FREEZE!
Co-AdminMemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 9:51 AM(thought some of you might enjoy watching this today...)
[center][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/GYpbZ.jpg[/IMG][/center]
Get ready...
Word has it (from a NASA Media Alert) that MESSENGER, the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury, has observed something new and interesting on the first planet from the Sun, and we're going to cover the official announcement from NASA live!
The spacecraft's MESSENGER acronym stands for Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging, and has been studying the planet more intensely than any probe before it, ever since its arrival there in March 2011. Have we whet your appetite yet?
Watch the press conference live as it unfolds on NASA TV at 2 p.m. EST
(and enjoy their regular broadcast before then)
Link to Site: [url=http://blogs.discovery.com/inscider/2012/11/nasa-mercury-announcement.html#mkcpgn=fbsci1]inSCIderblogNASATV[/url]
and another link: [url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html]nasatv[/url]
or visit [url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/nov/HQ_M12-219_MESSENGER_Nov-29_News_Conference.html]nasa.gov[/url] for more details.
The news conference participants are:
- Jim Green, director, Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington
- Sean Solomon, MESSENGER Principal Investigator, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, N.Y.
- David Lawrence, MESSENGER Participating Scientist, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md.
- Gregory Neumann, Mercury Laser Altimeter Instrument Scientist, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
- David Paige, MESSENGER Participating Scientist, University of California, Los Angeles
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Oneironaut 717
MemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 10:06 AMMy inner geek salutes you. Will be tuning in once I figure out the time difference.
FREEZE!
Co-AdminMemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 10:16 AMHaha, No problem Oneiron!
It is current 11:19 am EST if that helps. So, 2 hours and 45 minutes to go roughly.
NasaTv at the moment is covering the International Space Station from the control room if you're interested. This can be seen on either nasatv links I posted.
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Oneironaut 717
MemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 10:42 AMThat's 19:00hrs in my time. Will have a look see at that other link, thanks again!
tankgirl
Social LiasonMemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 12:27 PMThats Brilliant!!
Thanks Freeze!
I will be watching...
It will be 8am here in NZ : )
SO EXCITING!!!
I just hope they havnt found a Derelect ; )
\"My God, its full of stars\" David Bowman
FREEZE!
Co-AdminMemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 1:53 PM[b][u]UPDATE:[/u][/b]
[center][img]http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/63139_506389359382080_1397078206_n.jpg[/img][/center]
[u]CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP)[/u] — A NASA spacecraft has confirmed there’s ice at Mercury’s north pole.
Scientists announced Thursday that the orbiting probe, Messenger, has found evidence of frozen water, even though Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. The ice is located in the permanently shadowed region of Mercury’s north pole. It’s thought to be at least one-and-a-half feet deep — and possibly as much as 65 feet deep.
Scientists say it’s likely Mercury’s south pole also has ice, though there are no data to support it. Messenger orbits much closer to the north pole than the south.
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Svanya
AdminPraetorianNov-29-2012 2:23 PMOmg that is so cool.
tankgirl
Social LiasonMemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 2:24 PMThanks Freeze!
Thats SO awesome!!
Just the fact that there is Water Ice is certainly significant
but it may have other possible implications....
On Earth they have discovered Bacteria inside Ice that is still considered living and is 600.000 years old
This is a whole colony of bacteria living inside Ice
[img]http://ufologie.patrickgross.org/pics/hostilenv02b.jpg[/img]
They have also found DNA inside Ice that is 800,000 years old although its wasn't found inside a living creature
[url=http://www.livescience.com/7358-oldest-living-ice.html]LiveScience[/url]
DNA is quite prevalent in space .. at least the building blocks of DNA are...
QUOTE: [url=http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2087758,00.html]TIME:Sience and Space[/url]
As far back as the 1960s, it was clear that amino acids, which link up to form proteins, can and do form in space. And now scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., are claiming that another set of molecules crucial to life have also rained down on Earth: adenine and guanine, two of the four so-called nucleobases that, along with cytosine and thymine, form the rungs of DNA's ladder-like structure.
This worm lives inside Ice but it is usually frozen salt water...
