NASA Science News for October 31, 2000

NASA scientists are monitoring a large near-Earth asteroid that tumbled past our planet on the morning of Halloween 2000. Amateur astronomers can spot it for themselves in telescopes later this month and through binoculars when it passes even closer to Earth in Sept. 2004.

FULL STORY at

http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast31oct_1.htm?list69079

NASA Science News for October 26, 2000 5:00:00 PM

NASA's NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft swooped 5 kilometers above the surface of 433 Eros on Oct 26th, marking its closest-ever approach to the tumbling space rock. Scientists hope the flyby will uncover clues about extra boulders and missing craters on the near-Earth asteroid.

FULL STORY at

http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast26oct_2.htm?list69079

NASA Science News for October 26, 2000

Next month the Moon will plow through a stream of debris from comet Tempel-Tuttle, the parent of the Leonid meteor shower.  Meteoroids that strike the Moon don't cause shooting stars as they do on our planet.  Instead, they hit the lunar terrain at high speed.  Scientists will be watching for signs of impacts as the Moon heads for a close encounter with the Leonids.

FULL STORY at

http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast26oct_1.htm?list69079

NASA Science News for October 20, 2000

Is human activity warming the Earth or do recent signs of climate change signal natural variations? In this feature article, scientists discuss the vexing ambiguities of our planet's complex and unwieldy climate.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast20oct_1.htm?list69079

NASA Science News for October 18, 2000

On Friday the 13th of October a brilliant fireball startled stargazers in Texas and Kansas. But that was just a piece of space junk -- a real meteor shower arrives this weekend.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2000/ast18oct_1.htm?list69079

Mimicking Mother Earth

On Earth, water that passes through animals' bodies is made fresh again by natural processes. Microbes in the soil break down urea and convert it to a form that plants can absorb and use to build new plant tissue. The granular soil also acts as a physical filter. Bits of clay cling to nutrients in urine electrostatically, purifying the water and providing nutrients for plants.

Water excreted by animals also evaporates into the atmosphere and rains back down to the Earth as fresh water -- a natural form of distillation.

NASA scientists are monitoring a large near-Earth asteroid that tumbled past our planet on Halloween 2000.

Encuentro cercano con el Asteroide Eros