Hubble Delivers the First Hints of Possible Water Content of TRAPPIST-One
Planets |

Image: ESO:N.
Bartmann:spaceengine.org |
|
|| September 01:
2017: University of Birmingham News
|| ά. |
|
An international team of astronomers
have used the NASA:ESA Hubble Space Telescope to
estimate whether there might be water on the seven
earth-sized planets orbiting the nearby dwarf star
TRAPPIST-One and the results suggest that the outer
planets of the system might still harbour substantial
amounts of water. This includes the three planets within
the habitable zone of the star, lending further weight
to the possibility that they, may, indeed, be habitable.
On February 22, 2017 astronomers announced the discovery
of seven Earth-sized planets orbiting the ultra-cool
dwarf star TRAPPIST-One, 40 light-years away. This makes
TRAPPIST-One the planetary system with the largest
number of Earth-sized planets discovered so far.
Following up on the discovery, an international team of
scientists, led by the Swiss Astronomer Mr Vincent
Bourrier, from the Observatoire de l’Université de
Genève, including, Dr Amaury Triaud of the University of
Birmingham, used the Space Telescope Imaging
Spectrograph:STIS on the NASA:ESA Hubble Space Telescope
to study the amount of ultraviolet radiation received by
the individual planets of the system. “Ultraviolet
radiation is an important factor in the atmospheric
evolution of planets.” explains Mr Bourrier. “As in our
own atmosphere, where ultraviolet sunlight breaks
molecules apart, ultraviolet starlight can break water
vapour in the atmospheres of exoplanets into hydrogen
and oxygen.”
While lower-energy ultraviolet
radiation breaks up water molecules, a process, called,
photodissociation, ultraviolet rays with more energy,
XUV radiation and X-rays heat the upper atmosphere of a
planet, which allows the products of photodissociation,
hydrogen and oxygen, to escape. As it is very light,
hydrogen gas can escape the exoplanets’ atmospheres and
be detected around the exoplanets with Hubble, acting as
a possible indicator of atmospheric water vapour.
This part of an atmosphere is called
the exosphere. Earth’s exosphere consists mainly of
hydrogen with traces of helium, carbon dioxide and
atomic oxygen. The observed amount of ultraviolet
radiation emitted by
TRAPPIST-One,
indeed, suggests that the planets could have lost
gigantic amounts of water over the course of their
history.
This is, especially, true for the innermost two planets
of the system,
TRAPPIST-One-b and
TRAPPIST-One-c, which receive the largest amount
of ultraviolet energy. “Our results indicate that
atmospheric escape, may, play an important role in the
evolution of these planets.” summarises Mr Julien de
Wit, from MIT, USA, Co-author of the study.
The inner planets could have lost more than 20
Earth-oceans-worth of water during the last eight
billion years. However, the outer planets of the system,
including, the planets e, f and g, which are in the
habitable zone, should have lost much less water,
suggesting that they could have retained some on their
surfaces. Results show that each of these planets, may
have, lost less than three Earth-oceans of water.
The calculated water loss rates, as well as, geophysical
water release rates, also, favour the idea that the
outermost, more massive planets retain their water.
However, with the currently available data and
telescopes no final conclusion can be drawn on the water
content of the planets orbiting
TRAPPIST-One.
Dr Amaury Triaud, from the School of Physics and
Astronomy at the University of Birmingham said,
“Hubble’s observations are of great significance, since
they inform us on the irradiative environment of the
TRAPPIST-One
planets, notably, on whether they can remain habitable
for billions of years, like Earth has. However, some of
our conclusions about the habitability of
TRAPPIST-One’s
seven are somewhat dampened by our fuzzy knowledge about
the masses of the planets. Crucial observations, able to
refine the planetary masses, are being obtained as we
write.''
The Paper:
Temporal Evolution of the High-Energy Irradiation and
Water Content of TRAPPIST-1 Exoplanets: V. Bourrier, J.
de Wit, E. Bolmont, V. Stamenkovic, P.J. Wheatley, A.J
Burgasser, L. Delrez, B.-O. Demory, D. Ehrenreich, M.
Gillon, E. Jehin, J. Leconte, S.M. Lederer, N. Lewis,
A.H.M.J. Triaud and V. Van Grootel: Draft version July
31, 2017
The planets were
discovered using: the ground-based TRAPPIST-South at
ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile; the orbiting NASA
Spitzer Space Telescope; TRAPPIST-North in Morocco;
ESO’s HAWK-I instrument on the Very Large Telescope at
the Paranal Observatory in Chile; the 03.8-metre UKIRT
in Hawaii; the two-metre Liverpool and four-metre
William Herschel telescopes at La Palma in the Canary
Islands; and the one-metre SAAO telescope in South
Africa. ω.
Whatever Your Field of
Work and Wherever in the World You are, Please, Make a Choice to Do All You Can
to Seek and Demand the End of Death Penalty For It is Your Business What is Done
in Your Name. The Law That Makes Humans Take Part in Taking Human Lives and That
Permits and Kills Human Lives is No Law. It is the Rule of the Jungle Where Law
Does Not Exist.
The Humanion |
|
 |
La Casa Bianca: The White House the Light
Painted Inside a Water Drop |
The inset image, is painted by light inside a water drop. May Day 2017
‽:
030517
Imagine
The Ideaphorine Cosmosian University: At Lunaarth Median Meridian: The
Mid-Space Between the Earth and the Moon |
|| April 17: 2017 || ά.
Imagine a new University: The Ideaphorine Cosmosian
University, established in space, at the mid-space, let us call it, Lunaarth
Median Meridian, between the Earth and the Moon. This University is created, set
up, established and run by a Universal University Consortium, made by the
membership of all the Universities of the entire world, which can be seen as the
United Nations of World Universities. The Humanion imagines the entire world's
Universities, supported by the entire world nations, high income, mid income,
low income, all income countries, through the United Nations, forming this
Universal University Consortium of Humanity, which will begin developing the
Idea, Science, Engineering, Architecture, Mechanics and Architectonics of
Setting up the first Ideaphorine Cosmosian University, from where it will open up
science to possibilities, that we cannot even fathom out with imagination.
We envision that this can happen in the next half a century.
Yes, within this short space of time, it can, will happen and must happen.
Reader, everything comes off this astonishing thing, called, imagination. If you
do not have faith in this, The Humanion invites you to write this introduction
on a piece of paper, with the date, on which this is written, put it in an
envelope, seal it and then place it in another envelope and put a note with it, explaining what is in the envelope and then, post it to a world University, to
its Chancellor, requesting that they keep this letter in their archives until
such time that any researcher comes looking for it and then people can see that
on April 17, 2017 The Humanion had written about this University, The
Ideaphorine Cosmosian University, which now has become a reality. Ideaphorine, is
derived from the word Ideaphor, which is the title of a poetry collection,
written by the Editor of The Humanion and it was first published in 2010. Seven
years later, this word Ideaphor becomes Idearphorine. This is how imagination it
is, that becomes, this is how we humanity become. We never do or can see the
future as a whole other than glances, traces, flickers, ideas, concepts,
imaginings, wonderings, questions, searching and seeking, dreams and day
dreams, hopes and aspirations and visions but we can feel it being there in the
depth of what is our imagination.
The amount of research, that is carried out a the
International Space Station is not enough and it is terribly limited in scope
and in fields. Besides, the ISS is situated too close to earth and there are
very many limitations, that exist, that put terrible shortcomings on the way as
to how far and how much the ISS can be developed to accommodate more facilities
and provisions. Further the ISS is not a global learning body and does not enjoy
financial and other resource-backing of the entire humankind. Furthermore, ISS
is still mainly a major collaboration among only few national agencies, led by
the American and Russian space agencies. What The Humanion is speaking about is
a truly universal project. But it is not led by governments, states or existing
agencies but built, created, owned and led by the learning communities of the
World and this project, this, The Ideaphorine Cosmosian University, is truly a
whole humankind thing and is owned by the entire humanity and is a public body
of a new and universal kind. In addition to working as a University and learning
and research institution, The Ideaphorine Cosmosian University will become the
mid-break point for the future and frequent space travels between the earth and
the moon.
