NASA team has built a small, low-cost satellite called FASTSAT,

Bargain Basement Satellites

Looking for a cheap fare 'round the world? Your search is over. A NASA team has built a small, low-cost satellite called FASTSAT, and it's almost ready to fly.

Why is it called FASTSAT?

It's not because it travels fast. It's because it was built in a hurry. The FASTSAT team built this prototype in a mere 10½ months for the relatively thrifty sum of 4 million dollars.

"That's unheard of," says Marshall Space Flight Center's Edward "Sandy" Montgomery, "to build something that will fly in space in that short time frame and for that amount of money. But that was part of our experiment - to see if it could be done." The full name says it all: Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology SATellite.

Right: Low-cost launch vehicles like SpaceX's Falcon 1 highlight the need for low-cost payloads like FASTSAT.

How did they do it?

Montgomery, the FASTSAT Project Manager, led a team already experienced in low-cost, quick turnaround balloon missions. "In the balloon program, people know how to take risks and do things more quickly," he says. "Quicker build time means less labor charges, and that's one of the keys to keeping costs down."

Balloon missions taught the team some specific ways to save time and money. For instance, they used commercial off-the-shelf components, which are readily available and cheaper than specially ordered parts.

We also did some scrounging and got some items left over from other programs," says Montgomery. "There's nothing fancy on this satellite."

They even built the satellite out of aluminum instead of expensive titanium. And they used a design so simple "even a cave man could do it." The design required few cuts in the metal, so fabrication was fast.

FASTSAT is safe as well as simple. Magnets provide its attitude control instead of jets, so there are no propellants onboard to offgas or explode. The satellite has no moving parts - no blades or momentum wheels whirring around. All of these factors add up to subtract cost. "We are kind of like the bargain basement of satellite building," jokes Montgomery.

Why did they do it?

A new class of very low cost launch vehicles (such as SpaceX's Falcon 1 and Kistler's K-1) has opened doors for inexpensive satellites and instruments.

"You wouldn't put an expensive payload on an inexpensive rocket - it's a risk issue. You'd use an inexpensive bus to fly an inexpensive instrument on an inexpensive rocket," says Montgomery.

For example, FASTSAT could be used for test demonstrations of new technologies. "It doesn't make sense to spend several hundred million dollars just to test a technology before a major mission when a FASTSAT can do it for so much less," states Montgomery. "That's the impetus driving this project."

What does FASTSAT look like?

FASTSAT is 39.5 inches in diameter - not much larger than the dreaded exercise ball. It is hexagonally shaped and weighs 90 kg without a payload. A payload up to 50 kg can hitch a ride. These dimensions place FASTSAT squarely in the microsatellite category.

What is the significance of FASTSAT?

FASTSAT is just the right size for earth observing missions, space science missions, and technology demonstrations. Montgomery says, "We think we can do whole missions for less than 10 million dollars instead of the traditional 100s of millions, and that includes the launch vehicle, the satellite, and the widget you want to test. If you can do low-cost missions locally, at the center level, this has the potential to bring how NASA does its work to a whole new level of manageability. It would give centers more latitude on how to do things and lower management costs tremendously. If you don't have to have 100 people in the chain signing off on a project, you save time and money."

What is next for FASTSAT?

In late September, the team rolled out their masterpiece for an internal review, showing their audience proof-positive that a satellite can be built quickly and inexpensively. They're hoping for a little more money in order to test and do final integration activities once they have a specific payload in mind. But right now, FASTSAT is a horse without a cart. It has no payload.

"That's the next step," says Montgomery. "We've proven we can design it, and we've got it built. Someone who can afford the ride and has an instrument they want to fly will come along and find us."

The Fast Auroral Snapshot (FAST) Satellite

The FAST satellite mission investigates plasma processes occurring in the low-altitude auroral acceleration region where magnetic field-aligned currents couple global magnetospheric current systems to the high latitude ionosphere. In the transition region between the hot tenuous magnetospheric plasma and the cold, dense ionosphere, these currents give rise to parallel electric fields, particle beams, plasma heating, and a host of wave-particle interactions. FAST was designed to study these auroral plasma processes at high time resolution. These processes include parallel electric fields, double layers, field-aligned electrons, Langmuir and whistler wave emissions, auroral kilometric radiation (AKR), ion conics, ion beams, and the formation of the auroral density cavity.