[img]http://www.calacademy.org/exhibits/xtremelife/images/ice_worm_closeup.jpg[/img]
[url=http://www.ehow.com/info_8265816_animals-live-glaciers-icebergs.html]Ice Worms[/url]
SO.....
You never know!! : )
\"My God, its full of stars\" David Bowman
caenorhabhditis
MemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 2:31 PMwow unexpected! hey tank that ice worm! very cuddlesesque! :o
I LIKE WORMS! I LOVE WORMS!
tankgirl
Social LiasonMemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 2:34 PMI thought you might like him Caenor!
ha ha ha ha ha ha : )
[url=http://science.psu.edu/news-and-events/1997-news/iceworms.htm]Cuddlesesquel[/url]
\"My God, its full of stars\" David Bowman
Oneironaut 717
MemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 2:54 PMI never realised Mercury could get so cold: 50ºK (-223ºC) to 80ºK(-193ºC) despite its proximity to the Sun.
tankgirl
Social LiasonMemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 3:03 PM Yea..
Its mostly because it doesnt have any atmosphere to trap the heat
Venus is actually the hottest planet in our solar system because it has a very thick atmosphere 96% carbon dioxide and VERY dense
so a MASSIVE greenhouse effect : )
\"My God, its full of stars\" David Bowman
Lone
MemberPraetorianNov-29-2012 4:51 PMCool!!! :-D
All those planets, stars, moons, galaxies out there, some of them must be capable of sustaining life?
I never want to meet the Alien though, no matter how much it fascinates me! :-D
Oooh that ice worm could be straight out of a 60's Sci-fi classic!
Prenihility
MemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 5:33 PMPretty exciting... but nothing will excite me like the last few moments of footage from a space probe that shows it being pumelled by the natives of a planet currently undergoing exploration/discovery :D.
Ice, impressive.
But what interests me most is this organic material...? Hmmm?
tankgirl
Social LiasonMemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 5:56 PM@Pren
Well NASA is expected to make another announcement During an important Science Conference the week of Dec 3-7
Apparantly the Scienstist in charge of the Mars Curiosity project has said to the media that there will be an announcement that will make the History books
most people are guessing that it will be either evidence of organic life or maybe remanents of it.....
My guess is that it might be Methane... which indicates biological processes
Which would be VERY cool!!
Im with you on the probe/rover being pummelled by natives of the planet!! ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Now THAT would be something O-O
[img]http://www.zengardner.com/wp-content/uploads/marsroveraliens-640x458.png[/img]
[img]http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/sda/lowres/sdan304l.jpg[/img]
\"My God, its full of stars\" David Bowman
NCC 1701
Veteran MemberMemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 7:44 PMright on Freeze
FREEZE!
Co-AdminMemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 10:25 PMright on NCC!
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FREEZE!
Co-AdminMemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 10:25 PMI'm glad you all liked this thread! I will do more in the future for sure! :P
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Prenihility
MemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 11:40 PM@tankgirl
Gets me excited...
Crossing my fingers for organic life. It's about time something happened to spiritually awaken everyone. and/or open up their minds.
I'm feeling it, at this point in our history.
And if the announcement is bacteria... someone's gettin' punched in the ****in' face!
FREEZE!
Co-AdminMemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 11:45 PMWell said Pren
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tankgirl
Social LiasonMemberOvomorphNov-29-2012 11:52 PMMe too Pren : )
imagine it....
how people would come together
and everything would become more real : )
\"My God, its full of stars\" David Bowman
zzplural
MemberOvomorphNov-30-2012 12:59 AMCool. Literally!
Similar deposits of ice water were found at the Moon's North Pole a couple of years ago. In both cases, there are polar craters that never ever see the light of day — the lack of heating radiation and the vacuum of space makes it extremely cold at the bottom of such craters. It has long been predicted for ice to exist in these places.
Since the ice arrived in the form of cometary impacts billions of years ago, and comets are festooned with organic compounds, the existence of these molecules in these craters was also predicted quite some time ago.
