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"title": "NASA to Explore What Could Be The Iron Core of a Former Planet",
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"content": "\u003cp>NASA is preparing a journey to an unusual asteroid named \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/asteroids/16-psyche/in-depth/\">Psyche,\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\na journey that no spacecraft has taken before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Psyche is not your common asteroid. Scientists believe it’s the metallic core of a planet that had its rocky layers stripped away by violent collisions with other space objects in the distant past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NASA’s spacecraft will depart Earth on a \u003ca href=\"https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/falcon-heavy/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> SpaceX Falcon Heavy\u003c/a> launch vehicle in August 2022, beginning a voyage to the solar system’s \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/asteroids/overview/?page=0&per_page=40&order=name+asc&search=&condition_1=101%3Aparent_id&condition_2=asteroid%3Abody_type%3Ailike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> main asteroid belt\u003c/a>, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Along the way, in May 2023, it will fly near enough to Mars to gain a boost in speed from that planet’s gravity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977334\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1977334 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/pia24472-psyche-asteroid-illustration-16_0-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU.jpg\" alt=\"A rough, cratered gray asteroid floats against the black backdrop of space. \" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/pia24472-psyche-asteroid-illustration-16_0-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/pia24472-psyche-asteroid-illustration-16_0-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/pia24472-psyche-asteroid-illustration-16_0-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/pia24472-psyche-asteroid-illustration-16_0-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/pia24472-psyche-asteroid-illustration-16_0-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/pia24472-psyche-asteroid-illustration-16_0-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An artist’s concept of the asteroid Psyche, believed to be the remnant metallic core of an ancient planet. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Arizona State University will lead the Psyche mission, conducted by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The asteroid\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Psyche was discovered in 1852 by Italian astronomer\u003ca href=\"https://royalsociety.org/blog/2019/11/a-parthenope-in-the-sky/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Annibale de Gasparis\u003c/a>, who named the slowly moving, star-like spot of light in the sky after the Greek goddess of the soul.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Psyche circles the sun within the solar system’s main asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. At 140-miles wide, the asteroid is one of the most scientifically intriguing objects in the belt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977335\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1977335 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Psyche_asteroid_eso_cropESO-LAM-VLT.jpg\" alt=\"A fuzzy, white distorted circle sits against a jet black background. \" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Psyche_asteroid_eso_cropESO-LAM-VLT.jpg 300w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Psyche_asteroid_eso_cropESO-LAM-VLT-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image of asteroid 16 Psyche captured by the Very Large Telescope using adaptive optics technology. \u003ccite>(ESO/LAM/Very Large Telescope)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Psyche’s density, calculated from a mass estimated by its gravitational influence on other asteroids and a size measurement made by the IRAS infrared survey, tells scientists the asteroid is largely composed of metal — unlike typical asteroids, which are rocky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why scientists believe it may be the dense metallic core of a former planet, whose outer rocky layers may have been blasted away by collisions with other objects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the asteroid Psyche is the iron core of a former planet or planetoid, then it may serve as a rare chance to examine a planetary core directly — an opportunity that fully formed planets do not offer, hiding their precious cores in secrecy beneath hundreds or thousands of miles of rock and magma.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A planet that might have been?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The early solar system is thought to have been a tumultuous place, filled with whizzing asteroids, comets, and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-researchers-find-evidence-of-planet-building-clumps\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">planetesimals\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” — primordial, kilometer-plus-sized objects that merged with each other to form planets. All these objects flying about frequently shattered against other large objects. The collisions reshaped them, and they gradually rebuilt over time from a continual bombardment of smaller bits.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As these space objects became larger, their gravity’s strength also grew, which in turn pulled in even more stuff, and they snowballed. Some quickly dominated their regions of the solar system, and would eventually become the planets we know today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977338\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1977338 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/earth_interior_cutaway_preview_3.jpg__1240x510_q85_subject_location-602515_subsampling-2.jpg\" alt=\"A picture of blue, white and green Earth with a cutaway that shows its dark red crust; lighter red upper mantle and mantle; yellow-red outer core; and bright yellow inner core. \" width=\"720\" height=\"510\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/earth_interior_cutaway_preview_3.jpg__1240x510_q85_subject_location-602515_subsampling-2.jpg 720w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/earth_interior_cutaway_preview_3.jpg__1240x510_q85_subject_location-602515_subsampling-2-160x113.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cutaway of Earth showing the internal layered structure as we understand it through indirect measurements and observations. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>These planets — largely molten from the incredible heat generated by the impacts and bombardment of their formation — underwent a process called differentiation, in which heavier material, like metals, sank to form their cores, while lighter stuff — such as silicates — floated toward the surface. This layering effect led to the structures of planets and moons we understand today, with dense, metal-rich cores surrounded by mantles of lighter material.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Direct exploration of a one-time planetary core would provide insights into the formation and development of planets, like Earth, that can otherwise only be gleaned indirectly through measurements of gravity and the motion of\u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/spacecraft/instruments/seis/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> seismic waves traveling through a planet’s interior.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Solar electric propulsion\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The Psyche spacecraft will be specially equipped with a high-tech engine to propel it on its voyage and eventual rendezvous with the huge iron asteroid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977336\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 750px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977336\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/6138511259515.image-PsycheAtJPL-NASA-JPL-Caltech.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/6138511259515.image-PsycheAtJPL-NASA-JPL-Caltech.jpg 750w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/6138511259515.image-PsycheAtJPL-NASA-JPL-Caltech-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Picture of NASA’s Psyche spacecraft during construction at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The engine sounds like something from a science fiction novel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most robotic probes sent to distant reaches of the solar system rely on the momentum of their launch from Earth and changes in speed and trajectory provided by the gravity of planets they steer past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Psyche-bound craft will use\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/solar-electric-propulsion-makes-nasas-psyche-spacecraft-go\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> solar-electric propulsion\u003c/a> to change course and speed and eventually settle into an orbit around the destination asteroid. NASA has tested similar propulsion systems before, such as on the \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/spacecraft/instruments/seis/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Deep Space 1\u003c/a> and\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/dawn/overview/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Dawn spacecraft.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s how it works:Using electricity generated with solar panels, heavy atoms (in this case xenon) are ionized and accelerated by electric fields, then shot into space in a high-speed beam to produce thrust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977337\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1977337 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A black, round engine thruster with interior rings of bright blue. \" width=\"2560\" height=\"1809\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-800x565.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-1020x721.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-768x543.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-1536x1086.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-2048x1447.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-1920x1357.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A solar-electric propulsion engine being tested on Earth. The engine uses a beam of accelerated ions as thrust. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Though this engine does not have the raw umph of a conventional chemical combustion rocket, it has distinct advantages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For one, solar-electric propulsion is much more efficient, making the best use of its propellant with far less waste. And since the source of energy that drives it comes from sunlight, the spacecraft does not need to carry along the weight of chemical or nuclear fuel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And though the power of this engine thrust is modest, it can run continually, the gentle acceleration building up over a long period of time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Psyche spacecraft will arrive at its destination in 2026, only four years after launch. Then, we may glimpse secrets of the birth and development of a planet. The kind of information that our own Earth keeps buried under thousands of miles of rock.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Scientists believe the asteroid Psyche was a planet that lost its rocky layers during violent collisions with space objects long ago. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>NASA is preparing a journey to an unusual asteroid named \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/asteroids/16-psyche/in-depth/\">Psyche,\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\na journey that no spacecraft has taken before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Psyche is not your common asteroid. Scientists believe it’s the metallic core of a planet that had its rocky layers stripped away by violent collisions with other space objects in the distant past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NASA’s spacecraft will depart Earth on a \u003ca href=\"https://www.spacex.com/vehicles/falcon-heavy/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> SpaceX Falcon Heavy\u003c/a> launch vehicle in August 2022, beginning a voyage to the solar system’s \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/asteroids-comets-and-meteors/asteroids/overview/?page=0&per_page=40&order=name+asc&search=&condition_1=101%3Aparent_id&condition_2=asteroid%3Abody_type%3Ailike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> main asteroid belt\u003c/a>, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Along the way, in May 2023, it will fly near enough to Mars to gain a boost in speed from that planet’s gravity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977334\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1600px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1977334 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/pia24472-psyche-asteroid-illustration-16_0-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU.jpg\" alt=\"A rough, cratered gray asteroid floats against the black backdrop of space. \" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/pia24472-psyche-asteroid-illustration-16_0-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/pia24472-psyche-asteroid-illustration-16_0-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/pia24472-psyche-asteroid-illustration-16_0-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/pia24472-psyche-asteroid-illustration-16_0-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/pia24472-psyche-asteroid-illustration-16_0-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/pia24472-psyche-asteroid-illustration-16_0-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An artist’s concept of the asteroid Psyche, believed to be the remnant metallic core of an ancient planet. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Arizona State University will lead the Psyche mission, conducted by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The asteroid\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Psyche was discovered in 1852 by Italian astronomer\u003ca href=\"https://royalsociety.org/blog/2019/11/a-parthenope-in-the-sky/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Annibale de Gasparis\u003c/a>, who named the slowly moving, star-like spot of light in the sky after the Greek goddess of the soul.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Psyche circles the sun within the solar system’s main asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. At 140-miles wide, the asteroid is one of the most scientifically intriguing objects in the belt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977335\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 300px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1977335 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Psyche_asteroid_eso_cropESO-LAM-VLT.jpg\" alt=\"A fuzzy, white distorted circle sits against a jet black background. \" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Psyche_asteroid_eso_cropESO-LAM-VLT.jpg 300w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/Psyche_asteroid_eso_cropESO-LAM-VLT-160x160.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image of asteroid 16 Psyche captured by the Very Large Telescope using adaptive optics technology. \u003ccite>(ESO/LAM/Very Large Telescope)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Psyche’s density, calculated from a mass estimated by its gravitational influence on other asteroids and a size measurement made by the IRAS infrared survey, tells scientists the asteroid is largely composed of metal — unlike typical asteroids, which are rocky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why scientists believe it may be the dense metallic core of a former planet, whose outer rocky layers may have been blasted away by collisions with other objects.