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Habitable Planets In Sight

July 25, 2016 By Helen Bradford

About twenty years ago, nobody would have imagined that the quest for habitable planets will ignite the imagination of the scientists and the public

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – About twenty years ago, nobody would have imagined that the quest for habitable planets will ignite the imagination of the scientists and the public. The idea of Earth-like planets orbiting other stars in space was far out, the stuff of science fiction.

Now, research has revealed that there are other planets throughout the galaxies, and many of them have Earth – like features. These potentially habitable planets are far more numerous than there are people on Earth.

The ten-minute documentary “The Search for Earth Proxima” is about discoveries and breakthroughs, about curiosity and creativity – things which characterize humans.

With new space telescopes like Kepler, scientists uncover the mysteries of the universe. The spacecraft has found planets that orbit stars and some of them are the right size, the right distance away from the sun and have some intriguing, Earth-like conditions.

The challenge is to find these planets because they are dimly lit. It’s like finding a firefly in a source of light, from ten miles away. So far, experts have looked at Alpha Centauri, stars that are close to us. But even that distance means they’re a few light years away. This kind of distance requires traveling close to the speed of life, in order for a manned mission to be feasible.

So, for now, all we have is stargazing, through powerful and sophisticated technology. Around the world, space agencies and private contractors are teaming up to find habitable planets and to build cutting edge technology. Space X is one of these partners, which wants to help achieve the first manned mission to Mars, and has so far worked with NASA on a number of other endeavors.

The newest Earth candidates discovered by the Hubble Telescope are two Earth-like exoplanets, called TRAPPIST-1b and TRAPPIST-1c, and they’re in the space neighborhood – about 40 light years away. These are rocky planets, orbiting a smaller, nearby sun. They’re located in the constellation of Aquarius.

With the huge number of planets which could host life, it’s a matter of time before a potentially liveable planet will be discovered. That day will probably make humankind realize that there are things out there more important than conflicts, which require uniting, instead of the usual division – the documentary suggests.

What’s your opinion on this one? Do you ever think we will find alien life, in our lifetime?

Image Source – Wikipedia

Luxembourg Goes Hunting For Asteroids

May 9, 2016 By Troy G. Bennett

The space program is to be called LuxIMPULSE.

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – This little country isn’t one you hear about every day, but as Luxembourg goes hunting for asteroids now, it might grow popular. This small nation has teamed up with Deep Space Industries, a US company, to become the first spacefaring European nation.

The space program is to be called LuxIMPULSE. This partnership between the two far-apart countries aims to build a small spacecraft. It is going to be named Prospector-X and will measure 30 cm in length. Prospector-X is going to be built in Europe, at Deep Space Industries’ new headquarters in Luxembourg. The small spacecraft will consist of three CubeSat units and solar panels. A navigational system made out of two cameras will operate close to the space targets. Additionally, electrothermal thrusters and radiation-tolerant avionics are to be built in.

This tiny spacecraft is to be sent into low Earth orbit sometime in the upcoming years. If the mission gains success, further asteroid-mining spacecrafts will be sent out in space after the year 2020. Their mission will be to search for water and minerals.

This sudden interest in asteroids is due to a controversial bill signed by US President Barack Obama. The bill gives ownership of the extracted asteroids materials to the US companies who conducted the space missions.

The tiny nation of Luxembourg now wants to show the world that space isn’t just for the biggest world powers. But it does help having an American partner while you’re making your entry in the space discovery game.

For those that wonder what the ultimate goal of the mission is, you should know that the American company has big plans ahead. Deep Space Industries’ goal is to build huge structures in outer space. These structures should be able to house thousands of humans. But in order to get to that futuristic point, Daniel Faber, CEO of Deep Space Industries, says that asteroids extracting is essential in order to make resources available.

There is a constant thirst for information about the Universe. The quest for development beyond the limits of the Earth is also an increasing desire for scientists. As Luxembourg goes hunting for asteroids and enters the race for space, it may give an impulse to other small nations to involve themselves in space missions. After all, opportunities are not lacking for those who want to make the most of them.

