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[Teknoman]

http://www.physorg.com/news174918239.html

Jupiter's Moon Europa Has Enough Oxygen For Life

New research suggests that there is plenty of oxygen available in the subsurface ocean of Europa to support oxygen-based metabolic processes for life similar to that on Earth. In fact, there may be enough oxygen to support complex, animal-like organisms with greater oxygen demands than microorganisms.

If only we had the technology to punch through the ice layer and send back images of what was under there... at least in a short amount of time.

 

[Neo C.]

Bam! There are they! 32 new exoplanets discovered by an European team.

 

[spyshagg]

god I hope the goatse universe pic doesn't show up here

 

[Extollere]

Bam! There are they! 32 new exoplanets discovered by an European team.

Cool. I just wish we had the technology to take pictures of them 400 awesome planets, and nobody knows how awesome they look like.

 

[Neo C.]

Cool. I just wish we had the technology to take pictures of them 400 awesome planets, and nobody knows how awesome they look like.

Something like Google Earth would be awesome.
More money should be spent in research and development.

 

[nubbe]

http://www.physorg.com/news174918239.html

Jupiter's Moon Europa Has Enough Oxygen For Life

http://www.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/1-europahaseno.jpg

New research suggests that there is plenty of oxygen available in the subsurface ocean of Europa to support oxygen-based metabolic processes for life similar to that on Earth. In fact, there may be enough oxygen to support complex, animal-like organisms with greater oxygen demands than microorganisms.

If only we had the technology to punch through the ice layer and send back images of what was under there... at least in a short amount of time.
http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/europa.jpg

Not much hope for life unless there is an active core that produce heat in the liquids.

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

So, how long until Europa is the ski and snow sports resort of the solar system?

 

[Walshicus]

Just because Pluto isn't classified as a planet doesn't mean we aren't going to send missions to it. Hell, we've sent missions to comets!

(I know you're joking around, but I just can't help myself.)

I'm more offended by the lack of Ceres...

 

[fallout]

I'm more offended by the lack of Ceres...

Ceres sucks!

 

[Extollere]

Not much hope for life unless there is an active core that produce heat in the liquids.

The core should be hot since it's under immense pressure/gravity.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

Not much hope for life unless there is an active core that produce heat in the liquids.

Europa's shape changes due to Jupiter's massive gravitational pull. It's not always a perfect sphere. This stretching compressing will generate heat (same way Iio does). This is why there's massive cracks of ice on Europa.

 

[Extollere]

eheheh you said massive crack.

So, how long until Europa is the ski and snow sports resort of the solar system?

Until humans can evolve to cope with massive doses of radiation.

 

[shuyin_]

I'm pretty sure there's life in a lot of places in the universe, even intelligent life.

My theory regarding the Fermi paradox, is that due to physical limitations (not being able to ever reach the speed of light) these races can never meet.
Suppose there's an alien race close to us on a technological level, in Alpha Centauri (our nearest neighbour). The only means of communications between our two races would be EM transmissions (a la SETI) or probes.

Probes are basically a no-go, since it would take an endless amount of money for an interstellar probe mission and it would take at least 40 years to get there (though none of the propulsions that are theorized to reach 10% of the speed of light, are ready from a development pov). Now calculate the development costs needed to make a reality of these propulsion methods like Nuclear Pulse propulsion or Fusion Rockets (because for now, they can reach those 10% of c only in theory; there's a lot of years of work and money ahead before we'll have something functional).
In the end you'll have an astronomical budget for a single mission. I don't think any government can afford to invest that kind of money in an interstellar probe mission, but even if they did afford it, there is no administration on this earth that will invest a ridiculous amount of money for a mission whose results are not immediately evident.
Our most optimistic estimates give a 40 year journey 'till Alpha Centauri (and this 40 years are with a technology we don't currently have; don't be fooled by what people say: we don't have the ability to reach that 10% of c; there's only been one test if i'm not mistaken, codenamed project orion, and the conclusions were that the design needs to be improved to reach those 10%).

