Space exploration thread

[ScienceRocks]

Berkeley scientists devise satellite-based early warning system for wildfires


Published on October 23rd, 2013

Written by: Ryan Whitwam

As human civilization continues to creep into what was once remote wilderness, the impact of wildfires is becoming more severe. The problem is only expected to worsen as global climate change results in longer, drier summers. A group of scientist from UC Berkeley think they’ve found a space-based way to mitigate the loss of property and life that can result from an out of control wildfire. The proposed solution is a satellite called the FUEGO (Fire Urgency Estimator in Geosynchronous Orbit). FUEGO would be able to watch over the tinder-dry western US for the beginnings of potentially catastrophic fires.

Berkeley scientists devise satellite-based early warning system for wildfires | ExtremeTech

 

[ScienceRocks]

NASA uses lasers to transmit data to the moon at lightning speed

Lasers are miracle workers: they can restore sight, detect bombs and easily get you arrested. But who would've thunk that shooting lasers at the moon would help create a new record for data transmission?

By using pulsed lasers aimed directly at the moon, NASA was able to transmit data at a rate of 622 megabits per second, completely error-free. The laser-sharp data demonstration, named "Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD)" was deployed from a New Mexico ground station to a spacecraft 239,000 miles away. LLCD is NASA's first laser-powered two-way communication system and will likely replace the much slower radio wave transmission system used in the past. Previously, a speed of only 20 mbps was achieved by the same laser. LLCD is hosted aboard NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), launched in September of this year.

NASA uses lasers to transmit data to the moon at lightning speed | DVICE

 

[ScienceRocks]

New galaxy 'most distant' yet discovered
By Rebecca Morelle

Science reporter, BBC World Service

An international team of astronomers has detected the most distant galaxy yet.

The galaxy is about 30 billion light-years away and is helping scientists shed light on the period that immediately followed the Big Bang.

It was found using the Hubble Space Telescope and its distance was then confirmed with the ground-based Keck Observatory in Hawaii.

The study is published in the journal Nature.

BBC News - New galaxy 'most distant' yet discovered

 

[ScienceRocks]

Cassini gets new views of Titan's land of lakes

1 hour ago

(Phys.org) —With the sun now shining down over the north pole of Saturn's moon Titan, a little luck with the weather, and trajectories that put the spacecraft into optimal viewing positions, NASA's Cassini spacecraft has obtained new pictures of the liquid methane and ethane seas and lakes that reside near Titan's north pole. The images reveal new clues about how the lakes formed and about Titan's Earth-like "hydrologic" cycle, which involves hydrocarbons rather than water.

Read more at: Cassini gets new views of Titan's land of lakes

 

[longknife]

Exoplanet tally soars above 1,000
By Melissa Hogenboom

The number of observed exoplanets - worlds circling distant stars - has passed 1,000.

Of these, 12 could be habitable - orbiting at a distance where it is neither "too hot" nor "too cold" for water to be liquid on the surface.

The planets are given away by tiny dips in light as they pass in front of their stars or through gravitational "tugs" on the star from an orbiting world.

These new worlds are listed in the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia.

BBC News - Exoplanet tally soars above 1,000

And who poh-pohs UFOs?

 

[ScienceRocks]

I think it is quite possible We should be spending 10 times more on nasa and our space program.

Seven-planet solar system found
By Paul Rincon and Melissa Hogenboom

BBC News

Astronomers may have identified one of the richest planetary systems yet.

The discovery of a seventh planet around the dwarf star KIC 11442793 could be a record, according to two separate teams of researchers.

The system bears some similarities to our own, but all seven planets orbit much closer to their host star, which lies some 2,500 light-years from Earth.

The crowded solar system is described in two papers published on the pre-print server Arxiv.org.

BBC News - Seven-planet solar system found

 

[ScienceRocks]

On the Path to Pluto, 5 AU and Closing


October 25, 2013
New Horizons Web Site

Pluto isn’t quite the next exit on New Horizons’ voyage through the outer solar system, but the destination is definitely getting closer. Today the NASA spacecraft speeds to within five astronomical units (AU) of Pluto – which is less than five times the distance between the Earth and the sun, or about 460 million miles.