The FAST satellite was launched into an ~83o inclination orbit with a 350 km perigee and 4175 km apogee in August, 1996. The satellite is oriented in a cartwheel attitude which has the spin axis nearly (negative) normal to the orbital plane. It is spin stabilized with a spin period of 5 s. The satellite crosses the auroral zones (which form ovals at ~65o-70o magnetic latitude North and South) four times an orbit. The orbit was designed to have a Northern apogee during January and February of 1997 for coordinated ground-based and optical observations.

The FAST instruments were designed to have high quantitative accuracy measurement of plasma particles and fields with one to three orders of magnitude higher resolution than previous auroral missions which have identified many of the auroral processes but were unable to resolve them fully in space or time. The spacecraft data system performs on-board evaluation of the measurements to select data ?snapshots? that are stored for later transmission to the ground.

New measurements from FAST show that upward and downward current regions in the auroral zone have complementary field and particle features defined by upward and downward directed parallel electric field structures and corresponding electron and ion beams. Direct measurements of wave particle interactions have led to several discoveries, including Debye-scale electric solitary waves associated with the acceleration of up-going electron beams and ion heating, and the identification of electrons modulated by ion cyclotron waves as the source of flickering aurora. Detailed quantitative measurements of plasma density, plasma waves, and electron distributions associated with auroral kilometric radiation source regions yield a consistent explanation for AKR wave generation. These initial results have been published in 20 articles in a special issue of Geophysical Research Letters in 1998. Prof. Robert Ergun leads the FAST effort at LASP.

Technorati : FASTSAT, NASA, satellite

NASA team has built a small, low-cost satellite called FASTSAT,

Bargain Basement Satellites

Looking for a cheap fare 'round the world? Your search is over. A NASA team has built a small, low-cost satellite called FASTSAT, and it's almost ready to fly.

Why is it called FASTSAT?

It's not because it travels fast. It's because it was built in a hurry. The FASTSAT team built this prototype in a mere 10½ months for the relatively thrifty sum of 4 million dollars.

"That's unheard of," says Marshall Space Flight Center's Edward "Sandy" Montgomery, "to build something that will fly in space in that short time frame and for that amount of money. But that was part of our experiment - to see if it could be done." The full name says it all: Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology SATellite.

Right: Low-cost launch vehicles like SpaceX's Falcon 1 highlight the need for low-cost payloads like FASTSAT.

How did they do it?

Montgomery, the FASTSAT Project Manager, led a team already experienced in low-cost, quick turnaround balloon missions. "In the balloon program, people know how to take risks and do things more quickly," he says. "Quicker build time means less labor charges, and that's one of the keys to keeping costs down."

Balloon missions taught the team some specific ways to save time and money. For instance, they used commercial off-the-shelf components, which are readily available and cheaper than specially ordered parts.

We also did some scrounging and got some items left over from other programs," says Montgomery. "There's nothing fancy on this satellite."

They even built the satellite out of aluminum instead of expensive titanium. And they used a design so simple "even a cave man could do it." The design required few cuts in the metal, so fabrication was fast.

FASTSAT is safe as well as simple. Magnets provide its attitude control instead of jets, so there are no propellants onboard to offgas or explode. The satellite has no moving parts - no blades or momentum wheels whirring around. All of these factors add up to subtract cost. "We are kind of like the bargain basement of satellite building," jokes Montgomery.

Why did they do it?

A new class of very low cost launch vehicles (such as SpaceX's Falcon 1 and Kistler's K-1) has opened doors for inexpensive satellites and instruments.

"You wouldn't put an expensive payload on an inexpensive rocket - it's a risk issue. You'd use an inexpensive bus to fly an inexpensive instrument on an inexpensive rocket," says Montgomery.

