Good news from the Stars
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To boldly go where only Astrophysicians have gone before. What I find interesting (and can roughly understand) in Astronomy & Space exploration these days.
Curated by gdecugis
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Mars Rover’s Discovery Excites NASA Scientists

Mars Rover’s Discovery Excites NASA Scientists | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
"The first rock a NASA rover looked at when it arrived at a crater on Mars was unlike any looked at on the planet before, scientists said."

But the other news is how long this rover has last: landed in 2004, it was designed to last much much less than the 7 years it has survived.

Well done Wall-E !!!! ;-)
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"Inspiration Mars" to pursue human mission to the Red Planet in 2018

"Inspiration Mars" to pursue human mission to the Red Planet in 2018 | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it

"New nonprofit foundation to move U.S. farther and faster toward its destiny as world leader in technical innovation, science, exploration and discovery"


Via Vincent Lieser
gdecugis's insight:

This is a follow up to the rumour I published a few days ago and a confirmation that space traveler billionaire Denis Tito seems serious in considering a free return, low cost fly-by of the red planet five years from now. Any doubt that the private sector is now a serious contender in the space race? Read this.

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Amesome infographic on the 100+ exoplanets discovered to date

Amesome infographic on the 100+ exoplanets discovered to date | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
NASA’s Kepler mission has discovered more than 100 confirmed planets orbiting distant stars.
gdecugis's insight:

Watch them orbit on scale and sort them by size: great job by the nytimes! 

Gust MEES's curator insight, April 27, 10:37 AM

 

Nice interactive infographic, check it out an learn more...

 

John Purificati's comment, May 7, 4:49 PM
Interesting stuff.
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Wanted: Astronauts for one-way trip to Mars

Wanted: Astronauts for one-way trip to Mars | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
By Rob CoppingerSpace.com LONDON — A nonprofit organization that aims to land four astronauts on Mars in 2023 will kick off its two-year, televised search for Red Planet explorers this summer.
gdecugis's insight:
If it sounds crazy then maybe it is. But then again who said Columbus was sane?
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Is This Star Older Than the Universe?

Is This Star Older Than the Universe? | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
The oldest known star appears to be older than the universe itself, but a new study is helping to clear up this seeming paradox.
gdecugis's insight:

Interesting paradox.

PascaleMMM's comment, March 8, 8:58 AM
Great paradox !
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How Many People Are On Mars Right Now?

How Many People Are On Mars Right Now? | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
gdecugis's insight:

Good question...

dannybloomfield's curator insight, March 5, 1:15 AM

How have I never come across this before?

Vincent Lieser's curator insight, March 6, 3:30 PM

Neil DeGrasse Tyson gives you the answer, before he slaps you in the face in an astounding video.

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Space X latest launch of Falcon 9 / Dragon to ISS (video)

Liftoff of Falcon 9 and Dragon from Launch Complex 40 in Cape Canaveral, Fl. March 1, 2013.
gdecugis's insight:
Dragon made history last year by becoming the first private vehicle to dock the ISS and carry cargo back to earth.This is a video of its last launch - also bound to the ISS which it safely docked this morning.I hadn't realized yet how great the videos were from this launch thanks to the onboard cameras. This one gives you the full picture of the first ten minutes up until orbit.
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Ever wanted X-ray specs or super-human vision? Look at the Milky Way and Universe in a range of wavelengths

Ever wanted X-ray specs or super-human vision? Look at the Milky Way and Universe in a range of wavelengths | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it

Chromoscope shows you the view of the Universe that we get from Earth. The view is mostly dominated by our galaxy - The Milky Way - which is the band running horizontally across the middle. 


Via Dr. Stefan Gruenwald
gdecugis's insight:

Pretty cool way to play with zooming options and visible/non-visible light.

Loreto Vargas's curator insight, February 20, 11:33 AM

Extraordinary.

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Scientists Create Scaled-Down 'Trek' Tractor Beam

Scientists Create Scaled-Down 'Trek' Tractor Beam | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
It may still be a few years away from practical use, but scientists have created a real tractor beam, like the ones featured in the "Star Trek" TV series and movies.
gdecugis's insight:

Sensational headline from the Huf Post but nevertheless a pretty cool discovery for particle physics.

