was to demonstrate a low-..."
Abstract This paper is an in-depth treatise on the subject of black holes (it does not contain any sophisticated math). A black hole is a region of space where matters collapses in upon itself toward an infinite density, thereby endlessly increasing its mass and gravitational pull. It details the evidence for their existence both theoretical and empirical and describes the debates concerning their fundamental nature (how they warp time and gravity). It evaluates theories by Einstein and Stephen Hawking as well as related phenomenon such as white holes and wormholes.
From the Paper "Man has always looked into the heavens and questioned the nature of the universe around him. Through the science of physics he has created such seemingly basic and ubiquitous concepts as time, mass, weight, and gravity. Held to be absolutes, these conceptual building blocks allow him to define, categorize, and relate the objects he discovers in the vastness of space. And without argument, his definitions and equations intercalating these abstractions hold true - except in one specific locus of space. A region of mystery possessing infinite depth yet of finite size, detectable in space yet emitting no electromagnetic radiation, an enigma of nature that beckons to be resolved. An entity first described as a "frozen star" but then later dubbed a "black hole" by John Archibald Wheeler. What is this black hole?"
From the Paper "Cygnus A is the best known of the group of dumbbell galaxies. It consists of two nuclei in a common halo. It could be an extreme case of double galaxies. Galaxies are often radio sources.. Cygnus A is so-called because of the constellation in which it is located.. The galaxies at the center of radio star Cygnus A are photographed with the 200-inch telescope. These galaxies are practically at the limit of present optical observation. However, they are one of the strongest radio sources in the sky. Minkowski interprets Cygnus A as two galaxies, of about 100 billion stars each, in head-on collision - a catastrophe of tremendous magnitude. A different interpretation is that these two galaxies are the fragments of one original galaxy undergoing fission, that is, blowing apart in an explosion that must be just as violent as Minkowski's ... "
From the Paper "Galileo is perhaps the first scientist, at least since the Greek Archimedes, to be well known to the general public.
He is famous partly for his real achievements in physics and astronomy, partly for legendary achievements (such as dropping cannon-balls off the Leaning Tower of Pisa), and partly for having been tried for heresy by the Inquisition and compelled to recant his belief, now universally accepted, that the Earth moves in space.
Only in the last few years has the Catholic Church officially "reversed" his conviction. Yet his ideas, in spite of the violent controversy they stirred and the official condemna-tion they brought him, came to be generally accepted by educated opinion within a few years after his trial. Why were these ideas, though pronounced heretical, so widely and quickly accept ... "
From the Paper "This paper will discuss Halley's comet using several current sources which deal with topics such as how a comet works, what causes the comet to be what it is, what new discoveries have been made and what research has been done or is being done on Halley's Comet.
Very recently has come the first unambiguous evidence of organic molecules in the nucleus of Halley's comet. The evidence from recent examination of the infrared spectrum of the comet shows emission by the carbon-hydrogen bonds of a solid in the dust grains surrounding the nucleus of the comet. The temperature of the dust is about 400 K.(a determination made by Giotto, the European comet probe), and yet the wavelength emissions match those observed from bacteria in the library. A dust analyzer on the Giotto shows that the dust is composed of (...)"
From the Paper "Black holes, sometimes called "collapsars," are a class of astronomical object which has attracted great attention both from astrophysicists and the general public in the past two decades. According to theory, if an astronomical body is large or dense enough, its gravitational escape velocity will exceed the velocity of light: thus no radiation from it can escape to the outside Universe. It disappears within an "event horizon." Such an object, from which not even light can escape, would seem to be undetectable, yet black holes are of great interest to astronomers and physicists. A number of indirect methods of detecting black holes have been proposed, and indeed a number of black hole "candidates" have been identified. However, black holes remain a theoretical construct, since no persuasive indirect observational evidence has been found that would rule ... "
Recent high pressure experiments have provided insight on the chemical composition of Mars' mantle (11:2239). Such studies indicate that 15.7 percent of the planet is composed of metal..a large proportion of which is iron (11:2239). It is estimated that partial melting of this mantle produces an iron.rich basaltic magma which generally reaches the planet's surface via massive shield volcanos and fissure eruptions (5:90). The extrusion of this turbulent, low viscosity lava has resulted in thinly disseminated iron sulfide mineralization over large areas of Mars (5:90). In addition to these iron.rich flows, the red planet's surface is also characterized by large accumulations of basaltic ash (7:2237). These deposits..some of which are meters thick..have undergone variable degrees of weathering (10:24). It ..."
From the Paper "This study will examine the planned exploration of the planet Mars by the United States, including consideration of President George Bush's call for such exploration, timetables involved, methods to be used, the goals of such exploration, and what potential problems might be encountered.
Bush, as Aviation Week & Space Technology reports, "ordered that at least two substantially different proposals be drawn for new man missions to the Moon and Mars . . . Bush's action reflects a widely held view among top Administration officials that space exploration should substantially improve the nation's technological capabilities and economic leadership" (Aviation, "Bush Calls," 1990, p. 18).