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If the asteroid Psyche is the iron core of a former planet or planetoid, then it may serve as a rare chance to examine a planetary core directly — an opportunity that fully formed planets do not offer, hiding their precious cores in secrecy beneath hundreds or thousands of miles of rock and magma.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>A planet that might have been?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The early solar system is thought to have been a tumultuous place, filled with whizzing asteroids, comets, and “\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-researchers-find-evidence-of-planet-building-clumps\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">planetesimals\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">” — primordial, kilometer-plus-sized objects that merged with each other to form planets. All these objects flying about frequently shattered against other large objects. The collisions reshaped them, and they gradually rebuilt over time from a continual bombardment of smaller bits.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As these space objects became larger, their gravity’s strength also grew, which in turn pulled in even more stuff, and they snowballed. Some quickly dominated their regions of the solar system, and would eventually become the planets we know today.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977338\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 720px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1977338 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/earth_interior_cutaway_preview_3.jpg__1240x510_q85_subject_location-602515_subsampling-2.jpg\" alt=\"A picture of blue, white and green Earth with a cutaway that shows its dark red crust; lighter red upper mantle and mantle; yellow-red outer core; and bright yellow inner core. \" width=\"720\" height=\"510\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/earth_interior_cutaway_preview_3.jpg__1240x510_q85_subject_location-602515_subsampling-2.jpg 720w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/earth_interior_cutaway_preview_3.jpg__1240x510_q85_subject_location-602515_subsampling-2-160x113.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cutaway of Earth showing the internal layered structure as we understand it through indirect measurements and observations. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>These planets — largely molten from the incredible heat generated by the impacts and bombardment of their formation — underwent a process called differentiation, in which heavier material, like metals, sank to form their cores, while lighter stuff — such as silicates — floated toward the surface. This layering effect led to the structures of planets and moons we understand today, with dense, metal-rich cores surrounded by mantles of lighter material.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Direct exploration of a one-time planetary core would provide insights into the formation and development of planets, like Earth, that can otherwise only be gleaned indirectly through measurements of gravity and the motion of\u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/spacecraft/instruments/seis/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> seismic waves traveling through a planet’s interior.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Solar electric propulsion\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>The Psyche spacecraft will be specially equipped with a high-tech engine to propel it on its voyage and eventual rendezvous with the huge iron asteroid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977336\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 750px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977336\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/6138511259515.image-PsycheAtJPL-NASA-JPL-Caltech.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/6138511259515.image-PsycheAtJPL-NASA-JPL-Caltech.jpg 750w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/6138511259515.image-PsycheAtJPL-NASA-JPL-Caltech-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Picture of NASA’s Psyche spacecraft during construction at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The engine sounds like something from a science fiction novel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Most robotic probes sent to distant reaches of the solar system rely on the momentum of their launch from Earth and changes in speed and trajectory provided by the gravity of planets they steer past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Psyche-bound craft will use\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/solar-electric-propulsion-makes-nasas-psyche-spacecraft-go\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> solar-electric propulsion\u003c/a> to change course and speed and eventually settle into an orbit around the destination asteroid. NASA has tested similar propulsion systems before, such as on the \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/spacecraft/instruments/seis/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Deep Space 1\u003c/a> and\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/dawn/overview/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Dawn spacecraft.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s how it works:Using electricity generated with solar panels, heavy atoms (in this case xenon) are ionized and accelerated by electric fields, then shot into space in a high-speed beam to produce thrust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977337\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1977337 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"A black, round engine thruster with interior rings of bright blue. \" width=\"2560\" height=\"1809\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-800x565.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-1020x721.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-160x113.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-768x543.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-1536x1086.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-2048x1447.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/10/solar_electric_propulsion_0-1920x1357.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A solar-electric propulsion engine being tested on Earth. The engine uses a beam of accelerated ions as thrust. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Though this engine does not have the raw umph of a conventional chemical combustion rocket, it has distinct advantages.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For one, solar-electric propulsion is much more efficient, making the best use of its propellant with far less waste. And since the source of energy that drives it comes from sunlight, the spacecraft does not need to carry along the weight of chemical or nuclear fuel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And though the power of this engine thrust is modest, it can run continually, the gentle acceleration building up over a long period of time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Psyche spacecraft will arrive at its destination in 2026, only four years after launch. Then, we may glimpse secrets of the birth and development of a planet. The kind of information that our own Earth keeps buried under thousands of miles of rock.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Perseverance Pays Off: First Successful Rock Collection from Mars Complete",
"headTitle": "Perseverance Pays Off: First Successful Rock Collection from Mars Complete | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>NASA’s \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/\">Perseverance rover\u003c/a> has successfully collected its first rock samples from Mars’ Jezero Crater, specimens that will help illuminate the geologic and possibly \u003ca href=\"https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/\">astrobiological \u003c/a>history of our planetary neighbor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 30-mile-wide \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/science/landing-site/\">Jezero Crater\u003c/a> was once a lake, long ago in Mars’ past, and a prime spot to search for chemical residues left behind by any water-dwelling microbes that may have existed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976858\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1976858\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/1-PIA24840_Main_Samuels-5-_Hazcam_FLF_0196_06.width-1320-nasa-jpl-caltech.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/1-PIA24840_Main_Samuels-5-_Hazcam_FLF_0196_06.width-1320-nasa-jpl-caltech.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/1-PIA24840_Main_Samuels-5-_Hazcam_FLF_0196_06.width-1320-nasa-jpl-caltech-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/1-PIA24840_Main_Samuels-5-_Hazcam_FLF_0196_06.width-1320-nasa-jpl-caltech-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The rock dubbed “Rochette,” from which NASA’s rover Perseverance drilled its first two successful core samples. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Though previous Mars missions have analyzed rocks before, Perseverance takes its prospecting a step further by sealing the samples in special titanium tubes that can be retrieved and brought back to Earth by a future mission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even as Perseverance makes its way across the Jezero Crater, a joint NASA-European Space Agency \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-sample-return-msr\">Mars Sample Return\u003c/a> mission is under development to bring the rock samples back to Earth. MSR will include a rover to collect sample tubes that Perseverance will deposit along its path and a rocket stage that will carry the samples off Mars and back to Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perseverance is the first mission designed to look for signs of past life on Mars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier missions such as \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-science-laboratory-curiosity-rover-msl\">Curiosity\u003c/a>, which is still actively exploring Mars’ Gale Crater, and the twin \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-exploration/missions/mars-exploration-rovers/\">Spirit and Opportunity\u003c/a> rovers have examined past water and environmental conditions friendly to life. Their work revealed an ancient Mars with many Earth-like qualities: a thicker, warmer atmosphere, precipitation, as well as surface rivers, lakes and seas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But researchers still don’t know if life ever arose in Mars’ watery past. Discovering geological evidence of Martian life would be a pivotal moment not only in the history of science, but in history, period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Drilling rock to probe the past\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Sept. 6 and 8, Perseverance \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-rover-collects-puzzle-pieces-of-mars-history\">drilled out two small sample cores\u003c/a> from a rock that researchers dubbed “Rochette.” After taking pictures of the tubes’ contents to ensure the collection was successful, the rover cached the samples away for future analysis on Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976856\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976856 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Mars_Perseverance_FLF_0195_0684255747_596ECM_N0070000FHAZ00206_01_295J-nasa-jpl-caltech-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Mars_Perseverance_FLF_0195_0684255747_596ECM_N0070000FHAZ00206_01_295J-nasa-jpl-caltech-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Mars_Perseverance_FLF_0195_0684255747_596ECM_N0070000FHAZ00206_01_295J-nasa-jpl-caltech-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Mars_Perseverance_FLF_0195_0684255747_596ECM_N0070000FHAZ00206_01_295J-nasa-jpl-caltech-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Mars_Perseverance_FLF_0195_0684255747_596ECM_N0070000FHAZ00206_01_295J-nasa-jpl-caltech-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Mars_Perseverance_FLF_0195_0684255747_596ECM_N0070000FHAZ00206_01_295J-nasa-jpl-caltech.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Perseverance rover’s “turret,” the ensemble of tools and instruments at the end of its robotic arm, hovers over the rock dubbed “Rochette,” from which the rover drilled its first two successful core samples. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The sampled rock may have been formed long ago in a lava flow but has since been chemically and physically altered by the presence of liquid water later in its history. The current condition of the rocks tells scientists the water was present for a long period of time and not merely a fleeting wet spell. Whether the waters persisted for tens of thousands or millions of years is not clear, but it appears to have lasted long enough to maintain an aquatic environment friendly to life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers have also detected salt minerals, often found in connection to water on Earth, in Jezero’s rocks. Sometimes salt is deposited by groundwater flowing through rock or left behind after water evaporates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977026\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977026\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/26219_PIA24806-web.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Animation of images captured by “Cachecam” on NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance, peering down the sample tube containing the rover’s first successful rock core sample. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the months ahead, Perseverance will collect and store up to 43 samples of rock from a wide area of Jezero’s crater floor and walls, deposits spanning millions or billions of years of its history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each tiny sample, along with measurements and analysis made around their collection sites, constitutes a small piece of information about Jezero Crater’s history. As Perseverance collects more samples, a detailed understanding of Jezero’s past will develop — when it was formed, when water appeared and how long it remained, and with any luck, if anything ever lived there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perseverance is currently prospecting a portion of Jezero’s dry lakebed, but later in its mission will visit a variety of terrains, including a large formation of sedimentary deposits carried into the lake by a river, and the lake’s ancient shoreline where shallow water may have provided even more life-friendly habitats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976853\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976853 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/pia23239-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-800x641.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"641\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/pia23239-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-800x641.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/pia23239-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-1020x817.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/pia23239-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/pia23239-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-768x615.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/pia23239-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU.jpg 1041w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">False colored mineral map of the region of the Jezero Crater that NASA’s Perseverance rover is exploring, captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The image features a portion of the crater’s western rim (left) and the river inlet and sediment deposits (center) washed into the crater lake in the distant past. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Searching for signs of life\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perseverance is equipped with a \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/instruments/\">suite of specialized instruments\u003c/a> to answer these questions by measuring rock composition, capturing microscopic images and detecting organic compounds. But, as capable as our mobile robotic science laboratories have become, there is still no substitute for the depth of analysis that can be accomplished in laboratories on Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We will not see any discoveries made from Perseverance’s cached rock samples for several years, when the Mars Sample Return mission proceeds, but the potential rewards are worth waiting for.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "NASA’s Perseverance rover has successfully collected its first rock samples on Mars, specimens that will help illuminate the history of our planetary neighbor. ",
