Las Perseidas

Autumn Vibes ღ

Santuario Alto Huemul, San Fernando, El Maule, Chile.

NASA’s Search for Life: Astrobiology in the Solar System and Beyond

Are we alone in the universe? So far, the only life we know of is right here on Earth. But here at NASA, we’re looking.

We’re exploring the solar system and beyond to help us answer fundamental questions about life beyond our home planet. From studying the habitability of Mars, probing promising “oceans worlds,” such as Titan and Europa, to identifying Earth-size planets around distant stars, our science missions are working together with a goal to find unmistakable signs of life beyond Earth (a field of science called astrobiology).

Dive into the past, present, and future of our search for life in the universe.

Mission Name: The Viking Project

Launch: Viking 1 on August 20, 1975 & Viking 2 on September 9, 1975

Status: Past

Role in the search for life: The Viking Project was our first attempt to search for life on another planet. The mission’s biology experiments revealed unexpected chemical activity in the Martian soil, but provided no clear evidence for the presence of living microorganisms near the landing sites.

Mission Name: Galileo

Launch: October 18, 1989

Status: Past

Role in the search for life: Galileo orbited Jupiter for almost eight years, and made close passes by all its major moons. The spacecraft returned data that continues to shape astrobiology science –– particularly the discovery that Jupiter’s icy moon Europa has evidence of a subsurface ocean with more water than the total amount of liquid water found on Earth.

Mission Name: Kepler and K2

Launch: March 7, 2009

Status: Past

Role in the search for life: Our first planet-hunting mission, the Kepler Space Telescope, paved the way for our search for life in the solar system and beyond. Kepler left a legacy of more than 2,600 exoplanet discoveries, many of which could be promising places for life.

Mission Name: Perseverance Mars Rover

Launch: July 30, 2020

Status: Present

Role in the search for life: Our newest robot astrobiologist is kicking off a new era of exploration on the Red Planet. The rover will search for signs of ancient microbial life, advancing the agency’s quest to explore the past habitability of Mars.

Mission Name: James Webb Space Telescope

Launch: 2021

Status: Future

Role in the search for life: Webb will be the premier space-based observatory of the next decade. Webb observations will be used to study every phase in the history of the universe, including planets and moons in our solar system, and the formation of distant solar systems potentially capable of supporting life on Earth-like exoplanets.

Mission Name: Europa Clipper

Launch: Targeting 2024

Status: Future

Role in the search for life: Europa Clipper will investigate whether Jupiter’s icy moon Europa, with its subsurface ocean, has the capability to support life. Understanding Europa’s habitability will help scientists better understand how life developed on Earth and the potential for finding life beyond our planet.

Mission Name: Dragonfly

Launch: 2027

Status: Future

Role in the search for life: Dragonfly will deliver a rotorcraft to visit Saturn’s largest and richly organic moon, Titan. This revolutionary mission will explore diverse locations to look for prebiotic chemical processes common on both Titan and Earth.

For more on NASA’s search for life, follow NASA Astrobiology on Twitter, on Facebook, or on the web.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

Lanzamiento exitoso #PSLVC50

Foto: ISRO - Indian Space Research Organisation

Descubrir los errores de otros, tarea que para la naturaleza humana es mucho más fácil que percibir los errores propios.

Una imagen compuesta de la subida de la Luna llena el 29 de diciembre de 2020 en una tarde muy clara del cielo crepúsculo, aquí sobre las Badlands del Parque Provincial Dinosaur, Alberta. Esta es una mezcla en capas de 13 exposiciones tomadas a intervalos de 5 minutos, desde la salida de la luna justo antes de la puesta del sol, hasta la altura de la luna en un cielo oscuro más de una hora después. El suelo y el cielo cerca del horizonte es una mezcla de las primeras cuatro exposiciones, mientras que el cielo superior es de las dos últimas exposiciones para colocar la luna ahora brillante en un cielo más oscuro como realmente apareció. La Luna mueve su propio diámetro en unos 2 minutos, por lo que las tomas tomadas con 5 minutos de diferencia proporcionan un buen espacio para un disparo con este campo de vista. Estos marcos fueron tomados como parte de un lapso de tiempo de 800 marcos con la cámara en la exposición automática para asegurar que cada marco estuviera bien expuesto para el suelo y el cielo. Pero a medida que la luna ilumina mientras se levanta, inevitablemente sobreexpone el disco de la Luna - la secuencia de exposición que utilizo aquí funciona para el time-lapse pero no es tan ideal para una imagen compuesta como esta. Si hubiera querido que se tomara esto solo para un compuesto de imágenes quietas, habría tenido que arreglar la exposición a más o menos lo que era a mitad de secuencia aquí, para mantener el disco lunar en ese brillo y detalle. ¡Que así sea! Todos estaban con la lente de Rokinon 85 mm y Canon 6 D Mklll a ISO 100.

