Project Orion

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Jack Abrams
Artist Rendering of Project Orion

Due to the vast distance between stellar systems, a spacecraft traveling beyond our Solar System and into a different star system must reach speeds close to the speed of the light. Project Orion was a theoretical design from the late 1950s and early 1960s that proposed using nuclear explosions for propulsion. The basic idea was to detonate a series of atomic bombs behind a spacecraft that had a massive, shock-absorbing “pusher plate” to absorb the blasts and propel the spacecraft forward.

Project Orion began in 1958 by Ted Tayllor and Freeman Dyson under the company General Atomics. A main engineering challenge of this project was the design of the pusher plate which was required to withstand many nuclear explosions. From initial calculations, an Orion spacecraft could reach speeds up to 9-11% of the speed of light. Although this is faster than any human-made object has ever reached, it pales in comparison to matter-antimatter annihilation rockets which could be capable of obtaining a velocity between 50% to 80% of the speed of light. 

At the speeds Orion would travel at, it would require a flight time of at least 44 years to reach Alpha Centauri, the closest star to our Sun. Although this is still a long time, it is a significant improvement compared to our current capabilities. Also, this project could provide a great practical use for the world’s large stockpiles of nuclear weapons.

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Would humans survive without Jupiter?

Posted on April 28, 2024 by katie shapiro

“Our solar system is a cosmic dance of planets, moving together in perfect harmony.”-Unknown

Jupiter and Earth comparison: Done by NASA

At the beginning of this course I understood that the solar system had planets and other objects, such as asteroids and comets, but I believed that they all acted independently of each other, with the exception of gravity. In other words, I believed that because these objects were so far apart that they would act completely independently of each other and have no influence on each other. However, that is not the truth. One clear example of how objects in our solar system influence each other is the effect of Jupiter on Earth. Comets make up a large proportion of our solar system, and can crash into planets which can make large craters. Although we have the Kuiper belt, the most abundant area of comets is the Oort cloud. This area contains up to a trillion comets which is just insane to think about! However, these comets did not originate there. They formed in areas near the Jovian planets, especially, Jupiter. Due to Jupiter’s massive size, this planet had the ability to use its ginormous gravitational influence to throw these comets into the outer solar system. This is vital for Earth because if these comets remained within this area, there would be a much higher chance that they would have more frequently impacted with Earth leading to the possibility of mass extinctions. This could be detrimental towards the destruction of life on Earth. This was just one example of how planets effect each other. Additionally, life is possible on other moons due to the influence of other moons and planets via orbital resonance and tidal heating. This idea changed my perception of the solar system, and now I think of the planets and moons in our solar system as a unifying body, instead of independently acting objects.

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Potential for Life on Europa

Posted on April 28, 2024 by katie shapiro

“Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.”-Arthur C. Clarke

Image of Jupiter’s moon, Europa: Taken by NASA

In order for their to be the possibility of life, there needs to be liquid water. That is why life is so successful here on Earth; we have an abundance of liquid water in the form of oceans, lakes, and many more sources. However, Earth is a unique case in our solar system because the conditions on Earth are practically perfect to have liquid water. For example, the temperature and pressure on Earth is exactly what our planet needs to have liquid water. However, this is not necessarily the case for other planets or moons in our solar system, specifically the existence of surface water. However, recent discoveries have shown that liquid water exists on certain objects in our solar system, specifically the Jovian moons, such as Europa. Although there is no surface water, it is studied that Europa has a subsurface ocean that is salty in nature. The way that researchers were able to determine that this existed was from Europa’s magnetic field. The findings that determined the existence of a subsurface ocean makes sense due to Europa’s internal heating from orbital resonance and tidal heating from Jupiter. The fact that Europa has water has been a groundbreaking discovery for astronomical researchers focusing on astrobiology because where there is water, there is the potential for life. Due to the lack of photosynthetic activity in subsurface oceans, it is unlikely for their to be large creatures. However, there is a high possibility of having primitive life on Europa. In order to determine if life actually exists on this moon, researchers would have to potentially be able to study the frozen microbes that arise on Europa’s surface, via vents. In order to study these microbes, spectroscopy needs to be utilized. Additionally, there could be a possibility of sending a robotic submarine down into the subsurface ocean. Finally, with the vents on Europa, gases could be vented out, which would allow researchers to be able to study this gas for these primitive creatures. So, there are many different ways to determine if biological life exists on this moon. This is such an exciting concept for me because I am a biology major, so any potential for life outside of our Earth is extremely fascinating and something that I would hope to study further. The goal for the future, is that researchers will be able to have the funding available to carry out some of these missions to determine if liquid water on Europa is feasible to sustain life.

