The Last Evolution, SF Audiobook, Science Fiction by John W. Campbell Jr.
I am the last of my type existing today in all the Solar System. I, too, am the last existing who, in memory, sees the struggle for this System, and in memory I am.
The Last Evolution by John W. Campbell, Jr.
Please subscribe my channel.
Chapter One of the Science Fiction classic that inspired the movie THE THING. Narration by Oscar nominated and Emmy winning Special Makeup Effects Artist.
Science fiction writers have long featured terraforming, the process of creating an Earth-like or habitable environment on another planet, in their stories. Scientists themselves have proposed terraforming to enable the long-term colonization of Mars. A solution common to both groups is to release carbon dioxide gas trapped in the Martian surface to thicken the atmosphere and act as a blanket to warm the planet.
However, Mars does not retain enough carbon dioxide that could practically be put back into the atmosphere to warm Mars, according to a new NASA-sponsored study. Transforming the inhospitable Martian environment into a place astronauts could explore without life support is not possible without technology well beyond today’s capabilities.
New research explores the mechanics behind the “false vacuum” theory, the idea that the universe is in a state of only temporary stability.
Extraterrestrial landers sent to gather samples from the surface of distant moons and planets have limited time and battery power to complete their mission. Aerospace and computer science engineering researchers at The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign trained a model to autonomously assess and scoop quickly, then watched it demonstrate its skill on a robot at a NASA facility.
Aerospace Ph.D. student Pranay Thangeda said they trained their robotic lander arm to collect scooping data on a variety of materials, from sand to rocks, resulting in a database of 6,700 points of knowledge. The two terrains in NASA’s Ocean World Lander Autonomy Testbed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory were brand new to the model that operated the JPL robotic arm remotely.
The study, “Learning and Autonomy for Extraterrestrial Terrain Sampling: An Experience Report from OWLAT Deployment,” was published in the AIAA Scitech Forum.
Geologically, Mars is very reminiscent of the moon. But it also looks a lot like the Earth. It all depends on who you ask.
Current understanding of Mars’ evolution is based on spacecraft measurements and meteorite analysis. Those meteorites were ejected from Mars and traversed space before landing on Earth, where they were discovered primarily in African deserts and Antarctica. They come in two categories: shergottites and nakhlites. Each paints a distinctly different picture of Mars’ geologic history.
In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, LLNL researchers argue that samples retrieved from known locations on Mars by sample return missions could solve this conundrum.
Seven planets are set to appear in the night sky this month in a rare full planetary alignment.
Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Venus, Neptune, Mercury and Saturn will appear in a row on the evening of 28 February, marking the last time for 15 years that all of the planets will be visible at the same time.
Planetary parades of four or five planets happen relatively regularly, though alignments of six or seven are remarkably rare.
NASA’s Europa Clipper is well on its way to Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, set to arrive in 2030. While its science instruments remain dormant for now, its star trackers are actively working, snapping images of distant stars to help orient the spacecraft. These starfield images, which include the constellation Corvus, are crucial for navigation and ensuring the spacecraft can correctly align its antennas and instruments.
You’re probably a bit tired by now of all this talk about private space stations coming from all over. Fatigue, most likely, does not come from the fact that several private companies are now working on this, because that’s very exciting, but from the fact that, despite the chatter, nothing significant seems to be happening.
You must take into account, though, that putting together a habitat that can safely house humans in space for long periods of time is not an easy task, and it requires millions invested and years spent on developing the required tech.
That means we’re likely still years away from seeing such a thing come to life. It turns out that we’ll not have to wait for too many years, though, as the first crewed flight to a private space station is now planned for 2026.
Lagrange Points are the rare oases, stationary islands in space. As a result, they are invaluable real estate where we can build vast space habitats.
Watch my exclusive video Giant Space Monsters: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur–…
Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur.
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @isaacarthursfia.
Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net.
Join Nebula: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur.
Support us on Patreon: / isaacarthur.
Support us on Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/isaac-a…
Facebook Group: / 1583992725237264
Reddit: / isaacarthur.
Twitter: / isaac_a_arthur on Twitter and RT our future content.
SFIA Discord Server: / discord.
Credits:
Lagrange Point Space Settlement.
Episode 431; January 25, 2024
Produced, Written & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur.
Editors:
Anne Kopperud.
Briana Brownell.
Graphics:
