The differences that emerged between the seas corresponded to the sea’s latitude and location. Proximity to other features, such as rivers and estuaries, impacted the seas’ composition. Titan’s tranquil seas only show minor 3.3-millimeter waves, raising to 5.3 mm near regions where bodies of water meet, such as coasts, estuaries, and interbasin straits. This suggests the existence of tidal currents on the moon. On Earth, we typically measure waves in meters, not millimeters. So, while there is some variation, the surface is remarkably calm from our perspective.

Although their composition appears to be much different, the seas on Titan appear to be behaving quite similarly to the ones on Earth in certain other respects. On Earth, we are dealing with water and salt, but the methane and ethane existent in liquid form on Titan appear to flow quite similarly. Earth’s freshwater streams pour into salty oceans. On Titan, pure methane rivers flow into oceans mixed with ethane.

The new findings “fit nicely with meteorological models for Titan,” according to the study’s co-author, Philip D. Nicholson, an astronomy professor at Cornell. As predicted, it appears that Titan receives a rain comprised of methane and nitrogen.

However, the team has not concluded its work. Poggiali says, “This is only the first step.” With 13 years in orbit, Cassini has collected a mountain of data that still needs to be sifted. In short, our overall understanding of Titan and its seas is still only beginning.

The new study was made possible by international backing from NASA and the Italian Space Agency. While Cornell led the effort, contributors included the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Università di Bologna.

The study, titled “Surface Properties of the Seas of Titan as Revealed by Cassini Mission Bistatic Radar Experiments,” appeared in Nature Communications on July 16, 2024. 

• Ryan Whalen is a writer based in New York. He has served in the Army National Guard and holds a BA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He is currently finishing an MA in Public History and working with the Harbor Defense Museum at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn.

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/space/ }

16-08-2024 om 23:53 geschreven door peter  

So why is NASA broadcasting hip-hop into space? In recent years, the space agency has integrated pop culture and space exploration to attract the masses and make space digestible and reachable for everyone. Space exploration, in other words, is not just for astronauts and people who enjoy nerding out over planets and distant star systems; it’s for all of us. Branching out and reaching a larger audience showcases the diversity of our planet, which parallels the diversity of the universe and the many cosmic mysteries it holds. 

“I still can’t believe I’m going out of this world with NASA through the Deep Space Network when ‘The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)’ becomes the first ever hip-hop song to transmit to space!” Elliott said. “I chose Venus because it symbolizes strength, beauty, and empowerment and I am so humbled to have the opportunity to share my art and my message with the universe!”

“Super Dupa Fly” went super dupa far, traveling 158 million miles (254 million kilometers) from Earth to Venus. The transmission was made by the 34-meter (112-foot) wide Deep Space Station 13 (DSS-13) radio dish antenna, located at the DSN’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California. Coincidentally, DSS-13 is also nicknamed Venus.

“Both space exploration and Missy Elliott’s art have been about pushing boundaries,” said Brittany Brown, director of the Digital and Technology Division, Office of Communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington, who initially pitched ideas to Missy’s team to collaborate with the agency. “Missy has a track record of infusing space-centric storytelling and futuristic visuals in her music videos, so the opportunity to collaborate on something out of this world is truly fitting.”

The Deep Space Network (DSN) has an assortment of giant radio antennas that are used to track spacecraft, send commands, and receive scientific data from the Moon and beyond.  

• 
  See Also

“Risk of Extinction” From Artificial Intelligence Prompts Concerning New Warning From AI Experts

The DSN has transmitted only one other song into space, The Beatles “Across the Universe” in 2008. The recent transmission of Elliott’s song marks another groundbreaking moment, this time for for hip-hop culture. 

• Chrissy Newton is a PR professional and founder of VOCAB Communications. She hosts the Rebelliously Curious podcast, which can be found on The Debrief’s YouTube Channel. Follow her on X: @ChrissyNewton and at chrissynewton.com.

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/space/ }

16-08-2024 om 23:42 geschreven door peter  

Ret. NASA Astronaut Claimed To Have Seen Snake-Shaped UFOs During Two Missions In Space

Space is not what we see at night or what NASA has shown us for years. Amid stars, planets, and other celestial bodies, there are much more vivid, bizarre, and strange things hidden from our eyes. Several astronauts strongly believe in the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations including Gordon Cooper, Buzz Aldrin, and Story Musgrave.

