Video: Will Nuclear Rockets Help Russia Beat America And China To The Stars?
Russia, a nation nation known for putting the first satellite, man, woman, dog, etc. into space (not to mention being the first to pioneer space tourism with Space Adventures) may embrace nuclear rockets to help them reach the stars (and perhaps even Mars as well).
While a nuclear rocket from a practical stand point makes sense (as they can lift heavier objects to orbit compared to their chemical cousins), it would probably also isolate Russia (since anything nuclear is often frowned upon–at least in the west).
It may also help Russia catch up to America (or rather the private sector) as well as maintain their lead against China, whose presence is motivating everyone to claim a piece of Luna for their own.
(via Spaceports)
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NASA: Can The iPhone Keep The Vision Alive? Yes It Can!
This is probably the best move NASA has made since launching a web page to prove why the agency was still relevant.
While that last manuver obviously failed (as Obama is outsourcing the Moon to the private sector), their latest iPhone app may help show the public how fun (not to mention difficult) it is to roam upon the Moon without a nearby gas station.
NASA may want to consider creating more of these apps upon other worlds such as Mars, Titan or even Pluto (in order to help keep “the vision” alive), although hopefully they will consider porting this app over to Android (as I know plenty of space geeks who would enjoy a road trip on the Moon).
(Hat Tip: Mashable)
– Posted from my iPhone
Read MoreWill "Elastic" Water Replace Plastic For Future Space Settlements?
Thanks to the billions of dead things crushed in liquified form (aka oil), humans are able to create an environmentally unfriendly (but useful) material called plastic.
Unfortunately for future space settlers, plastic will not be an easy material to replace in space without heavily importing it from our Earthen homeworld.
However a new material made out of 95% water may help space settelers replace plastic with a more environmentally alternative.
(Nature.com) Here we report that water and clay (2–3 per cent by mass), when mixed with a very small proportion (<0.4 per cent by mass) of organic components, quickly form a transparent hydrogel. This material can be moulded into shape-persistent, free-standing objects owing to its exceptionally great mechanical strength, and rapidly and completely self-heals when damaged. Furthermore, it preserves biologically active proteins for catalysis.
Although scientists would have to find suitable clay for each world (as the soil on Earth would be drastically different than Callisto or Mars), this “elastic water” could make it easier for humanity to live else where.
(Hat Tip and Image Credit via Kirai)
– Posted from my iPhone
Read MoreIn The Future, Your Kids May Be Lunar Cavemen (And Women)
Forget inflatable space bases or mobile lunar outposts embracing the way of the nomad.
Future lunar settlers may end up settling within lunar caves starting with this one discovered by Japan’s lunar satellite SELENE (video courtesy of Spacevidcast, via Space Transport News).
Since radiation will be a major factor for future lunar colonists, establishing outposts within these caves may be the wisest course of action (at least until artificial magnetic fields are perfected).
Read MoreDear NASA, Please Don't Rock The Space Boat (Saturn's Titan)
(Image: This side-by-side image shows a Cassini radar image of Ligeia Mare, on the left compared to Lake Superior on the right. Credit: NASA/JPL/GSFC)
After discovering methane lakes upon Saturn’s Titan, scientists have yet to figure out the chemical makeup of these mini seas (which could be worth billions of dollars–provided that you could actually get there).
One scientist by the name of Dr Ellen Stofan may have a “simple” solution for landing an interplanetary space boat upon the methane lakes–provided she receives the funding.
(Physorg.com) The proposal is to launch the mission, dubbed the Titan Mare Explorer (TiME) in January 2016, and to make flybys of Earth and then Jupiter to pick up the required gravitational energy to reach Saturn’s moon. It would arrive on Titan in June 2023. The estimated cost of the mission is less than $425 million, which is quite low in comparison to many space exploration missions, such as the $3.2 billion Cassini-Huygens mission launched in 2004.
The boat would carry a mass spectrometer, sonar, cameras and meteorology instruments. The main objective of the proposed mission is to analyze the lakes to determine their precise chemical composition, but a secondary objective is to study the cycling of methane and other hydrocarbons to work out how these systems operate. Sonar would be carried to check the depths of the lakes and the bottom contours, and the cameras would send images back to Earth.
