Featured Posts
NASA Astrobiology
17 Jun 2013, 18:09 UTC
An adult tardigrade less than 1 millimeter in length. (ESA/Ralph O. Schill) 2) Anhydrobiotic tardigrade eggs (left) and hydrated eggs (right). (D.D. Horikawa et al./Astrobiology)Microscopic animals called tardigrades are among the few lifeforms thought capable of surviving the intense radiation, extreme temperatures, and life-sucking vacuum of outer space. Even their eggs can survive space-like conditions, hinting at the possibility of successful hatches on other planets. “[I]f we are to assess the ability of tardigrades to survive transfer among planets or to thrive in extreme environments, they must be able to reproduce,” wrote astrobiologists who tested tardigrades in a study published April 10 in Astrobiology. Read more here. Source: [Wired]
Tardigrades Eggs Survive Space-Like Conditions
17 Jun 2013, 18:09 UTC
An adult tardigrade less than 1 millimeter in length. (ESA/Ralph O. Schill) 2) Anhydrobiotic tardigrade eggs (left) and hydrated eggs (right). (D.D. Horikawa et al./Astrobiology)Microscopic animals called tardigrades are among the few lifeforms thought capable of surviving the intense radiation, extreme temperatures, and life-sucking vacuum of outer space. Even their eggs can survive space-like conditions, hinting at the possibility of successful hatches on other planets. “[I]f we are to assess the ability of tardigrades to survive transfer among planets or to thrive in extreme environments, they must be able to reproduce,” wrote astrobiologists who tested tardigrades in a study published April 10 in Astrobiology. Read more here. Source: [Wired]
Weirdwarp
17 Jun 2013, 16:54 UTC
A new planet may be being built, not by aliens (well who knows really?), But in a cloud of gas and dust around TW Hydrae about 176 light-years away. This dust and gas cloud is in the constellation Hydra and was spotted by the Hubble space telescope. A Gap has been detected and current theories [...]
Planet Formation Theory Threatened by Hubble Find
17 Jun 2013, 16:54 UTC
A new planet may be being built, not by aliens (well who knows really?), But in a cloud of gas and dust around TW Hydrae about 176 light-years away. This dust and gas cloud is in the constellation Hydra and was spotted by the Hubble space telescope. A Gap has been detected and current theories [...]
Discovery News - Space News
17 Jun 2013, 15:58 UTC
The Alpha Centauri system is reachable in a human lifetime, why should we mount an interstellar mission? Continue reading →
Time to Plan for a Mission to Alpha Centauri
17 Jun 2013, 15:58 UTC
The Alpha Centauri system is reachable in a human lifetime, why should we mount an interstellar mission? Continue reading →
collectSPACE.com: Today In Space History
17 Jun 2013, 14:55 UTC
Alexei Leonov, the first man to walk in space, has gone public with new details surrounding the MiG-15 jet crash that took Yuri Gagarin's life in March 1968. Long clouded by rumors and theories, the first man in space and Vladimir Seryogin, his flight instructor, were killed when an unauthorized Su-15 jet went supersonic too close to them, sending their jet into a tailspin, which ended in their crashing outside a small town near Moscow. Leonov, whose own theory was bolstered by the newly declassified documents, disclosed the details in an interview with the television network Russia Today.
Gagarin's cause of death clarified
17 Jun 2013, 14:55 UTC
Alexei Leonov, the first man to walk in space, has gone public with new details surrounding the MiG-15 jet crash that took Yuri Gagarin's life in March 1968. Long clouded by rumors and theories, the first man in space and Vladimir Seryogin, his flight instructor, were killed when an unauthorized Su-15 jet went supersonic too close to them, sending their jet into a tailspin, which ended in their crashing outside a small town near Moscow. Leonov, whose own theory was bolstered by the newly declassified documents, disclosed the details in an interview with the television network Russia Today.
