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Showing posts with the label space race

Gaia Space Probe Seeks to Map a Billion Stars

The European Space Agency launched on Thursday the Gaia space probe into the darkness to discover worlds still unknown. Its mission is to discover, record, detail movement and determine the potential substance of a billion stars in the Milky Way ( 1 ). Over the next five years it is believed that the probe will create a census of our solar system in a way no other ship has yet been able to complete.  The Gaia is also equipped with a digital camera. This is not a normal camera you may find on your Android Phone. It is a billion pixel camera that can scan great distances to take pictures with significant clarity ( 2 ). This will help researchers determine what they are seeing in space and where planets are located.  The amount of data processing is huge. Gaia will find a place out in space where gravitational pulls will allow it to sit still and take pictures of the galaxy around it. At a cost of a billion dollars it will be able to beat out the abilities of the Kepler syst

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 wh