NASA Announces New Robotic Mars Mission

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NASA's next low-budget planetary mission will land a probe on Mars in 2016 to investigate the Red Planet's inner workings

By Mike Wall and SPACE.com

Artist rendition of the proposed InSight (Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) Lander. The mission will launch in 2016. Image: NASA/JPL

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NASA's next low-budget planetary mission will land a probe on Mars in 2016 to study why the Red Planet went down such a different evolutionary path than Earth did, the agency announced today (Aug. 20).

The new mission, called InSight, will attempt to determine whether Mars' core is liquid or solid, and why the Red Planet's crust does not appear to be composed of drifting tectonic plates like Earth's is. Such information could help scientists better understand how rocky planets form and evolve, researchers said.

"InSight will get to the 'core' of the nature of the interior and structure of Mars, well below the observations we've been able to make from orbit or the surface," John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said in a statement.

A low-cost Mars mission InSight short for Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport is the latest of NASA's Discovery-class missions, and its cost will be capped at $425 million in 2010 dollars (excluding the launch vehicle). [Mars InSight Lander Mission Revealed (Gallery)]

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NASA Announces New Robotic Mars Mission

NASA unveils 'InSight', the next mission to probe Mars' core in 2016

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NASA has decided to take a much deeper look inside Mars to try to figure out why the Red Planet evolved so differently from Earth.

The space agency announced late on Monday that it will launch a new mission in 2016, named InSight, to hopefully figure out whether the core of Mars is solid or liquid like Earth's, and why Mars' crust is not divided into tectonic plates that drift like they do on Earth.

"The exploration of Mars is a top priority for NASA, and the selection of InSight ensures we will continue to unlock the mysteries of the Red Planet and lay the groundwork for a future human mission there," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "The recent successful landing of the Curiosity rover has galvanised public interest in space exploration and today's announcement makes clear there are more exciting Mars missions to come."

The announcement about the upcoming mission comes just two weeks after NASA's Mars rover, Curiosity, landed on the Martian surface. Curiosity, NASA's largest and best equipped Mars rover yet, is on a two-year mission to try to discover if the planet ever has been able to support life, even in microbial form.

The 2016 mission, which will be run by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), will involve a lander that carries two cameras, a robotic arm and a thermal probe that will pierce the Martian surface to gauge the planet's temperature. Scientists are hoping that will give them clues as to how Mars is cooling.

The lander, which is expected to land in a flat equatorial area, also will be designed with a sensor that should gauge how much Mars wobbles on its axis. It will also carry an instrument to measure seismic waves traveling through the planet's interior.

"This is science that has been compelling for many years," said John M. Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "We're very confident that this will produce exciting science and that we will launch in 2016. Does Mars have an active seismic structure today? I am really excited to answer that."

InSight will be part of NASA's Discovery-class series of missions. The Discovery program, which was launched in 1992, sponsored cost-capped, scientific missions to explore the solar system.

The cost of this geological mission is capped at $425 million, though that does not include the cost of the launch vehicle or related services. And the $425 estimate was made in 2010 and does not take inflation into account for a mission scheduled for 2016.

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NASA unveils 'InSight', the next mission to probe Mars' core in 2016

NASA finds dinosaur prints in own backyard

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(LiveScience) At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, some of the most brilliant minds in the world work to build the spacecraft that humans use to explore their universe. But where space scientists now roam, dinosaurs used to call home, according to dino-hunter Ray Stanford.

Stanford has discovered the footprint of a lumbering, spiny dinosaur called a nodosaur in NASA's own backyard on the Goddard Space Flight Center campus. NASA officials aren't disclosing the precise location of the print, fearing that someone might damage or try to remove the fossilized track.

The dinner-plate-sized footprint bears the mark of four dino toes. It belongs to a nodosaur, a tank-like, armored beast studded with bony protuberances that roamed the area about 110 million years ago during the Cretaceous period, which lasted from about 125 million to 65 million years ago. Nodosaurs were plant-eaters, and this one appeared to be moving quickly across the Cretaceous mud, as its heel did not sink deeply into the ground. [See Images of the Ancient Dino-Print]

Stanford, an amateur paleontologist who has had several papers published, confirmed his find with Johns Hopkins University dinosaur expert David Weishampel. On Aug. 17, Stanford shared the location of the find with Goddard officials and with Washington Post reporter Brian Vastag, who made the discovery public the same day.

