These Rare Photos Reveal What It’s Really Like to Live At the International Space Station

A recent study reveals often-overlooked aspects of how astronauts live, work, and arrange their stuff in space.

by Kiona Smith

 

NASA/ISS Archaeological Project

In a few years, the International Space Station will be the ultimate lost civilization.

Sometime after 2030, a SpaceX ship will pull the ISS into Earth’s atmosphere, where heat and friction will break it apart. A space station the size of a football field, where spacefarers from 22 countries lived and worked for (by the time it’s all over) about 30 years, will be effectively erased from existence.

A lot of human culture is wrapped up in the things we make and use, and in how we interact with our environments. And once the ISS burns up in the upper atmosphere, the physical evidence of its spacefaring culture will just be gone.

Archaeologists, led by Flinders University archaeologist Alice Gorman and Chapman University archaeologist Justin Walsh, are trying to study the soon-to-be-lost culture of the ISS and its crews before it’s gone. In a recent study, Gorman, Walsh, and their colleagues asked astronauts to take regular photographs of six square sections of walls and surfaces aboard ISS, revealing clues about how people on the station used their space and adapted to the weird environment of an orbiting space station. The result is simultaneously a record of a place and culture that will soon vanish and a source valuable data to help engineers design future space stations.

The researchers published their work in the journal PLOS ONE.

The ISS is in an unusual place and has a tiny population. So far, fewer than 300 people have ever visited the station, for trips ranging from a few days to over a year. But life aboard the ISS has its own traditions, its own etiquette, and its own quirks and habits. According to Walsh and his colleagues, the station is a micro-society with its own culture.

In this image, astronaut Kayla Barron uses tape to mark the corners off a square on one of the station’s walls. For 60 days in early 2022, astronauts aboard the ISS took regular photos of six squares like this one, on walls and surfaces around the station. Walsh and his colleagues used the photos to track which objects people used and stored in different places. That, in turn, offered clues about how people lived and worked in different parts of the station.

Here on Earth, the story of who lived in a place, and what they did there, is encoded in layers of objects left behind and buried in layers of dirt. Archaeologists call this “material culture”: the physical stuff left behind by people. Archaeologists get to that evidence by digging in the ground, but also by using satellite or aerial surveys to look for structures that have been buried or hidden by plant growth. On the ISS, archaeologists can get information about the station’s material culture through photos.

For Walsh and his colleagues, each square aboard the ISS is like a “test pit,” a small hole that archaeologists dig to sample the layers of soil and artifacts at a site on Earth. And each day’s photo is like equivalent of a new layer of dirt and artifacts, showing what people did in that space over a period of time.

While archaeologists on Earth might look for stone tools, the charred remains of cooking hearths, or radar traces of ancient canals and fortifications, space archaeologists might look for other things that reveal people’s habits: hygiene gear stuck to a random wall near the toilet, for instance. They might also study objects like plastic clips or strips of velcro used to hold objects in place (a category of things Walsh and his colleagues call “gravitational proxies”).

It turned out that over the years, crews have started using some empty spaces for convenient storage — like a wall between the exercise equipment and the toilet compartment. The wall had no official purpose, but crews started using it to store their toiletries and hygiene supplies, probably just because the location was convenient, thanks to being so close to the toilet.

“If you look at older historic photos of that same location, it doesn't have the same things that it had when we were looking at it. I think the Google Street View virtual model of the ISS that wall actually has a tool kit stuck on the wall; it didn't have that at all when we were looking at it,” says Walsh. “So it's it's this area that can be malleable in terms of its function, depending on what the astronauts, who are the current crew, want to do with it.”

That’s the kind of detail Walsh says we still need archaeology to unearth, because it tends to be left out of official station plans and even astronaut’s biographies — if only because it’s the kind of detail that people seldom think to mention. And it could be important in planning future space stations.

“One of the themes that has emerged throughout our project is a need for increased crew autonomy: Having some sense of control over your context, like how to decorate it or where to carry out certain activities,” says Walsh.

Another “test pit” revealed that what was designed as a maintenance area had actually turned into a storage space. Walsh and his colleagues found no trace of actual work happening in the space, but lots of stored equipment.

“There were lots of objects, but as it turned out, those objects didn't move around a lot,” says Walsh. “They basically stayed static, and that was what led to the interpretation of this as a storage area.”

That kind of information is useful not only for understanding space station culture, but for helping design future stations to line up better with what people actually do and how they actually use their space in orbit.

“During debrief, one of the crew said they liked the idea that looking at these locations systematically over time could lead to better space stations,” says Walsh. “They understood that observing the material culture of the space station could lead to insights that otherwise people hadn't had.”

The ISS Archaeology Project team are still working through the data from the other four “test pit” squares, located on experiment racks in the Japanese Experiment module and the European Laboratory Module, a wall near the galley table, and a workstation in the U.S. Laboratory Module.

“The galley is probably the one that people want to know the most about,” says Walsh.

An earlier study focused on where station crews actually spend their time aboard, based on where they were seen in the thousands of photos that have been taken over the last 24 years. The International Space Station is supposed to be exactly that — international — but each module is owned by a particular country’s space agency. And it turns out that crew members spend most of their time in their own country’s modules.

That’s especially for Russian cosmonauts, who almost always appeared in the Russian modules — where crew members from other countries were very rarely seen.

The latest study showed the same thing. The maintenance area that the astronauts repurposed for storage is in an area that connects that U.S., European, and Japanese modules. And true to form, Walsh and his colleagues spotted just one Russian artifact, a pack of sanitary wipes, tucked into a hygiene kit. That’s the kind of physical evidence that tells archaeologists about who is using a space — and who isn’t.

In 2021, Walsh and his colleagues used some crew member photos to study how the crew decorated the walls of their station modules. In the Russian module, though, cosmonauts adorned the walls with religious icons, paintings of Russian political leaders, and above all, photos of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space.

The aft wall of Russia’s Zvezda module also featured a framed photo of Yuri Gagarin. And even older photos from the Mir space station and the Salyut-7 space station show that Gagarin’s photo has been part of station décor for Russian cosmonauts for decades. It’s a way for the current ISS crew to show that they’re connected to a much older spacefaring culture.

In the U.S., European, and American modules, crews tend to decorate public areas with mission patches, name tags and photos of former crew members (and a geocaching tag). Walsh says all of this ties ISS crews not only to older generations of space explorers, but to the very first humans to draw and paint on cave walls tens of thousands of years ago.

“It’s like your refrigerator door with your kids drawings on it, or photos from your vacation that you put there; this is how we can both make comments about who we feel we are, and also to reinforce key elements of our identity,” says Walsh. “That’s what I mean by ‘people in space are people.’ Humans are gonna human.”

{ https://www.inverse.com/ }

16-08-2024 om 20:50 geschreven door peter  

Mars Is Likely Hiding Oceans Worth Of Water Deep In Its Crust — This Could Upend Our Plans For the Planet

Miles below the surface, cracks in volcanic rock may be full of liquid water.

by Kiona Smith

 

NASA

Wright and his colleagues published their work in the journal Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences.

Reservoirs 7 Miles Deep

Wright and his colleagues recently simulated how seismic waves would move through different types of rock deep in the Martian crust and how fast those waves would travel if pores and cracks in the rock were filled with ice or liquid water. They compared those simulations to InSight’s measurement of actual seismic waves, as well as other missions’ measurements of the planet’s gravity and shape. In the end, the model that best matched the actual data was a deep layer of igneous rock (cooled, solidified magma), riddled with cracks and fissures that had formed as the magma cooled. And according to the researchers’ models, those cracks should be filled with liquid water.

The water-filled rock layer lies 7 to 12 miles beneath where InSight sits on the surface of Elysium Planitia, a wide swath of plain on the equator of Mars. The layers of rock closest to the surface are dry, based on the models, but about 7 miles down, cracks in the rock are filled with water. Wright and his colleagues aren’t sure if the deep crust beneath the rest of the planet looks the same, but if it does, then there could be more than an ocean’s worth of water hidden in the depths of the Martian underground, in cracks in long-ago-cooled magma.

Lost Water

Based on a mixture of geology and climate models, we’re pretty sure that Mars was a much warmer, wetter place 3 billion years ago. More than a third of the planet lay beneath ocean waves, and lakes and rivers watered much of the rest of the surface. But then everything changed: the spinning liquid core that powered Mars’s magnetic field slowly cooled. The magnetic field, which had shielded Mars from the Sun’s constant barrage of electrically-charged particles sputtered and died. Solar wind stripped away most of the Martian atmosphere, leaving behind an incredibly thin layer of mostly carbon dioxide.

When Mars lost its atmosphere, most of the water on its surface probably also evaporated because it would have boiled immediately in such incredibly low pressure (the air pressure on Mars’s surface today is less than 1 percent of Earth’s air pressure at sea level).

But Wright and his colleagues’ findings suggest the story may not be that simple. Mars may not have lost most of its water after all. The amount of water that Wright and his colleagues calculate could lie in the depths of the Martian crust means that “Mars’s crust need not have lost most of its water via atmospheric escape,” as the researchers write in their recent paper.

What’s Next?

More simulations, taking into account the possibility of whole oceans of water hidden miles beneath the surface, could reveal new information about Mars’s sparse but dynamic water cycle. The presence of water hidden in the cracks of deeply-buried rock could also suggest new places to search for evidence of ancient, or even modern, life on Mars. And if future Mars missions can drill deep enough wells, they may have a ready source of water for thirsty crews.