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"title": "Perseverance Pays Off: First Successful Rock Collection from Mars Complete | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>NASA’s \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/\">Perseverance rover\u003c/a> has successfully collected its first rock samples from Mars’ Jezero Crater, specimens that will help illuminate the geologic and possibly \u003ca href=\"https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/\">astrobiological \u003c/a>history of our planetary neighbor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 30-mile-wide \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/science/landing-site/\">Jezero Crater\u003c/a> was once a lake, long ago in Mars’ past, and a prime spot to search for chemical residues left behind by any water-dwelling microbes that may have existed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976858\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1976858\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/1-PIA24840_Main_Samuels-5-_Hazcam_FLF_0196_06.width-1320-nasa-jpl-caltech.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/1-PIA24840_Main_Samuels-5-_Hazcam_FLF_0196_06.width-1320-nasa-jpl-caltech.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/1-PIA24840_Main_Samuels-5-_Hazcam_FLF_0196_06.width-1320-nasa-jpl-caltech-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/1-PIA24840_Main_Samuels-5-_Hazcam_FLF_0196_06.width-1320-nasa-jpl-caltech-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The rock dubbed “Rochette,” from which NASA’s rover Perseverance drilled its first two successful core samples. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Though previous Mars missions have analyzed rocks before, Perseverance takes its prospecting a step further by sealing the samples in special titanium tubes that can be retrieved and brought back to Earth by a future mission.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even as Perseverance makes its way across the Jezero Crater, a joint NASA-European Space Agency \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-sample-return-msr\">Mars Sample Return\u003c/a> mission is under development to bring the rock samples back to Earth. MSR will include a rover to collect sample tubes that Perseverance will deposit along its path and a rocket stage that will carry the samples off Mars and back to Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perseverance is the first mission designed to look for signs of past life on Mars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier missions such as \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-science-laboratory-curiosity-rover-msl\">Curiosity\u003c/a>, which is still actively exploring Mars’ Gale Crater, and the twin \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-exploration/missions/mars-exploration-rovers/\">Spirit and Opportunity\u003c/a> rovers have examined past water and environmental conditions friendly to life. Their work revealed an ancient Mars with many Earth-like qualities: a thicker, warmer atmosphere, precipitation, as well as surface rivers, lakes and seas.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But researchers still don’t know if life ever arose in Mars’ watery past. Discovering geological evidence of Martian life would be a pivotal moment not only in the history of science, but in history, period.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Drilling rock to probe the past\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Sept. 6 and 8, Perseverance \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-rover-collects-puzzle-pieces-of-mars-history\">drilled out two small sample cores\u003c/a> from a rock that researchers dubbed “Rochette.” After taking pictures of the tubes’ contents to ensure the collection was successful, the rover cached the samples away for future analysis on Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976856\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976856 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Mars_Perseverance_FLF_0195_0684255747_596ECM_N0070000FHAZ00206_01_295J-nasa-jpl-caltech-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Mars_Perseverance_FLF_0195_0684255747_596ECM_N0070000FHAZ00206_01_295J-nasa-jpl-caltech-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Mars_Perseverance_FLF_0195_0684255747_596ECM_N0070000FHAZ00206_01_295J-nasa-jpl-caltech-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Mars_Perseverance_FLF_0195_0684255747_596ECM_N0070000FHAZ00206_01_295J-nasa-jpl-caltech-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Mars_Perseverance_FLF_0195_0684255747_596ECM_N0070000FHAZ00206_01_295J-nasa-jpl-caltech-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/Mars_Perseverance_FLF_0195_0684255747_596ECM_N0070000FHAZ00206_01_295J-nasa-jpl-caltech.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Perseverance rover’s “turret,” the ensemble of tools and instruments at the end of its robotic arm, hovers over the rock dubbed “Rochette,” from which the rover drilled its first two successful core samples. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The sampled rock may have been formed long ago in a lava flow but has since been chemically and physically altered by the presence of liquid water later in its history. The current condition of the rocks tells scientists the water was present for a long period of time and not merely a fleeting wet spell. Whether the waters persisted for tens of thousands or millions of years is not clear, but it appears to have lasted long enough to maintain an aquatic environment friendly to life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers have also detected salt minerals, often found in connection to water on Earth, in Jezero’s rocks. Sometimes salt is deposited by groundwater flowing through rock or left behind after water evaporates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1977026\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1280px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1977026\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/26219_PIA24806-web.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Animation of images captured by “Cachecam” on NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance, peering down the sample tube containing the rover’s first successful rock core sample. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the months ahead, Perseverance will collect and store up to 43 samples of rock from a wide area of Jezero’s crater floor and walls, deposits spanning millions or billions of years of its history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each tiny sample, along with measurements and analysis made around their collection sites, constitutes a small piece of information about Jezero Crater’s history. As Perseverance collects more samples, a detailed understanding of Jezero’s past will develop — when it was formed, when water appeared and how long it remained, and with any luck, if anything ever lived there.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perseverance is currently prospecting a portion of Jezero’s dry lakebed, but later in its mission will visit a variety of terrains, including a large formation of sedimentary deposits carried into the lake by a river, and the lake’s ancient shoreline where shallow water may have provided even more life-friendly habitats.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976853\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976853 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/pia23239-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-800x641.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"641\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/pia23239-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-800x641.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/pia23239-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-1020x817.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/pia23239-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-160x128.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/pia23239-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-768x615.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/09/pia23239-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU.jpg 1041w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">False colored mineral map of the region of the Jezero Crater that NASA’s Perseverance rover is exploring, captured by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The image features a portion of the crater’s western rim (left) and the river inlet and sediment deposits (center) washed into the crater lake in the distant past. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Searching for signs of life\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Perseverance is equipped with a \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/instruments/\">suite of specialized instruments\u003c/a> to answer these questions by measuring rock composition, capturing microscopic images and detecting organic compounds. But, as capable as our mobile robotic science laboratories have become, there is still no substitute for the depth of analysis that can be accomplished in laboratories on Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>We will not see any discoveries made from Perseverance’s cached rock samples for several years, when the Mars Sample Return mission proceeds, but the potential rewards are worth waiting for.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Exploding Stars Likely Shaped the Destiny of Planet Earth",
"headTitle": "Exploding Stars Likely Shaped the Destiny of Planet Earth | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Scientists are investigating the origin of our planet and \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/our-solar-system/in-depth/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> solar system by examining\u003c/a> other, younger stars and planetary systems currently being formed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They are looking at a \u003ca href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> star-forming region \u003c/a> in the constellation \u003ca href=\"https://earthsky.org/constellations/born-between-november-29-and-december-18-heres-your-constellation/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ophiuchus.\u003c/a> The area is a window into the origins of other solar systems, and the vast cloud of dust and molecules in which they form.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nascent stellar embryos are providing insight into the raw ingredients that shaped the course of our planet’s development. Researchers are peeking inside the cosmic kitchen to observe how Earth might have been cooked up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976468\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976468 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/532864main_pia13974-43_946-710-nasa-jpl-caltech-ucla-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/532864main_pia13974-43_946-710-nasa-jpl-caltech-ucla-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/532864main_pia13974-43_946-710-nasa-jpl-caltech-ucla-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/532864main_pia13974-43_946-710-nasa-jpl-caltech-ucla-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/532864main_pia13974-43_946-710-nasa-jpl-caltech-ucla.jpg 946w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Star-forming nebula Rho Ophiuchi, captured by NASA’s WISE spacecraft. The colors represent different wavelengths of infrared light, revealing thermal emissions from stars and surrounding clouds of gas and dust in the nebula. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Scientists have long suspected that \u003ca href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/supernova/en/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> supernovas \u003c/a> — the titanic death-blasts of massive stars — contributed to the special sauce that created Earth, but the new data from Ophiuchus gives researchers the ability to apply rigorous mathematical analysis and direct observations to test that hypothesis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early findings suggest it might have been multiple exploding stars that created our solar system.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb>Ophiuchus observations\u003c/b>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Several observatories, \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">including from NASA, the European Space Agency, and Chile,\u003c/span> took new measurements\u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-021-01442-9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> of multiple wavelengths of light\u003c/a> from the star-forming region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers from UC Santa Cruz and elsewhere are examining the observations, which show abundance of aluminum-26, an isotope of the element aluminum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsisotopes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Isotopes \u003c/a> are heavier forms of elements, containing more neutrons in an atomic nucleus than the ordinary atom. They are often unstable and prone to decaying into lighter elements, a radioactive process that releases heat. A \u003ca href=\"https://rps.nasa.gov/technology/\">nuclear power system\u003c/a> generates heat from the decay of radioactive atoms in a similar way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though most of the aluminum-26 originally infused in our solar system’s primordial star-forming cloud has long since decayed, the elements it broke into remain, preserved in meteorites fallen to Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976469\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 777px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1976469\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/L1688-NIR-777x766-Jo%C3%A3o-Alves-ESO-VISIONS.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"777\" height=\"766\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/L1688-NIR-777x766-João-Alves-ESO-VISIONS.jpg 777w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/L1688-NIR-777x766-João-Alves-ESO-VISIONS-160x158.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/L1688-NIR-777x766-João-Alves-ESO-VISIONS-768x757.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 777px) 100vw, 777px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An infrared composite image from the Ophiuchus star-forming nebula. The gas and dust clouds of the nebula are shown in relation to dense proto-stellar embryos, where new star systems are being born. \u003ccite>(João Alves/ESO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The amount of a radioactive isotope like aluminum-26 that is present during a planet’s formation may be crucial to its development, and the amount of heat released by their decay could determine how wet or dry the planet becomes. And though aluminium-26 has been detected throughout the Ophiuchus complex, its abundance in each forming star system was found to vary enormously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what does the math say? Which spice shelves might the mystery chef who cooked up our solar system have grabbed from?