Law In Space

As more non-astronauts go into space, the question of crime comes up.  If someone commits a felony beyond all Earthly jurisdictions, what happens?

According to some legal experts, a new treaty that lays out what happens is needed.

Radiation And Hearts

A new study based on the Apollo astronauts who went to the Moon suggests deep space radiation may have lasting, negative effects on the heart.

Of course, the focus group is small, and all male, and several lunar travelers have lived into their 80s.

Hot Jupiter

The atmosphere of Jupiter is hotter than scientists have been able to explain, but a new study sees the Great Red Spot as the engine of the warmth.

The study says the GRS throws out acoustic waves that heat the atmosphere above it.

Perspective

Apple reported revenues last quarter of over $42 billion.

That's more than twice NASA's next projected yearly budget.

Craters On Ceres

Ceres has a paucity of large craters, which has puzzled scientists since maps made by the Dawn spacecraft revealed the situation.

One possible explanation may be that eruptions of ice volcanoes have erased evidence of old, huge craters.  About 25% of Ceres' mass is water.

Linda Moulton Howe

UFO researcher Linda Moulton Howe is predicting an official announcement confirming the existence of life beyond Earth will be made in 2016.

We'll see.

STAR TREK: Beyond

The newest entry of the STAR TREK franchise is opening.

The J. J. Abrams version of the epic focuses on the early years of Captain Kirk and the bridge crew of the original Enterprise.

Dark Matter

The most sensitive search yet for dark matter found nothing during its twenty months in operation.

Scientists are not discouraged, however.  They say the negative results narrow the possibilities of what dark matter can be.

Perspective

GM announced revenues last quarter-- three months-- of more than $42 billion.

NASA's next yearly budget is set at about $19 billion.

Apollo 11

Today marks the 47th anniversary of humanity's first manned landing on the Moon.

There is currently a growing movement, both within the American space advocacy community and internationally, to establish a manned lunar base as the next big project in space exploration.

K2-72

K2-72 is a red dwarf 181 light years from Earth that has been observed by the Kepler spacecraft.  It has at least four likely rocky worlds orbiting it, all roughly equal in size to Earth.

Two of those worlds are in the star's habitable zone, which means they could potentially support life.

SpaceX Success

SpaceX successfully launched a Dragon cargo capsule to ISS last night, and successfully landed the booster back at Cape Canaveral.

It was the fifth successful landing in the last seven attempts.

Reaction Funding

Reaction Engines, developer of the Skylon spaceplane, is now receiving funding from both the UK Government and the ESA.

The company plans to begin ground tests of the hybrid engines by 2020.

Direct Collapse Black Holes

Astronomers have finally found a direct collapse black hole-- a supermassive black hole that formed by pulling in gas and dust without going through a star phase.

Such objects would explain how supermassive black holes could have existed in the early universe.

Titan Aerobot

NASA is looking at a flying robot as a next step in exploring Saturn's huge moon, Titan.

The nuclear-powered robot would fly through Titan's dense atmosphere mapping the surface and perhaps sending probes down to land.

Ceres Ice

According to Dawn data, there might be water ice on the floors of permanently shadowed crater floors on Ceres.

Similar situations seem to exist on the Moon and Mercury.

New Dwarf Planet

Astronomers have discovered a new dwarf planet in the Kuiper Belt well beyond Pluto.

They think 2015 RR245 is about 435 miles in diameter and orbits the Sun once every 700 Earth years.

Supernova Possibility

A new study using computer simulations suggests cosmic rays from a supernova may have contributed to a minor mass extinction on Earth 2.59 million years ago.

That mass extinction and accompanying climate change helped pave the way for modern humans.

New Planet

Astronomers have found a new exoplanet, about 16 million years old, that orbits one star in a triple star system, the first such world found.

It's unclear as of now if the planet's orbit, which is twice as far as Pluto is from the Sun, is stable over the long term.

Life Equation

A new equation seeking to estimate the probability of life in the universe has been developed.

Like in the famed Drake Equation aimed at alien civilization, the factors in this new equation are largely unknown at this time.

Curiosity Glitch

The Curiosity rover is currently in safe mode after a software glitch Saturday.

Engineers are trying to determine exactly what happened.

Hydrogen Cyanide

Researchers have found that hydrogen cyanide could spark chemical reactions that could lead to life on Saturn's giant moon, Titan.

Such life would not depend on water.

Juno Orbiting

Juno successfully put itself into orbit around Jupiter last night after a five year voyage.

Scientific observations are scheduled to begin in October and run until February, 2018.

Wind Drag Ripples

Scientists have discovered what they're calling "wind drag ripples" in the ancient sands of Mars.

They think the size of such ripples can be related to the density of Mars' atmosphere in the past.

New Horizons' New Horizon

NASA has officially approved an extended mission for the New Horizons spacecraft.  It will aim for a flyby of another Kuiper Belt object, after Pluto, in 2019.

The object, 2014 MU69, hadn't even been discovered when New Horizons was launched.

Ceres

A new study suggests the dwarf planet Ceres may have more liquid water than thought.

It also finds Ceres is composed of more rock than ice.