Stofan wants the “space boat” to land either in the Ligeia Mare or the Kraken Mare (note: she probably would want both, but NASA may not due to budget cuts).
Regardless of where we land, this idea sounds better than the hot air balloon probes proposed earlier (since we could determine whether or not establishing an outpost on Titan is worth it in the distant future).
(Hat Tip: Gizmodo)
Read MoreMystery Chinese Space Stations?
As any regular space geek would inform you, America’s favorite frenemy China is envisioning space stations orbiting our home world in the future.
The question everyone is asking however is when are they going to launch it–and will it be friendly?
(Space Daily) We could be less than a year away from the launch of Tiangong-1, China’s first space laboratory. We’ve been expecting this launch for years, but relatively little is still known about this mission. [...]
What do we know for sure? Tiangong seems to consist of a short, cylindrical pressurized module, with not much more internal volume for the crew than a Shenzhou spacecraft. To the rear of this is a service module, containing two solar panel wings, a propulsion system and other gear. The service module has a slightly smaller diameter than the pressurized module.
Although we can guestimate the overall specs of China’s upcoming space station, we probably still do not know whether the new Chinese space station will be friendly or unfriendly (i.e. militaristic or challenging in nature).
China has made incredible strides in space in their attempt to catch up the NASA (as well as the Russians).
But until America can determine China’s overall purpose for embracing the stars, we may see a more confrontational approach later on–which could potentially translate into a second global space race. 
(Image Credit: NASA)
Read MoreCarnival Of The Space Geeks (I Am Avatar!)
No, this weeks Carnival of Space has nothing to do with Avatar (a film I had mixed feelings about), but rather the host (Nicole Gugliucci of One Astronomer’s Noise) linked to an article by Ryan Anderson who blogs upon The Martian Chronicles describing how he was able to get over the “Avatar Blues.”
Other interesting posts included Hubble in 3D, making space cool again (for non-geeks), and interplanetary extinction via death of the Sun.
Two articles of interest within our star system included:
- Jason Perry of The Gish Bar Times reports on new models highlighting Io’s atmosphere (a lunar lava world you don’t want to live upon).
- Phil Plait of Bad Astronomy writes about an odd Martian photo that actually captures an avalanche happening upon the red planet.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to read the rest of the articles from the Carnival of Space! For those of you thinking about joining the space geek ranks, hit up Universe Today for details on how to enter.
Read MoreWill The Dawn Space Probe Unlock The Secrets Of The Asteroid Belt?
Last month Dawn, a space probe sent to analyze the mega asteroid Vesta and its bigger brother Ceres officially entered the asteroid belt.
Contrary to what you might have seen on Star Wars, it’s very unlikely that Dawn will run into an over sized boulder, let alone a large pebble as it travels its way between the inner and outer planets.
Despite the fact that Dawn is about 600 days away from its first destination (that would be Vesta), its analysis could determine whether or not establishing mining colonies within the asteroid belt is worth the hassle.
Dawn’s final destination is Ceres, a world that may hold promise for water ice, making it a valuable asset (at least as far as space real estate goes).
NASA still has not determined what it will do after Ceres, although hopefully they will consider exploring other promising asteroids (like Pallas, Juno and Hygiea).
Read MoreCarnival Of The Space Geeks (Chandra)
(Image Credit: Motivated Photos)
Last week’s Carnival of Space was hosted by Megan Watzke and Kim Arcand upon the Chandra Blog.
Articles ranged from glorious images from Hubble to geysers on Enceladus to evidence that even stars have feelings (depression? Hmm..).
Articles of interest within our own Sol System include:
- Eva-Jane Lark from Out of the Cradle interviews Next Giant Leap (a Google Lunar X-Prize Competitor), who explains the joys and trials of trying to land their “hopper” on the Moon.
- Chris Dann of Weird Warp brings to our attention the hazards of space junk, with a video highlight that really explains how dangerous this debris can be.
- Nancy Atkinson from Universe Today also discusses space junk, but highlights a possible solution that may involve plasma rockets.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to check out the rest of the articles from the Carnival of Space, as well as consider joining our growing ranks and embrace the space geek within!
Read MoreThe 7 (Future) Wonders Of The Solar System
Two hundred years after the first man and woman graced the plains of Mars, humanity is still isolated to just one star system.
