Imagine yourself as a paleontologist in the middle of a dusty dig, under the scorching sun, and you brush away dirt and pebbles from what seems to be a dinosaur bone. Is it really a bone? Are those fossils of plant leaves? Where's the skull? You brush out more evidence, and you chisel out more info. CSI is not much different: paleontology rocks! Literally.

When paleontologists find some fossils, they have to ask, how did the dino die? They look at the kind of rock surrounding the bones, they note how the plant fossils seem to be strewn about. All these little details might tell a story of how the dinosaur came to rest on its grave.

Observing a bone from the outside can give researchers how the dino looked, maybe even learn about how it behaved, or even piece together its musculature and bone structure without the rest of its skeleton. However, on the microscopic level, they can find out about the dino's growth history, diet, and lifespan.

Of course, when it comes to paleontology, one popular question they ask is how did the dinos really go extinct? Was it a super volcano? Was it the breaking up of continents? Or an asteroid strike? If I could make my own postulation, I personally believe that the dinos became extinct because of Turok. Yes. He's real. [cue ominous music]

The need to define "planet" surges.

Unless you're from another solar system, you probably know Pluto is under siege. An on going debate on new definitions will determine if Pluto will remain a planet or demoted into something else. Believe it or not, while planets have been around forever, an official definition of what they are does not exist.

If a group of Pluto lovers have it their way, the new and highly controversial definition proposed by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) will enable  Pluto to keep its current status as well as increase the member of our solar system.

Under the proposed definition Pluto will remain a planet. But it will lose its moon Charon, which would become a planet itself. Both would be called "plutons", to distinguish them from the eight "classical" planets. Ceres, currently an asteroid, would be upgraded to a "dwarf planet".  A Pluto-sized object known as 2003 UB313 would also be called a "pluton" making it 12th planet.

This proposed definition may have its own supporters, it also has its share of critics. Ironically, one of them is Caltech researcher Mike Brown, the man who discovered  2003 UB313. "It's flattering to be considered discoverer of the 12th planet," Brown said but added the overall proposal is "a complete mess" because that will turn at least 53 known bodies in our solar system into planets with more waiting in the wings to be discovered.

IAU members will vote on the proposal August 24.

At a recent conference attended by 2,500 astronomers, the president of the International Astronomical Union Ronald D. Ekers has put his foot down on one important issue: the definition of the word "planet".

In the dictionary, "planet" is defined as "A nonluminous celestial body larger than an asteroid or comet, illuminated by light from a star, such as the sun, around which it revolves."

To most of us mere mortals, this would have already been sufficient explanation, however, recent debates as to whether Pluto, long believed to be a planet, is still worthy of its title has also dragged in the innocent word into a whole arena of argumentation. All this has happened after recent studies have revealed that it may just be an asteroid or simply a floating piece of space rock. This has caused a lot of confusion within the scientific community with one school of thought's definition differing from the other's, and thus a universally-accepted definition of the word is being sought out.

Until now, there have been no definitive criteria, with most simply describing a planet as a large, round object that orbits the Sun. Scientists will work on establishing criteria for planet status — including the object's mass, orbit and distance from the Sun — and then whether Pluto will meet the definition.

Until then, we shall stick with the belief that Earth is either a "planet" or just the "third rock from the sun".

An ion engine operates by removing electrons from atoms of a gas – usually xenon – and then accelerating the resulting ions through an electric field. Thrust is created as the ions are shot out the back of the engine and it could have enough kick to send a spacecraft all the way to Titan, Saturn's giant moon, more than 1 billion kilometres from the Sun. Ion engines are also more fuel efficient than conventional rockets while providing a steady source of propulsion that makes it ideal for spacecrafts designed to fly to the outer solar system.

In 1998, NASA tried out ion engines on its Deep Space 1 mission, which headed for an asteroid and a comet 203 million km from the Sun. But the NSTAR engines used during the mission were not powerful enough for more distant journeys. NASA's new Evolutionary Xenon Thruster (NEXT) can generate 236 milliNewtons (6.9 kilowatts) of engine power. That is 2.5 times as much thrust as the NSTAR engine and enough for longer space trips. NEXT is also more powerful than the 22 mN engines on Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft sent to asteroid Itokawa and the 70 mN engines on the European Space Agency's SMART-1 lunar probe.

Like NSTAR, NEXT uses xenon gas as its propellant and solar arrays to capture energy from sunlight but it provides more thrust than previous ion engines. It can also throttle down to lower levels as it travels farther from the Sun and receives less sunlight. This power efficiency allows it to operate at greater distances than NSTAR.

The first NEXT engine has passed NASA's preliminary tests and now faces new tests that will determine how well it holds up to extremes of temperature it may experience in space. NASA hopes to have engine testing completed by September 2007, so that NEXT could be considered for future missions to send an orbiter and a lander to Titan or possibly Jupiter.

A new study suggests life on Earth could have sprung from electrically charged microbes from space!