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Blog 8 – Culmination

Posted on April 28, 2024 by Julian Delamaza
EarthHow

Throughout this class, I have learned so much about astronomy and the universe that we are just a minuscule part of. Everything from how we detect far-away planets through spectroscopy to estimating how big of a crater a meteorite may make has led me to become more curious about Astronomy. My favorite part of it all, however, is the crossover between astronomy and all other sciences. I love how astronomers use chemistry to determine the composition of atmospheres and how that may result in certain geological processes and environments. The use of physics to determine how gravity presents itself on each planet in our system and how that can affect the orbits of other worlds that they are near. The combination of disciplines creates in me so much curiosity, that I feel is reflected in astronomers. The field makes me excited to learn rather than be bogged down by the traditional confines of academics that some of my other STEM friends seem to experience. As I continue, I want to learn more about how chemical compositions and geological features of certain planets may help scientists find life on these planets, and what this life may look like. 

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Blog Post 8 – How Tyson Saved Astronomy

Posted on April 28, 2024 by Thomas Shelton

Atlanta Magazine

By pure coincidence, in 1958, Neil Degrasse Tyson was born into a small family in the Bronx the same exact week that NASA was founded. At the time, nobody, not even Tyson himself, had any idea the impact he would have on NASA’s field of study. At 9 years old, Tyson made his first venture into the stars at the American Museum of Natural History. Incredibly, 29 years later, he became the youngest ever director of that planetarium. Throughout his career he has given multiple talks, speeches, presentations, and more about the incredible wonders that exist in our solar system and beyond. Tyson receives a lot of credit for popularizing astrophysical concepts and discoveries, due in large part to his soothing voice and propensity to explaining things in ways that kept listeners engaged. In this way, Tyson paved the way for generations of future astronomers and astronauts, inspiring them on their ventures to discover the stars as he did. Apart from that, Tyson has made a fantastic name for himself. Countless accolades and honors cement him in astronomical history.

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Blog Post 7 – Extremophiles

Posted on April 28, 2024 by Thomas Shelton

News Medical Life Sciences

In the most unsought after pockets of our planet, in places once believed to be impossible to sustain life, exist organisms that not only can survive in these places but thrive under these conditions as well. These impressive organisms are known as extremophiles. The existence of extremophiles challenges everything that we know or think that we know about life and how it is sustained. Places where life should not be able to exist – scalding waters beneath Earth’s surface, acidic springs, frozen tundras – are all places where these extremophiles live and thrive. 

    One particularly interesting aspect of extremophiles is their fascinating ability to adapt to their environments, particularly ones that are similar to conditions that can be found on other worlds. Each new extremophile discovered that can endure conditions similar to other worlds, or even space itself provides new insight into how life can be sustained on these planets and moons, and how we can discover new life.

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    Blog 7 – Extremeophiles on Mars?!

    Posted on April 28, 2024 by Julian Delamaza
    Space.com

    Unfortunately, life on other planets has not yet been found but astronomers and astrobiologists are constantly working to find any signs of it in our solar system and beyond. One of the most investigated worlds is our neighbor, Mars. While evidence has not yet been found, there have been discoveries that lead some to believe that life could be (or once was) on the red planet. But what would life on Mars look like? It surely wouldn’t be humans, or most animals we have on Earth. Instead, life on Mars would likely be full of extremophiles. Extremophiles are tiny organisms that have adapted to live in the craziest of conditions. On Mars, we know that there are extremely high levels of radiation and extremely low temperatures so an organism would have to endure both of those. Recent experiments have shown that the microbe colloquially known as “Conan the Bacterium” (Deinococcus radiodurans) would be able to survive these radiation levels as well as survive extremely cold temperatures. As the bacterium would be under the surface of the planet, the experiment also tested this and determined that Conan the Bacterium would be able to live up to 280 million years if buried 10 meters underground. This is all super intriguing for extraterrestrial life and future explorations into our Solar System. Maybe we aren’t alone out here after all?!

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    Better Than All Social Media

    Posted on April 28, 2024 by Andres Becerra

    About a month ago, my roommate and I decided to download this app called Spaceflight Simulator. We both really like space and thought we would give it a try. We both used to play this game called Into Space, when we were younger and while that one was fun, it did appeal to younger kids though so it wasn’t super accurate. So we thought we would give this one a try. And this new game we found is so cool and surprisingly really accurate.