IMAGE SOURCE: DeviantART

The Impressive Supermassive Black Holes

May 9, 2016 By Gary Wymore

For the first time, researchers have determined how massive is a black hole.

BACON TRANSCRIPT – Let’s take a minute and talk about the impressive supermassive black holes. But first, what is a supermassive black hole? It is a region of spacetime with such a strong gravitational effect that it sucks everything in. This goes for planets, stars or light. Now, for the first time, researchers have determined how massive it really is.

NGC 1332 is a galaxy located 73 million light years away from Earth. At the heart of it lies a supermassive black hole. Findings of the scientists reveal that this black hole is 660 million times larger than the Sun.

Scientists have been able to determine its size with the help of the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array. ALMA is located in Chile and has more than 60 antennas for space observation. Hubble Space Telescope was the former measurement tool, which based its measurement on the hotter disks of gas. The chaotic aspect of the gas, however, increased the inaccuracy of the measurements.

ALMA offers a new method of determining the mass of supermassive black holes. Dark gas and dust might be invisible to other instruments, but nothing escapes ALMA. It sees the materials around the black holes, and knowing the speed of those objects helps scientists calculate the size of the black holes.

The black hole in galaxy NGC 1332 is being orbited by a huge disc of cold gas. Typically invisible, the emissions of carbon monoxide are visible to ALMA. This way, scientists have been able to calculate that the mass of the supermassive black hole is 660 million times greater than that of the Sun. Observations show that the speed of the cold gases is more than 300 miles per second. With a measurement inaccuracy of only 10 percent, it is the most precise to date.

Scientists have more work ahead of them, as it is believed that the number of black holes is greater. NGC 1332 isn’t the only galaxy to have a black hole. Researchers state that there is one in the center of every galaxy. This goes for the Milky Way too.

Measuring the impressive supermassive black holes is crucial to the better understanding of how they shape the Universe, the way they grow and change it. Altogether, it provides further information on the forces that shape the solar system.

IMAGE SOURCE: Wikipedia

How to Diet in Space

February 12, 2016 By Clayton Meason

The scientists are still trying to figure what’s the best diet for a hungry astronaut.

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – Space is not only the ultimate frontier but also the ultimate challenge for mankind. Give the current technological advance, man can easily plot a course towards the Red planet. However, there are a couple of things not sorted out yet, the astronaut’s diet being one of them. Here is how to diet in space, according to NASA’s dietary guidelines.

As stated, there are a couple of things we should sort out before making the big trip to Mars. If we can recall correctly, the movie “The Martian” managed to stress out the necessity of elaborating systems capable of growing crops. The plants not only help to replenish the sources of oxygen, but they are a primary food source for the astronauts. And yes, it may be possible for someone to survive on a potato-based diet.

Hydroponic gardens they’re called these make-shift vegetable gardens, a word heard so many times by those who are into science fiction. Well, to make a long story short, this is exactly the sort of thing NASA needs in order to feed the space-faring crew.

Furthermore, the source of food is not the only things we should have in mind when it comes to great expeditions. Several hundred years ago, during the age of great exploration, sailors spending too much time on shore were struck down by a terrible malady, known today as scurvy. But they soon discovered that if they ate fruits packed with vitamin C, the disease won’t show its hideous face.

The same thing applies when the age of industry came. Tons of canned food were deposited aboard the ship, due to the fact that it was not as perishable as fresh food. However, after some time, the crew began to show symptoms of yet another disease called saturnism (intoxication with heavy metals, more specifically with the lead used to manufacture the cans).

As we can see, there is a pattern here. There are certain things we have to take into account before we can make the big leap. Here is how to diet in space. According to NASA’s recent guidelines on diet, all the food served by astronauts must be packed with nutrients in order to ensure that they do not fall ill to certain space-related diseases, such as muscle dystrophy, bone loss, radiation sickness, metabolical changes and last, but not least, auto-immune diseases.

Obesity is still an issue, although fat has little to no effect on the cholesterol levels. Still, sugar and starch should be avoided at all cost.

All these and other issues must be resolved before the scheduled trip to Mars, which should last approximately 3 years, given the fact that the astronauts must cross a distance of 225 million kilometers.

Photo credits:www.wikipedia.org

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