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Using a numerical analysis, the researchers calculate a 59% probability that the aluminum-26 in a star system’s mix is supplied by a supernova, and a 68% chance that the material originates from multiple supernovas, as opposed to a single star explosion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, for nature to cook up a solar system with rocky, water-bearing planets like Earth, likely more than one massive star had to perish in spectacular fashion, billions of years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This finding is important for understanding how our planet was formed and what other worlds might be like in the galaxy around us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Are there other planets like ours out there? A clearer understanding of the confluence of conditions and materials that produced our solar system can offer insight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is nothing special about Ophiuchus as a star formation region,” said João Alves of the University of Vienna, a co-author of the Ophiuchus paper. “It is just a typical configuration of gas and young massive stars, so our results should be representative of the enrichment of short-lived radioactive elements in star and planet formations across the galaxy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb>Reverse engineering the recipe for our solar system\u003c/b>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>It’s difficult to peer 5 billion years into the past to understand exactly what conditions shaped our solar system, planet, and life on Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976477\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976477 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/EagleNebula-vis-and-ir-nasa-800x395.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"395\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/EagleNebula-vis-and-ir-nasa-800x395.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/EagleNebula-vis-and-ir-nasa-1020x503.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/EagleNebula-vis-and-ir-nasa-160x79.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/EagleNebula-vis-and-ir-nasa-768x379.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/EagleNebula-vis-and-ir-nasa.jpg 1166w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Eagle Nebula, a stellar nursery 5,700 light-years from our solar system, hides nascent proto-planetary systems within its gas clouds. The visible-light image (left) was captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and nicknamed the “Pillars of Creation.” A near-infrared image (right) reveals what’s inside: A proto-star can be seen swaddled in the nebula at the topmost tip of the pillar on the left. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Scientists can piece together forensic evidence, traces of material and remnant surface features of planets, moons, asteroids and comets preserved over eons. But this reconstruction of the past can be like an episode of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.fox.com/crime-scene-kitchen/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Crime Scene Kitchen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,” where investigators puzzle over what dishes were cooked up by examining scraps of food left on the cutting board and burned residues in the oven. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For decades scientists have believed that our solar system was formed by clouds of interstellar gas and dust condensing under gravity, enriched with oxygen, iron, uranium and other special chemical elements, atoms heavier than the hydrogen and helium that make up most of a star-forming cloud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new, direct observations of forming star systems give the researchers solid numbers to work with, mathematical tools that give more definite shape to the nebulous ideas of the past few decades.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Researchers studying a nearby star-formation region are learning about the conditions in which the Earth formed.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Scientists are investigating the origin of our planet and \u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/our-solar-system/in-depth/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> solar system by examining\u003c/a> other, younger stars and planetary systems currently being formed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They are looking at a \u003ca href=\"https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> star-forming region \u003c/a> in the constellation \u003ca href=\"https://earthsky.org/constellations/born-between-november-29-and-december-18-heres-your-constellation/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ophiuchus.\u003c/a> The area is a window into the origins of other solar systems, and the vast cloud of dust and molecules in which they form.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nascent stellar embryos are providing insight into the raw ingredients that shaped the course of our planet’s development. Researchers are peeking inside the cosmic kitchen to observe how Earth might have been cooked up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976468\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976468 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/532864main_pia13974-43_946-710-nasa-jpl-caltech-ucla-800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/532864main_pia13974-43_946-710-nasa-jpl-caltech-ucla-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/532864main_pia13974-43_946-710-nasa-jpl-caltech-ucla-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/532864main_pia13974-43_946-710-nasa-jpl-caltech-ucla-768x576.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/532864main_pia13974-43_946-710-nasa-jpl-caltech-ucla.jpg 946w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Star-forming nebula Rho Ophiuchi, captured by NASA’s WISE spacecraft. The colors represent different wavelengths of infrared light, revealing thermal emissions from stars and surrounding clouds of gas and dust in the nebula. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Scientists have long suspected that \u003ca href=\"https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/supernova/en/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> supernovas \u003c/a> — the titanic death-blasts of massive stars — contributed to the special sauce that created Earth, but the new data from Ophiuchus gives researchers the ability to apply rigorous mathematical analysis and direct observations to test that hypothesis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Early findings suggest it might have been multiple exploding stars that created our solar system.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb>Ophiuchus observations\u003c/b>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Several observatories, \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">including from NASA, the European Space Agency, and Chile,\u003c/span> took new measurements\u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-021-01442-9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> of multiple wavelengths of light\u003c/a> from the star-forming region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers from UC Santa Cruz and elsewhere are examining the observations, which show abundance of aluminum-26, an isotope of the element aluminum.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.energy.gov/science/doe-explainsisotopes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Isotopes \u003c/a> are heavier forms of elements, containing more neutrons in an atomic nucleus than the ordinary atom. They are often unstable and prone to decaying into lighter elements, a radioactive process that releases heat. A \u003ca href=\"https://rps.nasa.gov/technology/\">nuclear power system\u003c/a> generates heat from the decay of radioactive atoms in a similar way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Though most of the aluminum-26 originally infused in our solar system’s primordial star-forming cloud has long since decayed, the elements it broke into remain, preserved in meteorites fallen to Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976469\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 777px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1976469\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/L1688-NIR-777x766-Jo%C3%A3o-Alves-ESO-VISIONS.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"777\" height=\"766\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/L1688-NIR-777x766-João-Alves-ESO-VISIONS.jpg 777w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/L1688-NIR-777x766-João-Alves-ESO-VISIONS-160x158.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/L1688-NIR-777x766-João-Alves-ESO-VISIONS-768x757.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 777px) 100vw, 777px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An infrared composite image from the Ophiuchus star-forming nebula. The gas and dust clouds of the nebula are shown in relation to dense proto-stellar embryos, where new star systems are being born. \u003ccite>(João Alves/ESO)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The amount of a radioactive isotope like aluminum-26 that is present during a planet’s formation may be crucial to its development, and the amount of heat released by their decay could determine how wet or dry the planet becomes. And though aluminium-26 has been detected throughout the Ophiuchus complex, its abundance in each forming star system was found to vary enormously.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what does the math say? Which spice shelves might the mystery chef who cooked up our solar system have grabbed from?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Using a numerical analysis, the researchers calculate a 59% probability that the aluminum-26 in a star system’s mix is supplied by a supernova, and a 68% chance that the material originates from multiple supernovas, as opposed to a single star explosion.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In other words, for nature to cook up a solar system with rocky, water-bearing planets like Earth, likely more than one massive star had to perish in spectacular fashion, billions of years ago.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This finding is important for understanding how our planet was formed and what other worlds might be like in the galaxy around us.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Are there other planets like ours out there? A clearer understanding of the confluence of conditions and materials that produced our solar system can offer insight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is nothing special about Ophiuchus as a star formation region,” said João Alves of the University of Vienna, a co-author of the Ophiuchus paper. “It is just a typical configuration of gas and young massive stars, so our results should be representative of the enrichment of short-lived radioactive elements in star and planet formations across the galaxy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cb>Reverse engineering the recipe for our solar system\u003c/b>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>It’s difficult to peer 5 billion years into the past to understand exactly what conditions shaped our solar system, planet, and life on Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1976477\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1976477 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/EagleNebula-vis-and-ir-nasa-800x395.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"395\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/EagleNebula-vis-and-ir-nasa-800x395.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/EagleNebula-vis-and-ir-nasa-1020x503.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/EagleNebula-vis-and-ir-nasa-160x79.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/EagleNebula-vis-and-ir-nasa-768x379.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/08/EagleNebula-vis-and-ir-nasa.jpg 1166w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Eagle Nebula, a stellar nursery 5,700 light-years from our solar system, hides nascent proto-planetary systems within its gas clouds. The visible-light image (left) was captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and nicknamed the “Pillars of Creation.” A near-infrared image (right) reveals what’s inside: A proto-star can be seen swaddled in the nebula at the topmost tip of the pillar on the left. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Scientists can piece together forensic evidence, traces of material and remnant surface features of planets, moons, asteroids and comets preserved over eons. But this reconstruction of the past can be like an episode of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.fox.com/crime-scene-kitchen/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Crime Scene Kitchen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">,” where investigators puzzle over what dishes were cooked up by examining scraps of food left on the cutting board and burned residues in the oven. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For decades scientists have believed that our solar system was formed by clouds of interstellar gas and dust condensing under gravity, enriched with oxygen, iron, uranium and other special chemical elements, atoms heavier than the hydrogen and helium that make up most of a star-forming cloud.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new, direct observations of forming star systems give the researchers solid numbers to work with, mathematical tools that give more definite shape to the nebulous ideas of the past few decades.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Are There Lakes Hiding on Mars? Echoes From the Deep Raise This Tantalizing Question",
"headTitle": "Are There Lakes Hiding on Mars? Echoes From the Deep Raise This Tantalizing Question | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>In 2018, a highly sophisticated instrument probing the surface of Mars called \u003ca href=\"https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/projects/MARSIS/\">MARSIS\u003c/a> (Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding) detected radar echoes from an area deep beneath the dry, frigid surface of the planet’s southern polar region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A group of researchers analyzing that data from the European \u003ca href=\"https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003ci>Mars Express\u003c/i>\u003c/a> spacecraft were excited by a tempting possibility: the radar pings could have reflected off a lake of liquid water laying hidden below the surface of the planet, a protected underworld.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975872\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975872\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/MarsExpress_Auto98-esa-800x647.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"647\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/MarsExpress_Auto98-esa-800x647.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/MarsExpress_Auto98-esa-1020x825.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/MarsExpress_Auto98-esa-160x129.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/MarsExpress_Auto98-esa-768x621.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/MarsExpress_Auto98-esa-1536x1243.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/MarsExpress_Auto98-esa.jpg 1749w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Illustration of ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft, in orbit around Mars. \u003ccite>(ESA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Later, the researchers identified several more similar reflections nearby. And just last month, two scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/study-looks-more-closely-at-mars-underground-water-signals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> reported finding \u003c/a> dozens of the unusual formations, deepening the mystery further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The JPL scientists, examining 15 years of MARSIS observations, found the lake-like, radar-reflecting bodies were actually spread across an area much broader than suggested by the original findings from back in 2018, and at greater range of depths below the planet’s surface. The \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/25997/subsurface-lakes-or-something-else/\">region surrounds Mars’ South Pole.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975869\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25997_bright-radar-reflections-web-ESA-NASA-JPL-Caltech-800x928.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"928\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25997_bright-radar-reflections-web-ESA-NASA-JPL-Caltech-800x928.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25997_bright-radar-reflections-web-ESA-NASA-JPL-Caltech-1020x1183.