Despite an intense campaign by the Alpha Centauri Society, humans overall have little desire to travel between stars due to cost and technology.
Although this rowdy species has yet to claim their interstellar inheritence, they have transformed their solar playground around them, producing seven wonders that will go down in galactic history.
The Silver Stripes of Mercury
Originally conceived as a penal colony, industrial corporations decended upon Mecury after discovering large deposits of minerals and metals upon its surface.
While its close proximety to the Sun has made Mercury famous for its Magsail races, it’s the billions of solar panels that encircle the planet on the surface (in “neat” rows varying between 1-10 km wide) that make this world an engineering wonder.
The planets 100,000 residents use the energy produced during the Mecurian day to power the ores and cities on the dark side of the planet when it’s safe to work above ground (due to the Sol Star’s radiation).
The Bio Gardens of Luna Maria
(Image Credit: Daein Ballard)
Officially designated Luna Maria after the failed Lunar revolution (condemned by government and religious leaders on Earth), Luna Maria has transformed its appearence from a white barren wasteland into a “second Eden,” which now boasts 60 million residents.
After generating enormous wealth from exporting oxygen throughout the Sol System, Luna Maria has erected hundreds of thousands of enormous, interconnected biospheres upon 87% of its surface, giving Luna Maria the appearence of a miniture Earth from space.
Luna Maria’s artificial planetary magnetic field (the only one in existance due to cost) has allowed the moon to use bees instead of ants to pollinate its crops, producing gardens unrivaled throughout the star system (due to it’s 16.7% Earth norm gravity).
The Phobian Skyhook (Or Martian Space Elevator)
(Image Credit: Steve Bowers)
After failed attempts to construct a space elevator on Earth (due to infrequent yet devestating global wars), humanity was finally able to construct a skyhook on the Martian moon of Phobos.
This engineering feat has enabled Mars to inexpensively export its vast supply of water throughout the asteroid belt and inner Sol System, bringing mixed prosperity to the 8 million residents of Mars.
While the red planet’s globacanes prevent a space elevator touching the ground from ever being built, the Phobian Skyhook is an impressive site to see when orbiting this crimson world.
The Jovian Jewel Callisto
(Image Credit: Thomas Guilpain)
Originally established as a way station world during the Helium-3 rush (in which thousands sought to harvest the isotope for profit), Jupiter’s moon Callisto attracted millions of residents after being declared the safest radiation world after Earth.
Using its brother moon Ganymede as an agricultural world (due to it’s natural magnetic field), Callisto developed the means to feed its enormous population of 750 million, who built cities covering 96% of the entire surface.
Using robots to harvest radioactive materials from both Io and Europa to power its cities (as they are too dangerous to be visited by humans), Callisto brilliantly shimmers in the dark whenever it falls underneath Jupiter’s shadow.
The Beacon Towers Of Titan
Often declared as “an astronomer’s hell” due to it’s cloudy covering, Saturn’s moon Titan is considered a musicians heaven due to the richer sound that’s a result of it’s atmospheric presure and composition.
While Titan eventually became wealthy by exporting methane and ethane to the Sol System, the cloudy moon was extremly difficult to navigate as its crust rested upon a methane/ethane mix, causing it to “slightly drift” and rotate due to the worlds strong winds.
Since traditional forms of GPS were utterly useless, numerous 1.5 kilometer tall Beacon towers (beaming out intense radio waves) were constructed thoughout the moon, giving its 4 million residents a faux GPS system (making travel and commerce throughout the world a lot easier for all).
The Floating Cities Of Uranus
(Image Credit: Star Wars, original artist unknown)
Originally built by various Terrian corporations to harvest methane and helium-3 within the clouds of this ice giant, these floating cities soon became tourist attractions for the more affluent seeking to escape the low gravity life of lunar worlds orbiting gas giants.
These giant orbital space stations boast near Earth gravity, and mimic the daylight cycle on Earth by floating around the enormous ice giant which its residents call home.
While estimates put the total population between 80,000 wealthy souls, these floating cities are known to have hundreds of thousands of visitors pass through their space ports each standard year, many of them heading towards the Neptunian Lagrange asteroid fields.
