Monthly Archives: March 2016

A Year in Space

Posted on March 11, 2016 by alecsolarsystem

Just last month Scott Kelly finished what many of us would deem unbearable: spending a year in space. For almost an entire year, Scott Kelly lived with fellow Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko on the International Space Station in order to see the effects that long durations in zero-gravity conditions have on the human body. Prior to […] Continue reading →

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Jovian Moons…Alien Life?

Posted on March 11, 2016 by martisnv

One question that all humans are curious to find the answer to is: Are we alone in this universe? Based on pure numbers, it is highly probable that life exists elsewhere in the universe. Despite this high likelihood for extraterrestrial … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Climate Change – A Political Battle

Posted on March 11, 2016 by martisnv

The Earth’s climate has undergone changes throughout its 4.5 billion year history. Most of these climate changes can be attributed to small variations in Earth’s orbit that affect the amount of solar energy that the planet receives. Recently, the Earth … Continue reading → Continue reading →

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Mars One? More like Mars WHAT

Posted on March 10, 2016 by paxtonastronomy

Mars One is a relatively small organization with a big idea. Based in the Netherlands, Mars One’s mission is to send a group of people from Earth on a one way trip to Mars by 2027. This mission is a nonprofit and led by Bas Lansdorp, who announced this idea in 2012. However, Lansdorp more […] Continue reading →

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Nuclear Fusion: Our Potential Savior?

Posted on March 10, 2016 by paxtonastronomy

Nuclear fusion is what powers main sequence stars to shine so brightly and for so long. In the most basic sense, nuclear fusion is the process in which 2+ atomic nuclei crash together. When this occurs with nuclei of lower masses, energy is released. However, the process isn’t as simple as it sounds. An extreme […] Continue reading →

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Terraforming Mars: Exploring The World Of Cosmic Cosmetics

Posted on March 10, 2016 by andyastronomer

If there is anything we have learned from observing the universe, it’s that Earth is incredibly unique. Of course, we could find out soon enough how utterly ordinary we are should we discover Earth-like planets bearing life beyond our Solar System, but until, we seem to be pretty special. Nasa’s Kepler Mission has discovered tens of […] Continue reading →

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Plate Tectonics on Mars?

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Chloe

Active tectonic activity, as opposed to past and currently extinct activity, was thought to be limited to Earth among the terrestrial worlds. Tectonic plates on Earth cause activity such as earthquakes and volcanoes as well as mountain-building as they move atop the asthenosphere and recycle geological materials. However, UCLA scientist An Yin discovered evidence of plate […] Continue reading →

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Olympus Mons

Posted on March 9, 2016 by alecsolarsystem

Mars is the home of the largest volcano in the Solar System: Olympus Mons. It stands 22km above the surface of Mars, and is it so wide it takes up an incredible 300,000 square kilometers of land. In comparison, Mt. Everest is only 8.8km tall, and Olympus Mons is approximately the size of Italy. As seen in […] Continue reading →

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Radioactivity and Practicality

Posted on March 8, 2016 by HB

Radioactivity has several negative associations: cancer, the atomic bomb, Chernobyl, etc. However, there are several practical uses for radioactivity across multiple disciplines. Agriculture: – Fertilizers are labeled with isotopes of nitrogen and phosphorous in order to figure out how much of the nutrients the plants take up and how much is lost to the environment … Continue reading Radioactivity and Practicality → Continue reading →

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Space: The Final Frontier…

Posted on March 8, 2016 by impossibleensign

These are the voyages of the space probe New Horizons . Its continuing mission: to explore strange dwarf planets, to seek out new objects and new data sets, to boldly go where no probe has gone before… Continue reading →

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