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25997_bright-radar-reflections-web-ESA-NASA-JPL-Caltech-160x186.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25997_bright-radar-reflections-web-ESA-NASA-JPL-Caltech-768x891.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25997_bright-radar-reflections-web-ESA-NASA-JPL-Caltech.jpg 1155w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Map of Mars’ southern polar region showing the spots where the ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft detected strong radar echoes, initially interpreted as caused by underground lakes. \u003ccite>(ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All of this research raises a tantalizing question: Are there lakes hiding on Mars?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Ghost Lakes, or Something Else?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>If the MARSIS radar reflections are caused by pools of actual, liquid water, researchers will have found another place in the solar system with the potential to harbor a life-friendly environment; a possible gold mine for astrobiologists searching for life beyond Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, there’s reason to be skeptical.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the so-called lakes are within a mile of Mars’ polar surface, where temperatures, as low as -63 degrees Celsius, should freeze water solid. Even briney water with a colder freezing point has little chance of remaining liquid under these frigid conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Could heat flowing outward from \u003ca href=\"https://www.seis-insight.eu/en/public-2/martian-science/internal-models-of-mars\"> deep within Mars\u003c/a> keep temperatures near the planet’s surface warm enough to thaw ice? Might there be active \u003ca href=\"https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/exploring-the-planets/online/solar-system/mars/surface/volcanoes/\">volcanism\u003c/a> going on down there?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maybe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers have considered these possibilities, but find them unlikely. The flow of heat from Mars’ interior would need to be double what scientists understand the planet’s internal thermal dynamics are capable of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they haven’t identified any strong evidence of current or recent volcanic activity at the South Pole, which throws a brick of frozen ice on that idea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, lakes? Yes or no? At this time, the answer is not certain one way or the other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dozens of mysterious radar reflections spread around Mars’ South Pole are like a swarm of ghosts: we have sensed their presence, but so far their true nature eludes explanation.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Clues to Mars’ Past?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Whatever the unusual radar reflections detected by MARSIS turn out to be, their discovery and further investigation may yield more clues to secrets of Mars’ past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975871\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975871\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers-800x433.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"433\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers-800x433.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers-1020x552.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers-160x87.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers-768x416.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers-1536x832.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers-1920x1039.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers.jpg 1995w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An illustration of the ice cap at Mars’ South Pole. Layers of water, ice, frozen carbon dioxide, and dust built up over a billion years. \u003ccite>(ESA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Scientists are interested in what Mars’ southern polar region can tell us about the planet’s climate history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last billion or so years, Mars’ climate shifted between warmer, wetter conditions and cold, dry spells. Layer upon layer of water-ice, frozen carbon dioxide, and dust have built up to form a \u003ca href=\"https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Water_at_Martian_south_pole\">vast ice cap\u003c/a>. By studying the layers, scientists can learn about the planet’s past, similar to how paleoclimatologists on Earth track ancient climate by studying the growth rings of trees or the surface of granite boulders embedded in glacial moraines.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The Hunt For Water on Mars\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Mars exploration is all about the search for liquid water, and the possibly life-friendly environments it could nurture. Scientists are thirsty to find Martian water, wherever and whenever it may have existed: flowing down crater walls in seasonal bursts; underground, away from the dry, frigid conditions on the planet’s surface; or deep in Mars’ distant past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That Mars long ago possessed copious amounts of liquid surface water is an almost indisputable fact, based on many observations and measurements by orbital spacecraft, landers and rovers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975867\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975867\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25695_PIA24485_K4_ZCAM_main_sol004_Delta_Remnant_unannotated-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-MSSS-800x583.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"583\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25695_PIA24485_K4_ZCAM_main_sol004_Delta_Remnant_unannotated-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-MSSS-800x583.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25695_PIA24485_K4_ZCAM_main_sol004_Delta_Remnant_unannotated-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-MSSS-1020x743.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25695_PIA24485_K4_ZCAM_main_sol004_Delta_Remnant_unannotated-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-MSSS-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25695_PIA24485_K4_ZCAM_main_sol004_Delta_Remnant_unannotated-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-MSSS-768x559.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25695_PIA24485_K4_ZCAM_main_sol004_Delta_Remnant_unannotated-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-MSSS-1536x1118.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25695_PIA24485_K4_ZCAM_main_sol004_Delta_Remnant_unannotated-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-MSSS.jpg 1648w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An image captured by NASA’s Perseverance rover of a tall mound of sediment on the floor of Jezero Crater on Mars. The sediment is believed to have been deposited by a river flowing into the crater when it was filled with water, long ago. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUMSSS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/home/\">Curiosity rover\u003c/a> is currently crawling up the slope of a mountain in a 90-mile wide crater that once held a vast lake. The newer \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/\">Perseverance \u003c/a>robot is prospecting the dry lakebed of Jezero Crater, as well as a complex of sediments deposited by a river that once flowed into it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both rovers are probing mineral and geological clues left behind by water now long dried up, piecing together a window into Mars’ past environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But can the life-giving liquid be found anywhere on Mars today?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only further exploration can answer this.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Dozens of mysterious radar reflections spread around Mars’ South Pole are like a swarm of ghosts: we have sensed their presence, but their true nature eludes explanation. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>In 2018, a highly sophisticated instrument probing the surface of Mars called \u003ca href=\"https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/projects/MARSIS/\">MARSIS\u003c/a> (Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding) detected radar echoes from an area deep beneath the dry, frigid surface of the planet’s southern polar region.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A group of researchers analyzing that data from the European \u003ca href=\"https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003ci>Mars Express\u003c/i>\u003c/a> spacecraft were excited by a tempting possibility: the radar pings could have reflected off a lake of liquid water laying hidden below the surface of the planet, a protected underworld.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975872\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975872\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/MarsExpress_Auto98-esa-800x647.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"647\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/MarsExpress_Auto98-esa-800x647.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/MarsExpress_Auto98-esa-1020x825.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/MarsExpress_Auto98-esa-160x129.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/MarsExpress_Auto98-esa-768x621.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/MarsExpress_Auto98-esa-1536x1243.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/MarsExpress_Auto98-esa.jpg 1749w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Illustration of ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft, in orbit around Mars. \u003ccite>(ESA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Later, the researchers identified several more similar reflections nearby. And just last month, two scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/study-looks-more-closely-at-mars-underground-water-signals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> reported finding \u003c/a> dozens of the unusual formations, deepening the mystery further.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The JPL scientists, examining 15 years of MARSIS observations, found the lake-like, radar-reflecting bodies were actually spread across an area much broader than suggested by the original findings from back in 2018, and at greater range of depths below the planet’s surface. The \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/25997/subsurface-lakes-or-something-else/\">region surrounds Mars’ South Pole.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975869\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975869\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25997_bright-radar-reflections-web-ESA-NASA-JPL-Caltech-800x928.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"928\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25997_bright-radar-reflections-web-ESA-NASA-JPL-Caltech-800x928.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25997_bright-radar-reflections-web-ESA-NASA-JPL-Caltech-1020x1183.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25997_bright-radar-reflections-web-ESA-NASA-JPL-Caltech-160x186.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25997_bright-radar-reflections-web-ESA-NASA-JPL-Caltech-768x891.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25997_bright-radar-reflections-web-ESA-NASA-JPL-Caltech.jpg 1155w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Map of Mars’ southern polar region showing the spots where the ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft detected strong radar echoes, initially interpreted as caused by underground lakes. \u003ccite>(ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>All of this research raises a tantalizing question: Are there lakes hiding on Mars?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Ghost Lakes, or Something Else?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>If the MARSIS radar reflections are caused by pools of actual, liquid water, researchers will have found another place in the solar system with the potential to harbor a life-friendly environment; a possible gold mine for astrobiologists searching for life beyond Earth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, there’s reason to be skeptical.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some of the so-called lakes are within a mile of Mars’ polar surface, where temperatures, as low as -63 degrees Celsius, should freeze water solid. Even briney water with a colder freezing point has little chance of remaining liquid under these frigid conditions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Could heat flowing outward from \u003ca href=\"https://www.seis-insight.eu/en/public-2/martian-science/internal-models-of-mars\"> deep within Mars\u003c/a> keep temperatures near the planet’s surface warm enough to thaw ice? Might there be active \u003ca href=\"https://airandspace.si.edu/exhibitions/exploring-the-planets/online/solar-system/mars/surface/volcanoes/\">volcanism\u003c/a> going on down there?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maybe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers have considered these possibilities, but find them unlikely. The flow of heat from Mars’ interior would need to be double what scientists understand the planet’s internal thermal dynamics are capable of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they haven’t identified any strong evidence of current or recent volcanic activity at the South Pole, which throws a brick of frozen ice on that idea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, lakes? Yes or no? At this time, the answer is not certain one way or the other.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The dozens of mysterious radar reflections spread around Mars’ South Pole are like a swarm of ghosts: we have sensed their presence, but so far their true nature eludes explanation.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Clues to Mars’ Past?\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Whatever the unusual radar reflections detected by MARSIS turn out to be, their discovery and further investigation may yield more clues to secrets of Mars’ past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975871\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975871\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers-800x433.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"433\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers-800x433.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers-1020x552.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers-160x87.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers-768x416.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers-1536x832.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers-1920x1039.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/mars-south-pole-layers.jpg 1995w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An illustration of the ice cap at Mars’ South Pole. Layers of water, ice, frozen carbon dioxide, and dust built up over a billion years. \u003ccite>(ESA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Scientists are interested in what Mars’ southern polar region can tell us about the planet’s climate history.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over the last billion or so years, Mars’ climate shifted between warmer, wetter conditions and cold, dry spells. Layer upon layer of water-ice, frozen carbon dioxide, and dust have built up to form a \u003ca href=\"https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Mars_Express/Water_at_Martian_south_pole\">vast ice cap\u003c/a>. By studying the layers, scientists can learn about the planet’s past, similar to how paleoclimatologists on Earth track ancient climate by studying the growth rings of trees or the surface of granite boulders embedded in glacial moraines.