NASA Brings Keplerstein Back to Life-Kepler Space Telescope

The Kepler Space Telescope comes alive once more. After two out of four wheels failed in May of this year, the space mission has been out of commission. With a little ingenuity, the scientists believe they can get the telescope to work another year.  

The telescope needs at least three of its four wheels to work properly. This allows them to adjust direction and hold its position steady in order to study planets far out in space. Using the solar panels at the sides of the telescope NASA believes that they can even distribute light pressure to keep the telescope pointed in the right direction. 

The only problem is that it can be in proper alignment only part of the year thereby seriously limiting its mission and abilities. Senior administrators are likely to determine the cost and benefit of such a project for the 2014 year. However, the telescope’s costs has already been sunk into its design, production, launch and use. It is hoped that another year of operation will cost much less than preceding years.

At present, scientists have significant amounts of data and they have not yet found the time to analyze it all. Through independent verification, they believe that approximately 103 earth-like planets within the habitable zone could exist. Further analysis of the results will help in determine if there are others worth analyzing. 

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Eating Turnips on the Moon-NASA Believes it is Possible

Eating turnips on the moon may someday be possible with a new government-business initiative to grow plants in outer space. The Lunar Plant Growth Habitat team comprised of NASA scientists, contractors, volunteers, and students are trying to realize an idea that died decades earlier.  With any luck they will be able to grow a small amount of food on the moon and start greater processes of experimentation.

The primary subjects include basil, sunflowers, turnips and various plants. Each will be placed within a coffee can like device with just about everything they need to grow. The scientists want to see how radiation, limited gravitation, and other space conditions impact the plants. If everything works out well it may someday be possible to grow a food source for stations on other planets.

Each canister works like an incubator. The aluminum cylinders include a camera, sensors, and other electronics. Researchers will be able to measure and view growth from Earth to see which plants are able to grow and which don’t make it. The information may be used to improve upon the canisters for future use.  

The advantage of the government and business collaborative effort reduces costs from $300 million down to a couple of million dollars. With growth in commercialized flight it is possible that many more projects can be hedged with lower costs. NASA uses their knowledge while spurring greater innovation with less risk in the process.  Companies get the advantage of developing new products and services while contributing to national development.

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Commercializing NASA Space Flight

NASA is seeking an alternative method of developing space cargo ships that can transport crew and cargo to the international space station. In order to create a level of efficiency in the program and money better spent they are seeking potential contracts in developing commercialized flight. They hope to break Russian monopolies on space flight.

Since 2011, NASA has ended its space flight program but commercial companies such as SpaceX, Boeing and Sierra Nevada Corporation have been developing their own commercial flights. NASA hopes to foster this growth through funding these private projects through partnerships. They goal is to provide a level of oversight and knowledge while private proposals will include design, testing, operations, and return flights.

They are working on the Commercial Crew Transport Capability program to build a commercial fleet by 2017.  Phase 1 is limited to the three companies but Phase 2 will offer opportunities to any company that thinks they can design and build the transportation spacecraft. It is believed that costs will be reduced.

To add to the mix Russian ships are currently used to transport American crew but they are threatening to charge higher rates in upcoming years. Likewise, budget problems in the U.S. are forcing government to rethink their strategies in hopes of finding cheaper and more commercially viable options.

The Knowledge NASA has accumulated over the years is extensive. By using that knowledge to help companies foster their own programs, as well as encourage the development of new knowledge, is an important step in commercial-government partnerships. Taking the efficient developmental abilities of commercial entities and matching that with government information is sure to take off!

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Google Map Allows You to Watch Worldwide Deforestation in Real Time

High resolutions Google map offers an opportunity to monitor forest growth and decline worldwide.  The University of Maryland offers this interactive map to help people understand how their environment is changing. There was a total of 2.3 million square kilometers lost and .8 million kilometers gained. Brazil was one of the best countries on ending deforestation while Indonesia experienced the most loss.

Such interactive and constantly updating maps offer an opportunity to understand global climate change and pollution reduction effects in history. Each time the satellites pass the earth, they collect pictures of the forest changes. Scientists believe that this information will help policy makers understand the benefits and detractors of certain policies.

The benefit of technology and Google computing power helps solves problems. Even though deforestation can come from many different causes some of the most notable are deforestation and climate change. Sometimes these decisions are based in poverty to create more farmland, coal, and burnable fuel for homes.