Many conspiracy theorists believe that NASA knew that Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong had an encounter with aliens, which is why they erased 40 rolls of film from the Apollo 11 mission. It was claimed by Bob Dean, a United States Army Command Sergeant Major.

According to a report shared by Gaia, there is a transcript between Aldrin and Armstrong where the two had witnessed extraterrestrial activities on the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission.

Apollo 11: “Those are giant things. No, no, no, this is not an optical illusion. No one is going to believe this.”

NASA: “What… what…. what? What the hell is happening What’s wrong with you?”

Apollo 11: “They’re here, under the surface.”

Apart from this, what former NASA astronaut Franklin Story Musgrave said about his experience in space would shock anyone. He claimed to have seen an 8-foot-long snake, white in color, floating through space. It is hard to explain how a snake could reach space, but Musgrave has never denied it.

Read also:

• Former U.S. Secretary Of State Showed His Cousin 4 Aliens In Jar Under Capitol Building
• Mysterious Alien Woman Arrival On Brazilian Island & Beginning Of UFO Sightings In 1970s
• Aliens From Andromeda Told US Army Personnel That Humans Are Composite of 22 different E.T. races
• Ex-USAF Captain: UFOs Hacked Malmstrom AFB Nuke System, Deactivated 10 Missiles

Here is Musgrave’s quote from the TV series “Sightings, ” Sunday, April 9, 1995:

“On two of my missions, and I still don’t have an answer, um, I have seen, a snake out there, six seven eight feet long. It is rubbery because it has internal waves in it and it follows you for a rather long period of time. The more you fly in space the more you see an incredible amount of things out there and THAT sorta brings to you, really a certainty, that other living creatures are out there. Some incredibly primitive, more primitive, some just ah just proteins coming together, amino acids and some just single-cell organisms and other civilizations that have been around for a million years that are doing unimaginable kinds of things.”

 Fig 1: Alleged Photograph of snake-like UFO captured during NASA STS-61 mission

There is even a video (see below) where a snake-like creature is floating in the Earth’s stratosphere. Musgrave said: “Some are incredibly primitive – some just proteins coming together, amino acids, and some just single-celled organisms. And other civilizations have been around for millions of years that are doing unimaginable kinds of things.”

Musgrave (85) is also a retired colonel of the United States Marine Corps, physician, and mathematician, holds six academic degrees, and is simply a legendary figure in US history. He spent a total of 1,281 hours, 59 minutes, and 22 seconds during his six space shuttle missions in space including 27 hours of spacewalk. Besides, he developed a spacesuit for space shuttle astronauts.

This is not the end of strange anomalies watched by the astronauts in space. Retired astronaut Leroy Chiao, a commander of Expedition 10, along with his crew members witnessed a set of bright lights in the formation of an upside-down tick mark in space.

The description of an unknown snake-like creature or craft given by Musgrave was also spotted in March 2019, when one of the passengers on a commercial airline flight from Phoenix to Portland captured two long dark objects, having long tails or tentacles. Some viewers compared it with the squid lime sentinels from the Matrix series, while others believe that it was possibly something from another dimension that slipped through momentarily.

Similarly, the New York Post shared a video of a UFO in 2018, shot by a passenger while cruising over the Aegean Sea that also shows a creature with a long tail. The opinions were divided into two groups, where people from one group believed it was just a hoax while others also witnessed the same encounter while flying in the plane.

• http://www.jamesoberg.com/musgrave.story_interviews.pdf
• https://www.indiatimes.com/lifestyle/11-unsettling-confessions-from-astronauts-about-things-they-saw-in-space-that-are-legit-creepy-351634.html

{ https://www.howandwhys.com/ }

16-08-2024 om 23:26 geschreven door peter  

Explore an Apollo-era mission gone wrong in sci-fi mystery game 'Lifeless Moon' (video)

• https://youtu.be/LsdcEBChh1s

Here's the official synopsis:

"What secrets will be unearthed on the moon?