The World Universities could raise funding for it, in
addition to the initial funding investment they will make to the project, added
to the fixed and continual funding commitments and investments from the entire
world countries, through many existing routes, including the selling of a $01
share to all existing university staff members, all students and all the
families, whose children are attending Universities and this market, means the
entire world, for which the UN must pass a particular resolution to create such
a particular pathway for this project only so that it does not fall in the scope
of national jurisdictions. This project must not seek private funding nor should
it take any other funding from any other agency for it is absolutely fundamental
and paramount to ensure universities remain independent bodies. But as a good
will gift, this University can and may expect support in kind from all space
agencies of the world, in which they may 'sponsor, specialists at the
University, whereby, they will pay for these posts, which are already filled by
their own specialists, whom they then 'donate' to the University. And the
University can create a flow of revenue by marketing all its knowledge and
science and technology by offering them to the entire world governments,
agencies, bodies and business and commerce as the source-learning agency from a
space in the Universe, where no one has been before.
In addition to this funding, this University will create an
Online Universocial Research Platform, which would be the online publishing and
research publication and communication tool, to which people, both agencies and
individuals, can join and pay an introductory annual fee of, say, $10:$01
respectively, simply to ascertain who they are so that there is no anonymity in
who is using this service. Because it is an absolutely professional space as a
University Institute, where respectability, credibility, cordiality, good faith
and professionalism must be maintained. It is like this, when researchers
publish their findings, a professor stands before a conference or a lecturer
stands before a class, or a consultant faces a patient on the operating table,
they cannot hide the fact as to who they are, what their names are, what their
credentials are and what their academic qualifications are, for example. That is
why is a paramount that, when one is using this Online Universocial Research
Platform, anonymity is erased simply to bring back the 'rule of law' of learning
in the online culture. This offers the entire learning world a direct means to
learn, use, share, translate and translocate best practice and contribute to the
learning process and culture. Further, this means could generate much revenue,
through using various means added to it. Furthermore, on this channel the
University can broadcast a direct television channel from the Cosmic Campus,
direct to Earth, for which it may charge a subscription fee as a different,
stand alone service, which can be a different and new television channel for the
entire world, which can be a subscription service, as well.
Further, once the idea has been developed and a master plan
with the architectural design has been worked out and the project goes forward
towards the beginning of the real construction of the project, world
universities can begin to plan courses and prepare themselves so that many
courses can be offered on Earth where students, teachers and researchers will
spend part of their studies at the Cosmosian Campus of The Ideaphorine Cosmosian
University in Space. It is hypothetically possible to prepare any human to be
able to fly and spend time in the near space we are speaking of, particularly,
for a brief space of time and as time passes our knowledge and understanding of
these matters will improve and we can do better in terms of preparing people for
such experiences as to be able to fly, spend time and do study and research and
come back to earth safely and in good health.
And in this sustainability and being able to produce food and
drink and use recycling to the best possible effect and achieving the
mastery over the solar energy are vital elements and, this will require further
developing means, mechanics, science, mathematics and technology, that will
enable us to be able to 'reject', 'push away' or 'resist', 'cold advance' from
space so that the University is able to maintain a particular level of
generalised heat and temperature, within its perimeter, that the colder space
environment cannot penetrate. It is hypothetically possible to create a 'buffer
zone', that will act as 'cold-shield', so that, say, an imaginary and
hypothetical magnetic field acts almost like a weather-shield, around the
perimeter of the University Campus, which resists the outer cold to penetrate.
This will allow the University to use its space as it could be done on earth,
particularly, in terms of growing vegetation and creating earth-like working and
operating space. This will truly offer humanity a vehicle to go outside of
itself. Let us put this to our readers: how do we or how can we see the earth as
whole, in reality? The answer is that we must leave the Earth and take position
in space outside the earth. Until humanity, in as great a number as possible,
has left the earth and lived outside the earth and come back to see the tale of
life and tell the tale of life the way they lived it in space and the way they
saw it on earth, from space, to the earthlings, we are not going to be able to
show humanity how and what it is.
Until than, we are going to continue to fall far, far, far
short of what we are capable of being, doing, creating and achieving for who is
human on this Earth: we are all things except humanity so that, despite our
multitude of suffering and hardships people are still living in 'blockades' of
their so called national boundaries and identities and these identities are so
many and are such that following them we will be everything else except one
humanity. We must rise to raise humanity to see, to realise, to choose to work
to become one for we are one except not many people are able to say we are so
because we are all different nations and this and that. Yet, we are and we must
become one humanity in order really see what we, as one humanity, as one whole
of the entire humanion, can be, do, create and achieve. There is just one
Universe, in which there is just the one Sun and Solar System, that does and can
support and sustain one web of life, and in there, there is just the one and
only one, the Mother Earth and on which, there is and there cannot be but one
Humanity: one in faith, one in oneness, one in diversity, one in work and deeds
and one is love and humanionship. One Humanity in One Earth in One with the One
Universe: Our Universana Country.
ω.
Whatever Your Field of
Work and Wherever in the World You are, Please, Make a Choice to Do All You Can
to Seek and Demand the End of Death Penalty For It is Your Business What is Done
in Your Name. The Law That Makes Humans Take Part in Taking Human Lives and That
Permits and Kills Human Lives is No Law. It is the Rule of the Jungle Where Law
Does Not Exist.
The Humanion
||
Readmore || ‽:
160417 ||
Up ||
Advanced Statistics Offers Better
Mechanism to Develop Medicine to Fight Multidrug
Resistant Bacteria |
Klebsiella pneumoniae Bacterium. Image: NIAID at
flickr, released under Creative Commons BY 2.0
|| April 15: 2017: University of Oslo Norway News || ά.
Researchers have found a new method to develop antibiotics, that are tailored to
kill multi-resistant bacteria. World Health Organisation has recently set up
multi-resistant bacteria as one of the worst threats to humanity. Researchers
worldwide are working to find new solutions on what to do when the medications
we know today don't work anymore. Researchers at the Institute of Basic of
Medical Sciences at the University of Oslo, may, have solved the problem by
using statistics to tailor new medicines.
Large datasets, containing the entire genomes of many of the
most well known pathogenic bacteria, make it possible to study variations
throughout the genome as a whole. This gives researchers new opportunities to
study how bacteria evolve but the amount of information, that must be processed
is enormous. Professor Jukka Corander's research group has developed a
statistical method, that makes it possible to examine all the possible
mutations, that may, occur, as a whole. The new method calculates the strength
of connections between all different mutations as they occur naturally. Corander
explains this by comparing it with a lottery. ''You can imagine that each
mutation is the result of a lottery and that, to survive, you have to win
hundreds of thousands of lotteries in a series.
The new method estimates all possible outcomes of all these
lotteries and predicts the winning outcome. Furthermore, it figures out the
relationships between all the winning tickets of all the lotteries.'' says
Professor Corander. The amount of outcomes and relationships that must be
estimated is several times larger than the number of people on earth.
When they tested the method on two of the world's largest collections of
bacterial genomes from major human pathogens they discovered a whole range of
relationships between different antibiotic-resistance genes and between
different basic functions in the bacterial cells. They hope that this will make
it possible to tailor precision drugs, that can reduce the problem of the
spreading resistant bacteria.
The breakthrough came at the Oslo Centre for Biostatistics
and Epidemiology:OCBE in collaboration with the Sanger Institute in England and
was published in PLoS Genetics earlier this month. In their study genomes from
pneumococcal and streptococcal bacteria were analysed with the new statistical
model that Professor Corander's research group has developed. The model can show
the limitations of all mutations, that can occur in any given genome of
bacteria, just as it occurs naturally in the population.
The method has already discovered a whole range of previously unknown
interactions between mutations in these bacteria. By combining this new
information with molecular medicine, scientists could now identify specific
molecular compositions, that attack these bacteria and exploit these mutations
to destroy their ability to reproduce themselves.