Previously, some researchers think living microbes could have been commuting between Earth and Mars via meteors based on the discovery of a Martian space rock known as meteorite ALH84001. They think that living microbes could have travelled back and forth between the two planets, succeeding in seeding one with life. That planet is, of course Earth. Otherwise we'd all be in Mars right now.

Like all theories, there are holes in this fascinating scenario. Such a trip could only happen after a huge asteroid collided with one of the planets powerful enough to blast rocks off the planet's surface. It does happen but not every day. In fact, such strikes are extremely rare only a handful are thought to have occurred since the solar system formed.

Now, the new study suggests another way for microbes to travel through space. Tom Dehel from the US Federal Aviation Administration, calculated the effect of electric fields at various levels in the atmosphere on a bacterium that was carrying an electric charge. He says electrically charged bacteria could easily be ejected from the Earth's gravitational field by the same kind of electromagnetic fields that generate aurora. And this happens every day.

The field strength vary greatly at different levels of the atmosphere but the strongest ones are near the surface, generated by thunderstorms. If the fields extend through the whole air column, the process of launching bacteria high into the atmosphere could be an ongoing process.

"Since the upward forces of the magnetic field would balance the force of gravity for tiny organisms, they could float in the upper atmosphere for years and reproduce there, giving them a chance to evolve capabilities to endure the hardships of that environment, including coping with strong UV and a near-vacuum. Such organisms would thus be well equipped to endure the rigours of a journey through space," says Dehel.

Another route the microbes could take is through the “magnetospheric plasmoids.” These are independent structures of plasma and magnetic fields that can be swept away from the Earth’s magnetosphere. Bacteria surfing these structures could attain speeds capable of taking them out of the solar system and on to the planets of other stars. "And because of the potential for a steady outflow of the particles pushed by the electric fields, a single life-bearing world might seed an entire galaxy with life", said Dehel at the biennial meeting of the International Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), in Beijing, China.

If Dehel's theory is true that would make all of us Martians!

Space advocates agree on one thing: investment in space exploration will be key in saving the Earth.

The mission statement of the National Space Society affirms its commitment to making humanity a space-faring race. And with Hubberts Peak apparently behind us (the point at which oil becomes prohibitively expensive to extract), that mission has never been more urgent. World societies demand ever- increasing amounts of high-yield, non-polluting energy - which, at this point, is a usually a contradiction in terms.

According to space advocates, the solution lies in the construction of solar power satellites, or SPS, which could provide limitless energy in the form of microwaves.

Aside from the fact that a fully-functional SPS has yet to be built, the main barrier - as always - is financial. Despite the obscene profits the parent company currently enjoys from the recent run-up in oil, British Petroleum's solar energy division refuses to consider SPS development at current launch costs - about $5000 USD per kg (about $2,000/lb.) More than one speaker at the recent International Space Development Conference felt differently - including space-tourism pioneer Peter Diamandis and "Science Guy" Bill Nye. They suggest that if spacecraft were built of lightweight materials - such as carbon nanotubes - the cost of transportation into orbit could shrink substantially. Such nanotubes might also be used to construct elevators to outer space, as science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke once envisioned in one of his novels.
 
There are also environmental and political reasons. Reportedly, bill Nye shouted "We're all going to DIE!" He rejects the term "global warming," which he feels is too happy-sounding, preferring the term "global baking." And the saber-rattling in Washington D.C. over Middle Eastern oil fields is hardly something to take lightly, even if those rattling them are greed-crazed fools.

Diamandis, ever the entrepreneur, suggests asteroid mining as a source of increasingly scarce metals, referring to them as "20 trillion dollar checks, waiting to be cashed."

While attendees of the conference had different ideas as to what the problems, issues and solutions were, all agreed that getting schoolchildren enthused about math and science again was key to the entire agenda. Fortunately, a number of organizations are providing programs to inspire children of all ages.

...but with far more benefits to humanity. The quote in this entry's title is from an Arthur C. Clarke novel, "Rendezvous With Rama." In the beginning of this novel, Clarke describes the horrific destruction that takes place when part of Southern Europe is struck by an asteroid. After this event, humanity begins turning its energies from war and conflict to the exploration of space.

There is little doubt to any rational person that, while highly dangerous, the potential economic and social benefits of space exploration are huge. Now, there is a free e-book available in which leading scientists from around the world respond to the statement: "I believe that space activities are impacting society through......"

When weapons are created, purchased and used, resources, lives and property are destroyed. Albert Einstein stated that every bomb manufactured represented theft from hungry children.

On the other hand, when the same resources and energies are turned to exploration and knowledge, the benefits have been enormous. Unfortunately, in the past, these benefits have been confined to rulers and corporations at the expense of indigenous peoples and local environments.

I believe if we can learn from the mistakes of the past, acknowledge that we are all connected and that the wealth of the universe is the birthright of all, turning investment away from weapons of destruction to instruments of exploration can help us to realize the future the late Gene Roddenberry once envisioned.

The e-book, "The Impact of Space Activities Upon Society," is available at the Space and Society website, downloadable in .pdf format.