Tag Archives: space

A New Frontier to Our Red Neighbor

Being one of Earth’s closest neighbors and named after a Roman God of War, Mars is the 4th planet of the solar system. It has been an object of wonder for centuries due to being visible to the naked eye. Because of this, Mars has always been a popular choice for our new home. This has been considered more seriously in the recent years due to the rapid increase of human population and the depletion of resources on Earth.

Surface of Mars and its polar ice cap. Source Nasa

Mars One

Mars One is an organization founded in 2011 whose goal is to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars. With many PhD researchers and large suppliers like Lockheed Martin on board, Mars One planned multiple manned and unmanned missions over the span on 20 years. They plan to start Astronaut training by 2018 for prolonged stay in remote locations, repairing rovers, medical treatment, and food growth. Aiming to launch the first crew in 2031 via the Mars Transit Vehicle, many unmanned missions will be launched before that to experiment with crucial tasks such as water extraction and solar panels, satellite deployment, and setting up an outpost. After the landing, astronauts will set up solar panels and prepare for a second group of astronauts launching in 2033. Mars One has addressed potential risks of this project such as the lives of astronauts and the potential of over budget, however they plan on reducing cost by using existing technologies.

Mars One’s concept of Martian base. Source Mars One

Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Another plan was drafted recently by a group of scientists and researchers in EPFL, a Switzerland University. The plan was accepted on June of 2018 to set up Martian bases on the polar ice cap regions of Mars. The poles prove to be ideal places to set up a base because it provides a source of water and various elements to create materials. Like the Mars One, EPFL plan to send multiple unmanned missions to construct a habitable base. The design of the base consists of a central core which will act as a living quarter for the astronauts, 3 surrounding capsules will have airlock functionality to minimize pressure change, and a large dome to protect the area within from radiation and the harsh dust storms of the Martian surface. They plan on sending a crew of 6 astronauts to land during the polar summer to maximize sunlight during their stay. The astronauts are planned to stay for 9 months to set up power reactors and a second mission will be initiated to bring cranes for material transportation. A potential issue with this plan is that there is currently no rocket strong enough to carry the planned heavy load.

Floor plan of the proposed base. Source EPFL

 

The Future of Mars Colonization

As human population increase, so does the rate of consumption and the need for us to find a new home becomes increasingly real. With the many advantages that Mars provide and garnering the interest of groups like Mars One and the scientists of EPFL, the Red Planet is a likely option for us to call home in the near future.

– Jerry Chen

 

Extraterrestrial Earthling: Life’s Cosmic Origin

Small Beginning from Outer Space

The origin of life on Earth has been pondered and debated by many throughout the ages, and remains a prominent mystery. There have been many hypotheses presented. One that is gaining attention is the panspermia hypothesis, which states that life did not begin on our planet, but rather was transported from somewhere in outer space. This may seem like a ludicrous claim, but evidence of meteorites and the conditions of ancient Earth support the theory that it is likely that life on this planet had a cosmic origin.

The panspermia hypothesis is based on a probability that meteorites and comets housing primitive cells and organic molecules, crashed into our planet and settled here. A period in Earth’s history known as the Late Heavy Bombardment period was characterized by intensive meteor bombardment. This occurred around 4.1 to 3.5 billion years ago. Coinciding with this time frame is the discovery of fossilized bacteria in Australia that has been dated back to 3.5 billion years.

Artist’s rendition of the Late Heavy Bombardment period (credit to NASA)

Can Life Even Exist in Space?

The panspermia hypothesis is challenged by the belief that space is a lifeless void. While it is true that most organisms cannot survive the vacuum of space, there are cases of bacteria surviving in extreme conditions (arctic terrain, volcanic vents, oxygen-free oceans).

To test these limits, scientists at the International Space Station performed an experiment using spore-forming bacteria. They exposed these bacteria to the harsh conditions of space for a few hours, and found that the bacteria managed to survive by encasing themselves in an impenetrable spore that protected its genetic material from the unforgiving space environment. It may be that a variation of these spore-forming bacteria were the first living colonizers of Earth.

Image of a bacterial spore (credit to nicerweb.com)

Life Inside a Meteor

Organic molecules (the building blocks behind proteins and DNA) are found everywhere in our solar system, including primitive Earth. Therefore, there must be something in meteorites that led scientists to believe it is the most likely origin of life on Earth.

In 2005, the Deep Impact Mission probed Comet Tempel 1 and discovered a mixture of organic molecules and clay particles inside. The most interesting property about clay is that it can speed up chemical reactions, such as the reaction in which amino acids (a type of organic molecules) come together to form more complex proteins. These proteins are the structural and functional building blocks behind all life. Although clay did exist on prehistoric Earth, it was far more prevalent in meteors. Therefore, it is more probable that Earth’s first proteins were formed in meteors rather than on the planet. According to researchers at Cardiff University, “The odds of life starting on Earth rather than inside a comet are one trillion trillion to one against.”

