The Big Space Exploration Topic [21-08-2017: Total Solar Eclipse in the USA!]

1679111217

Comments

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I know, Gus. It was a tease on those who think everything awesome these days is cgi, like the helicopter and building collapse in SP is cgi. Or my avatar.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    Ah, and here's me thinking you were CGI as well dear @Thundy!
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I may be artificial, but I am still a person.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    #error

    sorry. I still have trouble defining 'person'.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    A person(a) is an assumed character, acting through a mask. Cfr. French personne.
    One might say it is a human being.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    Thank you, my main processor accepts this definition. Now I've got to work on the definition of 'French'.
  • Organic compounds discovered on Ceres!
    PIA21419.jpg

    And a new picture from Saturn from one of the poles:
    PIA21382.jpg


    Oooowh, and tomorrow there will be an important press conference from NASA:
    https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-host-news-conference-on-discovery-beyond-our-solar-system
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    An invasion is on its way?
  • edited February 2017 Posts: 11,119
    An invasion is on its way?

    No,



    NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has revealed the first known system of seven (!!)Earth-size planets around a single star. Three of these planets are firmly located in the habitable zone, the area around the parent star where a rocky planet is most likely to have liquid water. Our solar system only has 4 Earth-size planets.

    The discovery sets a new record for greatest number of habitable-zone planets found around a single star outside our solar system. All of these seven planets could have liquid water – key to life as we know it – under the right atmospheric conditions, but the chances are highest with the three in the habitable zone.

    PIA21422_hires.jpg

    At about 40 light-years (235 trillion miles) from Earth, the system of planets is relatively close to us, in the constellation Aquarius. Because they are located outside of our solar system, these planets are scientifically known as exoplanets.

    This exoplanet system is called TRAPPIST-1, named for The Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope (TRAPPIST) in Chile. The discovery is truly groundbreaking, and should stun us, as these planets are only 40 lightyears away, and in essence there's a better chance to find life there than in our remainder of Earth-like planets in our solar system.

    PIA21421_hires.jpg

  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    So maybe we can invade them?
  • So maybe we can invade them?

    Or maybe we can put rich billionaires there :-P. Is Trump one of them? :-P

  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    Great news!
  • The Google Doodle of today is so cuteee :x :
    https://g.co/doodle/vr7uuq
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I noticed. They are often quite inventive.
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    I love this news! Now, we only need a starship beeing able to go at least 8 times the speed of light and we can go have a drink at the permanent-sunset bar on Trappist 1e. Who's with me?
  • I mean.... probably!

    85275742.jpg
  • Never poke a stick in a Hornets nest
  • New wonderful picture of (dwarf) planet Ceres! Made by NASA's Dawn probe. The Occator crater with its white spots still is very dominant. You can also see the pyramid shaped Ahuna Mons on the right edge of the picture (+5,000 m):
    PIA11240.jpg

    Here you find lovely Ceres in color. It has a beautiful yellow-ish, beigee glow:
    PIA21079.jpg

    Also, NASA's Curiosity Rover relayed new pictures to us as well :-). Here you see the beautiful (black-ish) sand dunes inside Gale Crater. For a good color reference, you'll find down below a picture of the sand below the wheels of the rover:
    PIA21268.jpg
    PIA21143.jpg

    And, Curiosity also captured these live images (GIF's) of small dust devils:
    http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/archive/PIA21481.gif

    Meanwhile NASA's Juno space probe captured this arty vier of Jupiter. Look at the beautiful orange/reddish colors and powerful swirls:
    PIA21383.jpg
  • BIG NEWS: Next year we go back to Luna :D!! Two people will be sent by SpaceX in orbit of the Moon. For the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972 we go back to the Moon :-D! And everything will be broadcasted on television:

    http://www.spacex.com/news/2017/02/27/spacex-send-privately-crewed-dragon-spacecraft-beyond-moon-next-year
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    Excellenet!! Love this! The first space tourists will help the industry big time!
  • Posts: 4,617
    I was wathing "NASAs Greatest Missions" on Quest yesterday and it was about Apollo 8 which IMHO does not get enough recognition. They repeated a fact that I had read about in many books, there was a feeling within the team: 33% chance of success, 33% chance of mission failure but safe return and 33% chance of ...well not good.
    I wonder how SpaceX would feel about these figures. Despite all of the modern tech etc, I dont think the figures have changed much.
    Really excited about this project and will try to instill this excitment into my kids if I can pull them away from their phones and Playstation. A whole new era in space exploration.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    BIG NEWS: Next year we go back to Luna :D!! Two people will be sent by SpaceX in orbit of the Moon. For the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972 we go back to the Moon :-D! And everything will be broadcasted on television:

    http://www.spacex.com/news/2017/02/27/spacex-send-privately-crewed-dragon-spacecraft-beyond-moon-next-year

    Plot twist: they're sending Tom Cruise to the moon so he can actually shoot on-site for that 'Luna Park' movie he's doing.
  • Posts: 11,119
    By jolly, I was laughing when I saw the first pictures of Saturn's moon Pan :-P. It's a frikkin' walnut! It orbits within the Encke Gap in Saturn's A Ring. Thank you Cassini Probe for lighting up my day!:

    2_n1867602424_1.jpg
    aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcGFjZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA2My81MjYvb3JpZ2luYWwvc2F0dXJuLW1vb24tcGFuLWNhc3NpbmktMS5qcGc=
    PIA21436.jpg
    Pan_%28moon%29_edge-on.jpg
    Pan_side_view.jpg


  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    The god Pan was known for instiiling terror in people. Hence the word "panic".
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 8,266
    And that'his face right there! (love the pics @Gustav!)
  • Posts: 5,767
    That's not a walnut, it's a Chinese fortune cookie.
  • Posts: 11,119
    boldfinger wrote: »
    That's not a walnut, it's a Chinese fortune cookie.

    Damn, yeah, you are right
    <:-P
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    Titan was discovered on this day in 1655 by Christian Huygens.
    It is the home of this lovely girl.
    Saturn-Girl-Silver-Age-DC-Comics-LSH-Legion-Super-Heroes-d.jpg
  • Posts: 5,767
    I saw a report on tv the other day about some mysterious light on Mars, which was detected by a Mars Rover, and first thought to be an artifact or reflection, but then appeared again at exactly the same spot on fotos taken from a significantly different perspective. Is there any news on that anywhere in this thread? And does this question prove me to be lazy?
Sign In or Register to comment.