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>The Hunt For Water on Mars\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Mars exploration is all about the search for liquid water, and the possibly life-friendly environments it could nurture. Scientists are thirsty to find Martian water, wherever and whenever it may have existed: flowing down crater walls in seasonal bursts; underground, away from the dry, frigid conditions on the planet’s surface; or deep in Mars’ distant past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That Mars long ago possessed copious amounts of liquid surface water is an almost indisputable fact, based on many observations and measurements by orbital spacecraft, landers and rovers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975867\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975867\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25695_PIA24485_K4_ZCAM_main_sol004_Delta_Remnant_unannotated-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-MSSS-800x583.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"583\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25695_PIA24485_K4_ZCAM_main_sol004_Delta_Remnant_unannotated-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-MSSS-800x583.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25695_PIA24485_K4_ZCAM_main_sol004_Delta_Remnant_unannotated-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-MSSS-1020x743.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25695_PIA24485_K4_ZCAM_main_sol004_Delta_Remnant_unannotated-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-MSSS-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25695_PIA24485_K4_ZCAM_main_sol004_Delta_Remnant_unannotated-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-MSSS-768x559.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25695_PIA24485_K4_ZCAM_main_sol004_Delta_Remnant_unannotated-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-MSSS-1536x1118.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/07/25695_PIA24485_K4_ZCAM_main_sol004_Delta_Remnant_unannotated-NASA-JPL-Caltech-ASU-MSSS.jpg 1648w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An image captured by NASA’s Perseverance rover of a tall mound of sediment on the floor of Jezero Crater on Mars. The sediment is believed to have been deposited by a river flowing into the crater when it was filled with water, long ago. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUMSSS)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/home/\">Curiosity rover\u003c/a> is currently crawling up the slope of a mountain in a 90-mile wide crater that once held a vast lake. The newer \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/\">Perseverance \u003c/a>robot is prospecting the dry lakebed of Jezero Crater, as well as a complex of sediments deposited by a river that once flowed into it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both rovers are probing mineral and geological clues left behind by water now long dried up, piecing together a window into Mars’ past environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But can the life-giving liquid be found anywhere on Mars today?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Only further exploration can answer this.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "NASA Prepares to Return to Venus for the First Time in Decades",
"headTitle": "NASA Prepares to Return to Venus for the First Time in Decades | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Venus is back on the menu for space exploration! \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">NASA \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-2-missions-to-study-lost-habitable-world-of-venus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">announced \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the selection of not one, but two new missions to Earth’s closest planetary neighbor. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The first mission — Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging, or just \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/nasa-goddard-team-selected-to-design-concept-for-probe-of-mysterious-venus-atmosphere\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">DAVINCI+\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> — will investigate Venus’s atmosphere, and launch a probe into its thick, hot, acidic clouds to measure their composition and conditions directly. DAVINCI+ will also capture the highest resolution images ever taken of Venus’s surface, including an unusual feature called “tesserae.” Some scientists believe these “tesserae” might be a Venusian version of Earth’s continents, minus the bordering oceans that define them. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975407\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975407\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_uvi_20160723_084730_365_l2b_v10_PRGB_composite-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-800x838.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"838\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_uvi_20160723_084730_365_l2b_v10_PRGB_composite-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-800x838.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_uvi_20160723_084730_365_l2b_v10_PRGB_composite-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-1020x1068.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_uvi_20160723_084730_365_l2b_v10_PRGB_composite-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-160x168.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_uvi_20160723_084730_365_l2b_v10_PRGB_composite-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-768x804.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_uvi_20160723_084730_365_l2b_v10_PRGB_composite-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-1467x1536.jpg 1467w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_uvi_20160723_084730_365_l2b_v10_PRGB_composite-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic.jpg 1478w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Composite image of Venus taken by JAXA’s Akatsuki spacecraft. \u003ccite>(JAXA/ISAS/DARTS/Damia Bouic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The second mission — Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, inSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy, or \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/veritas-exploring-the-deep-truths-of-venus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">VERITAS\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> — will examine Venus’s surface, using radar to penetrate the planet’s thick clouds and create a detailed global geologic map. VERITAS will search for active volcanoes, and investigate a long-standing mystery. Venus appears to have suffered a global cataclysmic event that completely reshaped its surface in the past, but we don’t yet know why or what happened. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-2-missions-to-study-lost-habitable-world-of-venus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Both missions\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are expected to launch sometime around 2028 to 2030. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>A Long Awaited Return\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The last mission NASA sent to Venus was \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/magellan/in-depth/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Magellan\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, over 30 years ago. Since that time, only spacecraft bound for other destinations, such as the Mercury explorer MESSENGER and the solar deep-dive Parker Solar Probe, have swung briefly by Venus, using the planet’s gravity to steer their course. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975405\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1975405\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/venus-magellan.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"449\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/venus-magellan.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/venus-magellan-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/venus-magellan-768x431.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Digital model of a volcano on Venus’s surface created from radar measurements made by NASA’s Magellan spacecraft. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The intensely hot, high-pressure environment on Venus is one reason for the dearth of active exploration there. Also, researchers believed that it is not a world where they could hope to find life — unlike Mars, where the missions Curiosity and Perseverance are intensely examining that possibility. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/venus/in-depth/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Venus \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">is a very different planet than Earth, and its harsh environment makes exploring its surface a huge technological challenge. Global surface temperatures hold constant around 470 degrees Celsius, hot enough to melt lead, and its atmospheric pressure is equal to the water pressure a kilometer deep under Earth’s oceans. The few spacecraft that have ever landed there did not last long before succumbing to the hellish conditions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975406\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 509px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1975406\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/venera13surfacecomposite-Roscosmos.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"509\" height=\"337\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/venera13surfacecomposite-Roscosmos.jpg 509w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/venera13surfacecomposite-Roscosmos-160x106.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 509px) 100vw, 509px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image taken from the surface of Venus by the USSR’s Venera 13 spacecraft. This is one of the few images ever taken from Venus’s surface. \u003ccite>(Roscosmos)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Is Venus Earth’s ‘Evil Twin’?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But there are striking similarities between Venus and Earth. Venus is almost the same size as Earth, unlike Mars, which has received so much attention from NASA and other space agencies over the decades even though it’s about half the size of Earth. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And though Venus is closer to the sun, the extreme temperature of its atmosphere can be attributed in large part to a dominance of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps solar energy in the form of heat. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Observations of Venus’s atmospheric chemistry have fueled a hypothesis that the hell-world of today may have once been more temperate, with a cooler atmosphere, oceans of water, and possibly life-friendly conditions. What happened to change Venus’s environment so profoundly is a question NASA hopes its two new missions will help answer. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Was There Ever Life on Venus? Does Life Exist There Now?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1969688/is-there-life-in-the-clouds-above-venus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">detection of the molecule phosphine\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> high in Venus’s atmosphere by a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.washington.edu/news/2021/01/27/phosphine-venus-so2/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">team of researchers\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the United Kingdom has raised new questions about the possibility of life on what was once thought to be an inhospitable world. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Phosphine is a chemical found on Earth in association with certain biological processes, such as some anaerobic microbes (ones that do not need oxygen to live), the decomposition of organic matter, as well as human industrial activity, so its presence on Venus is an eye-opening surprise. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975403\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975403\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_ir2_20161030_080333_226_l2b_v10_PRGB-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_ir2_20161030_080333_226_l2b_v10_PRGB-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_ir2_20161030_080333_226_l2b_v10_PRGB-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_ir2_20161030_080333_226_l2b_v10_PRGB-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_ir2_20161030_080333_226_l2b_v10_PRGB-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_ir2_20161030_080333_226_l2b_v10_PRGB-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Infrared image of the night side of Venus, captured by JAXA’s Akatsuki spacecraft. \u003ccite>(JAXA/ISAS/DARTS/Damia Bouic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Given Venus’s crushing surface pressure and roasting temperature, it’s hard to imagine any form of life existing there, but conditions at higher altitudes are more forgiving. At heights of 30 to 40 miles above Venus’s surface, the pressure and temperature in the atmosphere are similar to those on Earth’s surface. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If oceans once existed on Venus, they likely evaporated as temperatures soared. But what happened to turn up the heat? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Was there life on Earth’s closest sibling-planet? What was it like? Could life of some form still thrive there today, high up in the atmosphere, a safe distance away from Venus’s punishing surface? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Venus holds many tantalizing mysteries, and NASA is doubling down on solving them. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Venus is back on the menu for space exploration! \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">NASA \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-2-missions-to-study-lost-habitable-world-of-venus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">announced \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">the selection of not one, but two new missions to Earth’s closest planetary neighbor. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The first mission — Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging, or just \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2020/nasa-goddard-team-selected-to-design-concept-for-probe-of-mysterious-venus-atmosphere\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">DAVINCI+\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> — will investigate Venus’s atmosphere, and launch a probe into its thick, hot, acidic clouds to measure their composition and conditions directly. DAVINCI+ will also capture the highest resolution images ever taken of Venus’s surface, including an unusual feature called “tesserae.” Some scientists believe these “tesserae” might be a Venusian version of Earth’s continents, minus the bordering oceans that define them. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975407\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975407\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_uvi_20160723_084730_365_l2b_v10_PRGB_composite-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-800x838.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"838\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_uvi_20160723_084730_365_l2b_v10_PRGB_composite-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-800x838.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_uvi_20160723_084730_365_l2b_v10_PRGB_composite-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-1020x1068.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_uvi_20160723_084730_365_l2b_v10_PRGB_composite-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-160x168.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_uvi_20160723_084730_365_l2b_v10_PRGB_composite-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-768x804.