Mars Update to Google Earth

Mars' Valles Marineris Credit: NASA/Google Earth

NASA and Google announce an update to Mars in Google Earth, a 3D mapping tool for the Red Planet.

Originally released with Google Earth 5.0, Mars in Google Earth now contains even more features that give users a sense of how our knowledge of Mars, and our study of astronomy, has evolved over time.  After selecting 'Mars' from the toolbar in Google Earth, users “fly” to a 3D view of the Red Planet, complete with informational layers, imagery, and terrain.  The tools for navigation and exploration on Mars are identical to those on Earth - zoom in and out, change the camera view, or spin the entire planet with a click of the mouse.

There are several new features in this updated version of Mars in Google Earth:

First, users can “travel back in time” to see the Red Planet through the eyes of the pioneers of Mars science in the Historical Maps layer by exploring antique maps by astronomers Giovanni Schiaparelli, Percival Lowell, and others .

Then, they can fast-forward to the present day with the new Live from Mars layer, featuring a continuous stream of the latest imagery from today's Mars spacecraft.  Live from Mars includes imagery from NASA's THEMIS camera on board the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, and lets users fly along with Odyssey as well as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to see what they have been observing lately and where they are headed next.

Users can discover these, and other exciting features—and learn all about the history of Mars science and exploration—with two new guided tours of Mars narrated by Ira Flatow of Public Radio's Science Friday and Bill Nye the Science Guy.

You may wish to view the narrated tutorial here or here.

Mars in Google Earth also contains several updated elements, in addition to the many popular features that were available at the original launch:

Updated imagery from NASA and ESA, and improved the search function to make it easier to explore well-known sites on Mars.  Just as they could in the original version of Mars in Google Earth, users can read geo-located articles from William K. Hartmann’s A Traveler's Guide to Mars about the solar system's largest canyon, Valles Marineris, its tallest volcano, Olympus Mons, the infamous “Face on Mars”, and many other famous Martian locations.  They can also follow the paths of Mars rovers and view hi-resolution panoramic photos of the Mars surface.

British May Launch Spaceplane Within 10 Years

Single-Stage-To-Orbit spacecraft would use runways for take-off and landing

Illustration of Skylon spaceplane in orbit

The European Space Agency and the British Government have awarded $1.28 million dollars to Reaction Engines Limited as part of a multi-million dollar package aimed at developing the SABRE hybrid engine. The SABRE engine is capable of operating as both an air-breathing jet engine and a rocket engine.

SABRE engines would make possible the 269-foot-long Skylon Spaceplane, capable of taking off from and landing on a runway like any airliner, (the Boeing 747-300 is 231 feet long). However, after take-off, Skylon will ascend high above the Earth where at Mach 5.5 Skylon’s SABRE engines will switch from air-breathers to rockets, propelling the craft into orbit.

With a payload capacity of 13 tons and a 40-foot cargo bay, Skylon will be capable of hefting satellites and orbital base (space) station modules into orbit. There are even plans for a 40-passenger payload module for astronauts or space tourists.

Computer-generated Skylon Spaceplane animations may be viewed at REL’s website in QuickTime or Flash.