When astronauts land on Mars someday, they might have to live in lava caves or lava tubes to survive the harsh radiation that rains down on the Martian surface every second. But which caves could offer them the best chance of survival? This is what a recent study presented at the 55th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference hopes to address as Dr. Anatoliy P. Vidmachenko from the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine investigated where, how, and why lava tubes and lava caves could aid future Mars astronauts regarding their survival. This study holds the potential to help scientists and engineers help mitigate risks for future Mars astronauts and what steps that need to be taken to make that a reality. For the study, Dr. Vidmachenko examined several locations across Mars that have been found to possess lava caves and lava tubes suitable for future first-time settlements, including Arsia Mons, which is one of three extinct volcanoes that comprise Tharsis Montes. It is here that a 2007 study presented at the 38th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference discussed seven alleged skylights observed from orbital images that were later interpreted to be entrances to lava caves. This recent study mentions that the diameters of these lava caves could be between 100-250 meters (328-820 feet) wide. “Such reliable caves can be used to create the first permanent settlements,” the study notes. “They will allow you to reliably protect yourself from powerful radiation exposure. And a certain drawback will be the need to organize the delivery of water ice to provide the settlers with water resources and raw materials for extracting the much-needed oxygen and hydrogen fuel for rocket engines.” The study mentions several other locations across Mars where pits or skylights have been observed, including Hebrus Valles, the Pavonis volcano, Ascraeus Mons, Acidalia Planitia (whose surface location was featured The Martian), and Cydonia Mensae. Additionally, the study discusses how lava channels, caves, or tubes close to sources of water ice would also prove beneficial for future astronauts, which could significantly reduce the costs of shipping and storing water on their spacecraft for the initial journey to Mars. “The best case would be a lava tube with strong walls found next to powerful glacial structures,” the study notes. “The colony itself, most likely, will have the appearance of separate premises, with residential, engineering, elevator and greenhouse compartments. They will have to be connected to each other by small transition tunnels to control the pressure and composition of the artificially created atmosphere in them.” Lava tubes were featured prominently in the National Geographic television series, Mars, which depicted the first astronauts to the Red Planet and their quest to survive the harsh environment. During their journey, lava tubes provided shelter from the cosmic and solar radiation while also having large deposits of water ice at their disposal which they used for drinking and rocket fuel while drastically reducing the amount of water they initially had to bring during their journey. The reason why cosmic and solar radiation rains down on to the Martian surface daily is due to the lack of protective ozone layer and magnetic field that exists on Earth and helps deflect this deadly radiation from reaching our surface, enabling life to exist here for billions of years. While Mars might have had both mechanisms billions of years ago, the interior of the Red Planet has since cooled drastically, causing these protective features to be stripped away by the solar wind and lost to space. This study comes as NASA plans to send humans back to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years, and eventually Mars, as part of the agency’s Moon to Mars Architecture. Therefore, adequate preparation prior to sending the first astronauts to the Red Planet would prove beneficial in increasing their chances of survival throughout the entire journey, and this study highlighted several ways lava tubes could do just that. How will lava caves help future Mars astronauts in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science! As always, keep doing science & keep looking up! The post Determining the Safest Martian Caves for Future Astronauts appeared first on Universe Today.

The Gemini Observatory has unveiled a striking new image that shows star formation within the irregular galaxy NGC 4449. This galaxy is categorised as a “Magellanic-type” galaxy due to its similarities  with the Magellanic Clouds, although it is smaller in size. Surrounding NGC 4449 is a halo of smaller dwarf galaxies, two of which are currently merging with it. This merger is causing clouds of gas to collide, fuelling the surge in star formation observed in NGC 4449. All stars, even the Sun, are born from vast clouds of gas and dust, and when they die, their remnants are recycled back into the galaxy, providing fuel for new stars. When the Universe began there was only hydrogen and a tiny amount of helium present but the fusion process inside stars creates new, heavier elements. This includes every atom inside you and me, the planets and even the computer screen you are reading this on. In a relatively nearby part of the Universe, 13 million light-years away in the constellation Canes Venatici, this cycle is beginning again at an extraordinary pace. NGC 4449 (the four thousandth, four hundredth and forty ninth object in the New General Catalogue) is a fascinating galaxy and is well known for its high levels of star formation. It’s a member of the M94 group of galaxies and is surrounded by a halo of dwarf galaxies, two of which are currently merging with it. The Gemini Observatory has recently captured incredible images of NGC 4449, showcasing the processes and birth processes occurring within. The stellar stream in the halo of the nearby dwarf starburst galaxy NGC 4449 is resolved into its individual starry constituents in this exquisite image taken with the 8.2-meter Subaru Telescope and Suprime-Cam. Image credit: R. Jay GaBany and Aaron J. Romanowsky (UCSC) in collaboration with David Martinez-Delgado (MPIA) and NAOJ. Image processed by R. Jay GaBany The new image was captured with the 8.1 metre Gemini North telescope on Mauna Kea as part of its 25th year anniversary. The galaxy’s swirling red clouds and blue haze are prominent and the result of light from new stars. It has been classified as an irregular Magellanic-type galaxy as it has a loose spiral structure, similar to the Large Magellanic Cloud in southern hemisphere skies. The Gemini North telescope on the summit of Mauna Kea (Gemini Observatory/AURA) Deep within NGC4449, stars have been forming for billions of years. It’s producing stars now at a significantly accelerated rate leading to its re-classification as a starburst galaxy. Unlike others though, starbursts are usually restricted to central regions but NGC4449’s is much more widespread. The majority of hot young stars now found in the galaxy’s nucleus and surrounding regions.  Such levels of star formation are reminiscent of the star formation in galaxies in the early Universe. The driving force here was galaxy mergers and accretions. It is thought the burst of activity in NGC4449 is the result of a galactic merger or interaction with a neighbour.  One of them displays a faint stream of stars extending to the side of NGC4449 showing it is currently in the process of merging. The string (and satellite galaxy) are barely visible visually due to their low visual brightness but can be detected due to their interaction with NGC449. Another object that suggests previous interactions is a huge globular cluster. It seems to be embedded within the outer halo of NGC4449 and is now believed to be a nucleus from a previous satellite galaxy that has merged with its companion.  These two interactions and others that have likely remained undetected to date create tidal interactions within the galaxy send shockwaves through the galaxy compressing the interstellar gas. The red that can be seen in the image reveals regions with high levels of ionised hydrogen and star formation. Significant quantities of hot young blue stars can be seen as they emerge from the star forming regions. It is thought, that the rate of star formation in NGC4449 is likely only to last for another billion years or so until the gas has been used up and the shockwaves subside.  Source : Gemini North Captures Starburst Galaxy Blazing Bright With Newly Forming Stars The post Merging Galaxies Make for Explosive Star Formation appeared first on Universe Today.

NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation programme (SCaN) has demonstrated the first two way end-to-end laser relay system, deployed through an innovative network. To test SCaN, they sent data to the International Space Station at the impressive speed of 1.2 gigabits per second. Using bandwidth that would normally be reserved for more important communications, the chosen message for the test was a set of adorable images and videos featuring the pets of NASA astronauts and staffers. A group of astronauts and employees from NASA, including Randy Bresnik, Cristina Kock and Kjell Lindgren chose NASA’s first two-way, end-to-end laser relay system test to send photos of their cherished pets to the International Space Station. As full colour images and videos, they are more complex, containing many more pixels than text or technical diagram transmissions. This made it the perfect dataset to demonstrate the speed and agility of the Integrated LCRD Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T) system. The demonstration also tested a new networking technique. Space data transmission faces significant delays and potential data loss due to the vast distances involved. To address this, NASA developed Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN), which uses a “store-and-forward” process to handle data disruptions. An advanced implementation of DTN called High-Rate Delay Tolerant Networking (HDTN), developed by NASA’s Glenn Research Center, further enhances this by enabling data transfer up to four times faster than current DTN technology. HDTN aggregates data from various sources and prepares it for transmission back to Earth, demonstrating its capabilities during the pet photo and video experiment. The data began its journey at a mission operations center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, before being routed to optical ground stations in California and Hawaii. From there, the data was modulated onto infrared laser signals and sent to NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) satellite in geosynchronous orbit, which then relayed the data to the ILLUMA-T on the space station. NASA’s ILLUMA-T payload communicating with LCRD over laser signals. Credit: NASA/Dave Ryan Historically, NASA has relied on radio frequency communications for data transfer to and from on-board computers beyond our atmosphere. With the breakthrough of laser communications (better known as optical communications,) more complex messages and data packets can be transferred much more quickly. This is possible because although both radio waves and infrared light travel at the speed of light, infrared moves in a tighter wavelength. This allows the signal to be modulated much more rapidly, which means that more information can be sent in the same amount of time. Laser communication also promises to improve the working and living environment in orbit. The ILLUMA-T laser communication terminal is smaller, lighter and requires less power than existing systems. With more space, and a reduced drain on power, the system will improve communication with earth and make life a little easier for astronauts on the space station.The SCaN test highlighted the speed and efficacy of how powerful the laser communications system can be and also emphasised the value of multi-program demonstrations. According to deputy associate administrator and SCaN program manager at NASA, Kevin Coggins, the campaign has been successful for both the ILLUM-TLCRD and HDTN. “Not only have they demonstrated how these technologies can play an essential role in enabling NASA’s future science and exploration missions, it also provided a fun opportunity for the teams to “picture” their pets assisting with this innovative demonstration.” A collage of the pet photos sent over laser links from Earth to LCRD (Laser Communications Relay Demonstration) to ILLUMA-T (Integrated LCRD Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal) on the space station. NASA/Molly Kearns Using pet footage as the test was inspired by the December 2023 NASA laser communication test that streamed a video of a ginger tabby called “Taters”, chasing the dot from a laser pointer. It was sent from the Psyche spacecraft almost 30 million kilometers away to the Hale Telescope at the Palomar observatory in California. The 15 second HD video took just 101 minutes to reach its destination and represents one of the first successful high-bandwidth laser communications transmission tests into deep space. As the deputy administrator at NASA said at the time, “Increasing our bandwidth is essential to achieving our future exploration and science goals, and we look forward to the continued advancement of this technology and the transformation of how we communicate during future interplanetary missions.” Although Taters does not hold the distinction of being the first cat in space (that was Félicette in 1963) he can proudly call himself the subject of the first cat video in space. This optimized DTN technology aims to enhance NASA’s communications services, including improved security, network routing of high-definition multimedia, and more. As NASA’s Artemis program advances toward establishing a sustainable lunar presence, SCaN continues to develop innovative communications technology to bring the reliability and performance of Earth’s internet to space. ILLUMA-T, LCRD, and HDTN are funded by NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program at NASA Headquarters. LCRD and ILLUMA-T are managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, while HDTN is managed by NASA’s Glenn Research Center. The space station network is managed by NASA’s Johnson Space Center and Marshall Space Flight Center. https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/nasas-laser-relay-system-sends-pet-imagery-to-from-space-station/ The post The Space Station Now Has Blisteringly Fast Internet appeared first on Universe Today.

And it’s only getting worse.

Our world is literally burning.

How is this possible?