We see, then, that Bush was trying to spur both the exploration of space by the National Aeronautics and Space..."
The plate tectonic theory is now widely accepted as a unifying basis for the physical geology of the earth as a whole. Not only does it explain most of the tectonic phenomena on Earth, but a number of key points have been well substantiated by paleomagnetic and seismologic studies (4). Venus, Earth's nearest neighbor, and similar in size, density, and age (8) might be expected to have similar tectonic activity. Indeed Soviet and U.S. explorations of Venus during the 60's and 70's revealed several features that could be interpreted as past or ongoing tectonism (Fig. 1). These included large calderas and arachnoids suggesting volcanism, dome uplifts, low ridge belts on planes, high mountain belts, heavily deformed areas called tesserae, and the circular coronae unique to Venus (9). Now that the..."
Abstract The paper reviews and discusses Bob Berman's "Secrets of the Night Sky: The Most Amazing Things in the Universe You Can See with the Naked Eye", written for amateur astronomers but enjoyed by the advanced as well. The paper describes the factors that make the book so successful, including helpful tips, witty prose, colorful illustrations and the dispelling of the myth that one needs expensive equipment to enjoy the night sky. It also gives an overview of the various chapters in the book.
From the Paper "One of the strongest features of Berman's book is his strong and witty prose. He clearly intends this book to entertain the audience as well as educate, and he is truly successful in his aim. The book is engaging and interesting, and most readers will have a difficult time setting the book down. Berman liberally applies clever analogies, enhancing the readability of his book. The book is simply packed with endless insights and metaphors that make it engaging and conversational. Berman's conversational tone is humorous and captivating. For example, in his lengthy discussion of time he notes that "misconceptions about time hatch as readily as cuckoo eggs"."
Abstract Traces the rise of Muslim scholarship from the 8th & 9th Centuries. Syntheses of existing astronomical traditions--Persian, Indian & Greek texts. Arab knowlededge of celestial world. Importance of Ptolemaic model for the planets. Establlishment of House of Wisdom in Baghdad. Islamic impact on development of astronomy & mathematics. Contribution of astrologers.
From the Paper "The rise of Muslim science began after the life of the
prophet Mohammed and the beginning of Islam in the seventh century. The eighth and ninth centuries involved the period of consolidation of the Muslim people, and the real rise of Muslim scholarship occurred in the ninth and tenth centuries (Al-Daffa', 1977). The Muslims integrated the astronomical traditions of the Indians, Persians, the ancient near east, and especially the Greeks into a synthesis which began to chart a new chapter in the history of astronomy from the eighth century onward (IAL). The unification of the tribes of Arabia into a powerful nation, including Persia, Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, the whole North Africa, Gibraltar, and Spain created a vast intellectual empire (Ead). However, the Greek legacy did not immediately dominate without a struggle with native ..."
Abstract This paper examines three planets namely Venus, Saturn and Jupiter and provides some factual information about them and their motion relative to earth. For each planet in turn, it provides information on the history of its name, examines its atmosphere and composition, missions to the particular planet as well as providing a comparison of the chemical and physical makeup of the planets with Earth.
From the Paper "It takes Saturn 29.5 years to complete one revolution around the Sun. As it circles the Sun, the angle of the Saturn's rings relative to the Sun varies by 27.3 degrees. During this motion a very peculiar phenomenon is observed. Twice during the 29.5 years, the rings are edge-on to the Sun. Since, as seen from Saturn, the Earth appears not more then 6 degrees from the Sun, it too crosses the ring plane at around the same time. Since Saturn's rings are so thin, when they are edge-on to the Earth, they appear to disappear when viewed with a small telescope."
This paper discusses the Cornell University infrared telescope project, which will be the world's largest infrared (IR) telescope, to be built at Llano de Chajnantor in the Atacama desert in Chile.
Abstract This paper discusses that there are many unanswered questions about the universe; therefore, there is a need for more powerful and better situated the telescopes as proposed by the Cornell University telescope at the Atacama desert in Chile where atmospheric conditions are superb. This paper explains that the astronomers and engineers at Cornell have devised a new design that they hope will provide more efficiency. The author points out that the new design allows the primary mirror to rotate in azimuth while a rotating Gregorian secondary mirror provides the primary mirror with a virtually unobstructed view of the source.
From the Paper "Telescopes launched into outer space have captured public attention in recent years. The public may wonder at Cornell's choice to build a station on earth when advances seem to be in the sky with its advantage of greater 'height' and clearer view. It is true, of course, that observations at infrared and submillimeter wavelengths--such as the Atacama installation will perform--are far more easily made from space because of the absence of atmospheric interference. But, space stations are terrifically expensive, and the necessary limits on their telescopes' size places a huge constraint on their performance. Another important factor is that, in case of malfunctions, an earthbound telescope presents a great advantage. Thus, the search for optimal conditions on our planet has gone on for many years, and the Atacama Desert has become the astronomers' paradise of choice. The European Southern Observatory is already in operation there, and the United States' National Radio Astronomy Observatory will undoubtedly locate its new Millimeter Array there."
