LiveScience.com Friday, December 22, 2006 The Air You Breathe is Loaded with Microbes The air you breathe is teeming with more than 1,800 kinds of bacteria, including harmless relatives of microbes associated with bioterrorist attacks, according to a new study. How to Super-Size a Volcanic Eruption Super eruptions that blast loads of ash sky high can change the climate. Now scientists are finding that the relationship could go both ways with the climate having an impact on huge volcanic erupt ...Continue Reading

Starry Night® Times - January 2007 If you have trouble viewing this newsletter, click here. *Welcome again to our monthly newsletter with features on exciting celestial events, product reviews, tips & tricks, and a monthly sky calendar. We hope you enjoy it!* [*]Happy PerihelionIf Earth is closest to the Sun in January, shouldn’t it be summer?    [*]Cold Weather ObservingCold winter ...Continue Reading

SPACE.com Update for December 22, 2006  * DESTINATIONS:* *News* *|* *SpaceFlight* *|* *Science/Astronomy* *|* *SETI* *|*   *Space Business News* *December 22, 2006*     *TOP STORY* *posted: December 22, 2006 02:18 pm EDT* *Mission Discovery: Shuttle Astronauts to Land Today*CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA?s space shuttle Discovery is poised to ferry seven astronauts back to Earth later today, but much ...Continue Reading

Dec. 22, 2006 Grey Hautaluoma Headquarters, Washington 202-358-0668 Jessica Rye/Katherine Trinidad Kennedy Space Center, Fla. 321-867-2468 RELEASE: 06-375 NASA WELCOMES DISCOVERY CREW HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The Space Shuttle Discovery and its crew returned home Friday after a 13-day journey of more than 5.3 million miles in space. Discovery's STS-116 mission successfully reconfigured the International Space Station's power and cooling systems from a temporary setup to a permanent mode a ...Continue Reading

Dec. 22, 2006 Erica Hupp/Dwayne Brown Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1237/1726 Steve Roy Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034 RELEASE: 06-374 FIRST IMAGES FROM HINODE OFFER NEW CLUES ABOUT OUR VIOLENT SUN WASHINGTON - Instruments aboard a Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency satellite named Hinode, or "Sunrise," are returning extraordinary new images of our sun. The international mission to study the forces that drive the violent, explosive power of the sun launched from Japan ...Continue Reading

LiveScience.com Thursday, December 21, 2006 Largest European Dinosaur Found The fossils of a dinosaur that measured as long as an NBA basketball court were recently recovered in Spain. Study: Less Acid Rain Not Always So Great Acid rainfall in the Appalachian Mountains has decreased in recent years and organisms in its streams are thriving. But the environmental comeback could be creating new problems of its own. Female Komodo Dragon Has Virgin Births Maybe females could l ...Continue Reading

NASA Science News for December 21, 2006 Evidence is mounting: the next solar cycle is going to be a big one. FULL STORY at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/21dec_cycle24.htm?list882224 You are currently subscribed to snglist as: nasa_reports@aus-city.com. This is a free service. To unsubscribe click here: http://lyris.msfc.nasa.gov/u?id=882224F&n=T&l=snglist or send a blank email to leave-snglist-882224F@lyris.msfc.nasa.gov ...Continue Reading

SPACE.com Update for December 21, 2006  * DESTINATIONS:* *News* *|* *SpaceFlight* *|* *Science/Astronomy* *|* *SETI* *|*   *Space Business News* *December 21, 2006*     *TOP STORY* *posted: December 21, 2006 01:33 pm EDT* *Mission Discovery: Shuttle Astronauts Prepare To Head Home*CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Seven astronauts are spending what is expected to be their last full day in orbit aboard NASA?s ...Continue Reading

12_19_06_sn_email If you have trouble reading this e-mail, *click here* ...Continue Reading

The following sections were updated since 20 December 2006. -- CROPS AND DROUGHT (1 updated events, 2 new images) -- DROUGHT IN SOUTHEASTERN AUSTRALIA Spring started warm and dry in much of Australia. In addition to high land surface temperatures in September 2006, many of the country's agricultural areas were facing 6- to 12-month rainfall deficiencies. * http://naturalhazards.nasa.gov/shownh.php3?img_id=14049 *** MODIS(Terra) image from Nov 30 2006 (Posted on Dec 20 2006 4:55PM) * http://naturalhazards.nasa.gov/sh ...Continue Reading