spacetoday.net: News briefs: October 19

Posted: Sat, Oct 20, 2001, 10:56 AM ET (1456 GMT)
NASA will fly next month the shields of the 23 New York City police officers killed in the September 11 terrorist attacks, SPACE.com reported Friday. The shields will be flown on the shuttle Endeavour along with 6,000 small American flags and other mementos associated with the attacks and their aftermath... Astronomers using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory have detected x-rays from an unusual class of objects. Astronomers believe that x-rays detected from a Herbig Haro object in the Orion Nebula are created when jets of high-velocity gas from young stars collide with the interstellar medium. The research, published in the current issue of Nature, appears to support theories that Herbig Haro objects are associated with the formation of new stars... Planetary scientists have narrowed down the list of potential landing site for two Martian rovers to four, SPACE.com reported Friday. The four sites — Melas Chasma, Terra Meridiani, Gusev Crater, and Athabasca Vallis — are considered both scientifically interesting and safe enough for the two Mars Exploration Rovers scheduled for launch by NASA in 2003.