Jimbo

Oxygen found on Saturn's moon Rhea Nasa's Cassini probe has scooped oxygen from the thin atmosphere of Rhea – the first time the gas has been detected directly on another world Share 4207 Ian Sample, science correspondent guardian.co.uk, Thursday 25 November 2010 19.00 GMT Article history Rhea and a smaller moon Epimetheus against a background of Saturn and its rings. Every cubic metre of Rhea's atmosphere contains 50bn oxygen molecules. Photograph: Nasa A spacecraft has tasted oxygen in the atmosphere of another world for the first time while flying low over Saturn's icy moon, Rhea. Nasa's Cassini probe scooped oxygen from the thin atmosphere of the planet's moon while passing overhead at an altitude of 97km in March this year. Until now, wisps of oxygen have only been detected on planets and their moons indirectly, using the Hubble space telescope and other major facilities. Instruments aboard Cassini revealed an extremely thin oxygen and carbon dioxide atmosphere that is sustained by high-energy particles slamming into the moon's surface and kicking up atoms, molecules and ions. Astronomers have counted 62 moons orbiting Saturn. At 1500km wide, Rhea is the second largest and is thought to be made almost entirely of ice. "This really is the first time that we've seen oxygen directly in the atmosphere of another world," said Andrew Coates, at UCL's Mullard Space Science Laboratory, a co-author of the study published in the journal Science. "Active, complex chemistry involving oxygen may be quite common throughout the solar system and even our universe," said team leader Ben Teolis of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. "Such chemistry could be a prerequisite for life. All evidence from Cassini indicates that Rhea is too cold and devoid of the liquid water necessary for life as we know it." Rhea's atmosphere makes it unique in the Saturn system. Only Rhea and Titan, the largest Saturnian moon, have enough mass to hold on to an atmosphere with their gravity. Titan, however, has a very thick nitrogen and methane atmosphere, with very little carbon dioxide and oxygen. Astronomers have previously used telescopes to detect oxygen in the atmospheres of Jupiter's moons Europa and Ganymede, but similar searches drew a blank on Rhea because the concentration of the gas was so low. According to instruments aboard Cassini, every cubic metre of Rhea's atmosphere contains around 50bn oxygen molecules and 20bn carbon dioxide molecules. The carbon dioxide may come from dry ice trapped within the moon, or be produced by high-energy particles striking water ice on Rhea. Another source could be carbon-rich materials deposited by tiny meteors that have bombarded Rhea's surface.

NASA Sets News Conference on Astrobiology Discovery; Science Journal Has Embargoed Details Until 2 p.m. EST On Dec. 2 WASHINGTON -- NASA will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. EST on Thursday, Dec. 2, to discuss an astrobiology finding that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe. The news conference will be held at the NASA Headquarters auditorium at 300 E St. SW, in Washington. It will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed on the agency's website at http://www.nasa.gov. Participants are: - Mary Voytek, director, Astrobiology Program, NASA Headquarters, Washington - Felisa Wolfe-Simon, NASA astrobiology research fellow, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, Calif. - Pamela Conrad, astrobiologist, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. - Steven Benner, distinguished fellow, Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution, Gainesville, Fla. - James Elser, professor, Arizona State University, Tempe Media representatives may attend the conference or ask questions by phone or from participating NASA locations. To obtain dial-in information, journalists must send their name, affiliation and telephone number to Steve Cole at stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov or call 202-358-0918 by noon Dec. 2. For NASA TV streaming video and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv For more information about NASA astrobiology activities, visit: http://astrobiology.nasa.gov - end -

I've not had the pleasure yet but The Cowboys stadium in Dallas looks redonkulously good, I know its not football, I wanted to see Pacquiao Vs Margarito there last month but couldn't get a ticket.

It's mightily impressive from the outside too, Mrs Jimbo works just around the corner from it, I wish the Dynamo played there instead of the Robertson stadium, seems daft that they don't use the old Houston Astrodome which is right next to the Reliant.

You haven't watched this then: Mega Shark v Giant Octopus (2009) Starring Debbie Gibson no less. I've not seen it but should I be worried that my wife has a copy ? Yeah, I'd definitely be worried Jimbo Fucking brilliant! (I genuinely don't know which of the two is more worrying btw) OMG I love it. and given the amount of pornography in this house it's surprisingly close to the truth !

Director of The Empire Strikes Back, died aged 87.

You haven't watched this then: Mega Shark v Giant Octopus (2009) Starring Debbie Gibson no less. I've not seen it but should I be worried that my wife has a copy ?

Human Centipede Possibly the worst film I've ever seen, woeful acting, the crux of the movie is that a mad surgeon grafts three people together, arsehole to mouth, to form the infamous human centipede, there is a very thin plot that seemed more of an after-thought.

Subtly different from the other Ali vs Liston picture, I prefer this one, it's just so powerful.

I think you'll need the latest version of iTunes first too.

A quick scan of that link and new text tones stand out but not sure if its worth fucking up my 3g as the update did last year early this year. and like the old text tones they are all irritating as fuck ! lol

New software update just went live http://www.apple.com/ios/

Olden but Golden, I laugh my tits off every time at this.

Well, I showed Tracy this thread, hoping that she would be impressed with all the words of congratulations from my friends, but she was too mesmerized by Selma Hayeks tits in Monkeys Fists avatar to say anything other than she assisted with the matrimonial wank, she turned the pages of the magazine while I cracked one off.

I saw the trailer on TV here a couple of weeks back, OMG it looks just horrible !

RobW eat your heart out bloody hell Alex, that's fighting talk lol

Americans dont like English comics and the English dont like American comics. The reason why Ricky is big in America is because of the Office hardly fucking stand up. Fucking Alan Carr is funnier than Ricky and I can stand the twat. Thats the only good thing about the yanks they dont like comics like Alan Carr. Its because of the bible I think. What utter unmitigated bollocks. So Brits don't like Richard Pryor? Bill Hicks? Rich Hall? Reg Hunter? and Americans don't like British comics like Billy Connolly? Eddie Izzard? One of the reasons Ricky is doing well in the US is because he's worked hard at being on the right shows, and palling up with the right people. He's worked with Larry David and his ilk which instantly lends him credibility. He's successful because people associate both versions of The Office with him and both versions are successful in their own way. The American is more popular over there and the original is critically acclaimed. You genuinely have no clue what you're talking about and you still haven't admitted that you lied. This !

Went to see Louis CK in Houston this week, absolutely incredible, he is probably my favorite right now, also really enjoying Jim Jefferies too, hopefully he will be round this way soon on tour.

Thanks everyone, it's been a surreal day, glad that I've managed to share it with a few of you on Twitter over the past year, me and the Mrs are heading home after a meal with the in-laws, I'll celebrate with the first matrimonial wank. My door is always open for any of you if you happen to find your way over to Houston, and hopefully when my visa status is sorted me and Tracy will be over to the Toon to see you all again.

Genius