Australians will have the opportunity to send text-like messages to potential intelligent life beyond Earth thanks to an initiative to be launched today to mark National Science Week. From today until 5.00 pm Monday, 24 August, the public can visit www.HelloFromEarth.net to post goodwill messages that will be transmitted to the nearest Earth-like planet outside our Solar System likely to support life. The planet - Gliese 581d - is eight times the size of Earth and some 20 light years away (194 trillion km). It was first discovered in April 2007. Due to its size, it is classified as a 'Super Earth'.

Image: The ROV MARUM-QUEST can operate in depths down to 4000 meters below sea level. Credit: Photo: Dirk Olonscheck, Alfred Wegener Institute

Three research institutes from the German federal state Bremen among others have set up an observation ward for the long-term observation of a mud volcano in the Norwegian deep sea. This took place during RV Polarstern's 24th Arctic expedition from July 10th until August 3rd. The endeavours are part of the project ESONET (European Seas Observatory NETwork), funded by the European Union.

This image, LO-IV-179-H1, taken by Lunar Orbiter IV on May 24, 1967 at 16:19:23.809 GMT, shows a portion of the lunar south polar region. The altitude of the spacecraft when this image was taken was 3,591.83 kilometers. The resolution of the image is 78.432 meters per pixel. In addition to the Moon's south pole (shaded), craters visible in this image include Drygalski, Cabeus (with its two satellite craters Cabeus A and Cabeus B), Malapert, Haworth, and Shoemaker.

The Orion crew module that will be used for the first launch abort system Pad Abort 1 flight test is scheduled to depart NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center Aug. 19 for the White Sands Missile Range, N.M., where the launch abort tests will be performed.

NASA JPL: This image was taken on July 26, 2009 and received on Earth July 27, 2009. The camera was pointing toward Janus, and the image was taken using the CL1 and GRN filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System in 2010. Full-Res: N00140376.jpg

Thanks to a special play of sunlight and shadow as Saturn continues its march towards its August 11 equinox, recent images captured by NASAas Cassini spacecraft are revealing new three-dimensional objects and structures in the planetas otherwise flat rings.