Solar eclipse july 22,2009

A South Korean student uses binoculars to watch the longest solar eclipse of the century from the ground of Yonsei University in Seoul. The phenomenon, which occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth, lasted over two hours and 40 minutes.

Visitors gather to watch the solar eclipse in Hangzhou, China eastern Zhejiang province, Wednesday, July 22, 2009. Millions of Asians turned their eyes skyward Wednesday as dawn suddenly turned to darkness across the continent in the longest total solar eclipse this century will see. Millions of others, seeing the rare event as a bad omen, shuttered themselves indoors.
The sun is covered by the moon during a total solar eclipse in the Indian city of Varanasi. The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century plunged millions across Asia into temporary darkness on Wednesday, triggering scenes of religious fervour, fear and excitement in India and China.


A partial solar eclipse is seen behind the Golden Temple, Sikhs holiest shrine, in Amritsar, India, Wednesday, July 22, 2009. Millions of Asians turned their eyes skyward Wednesday as dawn suddenly turned to darkness across the continent in the longest total solar eclipse this century will see. Millions of others, seeing the rare event as a bad omen, shuttered themselves indoor

The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century plunged Moganshan mountain in eastern China into darkness on Wednesday morning. Duration : 0:20

Solar eclipse july 22,2009

This combo photograph shows the different stages of the total solar eclipse as seen from two locations on the outskirts of Gauhati, India, Wednesday, July 22, 2009. The first two photographs were shot from Sipajhar, 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Gauhati and the rest were shot from Baihata, 35 kilometers (22 miles) west of Gauhati. Millions of Asians turned their eyes skyward Wednesday as dawn suddenly turned to darkness across the continent in the longest total solar eclipse this century will see.

A partial solar eclipse is seen rising against the historical monument Taj Mahal in Agra, Wednesday, July 22, 2009. The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century pitched a swath of Asia from India to China into near darkness Wednesday as millions gathered to watch the phenomenon. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)

People gather to observe the solar eclipse at Taregna village near Patna in Bihar state, India, Wednesday, July 22, 2009. Scientists had said the Indian village of Taregna would have the clearest view, where thousands of scientists, nature enthusiasts and students gathered a day in advance. But thick clouds and overnight rains provided no spectacle, just a cloudy darkness. Millions of Asians turned their eyes skyward Wednesday as dawn suddenly turned to darkness across the continent in the longest total solar eclipse this century will see. Millions of others, fearing a bad omen, shuttered themselves indoors. (AP Photo/ Aftab Alam Siddiqui)
A woman uses a solar viewer to get a glimpse of a partial solar eclipse in Thimphu July 22, 2009. A total solar eclipse on Wednesday swept across a narrow swathe of Asia, where hundreds of millions of people watched the skies darken, though in some places thick summer clouds blocked the sun. REUTERS/Singye Wangchuk

Hindu devotees travel in an overcrowded passenger train after taking a holy dip and offering prayers in the waters of Brahma Sarovar, a sacred pond, during a solar eclipse in the northern Indian city of Kurukshetra July 22, 2009. Thousands of people gathered for a dip in the Ganges and other water bodies, an act considered as leading to salvation from the cycle of life and death. A total solar eclipse on Wednesday swept across a narrow swathe of Asia, where hundreds of millions of people watched the skies darken, though in some places thick summer clouds blocked the sun. REUTERS/Ajay Verma (INDIA RELIGION SOCIETY ENVIRONMENT IMAGES OF THE DAY)Nature's show : Foreign tourists use a solar sheet strips to watch a partial solar eclipse at the Taj Mahal in Agra. The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century cast a shadow over much of Asia, plunging hundreds of millions into darkness across the giant land masses of India and China. (AFP/Manan Vatsyayana)

Eclipse skyline : The sky goes dark over southwest China's Chongqing municipality as the lunar shadow or "umbra" moves over the city during a solar eclipse. The longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century cast its shadow over western India and headed for China on a path that was plunging hundreds of millions of people into temporary darkness. (AFP/Stringer)

Solar sky : The sun is partly covered by the moon during a total solar eclipse in Colombo. The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century did not plunge the island in darkness, but it cast a shadow over much of Asia, plunging hundreds of millions into darkness across the giant land masses of neighbouring India and China. (AFP/Ishara S. Kodikara)

Solar Taj : The Taj Mahal is silhoutted as a partial solar eclipse is seen in Agra. The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century cast a shadow over much of Asia, plunging hundreds of millions into darkness across the giant land masses of India and China. (AFP/Manan Vatsyayana)

In this photo released by the Xinhua news agency, a staff member feeds the newly born giant panda cub at Bifeng Gorge Base in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan province, on Wednesday July 22, 2009. Giant panda Na Na gave birth to twins on Wednesday when solar eclipse occurred in China, according to Xinhua. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Jiang Hongjing)

Sumo wrestlers observe a partial solar eclipse at Nagoya, central Japan, on Wednesday July 22, 2009. Millions of Asians turned their eyes skyward as dawn suddenly turned to darkness across the continent in the longest total solar eclipse this century will see

More picture solar eclipse

New NASA boss: Astronauts on Mars in his lifetime

WASHINGTON – NASA's new boss said Tuesday he will be "incredibly disappointed" if people aren't on Mars — or venturing somewhere beyond it — in his lifetime.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Jr., who's 62, said his ultimate goal isn't just Mars — it's anywhere far from Earth.

"I did grow up watching Buck Rogers, and Buck Rogers didn't stop at Mars," Bolden said in an interview with The Associated Press. "In my lifetime, I will be incredibly disappointed if we have not at least reached Mars."

That appears to be a shift from the space policy set in motion by the Bush administration, which proposed first returning to the moon by 2020 and then eventually going to Mars a decade or two later. Bolden didn't rule out using the moon as a stepping stone to Mars and beyond. But he talked more about Mars than the moon as NASA was still celebrating the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing.

Bolden said NASA and other federal officials had too many conflicting views about how to get to Mars, including the existing Constellation project begun under President George W. Bush. That project calls for returning to the moon first, with a moon rocket design that Bolden's predecessor called "Apollo on steroids." NASA has already spent $6.9 billion on that plan.

"We cannot continue to survive on the path that we are on right now," Bolden told NASA employees in a televised speech earlier Tuesday.

A new independent commission is reviewing that plan and alternatives to it.

Bolden said in an interview that his main job over the next few months will be to champion an "agreed-upon compromise strategy to get first to Mars and then beyond. And we don't have that yet."

Bolden met with President Barack Obama on Monday, and some experts said he seems to be signaling a refocusing of NASA's general exploration plan.

A former astronaut, Bolden also vowed to extend the life of the international space station beyond 2016, the year the Bush administration planned to abandon it.

As one way to help fund a new moon rocket, the Bush administration had proposed not paying for the space station beyond 2015 — even as astronauts are currently in space building additions to it. And just last week, the space station program manager told The Washington Post that the plan was to guide the $100 billion station into the ocean at the end of its life.

"We have an incredible asset in the international space station that we need to preserve," Bolden said. The idea, he said, is to make the station work to further "our strong desire to leave the planet and leave low Earth orbit."