"It's exciting to be closing in on the Pluto system,” says Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator from Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colo. “The encounter begins in January 2015 – just over 14 months from now. You can really feel the energy level rising on this mission!"

 

[ScienceRocks]

Scientists discover how the atmosphere of Mars turned to stone
by Staff Writers
Glasgow, UK (SPX) Oct 24, 2013

Scientists at the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, the University of Glasgow and the Natural History Museum in London may have discovered how Mars lost its early carbon dioxide-rich atmosphere to become the cold and arid planet we know today. This research provides the first direct evidence from Mars of a process, called "carbonation" which currently removes carbon dioxide from our own atmosphere, potentially combating climate change on Earth.

It is widely recognised that accumulation of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere is contributing to global warming. The loss of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere of Mars, however, around 4000 million years ago is likely to have caused the planet to cool. So understanding how carbon dioxide was removed from the Martian atmosphere could lead to new ways of reducing the accumulation of greenhouse gases in our own atmosphere.

Scientists discover how the atmosphere of Mars turned to stone

 

[ScienceRocks]

Stamp-size thrusters could propel small satellites into space

Satellites the size of a Rubik's Cube could explore distant planets, thanks to tiny ion thrusters that could help reduce the cost of space missions.
Remember that Lego spaceship you once built? What if it could have a working thruster the size and weight of a Lego brick?

MIT professor Paulo Lozano is designing prototype "microthrusters" that would propel pint-size satellites in orbit and into deep space.

The director of MIT's Space Propulsion Laboratory believes such microthrusters and the scaled-down satellites they would power could radically reduce the cost of space missions compared with conventional spacecraft technology.

So-called CubeSat satellites are roughly the size of a Rubik's Cube. Dozens of CubeSats have been put into orbit over the past decade, often as part of university research projects.

But instead of letting them burn up in Earth's atmosphere as their orbits decay, Lozano wants to equip them with tiny thrusters to prolong their usefulness -- and give them new functionality.

Stamp-size thrusters could propel small satellites into space | Cutting Edge - CNET News

 

[ScienceRocks]

Spring on Saturn's Moon Titan Reveals Amazing Views of Otherworldly Lakes (Photos)

NASA's Cassini space probe is getting an exceptional look at the vast liquid lakes of Titan's north pole, where dense winter clouds are finally retreating thanks to a change in seasons on Saturn's largest moon.

A clearer view of Titan's wet northern region could provide clues about the moon's hydrologic cycle and the evolution of its seas. New images released by NASA this week even revealed the Titan equivalent of salt flats surrounding its northern lakes, some of which are as big as the Caspian Sea and Lake Superior combined.

Titan more closely resembles Earth than any other planet or moon in our solar system, with a dense atmosphere and stable liquids on its surface. But Titan's clouds, lakes and rain are made up of hydrocarbons, such as ethane and methane, rather than water

Spring on Saturn's Moon Titan Reveals Amazing Views of Otherworldly Lakes (Photos) | Space.com

 

[Steven_R]

Spring on Saturn's Moon Titan Reveals Amazing Views of Otherworldly Lakes (Photos)

NASA's Cassini space probe is getting an exceptional look at the vast liquid lakes of Titan's north pole, where dense winter clouds are finally retreating thanks to a change in seasons on Saturn's largest moon.

A clearer view of Titan's wet northern region could provide clues about the moon's hydrologic cycle and the evolution of its seas. New images released by NASA this week even revealed the Titan equivalent of salt flats surrounding its northern lakes, some of which are as big as the Caspian Sea and Lake Superior combined.

Titan more closely resembles Earth than any other planet or moon in our solar system, with a dense atmosphere and stable liquids on its surface. But Titan's clouds, lakes and rain are made up of hydrocarbons, such as ethane and methane, rather than water

Spring on Saturn's Moon Titan Reveals Amazing Views of Otherworldly Lakes (Photos) | Space.com

The irony about Titan being that by the time we progress to the point that we can exploit Titan's hydrocarbons, we'll no longer need hydrocarbons.

