Tag: nasa

NASA IDENTIFIES 17 POTENTIALLY HABITABLE EARTH-SIZED ICY WORLDS, INCLUDING TWO COSMIC NEARBY NEIGHBORS

NASA researchers say they have identified 17 potentially habitable icy worlds that are approximately Earth-sized, including two that reside in our cosmic backyard.

Similar to the icy moons of Jupiter (Europa) and Saturn (Enceladus) in our solar system, these worlds are believed to contain massive oceans underneath an icy outer shell, where a combination of tidal forces and radiation might enable the types of life found in the deepest parts of Earth’s oceans.

The researchers also said that these icy worlds may contain surface geysers that erupt some of that water into space, where human-made telescopes could scan those plumes for signs of extraterrestrial life.

Dating back to the discovery of the first exoplanet in 1995, most efforts to search for life on other planets have focused on rocky worlds like Earth that orbit within their host star’s habitable zone, where temperatures would permit liquid water to exist on the planet’s surface. That’s because virtually all life on Earth uses liquid water, and Earth is the only place we have definitively found life.

For a long time, it was also believed that virtually all life forms required sunlight. However, recent discoveries of life forms in the deepest parts of Earth’s oceans that thrive in complete darkness have changed those calculations.

Dubbed “extremophiles,” these hardy organisms replace the light energy most life forms receive from the sun with thermal energy spewed by volcanic vents on the ocean floor. They also receive vital nutrients and other organic compounds from these vents, both of which are also critical to life.

These discoveries have led astrobiologists to redefine where they search for life outside Earth. Two of the most tantalizing targets are Europa and Enceladus. Scientists theorize that the tidal forces of their host planets and other moons combined with radiation energy generate enough internal heat energy that these icy moons may have oceans of seawater beneath their icy shells.

In 2005, NASA’s Cassini mission spotted geysers of water erupting from the surface of Enceladus, lending strong support to those theories. The space agency is even evaluating missions designed to fly spacecraft through those plumes and collect samples of the oceans below.

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NASA TO LAUNCH STADIUM-SIZED CRAFT OVER ANTARCTICA IN NEW MISSION TO EXPLORE COSMIC PHENOMENA

A long-duration aerial mission soon to be carried out by NASA over Antarctica will launch stadium-sized craft in support of a series of record-breaking science missions, the agency announced this week.

The Antarctic Long Duration Balloon (LDB) Campaign, which includes a trio of scientific balloon flights equipped to study a range of different phenomena, will launch at the beginning of December, according to a press release NASA issued on Monday.

The mission will employ a series of massive zero-pressure balloons, which the American space agency says will support five missions in total.

Equipped with open ducts through which gas can escape, thereby eliminating the buildup of pressure within, zero-pressure balloons expand as they accumulate heat from the rising Sun as they are being carried aloft. Conversely, as the Sun sets, heat is lost, which results in a loss of gas, which causes zero-pressure balloons to have a shorter flight duration than other inflatable systems.

However, long-duration missions can be achieved during the polar summer, a period during which the balloons remain in constant sunlight for extended periods.

One of the missions aims to break a previous long-duration balloon flight record of just over 55 days. The balloons will launch from NASA’s facility for balloon launches located close to McMurdo Station, the largest community on Earth’s southernmost continent located on the southern edge of Ross Island, Antarctica.

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EERIE GLOWS AND ELECTRON BEAMS: WHAT WERE NASA’S ‘DISSIPATION’ AND ‘BEAM-PIE’ MISSIONS INVESTIGATING OVER REMOTE ALASKA?

On Wednesday, NASA launched a sounding rocket into the early morning skies above Fairbanks, as the wavering green glow of the aurora borealis danced over the Poker Flat Research Range near Mile 30 along Alaska’s Steese Highway.

The Wednesday launch was part of NASA’s DISSIPATION mission, managed out of Goddard Space Flight Center, which aims to capture data that will help scientists understand phenomena associated with auroras, including how high-altitude solar winds dissipate their energy, and how auroras contribute to heating the atmosphere, according to a NASA statement.

Part of the mission’s focus involves a region between 60 and 180 miles over the Earth and at latitudes above 65 degrees, known as the high-latitude ionosphere-thermosphere, where energy from charged solar wind particles is dissipated.