Bad Astronomy
17 Jun 2013, 14:30 UTC
You’d think it would be hard to hide a whole exploding star, but the galaxy has managed to do just that for 2500 years. Supernova remnant G306.3-0.9 somehow managed to elude discovery until 2011, when it was seen during a survey of the galaxy by the orbiting Swift observatory. Swift detects X-rays and gamma-rays, extremely high-energy forms of light emitted by the most powerful and violent events in the Universe—like exploding stars. X-rays from G306 betrayed its existence to Swift, and when astronomers noticed it they swung other telescopes around to investigate. The image at the top of this post is a combination of observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, Spitzer Space Telescope (which sees infrared light), and the Australian Telescope Compact Array (which detects radio waves). X-rays are shown in blue, infrared in red and cyan, and radio in purple. The circular shape of the object is a big hint to its origin as an exploding star, but the presence of X-rays is the clincher. When a star explodes, it blasts out a brain-crushing amount of matter and energy. The expanding debris can outmass the Sun by a factor of ten or more, screaming outwards at a substantial fraction ...
How Do You Hide a Whole Supernova?
17 Jun 2013, 14:30 UTC
You’d think it would be hard to hide a whole exploding star, but the galaxy has managed to do just that for 2500 years. Supernova remnant G306.3-0.9 somehow managed to elude discovery until 2011, when it was seen during a survey of the galaxy by the orbiting Swift observatory. Swift detects X-rays and gamma-rays, extremely high-energy forms of light emitted by the most powerful and violent events in the Universe—like exploding stars. X-rays from G306 betrayed its existence to Swift, and when astronomers noticed it they swung other telescopes around to investigate. The image at the top of this post is a combination of observations from the Chandra X-ray Observatory, Spitzer Space Telescope (which sees infrared light), and the Australian Telescope Compact Array (which detects radio waves). X-rays are shown in blue, infrared in red and cyan, and radio in purple. The circular shape of the object is a big hint to its origin as an exploding star, but the presence of X-rays is the clincher. When a star explodes, it blasts out a brain-crushing amount of matter and energy. The expanding debris can outmass the Sun by a factor of ten or more, screaming outwards at a substantial fraction ...
The Daily Galaxy
17 Jun 2013, 13:00 UTC
Dark galaxies are essentially devoid of stars, therefore they don’t emit any light that telescopes can catch. This makes them virtually impossible to observe unless they are illuminated by an external light source like a background quasar. The image above combines observations from the Very Large Telescope, tuned to detect the fluorescent emissions produced by the quasar illuminating the dark galaxies, with colour data from the Digitized Sky Survey 2. Dark galaxies are small, gas-rich galaxies in the early Universe predicted by theories of galaxy formation, and are thought to be the building blocks of today's bright, star-filled galaxies. Astronomers think that they may have fed large galaxies with much of the gas that later formed into the stars that exist today. Because they are essentially devoid of stars, these dark galaxies don't emit much light, making them very hard to detect. For years astronomers have been trying to develop new techniques that could confirm the existence of these galaxies. Small absorption dips in the spectra of background sources of light have hinted at their existence. A 2012 study marked the first time that such objects were seen directly. "Our approach to the problem of detecting a dark galaxy was ...
"Dark Galaxies" --Were They the Building Blocks of the Galaxies We See Today?
17 Jun 2013, 13:00 UTC
Dark galaxies are essentially devoid of stars, therefore they don’t emit any light that telescopes can catch. This makes them virtually impossible to observe unless they are illuminated by an external light source like a background quasar. The image above combines observations from the Very Large Telescope, tuned to detect the fluorescent emissions produced by the quasar illuminating the dark galaxies, with colour data from the Digitized Sky Survey 2. Dark galaxies are small, gas-rich galaxies in the early Universe predicted by theories of galaxy formation, and are thought to be the building blocks of today's bright, star-filled galaxies. Astronomers think that they may have fed large galaxies with much of the gas that later formed into the stars that exist today. Because they are essentially devoid of stars, these dark galaxies don't emit much light, making them very hard to detect. For years astronomers have been trying to develop new techniques that could confirm the existence of these galaxies. Small absorption dips in the spectra of background sources of light have hinted at their existence. A 2012 study marked the first time that such objects were seen directly. "Our approach to the problem of detecting a dark galaxy was ...