NB, 'organic' compounds are merely molecules containing carbon atoms. Whilst carbon and water are essential for life as we know it, there are undoubtedly other conditions and processes required in order to kick off life. Did this ever happen on Mercury or in the comets themselves? We don't know. Scientists must be itching to do a sample return mission to get their hands on the raw material. Could be quite tricky, though, because they'd want to dig deep: anywhere near the surface of Mercury's ice is going to be deadly for organic chemistry, because of the prevalent ionising radiation.
The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent
FREEZE!
Co-AdminMemberOvomorphNov-30-2012 1:07 AM^^ Well said ZZ. Quite tricky indeed. All in all the search for life, on and off our planet, is not going to be easy. ;) Today was another glimpse at what mankind can do, something certainly to be proud of.
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BigDave
MemberDeaconNov-30-2012 6:39 AM"This worm lives inside Ice but it is usually frozen salt water..."
OMG!!!!!!!
Its the Trilobyte lol
Anyway anywhere where a rock. planet, or moon has Water in any form and CO2 then there is a good chance of basic lifeforms like this.
R.I.P Sox 01/01/2006 - 11/10/2017
Mateo
MemberOvomorphNov-30-2012 7:31 AMI called to this a pure and real sci-fiction! thank you Freeze! ;)
Cerulean Blue
MemberFacehuggerNov-30-2012 10:17 AMThanks Freeze!
800,000 year-old bacteria is very interesting!
It may still be infected by the black goo from the original sacrificial Engineer!
fader
MemberOvomorphNov-30-2012 12:34 PMgood topic, I can't wait until the New Horizen probe that's enroute to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt starts sending photo's. New Horizen is alittle over 1/2 way there. I also would not be surprised that this probe picks up even more planetiods after it enters the Kuiper Belt. It is to arrive to Pluto on or about July 2015
I should reach the frontier in about 6 weeks. With a little luck, the network will pick me up. This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo....
shambs
MemberOvomorphNov-30-2012 12:52 PMfingers crossed but also It's a shame that Carl Sagan is not alive to see this, surely he would love a discovery like this...
NCC 1701
Veteran MemberMemberOvomorphNov-30-2012 3:41 PMone other , at least there is a cold spot to stick the full beer in
[img]http://brooklynbrewery.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/RemainsLighting_SnowBeer.jpg[/img]
tankgirl
Social LiasonMemberOvomorphNov-30-2012 3:50 PMha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Brilliant Ncc!!!! : D
\"My God, its full of stars\" David Bowman
tankgirl
Social LiasonMemberOvomorphNov-30-2012 4:11 PMI believe the Hotspot for potential life in our small Solar System would be on Titan
[img]http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2012/06/titan-moon-surface-methane-lake-nasa.jpg[/img]
Titan is one of Saturns Moons and researches know that there are abundant organic compounds
There are Lakes of liquid methane which is a Hydrocarbon
[url=http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/06/titan-moon-lakes-life/]Methane Lakes Raise hope of life on Titan[/url]
This is one of the lakes near Titans north pole
[img]http://blogs.agu.org/martianchronicles/files/2008/12/lakes.jpg[/img]
A team of scientists using NASA's Cassini spacecraft have now found indirect but telltale signs of a subsurface sea, perhaps of water as well as ammonia, which would act like antifreeze.
The data suggest that the ocean, perhaps more than 15 miles deep, is sandwiched between two layers of ice, each less than 60 miles (100 kilometers) thick. It rides atop one layer of ice covering the moon's rocky core and appears to be capped with another ice layer that forms Titan's surface.
Cassini traveled to Titan and dropped the Huygens probe in 2005
[url=http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-06/new-cassini-findings-hint-methane-based-life-titan]New Cassini Findings Show Possible Signs of Methane-Based Life on Titan[/url]
[img]http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5l7t8AZxv1r01w8mo4_r1_1280.jpg[/img]
The next trip is the Titan Saturn System Mission costing $2.5 Billion launch set to 2020 arriving Saturn 2029
the 4 year mission includes 2 year Saturn tour, a 2 month Titan aero-sampling phase and a 20 month Titan orbit phase
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/TSSM-TandEM-Orbiter.jpg[/img]
\"My God, its full of stars\" David Bowman