Daily Archives: March 14, 2015

NASA Moon Colonization
Comm 111 6 minute video. Colon.

By: Leila Artuz

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NASA Moon Colonization - Video

Cocoa Beach, FL (PRWEB) March 13, 2015

If Moon Express, Astrobotic, Masten, Part-Time Scientists and Interorbital Systems have any say about it, we will see their Lunar Landers on the Moon by the end of next year. These five major players in the newest race for space will be presenting at LSA 5, making this the premier event for Lunar Landers in 2015. Moon Express, Astrobotic, Part Time Scientists and Interorbital Systems (with Synergy Moon) are also serious contenders for the Google Lunar XPrize, which will award 30 million dollars to the first privately funded team to send a robot lander to the Moon, travel 500 meters, and transmit videos and data back to the Earth.

LSA 5 will includes presentations on lunar surface science and in situ resource utilization, both key concerns in the future exploration and colonization of space. Other Lunar Surface presentation topics include: Surface Measurements, Lander Leg Applications, Finding and Utilizing Resources, Communications and Software, and Lunar Landing Sites and Missions.

Astronaut Cady Coleman will be participating at LSA5 as both a keynote speaker and guest panelist on the Yuris Night Discussion panel scheduled for the evening of April 15. This panel discussion is entitled "Isolated and Dangerous:Analogue Research for Human Space Exploration" and will include not only Cady Coleman, but also representatives from the HI-SEAS, Desert Rats, NEEMO, and Aquarius Reef Project research teams.

Friday, April 17th is focused on Entrepreneurship in New Space and the how-tos to not only survive but thrive in todays commercial space industry.

Get involved in the newest race for space. If youre interested in Lunar Surface Applications and their implications in space exploration, this is the workshop to attend. Participate in person or via the Internet. Register now at http://www.lsaworkshops.com or call 888-874-0560. Early bird registration ends March 16, 2015.

ABOUT LSA 5: The Lunar Surface Applications Workshops is one of three space-related workshops sponsored by Flexure Engineering and the Select Investor each year. Other workshops in the series include Scientific Opportunities in Cislunar Space and LunarCubes. For information about any of these events please contact Faith Urban at 888-874-0560 or info(at)lsaworkshops(dot)com.

Visit link:
To The Moon at the 5th International Workshop on Lunar Surface Applications - April 14-17, 2015 in Cocoa Beach, FL

NASA scientists announced theyve found evidence that Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, has a vast subsurface liquid ocean that contains more water than the Earths surface. Ganymede is already unique in other ways its larger than the planet Mercury (but less than half Mercurys mass), twice the mass of our own moon, and the only satellite known to have its own magnetosphere. Like Europa, Ganymede may have an incredibly thin atmosphere of oxygen. The discovery of a liquid ocean on Ganymede increases the chances that life exists or has existed within its depths.

This discovery marks a significant milestone, highlighting what only Hubble can accomplish, said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of NASAs Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters, Washington. In its 25 years in orbit, Hubble has made many scientific discoveries in our own solar system. A deep ocean under the icy crust of Ganymede opens up further exciting possibilities for life beyond Earth.

Ganymedes magnetic field is the reason Hubble was able to peer across the void and detect the presence of subsurface water. Just as Earth has the northern and southern lights (Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis), Ganymede has its own auroral belts, as shown below:

Water is whats known as dimagnetic, meaning it generates a weak magnetic field in opposition to whatever magnetic field is applied to it. The aurora around Ganymede are expected to rock back and forth in response to Jupiters magnetic field (Ganymedes self-generated magnetic field is embedded in Jupiters as shown below):

What the scientists found is that the rocking motion across the surface was much reduced compared to what theyd expect to see if there was no water underneath the surface of the moon. Current thinking is that the ocean is an estimated 60 miles deep, but buried 95 miles beneath the icy crust.

Weve known for decades that Ganymede contained significant amounts of water ice, but the presence of liquid oceans was less certain. At 95 miles below the surface, the oceans could run quite hot. For reference, the average temperature on the surface at the Kola Superdeep Borehole in July is just 52F / 11C, while the temperature at the bottom of the shaft, 49,000 feet below the surface, was 356F / 180C. At more than 10x the depth, Ganymedes hypothetical ocean would be insulated from the cold vacuum of space and warmed by the moons active core.

Ganymede isnt the only water-related news this week. NASA has also detected hot springs and hydrothermal vents operating beneath the icy crust, within subsurface oceans. Its long been known that Enceladus had significant water reserves, the moon periodically emits particle blasts and weve detected cryovolcanoes volcanos that emit frozen compounds rather than magma actively on the surface.

Finding hydrothermal vents, however, is still a first since Earth was previously the only planet known to have them. Its not clear if Enceladus core is active or if proximity to Saturn and its orbital resonance with other moons keeps it warm via tidal heating, but either way, its another example of how we continue to learn about the planets and moons within the solar system. Recent years have proven that water essential to human life and and to any future colonization efforts is far more common within the solar system than was previously believed.

See more here:
NASA detects subsurface ocean on solar systems largest moon