The Plutonian Ice Bridge (aka Solar Bridge of Pluto And Charon)
Boasting no more than 50,000 brave souls, this world was originally settled upon by government scientists from various Terrian, Martian and Callistian nations seeking to conduct experiments considered too hazardous (and/or controversial) on their respective home worlds.
While the world and its smaller moon hold little value (both visually and economically), one interesting feature of this binary system is the solar bridge connecting both Pluto and Charon together.
This engineering feat was originally built to reduce the cost of travel between both worlds via rockets although conspiracy theorists have their own conclusions for its existence (none of which will be cited here).
What about Earth?
Although the human race has made great strides in establishing colonies throughout the Sol System, most of its 20 billion individuals reside on the birth planet Earth.
While Earth is still home to some of the greatest scientific discoveries known to man (and women), there are no great engineering wonders to speak of, aside from the beautiful beaches, mountains and vast blue oceans that distinguish our home world from every other sphere that orbits our star.
Update (11/24): Corrected grammatical errors. Thanks!
Read MoreCarnival Of The Space Geeks (Tiny Mantras)
Last weeks Carnival of Space was hosted by Tracy Turner on Tiny Mantras, which highlighted stories about microscopic black holes to interstellar travel via asteroids, as well as advanced star ships.
An interesting article within our own star system came from Brian Wang of Next Big Future, who provides some analysis of how much water was in the shadowy moon crater (that NASA slammed a satellite into).
Be sure to read the rest of the entries, and if the inner space geek beats within your chest, you might want to consider joining our rowdy ranks.
Read MoreMicrosoft And NASA Say "Be A Martian" (Launch Website)
It looks like the worlds largest tech company has teamed up with the worlds largest space agency in order to promote us Earthlings to explore the red planet.
(NASA) NASA and Microsoft Corp. of Redmond, Wash., have collaborated to create a Web site where Internet users can have fun while advancing their knowledge of Mars. [...]
“We’re at a point in history where everyone can be an explorer,” said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “With so much data coming back from Mars missions that are accessible by all, exploring Mars has become a shared human endeavor. People worldwide can expand the specialized efforts of a few hundred Mars mission team members and make authentic contributions of their own.”
Participants will be able to explore details of the solar system’s grandest canyon, which resides on Mars. Users can call up images in the Valles Marineris canyon before moving on to chart the entire Red Planet. The collaboration of thousands of participants could assist scientists in producing far better maps, smoother zoom-in views, and make for easier interpretation of Martian surface changes.
By counting craters, the public also may help scientists determine the relative ages of small regions on Mars. In the past, counting Martian craters has posed a challenge because of the vast numbers involved. By contributing, Web site users will win game points assigned to a robotic animal avatar they select.
While the idea will appeal to kids, it may not draw much interest to adults (both young and old) who may want something more than “points” online.
Microsoft and NASA may want to consider adding other incentives, like a free micro-gravity flight or even a free trip aboard Virgin Galactic’s White Knight to help stir the masses.
Readers can visit BeAMartian.jpl.nasa.gov in order to experience the site for themselves.
Read MoreWater Is Wet–And So Is The Moon?
Update: Image selected from Digital Fortress, original artist (thus far) unknown.
Despite it’s dry appearance, it looks as if Earth’s little brother has some water after all.
After NASA “bombed” the moon (or rather smashed two objects into the surface), the American space agency can now confirm that some parts of Luna are wetter than the Sahara Desert.
(NASA) Preliminary data from NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, indicates the mission successfully uncovered water in a permanently shadowed lunar crater. The discovery opens a new chapter in our understanding of the moon. [...]
Scientists long have speculated about the source of significant quantities of hydrogen that have been observed at the lunar poles. The LCROSS findings are shedding new light on the question with the discovery of water, which could be more widespread and in greater quantity than previously suspected. [...]
“We are ecstatic,” said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. “Multiple lines of evidence show water was present in both the high angle vapor plume and the ejecta curtain created by the LCROSS Centaur impact. The concentration and distribution of water and other substances requires further analysis, but it is safe to say Cabeus holds water.”
This is great news for Lunar fans, as it means that we may actually see a lunar colony within our life time.
While NASA had yet to figure out how to efficiently extract and filter Moon water, it’s presence means that NASA will not have to seed Luna with hydrogen tanks (in order to ensure that future colonists had plenty to drink).