For example, FASTSAT could be used for test demonstrations of new technologies. "It doesn't make sense to spend several hundred million dollars just to test a technology before a major mission when a FASTSAT can do it for so much less," states Montgomery. "That's the impetus driving this project."

What does FASTSAT look like?

FASTSAT is 39.5 inches in diameter - not much larger than the dreaded exercise ball. It is hexagonally shaped and weighs 90 kg without a payload. A payload up to 50 kg can hitch a ride. These dimensions place FASTSAT squarely in the microsatellite category.

What is the significance of FASTSAT?

FASTSAT is just the right size for earth observing missions, space science missions, and technology demonstrations. Montgomery says, "We think we can do whole missions for less than 10 million dollars instead of the traditional 100s of millions, and that includes the launch vehicle, the satellite, and the widget you want to test. If you can do low-cost missions locally, at the center level, this has the potential to bring how NASA does its work to a whole new level of manageability. It would give centers more latitude on how to do things and lower management costs tremendously. If you don't have to have 100 people in the chain signing off on a project, you save time and money."

What is next for FASTSAT?

In late September, the team rolled out their masterpiece for an internal review, showing their audience proof-positive that a satellite can be built quickly and inexpensively. They're hoping for a little more money in order to test and do final integration activities once they have a specific payload in mind. But right now, FASTSAT is a horse without a cart. It has no payload.

"That's the next step," says Montgomery. "We've proven we can design it, and we've got it built. Someone who can afford the ride and has an instrument they want to fly will come along and find us."

The Fast Auroral Snapshot (FAST) Satellite

The FAST satellite mission investigates plasma processes occurring in the low-altitude auroral acceleration region where magnetic field-aligned currents couple global magnetospheric current systems to the high latitude ionosphere. In the transition region between the hot tenuous magnetospheric plasma and the cold, dense ionosphere, these currents give rise to parallel electric fields, particle beams, plasma heating, and a host of wave-particle interactions. FAST was designed to study these auroral plasma processes at high time resolution. These processes include parallel electric fields, double layers, field-aligned electrons, Langmuir and whistler wave emissions, auroral kilometric radiation (AKR), ion conics, ion beams, and the formation of the auroral density cavity.

The FAST satellite was launched into an ~83o inclination orbit with a 350 km perigee and 4175 km apogee in August, 1996. The satellite is oriented in a cartwheel attitude which has the spin axis nearly (negative) normal to the orbital plane. It is spin stabilized with a spin period of 5 s. The satellite crosses the auroral zones (which form ovals at ~65o-70o magnetic latitude North and South) four times an orbit. The orbit was designed to have a Northern apogee during January and February of 1997 for coordinated ground-based and optical observations.

The FAST instruments were designed to have high quantitative accuracy measurement of plasma particles and fields with one to three orders of magnitude higher resolution than previous auroral missions which have identified many of the auroral processes but were unable to resolve them fully in space or time. The spacecraft data system performs on-board evaluation of the measurements to select data ?snapshots? that are stored for later transmission to the ground.

New measurements from FAST show that upward and downward current regions in the auroral zone have complementary field and particle features defined by upward and downward directed parallel electric field structures and corresponding electron and ion beams. Direct measurements of wave particle interactions have led to several discoveries, including Debye-scale electric solitary waves associated with the acceleration of up-going electron beams and ion heating, and the identification of electrons modulated by ion cyclotron waves as the source of flickering aurora. Detailed quantitative measurements of plasma density, plasma waves, and electron distributions associated with auroral kilometric radiation source regions yield a consistent explanation for AKR wave generation. These initial results have been published in 20 articles in a special issue of Geophysical Research Letters in 1998. Prof. Robert Ergun leads the FAST effort at LASP.

Technorati : FASTSAT, NASA, satellite

U.S. Scientists Department of Energy's National Laboratory have developed a new tool for quantitatively measuring elusive atmospheric chemicals

Judy Lloyd (left) and Stephen Springston. (Credit: Image courtesy of DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory)

Atmospheric Measuring Device For Understanding Smog Formation

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a new tool for quantitatively measuring elusive atmospheric chemicals that play a key role in the formation of photochemical smog. Better measurements will improve scientists' understanding of the mechanisms of smog formation and their ability to select and predict the effectiveness of various mitigation strategies.