{ https://www.inverse.com/ }

16-08-2024 om 18:36 geschreven door peter  

The lost island of Atlantis may have been found 2km under the ocean

(Picture: Getty)

The lost island of Atlantis may have been found 2km under the ocean
Some people believe that in the Atlantic Ocean, lying west of the Strait of Gibraltar, lies the legendary island of Atlantis. The island itself is thought to have been created by the philosopher Plato. His tale of a fabled civilization that the Gods plunged into the ocean as a punishment for its citizens' pride and arrogance has survived thousands of years. And now researchers think they may have found Plato’s inspiration for such a legend. In an area north of the Canary Islands, Spain, scientists have uncovered a vast submerged mountain that likely sank off the coast of the islands millions of years ago 

(Picture: IGME-CSIC)

The lost island of Atlantis may have been found 2km under the ocean
The seamount, which has been dubbed as Mount Los Atlantes, has three inactive volcanoes each around 50km (30 miles) in diameter, with their bases over 2km under the ocean surface, according to researchers from Spain’s Geological and Mining Institute (CSIC). Some of the lost islands even, after all this time, still have their beaches intact. The team said that some of the beaches sit just 60m (200 feet) below the ocean's surface. During the last ice age, when sea levels were far lower than they are today, the inactive volcanoes would have become islands again, which could have been used to inhabit wildlife 

 (Picture: IGME-CSIC)

The lost island of Atlantis may have been found 2km under the ocean
These volcanoes were once part of a system of islands that sat around the east of Lanzarote, off the coast of West Africa, during the Eocene era around 56 million years ago, CSIC said. Geologist and project coordinator Dr Luis Somoza told LiveScience: ‘This could be the origin of the Atlantis legend’ referring to the Ancient Greek philosopher’s tale. In a statement he said: ‘They were islands in the past and they have sunk, they are still sinking, as the legend of Atlantis tells. Some of us have been able to verify that they still maintain their beaches’

(Picture: IGME-CSIC)

The lost island of Atlantis may have been found 2km under the ocean
The team of geologists went aboard the Sarmiento de Gamboa, an oceanographic vessel of the CSIC, and used an advanced remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to survey the waters at depths around 2.5km (1.5 miles) for a better understanding of the region’s volcanic activity. The dive was part of the team’s Atlantis project which aims to understand underwater volcanic and hydrothermal activity in the region 

(Picture: IGME-CSIC)

The lost island of Atlantis may have been found 2km under the ocean
They also assessed the state of the seabed around the archipelago from June 27 to August 6 to look for signs of magma and underwater volcanic activity that may pose risks to Spain’s population in the future. Some of the volcanoes in the underwater region may be more modern than previously thought, and could be the submarine equivalents of Spain’s Timanfaya volcano system, the team suggested 

 (Picture: IGME-CSIC)

The lost island of Atlantis may have been found 2km under the ocean
The researchers also looked at how underwater minerals form in such extreme conditions as well as the water’s levels of microorganisms encouraging the formation of metals like manganese, cobalt, and phosphates, which are important for energy transition. The team will analyse the samples collected from Los Atlantes to date the volcanic rocks and pinpoint when the islands began to sink

(Picture: IGME-CSIC)

The lost island of Atlantis may have been found 2km under the ocean
The study also reflects the vast life that exists on the seabed after the underwater lava flows formed the lava deltas, revealing how underwater life is reborn after the recent eruptions with new gardens of corals and sponges, or areas covered with bacterial next to the hydrothermal sources 

{ Metro’s News Updates newsletter }

16-08-2024 om 18:09 geschreven door peter  

The biggest asteroids to ever hit Earth were terrifying

By Mark Kaufman  

An artist's conception of a large asteroid impacting Earth 65 million years ago. 

Credit: MARK GARLICK / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images

The reality about menacing asteroids coming to destroy Earth in the modern-day is, perhaps surprisingly, not too scary.

Yes, the doomsayers thrive online, but the prognosis is encouraging:

- Astronomers have already found over 90 percent of the half-mile-plus "planet-killer" asteroids that at times pass near Earth's neighborhood, and there's no known threat of collision from these giant rocks for the next century; meanwhile, the likelihood of an impact in the next thousand years is exceedingly low.

- Using specialized telescopes, researchers are now discovering around 500 sizable space rocks (over 460 feet across) in our solar system neighborhood each year. None are threats, so far.

- NASA has successfully tested the first-ever endeavor to intentionally move an asteroid — a skill that may be necessary should we ever need to deflect an incoming object.

Yet, past cosmic violence is preserved in Earth's crust. Geologists have confirmed nearly 190 ancient impact craters on Earth — though our planet's evolving surface has certainly erased many of the earliest bombardments. The craters we know about tell a tale of a starkly different time in our planetary past, when fiery rocks plummeting through the sky were common.

"The solar system used to be a lot more violent than it is now," Sally Dodson-Robinson, a planetary scientist at the University of Delaware, told Mashable.

SEE ALSO: 

• If a scary asteroid will actually strike Earth, here's how you'll know 

Early in our solar system, small grains of rock and ice began clumping together, creating miles-wide objects called planetesimals. They would collide and at times merge, eventually forming the familiar planets we see today. But many planetesimals weren't fated to become planets. Some flew around the sun, smashing into planets. This evidence is written in the well-cratered moon, Mars, and beyond.

"Crater evidence shows that during the first billion years or so of solar system history, asteroids were regularly bombarding planetary bodies at a devastating rate," Dodson-Robinson explained.

Today, the leftover planetesimals are the rocky asteroids and icy comets in our much more tranquil solar system. (Of course, it's not completely tranquil.)

 "The solar system used to be a lot more violent than it is now."

Radar images of the 1,100-foot-wide asteroid Apophis. It will pass so close to Earth in 2029 that it'll be visible in the sky from certain locations. 

Credit: NASA

The preserved, or in some cases partially preserved, impact craters on Earth remain poignant reminders of our chaotic cosmic past. Here are some of the most significant known craters.

The largest impact crater on Earth

The Vredefort Crater in South Africa as viewed from above. 

Credit: USGS / Landsat / NASA

An asteroid some six miles (10 kilometers) wide or bigger smashed into Earth and created the Vredefort Crater, in present-day South Africa, some 2 billion years ago, long before even the dinosaurs evolved.

At the time, researchers estimate the impact crater was a whopping 112 to 186 miles (180 to 300 km) wide. "The world’s oldest and largest known impact structure was formed," NASA said.

Eons later, the south portion of the crater is no longer visible, having been blanketed in younger rock.

Sudbury basin

A view of the topography of the ancient Sudbury impact crater. 

Credit: NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission

Some 1.8 billion years ago, a large comet — which is an ancient "dirty snowball" composed of icy and rocky grains — slammed into modern-day Canada. The impact basin is largely eroded today, though with aerial views and radar, one can make out parts of the impact crater.

The original crater was likely some 120 miles (200 km) wide.

Today, the region is home to nickel and copper mines. That's because the powerful impact, by cracking the crust and allowing parts of Earth's mantle to rise up from below, ultimately generated a great nickel deposit. Nickel is a vital element in electrical wiring, engines, batteries, and beyond.

"There have been positives from some of these impacts," Simon Jowitt, a geochemist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told Mashable.

"But obviously we don't want something the size of Sudbury hitting right now," he added. (A roughly six-mile-wide behemoth wiped out the dinosaurs, and the Sudbury comet was probably similar in size.)

The Chicxulub dinosaur impact

A gravity anomaly map of the Chicxulub Crater in the Yucatan Peninsula. 

Credit: NASA Shuttle Radar Topography Mission

This one was the dinosaur killer.

The 65 million-year-old Chicxulub site, buried beneath the Yucatan Peninsula today, appears on gravity anomaly maps — which show how much the planet's gravity field, which is dictated by mass, differs from a hypothetically uniform surface. Today, it appears as about half of a huge crater.

The infamous six-mile-wide asteroid struck in shallow water, blowing prodigious amounts of pulverized earth into the skies which drastically cooled the climate. "The enormous amount of energy generated by this impact, equivalent to 10 thousand times the world's nuclear arsenal, ejected into the atmosphere huge quantities of dust particles and gases," NASA explained.

Crucially, scientists found this extremely fine dust proved extremely potent in blocking sunlight. A long, callous winter, with vastly reduced light for some two years, followed.

"That shuts down photosynthesis. And breaks down the food chain," David Fastovsky, a professor emeritus in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Rhode Island who has researched the dinosaur extinction, told Mashable.

Ultimately, the asteroid impact killed off around 70 percent of Earth's species. Though some dinosaurs survived.

Meteor Crater

The Meteor Crater in Arizona. 

Credit: NASA

The Meteor Crater in Arizona is relatively young, proof that Earthlings should track and be aware of potential incoming space rocks.

Some 50,000 years ago, a metal asteroid around 100 to 170 feet across slammed into modern-day Arizona. This is an object considerably smaller than those discussed above. Yet such a rock can still create a tremendous, regionally catastrophic blast.

"A similar-size impact event today could destroy a city the size of Kansas City," David Kring, an impact expert at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, told NASA.

Want more science and tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable's Light Speed newsletter today.

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The Clearwater Lakes Craters

The Clearwater Lakes Craters in northern Quebec, Canada, as seen from space. 

Credit: NASA

A double-whammy.

Two big asteroids slammed into Quebec, Canada, right next to each other. Though researchers argue that these impacts are in fact separated by many millions of years.

Today, the impact basins are lakes. Clearwater West is estimated at some 280 million years old, while Clearwater East formed much earlier, around 450 million years ago. You can spot a ring of islands in the western lake that measures around six miles in diameter.

A colossal mystery in Australia

An image of the Deniliquin impact structure in Southeast Australia made using magnetic measurements. 

Credit: UNSW / Data from Geoscience Australia, published in Glikson and Yeates, 2022

Australian researchers propose that a massive structure — potentially the largest impact structure on Earth — exists deep beneath the southeastern part of the continent in New South Wales.

Called the "Deniliquin structure," magnet measurements of the deep earth show a colossal multi-ring formation underground. The structure is some 520 kilometers across (around 320 miles in diameter).

That would have been quite a blast. "It was more than double the scale of the Chicxulub impact that killed off the dinosaurs," wrote Andrew Glikson, a geologist at Australian National University who has researched the structure.

Yet finding direct proof of the event, which could have driven a mass extinction, won't be easy. "The next step will be to gather samples to determine the structure’s exact age," Glikson said. "This will require drilling a deep hole into its magnetic center and dating the extracted material."

The evidence dramatically carved into Earth's crust makes it clear: Giant objects have slammed into Earth, particularly when the solar system was a chaotic place. But big or catastrophic impacts have become rare. That's why traces of impacts on Earth are relatively few.

"The fact is that through geologic history these impacts are fairly infrequent," said UNLV's Jowitt.

Small rocky particles, however, hit Earth every day, but quickly vaporize in the sky. Here are today's risks from objects both small, and very large.

• Every single day about 100 tons of dust and sand-sized particles fall through Earth's atmosphere and promptly burn up.

