What Do Frozen Worms Say About Space Travel?

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Hibernation pods for space travel as shown in the movie Aliens. (20th Century Fox)

Earlier this week we learned about worms taken from Siberian permafrost that have been revived after being frozen for 46,000 years. In the Scientific American, the co-author of the study with these finding, cell biologist Teymuras Kurzchalia, stated, “The radiocarbon dating is absolutely precise, and we now know that they really survived 46,000 years.”

So what does this mean for life that is somewhat more complex than a worm? Given that the findings are still being challenged, maybe nothing. Yet, if true, it may say something about life on this planet, life on other planets, and human life spans should we want to travel to distant locations. While such hibernation is a staple of science fiction, it seems to be a bit closer to reality with this study out there.

The European Space Agency (ESA) and others are already looking into human hibernation for space travel. In one ESA press article from 2019 regarding hibernation for travel to Mars, we read how one study concluded the following:

Not only does hibernation have positive psychological effects, it also allows for a complete mission and system re-design, optimised for human hibernation, which could minimise both mass and cost.

I think the “cost” point may be the key decider on this distant travel matter. Besides, how long can you play “I see a red star” before you go mad?

Travel to Moon and Mars Not Most Important Missions for the Public

Posted on by onespaceman2000

While both Buzz Aldrin and I believe that lunar and Martian colonies are important, it would appear the public has other ideas about NASA’s priorities. The graphic above shows in a recent Pew Research Center study indicates the more Americans are interested in monitoring the Earth’s climate as well as watching for asteroids.

Even finding exoplanets that could support life seems to be more important than occupying local moons and planets. I am not sure how that would help us now if we want to spread the risk of living on one planet, as some propose. We are nowhere near sending a probe to exoplanets, let alone getting humans there.

The study has quite a bit to ponder, including:

  • 58% of U.S. adults believe it is essential to include the use of human astronauts in the U.S. space program, while 41% say astronauts are not essential;
  • Some 44% of Americans have a great deal of confidence private companies will make a profit in their space-related ventures;
  • As the public considers the possibilities ahead for ordinary citizens to orbit the Earth in a spacecraft, more Americans say they would not want to orbit the Earth than say they would (58% to 42%); and
  • About seven-in-ten Americans (72%) say it is essential for the U.S. to continue to be a world leader in space exploration, and eight-in-ten (80%) say the space station has been a good investment for the country.

I am not sure the survey shows a lot of consistency in the answers, but this can be a difficult topic at the outset. NASA should just be worried if Americans saw no reason for a space program, which does not seem to be the case. As noted above, the majority of Americans want a strong space program. Let’s see if that helps with the ongoing congressional budget discussions.

Pic of the Week/A Day in Astronomy: Moon Landing

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Astronaut Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin Jr., Lunar Module (LM) pilot, climbs down the LM ladder, preparing for his first steps on the Moon. (NASA)

On this day in 1969, the Apollo 11 crew stepped on the Moon for the first time, showing that mankind could actually travel to another world. The image above shows Astronaut Buzz Aldrin preparing the step on the Moon as the second human to ever walk on the lunar surface.

Buzz Aldrin has plenty of quotes related to his Moon mission and life in general, but I like his quotes about our next trip to Mars, like this one:

When we set out to land people on the surface of Mars, I think we should as a nation, as a world, commit ourselves to supporting a growing settlement and colonization there. To visit a few times and then withdraw would be an unforgivable waste of resources.

NASA’s Artemis mission is retracing Buzz Adrin’s steps, which is a good sign given that we visited only a few times and then withdrew for decades. Let’s hope Artemis gets us settlements on both the Moon and Mars.

Study Findings: Diverse Organic-mineral Associations in Jezero Crater, Mars

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover selfie with its Ingenuity helicopter in the background. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)

Nature abstract of the study findings:

The presence and distribution of preserved organic matter on the surface of Mars can provide key information about the Martian carbon cycle and the potential of the planet to host life throughout its history. Several types of organic molecules have been previously detected in Martian meteorites and at Gale crater, Mars. Evaluating the diversity and detectability of organic matter elsewhere on Mars is important for understanding the extent and diversity of Martian surface processes and the potential availability of carbon sources. Here we report the detection of Raman and fluorescence spectra consistent with several species of aromatic organic molecules in the Máaz and Séítah formations within the Crater Floor sequences of Jezero crater, Mars. We report specific fluorescence-mineral associations consistent with many classes of organic molecules occurring in different spatial patterns within these compositionally distinct formations, potentially indicating different fates of carbon across environments. Our findings suggest there may be a diversity of aromatic molecules prevalent on the Martian surface, and these materials persist despite exposure to surface conditions. These potential organic molecules are largely found within minerals linked to aqueous processes, indicating that these processes may have had a key role in organic synthesis, transport or preservation.

Citation: Sharma, S., Roppel, R.D., Murphy, A.E. et al. Diverse organic-mineral associations in Jezero crater, Mars. Nature (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06143-z

Study-related stories:

Space Stories: Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is Back, Reclaiming More Water on the ISS, and Directly Imaging an Exoplanet

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—NASA: “NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Phones Home“

The 52nd flight of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is now in the official mission logbook as a success. The flight took place back on April 26, but mission controllers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California lost contact with the helicopter as it descended toward the surface for landing. The Ingenuity team expected the communications dropout because a hill stood between the helicopter’s landing location and the Perseverance rover’s position, blocking communication between the two. 

—Phys.org: “NASA Achieves Water Recovery Milestone on International Space Station“

Astronauts on interplanetary missions will be a bit less thirsty after a new NASA system succeeded at reclaiming 98% of waste water aboard the International Space Station (ISS) by converting things like urine into a drinkable state. Future crewed deep space missions that will last months or even years will be very different from any that have come before. Until now, astronauts have either carried their own supplies along or relied on regular visits from cargo ships. As to waste products, these were simply disposed of in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, deep space missions don’t have that luxury.

—SCI.News: “Astronomers Directly Image Jupiter-Like Exoplanet around Nearby Young Star“

AF Leporis is a bright F8V star located about 87.5 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Lepus. Also known as AF Lep, HD 35850, HIP 25486 and HR 1817, the star has an age of 24 million years and a mass of 1.2 solar masses. The star hosts a young exoplanet, AF Leporis b (AF Lep b), which is located about 8 times the Earth-Sun distance and is among the first ever discovered using a technique called astrometry. This method measures the subtle movements of a host star over many years to help astronomers determine whether hard-to-see orbiting companions, including planets, are gravitationally tugging at it.