Curiosity rover finds conditions on Mars that could have supported living microbes

Curiosity rover finds conditions on Mars that could have supported living microbes

“A fundamental question for this mission is whether Mars could have supported a habitable environment,” says lead Mars Exploration Program scientist Michael Meyer, quoted in a NASA press release today. “From what we know now, the answer is yes.” He’s referring to the latest Curiosity findings announced at a press conference today, which NASA says “shows ancient Mars could have supported living microbes.” That evidence specifically comes from powder the Curiosity rover drilled out of a rock near an ancient stream bed in Mars’ Gale Crater, which contained sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and carbon — “some of the key chemical ingredients for life,” as NASA puts it. Mars Science Laboratory scientist John Grotzinger further explains that “we have characterized a very ancient, but strangely new ‘gray Mars’ where conditions once were favorable for life,” adding, “Curiosity is on a mission of discovery and exploration, and as a team we feel there are many more exciting discoveries ahead of us in the months and years to come.” You can find the full announcement after the break.

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Source: NASA

Mars Curiosity rover finds evidence of habitable life on Mars

Today during a NASA news briefing on the progress that the Curiosity rover is making on Mars, scientists have revealed evidence that point to conditions of habitable life on the Red Planet. An analysis of rock samples that were collected by the Curiosity rover shows that Mars could have supported living microbes at one point in time.

mars-rock

Scientists have identified some key components in the rock samples that are critical to sustain life, including sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and carbon. The sample is from the hole that Curiosity drilled near an ancient stream bed in Gale Crater last month. The rover took the dust that was produced from the hole in order to test it effectively.

The image above compares two rocks, the one on the left seen by NASA’s Opportunity rover and the one on the right seen by the Curiosity rover at two different locations on Mars. Scientists think the particles in the rock on the left were formed from water, as were the darker bumps all over the rock.

Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program says that based on the evidence found and from what scientists know so far, Mars could have very well likely supported a habitable environment at some point. Scientists found a mixture of oxidized and non-oxidized chemicals, which provides evidence that proves a similar method of how microbes on Earth live.


Mars Curiosity rover finds evidence of habitable life on Mars is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

NASA holding Mars Curiosity briefing live at 1 pm ET

In an effort to update the general public on what’s going on with the Curiosity rover on Mars, NASA will be holding a public news briefing today at 1 pm ET, and they’ll be streaming it live over Ustream for all to watch. While it’s a mystery as to what will be discussed, our guess is that they’ll be addressing the recent malfunction with the on-board computer.

Screen Shot 2013-03-12 at 11.40.53 AM

NASA tweeted the news briefing announcement today, and it’ll be live in about an hour as of the time of this writing (watch it here). We’ll be seeing four NASA officials at the briefing, including Michael Meyer who is the lead scientist of the Mars Exploration Program, John Grotzinger who is the Curiosity project scientist, David Blake who is the principal investigator for Curiosity’s Chemistry and Mineralogy investigation, and Paul Mahaffy who is the principal investigator for Curiosity’s Sample Analysis.

Based on the titles of these four gentlemen, it looks like NASA may also talk about the results from the recent hole drilling on the surface of Mars. We’re not sure how big the news is or whether or not they’ll be announcing some staggering results that came from the soil sample, but we’ll be paying attention to see if anything good comes up from the discussion.

Since the computer malfunction on Curiosity, NASA has announced that it’ll be applying a couple of software patches to the computer, which should hopefully get it back up and running to 100% status. In the meantime, NASA switched over the backup computer. While it didn’t cause any major problems, NASA says that their timeline for experiments were pushed back a week.


NASA holding Mars Curiosity briefing live at 1 pm ET is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory Observes Two Eclipses in Only Seven Hours

On Earth, being able to view a solar eclipse is a very rare occurrence. In space, it’s not so rare to witness this event. Recently, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory caught a glimpse of two incredible eclipses in only a seven hour period. The first image below is one that SDO snapped of the Sun being blocked by the Earth.

nasa sdo solar eclipse 1

The second image shows a much more defined photograph of the Sun that was taken a few hours later as the Moon moved in front of the SDO’s view of the sun. The reason the outline of the Moon is so much more crisp and clear is because it has no atmosphere. The SDO is able to see through some of the Earth’s atmosphere giving the Earth a jagged appearing edge during its eclipse.

eclipse2

This month marks the spacecraft’s entry into its biannual eclipse season. This season lasts three weeks, and during that time the Earth blocks the Solar Dynamics Observatory for a period of time each day. The Earth blocked the spacecraft’s view the Sun from about 10:15 PM to 11:45 PM this past Sunday night.