• Every year, on average, an "automobile-sized asteroid" plummets through our sky and explodes, explains NASA.

• Impacts by objects around 460 feet in diameter occur every 10,000 to 20,000 years.

• A "dinosaur-killing" impact from a rock perhaps a half-mile across or larger happens on 100-million-year timescales.

Other, developing solar systems are far more treacherous places. The solar system around the bright star Vega, for example, is likely filled with violent collisions. It's a young star surrounded by a rich disk of dust— which is evidence of ongoing impacts.

The young planets or objects out there must be unsettling places.

"They're pretty dangerous, I would guess," Dodson-Robinson said.

• This story originally published in July 2023 and has been updated.

{ https://mashable.com/ }

16-08-2024 om 17:45 geschreven door peter  

"We found that the composition of the asteroid that impacted at Chicxulub is the same as that of carbonaceous meteorites, which are fragments of carbonaceous (C-type) asteroids that originally formed beyond the orbit of Jupiter," Fischer-Gödde said.

Previous research suspected the culprit was a C-type asteroid, too, but didn't use ruthenium in the analyses. That's because making these ruthenium measurements is very difficult, and progressive technological advancements made the latest observations possible, Fischer-Gödde explained. Only three or so laboratories globally, including at the University of Cologne, can conduct this ultra-specialized research.

The C-type asteroid Mathilde as captured by the NEAR spacecraft on June 27, 1997. It's some 38 miles (61 kilometers) across.

A depiction of an asteroid collision that likely lead to a mountain-sized rock heading towards Earth 66 million years ago.

As the solar system formed, many C-type asteroids came to inhabit the outskirts of the main asteroid belt, a ring containing millions of rocky objects between Mars and Jupiter. It's here the six-mile-wide Chicxulub impactor was probably propelled towards Earth. This was likely triggered by a collision between two asteroids, Fischer-Gödde explained. Or exposure to sunlight, causing a region on the space rock to heat up and release energy, could have given the asteroid a nudge (an outcome called the "Yarkovsky effect").

16-08-2024 om 17:18 geschreven door peter  

Planetary scientists using spectral data from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have confirmed the detection of hydroxyl molecules on the surface of the metallic asteroid Psyche. The presence of hydrated minerals suggests a complex history for Psyche.

Jarmak et al. used Webb, shown in the bottom right corner of this illustration, to confirm the presence of hydrated minerals on the surface of Psyche.

Image credit: Southwest Research Institute.

Psyche, a metal asteroid about 226 km (140 miles) in diameter, is one of the most intriguing targets in the main asteroid belt.

The object orbits the Sun between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter at a distance ranging from 378 to 497 million km (235-309 million miles) from the Sun.

Psyche takes about five Earth years to complete one orbit of the Sun, but only a bit over four hours to rotate once on its axis.

Unlike most other asteroids that are rocky or icy bodies, planetary scientists think Psyche is comprised mostly of metallic iron and nickel similar to Earth’s core.

On October 13, 2023, NASA launched the Psyche spacecraft, which is traveling 3.5 billion km (2.2 billion miles) to arrive at the asteroid in August 2029.

“Our understanding of solar system evolution is closely tied to interpretations of asteroid composition, particularly the M-class asteroids that contain higher concentrations of metal,” said Dr. Stephanie Jarmak, a researcher at the Harvard & Smithsonian’s Center for Astrophysics.

“These asteroids were initially thought to be the exposed cores of differentiated planetesimals, a hypothesis based on their spectral similarity to iron meteorites.”

The Webb data point to hydroxyl and perhaps water on Psyche’s surface. The hydrated minerals could result from external sources, including impactors

If the hydration is native or endogenous, then Psyche may have a different evolutionary history than current models suggest.

“Asteroids are leftovers from the planetary formation process, so their compositions vary depending on where they formed in the Solar Nebula,” said Dr. Anicia Arredondo, a researcher at Southwest Research Institute.

“Hydration that is endogenous could suggest that Psyche is not the remnant core of a protoplanet.”

“Instead, it could suggest that Psyche originated beyond the ‘snow line,’ the minimum distance from the Sun where protoplanetary disk temperatures are low enough for volatile compounds to condense into solids, before migrating to the outer main belt.”

However, the authors found the variability in the strength of the hydration features across the observations implies a heterogeneous distribution of hydrated minerals.

This variability suggests a complex surface history that could be explained by impacts from carbonaceous chondrite asteroids thought to be very hydrated.

Understanding the location of asteroids and their compositions tells us how materials in the Solar Nebula were distributed and have evolved since formation.

• How water is distributed in our Solar System will provide insight into the distribution of water in other planetary systems and, because water is necessary for all life on Earth, will drive where to look for potential life, both in our Solar System and beyond.

“Using telescopes at different wavelengths of infrared light, the Southwest Research Institute-led research will provide different but complementary information to what the Psyche spacecraft is designed to study,” said Dr. Tracy Becker, a researcher at Southwest Research Institute.

• The findings will appear in the Planetary Science Journal.
• Stephanie G. Jarmak et al. 2024. Estimate of water and hydroxyl abundance on asteroid (16) Psyche from JWST data. Planetary Science Journal, in press; doi: 10.3847/PSJ/ad66b9
• This article is based on a press-release provided by Southwest Research Institute

{ https://www.sci.news/ }

16-08-2024 om 15:39 geschreven door peter  

AI Focuses UFO From 1937 Over City Hall In Vancouver, Canada UAP Sighting News.

Date of sighting: 1937

Location of sighting: City Hall, Vancouver, Canada

 

Here is an old UFO photo I had on my mind and wanted to look at it with ai in order to focus it. The photo is old, 1937 old and the description of the glowing blue craft has matched numbers other UFO reports worldwide so I knew this has a big chance of being 100% real. Watch the video, learn about who took it and what they saw, and subscribe to my Youtube channel if you can. 

Scott C Waring

 

{ https://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/ }

16-08-2024 om 15:08 geschreven door peter  

JFK, UFOs, and the Majestic 12: Unraveling the Cold War’s Deepest Secrets

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy has remained one of the most scrutinized and debated events in American history. However, in a fascinating episode of “Reality Check” with Ross Coulthart, a fresh perspective emerges, suggesting that JFK’s involvement with UFOs and the covert Majestic 12 (MJ12) files could have played a role in his untimely demise.

This theory isn’t merely speculative but grounded in a complex web of Cold War events, intelligence operations, and declassified documents that tie JFK’s curiosity about UFOs to the clandestine activities of the CIA and other intelligence agencies.

The Cold War Context and Operation Palladium

At the height of the Cold War, espionage and covert operations between the United States and the Soviet Union reached their zenith. One such operation, known as Operation Palladium, involved injecting false UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) signals into Soviet radar systems, causing confusion and potentially escalating tensions. David Lamar Christ, a CIA scientist likened to James Bond’s “Q,” was deeply involved in this operation. However, when Christ was captured and tortured by Cuban and Russian interrogators, he revealed secrets that compromised the operation, leading to further complications.

During a critical 1961 meeting in Vienna between JFK and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, the latter allegedly confronted the U.S. president about the spoofing activities by American forces. This exchange reportedly left Kennedy puzzled, prompting him to seek more information from the CIA.

The Majestic 12 Documents and JFK’s Involvement

The Majestic 12 (MJ12) files are a series of controversial documents that first surfaced in 1984, purporting to reveal a secret group overseeing the U.S. government’s investigation into UFOs, including the Roswell incident. While many have dismissed these documents as disinformation, former Australian intelligence officer Geoff Cruickshank suggests there may be some truth to them.

VIDEO:

• JFK, UFOs and the Majestic 12 files | Reality Check with Ross Coulthart

• https://youtu.be/4VHdP_DdAUs

One of the MJ12 documents allegedly shows JFK sending a directive to CIA Director Allen Dulles on June 28, 1961, asking for information about MJ12 and psychological warfare efforts. What’s intriguing is that Dulles’ event calendar, declassified only in 2022, confirms that he met with JFK twice on that very day—a detail that was unknown until recently, lending some credibility to the authenticity of the MJ12 files.

Cruickshank further argues that JFK’s insistence on transparency regarding UFOs and his desire for greater openness between the U.S. and the Soviet Union may have made him a target within the intelligence community. This, he believes, could explain why JFK was assassinated.

The Connection Between JFK, UFOs, and His Assassination

JFK’s interest in UFOs wasn’t merely academic. In November 1963, just days before his assassination, he issued National Security Action Memorandum 271, directing NASA to cooperate with the Soviets on space matters. This has led some, including Cruickshank, to speculate that JFK’s push for collaboration on UFO research could have been seen as a threat by those within the U.S. government who wanted to maintain control over this sensitive information.

Cruickshank highlights that the CIA, under Dulles, was running secretive operations without JFK’s knowledge, and this lack of transparency may have exacerbated tensions between the president and the intelligence community. Moreover, documents like the “important memo,” which surfaced after the Cuban Missile Crisis, suggest that JFK may have been briefed on MJ12 and other UFO-related matters, further fueling suspicions that his assassination was connected to his interest in these topics.

The Cuban Missile Crisis and UFOs

One of the most critical moments in Cold War history, the Cuban Missile Crisis, also plays a role in this narrative. During this period, there were multiple reports of UFOs appearing near U.S. military installations, including one during a test of an ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) off the coast of California. These sightings, coupled with the heightened tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, made the situation even more precarious.

The presence of these unexplained phenomena, which both superpowers were aware of but not fully understood, added another layer of complexity to an already dangerous situation. Cruickshank suggests that this could have further motivated JFK’s desire for openness and cooperation with the Soviets, a stance that may have ultimately led to his downfall.

Conclusion: A Controversial Theory with Lingering Questions

While the connections between JFK, UFOs, and the Majestic 12 files are still shrouded in mystery, the theories presented by Geoff Cruickshank on “Reality Check” offer a compelling alternative perspective on JFK’s assassination. Whether or not these claims can be fully substantiated, they raise important questions about the extent of the U.S. government’s knowledge of UFOs, the secrecy surrounding these topics, and the potential consequences for those who sought to uncover the truth.

As more documents are declassified and researchers continue to delve into the historical record, the enigmatic relationship between JFK, UFOs, and the Majestic 12 files may eventually come into sharper focus, offering new insights into one of the most pivotal moments in American history.