Space Exploration News
17 Jun 2013, 12:00 UTC
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is a step closer to completion with the recent addition of the backplane support frame, that connects all the pieces of the telescope together. Artist’s concept of the James Webb Space Telescope. Image Credit: NASA(Sen) - NASA's next big telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, is a step closer to completion with the recent addition of the backplane support frame, a fixture that will be used to connect all the pieces of the telescope together. The backplane support frame will bring together Webb's centre section and wings, secondary mirror support structure, aft optics system and integrated science instrument module. It will also keep the light path aligned inside the telescope during science observations. ATK of Magna, Utah, finished fabrication under the direction of the observatory's builder, Northrop Grumman Corp. Measuring 11.5 feet by 9.1 feet by 23.6 feet and weighing 1,102 pounds, it is the final segment needed to complete the primary mirror backplane support structure. This structure will support the observatory's weight during its launch from Earth and hold its 18-piece, 21-foot-diameter primary mirror nearly motionless while Webb peers into deep space. "Fabricating and assembling the backplane support frame of this size and stability ...
James Webb Space Telescope gets a backbone
17 Jun 2013, 12:00 UTC
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is a step closer to completion with the recent addition of the backplane support frame, that connects all the pieces of the telescope together. Artist’s concept of the James Webb Space Telescope. Image Credit: NASA(Sen) - NASA's next big telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, is a step closer to completion with the recent addition of the backplane support frame, a fixture that will be used to connect all the pieces of the telescope together. The backplane support frame will bring together Webb's centre section and wings, secondary mirror support structure, aft optics system and integrated science instrument module. It will also keep the light path aligned inside the telescope during science observations. ATK of Magna, Utah, finished fabrication under the direction of the observatory's builder, Northrop Grumman Corp. Measuring 11.5 feet by 9.1 feet by 23.6 feet and weighing 1,102 pounds, it is the final segment needed to complete the primary mirror backplane support structure. This structure will support the observatory's weight during its launch from Earth and hold its 18-piece, 21-foot-diameter primary mirror nearly motionless while Webb peers into deep space. "Fabricating and assembling the backplane support frame of this size and stability ...
SPACE.com
17 Jun 2013, 10:34 UTC
A normally dull star in Ursa Major gave off an incredible flare.
Flare Star Gets 15 Times Brighter in Minutes
17 Jun 2013, 10:34 UTC
A normally dull star in Ursa Major gave off an incredible flare.
All About Space
17 Jun 2013, 09:02 UTC
We take a look at China's Long March 2F rocket. The Long March 2F is a human-rated version of the previous Long March 2E. Name: Long March 2F Manufacturer: China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) Dates: 19 November 1999 – Present Total launches: 10 Successes: 10 Height: 62 metres (203 feet) Max payload: 8,400 kg (19,000 lb) Total mass: 464,000 kg (1,020,000 lb) Notable payloads: Shenzhou The Long March family of rockets have been China’s main way to access space since their space programme stepped up a gear in the Nineties. The first flight of the upgraded Long March 2F was an unmanned test of the Shenzhou spacecraft in late 1999, with the first manned flight occurring four years later. The Long March 2F has an enviable 100% launch record, and in the past couple of years it has been used to launch China’s first orbital space station, Tiangong-1, and take crewmembers there. Around the central core of the rocket are four strap-on boosters that are discarded on the way to orbit, while the core and final stage are dropped higher up. Aside from Russia’s Soyuz-FG rocket, the Long March 2F is the only man-rated rocket currently in use. ...