– Posted from my iPhone
Read MoreOff World Colonies Will Have Organ Labs (But No Organ Donors)
(Image Courtesy of Gizmodo)
One of the beauties of living on planet Earth is that if you ever have an organ fail, you can easily sign up for a new one before the rest of your body expires (well, at least you can in China).
However if one lives upon say Mars, the dwarf world Ceres or the Galilean mega moons of Ganymede and Callisto, your options of finding a suitable match may be close to zero.
Instead of waiting for suitable donor organ from Earth, it may be more practical for off world settlers to grow their own instead.
(Gizmodo) Laboratory-grown organs and tissues are already benefiting patients today. For example, laboratory-grown bladders are being tested in children with spina bifida and adults with spinal cord injuries and will soon be tested in patients with bladder cancer. Tissue engineering technology has been used to repair narrowed urethras, the tube that empties urine from the body.
The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine has already made great strides in producing functioning organs which will potentially benefit millions of individuals on Earth.
Led by Anthony Atala, this medical technology could have the potential of affecting millions of future settlers across our star system, enabling them to live with greater independence from our home world.
Space Cancer Begone, Via Terrestrial Stroke Drug?
(Image Credit: Pat Kenny, via National Cancer Institute)
Despite the beauty and tranquility that comes with viewing the cosmos close up, the reality is space is a very dangerous place thanks to radiation.
Aside from the fact that it can turn your brain into mush, space radiation can also encourage cancer to form, leading to an early death for a future space settler.
Fortunately a drug designed to fight off strokes may also help space colonists defeat a future foe.
(Haaretz) Israeli scientists have identified a substance that can kill cancerous cells without harming healthy ones, paving the way for more effective cancer treatment. [...]
The substance identified by the researchers, which delays cell proliferation in healthy and cancerous cells, is a component of a drug developed a decade ago to preserve nerve cells and prevent them from dying after a stroke.
But while the drug causes the rapid death of cancer cells, healthy cells activate a mechanism that overcomes the delay in proliferation within hours, and those cells continue to proliferate exactly like cells not exposed to the substance.
This is really good news, especially considering that there are very few radiation safe worlds within our star system.
If perfected, this drug (along with an anti-radiation drug) could enable humans to safely dwell upon Mars, Callisto and (with heavy shielding) Ganymede too.
Read MoreCarnival Of The Space Geeks (AART Scoptastic)
Last weeks Carnival of Space was hosted by Peter Lake from AstroSwanny’s.
Articles ranged from NASA awarding millions in prize money to naming Martian meteorites to a wazoo of scholarships for the young and upcoming space geek.
Jewels dealing within our own star system include:
- Brian Wang of Next Big Future highlights the future space hotels/stations of Galactic Suite and Bigelow Aerospace, respectively.
- Chris Dann of Weird Warp has a fascinating article dealing with propulsion systems, many which could help shorten the travel time between planets (let alone star systems).
- Ryan Anderson (from Marsward) has a hilarious article detailing why the Mars Science Laboratory rover isn’t cute, but so awesome it would make James Bond blush (note: it must be the lasers)
- David Portree from Beyond Apollo digs up NASA’s past plans to do a interplanetary flyby of both Venus and Mars.
Those were a few of the many articles from the Carnival of Space, although be sure to check out the rest (although not during work as you will never end that “coffee break”).
The next Carnival of Space is almost upon us, and if you are interested in joining feel free to contact Universe Today for details on how to enter.
Read MoreRide The Light: Planetary Society To Launch 3 Solar Sails
(Hat Tip: Space Spin)
Thanks to the donation of an anonymous donor, it looks as if the Planetary Society will be able to launch not one, but three (3!) solar sails over the next several years.
(The Planetary Society) LightSail is an innovative program that will launch three separate spacecraft over the course of several years, beginning with LightSail-1, which will demonstrate that sunlight alone can propel a spacecraft in Earth orbit. LightSails 2 and 3, more ambitious still, will reach farther into space.
“We are going to merge the ultra-light technology of nanosats with the ultra-large technology of solar sails in an audacious new program,” said Friedman.
