The Space Thread

"NASA's Kepler mission announced Wednesday the discovery of 715 new planets. These newly-verified worlds orbit 305 stars, revealing multiple-planet systems much like our own solar system. Nearly 95 percent of these planets are smaller than Neptune, which is almost four times the size of Earth. This discovery marks a significant increase in the number of known small-sized planets more akin to Earth than previously identified exoplanets, which are planets outside our solar system.

Ooh, I want a planet.

Still waiting on them aliens

Oh really when?

We're busy.

Meklar: Don't know what to tell you. It loaded just fine when I tested the link after posting it. Maybe go to the wired site and trying that? It takes a little bit to upload.

Who watches the watchmen?

The audacious rescue plan that might have saved space shuttle Columbia

Really interesting read — it's a summary of the hypothetical plan that could have maybe possibly been used to get the Columbia's crew back home safely had it been realized that the shuttle's heat shield was compromised early in the mission. It revolves around the fact that the Atlantis was already being prepped for another mission — by working triple shifts and chucking most of the redundancy in the procedures, it's just barely possible that they would have been able to launch the Atlantis, rendezvous with the Columbia, and spacewalk the latter's crew onto the former before the Columbia's crew succumbed to carbon dioxide poisoning. There are some very real questions over not only whether it would have been possible or not, but whether NASA would have even allowed the attempt, given it involved putting two orbiters and eleven astronauts in danger instead of one just orbiter and seven astronauts.

If they had pulled it off, though, it would have made Apollo 13 look like child's play.

edited 26th Feb '14 9:23:07 PM by NativeJovian

Really from Jupiter, but not an alien.

NASA scientists find evidence of water in meteorite, reviving debate over life on Mars

New fast and furious black hole found

Closest, brightest supernova in decades is also a little weird

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Virtually all red dwarf stars have at least one planet in orbit around them

A new renewable energy source? Device captures energy from Earth's infrared emissions to outer space

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Cool, it's cutting down on waste and inefficiency. The one thing I cant stand is an inefficient wasteful major planetary body.

Another detail from the red dwarf article: About 1/4 of them seems to have their planets in the "habitable zone".

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman

FY15 fact sheet up. The last section ("reducing lower priority program") is worth reading. Will delete if off topic.

So are we finding aliens yet?

Oh really when?

It's life Jim, but not as we know it.

Though if memory serves correctly a Red Dwarf's habitable zone is close enough that tidal locking is distinct problem.

Yeah, although in return red dwarfs have long enough lifespans to allow for the development of higher life.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman

According to this site "...Over 266 "M" main-sequence, red dwarf stars are currently believed to be located within 10 parsecs (pc) — or 32.6 light-years (ly) — of Sol."

That means there's at least 65 planets within 32 light years of here. Whee!

We don't know how much of a problem tidal locking really is. It may turn out that many locked planets are perfectly habitable, at least in the twilight ring around the edge (where the star is always low in the sky).

Also, there's always the possibility for tidally heated moons (like Europa) supporting life outside the star's habitable zone.

Join my forum game!

I would be willing to bet that at some point in the distant future an interstellar explorer will utter the words "Holy shit, there's a civilization on that?"

You mean while looking at the earth?

'Dimer molecules' aid study of exoplanet pressure, hunt for life

edited 5th Mar '14 3:26:21 PM by rmctagg09

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

"So if we find a good target planet, and you could detect these dimer molecules — which might be possible within the next 10 to 15 years — that would not only tell you something about pressure, but actually tell you that there's life on that planet."

"Maybe." <_<

If that life creates oxygen as a by-product. Thing is, I cant think of any other chemical processes that would.

Chandra and XMM-Newton provide direct measurement of distant black hole's spin

A small step toward discovering habitable Earths

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

They're planning to launch a one-way trip to Mars that apparently aims to found a permanent human settlement on the Red Planet. Currently at five volunteers -- who may or may not change their mind before the point of no return.

Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.

Mystery of planet-forming disks explained by magnetism

Icy wreckage discovered in nearby planetary system

Plasma plumes help shield Earth from damaging solar storms

NASA's WISE survey finds thousands of new stars, but no 'Planet X'

edited 7th Mar '14 8:03:40 PM by rmctagg09

Eating a Vanilluxe will give you frostbite.

Heck, I'd go, but only if I could take my family with me...