{ https://www.latest-ufo-sightings.net/ }

16-08-2024 om 15:02 geschreven door peter  

Dit gebeurde direct na de inslag van de meteoriet die 66 miljoen jaar geleden het einde betekende voor de dinosaurus – ‘Ze werden gefrituurd en daarna bevroren’

Aylin Woodward

Foto: Wikimedia Commons/NASA

De inslag van een meteoriet in het huidige Mexico 66 miljoen jaar geleden, was een belangrijke oorzaak van het uitsterven van de dinosaurus. Wetenschappers zijn het daar al langere tijd over eens.

Maar er zijn ontelbare theorieën over wat er nu precies is gebeurd met onze planeet en de bewoners na de inslag.

Een enorme afkoeling van de aarde omdat grote puin- en roetwolken de zon blokkeerden, zou dinosaurussen de das om hebben gedaan. Een andere verklaring luidt dat schadelijke gassen door wereldwijde vulkaanuitbarstingen de planeet voor hen onleefbaar zou hebben gemaakt.

Volgens nieuw onderzoek dat is gepubliceerd in het wetenschappelijk tijdschrift ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ was de wereldwijde afkoeling de oorzaak.

Door de inslag van de zo’n 10 kilometer brede Chicxulub-meteoriet, ontstonden er honderden meters hoge tsunami’s. Er braken enorme branden uit tot honderden kilometers in de omgeving en er kwam voor miljarden tonnen aan zwavel in de atmosfeer terecht. Al die gassen blokkeerden de zon en koelden de aarde sterk af.

De meteoriet zorgde regionaal voor een inferno, gevolgd door langdurige afkoeling van de hele planeet. Het betekende het einde van de dinosauriërs.

"Ze werden gefrituurd en daarna bevroren", zegt onderzoeksleider Sean Gulick over het lot van de dinosauriërs in een persbericht. "Niet alle dinosauriërs stierven op de dag van de inslag, maar vele wel."

Onderzoek in de Chicxulub-krater

Foto: Donald Davis/NASA

Om beter te begrijpen wat er op die fatale dag in de geschiedenis van onze planeet is gebeurd, hebben wetenschappers diepgravend onderzoek gedaan in de Chicxulub-krater. Een hele uitdaging omdat de krater deels in de Golf van Mexico ligt.

In 2016 hebben Gulick en zijn collega Joanna Morgen, monsters genomen in het deel van de krater waar in de 24 uur na de inslag stenen en puin terecht zijn gekomen. Er was nooit eerder materiaal uit dat gedeelte van de krater gehaald.

Na drie jaar lang onderzoek, hebben Gulick en Morgan een nauwkeurige tijdlijn kunnen opstellen van de nasleep van de inslag.

Foto: Sean Gulick en Joanna Morgan.

Bron: The University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences

"Het is een uitgebreid verslag van de gebeurtenissen die we van binnenuit hebben kunnen reconstrueren, zegt Gulick.

De meteoriet sloeg in met een kracht van 10 miljard atoombommen

Dit is de door Gulick en Morgan opgestelde tijdlijn:

De meteoriet sloeg een gat van 190 kilometer breed en 30 kilometer diep in de zeebodem.

Daarin ontstond een borrelende put van gesmolten steen en superheet gas. Die enorme vuurketel leidde tot een kilometershoge pluim van puin en rook.

Die pluim zakte binnen enkele minuten in elkaar en stolde in pieken van golvend lava en rotsachtig materiaal. De pieken werden later bedekt met meer steen en sporen van verbrande grond en houtskool, die door enorme golven uit de oceaan werden meegebracht.

De aanwezigheid van die houtskool is volgens de onderzoekers het bewijs dat er grote branden zijn ontstaan na de inslag. Sommige branden woedden op honderden kilometers afstand van de krater.

Foto: Shutterstock

De wetenschappers schatten dat de kracht van de meteoriet vergelijkbaar was met die van 10 miljard atoombommen, zoals die zijn gebruikt in de Tweede Wereldoorlog.

Water in het omliggende land verdampte door de inslag van de meteoriet, terwijl het water in de oceaan zich verplaatste met de snelheid van een vliegtuig, zegt Gulick. Dat water vormde een tsunami die mogelijk wel tot de huidige Amerikaanse staat Illinois reikte, voordat hij ging liggen.

Gulick zegt tegen Newsweek dat de meteoriet met een snelheid van zo'n 20 kilometer per seconde moet zijn ingeslagen, waardoor de enorme hitte binnen mum van tijd dinosaurussen tot wel 1.5000 kilometer verderop bereikte.

"Binnen de 1.500 kilometer zou je heel weinig gezien hebben voordat je verbrandde", stelt hij.

Het gevolg van miljarden ton aan zwavel in de atmosfeer

De dinosaurus was niet de enige soort die uitstierf na de inslag van Chicxulub. Vliegende pterosauriërs en mariene roofdieren, zoals de mosasaurus en de plesiosaurus verdwenen ook, net als 75 procent van al het leven op de planeet.

Veel dieren kwamen uiteraard om in de directe omgeving van de inslag, maar het massale uitsterven was hoogstwaarschijnlijk een gevolg van veranderingen in de atmosfeer.

De inslag zou volgens het team van Gulick voor verdamping in zwavelrijke rotsen hebben gezorgd, waardoor enorm veel zwavel in de lucht terechtkwam. Vervolgens kon de zon daar niet doorheen dringen en koelde de planeet sterk af.

De wetenschappers zijn tot die conclusie gekomen omdat de monsters die ze onderzochten, wel veel zandsteen, kalksteen en graniet bevatten maar geen zwavel. En dat terwijl de rotsen in de buurt van de inslag helemaal vol zouden moeten zitten met zwavel.

Ze schatten dat er minstens 325 miljard ton zwavelgas in de atmosfeer terecht moet zijn gekomen.

Foto: De vulkaan Kraktau in Indonesië spuwt as uit.

Bron: Reuters

Ter vergelijking: een kwart van die hoeveelheid zwavel kwam in de atmosfeer terecht na de uitbarsting van de vulkaan Krakatau in Indonesië in 1883. Door die vulkaanuitbarsting zakte de temperatuur op aarde met 1,2 graden voor een periode van vijf jaar.

De gevolgen van de inslag van de Chicxulub-meteoriet waren vrijwel zeker veel ingrijpender en veel langduriger, stelt Gulick.

"De aarde zal er vanuit de ruimte waarschijnlijk niet uitgezien hebben als de bekende blauwe bol en het zal misschien wel twintig jaar hebben geduurd voordat het weer helder werd."

Lees meer over natuurrampen:

• 8 angstaanjagende manieren waarop de wereld écht kan vergaan
• Deze 8 superrampen kunnen minstens 10% van de mensheid uitroeien
• Indonesië opnieuw getroffen door tsunami, zeker 220 doden – de oorzaak is waarschijnlijk een aardbeving bij Krakatau, de vulkaan die ooit het klimaat veranderde

{ https://www.businessinsider.nl/ }

16-08-2024 om 14:51 geschreven door peter  

Meteoriet verantwoordelijk voor uitsterven dinosaurussen afkomstig uit rand zonnestelsel

Meteoriet verantwoordelijk voor uitsterven dinosaurussen afkomstig uit rand zonnestelsel

De meteoriet die 66 miljoen jaar geleden het uitsterven van de dinosaurussen heeft veroorzaakt, is afkomstig uit de buitenste lagen van het zonnestelsel. Dat blijkt uit een onderzoek van VUB-geologen, gepubliceerd in het wetenschappelijke tijdschrift Science. De inslag van dergelijk type meteoriet is tot vandaag een uitzonderlijke geologische gebeurtenis.

Het team van VUB-geologen heeft in het onderzoek de Krijt-Paleogeen-grenslaag onder de loep genomen. Deze grenslaag in de samenstelling van het aardoppervlak is 66 miljoen jaar geleden ontstaan als gevolg van een meteorietinslag die het uitsterven van 70 procent van de toen levende dieren, waaronder ook de dino's, betekende. De asteroïde met een diameter van meer dan 10 kilometer is ingeslagen nabij de plek waar vandaag de Mexicaanse stad Chicxulub ligt. De impact was zo krachtig dat er over de hele aarde een kleilaag is gevormd als gevolg van de vrijgekomen stofdeeltjes.

Eindelijk weten we waar de planetoïde die de dino’s uitroeide vandaan kwam

© Scientias.nl

Deze K-Pg-grenslaag bevat elementen die slechts uitzonderlijk in het aardoppervlak terug te vinden zijn, waaronder onder meer osmium, iridium en ruthenium. Uit een analyse van de chemische elementen in de kleilaag blijkt dat de Chicxulub-asteröide uit het buitenste gedeelte van het zonnestelsel afkomstig is. "We ontdekten dat de samenstelling van de asteroïde die insloeg op Chicxulub dezelfde is als die van koolstofhoudende meteorieten", zegt Steven Goderis, een van de auteurs van de studie. Deze C-type-asteroïden zijn "oorspronkelijk ver buiten de omloopbaan van Jupiter gevormd".

De uitzonderlijke aard van de Chicxulub-meteoriet blijkt ook uit de vergelijking van de chemische elementen uit andere lagen van het aardoppervlak. "Deze gegevens tonen aan dat in de afgelopen 500 miljoen jaar de dominante samenstellingen van lichamen die op aarde insloegen fragmenten van het steenachtige S-type asteroïden waren", aldus de geologen. Dit type asteroïden vormt zich in het binnenste zonnestelsel. "De inslag van een C-type asteroïde lijkt een tot nu toe unieke gebeurtenis te zijn".

Chicxulub Crater Yucatan Asteroid - asteroids 2020

• https://youtu.be/5qJPTjMnwNk

{ https://www.msn.com/nl-be/feed?ocid=msedgntp&pc=acts }

16-08-2024 om 14:31 geschreven door peter  

Paul Dienach: Man whose Consciousness Inexplicably Traveled to the Year 3906 AD due to a Strange, Time-Traveling Phenomenon during Coma.