The device measures atmospheric hydroperoxyl radicals - short-lived, highly reactive intermediates involved in the formation of ozone, a component of photochemical smog - in the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere. The levels of these radicals can indicate which of a variety of chemical pathways is predominant in converting basic starting ingredients - hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and water vapor - into smog in the presence of sunlight.

"Understanding the relative importance of the various pathways can help you tailor your mitigation strategies," said Brookhaven atmospheric chemist Stephen Springston, one of the inventors. "For example, are you better off spending your money reducing hydrocarbon emissions or nitrogen oxide emissions?"

"Our measurements will help predict which strategy would be most successful for a particular set of atmospheric conditions - and make modifications to the strategy as those conditions change," said co-inventor Judy Lloyd of the State University of New York at Old Westbury, who holds a guest appointment at Brookhaven Lab.

Because hydroperoxyl radicals are so reactive, getting accurate measurements is not easy. "These chemicals are so fragile you cannot take a bottle home with you," Springston said. "You have to measure them where they form, in the atmosphere, before they react and disappear."

Various groups have developed detectors for hydroperoxyl radicals, but these have been cumbersome and costly. The new device is comparatively small, lightweight, and inexpensive, has low power requirements, and gives a sensitive, fast response. It works by detecting a "glowing" signal from a chemiluminescent compound - similar to the compound that makes fireflies glow - when it reacts with the hydroperoxyl radicals in atmospheric samples fed into the device during flight.

"The chemiluminescence produced in solution creates a strong and readily detectable signal without the need for complex amplification procedures," said Lloyd.

The device has been tested in a mountaintop setting, but has not yet been deployed on an aircraft for a sampling mission. It is designed to be flown on atmospheric sampling aircraft, such as the Department of Energy's Gulfstream 1, which has been used by Brookhaven and other national laboratory scientists for a variety of atmospheric studies.

The Brookhaven scientists have been issued a U.S. patent for their apparatus, which is available for licensing through Dorene Price (631) 344-4153.

This work was funded by the Office of Biological and Environmental Research within the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science and by the National Science Foundation.

Technorati : Energy's, National, Scientists, U.S., atmospheric, chemicals, elusive, quantitatively

Analysts Says Shoppers May Turn to PS3, Xbox 360 for Gaming Fix

Nintendo vs. Sony: Will Wii Shortages be PS3's Gain?

As the holiday shopping season heats up this week, the hopes of many video-game-greedy kids may be dashed as shortages of Nintendo's Wii force parents to turn to other gaming consoles, such as the PlayStation 3 or the Xbox 360, to fill the gap, analysts say.

But according to analysts, the hopes of those game-greedy kids may be dashed this season as parents, faced with predicted Wii shortages, might turn to other gaming consoles, such as the Sony's PlayStation 3 or Microsoft's Xbox 360, to fill the gap.

Sony Hopes to Benefit
Sony CEO Howard Stringer is counting on impatient consumers who won't be able to wait for their gaming fix.

Along with the chronic shortage of its competitors' stock, the PlayStation 3's recent $100 price cut has made Sony's console more competitive with the Wii, Stringer told The Associated Press last week.

Shortages of the Wii, Nintendo's latest video game juggernaut and currently the best-selling console in the nation, are nothing new. When the game debuted in 2006, many early adopters of the console were greeted with empty store shelves. This year, leadership at Nintendo, including Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, has told reporters repeatedly that once again it's unlikely the company will be able to meet demand for the Wii this shopping season.

The company has ramped up production to try to stem the shortfall, according to Perrin Kaplan, vice president of marketing and corporate affairs at Nintendo of America.

"Since [Fils-Aime] made that statement, we have raised our production yet again," Kaplan told ABCNEWS.com in a recent interview. "I've been at Nintendo a long time, and I have never seen us ramp our numbers up so many times, nor have we ever produced so much of any console. … But the demand has just so far exceeded our expectations. It's fabulous. We want consumers to know that we're completely aware, love them for it."