Today many of the antibiotics we use targets generic groups of bacteria or all
bacteria, at the same time, causing a number of unwanted side effects. Since the
mutation interaction effects found are mostly specific to just the considered
bacterial species, only these bacteria will be affected by any medication
developed using such an approach. This way a new antibiotic based on this
technology would unlikely affect other bacteria, which acts as a barrier to
development and spread of resistance.
ω.
Professor Jukka Corander
Department of Biostatistics
Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology
Whatever Your Field of
Work and Wherever in the World You are, Please, Make a Choice to Do All You Can
to Seek and Demand the End of Death Penalty For It is Your Business What is Done
in Your Name. The Law That Makes Humans Take Part in Taking Human Lives and That
Permits and Kills Human Lives is No Law. It is the Rule of the Jungle Where Law
Does Not Exist.
The Humanion
||
Readmore || ‽:
160417 ||
Up ||
Newaarth in the Far-Flung
Corner of Universana: Facing Double-Star-Bright Will
You Hold Green: Will You Hold Blue: Will You Hold
the Rises and Falls of Flowing Water Composing
Life's Weatherine-Heights |
This artist's concept shows a hypothetical
planet covered in water around the binary star system of
Kepler-35A and B. Image: NASA:JPL-Caltech
|| April 13: 2017: Elizabeth Landau Writing || ά.
With two suns in its sky, Luke Skywalker's home planet
Tatooine in 'Star Wars' looks like a parched, sandy desert
world. In real life, because of NASA's Kepler space
telescope, we know that two-star systems can indeed support
planets, although planets discovered so far around
double-star systems are large and gaseous. Scientists
wondered, if an Earth-size planet were orbiting two suns,
could it support life?
It turns out, such a planet could be quite hospitable if
located at the right distance from its two stars and
wouldn't necessarily even have deserts. In a particular
range of distances from two sun-like host stars, a planet
covered in water would remain habitable and retain its water
for a long time, according to a new study in the journal
Nature Communications.
"This means that double-star systems of the type studied
here are excellent candidates to host habitable planets,
despite the large variations in the amount of starlight
hypothetical planets in such a system would receive." said
Max Popp, Associate Research Scholar at Princeton University
in New Jersey and the Max Planck Institute of Meteorology in
Hamburg, Germany.
Popp and Siegfried Eggl, a Caltech postdoctoral scholar at
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California,
created a model for a planet in the Kepler-35 system. In
reality, the stellar pair Kepler-35A and B host a planet
called Kepler-35b, a giant planet about eight times the size
of Earth, with an orbit of 131.5 Earth days. For their
study, researchers neglected the gravitational influence of
this planet and added a hypothetical water-covered,
Earth-size planet around the Kepler-35 A and B stars. They
examined how this planet’s climate would behave as it
orbited the host stars with periods between 341 and 380
days.
"Our research is motivated by the fact that searching for
potentially habitable planets requires a lot of effort, so
it is good to know in advance where to look." Eggl said. "We
show that it's worth targeting double-star systems."
In exoplanet research, scientists speak of a region called
the "habitable zone," the range of distances around a star
where a terrestrial planet is most likely to have liquid
water on its surface. In this case, because two stars are
orbiting each other, the habitable zone depends on the
distance from the centre of mass that both stars are
orbiting. To make things even more complicated, a planet
around two stars would not travel in a circle; instead, its
orbit would wobble through the gravitational interaction
with the two stars.
Popp and Eggl found that on the far edge of the habitable
zone in the Kepler-35 double-star system, the hypothetical
water-covered planet would have a lot of variation in its
surface temperatures. Because such a cold planet would have
only a small amount of water vapor in its atmosphere, global
average surface temperatures would swing up and down by as
much as 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, two degrees Celsius in the
course of a year.
"This is analogous to how on Earth, in arid climates like
deserts, we experience huge temperature variations from day
to night." Eggl said. "The amount of water in the air makes
a big difference."
But, closer to the stars, near the inner edge of the
habitable zone, the global average surface temperatures on
the same planet stay almost constant. That is because more
water vapor would be able to persist in the atmosphere of
the hypothetical planet and act as a buffer to keep surface
conditions comfortable.
As with single-star systems, a planet beyond the outer edge
of the habitable zone of its two suns would eventually end
up in a so-called "snowball" state, completely covered with
ice. Closer than the inner edge of the habitable zone, an
atmosphere would insulate the planet too much, creating a
runaway greenhouse effect and turning the planet into a
Venus-like world inhospitable to life as we know it.
Another feature of the study's climate model is that,
compared to Earth, a water-covered planet around two stars
would have less cloud coverage. That would mean clearer
skies for viewing double sunsets on these exotic worlds.
Elizabeth Landau: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA:
818-354-6425: elizabeth.landau at jpl.nasa.gov
: Editor: Tony Greicius: NASA:
ω.
Whatever Your Field of
Work and Wherever in the World You are, Please, Make a Choice to Do All You Can
to Seek and Demand the End of Death Penalty For It is Your Business What is Done
in Your Name. The Law That Makes Humans Take Part in Taking Human Lives and That
Permits and Kills Human Lives is No Law. It is the Rule of the Jungle Where Law
Does Not Exist.
The Humanion
||
Readmore || ‽:
140417 ||
Up ||
Professor N adine
Barlow: Speaking of Universana the Way We Speak of
the Village, Town or Place We Were Born and Where We Grew up
and Where We Went to School, College, University So That
Universana is Not a Hypothetical Place Some Non-Existent Out
There: Universana It is Where We Live and It is as Real as
La Jolla California or Alexandria in Egypt: This is Our
Country Where Professor Barlow Seeks to Find Grains of Light
About Things That Will Enhance Our Grasp of Understanding of
Life |
Image: Professor Nadine
Barlow
|| April 09: 2017 || ά.
Professor Nadine Barlow,
teaches at the Department of Physics and Astronomy
at the Northern Arizona University. She received the
2002 University Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching
Award while at the University of Central Florida. At
Northern Arizona University she teaches both
undergraduate and graduate courses in astronomy.
Currently she is on sabbatical for the academic year
2016-2017. She speaks of her research interests: My
research focuses on impact craters and what they can
tell us about the distribution of subsurface water
and:or ice reservoirs. I have compiled the premier
resource on information about martian impact craters
larger than five km in diameter for the entire
planet in the Catalog of Large Martian Impact
Craters. I am a founding member and current chair of
the Planetary Crater Consortium, an international
organisation of scientists interested in impact
craters throughout the solar system.
Other research topics that I am currently pursuing include
crater size-frequency distribution analysis of selected areas of Mars to
determine age relationships, analysis of secondary crater production on the Moon
and Mars, developing a new crater database for the Moon, studying central pit
craters throughout the solar system, investigating the role of surficial and
subsurface volatiles in Arabia Terra, Mars, determination of the characteristics
and formation of an unusual type of Martian crater called Low-Aspect-Ratio
Layered Ejecta:LARLE craters, studying the two different types of double layer
ejecta craters on Mars, helping to determine the characteristics of pristine
impact craters, and investigating whether Mercury's lobate scarps are still
forming. I received the NAU Research and Creative Activity Award for Most
Effective Research Mentor in 2011 for my mentorship of students on research
projects and was named a Most Influential Faculty for my mentorship of Gold Axe
Recipient Margaret Landis during the spring 2013 semester and Nicholas Kutsop
during the fall 2013 semester.
I was born in La Jolla, CA and grew up about 40 miles north
of San Diego in San Marcos, which at that time was a small rural community.
Today it's one of the fastest growing cities in the country. I became interested
in astronomy during a fifth grade field trip to the Palomar College Planetarium
and my Dad gave me my first telescope a year later. I, also, gained an
appreciation for geology during our annual family vacations, when we would
travel across the country by car and stop off at many of the national parks and
monuments. Because of these interests, I majored in astronomy and minored in
geology:chemistry at Palomar Community College, San Marcos, CA and later at the
University of Arizona, Tucson.