Stanford also found several smaller dinosaur footprints in the area, likely from meat-eating theropods. He called the location "poetic."

"Space scientists may walk along here, and they're walking exactly where this big, bungling heavy-armored dinosaur walked, maybe 110 to 112-million years ago," Stanford told Goddard officials.

Maryland is no spring chicken when it comes to dinosaur fossils; in fact, the corridor between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Md., is known as "Dinosaur Alley," because so many of the beasts' fossils were discovered during iron mining in the 18th and 19th centuries, according to Weishampel. "Today, Maryland remains the only source of Early Cretaceous dinosaur fossils on the East Coast," he wrote in a 1996 article for Johns Hopkins University magazine.

Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappasor LiveScience @livescience. We're also on Facebook& Google+.

Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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NASA plans mission to study hidden interior of Mars

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NASA plans to launch a relatively modest Mars lander in 2016 that will make a rocket-powered descent to the surface to study whether the red planet's core is solid or liquid and whether the planet has tectonic plates that slowly move like continents on Earth, agency managers said Monday.

The primary goals of the cost-capped Discovery-class mission are to learn more about what shaped Mars' evolution and why the planet turned out so similar, and yet so different, than Earth.

"This has been something that has interested the scientific community for many years," NASA science chief John Grunsfeld, an astronomer and former space shuttle astronaut, told reporters in an afternoon teleconference. "Seismology, for instance, is the standard method by which we've learned to understand the interior of the Earth and we have no such knowledge for Mars.

"This has been something that the principal investigator has been trying to get to Mars for nearly three decades. So I'm really thrilled that this is now at a mature stage where he has been able to propose something that squarely fits within the cost and schedule constraints of the Discovery program."

Called InSight, for Interior Exploration Using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, the new spacecraft will use the same basic design as NASA's successful Phoenix Mars probe, a traditional legged lander that touched down near the north polar cap of Mars in May 2008. InSight will be equipped with a robotic arm, along with two black-and-white cameras and a geodetic instrument provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to measure the planet's rotation axis.

The French national space agency, the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, or CNES, will provide a sophisticated seismometer and the German Aerospace Center, or DLR, will provide a subsurface probe to measure heat flow from the interior.

The mission will be led by Principal Investigator W. Bruce Banerdt of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Launch is targeted for March 2016 with landing on Mars expected around September 20, 2016.

"This is a well-focused science objective. It's really all about understanding the formation and evolution of our terrestrial planets," said James Green, director of NASA's planetary science division. "We know that the interior of the Earth has been modified over time through plate tectonics and its evolution. Mars, we're really clueless about it. We're really clueless about its interior. Its proximity to Jupiter may also provide us additional clues on why it is the size it is, why isn't it bigger, what is its structure like? ... It's a unique opportunity."

As a Discovery-class mission, InSight's cost is capped at $425 million, excluding the price of its launcher. In contrast, the Mars Science Laboratory rover -- Curiosity -- that landed on Mars two weeks ago cost some $2.5 billion. Unlike Curiosity, however, InSight will be strictly stationary and will feature a much more modest suite of instruments.

"The InSight mission will seek to understand the evolutionary formation of rocky planets, including Earth, by investigating the interior structure and processes of Mars," according to the mission website. "InSight will also investigate the dynamics of Martian tectonic activity and meteorite impacts, which could offer clues about such phenomena on Earth."

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NASA plans mission to study hidden interior of Mars

NASA renews Caltech contract to oversee JPL

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(SPACE.com) The California Institute of Technology will manage NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for at least five more years, the space agency has announced.

The $8.5 billion contract runs through Sept. 30, 2017, ensuring that Caltech will be at the helm when NASA's newest mission to Mars -- a JPL-led lander called InSight -- arrives at the Red Planet in 2016. The Pasadena-baseduniversity has managed the nearbyJet Propulsion Laboratory since 1958, when the lab was transferred from military to NASA jurisdiction.

"We are very pleased to be continuing our partnership with NASA," Caltech president Jean-Lou Chameau said in a statement announcing the deal Friday (Aug. 17). "Through this sustained collaboration, we ensure that JPL continues to be a national resource for space exploration, scientific leadership, technology and discovery, as well as an inspiration for young scientists and engineers."

