Astronomers could help asteroid miners identify the most promising targets, potentially slashing the cost of off-Earth resource extraction, Harvard astrophysicist Martin Elvis said.
Read more
Category: space – Page 992
NASA has revealed plans to grow bioprinted cancer cells in space in a bid to advance cancer research.
Utilizing the microgravity environment, NASA hopes to the cell structures will grow in a more natural spherical shape. Since, back on earth in vitro the cells have only able been able to grow in two-dimensional layers. However to harness the cells without the presence of gravity, NASA is hoping to employ magnets.
Read more
Project Dragonfly is a feasibility study for a space mission to another star. It is conducted by the Initiative for Interstellar Studies I4IS. The goal is to send a robotic spacecraft to another star, in order to explore exoplanets, other star systems, the interstellar medium and discover potential life.
Read more
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory has two NASA grants.
1. High Efficiency RF Heating for Small Nuclear Fusion Rocket Engines 2. Superconducting Coils for Small Nuclear Fusion Rocket Engines.
Read more
This year, they will also select a third group of astronauts, comprising 10 to 12 people, two of which will be women (it’s unclear if these have already been selected).
These astronauts will travel to the CSS for three to six months to perform scientific research. They will have more of a science background than previous Chinese astronauts, known as taikonauts.
China has sent 11 taikonauts to space so far, with the most recent coming last October on their Shenzhou-11 mission.
Read more
First Space Nation
Posted in space
It might seem like an idea taken straight out of science fiction, but a ‘space nation’ could soon become a reality.
The ambitious plans, first announced last year, were hatched by an international group of scientists and are backed by a Russian billionaire.
The floating nation, dubbed ‘Asgardia’, is set to take its first step into space later this year with the launch of its maiden data satellite.
Read more
June 6 (UPI) — Our galaxy and its neighbors exist in a sort of cosmic void, research suggests. The latest analysis supports the conclusion of a 2013 study which showed the Milky Way exists in a region of the universe sparsely populated by galaxies, stars and planets.
The new research — presented this week at the annual American Astronomical Society meeting — also helps bridge the divide between astronomers torn by competing measurements of the Hubble Constant, the rate at which the universe is expanding.
Different groups of astronomers have developed different techniques for measuring the Hubble Constant, with each method yielding different numbers.
Read more
What’s wrong with this illustration of the planets in our solar system? »
For one thing, it suggests that the planets line up for photos on the same solar ray, just like baby ducks in a row. That’s a pretty rare occurrence—perhaps once in several billion years. In fact, Pluto doesn’t even orbit on the same plane as the planets. Its orbit is tilted 17 degrees. 
So, forget it lining up with anything, except on rare occasions, when it crosses the equatorial plane. On that day, you might get it to line up with one or two planets.
But what about scale? Space is so vast. Perhaps our solar system looks like this ↓
No such luck! Stars and planets do not fill a significant volume of the void. They are lonely specs in the great enveloping cosmic dark.* 
Space is mostly filled with—well—space! Lots and lots of it. In fact, if Pluto and our own moon were represented by just a single pixel on your computer screen, you wouldn’t see anything around it. Even if you daisy chain a few hundred computer screens, you will not discern the outer planets. They are just too far away.
Josh Worth has created an interactive map of our solar system. For convenience, it also assumes that planets are lined up like ducks. But the relative sizes and distance between planets are accurate. Prepare to change your view of the cosmos…
Just swipe your finger from the right edge of the screen to move away from the sun. Despite a fascinating experience (and many cute, provocative Easter eggs hidden between the planets), few readers swipe all the way out to Pluto and the author credits. On my high-resolution monitor, it requires more than a thousand swipes. Imagine if the Moon had been more than 1 pixel…It would take a long, long time! I would rather go out to dinner and a movie. But I urge you to travel at least to Jupiter. At 1/7 of the trip to Pluto, it should take less than 5 minutes.
On this scale, you won’t see the 1½ or 2 million asteroids between Mars and Jupiter. They aren’t large enough to merit a pixel. As Josh states, “Most space charts leave out the most significant part – all the space.” (an Easter egg at 1.12 billion km on the map).
* I borrowed this phrase from my former Cornell professor, Carl Sagan. He uses it in Pale Blue Dot [timestamp 2:14.]. This video tribute became a touchstone in my life; even more than having Sagan as a professor and mentor.
If you view it, be sure to also view Consider Again, Sagan’s follow-up in the video below. It is a thought-provoking observation of human-chauvinism throughout history—even among ancient Greeks. Carl isn’t the first atheist, of course. But he is eloquent in describing mankind’s ego trip: The delusion of a privileged place in the universe, or the religious depiction of God and his relationship with our species.
Related:
- Carl Sagan Pale Blue Dot, a most impactful short video
- Consider Again the Pale Blue Dot, the arrogance of man throughout history
- Scale of the Universe: Powers of 10 (Charles & Ray Eames)
- Learn more about Charles and Ray Eames at Snore & Guzzle
- Our Universe is Finely Tuned for Life—Why?
Credit: ▪ Josh Worth and Sachin Gadhave who offers an illustrative answer at Quora.com
Philip Raymond co-chairs Crypsa & Bitcoin Event, columnist & board member at Lifeboat, editor
at WildDuck and will deliver the keynote address at Digital Currency Summit in Johannesburg.