Lessons from Mars and Earth for Future Explorations of Bio-Signatures from Earth-Like Planets
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Life in the Universe Orin Harris and Greg Anderson Department of Physics & Astronomy Northeastern Illinois University Spring 2021 c 2012-2021 G. Anderson., O. Harris Universe: Past, Present & Future – slide 1 / 95 Overview Dating Rocks Life on Earth How Did Life Arise? Life in the Solar System Life Around Other Stars Interstellar Travel SETI Review c 2012-2021 G. Anderson., O. Harris Universe: Past, Present & Future – slide 2 / 95 Dating Rocks Zircon Dating Sedimentary Grand Canyon Life on Earth How Did Life Arise? Life in the Solar System Life Around Dating Rocks Other Stars Interstellar Travel SETI Review c 2012-2021 G. Anderson., O. Harris Universe: Past, Present & Future – slide 3 / 95 Zircon Dating Zircon, (ZrSiO4), minerals incorporate trace amounts of uranium but reject lead. Naturally occuring uranium: • U-238: 99.27% • U-235: 0.72% Decay chains: • 238U −→ 206Pb, τ =4.47 Gyrs. • 235U −→ 207Pb, τ = 704 Myrs. 1956, Clair Camron Patterson dated the Canyon Diablo meteorite: τ =4.55 Gyrs. c 2012-2021 G. Anderson., O. Harris Universe: Past, Present & Future – slide 4 / 95 Dating Sedimentary Rocks • Relative ages: Deeper layers were deposited earlier • Absolute ages: Decay of radioactive isotopes old (deposited last) oldest (depositedolder first) c 2012-2021 G. Anderson., O. Harris Universe: Past, Present & Future – slide 5 / 95 Grand Canyon: Earth History from 200 million - 2 billion yrs ago. Dating Rocks Life on Earth Earth History Timeline Late Heavy Bombardment Hadean Shark Bay Stromatolites Cyanobacteria Q: Earliest Fossils? Life on Earth O2 History Q: Life on Earth How Did Life Arise? Life in the Solar System Life Around Other Stars Interstellar Travel SETI Review c 2012-2021 G. -
Materials Challenges for the Starshot Lightsail
PERSPECTIVE https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-018-0075-8 Materials challenges for the Starshot lightsail Harry A. Atwater 1*, Artur R. Davoyan1, Ognjen Ilic1, Deep Jariwala1, Michelle C. Sherrott 1, Cora M. Went2, William S. Whitney2 and Joeson Wong 1 The Starshot Breakthrough Initiative established in 2016 sets an audacious goal of sending a spacecraft beyond our Solar System to a neighbouring star within the next half-century. Its vision for an ultralight spacecraft that can be accelerated by laser radiation pressure from an Earth-based source to ~20% of the speed of light demands the use of materials with extreme properties. Here we examine stringent criteria for the lightsail design and discuss fundamental materials challenges. We pre- dict that major research advances in photonic design and materials science will enable us to define the pathways needed to realize laser-driven lightsails. he Starshot Breakthrough Initiative has challenged a broad nanocraft, we reveal a balance between the high reflectivity of the and interdisciplinary community of scientists and engineers sail, required for efficient photon momentum transfer; large band- Tto design an ultralight spacecraft or ‘nanocraft’ that can reach width, accounting for the Doppler shift; and the low mass necessary Proxima Centauri b — an exoplanet within the habitable zone of for the spacecraft to accelerate to near-relativistic speeds. We show Proxima Centauri and 4.2 light years away from Earth — in approxi- that nanophotonic structures may be well-suited to meeting such mately -
Breakthrough Propulsion Study Assessing Interstellar Flight Challenges and Prospects