    Video from Steam

    This game is awesome! It uses realistic physics when launching and navigating your rocket through space. You have to take things into account like weight, thrust, drag, friction, collisions, fuel, if your spacecraft is getting too hot, all of the things engineers actually have to worry about but without the risk. There are a few objectives in the game like land on the moon, make it 25km out of the atmosphere and such but you can really just play around with different rocket designs if that’s more of your jam. The distances to different planets are accurate, and because of that they add a speed up time feature. Because we can’t get to the moon very quickly, they allow for you to speed up the process of your travel. All the trajectories and fuel loss and everything stays consistent but you don’t have to leave your phone on for three days to get to the moon. The planets also travel in orbit so you have to predict where they’re going to be and where you’re going to be at the time you want to land on it. I will say landing is the hardest thing to do. Maybe I’m just bad, but I’ve crashed into the moon about a thousand times, I can’t slow down fast enough to actually make a stable landing. I love this game and I think anyone who likes space should give it a shot. It’s free on the app store and I find myself playing this in between classes to see if I can actually land on the moon properly. Maybe one day.

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    Blog 8: Why Try?

    Posted on April 28, 2024 by matthewastro

    Humanity is constantly being humbled by nature on our very own planet, not to mention the vast expanse of the cosmos. The fastest thing we have ever created, the Parker Solar Probe, was clocked at 330,000 miles per hour in 2020, as it orbited around the sun at an absolutely breakneck pace. Parker’s speed constitutes a pathetic 0.05% of the speed of light. The Parker Space probe also got incredibly close to the sun, coming within a mere 6.5 million miles of the sun! This is over 27 times the distance between the Earth and our moon. That doesn’t seem too close, after all.

    A vector model of the Parker Solar Probe. Courtesy of NASA.

    The forces of the universe exceed anything we have build, and will probably exceed anything we ever will build. So, why do we keep on looking? Why are we looking for life on planets we may never be able to travel to during our species’ lifetime. Why do we try to get closer and closer to the sun if we’re only going to shave off little units of distance and possibly the never reach the surface. Why are we exploring extraterrestrial possibilities for life when we can’t even resolve our own climate issues, never mind travel anywhere near light speed? Why don’t we just give up, and resign ourselves to our cosmic insignificance?

    Throughout this class, I’ve come to learn that exploring stuff is fun. People like to divide things (and especially academic subjects), into the useful and the impractical. Many will say much of philosophy is useless, because it only overcomplicates a world we could never possibly understand. Why does an entire discipline need to serve only one purpose? What if the point isn’t to understand the world, but instead to think about interesting things? The same can be said of essentially all astronomical discovery. The United States didn’t launch Apollo 11 into space to become the gods of the universe. Rather, America launched Apollo to understand just a little more about our universe. The point of astronomical discovery, or any realm of scientific advancement, should never be to surpass nature. We should not attempt to understand nature entirely. But we should try to learn just a little more about the universe. And maybe, someday far in the future, we might just do something that the universe can look at with a fond smile.

    Over the course of this class, I’ve accumulated what feels like a lot more knowledge about our situation in our own solar system and the Milky Way galaxy. But in the grand scheme of things, I’ve probably only understood a tiny bit more about our universe over these past four (or so) months. And that’s fine. If we gradually learn just a little bit more, we will find ourselves with a good amount of knowledge over an extended period of time. Thank you all for coming along on this learning experience with me!

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    Drake Equation

    Posted on April 28, 2024 by Andres Becerra

    After watching a ton of Sci-Fi movies and hearing just how big the universe is, you start to wonder if we are really the only things out here in space. The universe is so massive that there has to be something else out there. Right? We can’t say for sure because we haven’t searched all across the universe but we can make approximations based on the things we do know. Below is the equation to make the approximation, called the Drake Equation.

    Image by NASA

    The Drake Equation takes all we know about intelligent life in our galaxy and uses it to approximate the likelihood of intelligent life in other galaxies. It starts with the formation of stars and the fraction of those stars with planetary systems around them. It then goes into how many of those planets can sustain life like Earth can. And it keeps going into the specifics of life and if it can live on the planet, if it is intelligent life, and if they have developed communication and if so, for how long. If you input all of these factors into the Drake equation you will come out with a very small number, which makes sense. Even just looking in our solar system, our planet is the only one with any type of life that we know of on it. We have theories to suspect there is life on other planets like Europa or Mars, but those life forms aren’t intelligent like ours. Those are more microbial forms of life. Overall, the Drake equation is a good way to try and approximate if there are other life forms like ours. With a calculation this complex, it is pretty much impossible to get a definite answer so the approximations serve as a good substitute.

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