JPL is NASA's lead center for unmanned planetary exploration, and it also manages NASA's Mars Exploration Program. The space agency currently has two orbiters observing the Red Planet from above and two robots active on its surface, including the 1-ton Curiosity rover, which landed on Aug. 5.

On Monday (Aug. 20), NASA announced that it aims to send another mission to Mars in 2016. InSight -- short for Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport -- will drop a lander on the Red Planet in September of that year to probe whether Mars' core is liquid or solid, and why the planet's crust apparently isn't composed of shifting tectonic plates like Earth's is.

The $425 million InSight will be managed by JPL, as is Curiosity's $2.5 billion mission, which is formally known as the Mars Science Laboratory. MSL seeks to determine if Mars is, or ever was, capable of supporting microbial life.

Both Caltech and JPL are located in Pasadena. JPL director Charles Elachi also serves as a vice president of the university, and the Mars rover Curiosity's lead scientist is John Grotzinger, a Caltech professor.

Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Penn Medicine Receives $12 Million to Tackle Prostate Cancer Disparities

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PHILADELPHIA The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has been awarded a $12 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to fund a new Center of Excellence in Prostate Cancer Disparities.

The gap in prostate cancer mortality rates among black and white men -- 62 per 100,000 in African American men and 26 per 100,000 men of European ancestry is wider than that observed in any other major cancer. By combining transdisciplinary, translational research about the effects of biological, behavioral, social, environmental, and health care factors on prostate cancer outcomes, the new centers investigators aim to develop and disseminate interventions that can be used to shrink those striking disparities.

The project will have three prongs. First, the Penn Medicine team will investigate the role of obesity in prostate cancer development and progression of the disease. Though obesity is a potentially modifiable risk factor, its not yet clear how racial composition of a neighborhood, socioeconomic status, living conditions and stress levels relate to obesitys role in disease outcomes. They will also focus on biomarkers and neighborhood data to develop a model to help predict prostate cancer outcomes, and investigate differences in treatment experienced by black and white men as impacted by various barriers to care in an urban environment.

Prostate cancer is a serious public health issue, particularly for African American men says the projects principal investigator, Timothy Rebbeck, PhD, a professor of Epidemiology who directs the Center for Genetics and Complex Traits in the Perelman School of Medicine and serves as associate director for Population Science in the Abramson Cancer Center. Our new center will address the causes of this health disparity. We will be able to use the information from this project to improve the outcomes of African American men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer.

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Penn Medicine is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. Penn Medicine consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise.

The Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $479.3 million awarded in the 2011 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2011, Penn Medicine provided $854 million to benefit our community.

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Penn Medicine Receives $12 Million to Tackle Prostate Cancer Disparities

AOMA to Offer Doctoral Degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

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AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The DAOM will be the second regionally accredited Doctorate in Acupuncture and Oriental medicine in the U.S. according to AOMA president, William Morris. "This is a significant achievement for our institution." Since its founding in 1993, AOMA has grown by every important quantitative and qualitative measure including its student body, faculty, accreditation, campus facilities, patients served and community outreach.

The Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) is a post-graduate clinical doctorate. AOMA's doctoral program will offer a clinical specialty focus on the management and care of patients with pain and associated psycho-social disorders.

Faculty participation was particularly key to the success of this proposal: Drs. Wu, He, Zeng, Song, Liu, and Mandyam made significant contributions, as well as several staff members. Such participation is essential to accrediting processes for such programs. The Accreditation Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (ACAOM) has approved the substantive change proposal for the doctoral program. AOMA's regional accreditor, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) approved the new program in December 2011.

AOMA's vision of Oriental medical scholarship includes developing advanced clinical specialists, collaborators, educators, researchers, and leaders. "A doctoral program at AOMA builds upon an already strong master's program and provide our graduates and other practitioners with an opportunity for continued study and career development," Morris said.

With an internationally renowned faculty, strong leadership, regional accreditation, demonstrated student success, and now a doctoral degree, AOMA's reputation as a national leader in the field of acupuncture and Chinese medicine education, health care and policy-making continues to grow.

