Mar 09

All Systems Go for Worlds Largest Particle Accelerator

Posted in: science, Space Tech, Today's Chili
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Astronomers and physicists have said for years that we only know and understand five percent of the universe–but that may soon change.
CERN research center head Rolf-Dieter Heuer (pictured) said that the Large Hadron Collider may soon unveil dark matter, which makes up 25 percent of the remainder; the remaining 70 percent is dark energy, which we also know little about, as Reuters reports.
“Our Large Hadron Collider (LHC) could be the first machine to give us insight into the dark universe,” Heuer said in the article. “We are opening the door to New Physics, to a discovery period.”
What’s new now is that the LHC is on schedule to collide particles at 7 tera-electron volts (7 TeV) by the end of the month. That will be the highest energy level ever achieved by mankind. Each collision will produce “mini-Big Bangs” that will yield priceless data for scientists to analyze–and possibly the Higgs boson, the theoretical particle that gave mass to matter and enabled the formation of stars, planets, and life as we know it, the report said. (Image credit: CERN)
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Mar 08

Wheres Spock? Physicist Says Warp Speed Will Kill You

Posted in: science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili
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Last year, a group of physicists figured out that achieving warp speed had the potential–depending on how we did it, at least–to create a black hole that would suck up Earth and destroy us all.
Putting aside that cheery bit of news for a moment, another physicist recently said that even if that particular scenario didn’t come to pass, the simple matter of traveling warp speed could kill you–all because of some stray hydrogen atoms.
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Mar 05

NASA Mars Orbiter Transmits 100 Terabits, Still Going

Posted in: NASA, science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili
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The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has now transmitted 100 terabits of information back to Earth, as it completes its fourth year circling the Red Planet next week, according to ScienceDaily.
Here’s another way of looking at it: 100 terabits, or 100 trillion bits, is equivalent to three times the amount of data from every other deep-space mission past the moon combined, the report said. It’s also equivalent to about 35 hours of uncompressed, high-definition video–not bad for a planet that’s anywhere from 36 million to 250 million miles away from Earth.
The orbiter’s 10-foot dish antenna can transmit data at 6 megabits per second. The craft contains three main cameras, a radar instrument that can see through the surface, an atmosphere sounder, and a spectrometer for identifying minerals, according to the article.
To date, the orbiter has discovered evidence that water moved across the planet’s surface for hundreds of millions of years. It has also detailed acidic and alkaline watery environments, either of which could indicate past life on the planet (if it ever existed).
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Mar 04

Jen Scheer, Twitter Space Advocate, Wins Shorty Science Award

Posted in: space, Space Tech, Today's Chili, twitter

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I was very pleased to find, among the winners of the Shorty Awards given to exceptional or groundbreaking Twitter users, that Jen Scheer, aka @flyingjenny, had won the Shorty in the Science category. She’s a Space Shuttle technician and artist who founded the Space Tweep Society, a space advocacy group for Twitter users.

Although it exists thanks to Twitter, the Space Tweep Society is anchored in its Web site, which encourages member participation and networking. Each person has his or her own blog space, and their posts appear on the site’s main blog as well. There are also forums, chat, a photo gallery, and more. Naturally, Space Tweep Society members gather on Twitter, marking relevant posts with the hashtag #spacetweeps. Members use both the site and Twitter to organize mini-tweetups and other local events.

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Mar 03

Mars Express Spacecraft Visits Phobos, No Sign of Cyberdemons

Posted in: NASA, science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express orbiter will soon pass within about 30 miles above Phobos–one of Mars’ two moons made famous in id Software’s Doom franchise, among other places.
Discovery reports that scientists hope to learn more about the potato-shaped rock: where it came from, how its gravity works, and whether or not the interior is actually hollow–a theory scientists have been tossing about for decades.
To figure this all out, scientists plan to track minute changes in the probe’s flight path via a radio signal, in an attempt to indirectly correlate Phobos’ gravitational tugs with its internal structure. No word yet on when we’ll finally learn about all those creepy “scientific” experiments. (Image credit: ESA/NASA/HiRISE)
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Mar 02