Researchers involved said that the launch, which occurred shortly after midnight, was timed perfectly with the peak of the aurora that morning, which lasted less than half an hour.

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Prada to help design NASA spacesuits for astronauts to wear to the moon on 2025 Artemis III mission

Prada’s next runway walk will be out of this world -literally – as the designer brand will soon help design spacesuits for the 2025 Artemis III mission to the moon. 

The high-priced designer brand has been contracted by NASA to help make the suits astronauts will wear to the moon – the first visit to the lunar surface since 1972.

The contract is a partnership between the Italian company and Axiom Space which was awarded a contract to help modernize and make the suits more comfortable. 

Early versions of the suit were released in March and officials said it was designed to fit perfectly for both women and men – a necessary detail for the 2025 mission.  

The Artemis III mission is expected to be the first time in history that a woman and a person of color will walk on the moon. 

According to Reuters, Prada’s engineers will help to develop ‘solutions for materials and design features to protect astronauts against the challenge of space.’ 

Axiom also commended Prada on its use of making and using materials, stating the expertise in this area as another reason for the deal. 

Prada – more than 100 year old fashion house – is best known for their expensive bags and clothing items which can go for thousands of dollars. 

In a joint statement, the companies said Prada’s goal will also be to make the suits more comfortable for the suits for the four astronauts set to orbit. 

The astronauts on the Artemis III were named by NASA earlier this year as Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, commander Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch. 

The Houston-based Axiom was given their contract by NASA last year in an effort to modernize previous space suits. 

In the past, the suits were designed specifically for the male body and incorporated bulky fabrics and heavier equipment. 

A statement from NASA said that they support the partnership between NASA and Axiom as the deal will ensure the new suits meet critical safety standards. 

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NASA to Use Artificial Intelligence to Better Track and Monitor UFO’s

As inklings of extraterrestrial life continue to make headlines, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will begin to use advancements in artificial intelligence to better monitor the skies in the hopes that non-human eyes may help them understand unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings and other events that may indicate a non-human presence.

NASA said that artificial intelligence (AI) will be “essential” in fully understanding the data surrounding unidentified anomalous phenomena and their origins in talks that followed the release of their highly anticipated UFO report.

The report did not conclude one way or the other whether NASA believes UFO’s are of extraterrestrial origin, but in a press briefing on September 14 the Administrator of NASA emphasized that the agency would continue to use all the resources at its disposal to prove or disprove that the unidentified objects showing up all over American military radar and otherwise baffling the world’s best scientists are of extraterrestrial origin. These resources now include AI programs that can comb through very large datasets for information a human might miss or take much longer to find.

“We will use AI and machine learning to search the skies for anomalies… and will continue to search the heavens for habitable reality,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. “AI is just coming on the scene to be explored in all areas, so why should we limit any technological tool in analyzing, using data that we have?”

NASA administrators emphasized both in the report and press briefing that data surrounding unidentified anomalous phenomenas (UAP’s) and UFO’s is often very hard to analyze or quantify partly because of the nature of the topic and partly because it’s a very large swath of data. By using new tools made possible by artificial intelligence, NASA believes they can find patterns or anomalies in data that humans have thus far been unable to find.

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NASA wants to take UFOs seriously — and scientifically

On Sept. 14, 2023, NASA announced plans to take a more prominent role in investigating unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) — better known as unidentified flying objects, or UFOs. The agency will appoint a team of experts to collect data and develop scientific explanations of UAP. The team will be led by Mark McInerney, who had previously been NASA’s liaison to the Department of Defense on UAP.

The action comes in response to a report, also released Sept. 14, that was authored by an independent panel that NASA convened. The report’s purpose was not to conduct a comprehensive review or analysis of UAP, but to issue recommendations to NASA on how the agency can leverage its expertise to shed light on the nature of UAP with scientific methods.

At a press conference, members of the independent panel were adamant that they found no evidence for an extraterrestrial origin of UAP. Many sightings of UAP, they noted, have mundane explanations, like weather balloons or camera artifacts. However, there are still many incidents involving objects that remain unidentified due to a lack of data.

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NASA Report: UFOs Are a Threat to US Airspace, Administrator Nelson Says Aliens ‘Out There’

According to a recent NASA report, there are still unidentified objects in our skies that might pose a threat to US airspace. NASA has also named a new head for UFO research to investigate further, The Telegraph reported on Thursday.