Kaplan urged customers to to wait for extra consoles to hit the retail shelves.

"Those who haven't been able to find it -- just hang in there. We're moving stuff into retail as fast as we can."

Although analysts didn't predict what consumers would buy, they did say that parents who want to put a gaming console under the tree this holiday season will do so, whether it's a Wii, an Xbox 360 or a PS3.

"On one hand shortages create a certain amount of demand in and of itself. People are always wanting things that they can't get," said Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director of Jupiter Research. "On the other hand, shortages create consumer frustration. The real question is how much will we see the Wii in demand. Will it be spot shortages? Ultimately, if you look hard enough, will you be able to find it? Or is it the type of shortage that will increase customer frustration?"

According to Gartenberg, this holiday season is an extremely important one for console sales. It's no longer the early adopters who are waiting all night in line for the Wii, the PS3 or the Xbox 360. The reviews are in, and now the regular consumers -- families, teens, kids -- will determine gaming companies' success or failure.

"The real question is what is the main consumer going to vote [for] with their wallet?" he said. "[But] Nintendo has won a lot of hearts and minds with what it has done with the Wii."

Price Cuts and Sales Swings
With or without the Wii shortage, Sony's price cut will probably mean sales boost for the PS3 this season, said Anita Frasier, a research analyst who works in video games at the NPD Group.

"Our purchase intent studies do show that there are quite a number of consumers that are indeed price sensitive, and indicated they would wait for a price cut to make a purchase," Frasier said. "The combination of the price cut and entering the all-important holiday season should result in a substantial increase in sales of PS3 hardware."

Although unconfirmed reports are circulating today that the PS3 has managed for the first time to outsell the Wii in Japan, NPD's most recent sales figures paint a picture of a strong position for a Nintendo that is still on top. About 121,000 PS3s were sold in the United States in October, according to NPD. Nintendo sold more than four times that with 519,000.

But could the tide turn for Sony?

Rob Enderle, the principal analyst at the Silicon Valley-based Enderle Group, said he believes Nintendo is missing out big by not having enough stock this holiday season.

"The fallover is on the product you can pick up. The reality is by not having enough product they're missing out on market share. … If you don't have enough product, it benefits somebody else," Enderle said. "This is not a market that's particularly patient."

The shortages are especially problematic for the Wii during the holidays, Enderle said, because the console is marketed to families, and families are so often gathered together during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day.

"Sales drop off on consoles after the end of the year. Wii plays more to family purchase," he said. "But by buying it during January, people won't be able to go in the 'way back' machine" and bond over games of Wii Tennis.

But for people determined to get their hands on a Wii, there is hope. Consumers just need to act fast, meaning before this Friday, he said. Shoppers may also have luck with existing stock at gaming stores in shopping malls.

"It's worth when you're out and around [to check] some of these places that have these games, but don't get the gamers in," he said. "But after Black Friday that's pretty much all going to go bye-bye."

Nintendo DS Lite versus Sony PSP

As many brave souls braved the darkened streets last night, anxiously queuing up to be the first Brits to get their hands on the newly released Nintendo DS Lite handheld games console, I was tucked up at home getting my first go on the latest must have gadget and in the European exclusive, case too. Was it because Nintendo holds me in such high esteem that I get an early look? Errr, no - I mail ordered it and must have got lucky. But I believe in passing my good fortune down to you the readers, so I bring you the ultimate battle of the handheld consoles: DS Lite vs PSP.

Design
It was no secret that the original DS was, and still is, a bit of an ugly duckling. When the PSP launched, gamers were falling over each other just to be seen near it, where as people were generally less enthralled by the DS' design and some may have quietly blanched. Although the DS Lite offers upgrades in many areas, its greatest success has been turning the handheld into what may go down in history as a stylistic icon. Bringing the inner beauty out of the original and placing it firmly on the outside has produced a shiny, slick, smooth device that people will probably stop you on the street just to look at. The button layout has been nicely tweaked and the surface is just better for holding too.