"You cannot fathom what will come next in 'Lifeless Moon'. Reality itself unravels as the mysteries unfold, adding chaos to an already monumental mission. After stumbling upon a town on the moon that is eerily similar to one back on Earth, you are thrown into the middle of a much larger conspiracy. Venture through strange environments as you collect clues and decipher puzzles. The town is only the beginning of an unforgettable adventure across time and space.

"A sandy boardwalk, a cabin in the woods, and an ominous floating city in the sky are just a few of the peculiar stops along the way. Your surroundings may appear familiar, but nothing is as it seems. Reveal the truth behind these unique locations through environmental puzzle-solving and platforming. Gather documents and information in your journal during your lunar travels and piece together the origin of the many strange phenomena you encounter.

"You've uncovered a cryptic mystery on the moon. Confront a strange phenomenon, tap into its extraordinary powers, and overcome psychological challenges to reveal the truth."

"Lifeless Moon" acts as sort of a spiritual successor to Serenity Forge's "Lifeless Planet" from 2014,  and its "Lost"-style narrative design was influenced by classic science fiction literature and films where lunar explorers face inexplicable anomalies in time and space. It's also a throwback to TV series like "The Outer Limits," which often depicted astronauts or test pilots facing disorienting situations, psychological experiments, and dangerous discoveries while on routine missions.

Serenity Forge's "Lifeless Moon" is available now on your favorite gaming platform.

{ https://www.space.com/ }

16-08-2024 om 23:12 geschreven door peter  

Former US Army Colonel Warns Of Catastrophic UFO Disclosure That May Spark Social Unrest

Are we on the verge of a catastrophic UFO disclosure? The year 2023 has witnessed significant progress in bringing the UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) matter to the attention of the United States Congress. Pentagon whistleblower David Grusch has dominated discussions throughout the year. His testimony before Congress has raised numerous questions about the secrets the U.S. government has allegedly kept since the dawn of UFO sightings. Grusch is convinced that the world has been kept in the dark about this phenomenon for the past 80 to 90 years.

In November 2023, the Daily Mail published a bombshell story discussing the impending UAP Disclosure. Retired US Army Colonel Karl E. Nell was invited to a Stanford University conference to present a “campaign plan” aimed at achieving greater transparency. He also discussed a “Manhattan project,” dedicated to reverse-engineering recovered UFOs/UAPs.

During the conference, Nell showcased slides indicating his hope for disclosure by October 1, 2030. In the slides, he argued his plan, if achieved, would see “Proper Oversight Restored,” “Catastrophic Disclosure Avoid,” and “Scientific Understanding Advanced.” More specifically, Nell advocated for “restoration of proper Federal government oversight over all UAP legacy (and ongoing) program efforts” and “transformative” research and technology programs.

Daily Mail information was based on the first-ever symposium of the new nonprofit Sol Foundation, a group that wants serious research into UFOs and their effects on the world. In 2004, in response to the Defense Intelligence Agency’s decision not to release classified information about UFOs due to the perceived threat to national security, the Sol Foundation was formed.

At this meeting, both Colonel Nell and a former CIA scientist named Hal Puthoff spoke. Puthoff said that in 2004, these important groups chose not to share information about UFO research with the public. Among the Sol Foundation’s other speakers were former U.S. Air Force veteran David Grusch, who testified before Congress earlier this year under oath that “the U.S. government is operating with secrecy—above Congressional oversight” over UAP.

Grusch told the symposium: “Let us advocate for transparency, not for ourselves, but for the generations to come, as we embark on a journey toward a more enlightened and interconnected world.”

Grusch has the support of many individuals in authority who believe he is an authentic person. In the June 2023 edition of the Debrief, authors Leslie Kean and Ralph Blumenthal mention Karl Nell, the retired Army Colonel and aerospace executive who worked with David Grusch and characterized Grusch as “beyond reproach.” Nell speaks highly of Grusch’s integrity and credibility in his role as the Army’s liaison for the UAP Task Force from 2021 to 2022.

Grusch left the government on April 7, 2023, in order, he said, to advance government accountability through public awareness. He remains well-supported within intelligence circles, and numerous sources have vouched for his credibility.