 

[mamooth]

That's correct. Titan would be nearly impossible to settle without having fusion power for heat, because Titan isn't just cold, it's cold with a dense, windy atmosphere. Most of those other supercold moons are near-vacuums, meaning heat is only lost by radiation. On Titan, you'd have conduction and convection stripping away heat a hundred times faster, hence you'd need prodigious amounts of heat to replace it.

The real treasure of the outer solar system is Jupiter's outermost moon Callisto. Kind of a boring place, but boring is good. It's got plenty of solid rocky surface to build on and mine, massive water ice deposits, significant gravity (necessary for human health in the long term), low radiation levels, a spot not too deep in Jupiter's gravity well, and no atmosphere, meaning that solar power becomes useful. Barely useful, given how far Jupiter is from the sun, but still feasible.

 

[ScienceRocks]

ESA concept robot video depicts the future of space exploration

Robots have become a mainstay of space exploration. From rovers to chatty anime robots on the International Space Station, they have already proven their worth in many ways. But what will the space robots of the future look like? The European Space Agency has released a video showing advanced robotics designs for lunar and planetary exploration. The concepts include multifunction robots designed for both autonomous space exploration and to aid astronauts in working on other worlds.

ESA has had a keen interest in robotics for decades and as the 2018 launch date for its ExoMars rover approaches, that interest grows ever keener. The new ESA video is designed to give us some idea of what future robot explorers will look like by showing them in action in a hypothetical lunar scenario.

ESA concept robot video depicts the future of space exploration

At least China and eu understands the importance of space travel. I am starting to hate conservatives.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Mars Rover begins mountain climbing

NASA's Opportunity Mars rover has started scaling the tallest hill it has yet encountered in its nearly 10 years of Red Planet exploration.

Opportunity is working its way up "Solander Point," the northern tip of a 130-foot-tall hill on the rim of Mars' Endeavour Crater. The rover is currently studying rocky outcrops that lie between 6.5 feet and 20 feet above the surrounding plains, and it may climb higher in the coming days and weeks, NASA officials said.

"This is our first real Martian mountaineering with Opportunity," Opportunity principal investigator Steve Squyres, of Cornell University, said in a statement. "We expect we will reach some of the oldest rocks we have seen with this rover — a glimpse back into the ancient past of Mars."

Mars Rover begins mountain climbing | Fox News

Amazing how this has been going for 9 years.

 

[ScienceRocks]

ESA releases spectacular Mars flyover video after probe’s 12,500 trips around the planet

Mars Express was launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2003 on a mission to explore the surface of the Red Planet from both orbit and ground level. The ground-based inspection didn’t exactly go to plan, but that hasn’t stopped the probe from spending a decade painstakingly mapping the surface of Mars from every conceivable angle. Now the ESA has assembled a video based on the topographical data gathered by Mars Express, the effect of which is like flying over the sweeping plains of Mars.

The video is part of the celebrations around the probe’s 10-year anniversary, which started in June of this year. The craft didn’t actually make it to Mars until the end of 2003, so we’re also nearing the 10 year mark of its data collection activities. Mars Express has orbited the planet almost 12,500 times since its arrival and has mapped almost the entire surface of Mars.

ESA releases spectacular Mars flyover video after probe?s 12,500 trips around the planet | ExtremeTech

 

[ScienceRocks]

NASA prepares to launch first mission to explore Martian atmosphere

(Phys.org) —A NASA spacecraft that will examine the upper atmosphere of Mars in unprecedented detail is undergoing final preparations for a scheduled 1:28 p.m. EST Monday, Nov. 18 launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission (MAVEN) will examine specific processes on Mars that led to the loss of much of its atmosphere. Data and analysis could tell planetary scientists the history of climate change on the Red Planet and provide further information on the history of planetary habitability.

"The MAVEN mission is a significant step toward unraveling the planetary puzzle about Mars' past and present environments," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "The knowledge we gain will build on past and current missions examining Mars and will help inform future missions to send humans to Mars."