Breakthrough Propulsion Study Assessing Interstellar Flight Challenges and Prospects NASA Grant No. NNX17AE81G First Year Report Prepared by: Marc G. Millis, Jeff Greason, Rhonda Stevenson Tau Zero Foundation Business Office: 1053 East Third Avenue Broomfield, CO 80020 Prepared for: NASA Headquarters, Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) and NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Washington, DC 20546 June 2018 Millis 2018 Grant NNX17AE81G_for_CR.docx pg 1 of 69 ABSTRACT Progress toward developing an evaluation process for interstellar propulsion and power options is described. The goal is to contrast the challenges, mission choices, and emerging prospects for propulsion and power, to identify which prospects might be more advantageous and under what circumstances, and to identify which technology details might have greater impacts. Unlike prior studies, the infrastructure expenses and prospects for breakthrough advances are included. This first year's focus is on determining the key questions to enable the analysis. Accordingly, a work breakdown structure to organize the information and associated list of variables is offered. A flow diagram of the basic analysis is presented, as well as more detailed methods to convert the performance measures of disparate propulsion methods into common measures of energy, mass, time, and power. Other methods for equitable comparisons include evaluating the prospects under the same assumptions of payload, mission trajectory, and available energy. Missions are divided into three eras of readiness (precursors, era of infrastructure, and era of breakthroughs) as a first step before proceeding to include comparisons of technology advancement rates. Final evaluation "figures of merit" are offered. Preliminary lists of mission architectures and propulsion prospects are provided. -
Hawaiian Volcanoes: from Source to Surface Site Waikolao, Hawaii 20 - 24 August 2012
AGU Chapman Conference on Hawaiian Volcanoes: From Source to Surface Site Waikolao, Hawaii 20 - 24 August 2012 Conveners Michael Poland, USGS – Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, USA Paul Okubo, USGS – Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, USA Ken Hon, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, USA Program Committee Rebecca Carey, University of California, Berkeley, USA Simon Carn, Michigan Technological University, USA Valerie Cayol, Obs. de Physique du Globe de Clermont-Ferrand Helge Gonnermann, Rice University, USA Scott Rowland, SOEST, University of Hawai'i at M noa, USA Financial Support 2 AGU Chapman Conference on Hawaiian Volcanoes: From Source to Surface Site Meeting At A Glance Sunday, 19 August 2012 1600h – 1700h Welcome Reception 1700h – 1800h Introduction and Highlights of Kilauea’s Recent Eruption Activity Monday, 20 August 2012 0830h – 0900h Welcome and Logistics 0900h – 0945h Introduction – Hawaiian Volcano Observatory: Its First 100 Years of Advancing Volcanism 0945h – 1215h Magma Origin and Ascent I 1030h – 1045h Coffee Break 1215h – 1330h Lunch on Your Own 1330h – 1430h Magma Origin and Ascent II 1430h – 1445h Coffee Break 1445h – 1600h Magma Origin and Ascent Breakout Sessions I, II, III, IV, and V 1600h – 1645h Magma Origin and Ascent III 1645h – 1900h Poster Session Tuesday, 21 August 2012 0900h – 1215h Magma Storage and Island Evolution I 1215h – 1330h Lunch on Your Own 1330h – 1445h Magma Storage and Island Evolution II 1445h – 1600h Magma Storage and Island Evolution Breakout Sessions I, II, III, IV, and V 1600h – 1645h Magma Storage -
Biosignatures Search in Habitable Planets
galaxies Review Biosignatures Search in Habitable Planets Riccardo Claudi 1,* and Eleonora Alei 1,2 1 INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Padova, Vicolo Osservatorio, 5, 35122 Padova, Italy 2 Physics and Astronomy Department, Padova University, 35131 Padova, Italy * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 2 August 2019; Accepted: 25 September 2019; Published: 29 September 2019 Abstract: The search for life has had a new enthusiastic restart in the last two decades thanks to the large number of new worlds discovered. The about 4100 exoplanets found so far, show a large diversity of planets, from hot giants to rocky planets orbiting small and cold stars. Most of them are very different from those of the Solar System and one of the striking case is that of the super-Earths, rocky planets with masses ranging between 1 and 10 M⊕ with dimensions up to twice those of Earth. In the right environment, these planets could be the cradle of alien life that could modify the chemical composition of their atmospheres. So, the search for life signatures requires as the first step the knowledge of planet atmospheres, the main objective of future exoplanetary space explorations. Indeed, the quest for the determination of the chemical composition of those planetary atmospheres rises also more general interest than that given by the mere directory of the atmospheric compounds. It opens out to the more general speculation on what such detection might tell us about the presence of life on those planets. As, for now, we have only one example of life in the universe, we are bound to study terrestrial organisms to assess possibilities of life on other planets and guide our search for possible extinct or extant life on other planetary bodies. -
