May 26, 2019

People May One Day Live on Mars in These NASA-Approved, 3D-Printed Homes—Take a Look Inside (Source: CNBC)
Humans have yet to even step foot on Mars, but architects are already designing homes people can live in on the distant planet for NASA. AI SpaceFactory, a “multi-planetary architectural and technology design agency” in New York City, designed a habitat called “Marsha,” which can be 3D-printed using materials available on the Red Planet. The design won NASA’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge this month. Take a look inside the Mars habitat, via renderings from AI SpaceFactory. Click here. (5/24)

How Much of Our Solar System Should be Protected Wilderness? (Source: CNET)
Our unsustainable way of life has brought us to a climatological tipping point here on Earth. Do we want to bring the same unsustainable practices with us as we step out into the solar system? Click here. (5/24)

Scientists Have Observed Eerie Sand Movements on Mars That Never Happen on Earth (Source: Science Alert)
Mars and Earth may have a lot of things in common, but the processes that sculpt their sand dunes are not among them. Exactly how Martian sand moves around crevasses and impact craters has been something of a mystery - but we might finally have a better idea. Planetary scientists have comprehensively revealed how the wild winds, thin atmosphere, temperature, and topography work together to shape the alien landscape - and how it differs from sand movement on Earth. This research could help in our plans for humanity's eventual trip to Mars.

In spite of the occasional planet-wide dust storm (RIP Opportunity), Martian winds in general don't tend to shift as much sand as you might expect. That's because the planet's atmosphere is thin and weak; in fact, the average surface atmospheric pressure is just 0.6 percent of Earth's sea-level atmospheric pressure. In turn, this makes the Red Planet's winds rather weak, too. "On Mars, there simply is not enough wind energy to move a substantial amount of material around on the surface," said planetary scientist Matthew Chojnacki of the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Lab. (5/24)

Space Travel Causes Joint Problems in Mice. But, What About Humans? (Source: Space.com)
After spending a month in space, a small group of mice returned to Earth with joint problems. Now scientists are wondering what that means for humans who go to space. Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit studied cartilage samples collected from six mice that spent a month in space on Russia's Bion-M1 spacecraft in 2013 to see how microgravity affected their joints.

Compared with mice that stayed on Earth — which the authors refer to as the "ground control mice" — the animals that went to space had degraded joint tissue by the end of their space mission. In humans, this type of tissue damage over time can lead to osteoarthritis, or degenerative joint disease. The researchers collected two different kinds of cartilage samples from the mice: articular cartilage, which cushions bone joints, and sternal cartilage, which connects the ribs to the breastbone. They found that the articular cartilage in the space-flown mice had degraded significantly, whereas the sternal cartilage had not. (5/24)

Comet Inspires Chemistry for Making Breathable Oxygen on Mars (Source: Phys.org)
Science fiction stories are chock full of terraforming schemes and oxygen generators for a very good reason—we humans need molecular oxygen (O2) to breathe, and space is essentially devoid of it. Even on other planets with thick atmospheres, O2 is hard to come by. So, when we explore space, we need to bring our own oxygen supply. That is not ideal because a lot of energy is needed to hoist things into space atop a rocket, and once the supply runs out, it is gone.

One place molecular oxygen does appear outside of Earth is in the wisps of gas streaming off comets. The source of that oxygen remained a mystery until two years ago when Konstantinos P. Giapis, a professor of chemical engineering at Caltech, and his postdoctoral fellow Yunxi Yao, proposed the existence of a new chemical process that could account for its production. Giapis, along with Tom Miller, professor of chemistry, have now demonstrated a new reaction for generating oxygen that Giapis says could help humans explore the universe and perhaps even fight climate change at home. More fundamentally though, he says the reaction represents a new kind of chemistry discovered by studying comets.

Most chemical reactions require energy, which is typically provided as heat. Giapis's research shows that some unusual reactions can occur by providing kinetic energy. When water molecules are shot like extremely tiny bullets onto surfaces containing oxygen, such as sand or rust, the water molecule can rip off that oxygen to produce molecular oxygen. This reaction occurs on comets when water molecules vaporize from the surface and are then accelerated by the solar wind until they crash back into the comet at high speed. (5/24)

SpaceX Reveals More Starlink Info (Source: Tech Crunch)
Elon Musk has been extremely tight-lipped about the Starlink satellites, only dropping a few hints here and there before the launch. We know, for instance, that each satellite weighs about 500 pounds, and are a flat-panel design that maximized the amount that can fit in each payload. The launch media kit also described a “Startracker” navigation system that would allow the satellites to locate themselves and orbital debris with precision. At the fresh new Starlink website, however, a few new details have appeared.