During my last semester at UA, I took a planetary geology
course and fell in love with the subject since it combined my interests in
astronomy and geology. I took 20 months off after receiving my Bachelor of
Science degree in Astronomy, during which time, I taught astronomy and assisted
with planetarium shows at Palomar College but then went back to UA to pursue the
graduate programme in Planetary Science. It was during graduate school that I
became involved in research on martian impact craters.
After I received my PhD, I moved to Houston, Texas, for a
post-doctoral position at the Lunar and Planetary Institute followed by a
National Academy of Sciences National Research Council Assistantship at NASA
Johnson Space Centre. I, also, taught astronomy and planetary geology courses
part-time at the University of Houston Clear Lake:UHCL. I realised that I
enjoyed both teaching and research and decided to pursue an academic position at
a University where I could combine the two pursuits. After my post-doctoral
positions ended, I moved to Orlando, Florida, where I started the astronomy
programme at the University of Central Florida:UCF and served as the first
director of the UCF Robinson Observatory.
I spent 06.5 years in Orlando but grew homesick for the
spectacular geology and dark night-time skies of the west. In 2002 I accepted an
assistant professor position at Northern Arizona University:NAU, so my two cats
and I packed up and moved to Flagstaff that August. I received tenure at NAU in
2006 and was promoted to Professor in 2012. I am currently the Director of the
NAU:NASA Space Grant Programme and an Associate Director of the Arizona Space
Grant Consortium. I became Associate Chair of the NAU Department of Physics and
Astronomy in Fall 2010. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, watching movies,
baseball. I’m an Angels fan from way back but also cheer on the Diamondbacks,
working on my yard, baking, reading, science, history, archaeology, nature, some
science fiction, some fantasy, such as Harry Potter and the Mists of Avalon
series and mysteries and getting together with friends. I am grateful that I get
the opportunity to travel all over the world for both business and pleasure,
experiencing other cultures, learning the history of other places and admiring
nature’s beauty around the world make me appreciate all that our home planet has
to offer.
Where are you from: I grew up in San Marcos, Calif., which is
about 40 miles north of San Diego. I currently live in Flagstaff, Ariz.
Describe the first time you made a personal connection with
outer space: When I was in the fifth grade my class took a field trip to the
Palomar College Planetarium where we attended a planetarium show. During the
course of the show the presenter announced that a new moon had just been
discovered around Saturn. He went on to tell us that this was the first new moon
to be discovered in the solar system in over 20 years. I was amazed by this
fact, this was the first time that I realised that science was not just a bunch
of stale old facts and figures from a textbook, but that science was in fact an
active field where new discoveries were still being made by scientists.
How did you end up working in the space programme: I majored in astronomy with a
joint minor in geology and chemistry as an undergraduate student, Palomar
Community College and the University of Arizona in Tucson. During my last
semester at the University of Arizona I took a planetary geology course and fell
in love with the subject since it combined my strong interest in all the
sciences, but especially astronomy and geology. I then decided to pursue a Ph.D.
in planetary science, also, at the University of Arizona in Tucson and began
conducting research for my dissertation. Since that time, I have continued my
research pursuits. Currently, my research, funded by NASA, focuses on utilising
spacecraft images of other planetary surfaces and what the impact craters we see
throughout the solar system can tell us about the formation ages of surface
features and the near-surface structure of these bodies (especially the
presence/absence of buried water/ice reservoirs).
What is a Professor: I am currently a professor in the Department of Physics and
Astronomy at Northern Arizona University. I, also, serve as associate department
chair and director of the NAU:NASA Space Grant Programme. A professor teaches at
the college:university level. Typically, you need a Ph.D. in your specialty in
order to reach the rank of a professor, and particularly to work at the
university level. How do you become a professor at the university level? You
start out being hired as an assistant professor. In this role you must
demonstrate your teaching and research abilities, as well as serve your
institution and professional community. Assistant professors do not have job
security, i.e., the institution can let an assistant professor go at any time.
So, after six years of being an assistant professor you put together a packet
describing everything you have done and accomplished in order to apply for
promotion with tenure. Tenure means you have job security, the institution
cannot remove you unless you do something really bad. If you are approved, you
become an associate professor. After another six years of demonstrating your
teaching, research and service abilities, you can then apply for promotion to
the top level of professorship, which is 'full professor'. As a full professor
you are one of the senior members of your institution.
Tell us about a favourite moment so far in your career: My favourite moments
have to do with my research. I particularly, enjoy it when I complete the data
collection stage of a research project and then begin analyzing the data. Seeing
the results of my efforts for the first time is always exciting! For example,
much of my work looks for regional trends in the distribution of crater features
indicating excavation into subsurface ice reservoirs. Being able to narrow down
the depths and horizontal extent of such buried ice deposits which may serve as
the water source for future human exploration of Mars is really thrilling!
Who inspired you: Lots of people have inspired me over the years. Carl Sagan's
books and his 'Cosmos' TV programme showed me that people can actually make a
living doing what interested me. On a personal level, my dad always strongly
encouraged my interest in astronomy, as did my high school science teacher Steve
Drew, my community college astronomy instructor, Jim Pesavento, my Ph.D. advisor
Bob Strom and many of my friends and colleagues. I became interested in Mars due
to the first spacecraft images of the planet sent back by the Mariner missions.
I continue to be inspired by new results from the various spacecraft missions
throughout our solar system.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to take the same career path as
you: Don't limit your classes to only what you are interested in, take courses
in other areas of science in order to broaden your knowledge base. Take
advantage of any opportunities presented to you, you never know how that bit of
experience will help you in the future. Do you want to teach at the university
level? Universities are looking to hire people with prior teaching experience,
something beyond being a teaching assistant for labs in college. If you don't
have that experience, check around at the local community colleges or other
colleges:universities in your area and see if they have an opening for an
adjunct instructor in science or math. And learn how to 'sell yourself'. When
you apply for any job you should succinctly highlight your accomplishments.
However, be modest about them, you don't want to come across as a braggart.
'Selling yourself' is especially important for women since we are often trained
early on to play down our accomplishments.
What do you do for fun: I love to hike and get out among the mountains and
canyons of the Southwest. I also enjoy travelling to new locations and exploring
their natural beauty and history. Reading is one way that I relax, as well as
getting together and catching up with my friends.
If you were talking to a student interested in science and math or engineering,
what advice would you give them: Take all the math, science and computer courses
that you can in school. However, you will, also, need to have very good reading,
writing and speaking skills to succeed in science and engineering. Foreign
language skills are also important since scientists travel a lot and collaborate
with international colleagues. The scientific fields are becoming very
interdisciplinary, so, don't just limit yourself to your major interest, take
other courses which will help you expand your knowledge base. Planetary science
is particularly broad, requiring knowledge about surface geological processes,
atmospheric dynamics, chemical reactions, various aspects of geophysics and
conditions conducive to biological activity.
ω.
Whatever Your Field of
Work and Wherever in the World You are, Please, Make a Choice to Do All You Can
to Seek and Demand the End of Death Penalty For It is Your Business What is Done
in Your Name. The Law That Makes Humans Take Part in Taking Human Lives and That
Permits and Kills Human Lives is No Law. It is the Rule of the Jungle Where Law
Does Not Exist.
The Humanion
||
Readmore
|| ‽:
100417 ||
Up ||
Scott Kelly ISS Now UN Champion for Space |
Astronaut Scott Kelly the United Nations Champion for Space,
left and Director of the UN Office for
Outer Space Affairs:UNOOSA, Simonetta Di Pippo. Image: UNOOSA
|| November 21: 2016 || ά.
As part of a
high-level United Nations forum under way in the United Arab Emirates, aimed at
exploring the role of space in socio-economic and sustainable development, the
UN appoints astronaut Scott Kelly as ‘United Nations Champion for Space.’ The
High-Level Forum on Space as a Driver for Socio-Economic Sustainable
Development, which opened in Dubai yesterday and runs through Thursday, November
24, brings together more than 100 participants including heads of space
agencies, government representatives, astronauts and academics.