AOMA Graduate School of Integrative Medicine offers a masters-level program in acupuncture and Oriental medicine, preparing its students for careers as skilled, professional practitioners. AOMA is known for its internationally recognized faculty, award-winning student clinical internship program, and herbal medicine program. AOMA conducts more than 20,000 patient visits annually in its student and professional clinics, collaborates with Western healthcare institutions including the Seton Family of Hospitals, and gives back to the community through partnerships with nonprofit organizations and by providing free and reduced price treatments to people who cannot afford them. AOMA is located in Austin, Texas.

For more information, contact: Anne Province, 512-492-3051; 512-497-2925 aprovince@aoma.edu

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AOMA to Offer Doctoral Degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine

Resurrection Medical Group Welcomes New Internal Medicine Physician

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MORTON GROVE, IL--(Marketwire -08/21/12)- Wolf D. Peddinghaus, M.D., an internal medicine physician, who is on staff at Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, joined Resurrection Medical Group, a group of over 260 physicians who provide primary and specialty medical care at more than 60 locations throughout Illinois.

Fluent in German, Dr. Peddinghaus earned his medical degree from the University of Heidelberg in Germany, and completed a residency in internal medicine at Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston. He is a board-certified internal medicine physician and has a strong interest in geriatric medicine and elder care.

His clinical interests include health maintenance and prevention, geriatrics and long-term care issues. His philosophy is to treat the whole person -- body and mind. "As an internist, I like coordinating care for my patients so they get the best possible results," said Dr. Peddinghaus.

His office is located at 5747 Dempster St., Ste. 300 in Morton Grove. Office hours are: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Friday 1 - 5 p.m. Patients can call 847-324-8700 to schedule an appointment or visit RMG.reshealth.org for more information.

About Resurrection Medical Group A physician-led and patient-focused medical group representing a broad spectrum of primary and specialty care, Resurrection Medical Group provides accessible, quality care and excellent service throughout the greater Chicagoland area. Resurrection Medical Group is part of the new ministry of Provena Health and Resurrection Health Care, now joined as Presence Health. To find a Resurrection Medical Group physician near you, call 855-RES-DOCS (855) 737-3627 or visit us online at rmg.reshealth.org.

About Provena Health - Resurrection Health Care - Now Joined As Presence HealthPresence Health is a family of Catholic, not-for profit, healthcare services providing advanced medical care and exceptional service with compassion and hope. Visit http://www.provenaresurrection.org to learn more.

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Resurrection Medical Group Welcomes New Internal Medicine Physician

Do athletes make better doctors?

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NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - It may not be the first quality that most programs evaluate in their applicants, but a new study suggests athletic achievement could be the best indicator of how well a doctor-in-training will do as a resident. When residency programs evaluate medical school applicants for a few coveted spots, they typically consider grades, standardized test scores, recommendations ...

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Do athletes make better doctors?

First Liberty Power Corp. Property and Strategic Focus Update

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LAS VEGAS, Aug. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --First Liberty Power Corp. (FLPC) (the "Company") is pleased to announce an update on the Company's properties, and also our expanded plan for the exploration, development, mining and refining of strategic industrial metals in the USA.

Currently, we have a 95% option interest in two lithium brine properties; these properties are in a stage of development ranging from intermediate to advanced exploration with an ultimate goal to extract and refine Lithium brine. This type of deposit is globally recognized as the most economic and productive means of producing lithium. Lithium and its compounds have several fundamental commercial applications, including heat-resistant glass and ceramics, greases, high strength-to-weight alloys, pharmaceuticals, thermoplastic, air treatment, and, most importantly for growth, lithium ion batteries.

Our first property, Lida Valley with 58 Placer Claims / 9,280 acres, has completed three exploration stages to date. We have identified a deep-seated basin structure with high potential lithium enrichment, together with conductive zones which are an indicator of lithium-bearing brines. Our latest acquisition, Smoky Valley with 70 Placer Claims / 11,200 acres, has two exploration stages complete, with basin structure already demonstrated, and geo-magnetics planned through 2012. Both properties are in close proximity to the only US based producing lithium operation - Chemetall Foote which has been producing for over 40 years at a rate of approximately 5,000 LCE tonnes per year. Once the exploration stages on the properties are successfully completed and the properties are proven for production, both operations will be consolidated and the drill program to prove lithium brine presence will begin. First Liberty will work to implement a production plan immediately thereafter.