Thousands of satellites will move along their orbits simultaneously, each beaming internet to and from the surface in a given area. It’s still not clear exactly how big an area each satellite will cover, or how much redundancy will be required. The signal comes from and goes to a set of four “phased array” radio antennas. This compact, flat type of antenna can transmit in multiple directions and frequencies without moving like you see big radar dishes do. There are costs as well, but it’s a no-brainer for satellites that need to be small and only need to transmit in one general direction — down.

There’s only a single solar array, which unfolds upwards like a map. The merits of having only one are mainly related to simplicity and cost — having two gives you more power and redundancy if one fails. But if you’re going to make a few thousand of these things and replace them every couple of years, it probably doesn’t matter too much. Solar arrays are reliable standard parts now. (5/24)

There’s Something Strange Going On Amid the Satellite Internet Rush (Source: Ars Technica)
There is a controversy quietly simmering at the Federal Communications Commission. In a somewhat bizarre situation, the founder and chairman of OneWeb has founded a second company to compete with himself. In response, other companies proposing satellite constellations have objected, which has added considerable spice to an already heated battle for valuable spectrum. Greg Wyler is the founder and executive chairman of OneWeb. He retains about 12 percent ownership in the company and remains its public face.

However, Wyler has now founded yet another company, SOM1101, that seeks to launch and operate a satellite Internet service. Wyler owns 100 percent of this new company. The existence of Wyler's new company came to light after Boeing filed an application in December 2017 to the FCC. Boeing had previously indicated its own interest in building satellites for a constellation, and it was among the companies petitioning the FCC for access to V-band and Ka-band frequencies in the microwave portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. With the new request to the FCC, Boeing sought to transfer its applications for spectrum access to SOM1101.

This petition has been met by opposition from other companies seeking to provide satellite Internet service, including O3b, Iridium, Telesat Canada, SpaceX, and others. The primary objection these companies raised is that, under FCC rules, a party may not apply for more than one satellite system license in a particular frequency band—a prohibition against multiple ownership. In this case, Wyler is seeking to access the Ka- and V-bands both through OneWeb, where he remains executive chairman, and his new company, SOM1101. (5/23)

A NASA Architect Designed a Camper (Source: Popular Mechanics)
Taxa Outdoors’ campers and trailers all have a similar look. They’re alien and angular, like a Lego Bionicle action figure. There’s more than a little Chinese-­takeout-container influence there, too. And then, on the inside: pure spaceship. That last one makes sense when you consider that the company’s founder and designer, Garrett Finney, used to be the senior architect at the NASA Habitability Design Center. He focused on making astronauts comfortable and productive in the cramped confines of the International Space Station.

That meant addressing questions such as where would I put a picture of my family? or how do I change my clothes? without upsetting the tight balance of energy, efficiency, and resource needs that the ISS already had. And it worked. Finney’s insights helped astronauts limit stress, deal with unforeseen issues, and, ultimately, stay more productive—all things that, sure, to a slightly less life-or-death extent, also apply to camping. (5/25)

Almost A Billion-Years-Old New Fungus Discovered Which Might Redefine Evolutionary Timeline (Source: Truth Theory)
Researchers have come across the fossils of fungus which has been dated to be almost a billion-years-old! This makes it practically two times older than any fungi specimen ever found. The specimen called the Ourasphaira giraldae was discovered in a place called the Grassy Bay Formation situated in the Canadian Arctic. The team was headed by Corentin Loron, who is a student pursuing his Ph.D. at Université de Liège. The team recognized the main fungal properties in tiny micrometer-scale fossils gathered from uncharted shale.

This major scientific finding was declared in the scientific daily Nature on Wednesday. It also suggests that other organism of eukaryotic variety might have also co-existed at the same period of time. As per Loron, fungi happen to be the most nearby kin to other animals. This discovery can truly change the perception of our planet today. Because the two species, in addition to other eukaryotic sets, still exist today. (5/24)

Astronomer Believes Planet 9 Was Ejected From the Solar System (Source: Express)
Planet nine was forcibly ejected out of the solar system by Saturn or Jupiter, an astronomer has shockingly revealed about the theoretical Planet 9. Planet Nine is a theoretical world lurking in the darkness of space in the far fringes of the solar system, beyond the so-called Kuiper Belt – an asteroid belt past the orbit of Neptune. Astronomers are certain an object 10 times the mass of Earth exists beyond the Kuiper belt because of the way certain asteroids appear to clump together.

According to NASA, Planet Nine checks out mathematically but to date, there have been no physical observations of the mystery planet. And yet, researchers at Caltech are positive it is only a matter of time before we hunt down Planet Nine. One of these optimistic scientists is Dr Michael Brown, who originally prosed the Planet Nine theory in 2016. He is fairly certain of the planet’s origin, stating it formed alongside the icy world of Neptune. However, unlike Neptune, Planet Nine was not afforded the luxury of staying within the boundaries of the solar system.

“We think it formed at the same time alongside Uranus and Neptune but then got a little bit too close to Saturn or a little too close to Jupiter and got ejected out to the outskirts of the solar system. We think it formed there and we think it’s like Neptune.” Dr Brown went on to explain how Planet Nine follows an elliptic orbit of the Sun, coming at times close to the Kuiper Belt. The scientist estimates the rogue planet orbits the Sun from a distance between 100,000au and 200,000au, where just one au or astronomical unit measures 93 million miles. (5/22)

Eighteen Earth-Sized Exoplanets Discovered (Source: Phys.org)
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), the Georg August University of Göttingen, and the Sonneberg Observatory have discovered 18 Earth-sized planets beyond the solar system. The worlds are so small that previous surveys had overlooked them. One of them is one of the smallest known so far; another one could offer conditions friendly to life. The researchers re-analyzed a part of the data from NASA's Kepler Space Telescope with a new and more sensitive method that they developed. The team estimates that their new method has the potential of finding more than 100 additional exoplanets in the Kepler mission's entire data set. (5/22)

Lunar Gold Rush is About to Start – and We Could Exhaust the Solar System in Less Than 500 Year (Source: The Conversation)
A new study suggests that, to avoid material exhaustion of the solar system, humans ought to limit ourselves to developing just one-eighth of the available resources. As we may be witnessing the start of a new lunar gold rush of sorts, this new proposal may be put to the test sooner than we think – and the moon will serve as an early test bed. Click here. (5/23)

Elon Musk Was Paid More in 2018 Than the Next 65 Highest-Paid CEOs Combined (Source: Business Insider)
CEOs make a lot of money, but Elon Musk blew his competition out of the water in 2018, according to a new study by The New York Times. The study, done with the executive compensation consultancy Equilar, looked at compensation for CEOs at 200 large publicly-traded companies last year. According to the report, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was awarded nearly $2.3 billion last year, largely in the form of stock options. The next-highest CEO on the list, Discovery's David M. Zaslav, made $129 million. (5/24)

The Fight for the First Footprint on the Moon (Source: The Guardian)
It is clear that for the first few months of 1969 Aldrin believed that he would be first. He said he had never given it much thought and that he had naturally presumed it would be him. He was perhaps right to believe it: NASA’s associate administrator had told several people, including some members of the press, that he would make the first footprint. But word began to filter out that it would be Armstrong. Aldrin was angry: Armstrong was a civilian. It would be an insult to the service. Aldrin was technically still a member of the Air Force, though he had not served for 10 years, except to maintain his flying hours. So he approached Armstrong, who responded that he "didn’t want to rule out the possibility of going first.”

Aldrin talked to colleagues; for some it was seen as lobbying behind the scenes. Gene Cernan (the last person to walk on the moon) said: “He came flapping into my office at the Manned Spaceflight Center one day like an angry stork, laden with charts and graphs and statistics, arguing what he considered to be obvious – that he, the lunar module pilot, and not Neil Armstrong, should be the first down the ladder on Apollo 11. Since I shared an office with Neil Armstrong, who was away training that day, I found Aldrin’s arguments both offensive and ridiculous.”

flight director Chris Kraft explained NASA’s thinking. He said they knew damn well that the first guy on the moon was going to be a modern-day Charles Lindbergh. Armstrong was calm, quiet and had absolute confidence. He knew he was the Lindbergh type. He had no ego. On the other hand, Aldrin desperately wanted the honor and wasn’t quiet in letting it be known. Kraft added that nobody criticized Aldrin but that they did not want him to be humanity’s ambassador. (5/25)