Read more at: NASA prepares to launch first mission to explore Martian atmosphere

 

[Vikrant]

Both the United States and India are gearing up for unmanned missions to Mars.

India will launch its first interplanetary spacecraft when the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) sends its Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) to the Red Planet on Nov. 5. The spacecraft will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre located in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, India.

According to ISRO, one of MOM’s main objectives is to allow the Indian space program to develop the technologies required to design, plan, manage and operate an interplanetary mission.

Once the MOM spacecraft arrives at Mars in September 2014, it will drop into orbit around the planet. Throughout its nearly year-long mission the MOM will explore the Martian surface and atmosphere.

Meanwhile, NASA is making final preparations to launch a new unmanned mission to Mars that will allow scientists on Earth to examine the Red Planet’s atmosphere in greater detail.

Lift-off for the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission (MAVEN) is currently scheduled on Monday, Nov. 18 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

In the course of its one-Earth-year primary mission, MAVEN will study the specific processes that led to Mars losing much of its atmosphere about 3.5 billion years ago.

Data sent back to Earth from MAVEN should help scientists gain a greater understanding of climate change on the Red Planet and learn more of the history of planetary habitability.

“The MAVEN mission is a significant step toward unraveling the planetary puzzle about Mars’ past and present environments,” said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “The knowledge we gain will build on past and current missions examining Mars and will help inform future missions to send humans to Mars.”

Once it arrives at Mars, also in September 2014, and eases into its elliptical science orbit, the MAVEN will observe all of the Red Planet’s latitudes. The spacecraft is expected to cruise around Mars at an altitude of between 158 and 6,115 km above its surface.

During its mission, MAVEN will also perform five of what NASA calls “deep dip maneuvers,” that will send the spacecraft down to an altitude of only 125 km above the surface of Mars, which scientists say is the lower boundary of the planet’s upper atmosphere.

ISRO said that NASA and its Jet Propulsion Laboratory will also provide communications and navigation support to the Indian MOM mission.

US, India Prep for Unmanned Missions to Mars « Science World

 

[ScienceRocks]

NASA's Curiosity Mars rover approaches 'Cooperstown'

(Phys.org) —NASA's Mars rover Curiosity completed its first two-day autonomous drive Monday, bringing the mobile laboratory to a good vantage point for pictures useful in selecting the next target the rover will reach out and touch.

When it drives autonomously, the rover chooses a safe route to designated waypoints by using its onboard computer to analyze stereo images that it takes during pauses in the drive. Prior to Monday, each day's autonomous drive came after a segment earlier that day that was exactly charted by rover team members using images sent to Earth. The Sunday-Monday drive was the first time Curiosity ended an autonomous driving segment, then continued autonomously from that same point the next day.

Read more at: NASA's Curiosity Mars rover approaches 'Cooperstown'

 

[ScienceRocks]

Kepler 78b exoplanet is Earth-like in mass and size

In August, MIT researchers identified an exoplanet with an extremely brief orbital period: The team found that Kepler 78b, a small, intensely hot planet 700 light-years from Earth, circles its star in just 8.5 hours—lightning-quick, compared with our own planet's leisurely 365-day orbit. From starlight data gathered by the Kepler Space Telescope, the scientists also determined that the exoplanet is about 1.2 times Earth's size—making Kepler 78b one of the smallest exoplanets ever measured.

Read more at: Kepler 78b exoplanet is Earth-like in mass and size

 

[ScienceRocks]

ESA unveils Martian "box of delights"

A mission to return samples from the planet Mars is still many years away and, officially, not on the calendar. That hasn't stopped the ESA from producing a proof-of-concept prototype of the scientific “box of delights,” which could one day bring bits of the Red Planet back to Earth for study.

Returning samples from Mars would be a technological achievement only exceeded by actually landing astronauts there. It would involve a small fleet of unmanned spacecraft operating in concert. Key to this is the development of a multifunctional sample container that can keep Martian samples safe and in pristine condition at sustained temperatures of less than -10° C (14° F).

ESA unveils Martian "box of delights"