Tag Archives: blog9

Propulsion Methods for Space Travel

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Alex Pratte

One of the biggest problems that we have when it comes to interstellar travel is that we don’t have a spaceship that can go fast enough to get us where we want to go in a reasonable time. Luckily, we have some really smart scientists trying to come up with ways to make a really […] Continue reading →

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Unkillable, caterpillar-like piglets

Posted on April 26, 2016 by astr2110geoffren

What a cutie Tardigrades, aka Water Bears, aka Moss Piglets, are the most resilient species on Earth. They transcend the extremophile label. Many extremophiles are only able to thrive in their own extreme environment. Tardigrades can live in almost every extreme environment. They’ve been known to survive temperatures ranging from 1 kelvin above absolute zero […] Continue reading →

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Anti-Matter Propulsion

Posted on April 26, 2016 by chasejaeger

The use of anti-matter propulsion might be the key to interstellar travel. Anti-matter is basically normal matter that has opposite charges. When matter and anti-matter collide with one another, they annihilate one another and energy is released. Unlike with nuclear fusion, where only 3% of the total mass of the matter is converted into energy, […] Continue reading →

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Anti-Matter Propulsion

Posted on April 26, 2016 by chasejaeger

The use of anti-matter propulsion might be the key to interstellar travel. Anti-matter is basically normal matter that has opposite charges. When matter and anti-matter collide with one another, they annihilate one another and energy is released. Unlike with nuclear fusion, where only 3% of the total mass of the matter is converted into energy, […] Continue reading →

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Is Extra-Terrestrial Communication a Good Thing?

Posted on April 26, 2016 by lawlorsolarsystem

We have talked in class about sending out signals and messages to other potential other civilizations to let them know that we are here, but should we really be doing that? It’s open for debate. Frank Drake himself found “Active SETI to be, at best, a stunt and generally a waste of time.” (Source). To […] Continue reading →

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You Used to Call Me on Your Space Probe: Drake Equation

Posted on April 26, 2016 by paxtonastronomy

Personally, I love the Drake Equation. I think it’s extremely interesting to ponder, and it fascinates me that there are ways to roughly predict life within the Milky Way. However, I feel like the equation should be approached more so as a means to think about life rather than an actual mathematical equation. Rather than using […] Continue reading →

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Color in the Universe

Posted on April 26, 2016 by imanig625

The pale blue dot is Earth, but what if Earth is the only planet that gives off that specific color? While other exoplanets can and have mimicked the pale blue color, a broader portion of Earth’s overall spectrum shows a rather subtle signature that can only be attributed to life. Earth’s blue color comes from the… Continue reading →

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Contact: The Third Answer to Fermi’s Paradox

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Michaela Thomas

The Fermi paradox posits that there are only three possible answers to the question “Where is everybody?” in terms of the search for other intelligent life in the Universe. The three possibilities are as follows: We are alone Civilizations are common, but no one has colonized the galaxy There is a galactic civilization, but it …

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Contact: The Third Answer to Fermi’s Paradox

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Michaela Thomas

The Fermi paradox posits that there are only three possible answers to the question “Where is everybody?” in terms of the search for other intelligent life in the Universe. The three possibilities are as follows: We are alone Civilizations are common, but no one has colonized the galaxy There is a galactic civilization, but it […] Continue reading →

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(milky) way up, I feel blessed

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Sofia

This semester has been vital to understanding of the universe around me. Coming for Intro to Astronomy last semester, I felt that I had a pretty comprehensive basis upon which to build. What I didn’t realize coming in however was just how much more I was going to learn. The level of detail about not … Continue reading “(milky) way up, I feel blessed” Continue reading →

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