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_uvi_20160723_084730_365_l2b_v10_PRGB_composite-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-1467x1536.jpg 1467w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_uvi_20160723_084730_365_l2b_v10_PRGB_composite-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic.jpg 1478w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Composite image of Venus taken by JAXA’s Akatsuki spacecraft. \u003ccite>(JAXA/ISAS/DARTS/Damia Bouic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The second mission — Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, inSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy, or \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/veritas-exploring-the-deep-truths-of-venus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">VERITAS\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> — will examine Venus’s surface, using radar to penetrate the planet’s thick clouds and create a detailed global geologic map. VERITAS will search for active volcanoes, and investigate a long-standing mystery. Venus appears to have suffered a global cataclysmic event that completely reshaped its surface in the past, but we don’t yet know why or what happened. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-2-missions-to-study-lost-habitable-world-of-venus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Both missions\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> are expected to launch sometime around 2028 to 2030. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>A Long Awaited Return\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The last mission NASA sent to Venus was \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/magellan/in-depth/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Magellan\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, over 30 years ago. Since that time, only spacecraft bound for other destinations, such as the Mercury explorer MESSENGER and the solar deep-dive Parker Solar Probe, have swung briefly by Venus, using the planet’s gravity to steer their course. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975405\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1975405\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/venus-magellan.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"449\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/venus-magellan.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/venus-magellan-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/venus-magellan-768x431.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Digital model of a volcano on Venus’s surface created from radar measurements made by NASA’s Magellan spacecraft. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The intensely hot, high-pressure environment on Venus is one reason for the dearth of active exploration there. Also, researchers believed that it is not a world where they could hope to find life — unlike Mars, where the missions Curiosity and Perseverance are intensely examining that possibility. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/venus/in-depth/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Venus \u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">is a very different planet than Earth, and its harsh environment makes exploring its surface a huge technological challenge. Global surface temperatures hold constant around 470 degrees Celsius, hot enough to melt lead, and its atmospheric pressure is equal to the water pressure a kilometer deep under Earth’s oceans. The few spacecraft that have ever landed there did not last long before succumbing to the hellish conditions.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975406\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 509px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1975406\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/venera13surfacecomposite-Roscosmos.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"509\" height=\"337\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/venera13surfacecomposite-Roscosmos.jpg 509w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/venera13surfacecomposite-Roscosmos-160x106.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 509px) 100vw, 509px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image taken from the surface of Venus by the USSR’s Venera 13 spacecraft. This is one of the few images ever taken from Venus’s surface. \u003ccite>(Roscosmos)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Is Venus Earth’s ‘Evil Twin’?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But there are striking similarities between Venus and Earth. Venus is almost the same size as Earth, unlike Mars, which has received so much attention from NASA and other space agencies over the decades even though it’s about half the size of Earth. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">And though Venus is closer to the sun, the extreme temperature of its atmosphere can be attributed in large part to a dominance of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps solar energy in the form of heat. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Observations of Venus’s atmospheric chemistry have fueled a hypothesis that the hell-world of today may have once been more temperate, with a cooler atmosphere, oceans of water, and possibly life-friendly conditions. What happened to change Venus’s environment so profoundly is a question NASA hopes its two new missions will help answer. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Was There Ever Life on Venus? Does Life Exist There Now?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1969688/is-there-life-in-the-clouds-above-venus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">detection of the molecule phosphine\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> high in Venus’s atmosphere by a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.washington.edu/news/2021/01/27/phosphine-venus-so2/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">team of researchers\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> in the United Kingdom has raised new questions about the possibility of life on what was once thought to be an inhospitable world. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Phosphine is a chemical found on Earth in association with certain biological processes, such as some anaerobic microbes (ones that do not need oxygen to live), the decomposition of organic matter, as well as human industrial activity, so its presence on Venus is an eye-opening surprise. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1975403\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1975403\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_ir2_20161030_080333_226_l2b_v10_PRGB-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_ir2_20161030_080333_226_l2b_v10_PRGB-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_ir2_20161030_080333_226_l2b_v10_PRGB-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-1020x1020.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_ir2_20161030_080333_226_l2b_v10_PRGB-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-160x160.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_ir2_20161030_080333_226_l2b_v10_PRGB-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/06/20180113_ir2_20161030_080333_226_l2b_v10_PRGB-JAXA-ISAS-DARTS-Damia-Bouic.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Infrared image of the night side of Venus, captured by JAXA’s Akatsuki spacecraft. \u003ccite>(JAXA/ISAS/DARTS/Damia Bouic)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Given Venus’s crushing surface pressure and roasting temperature, it’s hard to imagine any form of life existing there, but conditions at higher altitudes are more forgiving. At heights of 30 to 40 miles above Venus’s surface, the pressure and temperature in the atmosphere are similar to those on Earth’s surface. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">If oceans once existed on Venus, they likely evaporated as temperatures soared. But what happened to turn up the heat? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Was there life on Earth’s closest sibling-planet? What was it like? Could life of some form still thrive there today, high up in the atmosphere, a safe distance away from Venus’s punishing surface? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Venus holds many tantalizing mysteries, and NASA is doubling down on solving them. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "UFOs: SETI Astronomer, Stanford Researcher, Aerospace Expert Weigh In",
"headTitle": "UFOs: SETI Astronomer, Stanford Researcher, Aerospace Expert Weigh In | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>Sometime this month, military and intelligence officials will dip a toe down\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975081/what-should-we-make-of-the-highly-disorienting-ufo-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> the UFO rabbit hole\u003c/a> by releasing a report required by Congress to include every unclassified fact the government has gleaned about UFOs — now officially called UAPs, for unidentified aerial phenomena. The analysis was mandated last year after Sen. Marco Rubio included it in a bill to fund intelligence activities. The stipulation came on the heels of publicized encounters between U.S. Navy pilots and mysterious unidentifiable objects reported to maneuver well past the limits of present technology. According to stories from \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/03/us/politics/ufos-sighting-alien-spacecraft-pentagon.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The New York Times\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/report-does-not-confirm-or-rule-out-ufos-in-unexplained-aerial-events/2021/06/03/87654f70-c4d3-11eb-8c34-f8095f2dc445_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Washington Post\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/03/politics/intelligence-officials-navy-pilot-ufo-encounters/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CNN\u003c/a>, officials who were briefed on the upcoming report said the findings are inconclusive about what these mysterious objects are, but that a much-theorized extraterrestrial origin was not specifically ruled out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#shostak\">Seth Shostak, SETI astronomer\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#nolan\">Garry Nolan, Stanford researcher\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#cook\">Nick Cook, former aviation editor, Janes Defence Weekly\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975081/what-should-we-make-of-the-highly-disorienting-ufo-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">What Should We Make of the Highly Disorienting UFO Story?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>[/pullquote]Below are three interviews about these strange developments with professionals from different fields who have different takes on what’s going on. \u003ca href=\"https://www.seti.org/our-scientists/seth-shostak\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Seth Shostak\u003c/a> is the senior astronomer for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.seti.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SETI Institute\u003c/a>, located in Mountain View, which searches for signs of intelligent alien life by scanning for radio or light signals in space. \u003ca href=\"https://web.stanford.edu/group/nolan/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Garry Nolan \u003c/a>is a professor of microbiology and pathology at Stanford who is currently analyzing alleged UFO artifacts. And \u003ca href=\"http://www.nickcook.works/about-nick-cook/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nick Cook\u003c/a> is the former longtime aviation editor of Janes Defence Weekly, who specialized in covering the Pentagon’s black budget programs and made a TV documentary examining the relationship between top secret aerospace projects and UFOs. \u003ca id=\"shostak\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following have been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Seth Shostak, senior astronomer, SETI Institute\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Let’s proceed logically. First off, how much more likely do we think it is than, say, 30 years ago, that there’s life on other planets? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Seth Shostak\u003c/em>: When you think back 30 years, that’s more or less before the big discovery of exoplanets — planets around other stars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But by 1995, there were articles appearing about finding planets around normal stars, and very quickly it became obvious that essentially all stars have planets. That’s the big change that’s happened in the last 30 years. This knowledge that habitable planets are probably as common as, you know, junk food. That doesn’t mean there are a lot of aliens. Given, say, a million planets like the Earth, how many of them will ever produce a species that can build a radio transmitter? We don’t know. But there are roughly a trillion planets in the Milky Way galaxy. Buy a trillion lottery tickets, you’re going to win.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Has this relatively recent development become part of the \u003ca href=\"https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1350/are-we-alone-in-the-universe-revisiting-the-drake-equation/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Drake equation\u003c/a> in terms of figuring out the odds of some extraterrestrial life-forms existing that have the brainpower of humans or greater?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ever since the Drake equation was written down by Frank Drake in 1961, the only term in that equation where you actually have more data now is the fraction of planets. But, you know, they were very optimistic back then and figured probably 100% of stars like the sun have a planet like the Earth. That’s actually close to what we now think is the answer. So, the Drake equation still remains totally determined by unknown quantities, parameters like the lifetime of societies and what fraction of planets with life cook up intelligence. We don’t know anything more about that than we did then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003c/b>But say, well, if the dinosaurs hadn’t been wiped out 66 million years ago, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, because there was no reason that the dinosaurs couldn’t have gone on essentially forever, because they were quite successful and they were adapting; you didn’t need brainy beings. So that that’s a big uncertainty. Just because you’ve got a million worlds with life doesn’t mean that you’ve got a lot of worlds with intelligence. But nobody knows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How far away might the closest habitable planet be?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nearest other star is Proxima Centauri, and it has a planet in the habitable zone. The \u003ca href=\"https://seti.berkeley.edu/listen/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Breakthrough Listen\u003c/a> people at UC Berkeley found a signal coming from the direction of it. Its most likely interference, but if it turns out that it is a real signal, then the nearest cosmic companions are only four-and-a-half light years away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>At our present rate of space travel, how long would that take us?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NASA’s fastest rocket, the one that took the New Horizons spacecraft to Pluto, went about 10 miles a second, which means you could be here in Mountain View from where you are in San Francisco in three-and a-half seconds. To take that rocket and go to Proxima Centauri would take 75,000 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Okay, given all that, are you quite certain we haven’t been visited by aliens, at least in our lifetimes?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Personally I am. But you know, about one-third of the population simply disagrees with me. And it’s a highly emotional issue. I get emails every day from people who are having difficulties with aliens in their personal lives. Whether we’re being visited today, sure, a lot of people believe it’s true. But you have to ask, well, how good is the evidence? I mean, you could argue that it’s very difficult to do because of the time required for interstellar travel. Or you could also ask, why are they here now? Why didn’t they visit the Romans? On its face, it doesn’t strike me as a very reasonable assumption, but in the end, it depends on the evidence, and the evidence to me is not good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>That brings us to the present moment, where outlets like The New York Times, The New Yorker and “60 Minutes” have covered these sightings by Navy pilots. What do you make of the latest collection of evidence?