Paul Amadeus  Dienach born in 1884 near Zurich, was a simple professor of French and German, but what happened to him (regardless of the explanations that can be given) was truly incredible. His extraordinary story is based on his personal journal, which was first published in Greek in 1972. During a year-long coma,  Dienach wrote about his incredible experiences living in the year 3906. His journal entries are extremely detailed, revealing a life he claimed to have lived centuries in the future.

Dienach was a Swiss-Austrian teacher who struggled with fragile health. His father was a German-speaking Swiss, and his mother was an Austrian from Salzburg. Despite his health issues,  Dienach was determined to live a fulfilling life. In the autumn of 1922, he traveled to Greece, hoping the mild climate would improve his condition.

While in Greece, Dienach taught French and German language lessons to support himself. One of his students, George Papahatzis, had a deep appreciation for  Dienach and remembered him as a “very cautious and very modest man who used to emphasize the details.” Papahatzis described Dienach as a dedicated teacher who was passionate about sharing his knowledge.

Dienach’s background was marked by a love for learning and helping others. He grew up in a suburb of Zurich and spent his teenage years in a nearby village. He later studied subjects focused on cultural history, classical languages, and helping others. His interests and passions defined his life’s work.

Sadly,  Dienach’s life was cut short when he likely died of tuberculosis in Athens, Greece, or while returning home through Italy in early 1924. Despite his passing,  Dienach’s journal remains, offering a fascinating glimpse into his extraordinary experiences and insights.

Before Paul Dienach died, he gave his diary to Papahatzis, asking him to translate it from German to Greek to improve his language skills. Papahatzis thought it was a novel, but as he translated, he discovered it was actually Dienach’s diary… from the future!

 Dienach likely had a rare brain disease called encephalitis lethargica. The first time he fell asleep because of it, he was out for 15 minutes. The second time, he was in a coma for a year. While in a Geneva hospital,  Dienach claimed his mind entered the body of a man named Andreas Northam, living in the year 3906 AD.

After waking up, Dienach didn’t tell anyone about his experience, fearing they’d think he was crazy. Instead, he wrote down everything he remembered about the future. He even quit his job to focus on writing as much as possible.

Dienach described the world and people of 3906 AD based on what he could understand as a man from the 20th century. It was hard for him to grasp everything he saw since he wasn’t familiar with their technology or way of life. The story of Paul Amadeus  Dienach is reported in the 2015 book “Chronicles from the Future” by Achilleas Sirigos.

The book has so many details that some people think the author must have lived in a spiritual way in the year 3906 or in some future world. This is because of how detailed the book is. On the other hand, 1921 wasn’t very exciting, so there wasn’t much to inspire writers or spark their creativity.

In his memoirs,  Dienach says that people in the future understood his strange medical condition, which they called “conscious slide.” They told him about the events from the 21st to the 39th century. However, they didn’t tell him about the 20th century, fearing that if he returned to his time (which he did), knowing the future might change history or his life.

Papahatzis began reading and translating the diary from French to Greek. In the 800 pages,  Dienach wrote about how, during his coma, his consciousness left his body and entered the body of someone from the year 3906. Dienach repeatedly says in the diary that he is not a writer or someone with a lot of imagination or attention to detail.

Dienach lived in the future as Andreas Northam

In his diaries  Dienach tells of how he lived, for a year, reincarnated as Andreas Northam, an Italian scientist in hospital following an accident on board a flying car, in 3906. Going beyond the events of his alleged existence in the 40th century.

2000-2300: humanity is still grappling with the problems of overpopulation, environmental pollution, economic inequalities, local wars, and food shortages for all.

2204: The large colonization of Mars by 20 million people is completed, but sixty years later, there will be an environmental catastrophe on the red planet that will leave no escape for anyone. As a consequence, humanity will never attempt to colonize any planet again for many centuries to come.

2309: environmental and humanitarian problems become increasingly worse, causing a major natural disaster and leading all nations into atomic war. Western nations prevail over China, and the consequences of the atomic bomb lead to a dramatic decline in the world population and large mass migrations.

2396: this catastrophe leads to the establishment of a Global Parliament where all nations are represented and united without distinction. In this new world order, power is entrusted to scientists, technocrats, and humanitarian figures. Money as we know it no longer exists, wealth has decreased, and the population can finally redistribute every resource equally. From this moment, we start counting again from year 1. However, there is still resistance to this change from some national governments, which will continue for a couple of centuries. After another five centuries, humanity will have become accustomed to the idea of global belonging, bringing the Dark Ages to an end in 3400.

3382: from this year, something phenomenal happens—a mutation of the human brain that allows a new ability called hyper-vision. It leads to the discovery of astounding concepts never before imagined.

3400-4000: The Golden Age begins after more than 1000 years of the “Dark Age.” In the government, there are no longer scientists and technocrats, but the so-called Universal Creators—personalities who incorporate skills from every field of human knowledge. This new world society is free from all the material and conceptual chains that have hindered the spiritual development of humankind. You work for just two years (from 19 to 21) in “glothners” or electrical production factories; after this period, you officially become cives, citizens of the world. The State, now a global body, takes care of the livelihood of the one billion people that Earth hosts, inevitably preserving it with birth control.

What’s interesting is that history up to the year 3906 seems to follow the ideas of Giambattista Vico (1668–1744). He believed that human history is a never-ending cycle of highs and lows. Humanity always faces challenges that lead to difficulties and sadness. Each time, humanity has to correct its negative actions with big changes. No matter how much technology or spiritual growth we achieve, we are doomed to never reach a permanent state of happiness.

Some fact check:

The man you saw in the thumbnail is actually not Paul  Dienach. That is the mug shot of Daniel ‘Lohill’. The photograph was mislabeled as Daniel ‘Lohill’ at the time it was taken in 1908; the real name of this handsome rogue is Daniel TOHILL, and he was convicted of theft in Napier, New Zealand, and sentenced to 4 months of hard labor on March 2, 1908. (Source)

Does that mean Paul  Dienach’s story is a hoax? Not really. The Why Files gave a good explanation…

Paul  Dienach lived in Zurich in the 1920s. This isn’t very long ago, and Zurich keeps records of everyone who lived there at that time. Athens does too, where Dienach was supposed to be teaching, but there are no records of anyone by that name.

George Papahatzis, the translator and publisher of the story, said he tried to find Dienach years later but couldn’t. He thinks Dienach might have changed his name before moving to Switzerland, where he was safe during World War I, which makes it hard to find out his real name.

Papahatzis also said that the original handwritten diary is missing. He claimed that while living in Greece during the war, Greek soldiers seized the notes because they were in Germany and never returned them. This sounds suspicious.

Others have noticed that the story is similar to an H.P. Lovecraft tale called “The Shadow Out of Time.” Lovecraft’s story is written like a diary, where the main character goes into a coma and wakes up at a different time.  Dienach’s story is about waking up in the future, and Lovecraft’s story was published in 1936. If  Dienach’s story was inspired by Lovecraft, then it couldn’t have been written in the 1920s.

It’s unlikely that Papahatzis was fooled by a hoax. He was a respected law professor and intellectual in Greece, even serving on their highest court. He was very interested in law, social studies, and humanities, which are themes in Dienach’s diary. It seems more likely that the book was an intellectual exercise on human spirituality, with Papahatzis adding a sci-fi twist.

Some people might find this hard to believe, but a well-known author named Caroline Leavitt said something similar happened to her. While she was in a coma, she felt like she was living someone else’s life. We still don’t understand a lot about dreams and how they connect to our minds. This makes us wonder if there’s more to our abilities as humans than we think. (Source)

{ https://www.howandwhys.com/ }

15-08-2024 om 23:20 geschreven door peter  

Can you have sex in space? How astronauts stuck on board the ISS could join the '220-mile-high club' (although NASA insists that no humans have done it before!)

• Sex in space is not physically impossible, although it would be difficult
• READ MORE:  NASA astronauts could be stuck on the ISS until 2025

By Wiliam Hunter

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams hit the headlines this month, after NASA revealed that they would be stuck on the International Space Station together for six months, despite originally expecting to be there for eight days. 

Butch and Suni's predicament has left a few dirty minded space fans with one burning question - could they have sex to pass the time?

On social media, commenters rushed to speculate how the pair could spend their six months, with one cheekily tweeting: 'I hope they brought birth control with them.'

While Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are both married to partners back on Earth, experts predict that space tourists will be getting in on in orbit within 10 years. 

But from the logistical issues of intimacy in microgravity to the unfortunate effects of orbit on erectile dysfunction, joining the 220-mile-high club might not be as fun as it seems. 

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams hit the headlines this month , after NASA revealed that they would be stuck on the International Space Station together for six months, despite originally expecting to be there for eight days. Butch and Suni's predicament has left a few dirty minded space fans with one burning question - could they have sex to pass the time? 

On social media, commenters rushed to speculate on how the pair could spend their six months, with one cheekily tweeting: 'I hope they brought birth control with them' 

Another commenter added that the astronauts would be 'coming home with a baby on board'

Has anyone ever had sex in space?

According to NASA's official line, no human has ever had sex in space and there is very little reason to doubt this is true. 

While astronauts are only human, they are also highly-trained professionals operating in an extremely high-stress environment. 

While the ISS theoretically spacious enough for an amorous couple, there are very few private areas and the station is constantly monitored. 

However, NASA did once unknowingly send a newly married couple on the same mission to space.

In 1992, the Space Shuttle Endeavor was launched with Mark Lee and Jan Davis on the crew who had secret married the year before. 

Both NASA and the newlyweds deny that the couple made use of this unique opportunity, but we can never know for certain.

As a direct consequence of this, NASA made a formal ruling that married couples could not fly together and since 2010 has explicitly said it does not allow sex between astronauts. 

Experts say there is nothing theoretically stopping astronauts from having sex in space but there are dangers for reproduction. Pictured, Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt in the 2016 film Passengers

NASA says that no one has ever had sex in space, but the best possible contenders would be Jan Davis and Mark Lee (pictured) who are the only married couple to visit space

Read More

• A day in the life of a NASA astronaut trapped on the ISS: From 6am wake-up calls to 15-HOUR shifts 

Is sex in space possible?

Whether or not anyone has actually had sex in space, there doesn't seem to be anything to prevent people from trying. 

Dr Adam Watkins, Associate Professor in reproductive and developmental physiology, at the University of Nottingham told MailOnline: 'Sex in space is physically possible, but would not be as easy as it is here on Earth.'