But the PSP is anywhere near on this count. The beautiful X-Black coated screen simply oozes beautiful graphics and the elongated, curved edged chassis constantly reminds me of a Game Gear or Atari Lynx but with a very 21st century twist. Being a gadget fanatic, the sheer number of buttons around the console appeals by far more than the rival's minimalist approach - how can any electronic toy really live up to its hype without having more buttons than you can count? Mind you, those controls you really need are well placed and seldom difficult to access in times of need.

Games
I don't think there's any doubt in anyone's mind that, when it comes to high standards of gameplay, the DS is really where it's at. While the DS Lite hasn't adapted this aspect to be any different than the original system, Nintendo has secured an enormous number of brilliant, innovative tiles for the console. The touchscreen system added an entirely new element of gameplay exploited well by early titles such as Wario Ware Touched and diversified into games like Metroid Prime: Hunters and of course Nintendogs. Nintendo has achieved it's goal of setting a huge benchmark against which few other companies dare to even try and compete with, but also reached out to customers previously never thought of as 'gamers' with the likes of Brain Age. Then you have the unique Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection which basically blew away any doubts you might have harboured about the device's wireless connection - with it you can now plug into a multiplayer network that all but rivals Microsoft's Xbox Live and doesn't contain quite as many obnoxious players - titles like Animal Crossing: Wild World have further driven home the concept of multiplayer gaming for everyone and not just an over-zealous few.

The PSP has instead relied mostly on pretty graphics (but they are often very pretty graphics) rather than gameplay and innovation. There have been a few impressive technical achievements such as GTA: Liberty City Stories which managed to capture the nearly all the elements of GTA that made it such a successful series and port it to the much smaller system. Actually it is games like Lumines in which the PSP really excels - bright, pretty titles with more basic gameplay are far more suited to the console, but rarely threaten to break conceptual barriers in the same manner as the DS. Unfortunately, the PSP now seems to be languishing in a kind of gaming no man's land, with a large proportion of its catalogue taken up by handheld ports of other home console titles.

Multimedia
This is one area in which the DS struggles, but that is simply because Nintendo is all about games - an ethos that has been stated time and time again. In fact there are a few multimedia options out there, ranging from the Play-Yan Micro to the upcoming Opera web browser and the enhanced brightness levels offered by the DS Lite could prove just the ticket for increasing the multimedia features in the device.

However, if there is one thing that the PSP is truly the king of, it is multimedia. With MP3, WMA and AAC music playback as standard now, alongside an inbuilt web browser with its innovative internet text entry system, the PSP reigns supreme. Most important of all is the MPEG4 video player which, when coupled with a 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo, means you can store somewhere in the region of 5 hours of video at once if you're careful. With that in hand you have pretty much all bases covered: a few tunes for the walk, then movies and a couple of quick games for when you're sat on the bus and all lovingly displayed on a crisp, wide screen. Sony's ongoing dedication to increasing the functionality of the device through firmware upgrades has served it incredibly well. Recently, additions such as LocationFree functionality, Flash and RSS compatibility have really been milking the most out of the system, specifically its wireless connection. Unfortunately it hasn't all been a success story - UMD discs have been largely written off by most critics as an expensive and, if you have virtually any computer savvy, pointless alternative to buying the DVD version.

Final Thoughts
When I started this article I thought it would be easy to pick a clear winner, but with both consoles laid out in front of me it is still a difficult decision. If you just want to play games, and good games at that, the DS Lite is a neat gadget that now looks good enough to be seen with. Every aspect of the design, from the ultra-bright screen to the unbelievably long battery life, is geared towards giving you a great gaming experience. The PSP loses in this aspect because of the weak titles, long load times and somewhat limited battery life. However it makes up for it in the sheer number of things you can do with it.

I'm forced to make a choice and I think that there are just a couple of reasons why Sony's console should at last lose out to the Nintendo console. With the DS Lite, everything is set out ready to play - getting it all ready to go is a very simple and fast affair. Conversely, when using the PSP, you often get the impression that Sony would rather not have you doing what the device really does best. Sure you can play MPEG4 videos, but to get them onto the device can be a complicated affair - you need some know-how because Sony would by far rather have you buying the UMD. Even the Wi-Fi connection needs to be backed up by a wireless router, where as Nintendo is thoughtfully releasing a USB Wi-Fi adaptor designed to make the process simple.