“His assertion concerning the existence of a terrestrial arms race occurring sub-rosa over the past eighty years focused on reverse engineering technologies of unknown origin is fundamentally correct, as is the indisputable realization that at least some of these technologies of unknown origin derive from non-human intelligence,” Karl Nell said.

Ross Coulthart’s insights into UAP disclosure present a compelling narrative, suggesting that there’s more to this phenomenon than meets the eye. With mounting pressure from various quarters, including politicians and the media, the quest for truth regarding UAPs seems poised to intensify in the coming days.

The urgency for UAP disclosure has persisted for a very long time. Roscoe Hillenkoetter, the third CIA director, wrote to Congress in 1960, pleading for UFO disclosure. This confirmed a cover-up and a government disinformation campaign aimed at ridiculing and stigmatizing the topic. (Source)

Perhaps Hillenkoetter’s best-known statement on the subject was in 1960 in a letter to Congress, as reported in The New York Times: “Behind the scenes, high-ranking Air Force officers are soberly concerned about UFOs. But through official secrecy and ridicule, many citizens are led to believe the unknown flying objects are nonsense.”

In his interview with NewsNation, journalist Ross Coulthart shed light on the Office of Global Access (OGA), a key entity where much of the coordination regarding the retrieval of unidentified crafts seems to be happening. He emphasized the seriousness of the matter, stating, “You’ve got to have an office to coordinate the retrieval of these craft.” While some may dismiss these claims as mere  science fiction, his recent interactions with credible intelligence sources have solidified his stance that operations related to UAPs are steered from within the CIA and OGA.

However, the scale of this phenomenon might be more extensive than what has been previously reported. Ross refuted claims that the U.S. only possesses nine such crafts. “I’m told that the United States has far more than nine craft,” he remarked, indicating that not all of them are intact. He further elaborated that JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) operators, primarily sourced from t he US Air Force special forces, are actively involved in retrieval missions.

A significant revelation from Ross’ sources is the recovery of what he terms as “biologics” — in simpler terms, Non-human Bodies. He shared, “We have recovered what David Grush euphemistically referred to as biologics. Alien bodies, non-human bodies.” This raises pressing concerns about the extent of knowledge the U.S. government possesses regarding non-human life forms.

Read also:

• US Military Has Machine That Can Levitate UFO Metal, Confirms Stanford Top Scientist
• Lue Elizondo’s Attorney Discloses We Have Working Teleportation & Anti-Gravity Technology

Ross expressed fears of a potential “catastrophic disclosure” if the government remains tight-lipped. He believes that withholding such crucial information from the public and Congress might lead to unforeseen consequences. He stated, “I think it’s incumbent on the president and members of the executive to start thinking seriously,” emphasizing the urgency of the matter.

When posed with alternate explanations, like the involvement of foreign adversaries, Coulthart was quick to debunk such theories. He clarified that the evidence and statements from government officials indicate that these phenomena are not associated with known foreign technologies. This assertion raises eyebrows and places the focus squarely on what exactly the U.S. government knows but is not sharing.

Ross pointed out the notable shift in stance by certain senior Republican politicians. He questioned their motivations behind opposing legislation that seeks transparency regarding non-human intelligence technology. Coulthart’s skepticism was evident when he questioned, “If this is all nonsense, why would somebody of the incredible reputation and seniority of Chuck Schumer and Marco Rubio, associate themselves with legislation that specifically talks over 20 times about NHI nonhuman intelligence technology?”

Danny Sheehan has been publicly pushing for the disclosure or revelation of information related to UAPs. In other words, he believes that there should be more transparency from governments or other relevant authorities about these unidentified phenomena.

In his other interview with James Landoli on “Engaging The Phenomenon,” Sheehan, who was a former Chief Council for the United States Jesuit order, revealed intriguing details about his conversations with the head of the Vatican archives regarding the Vatican’s knowledge of extraterrestrial life. Sheehan shed light on his involvement in a groundbreaking initiative to address the theological and philosophical implications of the discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence.