“It’s an honour to be the first person to be able to
serve in this role, to be an advocate for space flight and how important it is
to our species, to our future, to our economies around the world; how it gives
us this unique place that is a common ground where all countries can come
together and do something for the common good of us all.” he told UN News
Centre. Over the next two years, Mr. Kelly, known for his 'year in space', will
help the UN promote space as a tool for achieving the 2030 Agenda and the
Sustainable Development Goals:SDGs.
In a message sent to the gathering, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, his
message was delivered by Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for
Disarmament Affairs, Kim Wonsoo, said, “The application of space science and
technology is essential to the advancement of humankind and the successful
implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris
Agreement on climate change, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk
Reduction.”
The Forum has been organised by the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs:UNOOSA,
the Vienna-based UN entity promoting international co-operation in the peaceful
use and exploration of space, in partnership with the United Arab Emirates:UAE
Space Agency. Also, speaking at the opening, UNOOSA Director Simonetta Di Pippo
described the gathering as 'a great opportunity' to focus on the potential of
space technology and innovations for addressing new and emerging sustainable
development challenges.
“This Forum is indeed a great start to the process of enhancing the co-operation
and co-ordination of our community, and expanding to other users communities,
with a particular focus on the space sector for the economy, society and
development of all nations.” she said. Throughout its five-day run, the Forum
will consist of panel discussions, round tables and presentations organised
around four themes: space economy, space society, space accessibility and space
diplomacy.
It is the also the first in a series of three forums ahead of UNISPACE+50 in
June 2018, marking the 50th anniversary of the first United Nations Conference
on the Exploration and Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. The first day of Forum also
saw the appointment of former astronaut Scott Kelly of the United States as the
UN Champion for Space. Mr. Kelly holds the record for the most cumulative number
of days spent in space by an American astronaut on board the International Space
Station.
“We are thrilled and honoured to have Mr. Kelly's support as United Nations
Champion for Space. In this role, Mr. Kelly will combine his demonstrated
passion for making our world a better place with his expertise and experience in
space. I look forward to working with Mr. Kelly to bring global attention to the
important role that space can play in sustainable development.” said Ms. Di
Pippo.
The Champion for Space role is based on the UN Messengers of Peace model,
whereby distinguished individuals agree to help focus worldwide attention on the
work of the UN. Other prominent UN Messengers of Peace include actor Leonardo
DiCaprio for climate change, primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall for
conservation, and singer Stevie Wonder for persons with disabilities.
ω.
Whatever Your Field of
Work and Wherever in the World You are, Please, Make a Choice to Do All You Can
to Seek and Demand the End of Death Penalty For It is Your Business What is Done
in Your Name. The Law That Makes Humans Take Part in Taking Human Lives and That
Permits and Kills Human Lives is No Law. It is the Rule of the Jungle Where Law
Does Not Exist.
The Humanion
|| Readmore || ‽:
221116 ||
Up ||
Imagine and
You are Asgardia as The Sampohumana Peacevarsana
When I close my eyes the Universe
opens her eyes inside my Soul and when I open them I find her all a-bloom
a-joy-awe Before my tearful eyes and I call out: O My Joy O
Universana: October 12 O boundless multitudes of magical maya's
interlink-weaving
Then you hear her speak only in
emerald silence that says O Nata la ciela universidad one that is the other O
serenity hear O liberty endless in spectrum boundless in measure
fathomless In reach but you go to see what infinities a-run for
you to seek: October 13
Munayem Mayenin: The Humanion
|
Imagine and
You Are Asgardia: We are Imaginarians Who Work,
Learn, Make, Create and Live the Music of Peace
|
When I close my eyes the Universe opens her eyes
inside my Soul and when I open them I find her all a-bloom
a-joy-awe Before my tearful eyes and I call out: O My Joy O
Universana Munayem Mayenin: The Humanion |
|| October
12: 2016: Universana: The Lake Eden Eye: Sampohumana
Peacevarsana: The Earth: Paris: France || ά.
Imagine and You Are Asgardia: We are Imaginarians
Who Work, Learn, Make, Create and Live the Music of
Peace.
Plans announced today at a press conference in Paris to create
the first new Space Nation to be called ‘Asgardia’.
The name derives from Norse mythology as the city of
the skies ruled by Odin from Valhalla. The craft's
name relates to Norse Mythology and Odin and it
would remind you of the mythical Sampo that we
read in the Finnish Epic Kalevala. Hence, The
Humanion names Asgardia as Sampohumana Peacevarsana:
Imagine and you are. And Let us imagine the best
possible prospects of humans' being, becoming and
creating: for light, for learning and knowledge to
support, promote, nurture, foster, advance, enhance,
empower and take forward humanity, human endeavour
and make our mark on the Universe with and by the
peace of Beethoven and joy of Sibelius and Tagore
and Homer and Marquez and Tolstoy and Shakespeare
and Steinbeck and Maya Angelou.
The first Asgardia satellite is
planned to be launched in Autumn 2017, sixty years
after the first ever satellite launch, and will mark
a new era in the Space Age as the satellite will be
independent of any current nation state on Earth:
the satellite will comprise the nation itself,
creating its own legal framework, flag and other
symbols of nationhood. The project team is being led
by Dr Igor Ashurbeyli, one of the Russian
Federation's most distinguished scientists and
founder of the Aerospace International Research
Center:AIRC in Vienna. In a separate event in Paris
yesterday he became the chairman of UNESCO’s
‘Science of Space’ committee. Dr Ashurbeyli has
consulted a group of globally renowned scientists,
engineers, entrepreneurs and legal experts on the
development of the concept.
Dr Ashburbeyli said: “The project's concept
comprises three parts, philosophical, legal and
scientific:technological. Asgardia is a
fully-fledged and independent nation, and a future
member of the United Nations, with all the
attributes this status entails. “The essence of
Asgardia is Peace in Space, and the prevention of
Earth’s conflicts being transferred into space.
Asgardia is also unique from a philosophical aspect,
to serve entire humanity and each and everyone,
regardless of his or her personal welfare and the
prosperity of the country where they happened to be
born. The scientific and technological component of
the project can be explained in just three words,
peace, access and protection. The scientific and
technological envelope of Asgardia is a space arena
for the scientific creativity of its citizens and
companies in developing a broad range of future
space technologies, products and services for
humanity on Earth and humanity in Space.”
The launch of the first Asgardia satellite is
planned for 2017, with the project developing from
there. Access to space is opening up, but the
process remains slow and is tightly controlled by
states on earth, restricting commerce and scientific
developments in space by private enterprise. Of the
196 nation states on Earth, just thirteen, USSR,
USA, France, Japan, China, UK, India, Russia,
Ukraine, Israel, Iran, South Korea and North Korea
and one regional organisation, the European Space
Agency:ESA have independently launched satellites on
their own indigenously developed launch vehicles.
Professor David Alexander, Director of the Rice
Space Institute at Rice University, Houston, Texas
said: “As low-earth orbit becomes more accessible,
what’s often called the “democratisation” of space,
a pathway is opening up to new ideas and approaches
from a rich diversity of participants. The mission
of Asgardia to create opportunities for broader
access to space, enabling non-traditional space
nations to realise their scientific aspirations is
exciting.”
Under current international space
law, including the widely adopted ‘Outer Space
Treaty’, states are required to authorise and
supervise national space activities, including the
activities of commercial and not-for-profit
organisations. Objects launched into space are
subject to their nation of belonging and if a nation
launches an object into space, that nation is
responsible for any damage that occurs
internationally and in outer space.
The project is creating a new framework for
ownership and nationhood in space, which will adapt
current outer space laws governing responsibility,
private ownership and enterprise so they are fit for
purpose in the new era of space exploration. By
creating a new Space Nation, private enterprise,
innovation and the further development of space
technology to support humanity will flourish free
from the tight restrictions of state control that
currently exists.