Dr Watkins notes that simple constraints such as a lack of privacy would make sex on the ISS difficult but the biggest problem is likely to be the lack of gravity.

While this might call for some more acrobatic solutions, there is nothing that human ingenuity can't overcome.

For an interesting example, you can look at how astronauts train to do CPR while in orbit.

To stop the first-aider drifting away while trying to apply compressions to their patient, the ISS uses a 'CPR bench' which straps the rescuer to the equipment.

Sex in space would be logistically challenging, but astronauts have found their way around similar problems such as how to deliver CPR. Pictured, ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti demonstrates how to deliver CPR in microgravity 

With months to kill aboard the space station, there is certainly nothing stopping astronauts figuring out how to give this device a second purpose.

German astronaut Ulrich Walter once said in an interview  that humans could also look to the animal kingdom for inspiration.

Dolphins will sometimes enlist the help of a third to push the couple together and prevent them from drifting apart while mating.

Walter suggested that open-minded astronauts might also enlist the help of a willing friend to push them together. 

Alternatively, Paul Root Wolpe, a former NASA Bioethicist, has described how the humble Velcro strap could be the answer. 

Read More

• The 100-mile-high club! Space tourists will have to sign legal waivers BANNING them from having sex in space, expert claims 

Mr Wolpe told DW: 'Everything on the walls of the space station is covered in Velcro, so you could take advantage of that by velcroing one partner to the wall.

'You have to get creative in this space.'

But even if a couple could overcome the logistical issues, physiological barriers might still get in the way.

Exposure to conditions in space causes intense disruptions to astronauts' hormonal cycles including reduced levels of oestrogen.

That hormonal imbalance leads to a lower libido, which might stop astronauts wanting to have sex in the first place. 

Dr Watkins says: 'There can be some biological issues such as getting, and maintaining an erection in space is more difficult than here on earth due to the blood pressure changes that occur while in space.' 

Additionally, in microgravity, blood doesn't pump around the body in the normal way but instead tends to rush towards the head.

Inside the 'bedroom' of the ISS (pictured) there isn't a lot of room for moving about but the velcro on the walls has been suggested as a way of overcoming the logistical challenges of sex in space 

Astronauts need to use straps and velcro to avoid drifting away while sleeping, it is possible that similar methods could be used to prevent two people drifting apart. Pictured astronaut Gregory C. Johnson rests in the Shuttle Atlantis 

A paper published last year found that simulated spaceflight in rats leads to 'long-term impairment of neurovascular erectile function'. 

While NASA has stayed surprisingly quiet on these suggestions, a few former astronauts have stepped in to dispel any concerns.  

In an Ask Me Anything Reddit thread, former NASA astronaut Ron Garan was asked whether erections were possible in space.

In response, Mr Garan simply replied: 'I know of nothing that happens to the human body on Earth that can't happen in space.'

Some astronauts such as Mike Mullane, a former NASA astronaut, are far less subtle.

In his book, Riding Rockets, Mr Mullane wrote: 'I had an erection so intense it was

He added: 'I could have drilled through kryptonite.'

Overall, while having sex in space is likely unpleasant, time-consuming, and awkward, it is probably possible. 

Sex in space may be made difficult by the fact that microgravity lowers oestrogen levels which reduces the libido while also leading to erectile dysfunction  (file photo)

Read More

• One small step for mice, one giant leap for mankind: Scientists grow mouse embryos on the International Space Station for the first time, paving the way for humans to reproduce in space 

Should astronauts have sex in space? 

However, just because sex in space is possible, that doesn't necessarily mean it is advisable.

The biggest problem for any astronauts thinking about getting intimate is the risk of pregnancy.

Most female astronauts take birth control to delay their periods while in space but this is by no means compulsory.

Likewise, since NASA has a blanket ban on sex in space there are no other means of contraception aboard the station.

A number of studies have shown that getting pregnant in space is extremely difficult and potentially even impossible.

However, Dr Watkins notes that since no one has ever gotten pregnant in space we just can't know what the consequences will be.  

Dr Watkins says: 'DNA damage from the high levels of cosmic radiation is a real concern. Astronauts who spend six months in space are exposed to roughly the same amount of radiation as 1,000 chest X-rays.

'A pregnant woman, and her developing fetus, would also be exposed to that cosmic radiation while in space. This could be harmful to the embryos and the fetus.'

A recent study conducted on the ISS found that mice embryos developed for four days on the ISS showed no signs of damage.

But an earlier study published in 2020 conversely found that mouse embryos developed in space 'contain severe DNA damage'.

Likewise, since only a few people have gone to space we don't have enough data to really know what the effects would be on an unborn child. 

Dr Watkins concludes: 'Until recently, reproduction in space has not been a major priority for the different space agencies. 

'Now that there are plans to colonise the moon and even Mars, how we would populate other worlds has become more of a focus and will need to be addressed if we are to establish, maintain and grow human colonies off Earth.'

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

15-08-2024 om 21:46 geschreven door peter  

See the Northern Lights from SPACE: NASA astronaut on board the ISS films a stunning video of the astronomical light display

• Mr Dominick has been on board the ISS since March 3, 2024
• He has tweeted a stunning bird's-eye-view of the Northern Lights 

By Shivali Best For Mailonline 

Witnessing the Northern Lights is something that features on many people's bucket-lists.

Now, one lucky astronaut has trumped seeing them from Earth, and instead has posted an incredible video of the aurora from space.

Matthew Dominick, a NASA astronaut currently on board the International Space Station (ISS), tweeted his bird's-eye view of the Northern Lights.     

Witnessing the Northern Lights is something that features on many people's bucket-lists. Now, one lucky astronaut has trumped seeing them from Earth, and instead has posted an incredible video of the aurora from space

Read More

A day in the life of a NASA astronaut trapped on the ISS: From 6am wake-up calls to 15-HOUR shifts 

Mr Dominick launched to the ISS on March 3, 2024 as commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission. 

He’s serving as a flight engineer aboard the orbiting laboratory and was expected to spend around six months on the ISS, although his return to Earth could be pushed back amid the issues with the Boeing Starliner. 

While he spends most of his time on the ISS conducting scientific experiments, Mr Dominick also regularly snaps photos and films footage from his unique vantage point.  

'Timelapse of the moon setting into streams of red and green aurora followed by a sunrise lighting up Soyuz with a light blue,' he wrote in the caption with his latest video.

'The aurora have been amazing the past few days.'

His video has already been viewed almost 800,000 times, and several fans have replied, expressing their amazement. 

'Man that is just amazing... what a sight,' one user wrote. 

Another added: 'you are becoming the ultimate space photographer, great work again!'

While he spends most of his time on the ISS conducting scientific experiments, Mr Dominick also regularly snaps photos and films footage from his unique vantage point

His video has already been viewed almost 800,000 times, and several fans have replied, expressing their amazement

And one joked: 'What a strange world. Fun to visit, I'm sure.'

Auroras are caused by disturbances in Earth's 'magnetosphere' (its system of magnetic fields) due to powerful activity on the sun. 

High-energy particles travel from the sun towards us at hundreds of miles per second before bombarding our magnetosphere.

At this point, some of the energy and small particles can travel down the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles into our planet's atmosphere.

There, the particles interact with gases in our atmosphere, resulting in beautiful displays of light in the sky, known as auroras. 

Oxygen gives off green and red light, while nitrogen glows blue and purple. 

WHAT ARE AURORAS AND WHAT TRIGGERS THE STUNNING NATURAL DISPLAYS?

The Northern and Southern Lights are natural light spectacles triggered in our atmosphere that are also known as the 'Auroras'.

There are two types of Aurora - Aurora Borealis, which means 'dawn of the north', and Aurora Australis, 'dawn of the south.'

The displays light up when electrically charged particles from the sun enter the Earth’s atmosphere. 

There are two types of Aurora - Aurora Borealis (file photo), which means 'dawn of the north', and Aurora Australis, 'dawn of the south.' The displays light up when electrically charged particles from the sun enter the Earth’s atmosphere

Usually the particles, sometimes referred to as a solar storm, are deflected by Earth’s magnetic field.

But during stronger storms they enter the atmosphere and collide with gas particles, including hydrogen and helium.

These collisions emit light. Auroral displays appear in many colours although pale green and pink are common.

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

15-08-2024 om 21:21 geschreven door peter  

Story by Ellyn Lapointe For Dailymail.Com

• READ MORE: NASA wants to build train on the moon for when humans live there

Elon Musk has big ambitions to colonize Mars by 2050, and a new scientific discovery could make those dreams a reality.

A team of scientists have proposed an 'innovative' way to warm the Red Planet by more than 18 degrees Fahrenheit in just a matter of months, which they believe would be enough to sustain human life. 

They proposed injecting large quantities of Martian dust into the atmosphere to improve its ability to trap heat, just like water vapor and carbon dioxide do on Earth.

Shooting about 10 liters of dust, consisting of iron and aluminum, per second for at least a decade could warm the planet from -85F to 86F.

A groundbreaking new discovery suggests that Elon Musk's dream of terraforming Mars might not be as far-fetched as people think.

Elon Musk dreams of building a Martian city that could sustain a million people by 2050.

Musk himself has said that he plans to use the natural resources on Mars to 'terraform' its existing atmosphere and make the planet warmer, wetter and overall more like Earth.

The idea of being stuck in space might sound like the plot of the latest science fiction blockbuster. But it has become a reality for Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore - two unlucky astronauts who are potentially stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) until 2025, despite only expecting to be there for eight days. Although the views might be out of this world, the ISS is far from the ideal destination for an impromptu eight-month trip. With little spare room and zero gravity, even simple tasks like eating or going to the toilet can be extremely difficult. And whether it's in their phone box-sized bedrooms or on the vacuum-powered toilet, the astronauts aboard the orbiting station can often be cramped, smelly, and uncomfortable.

Going to bed on Earth might be one of the simplest things imaginable. But without the assistance of gravity, lying down or even resting your head on a pillow essentially becomes impossible. Aboard the ISS, the astronauts' main sleeping quarters are located in the Harmony Module near one end of the space station. In each of the four walls, there are four 'sleep stations', each about the same size as a phone booth. Rather than trying to lie on a mattress, the astronauts cocoon themselves in sleeping bags tethered to the inside of the station. Although the sleep stations do close to give the astronauts some privacy and darkness, drifting off can be quite tricky.