My estimate is that in the far future we'll be able to send interstellar probes to other star systems. Until then, maybe we can find another wow signal.

 

[Memphis Reigns]

Bam! There are they! 32 new exoplanets discovered by an European team.

Just saw this and holy shit! To me this is megaton-ish but it probably will make a small blip in the mainstream news

 

[AndersTheSwede]

Sup dudes, peace.

(Titan passing behind the small, icy Saturnian moon Tethys)

 

[fallout]

That is freaking cool.

 

[Windu]

Impressive. Most impressive.

 

[noah111]

Bam! There are they! 32 new exoplanets discovered by an European team.

Nice, I just saw a video on this earlier today.

Quite impressive when you think about it.. the variety of worlds we have found within such a short amount of time, in a pretty short range, with at least a few that may be life-sustainable.

Sup dudes, peace.

http://www.planetary.org/image/tethys_titan_cassini_20091017.gif[IMG]

(Titan passing behind the small, icy Saturnian moon Tethys)[/QUOTE]
Holly shit! That's just awesome. You know when this shot was taken exactly?

 

[Windu]

new Boston.com The Big Picture article.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/10/saturn_at_equinox.html

 

[Extollere]

Do you notice the few little twinkles of light after Titan passes? What's that.. stars? grain on the image?

 

[noah111]

Do you notice the few little twinkles of light after Titan passes? What's that.. stars? grain on the image?

Probably just stars or grain, remember the amount of time passing between each frame isn't a few seconds like it is in that GIF, things may change in the camera settings/position for all we know.

 

[yoopoo]

Big Piicture does Saturn and its moons http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/10/saturn_at_equinox.html

 

[kkaabboomm]

Big Piicture does Saturn and its moons http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/10/saturn_at_equinox.html

you didn't see this 3 posts before? no worries, because they are AMAZING pics, and you actually say WHAT Big Picture is showing, but still.

and that animated gif above of the moons is very cool

edit: BEHOLD SATURN

 

[Neverender]

golf ham

 

[Hootie]

Anyone else going to stay up to see the Orionid meteor shower?

Over here on the east coast I heard 1am-2am will be the best time to view it.

Hopefully I'll finally be able to see my first meteor shower!

 

[McNei1y]

Anyone else going to stay up to see the Orionid meteor shower?

Over here on the east coast I heard 1am-2am will be the best time to view it.

Hopefully I'll finally be able to see my first meteor shower!

I've never seen one either, always wanted to. I'm on the east coast as well, just don't really have a great viewing area.

 

[Hootie]

NOOO

I just checked the weather for my area and apparently theres gonna be clouds in the sky all night.

Damn.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

edit: BEHOLD SATURN

We can savour this, knowing that some moron will one day crash their ship right through the ring and mess it up forever!

 

[Escape Goat]

We can savour this, knowing that some moron will one day crash their ship right through the ring and mess it up forever!

Most of those rocks are size of houses or larger. Doubtful anyone could blow it up.

 

[DarkJediKnight]

Most of those rocks are size of houses or larger. Doubtful anyone could blow it up.

Bottom line is, we'll find some way to fuck it up because that's what we do.

 

[Escape Goat]

Bottom line is, we'll find some way to fuck it up because that's what we do.

Not to mention most are moving at hundres of miles per hour. Pieces the size of a screw would blow a hole in any craft before it could get inside the inner rings.


I'd be afraid of the day we could do something like that!

 

[McNei1y]

Not to mention most are moving at hundres of miles per hour. Pieces the size of a screw would blow a hole in any craft before it could get inside the inner rings.


I'd be afraid of the day we could do something like that!

Its science so its fact. Thats scary in itself.

 

[Windu]

Volunteers wanted for simulated 520-day Mars mission

 

[Scrow]

Volunteers wanted for simulated 520-day Mars mission

another one? there was something similar a few months back.

 

[Slightly Live]

Volunteers wanted for simulated 520-day Mars mission

Another Big Brother experiment? Jesus, they should at least throw in a Gameboy.

