Space success

Reading about the shuttle launch today made me think of all the exciting successes in space.

Shuttle
LCROS
Mars Rover
Hubble
mission to Pluto

Here is a list from the NASA site that is just mind boggling.

The mission to Pluto is New Horizons:

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu

Check out this link:

http://www.stevey.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/50-years-exploration-huge.jpg

Not to put a damper on it, I mean think this is great, but that the heck are they "doing" on ISS? Is there any science going on? Like what?

That is funny, because the idea about this topic was from a lecture I went to the the ISS at the local observatory. It got me thinking about all the successes, and the international cooperation, etc.

Trying to remember the sciences mentioned in that slide - space biology was a big thing, just how the body reacts to long periods in space. Weather and earth observation was another, as well as studies in what can be done in space that cannot be done on earth in the way of production.

Maybe someone could provide a more detailed listing of the science conducted in the ISS.

I thought this could be added on this thread.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/01/25/wise-uncovers-its-firs...

And counter with this

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=new-report-warns-against-smal...

NASA announces Spirit cannot be moved but can provide much valuable research from its stationary position.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2010/26jan_spirit.htm?list1361091

Orion just does not look like this in my telescope.

http://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1006a/

Did not know where to post this, but I thought it was a good set of Earth images to compare.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123613649

Post from Bad Astronomy from Cassini pictures of Rhea poking through Saturns rings. It looks like Rhea is carving a gap in the rings.

I tried to find a reference whether Rhea causes one of the gaps but I did not find anything on it. Anyone know?

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/05/28/a-little-weekend-satur...

Still looking, because I'm sure I've seen something about ring interaction with the moons recently. My first inclination was to do an APOD search but that didn't immediately throw up anything useful (apart from an illustration of how things have advanced over the last twenty or thirty years).

Ring/satellite graphic found within Planetary Rings Node.