Taking advantage of the technological advances in micro- and nano-spacecraft over the past five years, The Planetary Society will build LightSail-1 with three Cubesat spacecraft. One Cubesat will form the central electronics and control module, and two additional Cubesats will house the solar sail module. Cameras, additional sensors, and a control system will be added to the basic Cubesat electronics bus.
“To get sunlight to push us through space, we need a large sail attached to a small spacecraft. Lightsail-1 fits into a volume of just three liters before the sails unfurl to fly on light. It’s elegant,” exclaimed Planetary Society Vice President Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Solar sail’s have the potential of opening up the outer solar system by eliminating the need for star ships to bring their own fuel with them (reducing the overall cost).
While the lack of on board fuel is a benefit to solar sails, its only setback to solar sails would be finding a way for settlers to return back to Earth (an issue magnetic sails might be able to resolve).
Read MoreAlmost Star Trek: EBF3 Tech Could Help "Replicate" Tools For Lunar Settlers
Even though Star Trek replicators are still a few centuries away, it looks like a device called the Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication (or EBF3 for short) could help future lunar colonists create the tools they need on site without having to radio Earth for supplies.
(NASA) Electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF3) is an emerging cross-cutting technology for producing structural metal parts that has been developed by researchers at Langley over the past four years. The EBF3 process uses a focused electron beam in a vacuum environment to create a molten pool on a metallic substrate. The beam is translated with respect to the surface of the substrate while metal wire is fed into the pool. A part is thus built directly from a computer file in a layer-additive fashion. This process has gained interest in the Exploration community for the astronauts to fabricate structural spare parts and new tools during long duration human exploration missions. DARPA has also expressed interest in EBF3 as a manufacturing process that could be used for building large space structures on-orbit.
Despite appearing on MSNBC, this NASA seems to have released info regarding this technology last May, although it seems to have received very little attention.
What makes this significant is that lunar settlers can use the technology to help create spare parts for their vehicles and off world habitats (since the moon dirt is rich in minerals and metals).
Read MoreVideo: What Recession? Galactic Suite To Build Space Hotel In 2012
With the global recession forcing people and businesses alike to reduce spending, it looks like one space company is set on establishing a presence in the heavens above, come what may.
(Reuters) A company behind plans to open the first hotel in space says it is on target to accept its first paying guests in 2012 despite critics questioning the investment and time frame for the multi-billion dollar project.
The Barcelona-based architects of The Galactic Suite Space Resort say it will cost $4.4 million for a three-night stay at the hotel, with this price including an eight-week training course on a tropical island.
Despite arriving upon the scene more than a few years ago, Galactic Suite has already secured 43 clients which translates to $184,900,000 in business (assuming each client was charged the current fare).
They also boast the backing of an anonymous billionaire, who seems to have pledged around $3 billion in order to finance this endeavor.
While Galactic Suite has yet to launch anything into space (unlike their rival Bigelow Aerospace which has launched two space habitats already), their successful entrance to the stars could help revolutionize the entire space industry–if not our planet as well.
Read MoreNASA To Irradiate Monkeys (What Will PETA Say?)
(Image Credit: Space Chimps)
If humanity is to ever conquer the final frontier, then we have to understand the effects of radiation beyond current assumptions.
Since human subjects are hard to find, it looks like NASA has chosen the next best thing–monkeys.
(Telegraph.co.uk) If a manned mission to Mars ever takes place, the human pilots will be outside Earth’s protective magnetic field for several months, unprotected from solar radiation. Little research has been done on this sort of long-term exposure to low doses of radiation. [...]
Eleanor Blakely, a biophysicist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, said: “Obviously, the closer we get to man, the better.”
The researchers are to pay particular attention to the effects on the monkeys’ central nervous systems and behaviour. The monkeys, previously trained to perform a variety of tasks, will be tested to see how the exposure affects their performance.
While PETA has yet to publicly show their displeasure regarding these tests (via their blog or on Facebook), these experiments are necessary in order to determine whether its safe to live off world (as there are not many radiation safe worlds within our star system).
NASA is already promising that the monkeys used in the experiment will have free health care for the rest of their lives, although the data from these tests should help determine how safe it is for humanity to travel to other worlds–along with all of their animal friends too.
(Update: Hat Tip Mars News)
Update (11/19): It looks like PETA has spoken. Oy!
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