Crédito: Alan Dyer

https://www.amazingsky.com/

Dodge GT de hormigón de Wolf Vostell en el paraje natural de Los Barruecos.

Crédito: Lancho

https://instagram.com/lancho._

https://lanchofotografia4.webnode.es/

~Antares

Laying the Groundwork for a New Generation of Commercial Supersonic Aircraft

Cabin crew, prepare for takeoff. Engines roar; speed increases. You sip a cold beverage as the aircraft accelerates quietly past Mach 1 or around 600 mph. There’s no indication you’re flying over land faster than the speed of sound except when you glance at your watch upon arrival and see you’ve reached your destination in half the time. You leisurely walk off the plane with ample time to explore, finish a final report or visit a familiar face. This reality is closer than you think.

We’re on a mission to help you get to where you want to go in half the time. Using our single-pilot X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) research aircraft, we will provide rule-makers the data needed to lift current bans on faster-than-sound air travel over land and help enable a new generation of commercial supersonic aircraft.

The X-59 QueSST is unique in shape. Each element of the aircraft’s design will help reduce a loud sonic boom, typically produced by conventional supersonic aircraft, to a gentle sonic thump, making it quieter for people on the ground. To prove the quiet technology works, we will fly the X-59 over select U.S. communities to gauge the public’s response to the sound.

We are working with Lockheed Martin in Palmdale, California, to manufacture the X-59 and are making significant progress, despite the pandemic.

We finished the majority of work on the wing and closed its interior, marking the halfway point on construction of the aircraft. 

The X-59 team at Lockheed Martin completed the final touches by fastening skins to the wing. A special sealant is applied so that fuel can be carried in the wings of the aircraft.

Moving at a steady pace, technicians continue to work on many parts of the aircraft simultaneously. The forebody section of the aircraft will carry the pilot and all the avionics needed to fly the aircraft.

Because of the X-59’s long nose, the pilot will rely on an eXternal Vision System (XVS), rather than a window, for forward-facing visibility. The XVS will display fused images from an advanced computing system and cameras mounted on the upper and lower part of the aircraft’s nose.

The aft part of the aircraft will hold an F414 GE engine and other critical systems. Unlike typical aircraft, the engine inlet will be located on the upper surface of the X-59 and is one of many features that will help reduce the noise heard on the ground.

Over the next several months, the team will merge all three sections together. After final assembly in 2021, the X-59 will undergo numerous tests to ensure structural integrity of the aircraft and that ¬its components work properly. First flight of the aircraft will be in 2022 and community testing will start in 2024, making way for a new market of quiet commercial supersonic aircraft.

Want to learn more about the X-59 and our mission? Visit nasa.gov/X59. 

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com. 

Torcal de Antequera es un paraje natural situado en los términos municipales de Antequera y Villanueva de la Concepción de la provincia de Málaga, en Andalucía (España).

Crédito: Juanma Espinosa

https://instagram.com/juanmaespinosa

~Antares

El núcleo de la Vía Láctea se eleva sobre la Puerta de Durdle con Saturno y Júpiter.

Crédito: Ant Sullivan Photography

Instagram.com/antsullivan_photography

www.antsullivanphotography.com

Eric Whitacre; Deep Field: The Impossible Magnitude of our Universe a unique film and musical experience inspired by one of the most important scientific discoveries of all time: the Hubble Telescope’s Deep Field image