[via DailyMail]

Ideal Pan-Staars comet viewing starts tonight

I mentioned earlier this week that there would be a comet visible with the naked eye in the night skies that would be viewable for people in the northern hemisphere. The comet is called Pan-Staars and tonight is when the comet will be at its brightest and most visible to the naked eye. Astronomers say that people should look next to the crescent moon in the twilight sky just before sunset.

comet-watch

We even have this handy little graphic, which you see above, to show you approximately where to look as the Earth moves between tonight and March 24. Viewing this comet with the naked eye is a big deal because scientists estimate that the ability to see a comet in the sky without the aid of a telescope or binoculars only comes around once every 5 to 10 years. This particular comet may not return for another 100,000 years.

Anyone who lives in the northern hemisphere and can see the nighttime sky without cloud cover or too much light pollution should be able to get a glimpse at the comet starting tonight. People in the US who live in the southern states will need to look slightly lower on the horizon than those who live in northern states.

With clear skies over much of the southern United States, tonight should be ideal viewing. You can watch the video below to get a better idea of where to look to see the comet for yourself. Pan-Starrs was discovered in June of 2011 using the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System in Hawaii, which is where the comet name comes from.

[via Brevard Times]


Ideal Pan-Staars comet viewing starts tonight is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

NASA to apply two software patches to Curiosity rover

Earlier this month, NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover experienced its first major malfunction, with one of its on-board computers experiencing a “memory glitch” and failing to go into sleep mode. A few days later, the space agency announced that the rover had been transitioned to its secondary computer and put back into active mode. Now, a tad over a week later, NASA has stated that it is making progress in its testing and assessment of the A-side computer’s memory.

Rover

According to NASA, its researchers will apply two software patches to the rover that concern both vehicle safing procedures and memory allocation for the on-board computer. Following these patches, which are tentatively set to go into effect this week, the team responsible for the rover will then look at the situation and determine whether full mission operations can be greenlighted.

NASA’s Deputy Project Manager for the Mars Science Laboratory Jim Erickson said, “These tests have provided us with a great deal of information about the rover’s A-side memory. We have been able to store new data in many of the memory locations previously affected and believe more runs will demonstrate more memory is available.”

It has been an eventful month for Curiosity, which was put into sleep mode on March 6, shortly after the issues with the onboard computer, due to an incoming solar flare that could have potentially damaged the rover via radiation. Fortunately, such events often do not harm these devices, and it faired the situation without issue.

[via NASA]


NASA to apply two software patches to Curiosity rover is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Astronomer discovers closest star system to Sun since 1916

An astronomer from Pennsylvania State University has discovered the closest star system to the sun since 1916. The stars discovered are currently the third-closest star system to the sun, falling right behind the second-closest star system, Barnard’s star (which is 6 light years away from the sun), and the closest star system, composed of Alpha Centauri (4.4 light years away from the sun) and
Proxima Centauri (4.2 light-years away from the sun).

Astronomer discovers closest star system to Sun since 1916

The closest star system is called WISE J104915.57-531906, or WISE J1049-5319 for short. It is 6.5 light years away from the sun and is composed of two stars. The two stars are called “Brown Dwarfs” because they’re stars that are “too small in mass to ever become hot enough to ignite hydrogen fusion.” They bear more resemblance to the planet Jupiter than they do to a star like the sun.

NASA discovers closest star system to Sun since 1916

The discovery was made by Kevin Luhman, who is an associate professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Penn State. He says that the Brown Dwarf stars are “so close that Earth’s television transmissions from 2006 are now arriving there.” Scientists are hoping to get a better look at these new stars by using the Gemini South telescope and the future James Webb Space Telescope.

The closest star system was named after the satellite that discovered it. The NASA Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) satellite created a map of the entire sky. Luhman studied the images provided by WISE in its 13-month expedition that ended in 2011. Through a lot of “detective work” and research, Luhman was able to find the distance of the stars, its orbiting patterns, and its temperature, confirming the stars were Brown Dwarfs, and that they were very close to our solar system.