Optimizing a Solar Sailing Polar Mission to the Sun
Optimizing a Solar Sailing Polar Mission to the Sun Development and Application of a New Ant Colony Optimizer Giacomo Acciarini Optimizing a Solar Sailing Polar Mission to the Sun Development and Application of a New Ant Colony Optimizer by Giacomo Acciarini to obtain the degree of Master of Science at the Delft University of Technology, to be defended publicly on Friday November 1, 2019 at 1:30 PM. Student number: 4754883 Project duration: January 4, 2019 – November 1, 2019 Thesis committee: Prof. Dr. P. Visser, TU Delft, chair Dr. ir. E. Mooij, TU Delft, supervisor Dr. F. Oliviero, TU Delft Dr. D. Izzo, European Space Agency This thesis is confidential and cannot be made public until December 31, 2020. An electronic version of this thesis is available at http://repository.tudelft.nl/. Cover image credit: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/jun/11/ spacewatch-lightsail-deploys-solar-sail, date of access: August 2019. ii Preface After months of hard work, I am proud to present to you my thesis to obtain the Master of Science degree at the faculty of Aerospace Engineering, at the Delft University of Technology. It has been an amazing experience that allowed me to come in contact with many researchers from all over the world who share my same love and interest in space exploration. I have always felt privileged and honored to be able to study such a marvelous and challenging subject. First of all, I would thus like to thank my parents, Andrea and Manuela, and my sister, Chiara, without your help and support I would have never been able to reach this point. -
Topics for Students' Presentations Problems in Long Distance (Human) Space Travel New Propulsion Tech
06/03/2019 Life in the Universe 2019 - Student talks - Google Docs Topics for students’ presentations ● Problems in long distance (human) space travel ○ New propulsion technologies Paul Richter ○ Social aspects? ○ life in zero‑gravity ○ communication ● Prospects for long‑term human missions within the Solar systems: ○ Elon Musk's plan to send humans to Mars F. Stabel ○ What would be the point of a lunar base? ● Testing extra‑terrestrial habitats on Earth ○ NEEMO, Mars500, Desert RATS experiments ● Future (and proposed) space missions and/or observational facilities to look for life‑/bio‑ signatures: Artem Mosienko ○ On Europa ○ on Exo‑planets ● Solar‑system bodies as potentially life‑bearing systems: B. Prinoth ○ Europa ○ Titan ○ Enceladus ○ Mars ● Experiments to search for Life on Mars: ○ Past and present (Viking missions to now) ○ Martian meteorites (ALH‑64?) 20 years on, include possibly media response at the time to idea of evidence for extraterrestrial life ○ Future in situ experiments on Mars ● SETI projects : ○ Breakthrough Initiatives ○ SETI@Home ○ What are the fundamental assumptions behind SETI experiments, and what do they imply (i.e., similar to Drake Eq.) Sven Kiefer ● Observational signatures of advanced civilizations Leon Raabe ● Remote detection of Life on Earth (How far away can we detect Human signals, e.g. TV) Yves Sibony ● Summary of what is known about the exosolar asteroid ( 'Oumuamua ) Andrea Weibel https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qZdVVX3bP5kyfftaQazeXs3l7sP3TQDq9mL9uGLHrjE/edit# 1/4 06/03/2019 Life in the Universe 2019 - Student talks - Google Docs ● How good is the evidence for an asymmetry of left‑ and right‑ handed organic molecules in nature and where could such an asymmetry come from? O. -
Appendix I Lunar and Martian Nomenclature