The ISS can be quite loud as the station's life support systems whirr through the night and the station is regularly bathed in the intense light from the sun as it orbits. For this reason, eye masks and earplugs are standard issue for astronauts looking to get some much-needed rest. One of the biggest risks of sleeping in space is not a bad night's rest but the build-up of CO2. Without gravity, CO2 from the astronaut's breath can form a 'bubble' around their head, potentially suffocating them in their sleep. Thankfully, the NASA sleeping pods are well-ventilated so that the astronauts can breathe fresh air all night. NASA assigns its astronauts eight hours of sleep time after a 16-hour working day, but most astronauts generally get about six hours of shut-eye after spending some of their time resting and relaxing.

©NASA

Astronauts on the ISS start their day by brushing their teeth and having a wash. But as with everything in space, this is far more complicated than it would be on Earth. Without gravity, water's surface tension causes it to act like a sticky mass, forming large floating orbs that attach themselves to nearby surfaces. This rules out the possibility of having a shower, so astronauts bathe twice a day using washcloths, with one used for washing and the other for rinsing. Hair is kept clean using rinseless shampoo and astronauts even give each other haircuts by using a vacuum to suck away the freshly cut hair. When it comes to brushing your teeth, this is actually quite easy since water sticks to the toothbrush in microgravity. Since floating wastewater would be a danger to the electronics, astronauts either spit their toothpaste into a piece of paper or just swallow it.

Perhaps the biggest question on everyone's mind is how astronauts are able to go to the toilet while in space. The toilet on the ISS, or 'orbital outhouse' as it is jokingly called by astronauts, is located in the Tranquility module. Unlike a terrestrial toilet, the ISS toilet has two separate receptacles for solid and liquid waste. For urine, the astronauts use a hose with a funnel on the front to catch the liquid before it escapes into the rest of the station. And for solid waste, there is a small hole with a lid which uses fan-powered suction to help everything end up where it needs to go. However, astronauts have reported that this set-up takes some practice to use and the process can reportedly become somewhat messy.

In an earlier tour of the ISS, Suni Williams pointed out the various gloves, wet wipes, and disinfectant supplies kept in the toilet to make sure everything remains hygienic. Once the astronauts have done their business, faeces is sucked into rubbish bags where it is dehydrated and compressed. These bags are sometimes returned to Earth for study but are usually burned up in the atmosphere. Urine, meanwhile, is sent through the station's Water Recovery System and transformed back into usable water.

©NASA

Most of an astronaut's day aboard the ISS is spent working, and shifts usually last 16 hours with a few breaks for meals. Work may involve carrying out routine maintenance of the space station and making repairs to the various systems. In some cases, that could involve 'extra-vehicular activity', otherwise known as spacewalks, in which the astronauts step outside the station. A large part of their work is scientific, with astronauts carrying out various experiments to learn more about the effects of space radiation and microgravity.

In the highly demanding environment of space, astronauts need to eat a lot of nutritious food to stay healthy. That means getting three square meals a day plus snacks to make up a diet of at least 2,500 calories. Since resupplies are infrequent and fresh produce is heavier to transport, the majority of astronauts' food is dehydrated for long-term storage. Astronauts use a water gun to rehydrate the packaged food, before heating it in a microwave. Astronauts are also provided with powdered drinks that can be rehydrated and drunk through a straw. However, between 2015 and 2017 astronauts also had access to the ISSpresso which was the first ever espresso coffee machine designed for space.

©VIA REUTERS

Astronauts eat their meals in the Unity module which is fitted with all the necessary food preparation equipment as well as antibacterial materials on the walls. Due to their busy schedules, the crew won't often eat together during the week with the exception of Sunday when the team will come together for a group meal. To maintain some sense of normalcy, the astronauts eat at a table, strapping their legs to chairs and using magnetic trays to hold their food in place. The biggest difference in an astronaut's diet is that booze is absolutely off the cards. NASA has forbidden drinking alcohol on any mission on the grounds that astronauts need to be alert and healthy at all times. To this day, Buzz Aldrin remains the only person to have consumed alcohol in space after he drank a small amount of wine during a secret communion service in the moon lander.

In addition to eating well, astronauts need a lot of exercise to remain fit and healthy. NASA astronauts are required to do two hours of exercise every day while on the ISS and are carefully monitored for fitness and health. Without the need to fight against gravity, astronauts' muscles can quickly shrink, leading to potential health complications. This is part of the reason that many astronauts are unable to walk for a time after re-entering Earth's gravity. The ISS has three main pieces of exercise equipment for the astronauts to use which are located in the Tranquility module.

Astronauts can either choose to use an exercise bike called CEVIS, a treadmill called T2, or a weight-lifting system called ARED. In the absence of gravity, the machines use a combination of pistons, flywheels, and elastic bands to simulate the force of an astronaut's weight. During their time on the ISS, Williams and Wilmore, have even been taking part in weightless Olympics-inspired workouts in order to stay occupied and stay positive amid uncertainty.

This study suggests he may be onto something. 

'It’s not that often you get some really quite new, innovative idea for terraforming,' Colin McInnes, a space engineer at the University of Glasgow not involved with the work, told Science Magazine. 

'The gap between where Mars is and where Mars could be for habitability is narrower than we might think,' he added. 

Related video: 

• What Has Curiosity Learned About Mars In 10 Years Since Landing? (Dailymotion)

The researchers' approach is actually based on the same atmospheric mechanism that's driving climate change here on Earth: the greenhouse effect.

Currently, Mars' atmosphere is so thin that heat from the sun easily escapes the planet's surface. 

The microscopic size and spherical shape of Martian dust mean that it isn't great at absorbing radiation or reflecting heat back down to the surface.

But the research team believes they could use the iron and aluminum in the dust to engineer nine-micrometer-long rods. 

That's roughly twice the size of a Martian dust particle, but smaller than a speck of glitter. 

Currently, the surface of Mars is a freezing, barren desert. But scientists have come up with a simple way to warm up the Red Planet. 

Terraforming Mars' atmosphere would bring us one step closer to establishing a human colony on the red planet.

When the researchers tested how their particles would absorb heat radiation and reflect it down to the planet's surface, they found 'unexpectedly huge effects,' Samaneh Ansari, a Ph.D. student at Northwestern University and the study's lead author, told Science Magazine. 

This approach would require about two million tons of particles per year, but manufacturing them would be relatively easy because the ingredients are right there on Mars.

That sets this new approach apart from previous schemes to globally warm the Red Planet. 

By comparison, this method would be roughly 5,000 times more efficient, the researchers claimed. 

This strategy would still take decades, but it seems logistically easier than any other ideas proposed so far. 

Warming up Mars would be a critical first step towards making this planet a suitable home for humans, or any other life form for that matter.

It would free up the little water that's frozen in polar ice caps beneath the planet's surface, and make Mars a more suitable place for agriculture and out own bodies. 

Mars' atmosphere is too thin to trap heat at the surface. Scientists want to inject it with engineered dust to make it more insulating.

This is all great news for Musk. But warming up Mars is just one step down a long road he'll need to travel before he can colonize the Red Planet. 

Even with this new atmosphere, humans still wouldn't be able to breathe the air on Mars because it doesn't contain enough oxygen. 

Plus, the air pressure on Mars is 150 times lover than on Earth, which would cause human blood to boil. 

Musk will have to solve these problems and more before he builds a bustling Martian metropolis. But this new research brings him a little bit closer to realizing his dream. 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ }

15-08-2024 om 21:05 geschreven door peter  

Look: NASA Captured This Mesmerizing Video of An Aurora From the ISS

You haven't seen an aurora until you've seen one from space.

by Kiona Smith

 

Lights, Camera, Space Station

NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick took thousands of photos of the spectacular auroras over the weekend and put them together in this short time-lapse video.

"We received a cargo shipment this week with lots of cool stuff, to include some new camera lenses," wrote Dominick on Sunday. "Spent a good part of the weekend with a 15mm, T1.8 lens. Made a whole bunch of timelapses."

In another post, Dominick added, "The aurora have been amazing the past few days"

Part of the station (and a docked Soyuz crew capsule) hovers in the foreground, the glittering stars of deep space in the distance, and the green and red lights of the auroras dance across Earth's upper atmosphere. At about the 45-second mark, the light of sunrise (which happens about every 90 minutes as the ISS zips around the planet) bathe the docked Soyuz capsule in a pale blue glow.

Another image, not part of the short video, shows part of the ISS in the foreground, with the aurora glowing in Earth's atmosphere — and beyond that, the dense swath of stars that make up the Milky Way's disk.

"Still looking though 1000s of frames, lots of which have aurora, but the Milky Way in this one stood out," wrote Dominick.

The new lenses were part of a supply shipment loaded aboard a Cygnus cargo vessel, which docked at the ISS last Tuesday. Cygnus also brought fresh fruit and vegetables, a new supply of coffee, nearly 2,800 pounds of research equipment, more than 3,500 pounds of new hardware for the station, and more than 2 tons of other supplies for the crew.

Those supplies included some clothes and personal food items for stranded Starliner crew members Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who are now scheduled to return home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft sometime in early 2025.

Astronaut Matthew Dominick captured this stunning time-lapse of the Northern Lights from the International Space Station.

NASA/Matt Dominick

{ https://www.inverse.com/ }

15-08-2024 om 20:26 geschreven door peter  

$100,000 quadrillion asteroid Psyche may be rusting, James Webb telescope reveals

But all that glitters isn't gold — or even metal. Over the past decade, new data about Psyche's density and reflectance spectra — the intensity of different wavelengths of sunlight reflected off the asteroid's surface ― suggest it is most likely a mixed silicate and metal world.

Related: 

• NASA's most wanted: The 5 most dangerous asteroids to Earth

In 2017, researchers discovered tantalizing traces of another component: water. Spectra from the infrared region, at long wavelengths that we perceive as heat but can't see, showed the signature of hydroxyl units — the OH molecule, which forms part of water.