During the interview, James raised the topic of David Grusch‘s claim that the Vatican possessed knowledge of extraterrestrial phenomena. Sheehan discussed his access to the classified files of the Project Blue Book, where he encountered photos of UFO crash retrievals and concrete evidence of non-human piloted vehicles.

He proposed the formation of a task force involving all 54 major religious denominations to address the issue from a theological perspective. However, at that time, there was insufficient consensus, and the proposal was declined. Sheehan is currently working through his New Paradigm Institute to organize a global summit conference involving world religious leaders to discuss the recent recovery of an extraterrestrial spacecraft.

“The United States government is in possession of biological evidence and has actually taken into custody alive an extraterrestrial person. They’re keeping this secret, interrogating the being, and distorting the information to justify massive expenditures on weapon development under the guise of a perceived threat.” 

Daniel Sheehan.

Sheehan highlighted the Vatican’s acknowledgment of the possibility of extraterrestrial life. He referenced a formal statement issued by the Catholic Church on November 10, 2009, authorized by Pope Benedict. The statement, issued by Father Jose Gabriel Alfuz, a director of the Pontifical Observatory in Rome, recognized the increasing discovery of exoplanets and called for a global discussion on the philosophical and theological implications of the imminent discovery of extraterrestrial life.

Sheehan disclosed that the government was telepathically interrogating the extraterrestrial biological entity (EBO) in custody. Despite acknowledging the bizarre nature of the revelation, Sheehan stood by the credibility of the information, having interviewed individuals directly involved in the process. The EBO allegedly conveyed that a coalition of star systems in our galaxy monitors the evolution of life on different planets, including Earth.

“Pope Benedict had a formal statement issued by the Catholic Church, saying that with the discovery of more exoplanets, it has become clear that we will be discovering life elsewhere in the universe. This prompted the need for a global discussion on the philosophical and theological questions posed by the discovery of extraterrestrial life.” 

Daniel Sheehan.

Meanwhile, Lue Elizondo expresses support for efforts to increase transparency around UAPs. He indicates that there are ongoing efforts behind the scenes to achieve this transparency and that even if certain official channels face challenges or opposition, there are alternative methods and backup plans in place for disclosure. Elizondo emphasizes the importance of understanding the vulnerabilities and challenges faced in these efforts, suggesting a comprehensive strategy is in play.

{ https://www.howandwhys.com/ }

16-08-2024 om 22:59 geschreven door peter  

Now, a new survey being conducted by researchers in the United Kingdom is asking the public for answers about people’s attitudes toward the idea that humans could one day contact intelligent extraterrestrials or even the controversial notion that some form of contact might have already occurred.

The survey, led by Professor Michael Bohlander, Chair in Global Law and SETI Policy at Durham Law School in the United Kingdom, along with Dr. Andreas Anton, also a Research Fellow at Durham Law School, in cooperation with Dr John Elliott, Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Computer Science at the University of St Andrews, aims to gauge participants’ attitudes toward the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI), as well as reports in recent years involving what the United States military now calls Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), or what have traditionally been known as UFOs.

Bohlander and the team hope to learn how participants would react to such a contact event and what its global societal implications would be for humankind.

While the idea of contact with extraterrestrials has long been an area of focus in both science fiction as well as astronomers’ ongoing search for signs of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, Bohlander recently told The Debrief that he and his colleagues hope to learn more about the human side of the question of alien life: namely how people would likely react to such an event, and therefore how scientists can better prepare for what Bohlander and his colleagues view as the eventuality of some form of contact.

“Such an event would likely pose an existential risk to humanity, regardless of whether the contact were to be hostile or peaceful,” Bohlander said in an email to The Debrief. “In the words of former NASA chief historian Steven J. Dick, we need to work on a unilateral metalaw to determine by which principles humanity should be guided in the process.”

Bohlander says the survey aims to collect data that ranges from the ethical and moral to political, religious, and even legal perspectives from people in all parts of the world on questions related to the prospect of contact with extraterrestrials. Primarily, the questions contained within the survey will aim to inform what Bohlander describes as “the coming debate about the foundations for such a globally accepted metalaw.”

“It actively addresses the traditional geopolitical imbalance of the SETI and UAP debate,” Bohlander told The Debrief, “where the voices of the so-called Global South, or of Earth’s Eastern Hemisphere are not routinely heard.”