First Liberty has begun to expand its scope beyond lithium into other minerals of critical strategic importance. As part of our expanded strategic focus, one of First Liberty's core objectives is to ensure a strong US domestic supply of mineral elements that are critical to current and emerging technologies. It is widely recognized that the United States must work to increase the domestic supply of several critical elements to ensure security, particularly in alternative energy. These elements include Vanadium, Uranium, Antimony, Graphite, Tin, Lead, and certain Rare Earth and Platinum Metal Group elements. With this in mind, we are seeking to complement our current mid and long-term exploration programs with near term production opportunities to meet this high demand.

CEO Don Nicholson emphasized in a statement, "As the Company moves into a high growth phase, I would like to stress the importance of our two Lithium brine properties for our mid-term production plans, and we are pleased that they are advancing successfully through the resource verification stages. Furthermore, we are working diligently on investigating and evaluating properties that contain the critical elements we see as being extremely important for our further growth. The leadership of this Company has targeted 2012 as a priority period to acquire near and mid-term production properties that have a benchmark of delivering high-percentage returns to our investors and shareholders."

About UsFirst Liberty is a Nevada based mineral exploration company with a focus on the exploration, development, mining and refining of strategic industrial metals in the USA. With a primary focus on lithium exploration, it is our vision to also significantly contribute towards ensuring a domestic supply of those mineral elements that are critical to current and emerging technologies. We will continue assembling a portfolio of properties and interests in several key areas, ranging in developmental to advanced stage exploration to production ready.

ContactFirst Liberty Power Corp. http://www.firstlibertypower.com ir@firstlibertypower.com Investor Relations Telephone: (800) 709-1196

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsThis current report contains "forward-looking statements," as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future, including but not limited to, the final outcome Lida Valley and Smokey Valley exploration / work programs, the specific nature and extent of the next phase of our exploration program, our ability to raise the necessary capital to complete our exploration program, and any mineralization, exploration and development of our mineral properties, specifically in regards to Lithium.

Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with mineral exploration and difficulties associated with obtaining financing on acceptable terms. We are not in control of metals prices and these could vary to make development uneconomic. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our most recent annual report for our last fiscal year, our quarterly reports, and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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First Liberty Power Corp. Property and Strategic Focus Update

Liberty Gold Corp. Announces Visible Gold Sample Results For Arizona-Based Domestic Portfolio

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PHOENIX, Aug. 21, 2102 /PRNewswire/ -- Liberty Gold Corp. (OTCBB: LBGO; "Liberty Gold" and/or "the Company") is pleased to announce positive results following initial sampling and processing for visible gold on the Company's Domestic Portfolio. The Company has a 100% interest in the 794-acre Domestic Portfolio mining operations claim block, situated in the Cerbat Mountain range, roughly 75 miles southeast of Las Vegas and 15 miles northwest of Kingman in northwestern Arizona's Wallapai Mining District.

Initial samples were collected from 5 different locations within the Domestic Portfolio holdings to determine whether, once processed, visible gold was present at 3 different screen sizes: 100 minus, 50 minus and 25 minus. Samples from each of the 5 different locations resulted in the detection of visible metallics while 1 of the locations resulted in the detection of visible metallics and gold, as outlined in the table below.

Photos of the visible gold and metallics can be viewed on Liberty Gold's website at http://www.libertygoldcorp.com/gallery/visible-gold

LOCATION

100 minus

50 minus

25 minus

Fountainhead

Visible metallics with silver-like being abundant

Same as 100- but less material

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Liberty Gold Corp. Announces Visible Gold Sample Results For Arizona-Based Domestic Portfolio

Liberty Brewing wins NZ beer award

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Liberty Brewing's remarkable journey of growth and success

continues, as the New Plymouth brewery claimed a Trophy for their

Yakima Monster at the Sutton Group 2012 Brewers Guild of New

Zealand Beer Awards this past Thursday where over 460 entries

competed for honours.

Peer judged by industry professionals, this accolade makes Yakima

Monster the best example of a US Ale styled beer in the country in

2012, with Liberty's Debilitated Defender also receiving a Bronze

medal in the class.

Liberty's Festive Brew, Renalls Towards Muriwai, also received a

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Liberty Brewing wins NZ beer award