In 2008, a group of researchers thought they had directly imaged the first exoplanet. Since then, that remarkable feat has been accomplished a few times, but now the 2008 imaging has been confirmed. At that time, there was a possibility the two objects, the star and the exoplanet, were only coincidentally related as seen from Earth. Continued observation, however, has confirmed the two travel through space together.
The star is Sun-like, with about 85 percent the mass of the Sun, while its planet is about eight times Jupiter's mass and orbits the star about once every 300 Earth years, if the orbit is close to circular. That's somewhere around the same distance Neptune is from the Sun. The exoplanet is extremely hot, however-- which is what allowed it to be detected in the first place. Astronomers think it's a young system, and the planet is still gravitationally contracting, which generates a huge amount of waste heat.
The whole shebang is about 500 light years away.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
China and ISS
Russia appears ready to have China join the ISS project. A report in the Russian media has Russia talking to China about joining the 16-nation consortium that owns and operates ISS, but a NASA spokesman denies any offer has been made.
China is an interesting case. It's clearly a major nation. The Chinese economy has become a key factor in the world economy and continues to grow. China, of course, already has a manned space program, too. When the space shuttle is retired, Russia's Soyuz will be the only spacecraft able to ferry crews between Earth and ISS, but China's Shengzhou capsule, which is based on the Soyuz, might serve as a back up. On the other hand, China's human rights record is abysmal. The country is still a police state when the Communist Party decides to crack down. There is no rule of law in the Western sense, and no individual rights. The Chinese leadership is trying to build a modern economy, complete with a huge middle class, without giving the rising wealthy a real say in the governance of the nation-- and their own lives. If that doesn't work, China could be in for a period of instability, which, among other things, would make China's value as a partner in long term space projects questionable.
China is an interesting case. It's clearly a major nation. The Chinese economy has become a key factor in the world economy and continues to grow. China, of course, already has a manned space program, too. When the space shuttle is retired, Russia's Soyuz will be the only spacecraft able to ferry crews between Earth and ISS, but China's Shengzhou capsule, which is based on the Soyuz, might serve as a back up. On the other hand, China's human rights record is abysmal. The country is still a police state when the Communist Party decides to crack down. There is no rule of law in the Western sense, and no individual rights. The Chinese leadership is trying to build a modern economy, complete with a huge middle class, without giving the rising wealthy a real say in the governance of the nation-- and their own lives. If that doesn't work, China could be in for a period of instability, which, among other things, would make China's value as a partner in long term space projects questionable.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Explaining The Plan
Ever since its announcement, President Obama's new approach to space policy has been controversial. Today, the White House plans to make public a paper that attempts to further explain the new policy by putting it in a broader context.
The paper will reaffirm the traditional U. S. position that space should be open to all nations, while at the same time maintaining American leadership in space. Doing the second, as usual, is seen as a way of guaranteeing the first. American leadership will be pursued differently, however. U. S. policy will be to encourage the development of a commercial sector that will be able to make a profit from space operations. U. S. policy will also be to seek international cooperation in space.
The obvious next big step in manned spaceflight that could reasonably be done as an international project would be the establishment of a lunar base. Whether the Obama administration would participate in such an effort while maintaining its thrust of having NASA develop technologies that will support a sustainable manned space exploration effort remains to be seen.
The paper will reaffirm the traditional U. S. position that space should be open to all nations, while at the same time maintaining American leadership in space. Doing the second, as usual, is seen as a way of guaranteeing the first. American leadership will be pursued differently, however. U. S. policy will be to encourage the development of a commercial sector that will be able to make a profit from space operations. U. S. policy will also be to seek international cooperation in space.
The obvious next big step in manned spaceflight that could reasonably be done as an international project would be the establishment of a lunar base. Whether the Obama administration would participate in such an effort while maintaining its thrust of having NASA develop technologies that will support a sustainable manned space exploration effort remains to be seen.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
CST-100
With the retirement of the space shuttle looming, aerospace giant Boeing is joining several NewSpace companies in developing new man-rated spacecraft. Dubbed, for now, the CST-100, the ship will be a capsule, slightly larger than Apollo, but smaller than the projected Orion. CST-100 would be capable of carrying a crew of seven, but it would be designed for only short trips to and from low Earth orbit.
Partnering with Boeing to develop the craft is Bigelow Aerospace. The two companies are hoping to pair Boeing's expertise and experience with BA's entrepreneurial techniques to develop a new, safer spacecraft quickly and less expensively. Such a spacecraft would also fill a hole in BA's program. The company has been working to develop inflatable module technology that could be used to build space stations or bases on other worlds. So far, however, BA lacks a way to get people into space. The CST-100 project might change that.
NASA wants the spacecraft to be ready by 2016, but Boeing is working to have it flying before that.
Partnering with Boeing to develop the craft is Bigelow Aerospace. The two companies are hoping to pair Boeing's expertise and experience with BA's entrepreneurial techniques to develop a new, safer spacecraft quickly and less expensively. Such a spacecraft would also fill a hole in BA's program. The company has been working to develop inflatable module technology that could be used to build space stations or bases on other worlds. So far, however, BA lacks a way to get people into space. The CST-100 project might change that.
