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AP Science NewsBrief at 7:06 p.m. EDT(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Dawn craft to circle giant asteroid in 1st stopLOS ANGELES (AP) _ After four years sailing through space, the Dawn spacecraft was expected to slip into orbit late Friday around a giant asteroid to begin a yearlong investigation into the origins of the solar system. It is the first of two scheduled tour stops for the NASA probe that almost never made it to the launch pad. Astronauts fix second failed computer on shuttleCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) _ The pilots on NASA's last space shuttle flight fixed another one of their main computers Friday after it failed and set off an alarm that shattered their sleep. NASA declared all five of Atlantis' primary computers to be working, pending evaluation of the latest shutdown. Navies to float science robots in pirate watersSYDNEY (AP) _ Driven away by Somali pirates, international scientists are asking the Australian and U.S. navies for a favor: deploy 19 robotic instruments in the Indian Ocean to record critical data on climate and monsoon. The Australian and British robots will be released by the two navies over the next six months, said Ann Threhser, a lead scientist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Australia's national science agency. Threatened snow leopards found in AfghanistanBANGKOK (AP) _ A healthy population of snow leopards, elusive big cats threatened across the mountain ranges of Central Asia, has been found in one of the few peaceful areas of Afghanistan, a wildlife group said. Camera traps documented the secretive, usually solitary animals at 16 locations across the Wakhan Corridor, a long panhandle in northeastern Afghanistan free from the insurgency that plagues most of the country, the World Conservation Society said in a statement seen Friday. Calif. pest trapper helps thwart citrus diseaseCENTERVILLE, Calif. (AP) _ On a bright July morning, Adam Marler punched locations into a GPS device and set off in his pickup truck from Fresno into the back roads and citrus orchards of California's Central Valley. His mission: to thwart the invasion of the Asian citrus psyllid, a pest the size of a rice grain capable of carrying a disease deadly to citrus trees. Former resident sues to claim Alaska moon rocksANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) _ The mystery of Alaska's missing moon rocks has been solved. Getting them back to a state museum likely will depend on a judge. Alaska officials are contesting a lawsuit filed by a former resident who claims he rescued the moon rocks from a garbage heap 38 years ago. Being the top ranking baboon is a high-stress jobWASHINGTON (AP) _ Life is tough for the top baboon. Oh sure, you're No. 1 so you get the best food and girl baboons. But there's also all that pressure to defend your status. Borneo rainbow toad seen for 1st time in 87 yearsKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) _ Scientists scouring the mountains of Borneo spotted a toad species last seen in 1924 by European explorers and provided the world with the first photographs of the colorful, spindly legged creature, a researcher said Thursday. In recent years, the Washington-based Conservation International placed the Sambas stream toad, also known as the Bornean rainbow toad, on a world "Top 10 Most Wanted Lost Frogs" and voiced fears it might be extinct. Sri Lanka to count its elephants for first timeCOLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Sri Lanka is preparing for its first census of elephants in the island's forests to help protect the endangered species against the loss of its habitat. The head of the Wildlife Department, Chandrawansa Pathiraja, said the census will run over two days starting on the full moon of next month, which falls on Aug. 13. SpaceX breaks ground on California launch padVANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AP) _ An unused pad at the nation's West Coast launch complex is being retrofitted to send up the world's most powerful rocket. Private rocket maker Space Exploration Technologies is spending between $20 million and $30 million to renovate the site that will be home to its Falcon Heavy, the largest rocket since the retired Saturn V that hurled astronauts to the moon. (c) 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |