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[cjdunn]

Now you see the ice, now you don't:

(link)

NASA Spacecraft Sees Ice on Mars Exposed by Meteor Impacts
09.24.09

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed frozen water hiding just below the surface of mid-latitude Mars. The spacecraft's observations were obtained from orbit after meteorites excavated fresh craters on the Red Planet.

 

[Goldrusher]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNrYvLlhA4g Sweetnass...the zoom in that starts around 1:22 is amazing.

That messed up my vision for a while. It's like my screen kept moving away from me. :lol

 

[Dizzy-4U]

This is by far the most amazing thread I've seen in my life and I have to admit that some of the pictures made my eyes a little wetty.

I spent the last 6 hours reading every reply, I'm on page 25 right now, but I needed a break to digest all this. Congratulations on everyone who contributed to this thread, I've learned soo much in the past hours.

Keep this alive forever GAF.

 

[expy]

Now you see the ice, now you don't:

(link)

They never specified exactly what created the crater. It could've been a comet as well, in which case the ice was delivered from space. Too bad Mars' thin atmosphere can't keep the frozen substance in that state.

 

[Windu]

US students take stunning images of Earth from space on a shoestring

MIT student Oliver Yeh spends less than $150 on a camera, a phone, a coolbox and a weather balloon to take photographs

An American science student has captured images of the curvature of the Earth after sending a balloon into space on a shoestring budget.

Oliver Yeh spent less than $150 (£93) on a secondhand camera, a GPS-enabled mobile phone, a weather balloon and a polystyrene coolbox which he launched from a field in Massachusetts as part of a science project.

The result was a time-lapse array of stunning photographs from the edge of space that could easily have come from Nasa, with its $17bn annual budget.

Yeh, a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, enlisted two friends to help with Project Icarus, which he dreamed up to prove that it was possible to reach the upper levels of the atmosphere even on a tight budget.

"For me, it was just about not being afraid to do what I love to do," the 20-year-old told CNN. "Before, people were just kind of, 'That's a crazy idea; there he goes all over again.'"

The camera, which Yeh bought on eBay, was positioned inside the coolbox to protect it from -40C temperatures 17.6 miles above the Earth's surface. He cut a small hole for the lens then hooked the camera up to a computer programme that instructed it to take photographs every five seconds. He also placed a phone inside that broadcast its co-ordinates to help the team find and retrieve the device when the helium-filled balloon popped and it returned to Earth on a parachute.

The students launched the balloon on 2 September near their college. They expected the flight to last five hours, but soon lost contact with it, fearing that the low temperatures had frozen the phone's battery.

They later rediscovered the signal and found the camera undamaged 25 miles from the launch area. The team has since collated the hundreds of photographs taken during the flight into a video that they posted on YouTube and on their own website.

Yeh says his favourite image is the one taken at the peak of the flight, 17.5 miles from the Earth's surface, just as the balloon popped and the camera began its descent.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/sep/21/mit-students-budget-space-photographs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCBBRRp9DOQ&feature=player_embedded

 

[expy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCBBRRp9DOQ&feature=player_embedded

He's lucky his contraption didn't get sucked into a plane's engines. :lol

 

[fallout]

The result was a time-lapse array of stunning photographs from the edge of space that could easily have come from Nasa, with its $17bn annual budget.

I take a bit of issue with this. NASA generates those images only to gain public support and if you're going to take this stance, you should recognize that putting those cameras on probes and whatnot is typically a waste of money when it could have been better spent on scientific equipment.

... not that I don't appreciate the pretty pictures.

 

[Lucky Forward]

That's why I couldn't get into Universe. Seems like a show made for 14 year old ADD kids. I'll just keep watching reruns of Cosmos.

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I did a blind-buy of the blu-ray, and I couldn't get past the second episode. Too many celestial bodies zooming and colliding and exploding.

 

[Windu]

Looking to start your own satellite TV station? Perhaps you want to take your stalking of your ex to the next level. Well, if you have $8,000, Interorbital Systems can help make that happen.

The Mojave, California based company is planning to start sending NEPTUNE 30 rockets into low-earth orbit, and they'll sell you a spot on board for a relatively cheap price. Here's CEO Randa Milliron on how this works:

The scenario goes like this: the builder pays IOS $8000 for the kit/launch combo, builds the kit, sends IOS the completed satellite for testing, inspection, and integration into the NEPTUNE 30 rocket. It is then launched. Lift off is not via your very colorful description of candles or hot air, but with four pillars of fire generating 40,000 pounds of thrust. It launches into a circular 310km polar low-earth-orbit (LEO) from the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga.

When a person buys a kit, ideally he or she has an experiment, task, performance, or other use in mind for the satellite. It's really for people with a good set of electronics and programming skills, or for those who want to learn and prove their skills in the field. It can be used as a team building exercise or a solitary triumph. It's the ultimate educational tool that allows the user to do real space-based orbital science at what are (comparatively) dollar store prices. Somehow, the bragging rights of being able to say, "I just sent my first satellite to space and it said hello to me!" are a far better return on investment than most other purchase options.

Sounds interesting! Whether or not this will all actually, you know, happen, remains to be seen.

http://gizmodo.com/5368010/launch-your-own-satellite-into-orbit-for-only-8000

http://www.hplusmagazine.com/articles/air-space/8k-personal-satellite-and-other-space-adventures

 

[Smiles and Cries]

How gorgeous is Amy Mainzer on The Universe??? And smart to boot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQP_w3dV44Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QZrOHuYV4A&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHDXjjCN5Oc

I really need full eps of this show online (no tv)

 

[Windu]

I really need full eps of this show online (no tv)

http://www.hulu.com/the-universe

http://www.history.com/content/universe/the-universe-video

 

[Smiles and Cries]

http://www.hulu.com/the-universe

http://www.history.com/content/universe/the-universe-video

thank you

 

[Memphis Reigns]

This is by far the most amazing thread I've seen in my life and I have to admit that some of the pictures made my eyes a little wetty.

I spent the last 6 hours reading every reply, I'm on page 25 right now, but I needed a break to digest all this. Congratulations on everyone who contributed to this thread, I've learned soo much in the past hours.

Keep this alive forever GAF.

It really is a great thread and its good to see that its informative. If anything this world needs a good boost of Universe knowledge. Most of my friends don't know the structure of star<solar system<galaxy<known universe.

 

[fallout]

It really is a great thread and its good to see that its informative. If anything this world needs a good boost of Universe knowledge.

Hey, that's what's so great about astronomy and physics. There should be no shame in not knowing anything, but there should be shame in not making the attempt to spread knowledge. One kid once asked me: "How do you know so much about this stuff?" when I was giving a tour at the observatory I used to work at. My reply: "By not knowing everything."

You're not always going to be successful, as some people honestly just do not give a shit, but you have to approach it in a certain way that's appealing to someone who has never been exposed. I do sidewalk astronomy (plopping your telescope down in a park somewhere and asking random strangers to come have a look) from time to time and the reactions you get when you ask someone if they'd like to look at something like the Moon or Jupiter are quite hilarious. You get some people who think you're just wasting their time, while others will politely accept with feigned interest. The best are the ones that aren't expecting anything and look completely disinterested, then have a look and are amazed at what they see.

And actually, it's almost always a successful endeavour. There are a lot of curious minds out there.

Most of my friends don't know the structure of star<solar system<galaxy<known universe.

Actually, you can expand that to ...<galaxy<galaxy clusters<galaxy superclusters! Feel free to enjoy this mindblowing diagram:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large-scale_structure_of_the_cosmos#Diagrams

 

[Windu]

Here are the last few Boston.com "The Big Picture" astronomy articles:

Recent scenes from the ISS (June 26th, 2009)

High above Russia's Kuril Islands, astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) look down on erupting Sarychev Peak Volcano (plume in center, left) on Matua Island and its brownish ash mixing with cloud cover downwind on June 12, 2009. Part of the ISS, a Soyuz module, is visible in the foreground. (NASA/JSC)

Remembering Apollo 11 (July 15th, 2009)

The view from the Apollo 11 Command and Service Module (CSM) "Columbia" shows the Earth rising above the Moon's horizon on July 20th, 1969. The lunar terrain pictured is in the area of Smyth's Sea on the nearside. (NASA)

The longest solar eclipse of the century (July 22nd, 2009)

People watch the solar eclipse on the peak of Malu Mountain in Liuzhou, China on July 22, 2009. A total solar eclipse covered a narrow path across Asia, where it darkened skies for millions of people for more than six minutes in some places. (REUTERS/China Daily)

And ItvNews.com has a article on the "50 greatest Space Photos ever" (many of them have already been covered in this thread though)

http://www.itvnews.tv/Blog/Blog/the-50-greatest-space-photos-ever.html

They have a few cool ones like these two:

This one-meter resolution satellite image of Manhattan, New York was collected at 11:43 a.m. EDT on Sept. 12, 2001 by Space Imaging's IKONOS satellite. The image shows an area of white dust and smoke at the location where the 1,350-foot towers of the World Trade Center once stood. Since all aircraft were grounded following the attack on America it's the only high-resolution 'view from above' of the fire and destruction of the twin towers. Click here to zoom into the satellite image of the clean-up and rebuilding efforts at ground zero in New York City.

Look carefully: You can just make out Air Force Colonel Joseph Kittinger, Jr. in a record-shattering free fall from the very edge of space on August 16, 1960, after jumping from a balloon-supported gondola 102,800 feet above New Mexico. During his descent, Kittinger reached approximate speeds of 614 miles an hour. The clouds beneath him are 15 miles away. Kittinger's leap was part of the Air Force's "Project Excelsior," which conducted research into high altitude bailouts from aircraft. Incredibly, almost 50 years later, Kittinger's record for the longest-ever free fall and highest parachute jump still stand.

And here is today's APOD photo:

Water has been discovered on the surface of the Moon. No lakes have been found, but rather NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper aboard India's new Chandrayaan-1 lunar orbiter radios back that parts of the Moon's surface absorb a very specific color of light identified previously only with water. Currently, scientists are trying to fit this with other facts about the Moon to figure out how much water is there, and even what form this water takes. Unfortunately, even the dampest scenarios leave our moon dryer than the driest of Earth's deserts. A fascinating clue being debated is whether the water signal rises and falls during a single lunar day. If true, the signal might be explainable by hydrogen flowing out from the Sun and interacting with oxygen in the lunar soil. This could leave an extremely thin monolayer of water, perhaps only a few molecules thick. Some of the resulting water might subsequently evaporate away in bright sunlight. Pictured above, the area near a crater on the far side of the Moon shows a relatively high abundance of water-carrying minerals in false-color blue. Next week, the new LCROSS satellite will release an impactor that will strike a permanently shadowed crater near the lunar south pole to see if any hidden water or ice sprays free there.

Also here is a interesting article about cleaning up the satelites in orbit:

Sept. 25, 2009 -- James Hollopeter of GIT Satellite has a plan for getting rid of orbiting junk. He wants to launch rocket-loads of water into space to create a liquid wall for debris to slam into, so the pieces can slow down and eventually drop out of orbit.

Launched on ballistic flight paths that quickly re-enter the atmosphere, the water wouldn't add to the debris problem, unlike some other proposals to clean up space. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency known as DARPA wants to hear about them all.

The agency last week issued a request for ideas to clean up orbital debris, a problem that has skyrocketed since China intentionally blew up a defunct satellite as part of a weapons test in 2007 and the orbital collision of two communications spacecraft earlier this year.

"Since January 2007 we have experienced a nearly 50 percent increase in the number of cataloged debris objects," DARPA wrote in its solicitation.

The government's Space Surveillance Network currently tracks more than 20,000 objects in orbit around Earth, 94 percent of which are classified as debris. And those are just the pieces big enough to track. There are estimated to be hundreds of thousands of objects smaller than about 10 centimeters across that literally slip beneath the radar.

While hurling water into space is a decidedly low-tech affair, Hollopeter says that is one of its advantages.

"In less than 18 months, I could do a demonstration mission," he told Discovery News. "The pacing item would be getting the paperwork approval through NASA."

The so-called Ballistic Orbital Removal System could be operated inexpensively by launching water on decommissioned missiles out of suborbital launch complexes, such as NASA's Wallops Island in Virginia, he added.
The DARPA solicitation so far has attracted interest from 11 firms, including prime aerospace contractor Boeing, NASA's Space Science and Technology Center at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama, and several small firms.

"The debris is becoming more pronounced and more important," said B.J. Austin, president of Indiana-based In Space. "In order to preserve space for future generations, we need to mitigate debris."

Proposals are due by Wednesday.

DARPA, which does not plan on awarding a contract at this time, declined to be interviewed.

"We need more time to gather information to see what direction this study points us in before we're ready to engage in further discussions," an agency spokesman said.

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/09/25/space-debris-cleaning.html

 

[Extollere]

Holy SHIIiiiiiiiiii-

Through three giant images, the GigaGalaxy Zoom project reveals the full sky as it appears with the unaided eye from one of the darkest deserts on Earth, then zooms in on a rich region of the Milky Way using a hobby telescope, and finally uses the power of a professional telescope to reveal the details of an iconic nebula.

In the framework of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) ESO's GigaGalaxy Zoom project aimed at connecting the sky as seen by the unaided eye with that seen by hobby and professional astronomers. The project reveals three amazing, ultra-high-resolution images of the night sky that online stargazers can zoom in on and explore in an incredible level of detail.

The GigaGalaxy Zoom project thus illustrates the vision of IYA2009, which is to help people rediscover their place in the Universe through the day- and night-time sky.

With GigaGalaxy Zoom, users can learn more about the many different exciting objects in the three images, such as multicoloured nebulae and exploding stars, just by clicking on them. They can also delve into the starscapes using a "zoomify" tool and download the images. After all three images have been unveiled, the public will be able to explore a magnificently detailed cosmic environment at many scales. The reward is the most breathtaking dive ever made into our Galaxy, linking the sky seen by all with the cosmos studied by astronomers.

Goddam this site is amazing!

http://www.gigagalaxyzoom.org/B.html
Click on zoom-in (upper left corner of the image by discover) to enable a scroll that lets you zoom in to incredible detail. It's pretty staggering! On the top right of the page are the three images you can zoom into. Individual box areas can be clicked to learn more about each area.

You can also watch a video about the project here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN7ken0bXYg&feature=sub

Sweet Mercy I am gonna waste some hours here..

The full uncompressed images are 800 million pixels :lol I gotta see that shit..

 

[Memphis Reigns]

Hey, that's what's so great about astronomy and physics. There should be no shame in not knowing anything, but there should be shame in not making the attempt to spread knowledge. One kid once asked me: "How do you know so much about this stuff?" when I was giving a tour at the observatory I used to work at. My reply: "By not knowing everything."

You're not always going to be successful, as some people honestly just do not give a shit, but you have to approach it in a certain way that's appealing to someone who has never been exposed. I do sidewalk astronomy (plopping your telescope down in a park somewhere and asking random strangers to come have a look) from time to time and the reactions you get when you ask someone if they'd like to look at something like the Moon or Jupiter are quite hilarious. You get some people who think you're just wasting their time, while others will politely accept with feigned interest. The best are the ones that aren't expecting anything and look completely disinterested, then have a look and are amazed at what they see.

And actually, it's almost always a successful endeavour. There are a lot of curious minds out there.

Actually, you can expand that to ...<galaxy<galaxy clusters<galaxy superclusters! Feel free to enjoy this mindblowing diagram:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large-scale_structure_of_the_cosmos#Diagrams

Well you could have also expanded stars<star clusters<star superclusters but yeah I do not expect the average person to know a highly detailed description about the structure of the universe, just as far as the basic's that I mentioned. I wish I was making this up but not too long ago a friend needed clarification that our solar system was actually part of something bigger called a galaxy. This is supposed to be 2009.

 

[Windu]

NGC 4522 (click for bigger)



NGC 4402 (click for bigger)

Newly released images from the Hubble Space Telescope show two galaxies that are moving so fast that gas within the galaxies is being stripped away.

The two galaxies, NGC 4522 and NGC 4402, are located in the Virgo galaxy cluster, about 60 million light years from Earth.

Astronomers estimate that NGC 4522 is moving within the cluster at more than 10 million km/h, or nearly 2,800 kilometres every second.

Because the space within the cluster isn't empty, but filled with a very thin mixture of gases called the intracluster medium, the galaxy's movement is creating drag, in the same way that a rider on a speeding motorcycle will feel wind, even on a calm day.

The drag, or ram pressure, is stripping gases out of the galaxy, leaving a ghostly shadow behind. The Hubble images show new stars forming in bright blue clusters in the cloud of gas being left behind the galaxy.

An image of another galaxy, NGC 4402, also shows signs of ram pressure: a curved disc of gas and dust being pushed out of the galaxy.

The images were taken by the Advanced Camera for Surveys on Hubble before it broke down in 2007. Astronauts were able to restore the camera during a 13-day mission to the telescope in May 2009.

Studying how ram pressure strips gas out of galaxies in these galactic clusters helps astronomers understand the forces that cause galaxies to form and evolve over time.

 

[EatChildren]

So crazy pretty.

 

[nubbe]

The universe is full of mysteries and we are stuck on this shithole

We need to go to Mars ASAP and get that Martian tech for interstellar travel.

 

[Windu]

Messenger recently flew by Mercury again, here are some images (click for bigger):

On September 29, 2009, the MESSENGER spacecraft will pass by Mercury for the third time, flying 141.7 miles above the planet’s rocky surface for a final gravity assist that will enable it to enter orbit about Mercury in 2011. With more than 90 percent of the planet’s surface imaged, the team will turn its instruments on specific features and uncover more information about the planet closest to the Sun. The first two flybys of Mercury revealed new, previously unseen terrain. During this encounter, the MESSENGER camera will again image the planet, including a small amount of never-before-seen surface, providing better resolution for some regions previously imaged. With this third flyby, instruments will also target interesting areas identified in the second flyby for more detailed spectral measurements as well. And depending upon the Sun, MESSENGER may get yet another unique snapshot of how the planet interacts with conditions in interplanetary space driven by the Sun’s behavior.

http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/mer_flyby3.html

 

[operon]

Just found this thread subscribed

 

[KittyKittyBangBang]

I'm taking Astronomy this semester

This is one class I regret not taking in college.

 

[Extollere]

The universe is full of mysteries and we are stuck on this shithole

We need to go to Mars ASAP and get that Martian tech for interstellar travel.

Tell me about it. On a slightly related note, I got to flip through this last night (want to pick up a copy now) http://www.exodyssey.com/ It's a visual development book about early space exploration and colonization of mars. The visual concepts are entirely fictional and bear little if any resemblance to real life tech. Interesting read none the less...

 

[Windu]

This is one class I regret not taking in college.

I took it, I was extremely bored. I think it was mainly because of the teacher, all he did was read his notes word for word off the projector screen.

 

[Memphis Reigns]

So crazy pretty.

Something about those young blue starts forming in the left over dust is very...I don't know the word to describe it. But these stars are forming even in these odd conditions. The process of formation is the same but all it needs are those same few ingredients and catalyst and BOOM a fucking star. Just seems too easy, I dont know.

 

[Orpheon]

Unbelievable Galactic panorama from Earth's position in the Milky Way -> http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=375821

 

[Jamesfrom818]

The theme of the next episode of The Universe is space wars.

...

=\

 

[DarkJediKnight]

The theme of the next episode of The Universe is space wars.

...

=\

That show is shit! It's made for dumb down morons!

 

[Windu]

Comet and Orion

These colorful panels both feature a familiar northern hemisphere astronomical sight: the stellar nursery known as the Great Orion Nebula. They also offer an intriguing and unfamiliar detail of the nebula rich skyscape -- a passing comet. Recorded this weekend with a remotely operated telescope in New Mexico, the right hand image was taken on September 26 and the left on September 27. Comet 217P Linear sports an extended greenish tail and lies above the bluish Running Man reflection nebula near the top of both frames. Nearby and moving rapidly through the night sky, the comet's position clearly shifts against the cosmic nebulae and background stars from one night to the next. In fact, the comet was a mere 5 light-minutes away on September 27, compared to 1,500 light-years for the Orion Nebula. Much too faint to be seen with the unaided eye, Comet 217P Linear is a small periodic comet with an orbital period of about 8 years. At its most distant point from the Sun, the comet's orbit is calculated to reach beyond the orbit of Jupiter At its closest point to the Sun, the comet still lies just beyond the orbit of planet Earth.

 

[Jamesfrom818]

That show is shit! It's made for dumb down morons!

It used to be good.

=(

 

[Windu]

here are some more Mercury images from the recent Messenger flyby: (click for bigger)

Mercury's surface is covered with craters in many sizes and arrangements, the result of impacts that have occurred over billions of years. In the top center of the image, outlined in a white box and shown in the enlargement at upper right, is a cluster of impact craters on Mercury that appears coincidentally to resemble a giant paw print. In the “heel” are overlapping craters, made by a series of impacts occurring on top of each other over time. The four “toes” are single craters arranged in an arc northward of the "heel." The “toes” don't overlap so it isn't possible to tell their ages relative to each other. The newly identified pit-floor crater can be seen in the center of the main image as the crater containing a depression shaped like a backward and upside-down comma.

The above MESSENGER images were taken on approach to Mercury during the spacecraft’s second (left) and third (right) flybys. The image from the second flyby was featured in an earlier release. The image on the right was taken about 75 minutes before MESSENGER’s closest approach. The two images cover very nearly the same terrain, but for the right image the Sun’s illumination is more nearly grazing (local time is almost sunset) and the viewing perspective of the spacecraft is more nearly vertical. The large impact crater bisected with a prominent scarp or cliff is the same feature in both images. Because of Mercury’s rotation between the two encounters, the position of the crater in the right image is nearly at the terminator (the division between the dayside and night side of the planet), and thus the shadows are longer. The near-grazing illumination emphasizes the topography of the crater floor, including the relief of the wrinkle ridges on either side of the large scarp. To the west of the crater, the shadows and viewing angle show that the terrain is far more rugged than it appeared from the second flyby.

Humans have now had three views of the bright area shown near the top center of this image. The first view was as a mere tiny bright spot seen in telescopic images of Mercury obtained from Earth by astronomer Ronald Dantowitz. The second view was obtained by the MESSENGER Narrow Angle Camera during the spacecraft's second Mercury flyby on October 6, 2008. At that time, the bright feature was just on the planet's limb (edge) as seen from MESSENGER. Now MESSENGER has provided a new, even better view. The geometry of MESSENGER's third Mercury flyby allows us to see the feature and its surroundings in greater detail, including the smooth plains in the foreground and the rim of a newly discovered impact basin at lower left. Surprisingly, at the center of the bright halo is an irregular depression, which may have formed through volcanic processes. Color images from MESSENGER's Wide Angle Camera reveal that the irregular depression and bright halo have distinctive color. This area will be of particular interest for further observation during MESSENGER's orbital operations starting in 2011.

This image shows a double-ring impact basin, with another large impact crater on its south-southwestern side. Smaller, more recent impacts formed comparatively fresh craters across the entire surface visible in this image. The floor within the inner or peak ring appears to be smoother than the floor between the peak ring and the outer rim, possibly the result of lava flows that partially flooded the basin some time after impact. Double-ring basins are formed when a large meteoroid strikes the surface of a rocky planet.

This newly observed flat-floored crater was viewed at an oblique angle as MESSENGER approached Mercury for its third flyby, about two hours from closest approach. This crater is younger than nearby craters of similar size, indicated by the distinctive halo of small secondary craters that radiate outward from the central structure. Many of these secondaries are aligned in chain-like formations and some show characteristic “herringbone” features pointing back to the crater of origin. Crater chains are just one of many ejecta types observed on Mercury. Other ejecta features include distinct continuous ejecta and crater rays, which are composed of both ejecta and secondaries. Another ejecta feature of note in this mosaic of two images is a zone of lighter terrain extending a bit west of north from the crater itself, possibly providing information about the direction of impact. This unnamed crater is partially superposed on an older and smaller crater to the south.

http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/mer_flyby3.html

 

[Slayer-33]

saving thread.

 

[Hootie]

Hey SpaceGAF...I need help getting an idea for my senior project. I want to do something either space or politics related, so do any of you have some suggestions if I were to go the space route?

 

[fallout]

Hey SpaceGAF...I need help getting an idea for my senior project. I want to do something either space or politics related, so do any of you have some suggestions if I were to go the space route?

What kind of project is it? Either way, the Kepler mission is pretty exciting. You could discuss previous methods for discovering exoplanets, maybe talk about the discovery of Neptune and then go into how Kepler works. If it sounds interesting, fire me off a PM and I'll try to get you going in the right direction on it.

 

[Hootie]

What kind of project is it? Either way, the Kepler mission is pretty exciting. You could discuss previous methods for discovering exoplanets, maybe talk about the discovery of Neptune and then go into how Kepler works. If it sounds interesting, fire me off a PM and I'll try to get you going in the right direction on it.

Well it's just the standard high school senior project. Pick a topic, pose an "essential question", work with a mentor and do at least 16 hours of fieldwork, write a research paper, and then make a 15 minute oral presentation.

As of now I only have a couple of very very basic possible topic choices. Stuff like the question of whether we should return to the Moon or go straight to Mars, and the question of the benefits and shortcomings of human space exploration against robotic exploration.

The whole thing with Kepler, while very interesting, seems like it might be a bit too in-depth and complicated for a senior project topic.

 

[fallout]

As of now I only have a couple of very very basic possible topic choices. Stuff like the question of whether we should return to the Moon or go straight to Mars, and the question of the benefits and shortcomings of human space exploration against robotic exploration.

This sounds excellent! Robert Zubrin has a lot of interesting things to say about the topic. He's a little steadfast about his approach, which can be a little overbearing at times, but I think he's worth looking into. The robotics angle is a good one, too ... maybe look at the overall scientific merit of the Apollo missions (not something that's easy to quantify, so I wouldn't be too conclusive about it) versus the cost.

The whole thing with Kepler, while very interesting, seems like it might be a bit too in-depth and complicated for a senior project topic.

Agreed.

 

[jiggle]

new saturn ring discovered far far FAR away from the planet :O
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33201406/ns/technology_and_science-space/

 

[abstract alien]

Just read about this. Sometimes the scope of things in space is just too big to see at first. That ring is so far away from the planet its crazy.

 

[Twig]

Wow that's amazing.

 

[Averon]

Plasma Rocket Could Travel to Mars in 39 Days

http://www.physorg.com/news174031552.html.

I've recently being informed about the VASMIR plasma rocket. I'm really rooting for Ad Astra. If this Rocket is only half as good as hoped, it'll still be a huge help to long term manned space flight. Exciting times for private space companies

 

[jett]

Where are the pictures of the moonsplosion? :|

 

[fallout]

Where are the pictures of the moonsplosion? :|

Not the impressive, unfortunately. More info here: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap091010.html

 

[Lost Fragment]

 

[ChoklitReign]

Ha, CA$25,000 for a one-way trip to Titan. Is he gonna buy a methane-powered car from a Titanian?

 

[shuyin_]

not afraid of heights :lol

 

[MaximumX2]

:lol I hope the guy who posted that ad isn't serious.

 

[speedpop]

That additional Saturn ring is nuts.

 

[DrForester]

 

[Lost Fragment]

50 years of space travel