Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) unveiled the
deepest look into the universe yet, a portrait of what could be the
most distant galaxies ever seen. Too bad it won't be around for
much longer, as NASA plans to let the orbiting marvel degrade into
a flying piece of junk. The new image, called the Hubble Ultra Deep
Field (HUDF), includes objects that until now have been too faint
to be seen and includes ancient galaxies that emerged just 700
million years after the Big Bang from what astronomers call the
"dark ages" of the universe. Astronomers are eager to see the
Hubble receive a stay of execution in the form of future servicing
missions by NASA's space shuttles to extend the telescope's
lifetime.
Beagle 2, the British space probe which disappeared as it
descended toward Mars, may have been detected on the surface of the
Red Planet, scientists said on Monday. No signal has been received
from the craft since it was due to land on Christmas Day last year,
despite various attempts by Mars orbiters and telescopes on Earth
to make contact. But photographic images of the area where Beagle 2
was to have come down show four bright spots, dubbed a "string of
pearls" by scientists, which may be the remains of the probe.
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