 

[gamergirly]

Volunteers wanted for simulated 520-day Mars mission

That's a longgggggggggg time without your loved one

 

[ChoklitReign]

What about the ion drive that can get a ship to Mars in less than a month?

 

[PrivateWHudson]

520 days to be on the first flight to Mars and walk on an alien planet, absolutely. 520 days to prove that someone else can go to Mars, no way...I'd lose my mind.

 

[sarcastor]

early this morning on top of Mount Tam trying to shoot some meteors. lying down on a cement road, looking straight up into the sky, you kinda have to wonder if anyone else is out there.

 

[olore]

Top ten thread of GAF. Quality triple-A allaround. Keep it up guys

 

[Walshicus]

Bottom line is, we'll find some way to fuck it up because that's what we do.

The rings aren't a stable state, so in thousands of years time they'll be gone anyway.

 

[Memphis Reigns]

early this morning on top of Mount Tam trying to shoot some meteors. lying down on a cement road, looking straight up into the sky, you kinda have to wonder if anyone else is out there.

I don't wonder, I know there are. I don't mean I have proof, but I just know. All life is connected. Life reaches out for life.

 

[noah111]

early this morning on top of Mount Tam trying to shoot some meteors. lying down on a cement road, looking straight up into the sky, you kinda have to wonder if anyone else is out there.

Awesome, where do you live if you don't mind me asking? (don't know where 'mount tam' is)

PS. We're not alone... never have been, never will be.

 

[Windu]

The universe is too big for just us. That would be a big waste of space.

Anyway, new APOD:

Moon and Planets in the Morning

Last Friday, a gathering of three bright planets and the Moon graced the morning sky. With Mercury, Venus, Saturn, and a narrow lunar crescent close to the eastern horizon in the dawn twilight, this picture of the beautiful conjunction was recorded near Noerdlingen, Germany. These planets are wandering apart now and Mercury is sinking closer toward the rising Sun. But if you also scan the rest of the sky this week you should be able to add Jupiter and Mars to your planet spotting list, with Mars rising around midnight and Jupiter shining brightly after sunset. In fact, if you want a better view of Jupiter than Galileo had, you might check out the 2009 International Year of Astronomy activities and events during these next few Galilean Nights (October 22-24).

edit: Here is a great article from Popular Science:

Inside Astronaut Boot Camp

What does it take to prep humans for a trip to an asteroid or a martian moon? Starvation? Isolation? Recycling feces for food? NASA's newest astronauts begin a grueling training regimen this fall to find out

 

[Dr Zhivago]

We can savour this, knowing that some moron will one day crash their ship right through the ring and mess it up forever!

Something messed up the rings in 1984...

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427303.600-what-shook-up-saturns-rings-in-1984.html

 

[sarcastor]

Awesome, where do you live if you don't mind me asking? (don't know where 'mount tam' is)

PS. We're not alone... never have been, never will be.

i'm in san francisco. mount tamalpais, or tam for short, is about 5 miles north of the golden gate bridge. hardly any light pollution at all.

 

[Neo C.]

Just saw this and holy shit! To me this is megaton-ish but it probably will make a small blip in the mainstream news

Basic Chemistry for Life Detected on Exoplanet HD 209458b.

And now we have the ingredients. Where's my alien dinosaur?

 

[noah111]

Basic Chemistry for Life Detected on Exoplanet HD 209458b.

And now we have the ingredients. Where's my alien dinosaur?

Already? Damn. We're definitely the only living things in this galaxy.

 

[fallout]

Already? Damn. We're definitely the only living things in this galaxy.

I've seen similar studies and I'm still rather suspect of their findings. Like, it could be something, but it could also be something else. Not saying it's not fucking cool, but I wouldn't get too excited yet.

 

[noah111]

I've seen similar studies and I'm still rather suspect of their findings. Like, it could be something, but it could also be something else. Not saying it's not fucking cool, but I wouldn't get too excited yet.

Of course, with stuff like this nothing is definitive, but i'm hopeful we'll find evidence within our lifetime as long as technology continues to develop and we're still on the face of the earth.