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How could the universe expand faster than the speed of light?

How could the universe expand faster than the speed of light? | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
gdecugis's insight:

Raisin bread, Einstein and the speed of light: a great explanation on the difference between motion and expansion. 

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Most Earth-like Exoplanet Discovery Explained (Infographic)

Most Earth-like Exoplanet Discovery Explained (Infographic) | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
Planet KOI 172.02 has yet to be confirmed, but it could potentially have water and life.
gdecugis's insight:

Earth 2.0?

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'Black Beauty' new meteorite type is Mars' million-year voyager

'Black Beauty' new meteorite type is Mars' million-year voyager | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
A 2.1-billion year-old lump of rock that fell to Earth in Morocco is a new type of Martian meteorite, say scientists.
gdecugis's insight:

Crazy story of that rock that was blasted out of Mars by a meteor impact and fell back on earth after millions of years in the cosmos to reveal fascinating secrets on the presence of water on Mars. 

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NASA's RXTE Captures Thermonuclear Behavior of Unique Neutron Star

NASA's RXTE Captures Thermonuclear Behavior of Unique Neutron Star | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
A neutron star near the center of our galaxy erupted with hundreds of X-ray bursts that were powered by a barrage of thermonuclear explosions on the star's surface.
gdecugis's insight:

Interesting discoveries reported by NASA on neutron stars. What's amazing for me to (re)discover is how dense neutron stars are. The image shows how a neutron star compares to Manhattan and Brooklyn in NYC. Yet, it's mass is 500,000 that of the earth...

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How NASA might build its very first warp drive

How NASA might build its very first warp drive | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
A few months ago, physicist Harold White stunned the aeronautics world when he announced that he and his team at NASA had begun work on the development of a faster-than-light warp drive.
gdecugis's insight:

Follow up on that fascinating story. Too good to be true?

Szabolcs Kósa's curator insight, November 28, 2012 5:27 PM

A still more glorious dawn awaits. Not a sunrise, but a galaxy rise. A morning filled with 400 billion suns. The rising of the milky way..." - Carl Sagan

gdecugis's comment, November 28, 2012 5:30 PM
Nice Carl Sagan quote!
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Christmas Day lift-off into space for Virgin Galactic and Abu Dhabi

Christmas Day lift-off into space for Virgin Galactic and Abu Dhabi | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it

Richard Branson, whose Virgin Group co-owns Virgin Galactic, said in Dubai yesterday that he would be on board the first public flight on December 25.


Via Allen Taylor
gdecugis's insight:

Bold.

Allen Taylor's curator insight, May 15, 12:27 AM

Richard Branson proclaims first public flight to space of SpaceShipTwo will happen on Christmas Day 2013 and that he will be on it. This puts the pressure on the Scaled Composites team doing the flight testing.

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How NASA plans to catch a planetoid, orbit it around the moon and use it as springboard for deep space missions

How NASA plans to catch a planetoid, orbit it around the moon and use it as springboard for deep space missions | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it

A NASA concept for a robotic spacecraft that would capture a small near Earth asteroid and direct it towards the Moon. (credit: NASA)

gdecugis's insight:

Amazingly enough, some say it's a plausible scenario that would cost "just" $2.6 Billion and could help missions to Mars.

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How Much Is an Astronaut’s Life Worth? - Reason Magazine

How Much Is an Astronaut’s Life Worth? - Reason Magazine | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
NASA’s irrational approach to risk undermines its mission and costs thousands of lives.

 

By Robert Zubrin, president of the Mars Society from the February 2012 issue


Via Vincent Lieser
gdecugis's insight:

This is a great article that I discovered thanks to a comment by Vincent Lieser. However precious astronauts' lives are, they can not be assigned an inifinte cost without being heavily detrimental to other budget allocations that can save lives on earth and, more importantly, to the very mission of space exploration. Great read.

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Failure? An option that has to be dealt with to ensure safety in space flights

Failure? An option that has to be dealt with to ensure safety in space flights | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it

The commercial SpaceX rocket venture has launched Dragon cargo capsules to the International Space Station three times in the past year, and every time there's been a problem. Should NASA be upset?

 

Not really.

