Lifeboat Foundation

There are quirks at the far edge of our solar system, in the form of disturbed objects in the Kuiper belt. One explanation: Planet Nine.

Carbon-based molecules, such as methane and carbon dioxide, have been detected in the atmosphere of a possibly ocean-bearing exoplanet.

Carbon-based molecules have been discovered in the atmosphere of a possibly ocean-bearing exoplanet by the cutting-edge James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

The exoplanet K2-18b is found in the habitable zone of the red dwarf star K2-18, around 120 light-years distant from Earth in the constellation Leo.

Astronomers have been observing and studying Mars for centuries, but the systematic mapping of Mars began in the 19th century.

Maps have played an essential role in helping us better comprehend our home planet. These tools visually represent the Earth’s surface features, allowing us to navigate, study geography, monitor changes, and conduct scientific studies.

As space organizations prepare to make humanity an interplanetary species, it is critical to sketch and construct a Mars map for better exploration and possible habitation.

Rubio has spent more than 355 days aboard the ISS and will spend more than a year aboard the space station before returning to Earth.

NASA astronaut Frank Rubio now holds the record for the American who has flown the longest space mission in US history.

Continue reading “New single spaceflight record holder: NASA’s Frank Rubio” »

On Earth, only living things make dimethyl sulfide molecules. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope just found hints of it in another world.

Space probes that have been launched from Earth currently cannot self-determine their locations in space. To know where they are, they first need to receive signals from Earth which they then bounce back. The signals are then received back on Earth and specially designed clocks then compute the time taken for the signals to travel back. Based on the calculated time, the location of the probe is determined and then communicated back to the probe.

NASA’s Perseverance rover has successfully completed an experiment designed to create oxygen on Mars, using a technique that could one day provide astronauts with breathable air, and be used as a key ingredient in rocket fuel for a return journey home.

Humanity is looking to expand deeper into the solar system, first by establishing a permanent base on the Moon, before finally placing human boots on Mars for the first time in our species’ short history. For this to be a reality, both NASA and its partners need to develop new technologies that will make use of the natural resources of those distant worlds to ensure that future missions are as self reliant as possible.

One major problem faced by astronauts visiting Mars is ensuring they have a ready supply of breathable air. Oxygen on Earth is relatively abundant, making up roughly 21 percent of our planet’s atmosphere. However, the gasseous shell enveloping Mars is composed of less than one percent oxygen, and 96 percent carbon dioxide, with nitrogen, argon, and other myriad trace gases making up the remainder.

Astronomers from the University of Maryland and the Michigan Technological University, have inspected a mysterious ultra-high energy gamma-ray source known as LHAASO J2108+5157. Results of the study, published August 31 on the pre-print server arXiv, could help us unveil the true nature of this source.

Sources emitting gamma radiation with photon energies between 100 GeV and 100 TeV are called very-high energy (VHE) gamma-ray sources, while those with photon energies above 0.1 PeV are known as ultra-high energy (UHE) gamma-ray sources. The nature of these sources is still not well understood; therefore, astronomers are constantly searching for new objects of this type to characterize them, which could shed more light on their properties in general.

A team of astronomers led by University of Maryland’s Sajan Kumar decided to take a closer look at one such UHE gamma-ray source designated LHAASO J2108+5157. It is a point-like source with an extension less than 0.39 degrees, known to be associated with the molecular cloud [MML2017]4607—located some 10,700 light years away.

Physicists finally know where at least some of these high-energy particles come from, which helps make the neutrinos useful for exploring fundamental physics.