Professor Ram Jakhu, Director, Institute of Air and
Space Law at McGill University, Montreal, Canada
said: “An appropriate and unique global space legal
regime is indispensable for governing outer space in
order to ensure it is explored on a sustainable
basis for exclusively peaceful purposes and to the
benefit of all humanity, including future
generations living on planet earth and in outer
space. The development of foundational principles of
such a legal regime ought to take place at the same
time as technological progress is being made.”
One of the early developments planned by the
Asgardia team will be the creation of a advanced
protective shield for all humankind from cosmic
manmade and natural threats to life on earth such as
space debris, coronal mass ejections and asteroid
collisions. There are estimated to be more than
20,000 traceable objects of man-made space
debris:MSD including non-active spacecraft,
upper-stage rockets and final stage vehicles as well
as fragments of craft that potentially pose a
dangerous situation in near-Earth orbits. The impact
of the Chelyabinsk meteorite which crashed over a
major Russian town as recently as 2013, injuring
1100 people and damaging 4000 buildings, is a
reminder of the threat that natural objects pose to
life on the planet.
Whilst steps have already been taken by the UN
through the International Asteroid Warning
Network:IAWN and the Space Mission Planning Advisory
Group:SMPAG to identify potentially hazardous
scenarios, Asgardia will build on these developments
to help offer a more comprehensive mechanism.
Dr. Joseph N. Pelton, former Dean, International
Space University, Strasbourg, France said: “The
Asgardia project, among other things, may help
prepare better answers to the future governance of
outer space, a topic of major concern to the United
Nations. The exciting aspect of this initiative is
its three phase approach to providing broader access
to space; promoting peace in outer space; and
addressing cosmic hazards and planetary defence.”
The Asgardia Project Team will comprise a
collaborative, multi-disciplinary effort from
leading experts around the globe which it is
envisaged will grow over time as the project
evolves. But as well as expert involvement in the
project, Asgardia is looking to capture the wider
public imagination by crowd-sourcing key aspects of
the project including involving members of the
public in competitions to help design the nation’s
flag, insignia and other symbols of nationhood.
To coincide with the press conference, a website
with further details about the project and public
involvement was also launched today at
www.asgardia.space, including details of
competitions open to the public across the world to
help design the nation’s flag, insignia and anthem.
In addition, the site will allow the first 100,000
people to register to become citizens of Asgardia
alongside their nationality on earth.
Aerospace International Research
Centre:AIRC: The Aerospace International Research
Center, GmbH was established in 2013. It is
comprised of an international team that has
extensive experience working in the high-tech
industry, in large and small start-ups from all over
the world including USA, Germany, Russia, Ukraine,
Switzerland, Israel, South Korea, India, China,
Brazil. AIRC is based in Vienna, where the
headquarters of the United Nations Committee on the
Peaceful Uses of Outer Space are also located. It
publishes a regular space journal, ROOM, a
discussion platform for scientists, engineers and
space industry leaders.
Dr Igor Ashurbeyli: Dr Igor Ashurbeyli is a
scientist, businessman and innovator who holds a PhD
in Engineering with a specialisation in Computer
Science. In 1988, he founded Socium which today has
over 10,000 employees and 30 companies worldwide.
Its slogan "Per Socium Ad Astra" emphasises the need
for community and cooperation in humanity's path
towards the stars and our continued exploration of
space. In 2010, he was awarded Russia's State
Science & Technology Prize, given to him for
achievements in the development and use of a new
generation of micro-technology communications
systems. The State Science & Technology Prize is the
highest honour a Russian scientist can achieve. In
2013, he founded the Aerospace International
Research Centre:AIRC in Vienna, Austria. On February
05, 2016, Ashurbeyli was awarded the UNESCO Medal
for contributions to the development of nanoscience
and nanotechnologies during a ceremony held at
UNESCO headquarters, Paris, and on October 11, 2016,
he became chairman of UNESCO’s ‘Science of Space’
committee.
The Humanion We are One: ω.
|| Readmore
|| ‽: 121016 ||
Up ||
‽:
300916
The Sprite in the Polaris Flare |
|| September
01: 2016 || ά.
This image from ESA’s Planck satellite appears to
show something quite ethereal and fantastical: a
sprite-like figure emerging from scorching flames
and walking towards the left of the frame, its
silhouette a blaze of warm-hued colours. This fiery
illusion is actually a celestial feature named the
Polaris Flare. This name is somewhat misleading;
despite its moniker, the Polaris Flare is not a
flare but a 10 light-year-wide bundle of dusty
filaments in the constellation of Ursa Minor, The
Little Bear, some 500 light-years away.
The Polaris Flare is located near the North
Celestial Pole, a perceived point in the sky aligned
with Earth’s spin axis. Extended into the skies of
the northern and southern hemispheres, this
imaginary line points to the two celestial poles. To
find the North Celestial Pole, an observer need only
locate the nearby Polaris (otherwise known as the
North Star or Pole Star), the brightest star in the
constellation of Ursa Minor.
Some of the secrets of the Polaris Flare were
uncovered when it was observed by ESA’s Herschel
some years ago. Using a combination of such Herschel
observations and a computer simulation, scientists
think that the Polaris Flare filaments could have
been formed as a result of slow shockwaves pushing
their way through a dense interstellar cloud, an
accumulation of cold cosmic dust and gas sitting
between the stars of our Galaxy.
These shockwaves, reminiscent of the sonic booms
formed by fast sound waves here on Earth, would have
been themselves triggered by nearby exploding stars
that disrupted their surroundings as they died,
triggering cloud-wide waves of turbulence. These
shockwaves, reminiscent of the sonic booms formed by
fast sound waves here on Earth, were themselves
triggered by nearby exploding stars that disrupted
their surroundings as they died, triggering
cloud-wide waves of turbulence. These waves swept up
the gas and dust in their path, sculpting the
material into the snaking filaments we see.
This image is not a true-colour view, nor is it an
artistic impression of the Flare, rather it
comprises observations from Planck, which operated
between 2009 and 2013. Planck scanned and mapped the
entire sky, including the plane of the Milky Way,
looking for signs of ancient light (known as the
cosmic microwave background) and cosmic dust
emission. This dust emission allowed Planck to
create this unique map of the sky, a magnetic map.
The relief lines laced across this image show the
average direction of our Galaxy’s magnetic field in
the region containing the Polaris Flare. This was
created using the observed emission from cosmic
dust, which was polarised, constrained to one
direction. Dust grains in and around the Milky Way
are affected by and interlaced with the Galaxy’s
magnetic field, causing them to align preferentially
in space. This carries through to the dust’s
emission, which also displays a preferential
orientation that Planck could detect.
The emission from dust is computed from a
combination of Planck observations at 353, 545 and
857 GHz, whereas the direction of the magnetic field
is based on Planck polarisation data at 353 GHz.
This frame has an area of 30 x 30º on the sky, and
the colours represent the intensity of dust
emission.
About Planck:
Planck will help provide answers to some of the most
important questions in modern science: how did the
Universe begin, how did it evolve to the state we
observe today, and how will it continue to evolve in
the future? Planck's objective is to analyse, with
the highest accuracy ever achieved, the remnants of
the radiation that filled the Universe immediately
after the Big Bang - this we observe today as the
Cosmic Microwave Background. ω.
Image: ESA and the Planck
Collaboration
|| Readmore
|| ‽: 020916 ||
Up ||
Kitchen Smoke Molecules in Nebula Offer Clues
to the Building Blocks of Life |
|| August
16: 2016 || ά.
Using data collected by NASA’s Stratospheric
Observatory for Infrared Astronomy:SOFIA and other
observatories, an international team of researchers
has studied how a particular type of organic
molecules, the raw materials for life, could develop
in space. This information could help scientists
better understand how life could have developed on
Earth.