I therefore declare the DS Lite the winner of this round - now we just need to wait and see how the new generation of home consoles, the PS3 and Wii, will interact with the two handhelds before we have the next showdown..

Technorati : Analysts, Gaming, PS3, Shoppers, Xbox 360

Super Mario Galaxy, an innovative intergalactic quest.

'

Super Mario Galaxy' is truly out of this world

Even with his world turned upside down, Mario somehow seems to shine.
Gaming's most recognizable face heads for the final frontier in the mesmerizing Super Mario Galaxy, an innovative intergalactic quest.

The plot kicks off with - surprise - the abduction of Princess Peach by Mario nemesis Bowser. In order to catch Bowser, Mario must collect a series of stars in various galaxies to traverse the universe in search of the princess.

Each galaxy is represented by planets Mario must conquer before he can advance. Upon completing a specific task on each planet, a launch star appears to blast you toward your next destination.

Planets are not as much worlds as they are quirky masses Mario romps around every which gravity-defying way imaginable, even running upside down underneath planets. Levels boast unique, fun themes including one based on a golf course and another on a beehive, in which Mario dons a bee suit.

Galaxy is moderately difficult. Most players of any age can enjoy. Coins are scattered generously throughout galaxies so you can replenish life easily.

Visually, this is perhaps the most stunning Mario title to date. The first time watching Mario soar through space was breathtaking. Each planet sports vibrant, colorful landscapes.

Part of the Mario franchise's appeal is the simplicity of its controls, which continues on the Wii. The nunchuk moves Mario, while the A button executes his signature jump. Shaking the remote sends Mario into a dizzying spin toward enemies.

As you advance, you'll not only collect coins and power-ups, but Star Bits, chunks of stars Mario can use to fire at opponents or feed other stars for rewards. Pointing to nearby Star Bits immediately adds them to your collection.

After a long absence, Super Mario brings back a two-player mode in the form of Co-Star mode. While one player controls Mario, the other can grab a remote to snag Star Bits, freeze opponents or help Mario execute huge jumps. It's a good avenue for non-experienced gamers and parents to join in on the action, but I don't see many experienced gamers finding an interest.

Nintendo's star has always shone brightly through his 20-plus years in gaming, and Super Mario Galaxy is another reminder of its brilliant luster.

Stories about: Super Mario Bros

Mario tough to resist on Wii

Mario returns to his slimmer self for his Wii debut in Super Paper Mario, a light-hearted adventure filled with more depth than the two-dimension surface suggests. At first glance, Super Paper Mario appears like your standard side-scroller. Clever gameplay, however, mixed with RPG elements create yet another engaging journey for Nintendo's gaming icon.

Gaming rivals team up

Mario the plumber and Sonic the Hedgehog, rivals in the video game world for two decades, will team up for the first time in a game based on the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, due in stores this holiday season for Nintendo's Wii console and DS handheld system (prices not yet set), will also include other popular characters such as Luigi and Yoshi (from Nintendo's Mario games), as well as Knuckles and Tails (from the Sonic games), all competing in such summer Olympic events as running, swimming and table tennis.

Review: Wii's online offerings score The Nintendo GameCube might have been my sons' pride and joy for four years, but it was relegated to the kids' small television and not once did it earn a connection to our main family room TV.

Wii helps Nintendo year-end profits soar

Booming year-end sales of the wand-wielding Wii game console sent profit at Nintendo soaring 43% for the nine months ended December, the Japanese manufacturer of Pokemon and Super Mario games said Thursday.

'Pac-Man' is going digital
The latest game of the '70s and '80s to get digital is Pac-Man, which on Wednesday goes on Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade, which lets users digitally download and own the games. His arrival online shows how video gamemakers are following in the steps of record labels and movie studios by making past hits available online.