 

The fact that glitches have cropped up — and have been solved, with no impact on the multimillion-dollar cargo resupply missions — isn't a black mark against the California-based company. Rather, it's a sign that the designs for SpaceX's Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 are resilient in the face of the inevitable glitches associated with spaceflight. It's also a sign of things to come.

 

 


Via Stratocumulus
gdecugis's insight:

Interesting take on how to design future spacecrafts. Not for perfection but for robustness in order to make space flights both more reliable and affordable. 

Vincent Lieser's comment, March 6, 3:25 PM
"Transplanted" to human spaceflight, that reminds me of Zubrin's take on the price of an astronaut's life : http://reason.com/archives/2012/01/26/how-much-is-an-astronauts-life-worth
Vincent Lieser's curator insight, March 6, 3:25 PM

"Transplanted" to human spaceflight, that reminds me of Zubrin's take on the price of an astronaut's life : http://reason.com/archives/2012/01/26/how-much-is-an-astronauts-life-worth

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Has NASA Become Mars-Obsessed?: Scientific American

Has NASA Become Mars-Obsessed?: Scientific American | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
Planetary exploration is stuck in a Martian rut
gdecugis's insight:
Maybe. But is that bad? NASA was moon-obsessed in the 60's and achieved something great.
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Is Millionaire Space Tourist Planning Trip to Mars?

Is Millionaire Space Tourist Planning Trip to Mars? | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
Dennis Tito's nonprofit organization may want to launch astronauts toward the Red Planet in 2018.
gdecugis's insight:
Plan would not be to land but do just a round trip. Still doesn't it sound crazy (and awesom!) that private money could beat governments in the space race?
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Water on the Moon: It's Been There All Along

Water on the Moon: It's Been There All Along | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
Traces of water have been detected within the crystalline structure of mineral samples from the lunar highland upper crust obtained during the Apollo missions, according to a University of Michigan researcher and his colleagues.
gdecugis's insight:
This puts the theory of the moon formation from a debris of the earth in question.
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This is what it would really look like to travel at near-lightspeed

This is what it would really look like to travel at near-lightspeed | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
It's one of the most iconic images in all of science fiction: the stretching of stars as a ship makes the jump to lightspeed. But as a group of physics students at the University of Leicester has revealed, it wouldn't actually look like this.
gdecugis's insight:

Blame the Doppler effect...

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This Isn't the Petition Response You're Looking For | We the People: Your Voice in Our Government

Brilliant answer from the US Geek in Chief on why we can't have a Death Star in spite of the petition. Awesome.
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Earth-sized planets 'number 17bn' - and that's just in the Milky Way

Earth-sized planets 'number 17bn' - and that's just in the Milky Way | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
An analysis of planet candidates suggests at least one in six stars in the night sky hosts an Earth-sized planet - 17 billion in total.
gdecugis's insight:

This is based on extrapolating the results from obeserving 150,000 stars. There are some caveats to the study but the exciting news is that we don't seem to be falling short of earth-like planets.

Puneet Gupta's curator insight, January 9, 4:36 AM

This is based on extrapolating the results from obeserving 150,000 stars. There are some caveats to the study but the exciting news is that we don't seem to be falling short of earth-like planets.

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5 Reasons We May Live in a Multiverse

5 Reasons We May Live in a Multiverse | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
Our universe may be one of many, according to numerous physics theories.

Via Leopoldo Benacchio
gdecugis's insight:

A good high-level recap of all the different theories behind the multiple universes concept (yes there are also multiple theories of multiple universes: isn't that meta?).

Gestcash's curator insight, December 23, 2012 10:39 AM

The universe we live in may not be the only one out there. In fact, our universe could be just one of an infinite number of universes making up a "multiverse."

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For Lonely Astronauts, a Robotic Companion

For Lonely Astronauts, a Robotic Companion | Good news from the Stars | Scoop.it
You know the only thing lonelier than Sgt. Pepper's Hearts Club Band, and the Heartbreak Hotel, and the number one? Being alone and also not on Earth.
gdecugis's insight:

Interesting experiment to see whether a robot can actually relieved the stress of being alone inSpace just like anothehuman an companion would. 


Hopefully this robot isn't called HAL...

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