Bavo Croiset of Leiden University in the Netherlands
and his collaborators focused on a type of molecule
called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons:PAHs, which
are flat molecules consisting of carbon atoms
arranged in a honeycomb pattern, surrounded by
hydrogen. PAHs make up about 10 percent of the
carbon in the universe, and are found on the Earth
where they are released upon the burning of organic
material such as meat, sugarcane, wood etc.
Croiset’s team determined that
when PAHs in the nebula NGC 7023, also known as the
Iris Nebula, are hit by ultraviolet radiation from
the nebula’s central star, they evolve into larger,
more complex molecules. Scientists hypothesise that
the growth of complex organic molecules like PAHs is
one of the steps leading to the emergence of life.
Some existing models predicted that the radiation
from a newborn, nearby massive star would tend to
break down large organic molecules into smaller
ones, rather than build them up. To test these
models, researchers wanted to estimate the size of
the molecules at various locations relative to the
central star.
Croiset’s team used SOFIA to observe Nebula NGC 7023
with two instruments, the FLITECAM near-infrared
camera and the FORCAST mid-infrared camera. SOFIA’s
instruments are sensitive to two wavelengths that
are produced by these particular molecules, which
can be used to estimate their size. The team
analyzed the SOFIA images in combination with data
previously obtained by the Spitzer infrared space
observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope and the
Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on the Big Island of
Hawaii.
The analysis indicates that the
size of the PAH molecules in this nebula vary by
location in a clear pattern. The average size of the
molecules in the nebula’s central cavity,
surrounding the illuminating star, is larger than on
the surface of the cloud at the outer edge of the
cavity.
In a paper published in Astronomy and Astrophysics,
The team concluded that this molecular size
variation is due both to some of the smallest
molecules being destroyed by the harsh ultraviolet
radiation field of the star, and to medium-sized
molecules being irradiated so they combine into
larger molecules. Researchers were surprised to find
that the radiation resulted in net growth, rather
than destruction.
“The success of these observations depended on both
SOFIA’s ability to observe wavelengths inaccessible
from the ground, and the large size of its
telescope, which provided a more detailed map than
would have been possible with smaller telescopes,”
said Olivier Berné at CNRS, the National Centre for
Scientific Research in Toulouse, France, one of the
published paper’s co-authors.
Dr. Dana Backman: SOFIA Science Centre, NASA Ames
Research Center, Moffett Field, California
Kassandra Bell: SOFIA Science Center, NASA Ames
Research Center, Moffett Field, California
:Editor: Kassandra Bell:NASA: ω.
Caption of the Inside Image: Combination of
three colour images of NGC 7023 from SOFIA, red & green, and
Spitzer, blue, show different populations of PAH molecules.
Image: NASA:DLR:SOFIA:B. Croiset, Leiden Observatory, and O.
Berné, CNRS; NASA:JPL-Caltech:Spitzer.
|| Readmore
|| ‽: 170816 ||
Up ||
Lead If You Can Imagine: Follow Never You Do |
|| June 25: 2016 ||
Love's Unity's Truth: LUT: Or Lappeenranta
University of Technology, Finland: A University that
takes away the 'pen' of your mind is the place from
where you run away as fast as far away as you can
for it is going to strangle you.
But the one that offers to supply
ink and paper to the 'pen' of your mind is the one
where you stay to seek and search and ask and wonder
and go and create, hear, reach and touch and become
love's unity's truth: LUT.
In translation, it is this: if
you are one tiny little insignificant variable, that
we all are like, in the almost infinite grid of this
universe, where an almost infinite number of
perpetually changing variables responding to an
infinite musical exposition or algorithm that we
would never be able to understand or grasp fully and
you locate, reach and find yourself at the very
place and position where that variable, that's your
or I, ought to be and you just fit in there
perfectly and you are now at home of the equilibrium
of being one with the whole and only than....
Only than you can hear the music
of that equilibrium, of being one with the whole:
that is the music of Sibelius: being one with the
whole so that one hears the infinite music that one
cannot quite fit in the 8th Symphony.
Thus having played some of it he
realises it is NOTHING like what he had heard! And
there goes the 8th Symphony to the fire!
And hence, here is for Love's
Unity's Truth: LUT: Lappeenranta University of
Technology: technology is the river on which the
boat of creation, that is to say, what we can do,
create and become through our imagination and
ingenuity, the sampo. That's the sampo and it sails
away on that river made of Ilmarinen's hands and
that's where it runs on.
ω.
Image: University of
Lappeeenranta
||
Readmore
‽: 250616
||
Up
||
Vastitas Borealis Mearthcardiana |
Original Image:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona State University: Posted on
May 09, 2016 in The Sunnara:
Crater Dunes on the Floor of an Unnamed Martian
Crater in Vastitas Borealis
|| May 08: 2016 ||
We made this from the original image, as stated
above, and acknowledge the source. And here, we
present our Vastitas Borealis Mearthcardiana.
Soren Kierkegaard: '' It
is said of certain plants that they must form
hearts; the same must be said of man's (human's)
love; if it is really to bear fruit and consequently
be recognisable by its fruits it must form a heart,
love, to be sure, proceeds from the heart, but let
us not in our haste about this forget the eternal
truth that love forms the heart. Every man (human)
experiences the transient excitements of an
inconstant heart, but to have a heart in this
natural sense is infinitely different from forming a
heart in the eternal sense. How rarely the eternal
gets enough control of over a man (human) so that
the love establishes itself in him (her) eternally
or forms his (her) heart. Yet it is essential
condition for bearing love's own fruit by which it
is known.'': Love's Hidden Life: Works of Love:
Soren Kiekegaard. Translation: Howard and Edna Hong.
||
Readmore
||
‽: 090516
||
Up
||
O Enceladus! What a
Dew Drop You are of Saturn! This
image of Saturn with that dew drop Enceladus
has been created using an Image of
NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute.
And we call this Saturn, The Humanion Saturn
where we have four instances of the dew drop
of Enceladus being present.
‽:
030516
|
Imagine and You are: How Do You Imagine the Future
for It Shall Become as You Had Imagined It? |
|| April 30: 2016 || Imagine
and You are: How Do You Imagine the Future for It Shall
Become as You Had Imagined It? Therefore, it is
paramount that we imagine a 'dream' and not a nightmare
so that we imagine we are heading towards a better
world, better earth, better Universana where the
humanion shall work copying, resonating and replicating
the way
the 'human-physiologiqa' works with
trillions of cells and neurons organised in thirteen
different systems that are connected, integrated and
maintained in a
pure unison symphony of
bio-genetico-humana 'led' by a combined
dual-lead-system of neurana and cardiana (in old
expression the head and the heart) working as two halves
of the sphere of the human mind if seen as northern
and southern hemisphere and if seen as eastern and
western hemisphere we call them the imagiaana and
creatiaartiaana. And here is, therefore, the human mind
with the neurana, cardiana, imagianna and
creatiaartiaana. Each human soul/mind can be imagined as
a cell or neuron of the metaphorical body of the entire
humanion which is connected as the human-physiologiqa is
connected.
The Humanion must
learn to act exactly like that: together, in
conjunction, in co-ordination, in co-operation, in
unison, all in one and one in all, in seeking to achieve
the same goal: the maintenance, sustenance, nurturing,
fostering, enhancing, empowering the good of the whole:
in other expression: to achieve, maintain, nurture and
foster homeostasis. If they act singly their destiny is
absolute doom. If they act in unison as the human-physiologiqa
does they are 'immortal' and 'invincible' and they can
and shall command infinite potentials on infinite number
of avenues that are infinitely spread onto the spectrum
of the future through which humanity shall bring about
its essence in
symphonic and epic proportions.
Readmore
And on this line of thought, we present, Pre-order
the Future. What exactly is Pre-ordering the Future? |
About the Project: Pre-order the
Future
We’re all in to create imaginary, futuristic innovations
and to rewrite the future. Neste has grouped teams of
consummate professionals to work on five different
topics varying from future cities to the future of
entertainment.
Prince Ea jumped on board at the beginning of this year
completing our Pre-order the Future team. He works in
the project as a futurologist. This means Prince Ea is
working hands on with the products and he’s constantly
challenging Neste’s way of working by bringing his
unique creative approach to the table.