APPENDIX I LUNAR AND MARTIAN NOMENCLATURE LUNAR AND MARTIAN NOMENCLATURE A large number of names of craters and other features on the Moon and Mars, were accepted by the IAU General Assemblies X (Moscow, 1958), XI (Berkeley, 1961), XII (Hamburg, 1964), XIV (Brighton, 1970), and XV (Sydney, 1973). The names were suggested by the appropriate IAU Commissions (16 and 17). In particular the Lunar names accepted at the XIVth and XVth General Assemblies were recommended by the 'Working Group on Lunar Nomenclature' under the Chairmanship of Dr D. H. Menzel. The Martian names were suggested by the 'Working Group on Martian Nomenclature' under the Chairmanship of Dr G. de Vaucouleurs. At the XVth General Assembly a new 'Working Group on Planetary System Nomenclature' was formed (Chairman: Dr P. M. Millman) comprising various Task Groups, one for each particular subject. For further references see: [AU Trans. X, 259-263, 1960; XIB, 236-238, 1962; Xlffi, 203-204, 1966; xnffi, 99-105, 1968; XIVB, 63, 129, 139, 1971; Space Sci. Rev. 12, 136-186, 1971. Because at the recent General Assemblies some small changes, or corrections, were made, the complete list of Lunar and Martian Topographic Features is published here. Table 1 Lunar Craters Abbe 58S,174E Balboa 19N,83W Abbot 6N,55E Baldet 54S, 151W Abel 34S,85E Balmer 20S,70E Abul Wafa 2N,ll7E Banachiewicz 5N,80E Adams 32S,69E Banting 26N,16E Aitken 17S,173E Barbier 248, 158E AI-Biruni 18N,93E Barnard 30S,86E Alden 24S, lllE Barringer 29S,151W Aldrin I.4N,22.1E Bartels 24N,90W Alekhin 68S,131W Becquerei -
Nasa and the Search for Technosignatures
NASA AND THE SEARCH FOR TECHNOSIGNATURES A Report from the NASA Technosignatures Workshop NOVEMBER 28, 2018 NASA TECHNOSIGNATURES WORKSHOP REPORT CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................................... 1 What are Technosignatures? .................................................................................................................................... 2 What Are Good Technosignatures to Look For? ....................................................................................................... 2 Maturity of the Field ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Breadth of the Field ................................................................................................................................................... 5 Limitations of This Document .................................................................................................................................... 6 Authors of This Document ......................................................................................................................................... 6 2 EXISTING UPPER LIMITS ON TECHNOSIGNATURES ....................................................................................................... 9 Limits and the Limitations of Limits ........................................................................................................................... -
DIRECT FUSION DRIVE for Interstellar Exploration S.A
Journal of the British Interplanetary Society VOLUME 72 NO.2 FEBRUARY 2019 General interstellar issue DIRECT FUSION DRIVE for Interstellar Exploration S.A. Cohen et al. INTERMEDIATE BEAMERS FOR STARSHOT: Probes to the Sun’s Inner Gravity Focus James Benford & Gregory Matloff REALITY, THE BREAKTHROUGH INITIATIVES and Prospects for Colonization of Space Edd Wheeler A GRAVITATIONAL WAVE TRANSMITTER A.A. Jackson and Gregory Benford CORRESPONDENCE www.bis-space.com ISSN 0007-084X PUBLICATION DATE: 29 APRIL 2019 Submitting papers International Advisory Board to JBIS JBIS welcomes the submission of technical Rachel Armstrong, Newcastle University, UK papers for publication dealing with technical Peter Bainum, Howard University, USA reviews, research, technology and engineering in astronautics and related fields. Stephen Baxter, Science & Science Fiction Writer, UK James Benford, Microwave Sciences, California, USA Text should be: James Biggs, The University of Strathclyde, UK ■ As concise as the content allows – typically 5,000 to 6,000 words. Shorter papers (Technical Notes) Anu