A laser has been fired on the planet named for the Roman god of war.
The Curiosity rover used a laser to hit a nearby rock. The pulses of pure energy, ten of them, vaporized a tiny bit of the rock so that the telescope of the rover's ChemCam could take a spectrograph of the vapor. Analysis of the spectrograph should reveal the composition of the rock.
It might be slightly more complex than that, however. Mission scientists think the laser might have also vaporized wind-blown dust that happened to be on the rock. If that in fact occurred, the spectrographic signatures of the dust and the rock will have to be disentangled.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Maybe The Big Phase Shift?
A new study argues that the Big Bang that created the universe may have been less a bang and more a phase shuft, similar to how liquid water becomes ice. The theory postulates simple, fornless energy suddenly organized itself into the early universe we know about 13.7 billion years ago.
The mathematics work out, and the theory also sets out a way to test it. Just as water ice develops cracks during the freezing process, so theorists say the phase change would have left "cracks" in spacetime. Those cracks could be found and studied, if they in fact exist.
The mathematics work out, and the theory also sets out a way to test it. Just as water ice develops cracks during the freezing process, so theorists say the phase change would have left "cracks" in spacetime. Those cracks could be found and studied, if they in fact exist.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Curiosity In Good Shape
NASA is still checking out all thw systems and equipment on its Curiosity rover, but so far things seem to be in good order. There seems to be a small problem with some wind sensors in the rover's weather station component, but other than that all seems to be well.
Curiosity has already taken its first short test drive of roughly twenty feet forward and back. Its real journey across the floor of Galen Crater may begin as early as this weekend.
Curiosity has already taken its first short test drive of roughly twenty feet forward and back. Its real journey across the floor of Galen Crater may begin as early as this weekend.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
India To Mars
India plans to launch its first interpkanetary mission next year. The probe will be sent to Mars. The mission will attempt to build on the success of India's first lunar prrobe, which discovered water on the surface of the Moon.
The Mars probe will be basic, but it wil help establish India as a space power. That is one factor in an ongoing contest among India, China, and Japan for leadership in Asia, much as the Space Race of the 1960s was one factor in the contest between the United States and the Soviet Union.
The Mars probe will be basic, but it wil help establish India as a space power. That is one factor in an ongoing contest among India, China, and Japan for leadership in Asia, much as the Space Race of the 1960s was one factor in the contest between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Eagle-Eyed MRO
As reported in this blog, the high resolution camera of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter caught a remarkable image of Curiosity under parachute as it descended to the Martian surface. Now, that same camera has found Curiosity on the ground.
NASA isn't just looking for "gee whiz" pictures, howeveer. Detailed images of the terrain around Curiosity will help mission managers plot Curiosity's course through Gale Crater.
NASA isn't just looking for "gee whiz" pictures, howeveer. Detailed images of the terrain around Curiosity will help mission managers plot Curiosity's course through Gale Crater.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Curiosity Gearing Up
The software switch in Curiosity's computer, shifting the rover from flight mode to surface mode, was successfully completed last week, paving the way for the mission to begin in earnest. NASA plans an initial movement of the rover soon, perhaps tomorrow, simply as a test, but checking out and calibrating the rover's systems and instruments will still take weeks. Curiosity probably won't begin to really roll until sometime next month.
Before the rover moves, however, the plan is to use the onboard laser to zap a nearby rock. The laser will vaporize a tiny bit of the rock, allowing Curiosity's ChemCam to analyze the vapor for its chemical composition.
Before the rover moves, however, the plan is to use the onboard laser to zap a nearby rock. The laser will vaporize a tiny bit of the rock, allowing Curiosity's ChemCam to analyze the vapor for its chemical composition.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Twittering Aliens
More than 10,000 tweets and videos were beamed into space this week using the radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.
It was done as a promotional stunt for a television show, which suggests it was not a serious effort. Given the assumption that aliens will probably never receive the message, the project is likely harmless enough. However, Stephen Hawking and others suggest that calling attention to ourselves might be a mistake. Interstellar civilizations are likely aggressive, they argue. That may or may not turn out to be accurate, but it is a possibility that should not be ignored.
Losing everything because we didn't take the potential of communicating with aliens seriously would be the ultinate shame.
It was done as a promotional stunt for a television show, which suggests it was not a serious effort. Given the assumption that aliens will probably never receive the message, the project is likely harmless enough. However, Stephen Hawking and others suggest that calling attention to ourselves might be a mistake. Interstellar civilizations are likely aggressive, they argue. That may or may not turn out to be accurate, but it is a possibility that should not be ignored.
Losing everything because we didn't take the potential of communicating with aliens seriously would be the ultinate shame.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