NASA wants the spacecraft to be ready by 2016, but Boeing is working to have it flying before that.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Arguing For Heavy Lift
In a letter to President Obama this week, 62 U. S. Representatives urged Mr. Obama to proceed immediately with the development of a heavy lift capability that could launch astronauts on deep space missions.
The Obama plan for NASA does support eventual deep space missions, including a manned mission to an asteroid in 2025, but puts off a decision on a heavy lift rocket for five years, to see what kind of technology is available at that time. The letter argues that we already know what kind of technology will be available in five years-- no breakthroughs are on the horizon-- we've already spent $10 billion on heavy lift under the Constellation program, and that money and progress shouldn't simply be thrown away, and that a skilled, experienced workforce already exists in this area, and that workforce should be maintained.
Of course, the nature of breakthroughs is that we don't necessarily see them coming until they break through. Critics also have said the Ares heavy lift rocket of the Constellation effort has some fairly serious flaws, though its supporters disagree. Any flaws that may exist could presumably be engineered away in five more years, but starting over has its advantages.
Seeing how this issue plays out this year should be interesting.
The Obama plan for NASA does support eventual deep space missions, including a manned mission to an asteroid in 2025, but puts off a decision on a heavy lift rocket for five years, to see what kind of technology is available at that time. The letter argues that we already know what kind of technology will be available in five years-- no breakthroughs are on the horizon-- we've already spent $10 billion on heavy lift under the Constellation program, and that money and progress shouldn't simply be thrown away, and that a skilled, experienced workforce already exists in this area, and that workforce should be maintained.
Of course, the nature of breakthroughs is that we don't necessarily see them coming until they break through. Critics also have said the Ares heavy lift rocket of the Constellation effort has some fairly serious flaws, though its supporters disagree. Any flaws that may exist could presumably be engineered away in five more years, but starting over has its advantages.
Seeing how this issue plays out this year should be interesting.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Early Venus Habitable?
A new study using data from the European Space Agency's Venus Express spacecraft now orbiting Venus suggests that extremely early in its history Venus may have had a substantial amounr of water-- perhaps even an ocean. If an ocean did indeed exist, it's also possible that life may have begun there.
Other scientists suggest that if water did ever exist in quantity on Venus, it likely existed in the atmosphere, not on the ground. That may not preclude life starting out, but an aerial genesis would be quite different from the liquid water-based event most scientists think happened on early Earth.
The study bases its suggestion on the Venus Express data that sees two hydrogen atoms escaping into space from Venus for every one oxygen atom. That ratio, of course, suggests water is the source of the atoms. While water molecules are likely too heavy and too slow to escape into space from Venus, radiation would break water down into its constituent parts, and those lighter elements do escape.
Other scientists suggest that if water did ever exist in quantity on Venus, it likely existed in the atmosphere, not on the ground. That may not preclude life starting out, but an aerial genesis would be quite different from the liquid water-based event most scientists think happened on early Earth.
The study bases its suggestion on the Venus Express data that sees two hydrogen atoms escaping into space from Venus for every one oxygen atom. That ratio, of course, suggests water is the source of the atoms. While water molecules are likely too heavy and too slow to escape into space from Venus, radiation would break water down into its constituent parts, and those lighter elements do escape.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Lunar Uranium Setback
As reported in this blog, Japan's Kaguya lunar probe found uranium on the Moon. A new lunar map based on Kaguya data, however, shows there is not enough uranium to be commercially exploitable.
Scientists will still be able to use the uranium and other radioactive elements found to learn more about the formation of the Moon.
Space advocates had jumped on the announcement of lunar uranium as a boon to lunar colonization, especially as it came soon after the announcement of lunar water. (The lunar water story is still holding up.) The promise of a large uranium industry to anchor some part of an early lunar economy may be gone, but the obvious power source for a lunar civilization has always been the Sun. The first lunar outposts will almost certainly be located in the south polar region, where water is available and a continuous supply of solar energy can be arranged. Once we have the capacity to store huge amounts of energy through the long lunar night, perhaps by using ultracapacitor technology, or we build out the lunar energy infrastructure to the point where we can constantly access solar energy, powering a lunar civilization will not be a concern.
Scientists will still be able to use the uranium and other radioactive elements found to learn more about the formation of the Moon.
Space advocates had jumped on the announcement of lunar uranium as a boon to lunar colonization, especially as it came soon after the announcement of lunar water. (The lunar water story is still holding up.) The promise of a large uranium industry to anchor some part of an early lunar economy may be gone, but the obvious power source for a lunar civilization has always been the Sun. The first lunar outposts will almost certainly be located in the south polar region, where water is available and a continuous supply of solar energy can be arranged. Once we have the capacity to store huge amounts of energy through the long lunar night, perhaps by using ultracapacitor technology, or we build out the lunar energy infrastructure to the point where we can constantly access solar energy, powering a lunar civilization will not be a concern.
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