SpaceX Launch Scrubbed

The other day, SpaceX scrubbed their latest launch to the International Space Station due to inclement weather conditions. With the countdown clock at 2 minutes and 39 seconds, SpaceX stopped lift off and moved the day to Tuesday at 4:10 pm. This will be SpaceX's third attempt to recycle their Falcon 9 rocket, and thus dramatically reducing costs.

Elon Musk recently tweeted that the success rate is "50 percent." You can follow SpaceX on Twitter through this link.

Why We're Better than the Dinosaurs

 

NASA reports that, "As of March 31, 2015, 12480 Near-Earth objects have been discovered. Some 872 of these NEOs are asteroids with a diameter of approximately 1 kilometer or larger. Also, 1573 of these NEOs have been classified as Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs)"

Now, I don't say this to scare you, but to make you aware. These 1573 PHAs are still relatively far away from crossing points with Earth (4.6 million miles or less); however, there is plenty of room for error which is why it's still important. As of right now, NASA has nothing that will stop an unsuspecting asteroid from hitting Earth. The one thing that distinguishes the true genius of a species from the rest is the ability to prevent one's own extinction, especially when you have the means to do so. In other words, I like to think we can do better than the dinosaurs.

See the dinosaurs couldn't prevent their demise because of one key factor; they had no space program. Fortunately for us, we do! NASA's current plan is simply genius and it's called the Asteroid Redirect Mission. Instead of sending a giant missile to blow up an asteroid heading for Earth (cue Bruce Willis Armageddon jokes), we can simply send a spacecraft and effect its orbit using gravity. If we were to blow it up, then the problem becomes much worse. We now have to worry about millions of smaller pieces flying in multiple directions towards Earth. 

By gravitational attraction, we can use the spacecraft to pull the asteroid (like a tractor) out of the trajectory of Earth. Take a look at the video to see the specifics - it's pretty awesome stuff. This is something that's not out of the realm of possibility. NASA can certainly do this with proper funding and support (no Bruce Willis needed).

Our Solar System is looking wetter

"The solar system is now looking like a pretty soggy place" NASA's director of planetary science stated at a recent press conference. The Hubble Space Telescope has helped scientists confirm the existence of a subterranean salt water ocean underneath the surface of Ganymede, a moon of Jupiter. Ganymede is the largest known moon in our solar system and is expected to have a ocean around 10 times deeper than Earth's.  Unfortunately, these oceans are covered by very thick layers of ice which make it hard for NASA to send a probe to analyze for life.

However, NASA has also confirmed subterranean oceans inside Enceladus, a moon of Saturn. As NASA's Cassini spacecraft approached Enceladus, it encountered very very small dust particles that appeared to emanate from plumes on the moon's surface. These particles contained some of the basic organic molecules necessary for life. After further study, scientists discovered that Enceladus emits heat from its core most likely from the result of massive tidal forces caused by Saturn.

LIQUID WATER + HEAT + ORGANIC MOLECULES = HIGH POTENTIAL FOR LIFE

The great part about Enceladus is its plumes. Instead of drilling down into its icy, thick surface, NASA can send a probe to analyze the plumes that have broken through the exterior. By flying through them, NASA can search for signs of life through a much more practical approach.

These, of course, are not the only two moons that NASA believes host subterranean oceans. There are more. With continued increases in funding, we could see a mission to Enceladus relatively soon.

Lights on Ceres

A few days ago, the Dawn spacecraft photographed 2 bright white lights emitting from the surface of Ceres. Ceres is a dwarf planet located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The spots are approximately 57 miles wide and are currently unexplainable to astronomers. The first spot is larger and brighter while the other spot is slightly smaller and dimmer. Best estimates source the lights to salt conglomerates or possibly even ice.

Scientists have sent Dawn into a closer orbit around Ceres in order to get more detailed information and images on the lights. Currently, the space craft is on the dark side of Ceres, and won't return to the light until April. However, once it returns in April, Dawn will have a much better understanding of what these mysterious reflections are.

There is, of course, a large portion of the public who believe the lights are signals from someone else. As unlikely as this sounds, it is an interesting proposition. What are the protocols for something like this? Should we just approach it? These are questions we will answer as Dawn gets closer.

Fermi Paradox

The above picture shows the radius of the current Kepler telescope.

Kepler was designed to identify Earth-like planets in our galaxy. The

Milky Way is one of about 100 billion galaxies in the known universe.

"Where is everybody?"