NASA’s Search for Life, Report States UFOs Threat to US Airspace, NASA Administrator Nelson Remains Hopeful

NASA is actively searching for indications of life, whether it existed in the past or exists currently, according to Sky News. Bill Nelson, NASA administrator, is optimistic that they will identify another planet suitable for life within the vast universe.

“The NASA independent study team did not find any evidence the UAPs have an extraterrestrial origin, but we don’t know what these UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) are,” Nelson said. “The mission of NASA is to find out the unknown. We don’t know what the UAP is, but we are going to try to find out.”

The US Space Agency revealed findings from a 15-month investigation into UAPs. However, the report cautions that the available data doesn’t allow for “definitive scientific conclusions.”

An independent team of 16 researchers shared their early findings in May, News 18 reported. They stated that most UFOs can be attributed to natural occurrences. These include common things like airplanes, balloons, drones, weather patterns, or even problems with the recording equipment.

The report dismissed the 2015 “Go Fast” video captured by a Navy fighter jet pilot aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt. In this video, the pilot described an object zipping across the ocean at great speed. The investigative team determined that there was no evidence of a propulsion system. It suggested that the object was likely drifting with the wind rather than exhibiting extraordinary propulsion capabilities.

However, the report’s authors cautioned that certain UFOs still defy explanation. They emphasized the need to leverage satellite data and crowd participation to delve deeper into these enigmatic occurrences.

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NASA publishes findings of a long-awaited study on UFOs today

NASA released the findings of its highly-anticipated study today, scrutinizing more than 800 sightings of UFOs across three decades — with ‘inconclusive’ results for those who ‘want to believe.’

‘To date, in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, there is no conclusive evidence suggesting an extraterrestrial origin for UAP,’ NASA’s panel of experts wrote in their new report which was, in part, designed to recommend future investigative avenues.

The US space agency announced last year that it would review evidence regarding unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAPs), more commonly known as unidentified flying objects (UFOs), with the goal of advising how NASA tools could aid the search.

The panel defined UAP as sightings ‘that cannot be identified as aircraft or known natural phenomena from a scientific perspective.’

But NASA’s team elaborated their scientific view that the bar for proof of extraterrestrial visitors to Earth must be kept high.

‘In the search for life beyond Earth, extraterrestrial life itself must be the hypothesis of last resort,’ the panel wrote, ‘the answer we turn to only after ruling out all other possibilities.’ 

‘As Sherlock Holmes said, ‘Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”

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NASA UAP / UFO Related Internal Communications

According to NASA, “The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), is responsible for unique scientific and technological achievements in human spaceflight, aeronautics, space science, and space applications that have had widespread impacts on our nation and the world. Forged in response to early Soviet space achievements, NASA was built on the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), and other government organizations, as the locus of U.S. civil aerospace research and development.”

The following is a large archive of internal NASA related UAP / UFO communications, consisting primarily of e-mails, along with their attachments.

The cases are broken down below, along with links to the documents released.

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A mysterious green comet is approaching Earth and could be visible to the naked eye soon. Here’s how to see it.

A mysterious green comet, called Comet Nishimura, could be visible to the naked eye in mid-September.

Also known as Comet C/2023 P1, the cosmic object could be more easily visible from September 7 and will reach its peak brightness on September 17 when it will be 78 million miles from Earth. 

The comet, which got its name from the Japanese astronomer Hideo Nishimura, currently has a green tail and is gaining in intensity as it heads toward the sun, NASA reported.

This is a crucial stage. The sun can make comets brighter by freeing more gas into their tails. But it can also break them up before they reach the Earth. 

Still, NASA is optimistic. “Will Comet Nishimura become visible to the unaided eye? Given the unpredictability of comets, no one can say for sure, but it currently seems like a good bet,” NASA said in a blog post. 

Backyard astronomers are encouraged to take their telescopes out to spot the comet in case it breaks up in the coming days, comet-tracking app SpaceWalk suggested on its blog. 

For the rest of us, it’s worth turning our attention to the skies from early September in the hours before dawn. The comet is almost aligned with the sun, so the best chance of catching it is right before our star rises.

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