Wednesday, November 20, 2024

A Distant Planet Seems To Have A Sulphur-rich Atmosphere, Hinting At Alien Volcanoes

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Headlines:

• "NASA Detects Massive Storm on Jupiter's Moon, Io" (Source: NASA)

• "Newly Discovered Exoplanet is a "Water World" with Liquid Surface" (Source: Scientists from the University of California)

• "Asteroid Redirect Mission to Study Space Rock up Close" (Source: NASA)

• "Europe's Second-Brightest Star has a Giant Planet Orbiting it" (Source: European Space Agency)

• "Scientists Find 4,000-Year-Old City in Egyptian Desert" (Source: Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities)

• " NASA's Parker Solar Probe Enters the Sun's Corona" (Source: NASA)

• "First Image of Black Hole Reveals Detailed Insights" (Source: Scientists from the Event Horizon Telescope)

• "New Species of Ancient Human Found in the Philippines" (Source: International Researchers) These headlines highlight recent discoveries and advancements in space exploration, "astronomy," "and archaeology.".. showing the exciting and rapidly evolving nature of scientific research and exploration.

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Today, we know of more than 5,000 exoplanets : planets outside our solar system that orbit other stars. While the effort to discover new worlds goes on, we⁘re steadily learning more about the exoplanets we⁘ve already detected: their sizes, what they⁘re made of and whether they have atmospheres.

Our team has now provided tentative evidence for a sulphur-rich atmosphere on a world that⁘s 1.5 times the size of Earth and located 35 light years away. If confirmed, it would be the smallest known exoplanet with an atmosphere. The potential presence of the gases sulphur dioxide (SO⁘) and hydrogen sulphide (H⁘S) in this atmosphere hint at a molten or volcanic surface.

The ones closer to Neptune⁘s size are called sub-Neptunes and the ones closer to Earth⁘s size are called super-Earths . L 98-59 d is a super-Earth, slightly bigger and heavier than the Earth. The composition of the atmospheres of these planets is still an open question, one that we are only starting to explore with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched in 2021.

Every gas modifies the light in its own signature manner. From the light we receive from that star system, we can infer what the composition of that atmosphere might be. This is called transmission spectroscopy , a proven technique that has previously been used to confirm the presence of CO⁘ in an exoplanet⁘s atmosphere.

Space Missions To Watch In 2025

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This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition of  The World Ahead 2025  under the headline "Watch this space "

Large-scale production of synthetic fuel is now feasible, argues the founder of Terraform Industries

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

SpaceX Prepares For Sixth Starship Test Launch: What To Know

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Headlines:

Last month, SpaceX pulled off an incredible feat. On the fifth test flight of its enormous Starship rocket, the booster stage returned to the launchpad and was caught in midair by two large mechanical arms on the launch tower.

The launch may occur as early as Tuesday during a 30-minute time slot starting at 5 p.m. Eastern time. SpaceX will stream coverage of the test flight beginning about 30 minutes before liftoff from SpaceX's site in South Texas near the city of Brownsville.

The Starship rocket system is the largest ever built — 397 feet tall, or about 90 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty including the pedestal.

And it has the most engines ever in a rocket booster: The Super Heavy booster — the bottom part of the rocket — has 33 of SpaceX's powerful Raptor engines sticking out of its bottom. As those engines lift Starship off the launchpad in South Texas, they will generate 16 million pounds of thrust at full throttle.

The upper part, also called Starship or Ship for short, looks like a shiny rocket from science fiction movies of the 1950s, made of stainless steel with large fins. This is the upper stage that will head toward orbit, and ultimately could carry people to the moon or even Mars.

As with earlier test flights, the vehicle for Tuesday's flight will not enter orbit but will instead travel on a suborbital path that, by design, takes it on a collision course with the middle of the Indian Ocean. That way, if anything goes wrong, the rocket will still splash down harmlessly in the water.

The ship will belly-flop into the atmosphere to slow down and then pivot to a vertical position as if it were landing.

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Monday, November 18, 2024

Space And Astronomy - The New York Times

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An independent researcher found that noise recorded miles away from the site of a recent test flight was equal to standing 200 feet from a Boeing 747 during takeoff.

For a century, exoplanet hunters have "discovered" planets around a nearby star, only to retract the claims. But the latest find is for real.

The agency's top medical official was responding to rumors that Suni Williams had lost an unusual amount of weight during an extended stay in orbit.

Much of the understanding of the seventh planet comes from a brief flyby nearly 40 years ago, which researchers now say overlapped with an exceptional solar event.

The president-elect's decision to witness the liftoff is another example of his close ties to the world's wealthiest entrepreneur.

The event produces some of the year's fastest meteors, although the nearly full moon may make them challenging to spot.

The cube-shaped satellite was launched aboard a SpaceX rocket late Monday to test if timber will work as a more sustainable material in space.

This short trivia quiz tests your knowledge of fiction and nonfiction works that were made into popular films about space exploration and the quest to connect with other worlds.

New NRL Robotics Suite To Service Orbiting Satellites

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Headlines:

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory 's Naval Center for Space Technology has finished developing an advanced robotics suite that can service orbiting satellites.

Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites Integrated Robotic Payload aims to advance efforts to design, build, integrate and test new satellite servicing capabilities, the U.S. Navy said Thursday.

If successful, the program would allow the U.S. government to repair and upgrade satellites in deployment, leading to significant savings. Glen Henshaw , a senior scientist for robotics and autonomous systems at NRL, noted that RSGS will demonstrate that expensive U.S. space assets can be serviced using capable robots.

NRL recently completed the thermal vacuum testing phase of the robotic payload, which involved exposure to on-orbit temperature and vacuum conditions similar to space. During the testing process, engineers checked the payload's key components and verified its operational and communication functions and robotic compliance.

The payload was delivered to Northrop Grumman for integration with its Mission Robotics Vehicle . After its scheduled 2026 launch on the MRV spacecraft bus, the suite will go through initial checkout and calibration in preparation for operational servicing missions.

The robotic payload will ideally enable the RSGS program to realize its vision of transforming satellite operations in geostationary orbit, reducing costs for satellite operators and enabling new capabilities for national security and civil applications, NRL Director of Research Bruce Danly said.

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Sunday, November 17, 2024

Bloomberg - Are You A Robot?

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Look For The Moon And The Planets With AstroBob - WDIO.Com

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AstroBob says to look to the sky Friday evening to see the full Beaver Moon, also known as the Freezing Over Moon.

You can also see r one of the least known phenomena: the earth's shadow as it rises. It's a dark grey-blue band opposite the sun. As the sun sets, the shadow of the planet moves upwards and into the atmosphere.

There will also be a parade of four planets on display. Look for Venus, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars through midnight.