This famous and scientifically enigmatic question was first proposed by physicist Enrico Fermi in 1950. Fermi was discussing the likelihood of the existence of intelligent societies throughout the galaxy and wondered why we haven't seen any yet. He reasoned that any sufficiently advanced alien society would have perfected space travel within about 10 million years. When comparing that amount of time to the age of the universe, it's actually quite small and thus very likely. Fermi reasoned that because we have yet to find evidence of such a society, then perhaps no such society exists. This is, after all, a logical assumption.

The key to answering Fermi's paradox is not in other intelligent civilizations, but in our own. It's a matter of how long we've actually been listening. The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI) is our main source of correspondence with our intelligent cosmic neighbors. SETI has been searching for extraterrestrial radio waves for over 50 years, and has yet to find anything. However, I want to put this 50 years in perspective for you. Here is what's known as the Cosmic Calendar.

The calendar's purpose is simple: to convert all of the universe's existence into that of 12 Earth months (or 1 year). You'll see that the last day of the month of December comprises all of humanity's existence - from our ape ancestors to now. That 28 million years is actually less than one day on the cosmic calendar. According to the calendar, we could've missed an entire 10 million year old advanced alien civilization...by a few hours.

Another suggestion is that these civilizations may be so advanced that they see our attempts at intelligence and contact comparable to that of ants. We may not be important enough for them to acknowledge us. Perhaps there's this universal "test" that analyzes an intelligent civilization's ability to survive. Maybe after we pass this intelligence test, advanced alien civilizations will open their doors and finally want to talk to us. This is known as The Great Filter:

Fermi's paradox is certainly an interesting question. However, I have a much more positive outlook on its answer and would recommend that we just keep listening. Good things come to those who wait.

"If I Die on Mars"

Mars One is a privately funded one-way mission to the planet Mars set to launch sometime near 2024. Yes that's right; they will never return to Earth...ever. The goal is to send up supplies and a living quarters a few years before the first manned mission, and then send subsequent manned missions every 4 years. In order to fund the endeavor, Mars One plans to film the entire process and make into one of the most revolutionary reality television series in history. Viewers can tune into the preparation process, journey to the red planet, and life after landing. The organization still has a long way to go, and they currently do not possess a launch system or spacecraft capable of the year long journey and harsh solar conditions. However, Mars One has continued to recruit its first four astronauts from all over the world.

The Gaurdian met up with three of the 660 finalists and asked them, "what if you die on Mars?" Ryan, from the UK, is a very logical and intelligent finalist. Yes, he's a virgin. Sex will be strictly forbidden on the Mars One mission. With limited supplies and space, only the permitted amount of astronauts will be sustainable. Dina, an immigrant from Iraq, claims that she wants to escape and prove to her conservative Islamic family that she is capable of greatness outside of traditional Islamic customs. Lastly, Jeremias struggles with his family's sense of loss. These four brave men and women will never be seen again. They will be alive (hopefully), but will never have direct contact with family, friends, or even Earth for the rest of their lives.

I worry about the three finalists that The Gaurdian chose in this short film. They all seem to be fine with dying. Not dying on Mars, just dying. I don't think this is a good thing. I also worry about the selection process of Mars One. NASA does a very good job of selecting their astronauts, especially the ones who leave footsteps where no one has stepped before. I think Mars One has great intentions, but I don't think it will happen before NASA has a chance to send man there first. Check out the YouTube video and let me know what you think.

TEDx UGA Competition

On January 29th, 2015, I had the honor to participate in the TEDx UGA Student Idea Competition. The competition is a precursor to a much larger event in March where students, alumni, and professionals compete by speaking about their "idea worth spreading." With the addition of 8 other student competitors, we shared various TED formatted speeches with an audience of about 100 people. During my talk, I had to the privilege to speak about NASA and the importance of manned space exploration.

By touching on history, personal experiences, and emotional appeal, I spoke about how NASA has affected generations on a level that's a little hard to quantify. I wanted to highlight how much NASA and manned space exploration have affected culture, innovation, the economy, and history. As NASA's budget declines, so too does the inspiration for the younger generations interested in STEM fields. Finally, I ended with my 2 most resonant effects of NASA: survival and wonder. Check out the link to my speech on YouTube, and feel free to share with your friends.

After the speeches were given, awards for Most Original, Best Delivery, and Audience Favorite were presented. The winners were as follows:

Best Delivery: Emily Hiers
Most Original: Maya Baumeister
Audience Favorite: Connor Lewis (Wooo!)

The official TEDx UGA 2015 event will be this March 27 at the Tate Grand Hall. I would love for you all join and see some other great ideas worth spreading.