Journal for 6/2
As we've discussed in class many times, Jupiter's moon Europa may be able to support millions of fish, according to a new study. While I had argued that the loricifera could survive in Europa's subsurface ocean, this article shows that even oxygen-breathing fish could also possibly survive on Europa. Probably there aren't any fish now, but if they are introduced, could the fish survive?
The more we learned about Jupiter's effect on its moons, the more we understood the possibility of life on Europa. Through these studies it's been determined that Europa could have enough oxygen to support even the kind of Earth-life we are most familiar with, not even necessarily just microbes. The oxygen-rich layer on the moon was thought to be thinner, but could be far thicker than ever thought, maybe even encompassing the entire crust of the moon.
If we can figure out a way to stir up this crust, we may be able to find life on or introduce life to Europa.
Article: Jupiter moon’s ocean is rich in oxygen
Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37384702/ns/technology_and_science-space/
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Star Eating Planet? Delicious.
Journal for 5/26
WASP-12b, the hottest known planet in the universe, is also probably going to be the most short-lived in the world. The planet is an extrasolar planet, 40 percent more massive than Jupiter and it's atmosphere has ballooned to nearly 3 times Jupiter's radius. It's being eaten by its parent star, and it likely may have only another 10 million years left before it's completely devoured.
The planet is so close to its star that it's heated to 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit and stretched into a football shape. It's also this heat that has caused its atmosphere to balloon, spilling material on the star. Another fun fact is that the effect of matter exchange has only been seen in close binary star systems, but never so clearly before with a star and a planet.
The planet is 600 light years away, so we have no photographs, only artist renderings.
Article: Hubble Finds Star Eating Planet
Link: http://www.newswise.com/articles/hubble-finds-star-eating-a-planet
WASP-12b, the hottest known planet in the universe, is also probably going to be the most short-lived in the world. The planet is an extrasolar planet, 40 percent more massive than Jupiter and it's atmosphere has ballooned to nearly 3 times Jupiter's radius. It's being eaten by its parent star, and it likely may have only another 10 million years left before it's completely devoured.
The planet is so close to its star that it's heated to 2,800 degrees Fahrenheit and stretched into a football shape. It's also this heat that has caused its atmosphere to balloon, spilling material on the star. Another fun fact is that the effect of matter exchange has only been seen in close binary star systems, but never so clearly before with a star and a planet.
The planet is 600 light years away, so we have no photographs, only artist renderings.
Article: Hubble Finds Star Eating Planet
Link: http://www.newswise.com/articles/hubble-finds-star-eating-a-planet
Giant Blizzard Raging on Saturn
Journal for 5/19
The blizzard happening on Saturn right now is so large and crazy that not only NASA astronomers, but even amateur sky watchers can see it from Earth. In fact, the amateurs are the ones that phoned in the heads up.
NASA's Cassini spacecraft is currently orbiting Saturn, so we are receiving the most detailed data ever received on Saturn's storms. Considering we can see it from here, I can't imagine what it must look like up close. So far, the data has showed a turbulent storm that is pulling up material from deep within the atmosphere and covering at least 5 times more area than the biggest blizzard that hit Earth so far this year.
Article: Giant Blizzard Raging on Saturn
Link: http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/giant-blizzard-saturn-100429.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+spaceheadlines+%28SPACE.com+Headline+Feed%29
Plasma Rocket? Is this real?
Journal for 5/12
In Webster, TX, Ad Astra Rockets tested the most powerful plasma rocket currently in existence.
The engine is at a crazy 200 kilowatt mark, and could provide boosts to the International Space Station once they've tested it on the craft, which is what the engine (the VASIMR), is made to do.
However, Ad Astra doesn't plan on limiting the VASIMR to this alone. In fact, they plan on setting up high-speed missions to Mars. Whereas trips to mars on conventional space craft would take roughly six months, using this 10-20 megawatt VASIMR engine could get humans there in under 40 days. This is awesome for many reasons, especially that sending out humans would be less of a risk. Robots would normally make more sense in terms of risk, but this short trip would ensure that the astronauts would be exposed to less space radiation.
Article: Plasma Rocket Could Travel to Mars in 39 Days
Link: http://www.physorg.com/news174031552.html
In Webster, TX, Ad Astra Rockets tested the most powerful plasma rocket currently in existence.
The engine is at a crazy 200 kilowatt mark, and could provide boosts to the International Space Station once they've tested it on the craft, which is what the engine (the VASIMR), is made to do.
However, Ad Astra doesn't plan on limiting the VASIMR to this alone. In fact, they plan on setting up high-speed missions to Mars. Whereas trips to mars on conventional space craft would take roughly six months, using this 10-20 megawatt VASIMR engine could get humans there in under 40 days. This is awesome for many reasons, especially that sending out humans would be less of a risk. Robots would normally make more sense in terms of risk, but this short trip would ensure that the astronauts would be exposed to less space radiation.
Here's a bit of the article that explains how the engine works.