Classic video games make a comeback

Vintage consoles are plentiful on Internet auction sites. An annual "Classic Gaming Expo" convention is growing, moving to larger quarters this year. And companies are trying to cash in with repackaged editions of classics including the space fighter Defender and the pill-munching Pac-Man. .

Technorati : Galaxy, Mario, Super, an innovative, intergalactic, quest.

Digital Book

Can Amazon Kindle Digital Book Fever

Amazon (AMZN) Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos considers the book a stubborn relic of the predigital universe. While other media, including music, are readily available over digital delivery devices such as Apple's (AAPL) iPod, the book has stuck with its hardbound and softbound covers and dog-eared pages for hundreds of years. "Why are books the last bastion of analog?" Bezos asked during a Nov. 19 press conference. "Can you improve upon something as highly evolved and well-suited to its task as the book and, if so, how?"

Bezos thinks he has the answer: Kindle, a handheld book reader he's hoping will help usher books into the digital age. On Nov. 19, Bezos unveiled the long-awaited device at the W Union Square hotel in New York. Kindle, available on Amazon for $399, holds about 200 books in a paperback-sized package and displays pages on a screen that appears more akin to paper than a backlit LCD screen.

Part portable library, part bookstore, Kindle is wirelessly hooked up to the Internet via Sprint Nextel's (S) high-speed cellular network, letting users download books at a moment's notice. Users can purchase books-some 90,000 titles are currently available-for about $10 apiece, and there are no connection-subscription fees.

Opening the Market
Amazon spent some three years on Kindle's design in hopes of creating a product so user-friendly that it will not only compete with printed books but also encourage users to choose it over reading the newspaper on handheld Web-connected devices such as smartphones. Kindle easily connects to the online dictionary Wikipedia and has a browser that lets users visit other Web sites. However, it only delivers those sites in black-and-white, and Web surfing is not intended to be its main function. "It's a single-purpose reading device," says Steve Kessel, Amazon's senior vice-president of worldwide digital media.

More broadly, Amazon hopes to widen the still nascent market for digital books (BusinessWeek, 9/3/07). Only the Sony (SNE) Reader has really gained much traction; it currently sells for between $300 and $400, according to prices listed for online retailers.

Kindle's creators took pains to make a smooth transition from analog to digital. The device lets users upload digital books and documents by e-mailing document attachments to a personal account associated with the device. It also stores books on Amazon's servers for easy reload in the event they're lost, corrupted, or the device gets stolen. Amazon didn't reveal any sales targets for the Kindle.

Subscription Base

Subscriptions to major publications, such as The New York Times (NYT) and Time Warner's (TWX) Time magazine, are available for between $5.99 and $15 a month. Amazon says it pays booksellers and periodical publishers a list price and then makes a profit from the difference between that and the download price. It does not share revenue from the sale of Kindle with the publishers.

Kindle also delivers blogs for between 99¢ and $1.99 per blog, per month, depending on how frequently the blog is updated. Blog publishers can sign up their services on Amazon's site and share in the subscription revenue. The charge, which may seem curious for usually free, ad-supported blogs, covers the expense of delivering the blog as well as providing publishers with an alternative revenue stream, says Amazon's Kessel.

Protection and Praise
Amazon does not protect the books with any digital rights management (DRM) technology. However, Kindle books are formatted specifically for the device and publishers are welcome to append their own DRM technology to their titles, says Kessel. To prove that publishers are embracing the technology rather than worrying about the potential for users to somehow hack into it and steal digital book titles, Amazon included a video featuring praise from well-known authors such as Nobel prizewinner Toni Morrison. "I like the fact that it travels," said Morrison. "It is faster, it's lighter, and I have more [books] at my disposal."

Whether the Kindle can finally ignite the digital book market remains to be seen. But the device is already receiving positive reviews (BusinessWeek.com, 11/19/07), even if some commentators consider it ugly and a little pricey. Looks shouldn't be a problem if, as Bezos hopes, the Kindle becomes a gateway into authors' imaginations. "The most important thing about Kindle is it does indeed disappear so you can enter the author's world," he says.

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