Artist’s impression of the Deep Impact comet probe (credit to NASA

The paspermia hypothesis points to meteorites, containing primitive life, crashing into many planets during the Late Heavy Bombardment period, but thriving on Earth because of its ideal atmospheric composition and becoming the planet’s first inhabitants.

 

Written By: Nathan Chua

 

Telescopes and Spacecrafts: Exploring the Great Unknown

Humankind has always been fascinated with the stars. To unveil the mysteries that could be hiding out there beyond our planet, we first invented the telescope, an optical instrument that allows us to observe distant objects, and later on, spacecrafts and rockets, the vehicles that allow us to travel through space.

THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

In 1610, Galileo was among the first scientists to use a telescope and the discoveries he made completely changed what we knew about our world. Today, telescopes have become so advanced that they can not only observe in the visible spectrum, but in the near infrared and near ultraviolet spectra as well. One of the most famous and most useful modern telescopes is the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), which was launched into Earth’s orbit in 1990 and is still in use today. Since it is high above Earth’s atmosphere, it is unaffected by light pollution and rain clouds, which allows it to capture perfect photos of our universe.

File:Star-forming region S106 (captured by the Hubble Space Telescope).jpgStar-forming region S106 (photo from HST) Image Credit

SPACECRAFTS AND COLONIZATION

However, being able to see the stars and planets is not enough; we created spacecrafts that could take us beyond the confines of the Earth, with the dream of one day establishing a colony on another planet. This is the ultimate goal of SpaceX, an aerospace manufacturer and space transportation services company founded by Elon Musk. SpaceX intends to colonize Mars, which is the planet most habitable for humans due to similar surface conditions and solar days (the calculated time with respect to the sun). Although the temperature and composition of the atmosphere differ greatly from Earth, scientists are optimistic about colonization because of Mars’ close proximity and water has been found in the form of ice below its surface.

In order to establish a colony on Mars, SpaceX is developing an interplanetary transport system that will shuttle people and supplies between the two planets. This system, the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR), will be reusable and it will be capable of not only transportation, but orbital and interplanetary missions as well. It is intended to be the ultimate launch vehicle and spacecraft and will render all other rockets obsolete.

Additionally, to minimize the enormous costs of space travel, SpaceX has also been developing a reusable launch system. In order to explain how this works, the terms “spacecraft” and “rocket” must first be differentiated and defined. The spacecraft is the vehicle used by astronauts to travel through space and the rocket is the vehicle that propels it off of Earth’s surface. When a launch is successful and both the spacecraft and rocket exit the atmosphere, the latter is jettisoned. However, the rocket is the most expensive part of the launch, so reusing it can save millions of dollars. SpaceX has managed to create a rocket that can withstand reentry of Earth’s atmosphere without burning up and land safely before flying again.

YouTube Preview Image Video of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Rocket Reflight from National Geographic

Lawrence Liang

Our Potential Future Home, the Moon

Have you ever hiked to the top of a mountain and was rewarded to a beautiful view of nature? One of the first thoughts I got from this view is how vast Earth is. It houses millions of different species with each one falling within a phylum with unique and defining traits. However with the rapid expansion of human society, depletion of resources and the human nature to conquer the unknown, it is only natural for us to worry about potentially searching for a new home. One of the most common places people have looked to colonize is our closest neighbor, the moon.

Advantages of Moon Colonization

Having influenced many science fiction works such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, the moon is the closest celestial body to Earth and it offers some of the greatest advantages for colonization. Not only does this mean a shorter travel time, it also means less spending of resources on transportation as well as more responsive drone control from Earth and quicker communication with Earth. Spacecrafts like the SELENE and NASA’s Clementine Orbiter discovered many areas near the poles where it stays mostly illuminated which means those areas are great for setting up solar panels. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is also areas of permanent shadow regions discovered by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Many of of these areas are craters with water source trapped in them, which can be harnessed and be used by colonists.

 

 

Craters on the moon permanently shrouded in shadow. Source NASA

Drawbacks of Colonizing the Moon and the Limitations of our Technology

However, even with all of these advantages, there are still many drawbacks to choosing the moon as our next home. The moon has a surface boundary exosphere, meaning that it offers no atmospheric protection from asteroids and radiation, making colonization very dangerous without proper protection. Another issue is the extremely low gravity of the moon, which negatively impacts the human body by decreasing bone mas when the body is under low gravity for extended period of time. Due to this issue, proper habitation modules must be constructed. Not only does it need to shield us from the external dangers such as radiation and asteroids, it also needs to accommodate many internal factors such as, health management, life support, environmental management, etc. This can be extremely expensive and difficult to construct.

European Space Agency’s “Moon Village” concept. Credit: ESA/Foster + Partners

How Likely is it to Colonize the Moon?

Interplanetary colonization is a fascinating topic and will definitely be an obstacle humanity will have to overcome in the future. However I believe it is something that we can achieve in the near future. According to NASA’s Alexandra Hall and NextGen Space‘s Charles Miller, we can send another group of people to the moon and set up a colony in 3-5 years from now. The moon is currently our closest option, it offers many advantages as well as many disadvantages.

– Jerry Chen