Tuesday's main guest, author Robert Zimmerman (website)delved into the history and future of space exploration. Dissecting the American-Russian rivalry in the 1960s, he commented that the Soviets initially got the upper hand in the space race because the "whole energy of their society was behind it."

Later, after the US triumphed with the 1969 moon landing, Zimmerman said the "American public lost its will," after getting a look at the desolate and lifeless qualities inherent on the moon. Explorations of the moon were cut short and astronauts "saw less territory than a NYC cab driver sees in an afternoon of work," he jested.

More excited about the possibilities for life on Europa than Mars, Zimmerman noted that some of the ridges circling Jupiter's moon have curious red extrusions. Saturn is also a "weird place," he said, pointing out that its rings "almost have the property of water." Closer to home, Zimmerman compared the structure of International Space Station to the technology used in submarines, and said that experiments being conducted there on weightlessness and bone loss could yield promising research for the problem of osteoporosis here on Earth.

Huge Sunspot

Spaceweather.com(1) is reporting that Sunspot 484 (click on the above picture to see larger) has grown into one of the biggest sunspots in years. It is now about the size of the planet Jupiter.

1. http://spaceweather.com/

Bumper Music

Bumper music from Tuesday October 21, 2003