These results suggested Psyche's surface may contain small amounts of water, as either ice or hydrated minerals. But the results were inconclusive, since the spectrum, collected using NASA's ground-based Infrared Telescope Facility in Hawaii, may have been corrupted by water in Earth's atmosphere. Besides, the researchers hadn't found a more definitive signature of water from a slightly higher infrared wavelength. That signature has helped other astronomers "detect widespread molecular water on the Moon but had not yet been used for asteroids," study author Stephanie Jarmak, a planetary scientist at the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told Live Science in an email.

To determine if Psyche really has water, Jarmak and scientists from several U.S. and German institutes turned to two of JWST's infrared-sensing instruments: the Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) and the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), which can detect shorter and longer infrared wavelengths, respectively. By directing these instruments toward the asteroid in March 2023, the scientists collected snapshots of the spectrum reflected by Psyche's north pole, which was then facing the telescope. Their results have been accepted by the Planetary Science Journal and are available as a preprint via arXiv.

The NIRSpec data showed the hydroxyl signature, confirming its presence on the asteroid. What's more, Jarmack noted, the high-quality data allowed comparisons with hydroxyl signatures from other meteorites, revealing that Psyche's hydroxyl signature resembled that from certain rust-bearing, carbon-rich meteorites. This finding led the researchers to conclude that hydroxyls are bonded to metals on Psyche, forming rust.

But the MIRI data lacked the conclusive signature of water. Still, the researchers can't rule out the presence of water, as it could be present on other parts of Psyche that JWST couldn't see. It's also possible that water is present but at concentrations below MIRI's detection limit, making it less than half the concentration of water on the moon, which is itself only a raindrop's equivalent in 2.25 pounds (1 kg) of soil.

Apart from forming rust, Psyche's hydroxyl groups provide hints about how the asteroid formed. If the hydroxyl formed within the asteroid, this could indicate Psyche was born in the cold, outer bounds of the solar system and tottered inward over millions of years. However, the existing evidence suggests water-bearing asteroid impactors that slammed into Psyche and shaped it also brought the hydroxyl.

Future plans include studying exactly where the hydrated metals are found on Psyche's surface, Jarmak said, adding that these include "observations of Psyche's south pole that contains a large crater that may have resulted from an encounter with a hydrated impactor."

Metal-rich asteroids are lucrative sources of rare minerals and the subject of future space mining ventures. However, despite its estimated value, Psyche isn't among them — at three times Earth's distance from the sun, it's too far for extraction efforts to be cost-effective.

{ https://www.livescience.com/ }

15-08-2024 om 18:43 geschreven door peter  

Story by George Bunn

 

Scientists hoping to find proof of life on mars have found evidence of a reservoir of water that could at one point have sustained life.

The body of water resides deep under the surface of Mars within fractured igneous rocks, holding enough to fill an ocean that would cover the entire surface of Earth's planetary neighbour.

The discovery follows seismic data obtained by NASA's robotic InSight lander during a mission that helped decipher the interior of Mars.

The water, located about 7.2 to 12.4 miles (11.5 to 20 km) below the Martian surface, potentially offers conditions favourable to sustain microbial life, either in the past or now, the researchers said.

University of California planetary scientist and co-author of the study Vashan Wright said: "At these depths, the crust is warm enough for water to exist as a liquid. At more shallow depths, the water would be frozen as ice."

The InSight lander touched down in 2018 to study the deep interior of Mars, gathering data on the planet's various layers, from its liquid metal core to its mantle and its crust. The InSight mission ended in 2022.

Fellow co-author Michael Manga said: "On Earth, we find microbial life deep underground where rocks are saturated with water and there is an energy source. InSight was able to measure the speed of seismic waves and how they change with depth.

"The speed of seismic waves depends on what the rock is made of, where it has cracks and what fills the cracks. We combined the measured seismic wave speed, gravity measurements and rock physics models. The rock physics models are the same as the ones we use to measure properties of aquifers on Earth or map oil and gas resources underground."

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The data indicated the presence of this reservoir of liquid water within fractured igneous rocks - formed in the cooling and solidification of magma or lava - in the Martian crust, the planet's outermost layer.

Wright said: "Mid-crust whose rocks are cracked and filled with liquid water best explains both seismic and gravity data

"The water exists within fractures. If the InSight location is representative and you extract all the water from the fractures in the mid-crust, we estimate that the water would fill a 1-2 km deep (0.6-1.2 miles) ocean on Mars globally."

The Martian surface is cold and desolate today but once was warm and wet. That changed more than 3 billion years ago. The study suggests that much of the water that had been on the Martian surface did not escape into space, but rather filtered down into the crust.

Manga added: "Early Mars had liquid water on its surface in rivers, lakes and possibly oceans. The crust on Mars could also have been full of water from very early in its history, too,

"On Earth, groundwater underground infiltrated from the surface, and we expect this to be similar to the history of water on Mars. This must have occurred during a time when the upper crust was warmer than it is today."

Water would be a vital resource if humankind ever is to place astronauts on the Martian surface or establish some sort of long-term settlement.

Mars harbours water in the form of ice at its polar regions and in its subsurface. But the depth of the apparent underground liquid water would make it difficult to access.

{ https://www.msn.com/en-us/channel/topic/Science/ }

15-08-2024 om 18:33 geschreven door peter  

AI Focused Three UFO photos Netal, South Africa July 17, 1956, UAP Sighting News. Video.

Date of sighting: July 17, 1956
Location of sighting: Netal, South Africa

 

Guys this is awesome, all three of these photo from 1956 sharpen up with ai into a perfectly focused set of photos. It's just mind boggling how ai fixes the photos, not by adding what isn't there but by reading the pixelization and accurately recreating the real scene. This is 100% proof that eyewitness Elizabeth Klarer did in fact encounter a UFO on July 17, 1956 and it's amazing! 

Scott C. Waring

 

Report states:

{ https://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/ }

15-08-2024 om 17:47 geschreven door peter  

AI Focused UFO Over Green Bay, Wisconsin Jan 2007, UAP Sighting News.

Date of sighting: January 2007

Location of sighting: Green Ba, Wisconsin, USA

Source: Reddit

 

Guys this was released back in 2007 on Reddit and as they said there...it has never been debunked, so I wanted to go over it and look at it with ai which really cleared it up. The grainy photo suddenly became crystal clear and wow, you gota see the video for more.

Scott C. Waring 

{ https://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/ }

15-08-2024 om 17:41 geschreven door peter  

De oorsprong van de beschaving kan zijn ontstaan na de inslag van een komeet: oude gravures onthullen dit

door Janine

Time and Mind/AI generated-Freepik

Waaruit is de beschaving ontstaan? Een studie heeft misschien het antwoord gevonden in Turkije: het lijkt erop dat alles begon na de inslag van een oude komeet.

Gravures op de archeologische vindplaats Göbekli Tepe

Archeologen onderzochten gravures op een Turkse vindplaats die naar schatting 7000 jaar ouder zijn dan de Grote Piramide van Gizeh. In een poging om ze te interpreteren kwamen ze tot de conclusie dat ze de inslag van een oude komeet op aarde zouden kunnen voorstellen. Concreet gaat het om de archeologische vindplaats Göbekli Tepe, waarvan experts denken dat het de oudste zonnekalender op onze planeet zou kunnen zijn. Dit 12.000 jaar oude monument is de meest gedateerde architectonische constructie gewijd aan aanbidding die ooit is ontdekt.

Op de tempelachtige omheiningen van de site zijn complexe symbolen gegraveerd. Het onderzoeksteam verklaarde dat deze naar alle waarschijnlijkheid een weergave zouden kunnen zijn van een kosmische gebeurtenis die een keerpunt vormde voor de menselijke beschaving. Als dat zo is, zou dat betekenen dat de oude mensen astronomische informatie gebruikten om een zonnekalender te maken die vergelijkbaar is met de kalender die duizenden jaren later door de Grieken werd uitgevonden.

De impact van de komeet en de lunisolaire kalender

Time and Mind

Martin Sweatman, scheikundig ingenieur aan de Universiteit van Edinburgh, Schotland, en eerste auteur van het onderzoek, zei: "Het lijkt erop dat de inwoners van Göbekli Tepe scherpe waarnemers van de hemel waren,  wat te verwachten was gezien het feit dat hun wereld was verwoest door de inslag van een komeet."

Na een dergelijke gebeurtenis lijkt het erop dat de Ouden gegraveerde V-vormige symbolen gebruikten om de individuele dagen op hun kalender aan te geven: door het tellen van de gravures identificeerden de onderzoekers 365 dagen op een van de pilaren, verdeeld in twaalf maanmaanden en 11 extra dagen. Sommige vogelachtige figuren hebben een V op hun nek en zouden volgens de auteurs godheden kunnen voorstellen. Als de interpretaties kloppen, zou dit monument de oudste lunisolaire kalender worden die ooit is ontdekt.

Een komeet begon de beschaving 13.000 jaar geleden

Time and Mind

Maar wat weten we over de hemelse gebeurtenis die dit alles heeft veroorzaakt? Onderzoekers geloven dat het prehistorische monument is opgericht ter ere van de dag waarop fragmenten van een komeet 13.000 jaar geleden op de aarde neerstortten. In feite lijkt een van de pijlers van de site de meteorieten van de Tauriden af ​​te beelden, waarvan de stroom de regen van fragmenten zou hebben veroorzaakt die 27 dagen duurde.

Zo'n inslag rond 10.850 voor Christus zou een kleine ijstijd kunnen hebben ingeluid over een periode van meer dan 1.200 jaar, wat zou hebben geleid tot het uitsterven van verschillende diersoorten. Paradoxaal genoeg maakte de komeet “ruimte” voor het ontstaan van een beschaving in de Vruchtbare Halve Maan in het Midden-Oosten, die de overgang markeerde van jagen en verzamelen naar landbouw. Bovendien behield het monument millennia lang een prominente rol in de cultus van de beschaving, wat mogelijk zelfs leidde tot het ontstaan van een nieuwe religie. Zoals Sweatman uitlegde, kan de inslag van de komeet “de beschaving hebben aangewakkerd, een nieuwe religie hebben doen ontstaan ​​en de ontwikkeling van de landbouw hebben gestimuleerd om het koude klimaat het hoofd te kunnen bieden. Het is aannemelijk dat de pogingen van de Ouden om vast te leggen wat ze zagen, de eerste stappen waren in de richting van de ontwikkeling van het schrift duizenden jaren later."

15-08-2024 om 17:33 geschreven door peter