Unlike many past surveys that have looked at people’s attitudes or beliefs toward the possible existence of alien life, Bohlander and his colleagues also incorporated the recent interest in unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) into the questions they ask of participants, although he notes that they approach the topic from a slightly different angle than the standard questions involving whether we are alone in the universe.

“The UAP/UFO aspect is of a slightly different nature,” Bohlander explains. “Apart from all the recent controversies about cover-ups and conspiracies, about crash site retrievals or reverse engineering, as well as political and constitutional issues of the public’s right to disclosure versus national or indeed global security, UAP/UFOs represent a fait accompli.”

The revelation that some UAP sightings could be related to extraterrestrials, if ever proven, would mean that humankind could soon face an unexpected development of historic proportions. Currently, the Pentagon’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) maintains there is still no evidence that is suggestive of any links between UAP and off-planet technologies, but for Bohlander and his team, the question alone is worthy of addressing from an academic perspective.

“If some of them are of extraterrestrial origin, then humanity is for all intents and purposes unprepared,” Bohlander told The Debrief. “This is especially the case given the apparent massive difference in technological capacities in some of the observed objects.”

Also, given the recent advancements in artificial intelligence that have seen a sudden surge in recent years, many researchers have begun to question whether intelligence from off-planet, if it were to be encountered, would necessarily even be biological life as we know it. For Bohlander, whatever the nature or form any prospective non-human intelligence may take, the biggest question for humanity has to do with its intentions.

“There is, however, still the question of how to deal with the intelligence behind them—biological or AI—once they reveal themselves,” Bohlander said. “Questions of negotiations and possibly armed response do remain,” he added.

Prospective participants can find the team’s survey, “Contact with Extraterrestrial Intelligence: A study of projected perceptions and reactions among the world’s societies,” available at the website of Durham University’s Durham Law School.

• Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow his work at micahhanks.com and on X: @MicahHanks.

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/space/ }

16-08-2024 om 22:17 geschreven door peter  

Airline Pilots Capture Video Of Encounter With UFOs That Didn’t Appear On Radar

by Douglas Charles

iStockphoto

Two Max Air airline pilots flying a Boeing 747 from Saudi Arabia to Nigeria experienced a UFO encounter so bizarre they took video of it and uploaded it to the internet looking for some sort of explanation.

What makes this particular UFO encounter even more unique is that the glowing white UFOs the pilots saw during the flight did not appear on radar.

The video, posted to YouTube by Captain Ruud Van Pangemanan, who says he has 32 years of flying experience, was reportedly taken about 30 minutes after takeoff from Saudi Arabia.

The captain and his co-pilot can be heard in the video trying to discern what exactly the UFOs were that they were seeing.

They ruled out some sort of aircraft because they weren’t showing up on radar.

They also ruled out the UFOs being drones because they wouldn’t have such bright lights and they too could be picked up with radar.

The pilots also considered the possibility that the UFOs were satellites or perhaps even just stars, but they seemed doubtful about those possibilities due to the way that the objects moved in the sky.

“This is my experience of seeing something strange or UFO,” the captain says in the video.

“What we see is still a mystery. Before that, we thought it was a light plane, but it wasn’t on our radar.

“We thought maybe it was a star, but the stars didn’t move.

“The UFO light shone for a long time and moved.”

In June of 2023, NASA held its first public briefing on UFOs and the subject of mysterious orbs was a topic of conversation.

During the discussion, the group talked about the large number of unexplained metallic orbs that have been spotted at high altitudes around the world.

“This is a typical example of the thing that we see most of,” said Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick, then the director of the U.S. Department of Defense’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO). “We see these all over the world and we see these making very interesting apparent maneuvers.”

{ https://brobible.com/ }

16-08-2024 om 22:06 geschreven door peter  

Study: Asteroid Psyche Originated beyond Solar System’s Snow Line and Later Migrated to Main Belt

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.

An artist's visualization video showing the Psyche spacecraft getting closer to the asteroid. 

(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)

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.

{ https://www.sci.news/ }

16-08-2024 om 21:57 geschreven door peter  

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