Research and development
Neste is a pioneer and trailblazer in renewable
materials and solutions. This means that we’re always
trying out new things, looking into new kind of
materials and constantly pushing the world forward.
This wouldn’t be possible without our constant
investment in research and development. Our progressive
R&D team’s calling is to step off the beaten path and to
pursue new inventions. That’s the reason why Neste’s
research and development is at the heart of
this project.
Submit Your Idea
We are always open for great ideas and want to hear your
input! If you feel like you want to contribute by
sharing your ideas for possible concepts or topics for
the future, let us know. Write your ideas on the form
below and our product design team will review them and
may take them to be a part of the project.
Images: Pre-order the
Future
‽:
010516
Up
Mars: Working, Learning, Asking, Creating, Building,
Exploring, Seeking and Finding Together: It Has
to Be a Human Idearian Symphony: The Humanion
Dr Dava Newman: NASA Deputy Administrator
Mars Beautiful Gale
Crater
This magnificent piece of work is done
by Mother Nature on Mars. P: February 15, 2016:
Image Released on June 19, 2015: Minerals at Gale
Crater: Curiosity's Home: Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Arizona
State University |
|| April 29: 2016 ||
We are closer than ever before to sending
American astronauts to Mars than anyone, anywhere, at
any time has ever been. A new consensus is emerging
around NASA’s plan and timetable for sending astronauts
to the Red Planet in the 2030s. This consensus extends
not only across the aisle in Washington, but across the
world to the various corners of science, policy,
academia, industry, non-profits, citizen scientists,
students, and everyday dreamers who envision a future
where there is a continuous human presence on Mars and
where our own quality of life here on Earth is better
because of the technologies that we develop to get
there.
I find that less often are folks asking, “Why aren’t you
doing things my way?” or “Is Mars the right
destination?” Rather, they’re asking questions like,
“How can we be a part of this?” and “What are some areas
where we can work together?”
Mars exploration promises to answer enduring questions
like: “Is it habitable and did life ever exist on Mars?”
One of the things I often find as I meet with
stakeholders from across sectors and around the world is
that our partners are looking to NASA and to a larger
extent the people of the United States, for leadership
and we’re happy to provide it!
Mars in Wait for Humans to Build
Their Maarth
 |
Dr Dava Newman
|
The Profile: Dava Newman:
NASA Deputy Administrator
In the international space community, gone are the days
of the “space race” when the dominant theme was that of
various nations racing against each other. Instead,
we’re increasingly running together. Time and again I
hear talk from our friends across the globe of how
NASA’s Journey to Mars truly benefits all humankind.
At NASA, we have roughly 700 active agreements with more
than 120 international partners. Tens of thousands of
people from across 15 countries have been involved in
the operations and construction of the International
Space Station alone, and the Station has hosted more
than 2,000 research investigations from researchers in
more than 95 countries.
Here at home, we work with business partners to transfer
1,600 new technologies a year into the market for job
creation and economic growth, and we’re constantly
looking for partners both in and out of government who
are interested in developing the technologies that drive
exploration while also creating jobs and improving our
quality of life on Earth.
One of many examples is the Bigelow Expandable Activity
Module, or BEAM, which launched earlier this month
aboard a SpaceX cargo resupply mission to the space
station for a two-year technology demonstration – one of
two recent, successful resupply missions (the other
being Orbital-ATK’s Cygnus launch in March). The BEAM
demonstration is part of a public-private partnership
contract with Bigelow Aerospace to study the radiation
protection, thermal performance and general operations
of expandable structures in space. President Obama’s
budget proposal for the 2017 fiscal year provides $90
million for NASA to study approaches to creating the
habitation systems astronauts will need for the journey
to Mars, leveraging capabilities developed for the space
station and using public-private partnerships.
With the award of our second space station Cargo
Resupply Services (CRS-2) contracts, we added Sierra
Nevada Corporation, bringing to three the number of
American commercial cargo service providers, along with
SpaceX and Orbital ATK. We’re also hard at work with our
commercial crew partners Boeing and SpaceX to return
human space launches to American soil on commercial
carriers, allowing NASA to explore farther, with an
expanded focus on deep-space exploration – the proving
ground for the human missions to the Red Planet that
follow as part of our Journey to Mars plan. Our
Commercial Crew Program will increase the space station
astronauts from six to seven, effectively doubling the
amount of crew time dedicated to research on the
orbiting laboratory.
We also have Space Act Agreements with dozens of
American commercial, government, and non-profit partners
– from Google’s work on embedded smartphones to Arizona
State University’s work on thermography for prognostics
of composite materials, the State of Hawaii’s work on
STEM initiatives … the list goes on and on.
Among the many exciting things we’re doing with American
businesses, we’re particularly excited about an upcoming
SpaceX project that would build upon a current
“no-exchange-of-funds” agreement we have with the
company. In exchange for Martian entry, descent, and
landing data from SpaceX, NASA will offer technical
support for the firm’s plan to attempt to land an
uncrewed Dragon 2 spacecraft on Mars.
As the saying goes, “spaceflight is hard.” Sending
astronauts to Mars, which will be one of the greatest
feats of human innovation in the history of
civilization, carries with it many, many puzzles to
piece together. That’s why we at NASA have made it a
priority to reach out to partners in boardrooms,
classrooms, laboratories, space agencies and even
garages across our country and around the world.
Hellas Basin
rim topography
The
colour-coded topographic view shows
relative heights and depths of
terrain in the Hellas Basin region
on Mars. Red and white represent the
highest terrain, and blues and
purples show lower terrain (see
key). The image is based on a
digital terrain model of the region,
from which the topography of the
landscape can be derived. The region
was imaged by the High Resolution
Stereo Camera on Mars Express on 6
December 2015 during orbit 15127.
The image is centred on 45ºS/48ºE
and the ground resolution is about
52 m per pixel. Released 24/03/2016
11:00 am: Copyright ESA/DLR/FU
Berlin, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO |
We have more than half a
century of experience and success exploring Mars
to build upon, dating back to Mariner 4’s flyby
in July 1965. Today, we continue to learn more
about the Red Planet from NASA’s current robotic
missions: the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, the
Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit and
Opportunity), Mars Express, Mars Odyssey, Mars
Science Laboratory (Curiosity), and Mars
Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN). We
also work with the Indian Space Research
Organisation, providing our deep space network
for their Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), as well as
the European Space Agency and Roscosmos
supporting their ExoMars scientific spacecraft
currently enroute to Mars. We firmly believe
that humanity is empowered when we collaborate
in the peaceful exploration of space.
When he laid out his plans for NASA and the
Journey to Mars in 2010, President Obama spoke
of how partnership with industry could have the
potential to “accelerate the pace of innovations
as companies — from young startups to
established leaders — compete to design and
build and launch new means of carrying people
and materials out of our atmosphere.”
This is exactly what’s happening and it’s one of
the reasons that we’re closer to sending humans
to Mars than ever before.
Dr Dava Newman: Dr. Dava Newman
was nominated in January 2015 by President Barack Obama and
confirmed by the U.S. Senate in April 2015 to serve as the
Deputy Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration. She was sworn in on May 15 and began her
duties with the agency on May 18.
Along with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Newman is
responsible for providing overall leadership, planning, and
policy direction for NASA. Newman performs the duties and
exercises the powers delegated by the administrator, assists
the administrator in making final agency decisions, and acts
for the administrator in his absence by performing all
necessary functions to govern NASA operations and exercises
the powers vested in the agency by law. Newman also is
responsible for articulating the agency's vision and
representing NASA to the Executive Office of the President,
Congress, heads of federal and other appropriate government
agencies, international organizations, and external
organizations and communities.
The Universe
Universana, Let's Make Some New Words: Thearth for the
Other Earth, Maarth: Mearth for the Earth That Awaits
Humanity on Mars and Universana When Referring the
Universe as the World/Earth as Home
‽:
300416
Up
|
|