Most of the images are taken from the U.S. Geological Survey's Landsat 7 satellite and were offered for analysis. A sort of partnership between government and business. The cost of developing such open systems is declining and some businesses have taken a first hand in trying to understand big problems. This map allows people to see the overall success or failure of decisions on a global scale. We are slowly moving from a local to a global development concept and that may make all the difference. 

Hansen, et. al. (November 2013). High-resolution global maps of the 21^st-century forest cover change. Science, 342 (6160). Read Here

Blog Post on How Trees are Adapting to Climate Change

Blog Post on NASA's Forest Map

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Nano Nano! Are there other Earth Planets? Scientists Think So!

NASA scientists discover potentially billions of earth like planets. In 2009, after the Kepler space telescope was launched, interesting data indicates there may be other earths in our solar system.  According to proceedings from the National Academy of Sciences nearly one in five of the 11 billion planets have at least one earth-like planet orbiting it.  It has opened a new perspective to scientists, researchers, and space buffs.

These planets are within 12 light years away which is not that far once the right equipment is available. It should be remembered that Columbus first proposed the idea of finding a new Asian route in 1485 and on his third voyage hit mainland South American in 1498 (13 Years). 1492 was the year he discovered the islands and he did not move at the speed of light.

Around 2011, scientists discovered the Kepler-22b that contains stars within appropriate orbits around the sun. This means they could contain water and possibly be within the human habitable zone. Being in this zone means there is a chance they contain carbon based life forms, could be visited, or even colonized. Of particular interest is the Kepler-62f which has about 40% more mass than earth. Many other small earths were also discovered.

In the Milky Way it is believed that 11 billion of the 50 billion planets are earth like. Most of them are likely to be composed of substances that cannot contain life such as rocks, gases, small atmospheres, etc. Yet if we look at the odds of the 11 billion containing a few thousand, or more, of earth like planets containing earth qualities the overall findings become significant. 

NASA scientists were monitoring 147,000+ planets to try and determine if similar planets were rarer or more of a common occurrence. They investigated changes in light from interstellar movement, distance from sun and temperatures that may contain life. The scientists vow to find more information and seek additional answers despite the eventual malfunctioning of the telescope.

As technology develops we may someday be sitting on one of those planets looking back at Earth through a telescope wondering how we got there. The answer is likely to be something along the lines of, “After crawling out of the wilderness a few great minds like Einstein and Ibn Sina dared to dream”.  We will ponder our long development from eking out a living with simple bone tools to navigating interstellar spacecraft. We may even wonder what happened to the other dreamers who contributed to this triumphant moment…and with a sigh, remember the improper uses we found for those primitive instruments. 

Moving from a flat earth to a round one, having the sun circle us to us circling the sun, from one continent to the next, to being one earth among many, human perception has changed . This is the process of development that continues to widen and afford opportunities to understand a greater context of information. As new information enters the human conscious we become more aware of how we are one piece of a larger puzzle still holding petty differences that may soon fade away into irrelevance (a century near you).

“Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are incapable of forming such opinions."-Albert Einstein.

Read previous blog post, original journal publication, and theory of relativity HERE

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Can NASA's Vegetation Map Encourage Efficient Legislation?

The world’s vegetation is beneficial for sustaining life, growing food, and encouraging diversity of animal species. With 75% of the world covered in water and 25% in vegetation a total of 25% of the earth is relatively barren of sustainable plant life. You can see in the video how vegetation changes throughout a particular year to have a better perspective of the cycles of the seasons. The possibilities for proper analysis of the benefits and detractors of certain legislative actions is enhanced. 

The data was collected using Visible-Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite (VIRS) on a NASA satellite that uses reflections of light to determine overall vegetation. The results will allow for monitoring as part of the Herbal Earth project and will be used to index vegetation overtime. The use of satellites will allow a more global perspective on what areas are suffering and what areas are doing well.

 There are obvious advantages to the use of such technology that include forest fire risk monitoring, climate change monitoring, weather pattern prediction, and vegetation loss risk. Where obvious changes and vegetation stress occur legislation may be beneficial and where vegetation is at an optimal level a reduction in legislation may be beneficial to encourage economic growth. The difference is that it can be monitored on a global scale for recent discussions on climate change and problems can be pinpointed.

To make effective legislation often requires a better analysis of the data as it is being presented. This technology now affords a greater understanding of climate change on a global scale and can further better approaches that put environmental laws where they are most beneficial without creating undue restrictions on areas that are growing fine. The protection of species, climate, and diversity can be more pinpointed and effective. Areas of concern can be monitored to see the actual benefit or detractors of certain legislative decisions that allows for the finding of a balance between economic and environmental needs.  

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