Extreme Life Forms Might be Able to Survive on Eccentric Exoplanets http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/universe20120911.html
It sucks that Kepler is broken and they've had to change their mission. Reaction wheel saga In July 2012, one of Kepler's four reaction wheels (wheel 2) failed.[21] On May 11, 2013, a second wheel (wheel 4) failed, threatening the continuation of the mission, as three wheels are necessary for its planet hunting.[13][14] Kepler has not collected science data since May because it is not able to point with sufficient accuracy.[127] On July 18 and 22 reaction wheels 4 and 2 were tested respectively; wheel 4 only rotated counter-clockwise but wheel 2 ran in both directions, albeit with significantly elevated friction levels.[146] A further test of wheel 4 on July 25 managed to achieve bi-directional rotation.[147] Both wheels, however, exhibited too much friction to be useful.[23] On August 2, NASA put out a call for proposals to use the remaining capabilities of Kepler for other scientific missions. Starting on August 8, a full systems evaluation was conducted. It was determined that wheel 2 could not provide sufficient precision for scientific missions and the spacecraft was returned to a "rest" state to conserve fuel.[21] Wheel 4 was previously ruled out because it exhibited higher friction levels than wheel 2 in previous tests.[147] Sending astronauts to fix Kepler is not an option since it orbits the Sun and is millions of kilometers from Earth.[23] On August 15, 2013, NASA announced that Kepler would not continue searching for planets using the transit method after attempts to resolve issues with two of the four reaction wheels failed.[21][22][23] An engineering report has been ordered to assess the spacecraft's capabilities, its two good reaction wheels and its thrusters.[21] Concurrently, a scientific study is being conducted to determine whether enough knowledge can be obtained from Kepler's limited scope to justify its $18 million per year cost. Both reports are expected during the fall of 2013, at which time NASA will determine the future of Kepler. Possible future uses include searching for asteroids and comets, looking for evidence of supernovas, and finding huge exoplanets through gravitational microlensing.[23] Another proposal is to modify the software on Kepler to compensate. Instead of the stars being fixed and stable in Kepler's field of view, they will drift. However, software could track this drift and more or less completely recover the mission goals despite being unable to hold the stars in a fixed view.[148] Previously collected data continues to be analyzed.[127] It is expected that around 90% of the 3,548 candidate planets previously identified by Kepler will be confirmed when the data analysis is complete, a process that will take several years. As of August 2013, 135 of those candidates have been confirmed.[23] Second Light (K2) In November 2013, a newly proposed mission plan, initially named "K2" (also called "Second Light"), was presented for consideration.[26][27][28][149] K2 would involve using Kepler's remaining capability, photometric precision of about 300 parts per million, compared with about 20 parts per million earlier, to collect data for the study of "supernova explosions, star formation and solar-system bodies such as asteroids and comets, ... " and for finding and studying more exoplanets.[26][27][149] In this proposed mission plan, Kepler would search a much larger area in the plane of earth's orbit around the sun.[26][27][149] Kepler's "Second Light" (K2) Proposal Explained (December 11, 2013).[27] In early 2014, the spacecraft underwent successful testing for the K2 mission.[150]
Yeah, it's unfortunate they had to change the mission. However, the K2 mission has potential for continuing "Kepler's search for other worlds, and introduce new opportunities to observe star clusters, young and old stars, active galaxies and supernovae." http://www.nasa.gov/kepler/keplers-second-light-how-k2-will-work/ And here's a link to a table of Confirmed planets (Kepler Discoveries) http://kepler.nasa.gov/Mission/discoveries/
leering at the compubrains transparent screen, carl almost couldnt believe his eye implants. he had been up there so long that maybe he was imagining it? do people still imagine things? he couldnt think straight, which is weird, because he always had. the labcluster he was stationed on was one of the more cutting edge satellites in the solar system, powered on human waste, and nary a foul smell. a shining beacon of mans ingenuity, an example for the sure to be soon approaching extraterrestrials. any day now. he had been tracking their movements for what seemed like a lifetime. maybe it was. and here they were, trying to establish a visual uplink, trying to bypass the static servos, and jack right into his brain trasponder. he scrambled to remember protocol, was he supposed to inform dubai before any possible communication? what the fuck. "never mind that shit" he thought, full speed ahead. he configured his translatron to unknown and he nervously accepted the signal via info router. "greetings this is carl, we call ourselves HUMANS, we represent earth and its subsidiaries" "carl? THE carl?" "carl schmidtzberg, member of earth alliance 11, com number 7743RA1N1AC9E14" "thats great carl. let me ask you a question. this is the most important question you can possibly imagine...are you ready carl?" "yes, i believe so" carl gulped, the anticipation nearly killing him "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight?" "pardon? im not sure i understa" "HAVE YOU EVER DANCED WITH THE DEVIL IN THE PALE MOONLIGHT CARL?" "I...IM NOT SURE IF I" "hahahahahahahaha, this is steve, your computer. you should have seen your face. dinner is ready. were having mongolian"
3 pictures. How did he build it? How did he get it up there? http://english.people.com.cn/102774/8589620.html
This thread can go 4 ways. 1) Just science (ha ha! on this board? yeah right!) 2) Religion vs science 3) Chariots of the Gods-like speculation, e.g. how that shuttle got onto the roof 4) Politics, economics, war, e.g. http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=34389.0
5. Dismissive posts saying that more lesbian freedom requires less male heterosexual freedom Which cause will hijack it first?
MAVEN on Track to Carry Out its Science Mission http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/maven-on-track-to-carry-out-its-science-mission/#.U0DFgKhdXW8 [video=youtube;MYhteEVgOEI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYhteEVgOEI&index=12&list=PLiuUQ9asub3Tt0IlVFIK85QUrGRDurfi_[/video]
Someone needs to take charge of the situation, and we are very fortunate to have me present at the formation stage. The rule of engagement for this thread is: Every hijacker (and response to one) must combine all 5 themes I listed into each post. Otherwise you have to talk straight science gibberish.
North Korea named its new space agency and designed a logo. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-koreas-new-space-agency-dubbed-nada/
Turns out the Moon is waterless after all. Since Bush announced his Moon landing project in 2006, scientists have been saying there is a lot of water, but their eyes were bigger than their stomachs. Their Apatite can't hold its water. http://www.techtimes.com/articles/5...er-on-moon-cant-be-trusted-scientists-say.htm
Besides space, NASA also tries out different tails in its pursuit of the best tail. http://www.nasa.gov/content/wind-tunnel-testing-a-full-sized-aircraft-tail