Luhman has also stated that since this is the third-closest star system, and because it’s so close to Earth, it will be an “excellent hunting ground for planets”. He says that these Brown Dwarfs may be one of the “first destinations for manned expeditions outside of our solar system.” Of course those expeditions being far, far away into the future. We still have to take our first steps on Mars first, and we’re hoping that SpaceX’s reusable rockets will take us there.

[via NASA]


Astronomer discovers closest star system to Sun since 1916 is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

SpaceX shows impressive Grasshopper rocket demonstration

SpaceX released a video detailing its most recent launch of its Grasshopper reusable rocket. The video demonstrates the continuous advancements SpaceX is making, and how Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, is working hard to achieve his goal of making space travel much more cost friendly. On March 7th, 2013, the Grasshopper was able to hover 262.8 feet, which is over twice the amount it was able to hover back in December.

SpaceX shows impressive Grasshopper reusable rocket demonstration

The SpaceX Grasshopper was tested at the company’s rocket development facility located in McGregor, Texas. The Grasshopper has come a long way since its first test, where it only flew up about 8.2 feet. SpaceX is also improving Grasshopper’s landing, with this latest test showing Grasshopper’s most accurate landing results as of late. This is all progress for SpaceX, who wants to be able to create a rocket that can survive re-entry through the Earth’s atmosphere and be able to land back on the launch pad intact.

Elon Musk has high hopes for SpaceX’s reusable rockets. He believes that reusable rockets will provide a “hundred-fold decrease in the cost of space flight”, and that they will open up the possibility of humanity becoming a multi-planetary species. He says that it isn’t the cost of fuel and oxygen that’s holding back the future of space travel, but the wasted cost of having to throw away a rocket after one use.

SpaceX hopes to get more businesses interested in the space industry. With demonstrations like these, the company hopes to get businesses excited about the future of space travel, which would result in more funding for future projects. Currently, 1/4 of SpaceX’s launches are composed of NASA assignments, while the other 3/4 are for commercial use. With the advancement of creating reusable rockets, Musk hopes that in his lifetime, man will have stepped foot on Mars at least once.

[via Space Answers]


SpaceX shows impressive Grasshopper rocket demonstration is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Elon Musk says SpaceX is working on reusable rockets

The CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, took the stage yesterday at SXSW to discuss several things, including a couple of new projects SpaceX is working on. SpaceX is currently working on building rockets that are reusable. The rockets are what Musk says is one of the roadblocks that is holding back humanity from the future of space travel. The cost of making the one-time use rockets is what’s stopping many businesses from joining the industry.

Elon Musk is working on reusable rockets

Musk says that fuel and oxygen are hardly the biggest costs of space travel. They only amount to 0.9% of the total cost of the rocket. If SpaceX is able to create a reusable rocket, they would be able to provide a “massive hundred-fold derease in the cost of space flight.” Musk says that SpaceX’s goal has been to expand humanity beyond Earth and turn it into a “multi-planetary species.” He continues to say that all other forms of transportation that humans use are reusable, so why not rockets?

The idea of SpaceX came to Musk when he was trying to donate money to NASA. He wanted NASA to start a greenhouse on Mars that would show that life could exist on that planet. Musk hoped that the project would increase NASA’s federal budget. He had this idea where there’d be a greenhouse on Mars with “green plants on red background”, which would be the “money shot”. The project fell through, but because of it, SpaceX was born.

SpaceX is now very successful, with 1/4 of its launches being for NASA, and the other 3/4 being for commercial businesses. Musk says that the main goals of SpaceX was to get people “excited, and sending (things) to Mars, and increasing NASA’s budget. Today NASA’s our biggest customer.” SpaceX is also working on building a commercial space port in Brownsville Texas, making it the third launch site for the company. There are just some legislative barriers the company has to go through before it can begin working on the project.

[via VentureBeat]


Elon Musk says SpaceX is working on reusable rockets is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

CASIS and the MassChallenge startup accelerator want to help you conduct research… in space!

CASIS and the MassChallenge startup accelerator want to help you conduct research IN SPACE

Most folks are familiar with the International Space Station (ISS). However, what you may not know is that the national lab on board the ISS is available to anyone to conduct research, provided that research is deemed worthy enough to make the trip into orbit. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) is a non-profit tasked by NASA to find and promote those worthy proposals, and it’s teamed up with the MassChallenge startup accelerator to find the next great entrepreneurial space research project — and they want YOU, dear readers to hit them with your ideas. Want to know more? Join us after the break to find out what it takes to get your research in orbit.

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Source: MassChallenge, CASIS