Bowman, Foundation for Enterprise Development, California, USA will also be considered; longer papers will only Gerald Cleaver, Baylor University, USA be considered in exceptional circumstances – for Charles Cockell, University of Edinburgh, UK example, in the case of a major subject review. Ian A. Crawford, Birkbeck College London, UK ■ Source references should be inserted in the text in square brackets – [1] – and then listed at the Adam Crowl, Icarus Interstellar, Australia end of the paper. Eric W. Davis, Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin, USA ■ Illustration references should be cited in Kathryn Denning, York University, Toronto, Canada numerical order in the text; those not cited in the Martyn Fogg, Probability Research Group, UK text risk omission. -
LPIB Issue 164 (April 2021)
THE CHICXULUB IMPACT CRATER: Producing a Cradle of Life in the Midst of a Global Calamity Featured Story | From the Desk of Lori Glaze | Meeting Highlights | News from Space | Spotlight on Education In Memoriam | Milestones | New and Noteworthy | Calendar LUNAR AND PLANETARY INFORMATION BULLETIN April 2021 Issue 164 FEATURED STORY THE CHICXULUB IMPACT CRATER: Producing a Cradle of Life in the Midst of a Global Calamity DAVID A. KRING, LUNAR AND PLANETARY INSTITUTE Expedition 364 mission patch Introduction when the International Ocean Discov- an area that had been a stable sediment ery Program (IODP) and International catchment for over 100 million years? Strategically located scientific drilling Continental Scientific Drilling Program Clues began to emerge when the core can be used to tap the Earth for evi- (ICDP) initiated a new campaign with was analyzed. Logging revealed chem- dence of evolutionary upheavals that the call sign Expedition 364. Drilling ical and petrological variations on the transformed the planet. A good example from a marine platform a few meters granitic theme, plus felsite and dolerite is the Yucatán-6 borehole in Mexico above the sea surface, the new borehole intrusions, in a granitoid rock sequence that recovered rock samples from 1.2 reached a depth of 1335 meters be- that represented continental crust that and 1.3 kilometers beneath Earth’s neath the sea floor (mbsf). The borehole had been assembled through a series of surface. I used those samples 30 years penetrated seafloor sediments that bury tectonic events over more than a billion ago to show that a buried, geophysical- the crater, finally reaching impactites at years. -
Examining Explanations for the Strange Phenomena Encountered by U.S
AIRCRAFT DESIGN 14 LUNAR SPACESUITS 18 SUPERSONICS 36 Perlan 2 glider — explained More fl exibility for astronauts Listening for X-59’s sonic thump Mystery sightings Examining explanations for the strange phenomena encountered by U.S. Navy pilots. PAGE 26 NOVEMBER 2019 | A publication of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics | aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org The Premier Global, Commercial, Civil, Military and Emergent Space Conference Where Ideas Launch • Connections Are Made • Business Gets Done! SpaceSymposium.org SAVE $600 – Register Today for Best Savings! Special Military Rates! +1.800.691.4000 Share: FEATURES | November 2019 MORE AT aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org The Premier Global, Commercial, Civil, Military and Emergent Space Conference 14 18 36 26 Aiming for Exploring the Planning for 90,000 feet moon in new the sound of Mystery phenomena spacesuits Designers of Perlan 2 supersonic fl ight We look at possible explanations for those overcame formidable Former astronaut How NASA’s Low Boom fast and agile objects zipping across F/A-18 engineering Tom Jones examines Flight Demonstrator screens. challenges to NASA’s plans to give will test the public’s create a glider that explorers suits that tolerance for sonic By Jan Tegler and Cat Hofacker has reached the will let them walk, thumps. stratosphere and will lope, crouch and even try to beat its own kneel. By Jan Tegler record next year. Where Ideas Launch • Connections Are Made • Business Gets Done! By Tom Jones By Keith Button SpaceSymposium.org SAVE $600 – Register Today for