"Chang-Diaz has been working on the development of the VASIMR concept since 1979, before founding Ad Astra in 2005 to further develop the project. The technology uses radio waves to heat gases such as hydrogen, argon, and neon, creating hot plasma. Magnetic fields force the charged plasma out the back of the engine, producing thrust in the opposite direction. Due to the high velocity that this method achieves, less fuel is required than in conventional engines. In addition, VASIMR has no physical electrodes in contact with the plasma, prolonging the engine's lifetime and enabling a higher power density than in other designs."
Article: Plasma Rocket Could Travel to Mars in 39 Days
Link: http://www.physorg.com/news174031552.html
Hawking thinks Aliens are Scary
Journal for 5/5
Stephen Hawking is whining again. In a discussion about whether or not we should beam messages into space, Hawking said that it's too risky. However, NASA (and everyone else) has already beamed messages into space, whether by accident or on purpose. So I don't even know why we're talking about it.
Shostak, the writer of our book "Life in the Universe," fully disagrees with Hawking's viewpoint. There's so much we can learn from discovering new life. Deciding not to even try just because there is a slight chance that they might be nomads is totally irrational. As of now there's no reason to believe that this will be the case, so we should keep on searching.
However, Hawking's viewpoint isn't singular. 20 years ago NASA held a conference where most experts were too afraid of attracting the wrong kind of aliens. Hawking described the encounter as akin to that of colonists and Native Americans.
I think aliens are awesome; I vote search.
Article: Too risky to phone ET? Too late — NASA's tried
Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36855256/ns/technology_and_science-space/
Stephen Hawking is whining again. In a discussion about whether or not we should beam messages into space, Hawking said that it's too risky. However, NASA (and everyone else) has already beamed messages into space, whether by accident or on purpose. So I don't even know why we're talking about it.
Shostak, the writer of our book "Life in the Universe," fully disagrees with Hawking's viewpoint. There's so much we can learn from discovering new life. Deciding not to even try just because there is a slight chance that they might be nomads is totally irrational. As of now there's no reason to believe that this will be the case, so we should keep on searching.
However, Hawking's viewpoint isn't singular. 20 years ago NASA held a conference where most experts were too afraid of attracting the wrong kind of aliens. Hawking described the encounter as akin to that of colonists and Native Americans.
I think aliens are awesome; I vote search.
Article: Too risky to phone ET? Too late — NASA's tried
Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36855256/ns/technology_and_science-space/
Search for Alien Life Just Got Awesome
Journal for 5/5
While we haven't found any aliens quite yet, NASA scientists may be locating the best places and ways to look for aliens in future missions to space.
Most scientists are super excited about finding alien life, but some people, like Stephen Hawking, think it's a bad idea to try and seek them out. He's afraid that the aliens will be far more advanced and will try and colonize our planet. For the most part though, cosmologists say they are prepared to discover any kind of life.
NASA scientists are currently considering 28 different plans for future missions with the sole purpose of seeking out life. Many people probably think that we should be focusing efforts and money on problems closer to home, but astrobiologists think that the search for life is in other worlds should be our focus in terms of the solar system.
This relates back to the robonaut article too, because many of the planned missions include sending robots into space. Probably humans would be better suited to perform research, but sending robots definitely have fewer risks.
Article: Search for Alien Life Leap forward
Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36839363/ns/technology_and_science-space/
While we haven't found any aliens quite yet, NASA scientists may be locating the best places and ways to look for aliens in future missions to space.
Most scientists are super excited about finding alien life, but some people, like Stephen Hawking, think it's a bad idea to try and seek them out. He's afraid that the aliens will be far more advanced and will try and colonize our planet. For the most part though, cosmologists say they are prepared to discover any kind of life.
NASA scientists are currently considering 28 different plans for future missions with the sole purpose of seeking out life. Many people probably think that we should be focusing efforts and money on problems closer to home, but astrobiologists think that the search for life is in other worlds should be our focus in terms of the solar system.
This relates back to the robonaut article too, because many of the planned missions include sending robots into space. Probably humans would be better suited to perform research, but sending robots definitely have fewer risks.
Article: Search for Alien Life Leap forward
Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36839363/ns/technology_and_science-space/
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Observatory sees 500th deep-space explosion
Journal from 4/28
NASA's Swift observatory has spotted it's 500th cosmic explosion in deep space. Explosions occur because of gamma rays, which are the highest-energy form of light. Gamma ray bursts are very brief but phenomenal, so Swift observatory has been hunting for these incredibly short-lived but awesomely enormous explosions. The sources of most bursts are dying stars that are typically billions of light-years away from Earth, which means they are not only extremely far away, but also extremely energetic and powerful since they can be observed at such great distances. From what I've read, the 500 explosions have been viewed from 2004 until now.
While in my mind Swift just wants to watch explosions, this clearly isn't the case because realistically they could just rent a Michael Bay film. In actuality, Swift's job is to to pinpoint the explosion and relay the information to scientists so that they can observe the aftermath.
One especially amazing thing is that while 500 explosions have been recorded, only the ones aimed in Earth's direction can be picked up by the observatory. Who knows how many others have occurred that we aren't even able to see!
