SPACE

[Flabio]

Thinking about that big fast planet, you wouldn't want to get close enough to be able to see it. Proper rabbit in the headlights moment there with your piddly spaceship versus it's gravity well.

[zip accident]

Thinking about that big fast planet, you wouldn't want to get close enough to be able to see it. Proper rabbit in the headlights moment there with your piddly spaceship versus it's gravity well.

We can see Jupiter, and that planet's heavier than Jupiter, and possibly bigger, almost certainly not much smaller. Coming in on the plane of that system's ecliptic would be a bad idea, but otherwise if you could blank out the star, the planet should be easily visible.

[axel000]

More interesting news- scientists have detected a basic suger molecule involved in RNA production in a star producing cluster.

A sugar molecule that's linked to the origin of life has been detected in a region of our galaxy where habitable planets could exist. The sweet find is good news in the search for alien life, the researchers say.

Called glycolaldehyde, the sugar molecule is considered a life ingredient because it can react with a substance called propenal to form ribose, a central constituent of ribonucleic acid (RNA), which is similar to DNA and considered one of the central molecules in the origin of life.

An international team of scientists used the IRAM radio telescope in France to detect glycolaldehyde in a massive star-forming region of space, some 26,000 light-years from Earth. (One light-year is the distance light will travel in a year, or about 6 trillion miles, or 10 trillion km.)

They looked for the emission of certain wavelengths within the radio part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Molecules each emit a distinctive band of radio wavelengths, which can be used as a fingerprint for the molecules.

"This is an important discovery as it is the first time glycolaldehyde, a basic sugar, has been detected towards a star-forming region where planets that could potentially harbor life may exist," said researcher Serena Viti of the University College London.

Previously, the organic sugar had been detected toward the center of our galaxy, where conditions are extreme and not conducive to planet-forming compared with the rest of the galaxy.

The new discovery, which will be detailed in a forthcoming issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters, was in an area distant from the galactic center. In addition, the sugar was found in a swirl of gas and dust around a collection of stars. "Possibly, this material is actually rotating around the stars, which may imply that it's a disk and that's where planets may form," Viti told SPACE.com.

She added, "Also the fact that it's just a normal star-forming region suggests that the production of this molecule could be common throughout the galaxy."

The detection of one life ingredient also improves the chances that the molecule exists alongside other molecules essential to life and in regions where Earth-like planets may exist, she said.

"The fact that a basic sugar so directly linked to RNA is common makes you think the basic ingredients for life are out there," Viti said. "They're not just on Earth."

[zip accident]

Via /.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1 ... nline-news

Um, er,

[axel000]

Via /.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1 ... nline-news

Um, er,

I'm reading the sci-fi book Saturn's Children right now and it gives a very plausible description of the use of orbital tethers and space elevators. It describes one example on mars which links an orbiting dock to the surface, with a transit time of several days.

Still, thats not too bad. Trips to Saturn etc. are in years. Seems all very plausible in a 200-300 years from now kind of timeframe.

[zip accident]

Seems all very plausible in a 200-300 years from now kind of timeframe.

I heard in 1999 or 2000, that the first person to live to be 1000 years old has probably already been born. I have a nasty suspicion it might be Rupert Murdock.

[axel000]

Water, methane and CO2 detected on alien planet by Spitzer space telescope.

Though water vapor is thought to be fairly common on planets — even our own Jupiter has it — the discovery of its presence on another world is significant and points the way toward future discoveries, scientists say. Yesterday scientists announced that the Hubble Space Telescope had found carbon dioxide, which under the right circumstances could be connected to life, on the same planet. The presence of methane has also been detected.

[axel000]

Piggyback ride



hi-def version

[axel000]

Not liking the sound of this.

I'll be pissed if the lunar missions are scaled back. Another decade wasted.

[zip accident]

Not liking the sound of this.

I'll be pissed if the lunar missions are scaled back. Another decade wasted.

Yeah

Really, if it goes this way, you almost might as well have Palin. Not that she wouldn't probably cut space too.

[axel000]

Space Shuttles in search of Museum space

Interesting timing, looks like NASA wants to get these ships contracted out to the museums before any policy changes keep them around


Now this is a pretty stunning description of a truly alien world :

Ever since their discovery 11 years ago, brown dwarfs have baffled scientists. First it was the question of how to categorize them. These celestial orbs are too massive to be a planet and not massive enough to be a star. Now scientists are investigating astonishing weather patterns on brown dwarfs that could rival Jupiter's Great Red Spot...

...The atmospheres contain primarily gases, including gaseous iron and silicate. At hotter temperatures-3,140 degrees Fahrenheit (2,000 degrees Kelvin)-typical of younger brown dwarfs, the iron remains in its gaseous phase. Over time as the glowing body cools, the iron condenses to form iron-rich clouds and droplets of liquid-iron rain....

"We think of clouds as being on planets like Earth or Jupiter so it's kind of weird to think of a cloud on a star," Burgasser said recently.

And when it rains it pours: Not only did Burgasser and his team find these metallic clouds, but they also spotted evidence of violent storms.

Molten iron rain storms and hurricanes. Just imagine it. Amazing.

[Darkflame]

Need some serious umbrellas in that place O_O

[benedictw]

NASA awards $3.5 billion for space deliveries

Someone on Slashdots run the numbers on this - at current prices - this works out to be around 1/5th to 1/10th of the price of running the shuttle. Hopefully this means that NASA could get more bang for the same buck. It should also mean that SpaceX get that much more cash for man rating the DragonX launcher.

[matt303]

Looks like the Falcon 9 integration is going well. http://www.spacex.com/updates.php

[axel000]

Looks like a giant robotic dildo.