Daily Archives: March 20, 2013

Greenhouse Gases

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Elizabeth Merriman

As noted in the textbook, the Earth is hotter than it would be without it’s atmosphere.  According to the EES 201 notes, just based on incoming solar radiation and 30% reflected back to space, the Earth is 255 K.   … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Building the Launch Pad of the Future

Posted on March 20, 2013 by JT McJunkins

NASA’s Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program is currently upgrading and modifying Launch Pad 39B (pictured above) at the Kennedy Space Center. The Space Launch System, with the Orion spacecraft atop it, will release from this … Continue reading →

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Possible Proof of Extra-Terrestrial Life

Posted on March 20, 2013 by jacksonlangham

A meteorite found in Sri Lanka has been reported to contain fossilized algae. If this discovery is true, it could act as proof to the existence of extra-terrestrial life. The […] Continue reading →

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SpaceX’s Merlin 1D engine

Posted on March 20, 2013 by williamcpower

SpaceX is a space transportation company founded in California by the same guy who founded Tesla Motors and Paypal etc.  They have designed a new boost engine that has the potential revolutionize space travel. It has the capability to loose two engines and still ensure safe travel and the reason it is so amazing is […] Continue reading →

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Things You can Do with a WMD

Posted on March 20, 2013 by ibrahim2016

If your knowledge is lacking, historically… A WMD stands for a Weapon of Mass Destruction. Commonly they refer to nuclear weapons: fission based and fusion based. Fusion based weapons are more powerful. I will talk about fusion based weapons. Because they make a bigger bang. I like big bangs. Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Exactly. But […] Continue reading →

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NASA Pinpoints Cause of 2011 Arctic Ozone Hole

Posted on March 20, 2013 by jacksonlangham

The causes of ozone depletion are ozone destroying chemical reactions (CFCs), frigid temperatures, and sunlight. Both poles undergo ozone depletion during the winter months, but the Arctic’s ozone typically experiences […] Continue reading →

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We are all star stuff

Posted on March 20, 2013 by YanruChen

Although our bodies are made mainly of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, this composition is not consistent with our solar system. The most significant elements of our solar system are hydrogen, which is about 74% of all elements, and helium, 24%. The rest 2% of the solar system is heavier elements from the explosion of massive stars […] Continue reading →

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The Birth of Solar System

Posted on March 20, 2013 by YanruChen

It is so amazing that we live in such an organized solar system. Most planets rotate in the same direction as the Sun’s rotation, and of all planets are very close to the same plane. A theory of solar system formation must explain all these characteristics. The nebular theory seems to explain these phenomena neatly. […] Continue reading →

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Quantum What?

Posted on March 20, 2013 by zvgio

The Sun is really hot, yeah we all know that. We also know that all of this heat is produced by the fusion of hydrogen into helium in the core. However, did you know that the temperature required to produce fusion here on Earth (100 million K)  is much greater than the temperatures present in […] Continue reading →

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Kepler 37b

Posted on March 20, 2013 by brendanfeeley

The smallest exoplanet that has been discovered is Kepler 37b.  It is very small, being about the size of the moon, and is also believed to be terrestrial.  Scientists speculate that Kepler 37b is very much like Mercury, being hot, barren, and geologically inactive.  Also, like Mercury, it is orbits very close to its parent […] Continue reading →

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