Article: Observatory sees 500th deep-space explosion
Oxygen-Free Multicellular Organisms
Journal on 4/21
The first oxygen-free multicellular organisms were discovered! I did a video for this unbelievable find.
It's awesome. But if you don't feel like spending the 4 minutes of your life checking it out, here's a brief overview. So the scientists found these microscopic, jellyfish-like creatures in a Mediterranean dead zone. Marine dead zones have shockingly low breathable oxygen levels, so much so that if a crab, star fish, or other slow moving creature would suffocate just by moving it through it. Some fast fish can swim right through, but it's still completely uninhabitable. Or at least it is for anything but the loricifera. These newly discovered creatures aren't only able to sustain life in these dead zones, but they thrive in it. They live and breed in these conditions, without the help of any amount of oxygen at all. They're extremophiles gone multicellular.
So the biggest reason these creatures are able to survive is because they lack mitochondria. Most living creatures have mitochondria, which utilize oxygen to make energy. However, the loricifera have mitochondria rip-offs called hydrogenosomes, which don't use oxygen to make energy.
The coolest thing about this discovery is that is revolutionizes how we see extraterrestrial life. If these creatures can survive in marine dead zones, then we may be able to find life on other planets that lack oxygen. In fact, Europa, a moon of Jupiter, likely has a sub-surface ocean that matches the description of the Mediterranean dead zone. Even if we can't find life there, maybe one day we can introduce it.
Article: Oxygen-Free Animals Discovered—A First
Droids In Space!
Journal from 4.14.10
Right now, the droid is undergoing extensive testing, including vibration, vacuum and radiation. Once everything is cleared, I think we can expect many more droids being created and sent into space and factories to assist us fragile humans.
NASA is planning on launching the first human-like robot, or Robonaut, later this year. Apparently it's going to join the International Space Station as a permanent member of the team, but I don't know if it will be receiving equal rights. On the other hand, the Robonaut doesn't have anything but a torso, arms and head, so it isn't even close to being half a man.
This robot is the second model, called Robonaut 2 or "R2," which is an awesome coincidence in relation to R2D2, which may or may not stand for "Reel 2, Dialogue 2." Anyway, the robonaut will be working alongside humans in outer space, and maybe even on manufacturing plants here on earth.
The droid is scheduled to launch on the Discovery sometime in September and will be confined to operations in the station's laboratory as it cannot move around. However, in the future the robot may be enhanced with other mechanical body parts so that it can move freely around the space craft, participating in other jobs. This would probably be especially helpful for operations occurring outside of the craft.
While people may be deterred by the concept because robots may be potentially snatching up jobs that could be taken by humans and enhancing the economy, NASA stresses that the robots will be working "not as replacements [...] but as companions that can carry out key supporting roles" (John Olson, Director of NASA's Exploration Systems Integration Office). Considering the fact that machine can do things man can't do and vice versa, we may be able to accomplish far more than ever before just by understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each.
An obvious strength of the robonaut is the fact that it has human-like arms and hands, so issues such as space gloves which are too large for dexterous movement will not be an issue. Also, when the robonaut receives legs, it can perform space walks that are too dangerous for humans or go places with environments too extreme for life to withstand.
Right now, the droid is undergoing extensive testing, including vibration, vacuum and radiation. Once everything is cleared, I think we can expect many more droids being created and sent into space and factories to assist us fragile humans.
Article: NASA to Launch Human-Like Robot to Join Space Station Crew
Discovery Launches for International Space Station
Journal from 4,7.10
On Monday, April 05, 2010, the space shuttle Discovery launched into space to deliver supplies to the International Space Station. The shuttle is carrying 7 people and 10 tons of supplies and equipment for a 12 day trip and departed the Kennedy Space Center around 6:30am (Harwood, NYTimes).
According to this article, the Discovery weighs a whopping 4.5 million pounds when filled with fuel. Even with this weight the spacecraft managed to reach 100mph in just seven seconds moving straight up. I'm curious about whether or not the Discovery weighed 4.5 million pounds before or after adding in the 10 tons of supplies, but the article wasn't specific. I suppose when factoring in the already gargantuan size that 10 tons doesn't really matter, though.
One particularly interesting piece of information I got from the article was that the launch was timed for the exact moment when "Earth's rotation moved the pad into the orbital plane of the space station" (Harwood). I don't have a lot of background knowledge of the subject, but I assume this means that the Kennedy Space Center waited for the moment that the International Space Station was in a position where the Discovery would have a straight trajectory towards it. While this makes sense, it's not really something I had ever considered.
The mission so far has already run into a problem, though it seems to be inconsequential overall. The shuttles Ku-band antenna, which apparently is necessary in order to "send data and video to the ground via satellites," had some technical problems (Harwood). This will prevent scheduled heat shield inspections and also prevent the captain and pilot from using the antenna in radar mode during docking. While I'm not entirely sure how this will affect the ease of the mission (the article didn't go any further into detail), NASA officials did say that this should not affect the mission itself.
Article: Discovery Launches for International Space Station by William Harwood.
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