Luminary Crush - Slashdot User

Submission + - Exomoon Detection Technique Greatly Expands List of Potential Habitable Systems

Submitted by Luminary Crush on Tuesday August 26, 2014 @02:36PM

Luminary Crush writes: Most of the detected exoplanets thus far have been gas giants which aren't great candidates for life as we know it. However, many of those planets are in fact in the star's habitable zone and could have moons with conditions more favorable. Until now, methods to detect the moons of such gas giants have been elusive, but researchers at the University of Texas, Arlington have discovered a way to detect the interaction of a moon's ionosphere with the parent gas giant from studies of Jupiter's moon Io. The search for 'Pandora' has begun.

Submission + - Fusion power by 2020? Researchers say yes and turn to crowdfunding. 1

Submitted by Luminary Crush on Monday May 19, 2014 @08:40PM

Luminary Crush writes: To date, the bulk of fusion research has been channelled towards a plasma containment and stabilization method. This is the approach used by ITER's tokamak reactor, the cost of which could exceed US$13.7 billion before it's online in the year 2027 (barring further delays). Researchers at LPP Fusion, in a project partially financed by NASA-JPL, are working in a different direction: focus fusion, which focuses the plasma in a very small area to produce fusion and an ion beam which could then be harnessed to produce electricity. It small enough to fit in a shipping container, can double as a rocket engine, and would cost US$50 million to produce the working 5 MW prototype. To reach the next hurdle and demonstrate feasibility, LPP Fusion has started an Indiegogo campaign to raise $200K.

Submission + - Potential "Avatar" Gas Giant Exoplanet Discovered (hanno-rein.de)

Submitted by

Luminary Crush

on Sunday October 24, 2010 @05:49PM

Luminary Crush writes: "A gas giant of approximately 1.5 Mj (Jupiter Mass) was discovered on October 22nd, 2010 around the binary star system HD 176051B. It's not known with certainty which component of the binary system the planet is in orbit around at this point as both stars in HD 176051B are relatively Sol-sized (1.07 and .71 solar masses). Named 176051B b, this new exoplanet orbits within the star system's habitable zone, and if mapped onto our solar system with relative distance from our Sun it would place the large planet between Earth and Mars.
While it's unlikely that such a gas giant could host life as we know it (though it's hypothesized), the location of the big planet opens up the intriguing idea of the realization of some of science fiction's famously habitable moons Pandora and Endor. Look no further than our own solar system to see moons with the potential ingredients for life — just add heat."

Submission + - Nearby "Super Earth" may have atmosphere (sciencedaily.com)

Submitted by

Luminary Crush

on Wednesday December 16, 2009 @05:00PM

Luminary Crush writes: "Astronomers announced that they have discovered a "super-Earth" which seems to have an atmosphere orbiting a red dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth. They found the distant planet with a small fleet of ground-based telescopes no larger than those many amateur astronomers have in their backyards. Although the super-Earth is too hot to sustain life, the discovery shows that current, ground-based technologies are capable of finding almost-Earth-sized planets in warm, life-friendly orbits."

Submission + - The first manned mission to Mars a one-way trip? (physorg.com)

Submitted by

Luminary Crush

on Thursday October 23, 2008 @12:58PM

Luminary Crush writes: "
The first astronauts sent to Mars should be prepared to spend the rest of their lives there, in the same way that European pioneers headed to America knowing they would not return home, says moonwalker Buzz Aldrin. "[the distance and difficulty is why you should] send people there permanently," Aldrin said. "If we are not willing to do that, then I don't think we should just go once and have the expense of doing that and then stop."

Next step: choosing the family and friendly robot for the trip."

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