Report: Moons North Pole Contains Massive Amounts of Water Ice

Posted in: NASA, science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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It turns out the LCROSS spacecraft’s discovery of water ice at the moon’s south pole wasn’t the whole story.
Scientists now have detected massive amounts of ice deposits near the moon’s north pole as well, using data from a NASA radar aboard India’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft–and this time, it’s much more ice.
NASA said in a statement that the Mini-SAR instrument, which is a lightweight, synthetic “aperture radar,” discovered over 40 craters filled with water ice between one and 9 miles in diameter.
The agency estimates that there could be 1.3 trillion pounds (600 million metric tons) of water ice in those craters. Along with other recent water ice discoveries on the moon, the latest one has implications for future manned moon missions (assuming they ever happen again), or even extended moon colonizations.
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Mar 01

ESOs Very Large Telescope Survives Earthquake in Chile

Posted in: science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili
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The European Southern Observatory said in a statement that all of its employees are safe and unharmed following the 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck central Chile on February 27, 2010, and that none of its telescopes were damaged.
The only effect seen was a power outage that cut observations for one night at La Silla, according to Universe Today. Paranal Observatory, the APEX telescope, and the ALMA Operations Support Facility and Array Operations Site were all unaffected, according to the report. That includes VISTA, plus the ‘Very Large Telescope‘ we’ve covered on numerous occasions, which includes four separate optical telescopes in an array (pictured).
The Gemini South Observatory also said that their employees were fine, and that the main 27-foot optical/infrared hybrid telescope located there suffered no damage, according to the same report. (Image credit: ESO/2009)

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Feb 26

NASA Moves Closer to VASIMR Rocket Testing

Posted in: NASA, science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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Remember that new ion propulsion rocket that could slash the time it takes to travel from Earth to Mars to just 39 days? According to AFP, NASA plans to center its future strategy around MIT scientist Franklin Chang-Diaz’s design, called the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR), according to AFP.

We’ve also got some more specifics on how the rocket works. VASIMR uses electricity to transform fuels like hyrodgen, helium, or deuterium into plasma gas, which is then heated to 51.8 million degrees Fanrenheit and sent into tailpipes via magnetic fields, the report said. The rocket will be capable of reaching speeds of 35 miles per second (126,000 miles per hour).
NASA worked on the design along with Ad Astra and Canadian firm Nautel. NASA plans to contract with more private firms as it reels in costs following the Obama Administration’s cuts to its Constellation program, which would have returned humans to the moon by the end of the decade. Chang-Diaz is planning for an orbital deployment by the end of 2013, according to the report, and is already working with private space firms SpaceX and Orbital Science Corporation. (Image credit: Ad Astra)

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Feb 25

Astronaut Looks Out New Space Station Window

Posted in: NASA, science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili
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“Hey mom! I’m in a space station!” OK, well, I’m not sure exactly what NASA astronaut and shuttle flight STS-130 commander George Zamka was thinking here–but it’s a great shot.
As Popular Science reports, the Feb. 19 photo shows Zamka looking out from the newly installed Cupola observation deck on the International Space Station, before heading home on shuttle Endeavor.
In addition to offering an expansive vista on the universe, Cupola aims to give residents of the space station better views to control the attached robotic arm, according to the report.
Astronauts completed the installation of the $27 million, 10-foot-wide Cupola observation deck on February 15. It features a 31-inch main window on top, plus six smaller windows around the sides.
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Feb 24

International Space Station Computers Go Down

Posted in: NASA, science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili
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It turns out the International Space Station’s computers aren’t necessarily any more invulnerable than the 80s-era systems on the old Mir space station.
Techeye.net reports that communications between the ISS and mission control have faded in and out over the past few days, thanks to numerous errors plaguing the station’s three command and control computers.
Normally, one computer sends commands and provides telemetry, while the other two serve as backup and standby machines in case the first one fails.
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