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Archive for the ‘space’ category: Page 533

May 17, 2020

Our Sun is an active star

Posted by in categories: particle physics, space

It releases a constant stream of material called the solar wind, along with more occasional bursts of particles, material and energy that flow out into the solar system. Here on Earth, the effects of those events can range from issues like satellite problems and communications failures to stunning natural phenomena like airglow and auroras.

Here are a few ways we study the Sun, its effects on Earth, and everything in between to better understand when and how these events happen. Learn more about our research at http://nasa.gov/sunearth.

May 16, 2020

Astrophysicists Warn That Entire Galaxies “Are Being Killed”

Posted by in categories: energy, space

Cosmic Starvation

The first possibility is called ram pressure stripping, a process through which all of the gas that a galaxy would use to form stars is vacuumed away by nearby intergalactic plasma. The other is that the environment inside a galactic cluster simply becomes too hot for cosmic gases to cool and condense into stars, rendering it useless as fuel.

“When you remove the fuel for star formation, you effectively kill the galaxy,” Brown writes, “turning it into a dead object in which no new stars are formed.”

May 16, 2020

Is Elon Musk going to Move Tesla and SpaceX to Texas?

Posted by in categories: disruptive technology, Elon Musk, space
Tesla sporting NASA Worm Logo and Meatball in advance of human rocket launch.

According to a report from a CBS affiliate in Wichita Falls, Tex., Texas Governor Greg Abbott told a local television reporter he had the opportunity to talk to Elon Musk and he’s genuinely interested in Texas and genuinely frustrated with California.

Tesla stopped making cars at its Fremont plant on March 23. Elon Musk shared frequently his views that the state and local restrictions aimed at mitigating the spread of the coronavirus were actually not in the best interest of California, the people of California, and not Tesla either.

Why is Tesla Fremont important?


Looking back in history, the GM automotive assembly plant in South Fremont used to be the town’s largest employer. In the 1980s, the plant became a joint venture automotive assembly plant of Toyota and GM, and renamed NUMMI becoming one of the most effective small car factories for GM. In early 2010, NUMMI came to an end and closed. Enter TESLA to rescue Fremont. Tesla acquired part of the plant and in June 2010 by Elon Musk earmarked it as Tesla’s primary production plant. By 2017, Tesla was the largest employer in Fremont with roughly 10,000 employees.

Ten years after Tesla swooped in and brought 10,000 jobs to Fremont, Elon Musk is not so happy.

May 15, 2020

The US Space Force now has a flag. Here it is

Posted by in categories: military, space

The flag of the nation’s newest military branch was unveiled today (May 15) during a ceremony in the Oval Office. President Donald Trump watched as the flag was unfurled and designated it the official banner of the Space Force.

“Space is going to be the future, both in terms of defense and offense and so many other things,” said Trump, who also signed the 2020 Armed Forces Day Proclamation during today’s event. “And already, from what I’m hearing and based on reports, we’re now the leader in space.”

May 15, 2020

Thermodynamic limits to economic growth on Earth — Can space save us?

Posted by in categories: economics, energy, space

This new paper argues that continued economic growth on Earth will hit a thermodynamic limit within the third millenium, if economic activities and energy consumption cannot be decoupled. The maximum size would be up to 7000 times the current one. An in-space economy would offer a way out.

“Energy Limits to the Gross Domestic Product on Earth” https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.05244

(Image: Wikipedia — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sky_mile_tower.jpg)

May 15, 2020

In 1110, The Moon Vanished From The Sky. We Might Finally Know What Caused It

Posted by in categories: climatology, particle physics, space

Almost a millennium ago, a major upheaval occurred in Earth’s atmosphere: a giant cloud of sulphur-rich particles flowed throughout the stratosphere, turning skies dark for months or even years, before ultimately falling down to Earth.

We know this event happened because researchers have drilled and analysed ice cores — samples taken from deep within ice sheets or glaciers, which have trapped sulphur aerosols produced by volcanic eruptions reaching the stratosphere and settling back on the surface.

Ice can thus preserve evidence of volcanism over incredibly long timescales, but pinpointing the precise date of an event that shows up in the layers of an ice core is still tricky business.

May 14, 2020

We Are Going

Posted by in category: space

Each day brings us closer to landing the first woman and next man on the Moon! One year ago today, we revealed the name of our lunar exploration program, called #Artemis after the twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the 🌕. https://www.nasa.gov/artemis/

May 14, 2020

Laser-powered rover to explore Moon’s dark shadows

Posted by in categories: materials, space

A laser light shone through the dark could power robotic exploration of the most tantalising locations in our Solar System: the permanently-shadowed craters around the Moon’s poles, believed to be rich in water ice and other valuable materials.

ESA’s Discovery & Preparation programme funded the design of a laser system to keep a rover supplied with power from up to 15 km away while it explores some of these dark craters.

At the highest lunar latitudes, the Sun stays low on the horizon all year round, casting long shadows that keep sunken craters mired in permanent shadow, potentially on a timescale of billions of years. Data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, India’s Chandrayaan-1 and ESA’s SMART-1 orbiters show these ‘permanently shadowed regions’ are rich in hydrogen, strongly suggesting water ice can be found there.

May 14, 2020

Comet Swan is visible to the naked eye, and it may get even brighter

Posted by in category: space

O,.,o.


The visitor from deep space has passed us by, but may be due for an outburst as it careens toward the sun.

May 14, 2020

Scientists Estimate 20 Billion Earth-Like Planets In Our Galaxy

Posted by in category: space

The Two-Way A team of astronomers crunching data from the Kepler space telescope say 22 percent of Sun-like stars harbor Earth-like planets.