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I watched “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBtMbBPzqHY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">60 Minutes\u003c/a>,” and I thought it was very one-sided. I’ve looked at the videos. They’re certainly intriguing; you see something in these infrared camera scope displays and so forth. But I’ve talked to people about that and, for example, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1THwiaXZfzA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tic Tac video\u003c/a>, that could just be a twin-engine aircraft in front of the Navy jet. Because it’s an infrared camera, you’re looking at heat. So you’re looking up the tailpipes of a twin engine jet and it looks like a peanut from five miles away or whatever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are two things that you really have to watch out for playing out in the whole story of the Navy videos. One is \u003ca href=\"https://www.intelligentspeculation.com/blog/argument-from-authority\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">argument from authority\u003c/a>: “This is true because these guys went to flight school,” so they know what alien spacecraft look like. That’s when they bring on, you know, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.intelligentspeculation.com/blog/argument-from-authority\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">former defense minister of Canada\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.intelligentspeculation.com/blog/argument-from-authority\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Edgar Mitchell\u003c/a> [two believers of extraterrestrial visitations]. You know, “He went to the moon.” Argument from authorities doesn’t work in science. Just because somebody says it’s true doesn’t mean it’s true. Even if it’s Einstein. I mean, look, where are the data? Show me the data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other thing is \u003ca href=\"https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/logicalfallacies/Argument-from-Ignorance\">argument from ignorance\u003c/a>. They say, look, we haven’t convinced you guys, you guys being the science community, and you tick us off by saying it’s all rubbish. But we know there is compelling evidence, proof that you would accept, other than the fact it’s being hidden by the U.S. government. You should believe us because we can’t show you the evidence. That’s a pretty weak argument.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is it irksome to you that your life is dedicated to using science to try to make this very important discovery, while what you deem to be poor argumentation and a lack of evidence is being put out there to claim it’s already been discovered?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No, maybe because I’m used to it. I mean, I hadn’t been at the institute for more than a couple of months when a TV crew from some Fox show wanted to interview me. And I said, well, let me talk to the the boss here, who was the local NASA guy. He said, yes, it’s OK, just don’t let them ask you anything about UFOs. He was obviously sensitive to the issue. So they said fine, we’re not going to ask you about UFOs. They came down and they shot about two hours, and I thought, OK, they never asked about UFOs. But then I happened to see the show, and they had a housewife from the Midwest. And she said, “I was abducted twice by aliens,” and then they cut to me saying, “Well, we’re looking into that.” So I’ve been dealing with this for a long time. They invite me all the time to these UFO conferences; I don’t, as a rule, go. But I have spoken at, for example, at an ancient aliens conference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You must be very unpopular. Do you get booed?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was one guy who would write me. He’s a well-known person, you can hear him on the radio and TV often. He threatened violence. It’s very emotional. I think that’s almost more interesting than the question of whether there are aliens teasing our Navy pilots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why do you think it is so emotional?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My answer to that is probably not very good, but I think it’s partially empowering that Mr. and Mrs. Front Porch know something that those pointy-headed guys down at the local university don’t. Maybe that’s it. I mean, it’s certainly an interesting thing to know; it’s important, if true.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Let’s say when this report from the director of national intelligence comes out, it says, “We think that we have been visited.” What would be your reaction?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I would be totally gobsmacked, as the British like to say. I mean, honestly, I would say, you know, why don’t we see them? We’ve got all 800 satellites looking down at the Earth all the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"nolan\">\u003c/a>I honestly think that if we were hosting aliens in our atmosphere, we would know it 10 different ways from Sunday, because it isn’t that nobody ever looks up. Or that there aren’t hundreds of thousands of amateur astronomers using their telescopes on every clear night. So it would be like saying to the chief Inca in 1533, “You think we’re being visited by Europeans?” Those guys \u003cem>knew\u003c/em> they were being visited. It wasn’t up for debate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975081/what-should-we-make-of-the-highly-disorienting-ufo-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Read ‘What Should We Make of the Highly Disorienting UFO Story?’ from KQED\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Garry Nolan, professor of microbiology and pathology, Stanford University\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So how did you get involved working on UFOs?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Garry Nolan\u003c/em>: I was approached by some people representing the government and an aerospace corporation to help them understand the medical harm that had come to some individuals, related to supposed interactions with an anomalous craft. I had no expectation of this, but they came primarily because they were interested in the kinds of blood analysis that my lab can do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What were your findings on that? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turned out there couldn’t be any findings because some of the events had happened so long ago that the signal would be lost in the noise of time, and it just wasn’t worth going into.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You’re now looking into some alleged artifacts that came from UFOs, including a case from\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Vall%C3%A9e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Jacques Vallee\u003c/a>, perhaps the most famous UFO researcher. How’s that going?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can think of it as almost like investigative forensics. Somebody claims something happened or didn’t happen. And so you use whatever psychological or scientific means to investigate and document the case. And in the case of some of these materials, they’re almost all metals that are claimed to have either been dropped by these UAPs, or somehow left behind. In the case of \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/TRINITY-Best-Kept-Jacques-F-Vall%C3%A9e/dp/B094ZQ1GW5/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=trinity&qid=1623437335&s=books&sr=1-3&asin=B094ZQ1GW5&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1\">Trinity\u003c/a>, two boys got into what they claimed is a craft and took a piece of it. And they’ve kept it since 1945. I come to it with no preconceptions. I come to it with, well, here’s how you do the analysis. Am I the best person to do the analysis? No. Absent an actual metallurgist stepping in, I’m willing to do the groundwork, to get preliminary results that might interest a sufficiently expert metallurgist to go the next step.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What can you say about the results of your analysis?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If people are expecting a spectacular smoking gun, this is not it. But the objective is to take even some of the most blasé cases and just create a pipeline of how this should be done, to demonstrate to people that you don’t need to come up with a spectacular answer. I mean, we don’t disprove anything with this case. It’s just not a case of this being an obvious piece of technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The things that interest me the most are the cases where there are claimed changes in the isotope ratios of given elements. The point I’ve always made is we don’t know why you would do that in the first place, because it’s expensive. And so if somebody is engineering isotope ratios for a practical purpose, I’d like to understand why, because that would be evidence of an understanding of material science that we don’t currently possess.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And so if you put together this idea of material science understanding that we don’t possess with some of the claimed observations of craft that do things that we don’t know how to do, it’s like catnip to somebody who likes to solve problems\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you come to a conclusion that is not supported by the facts or anecdotal, and start pushing an agenda, you’re only going to discredit yourself, because one of the things I’ve learned in looking at this area is that it’s way too complex to come to some Hollywood conclusion about aliens. As many people have said, the majority of the so-called sightings are likely to be mistakes. And so let’s get the mistakes off the table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve dealt with fake cases before. People brought me things that were clearly faked trying to make money. So it’s a fraught field.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How have your colleagues reacted to your work in this area?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A little bit the usual giggles, and some have said, “Garry, you’re going to ruin your reputation.” And my response is: I’m not making a conclusion. I’m just saying that there is data here that is anomalous and that somebody needs to explain. I’m willing to take the time to explain it. What scientist takes something off the table? If the explanation is sitting there right in front of you and you decide to throw it away before you even come to a conclusion, you can’t really claim to be a scientist — you’re a cultist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think the crux of the whole issue here is: Why are we afraid of talking about it? It’s interesting that suddenly in the last year this has come to national attention. We train these pilots for tens of millions of dollars, and we entrust them with multimillion dollar pieces of equipment. Now people are coming to me who kind of giggled in the past, and they’re saying, “Garry, it looks like you might have been right. I’m really interested in this. Can you tell me more?” It’s a little bit more open now, and that’s a good thing. And if it is disproven, ultimately, I’m perfectly fine with that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Are you aware of any other scientists who are working on UFO issues? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dozens. And there are probably others who just don’t want to step forward. I’m the only one perhaps foolish enough to be a bit more public about it. Part of the problem is that there is no funding, so people are doing it on a nickel and a dime, paying for it themselves in their spare time. And I think that when people say, well, there’s no real results, it’s because nobody’s funded the question properly to get the results. As many people know, science is on some level capitalist in nature in that it will follow the money. If there’s money in research grants and things to be done, people will start investigating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong> It sounds like you think there is really something to this phenomenon.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think there is genuinely something interesting there. How to explain it, I don’t know. As Jacques once said, the problem with coming to conclusions is if you can come up with one counter conclusion or one counter observation, your whole set of conclusions can fall apart. So maintain your distance until you have all of the data. All I’m saying is there is data that is interesting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is it fair to say that your open-mindedness about this issue is a minority position among the scientific community?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"cook\">\u003c/a>I think it’s a minority position. But in my science, I always consider everything. I’m very much, “Keep it on the table.” So it might be a low probability, a 0.1% chance. If I throw it away and consider it impossible, then I might be limiting myself. That’s how I’ve succeeded, at least in my field. Not everybody works that way, and I don’t think everybody needs to. We need the skeptics. They are, in a sense, peer review. As long as they’re not pathologically skeptical. There has to come a point at which we agree there’s a proof point. We can still be proven wrong later.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Nick Cook, former aviation editor, Janes Defence Weekly, author of ‘The Hunt for Zero Point Energy’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What are the possibilities we might see in the U.S. intelligence report due out this month? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nick Cook\u003c/em>: Given that we haven’t seen the report yet, there are four possible options. The first is that it will largely fudge the issue and go for “nothing to see here, please move along.” The second is that there will be some declaration perhaps that this is classified U.S. technology that’s deeply secret. The third is that it could be Russian or Chinese, near-peer adversary technology that is streets ahead of anything that has been developed in the U.S. And the fourth is that it’s none of the above and that we are truly confronted by a bizarre explanation for these phenomena which defy rational explanation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>For that fourth possibility, what has been mentioned or at least hinted at is extraterrestrials. Is that what you’re talking about as well? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, let me couch that with a bit of a proviso, which is that there is a lot of skirting around what the fourth one is. So if it’s none of the above and the explanation as put to Congress is not accounted for as “this is a big nothing”; or this is classified U.S. technology that we’re not prepared to discuss; or this is stuff that China or Russia is doing, we are left with “something else.” No one really wants to say, well, it’s not from here, therefore it must be extraterrestrial. But extraterrestrial itself is kind of shorthand for a much more complex explanation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If this were merely visitations from entities from another planet or other planetary systems, of course that would be extremely interesting. But it doesn’t really account for the facts that these craft that are witnessed by very professional witnesses, predominantly the U.S. military, still exhibit facets which don’t really conform to just an ET explanation, that they’ve come from light years away from other star systems to here. Given the frequency with which these things appear in our airspace, it seems extremely unlikely to me and actually to a lot of other people who are having to confront this phenomenon that ET is an explanation. Does it therefore have to delve into an even more complex scenario? So, that last explanation, which is that it’s not from anything or anyone here on Earth, is replete with all kinds of bear traps, booby traps and unfortunate corollaries that Congress would then have to deal with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>But wouldn’t you say, given there isn’t a more mundane explanation, that it’s much more likely that this is either secret U.S. technology or adversarial technology from right here on planet Earth?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If I’m to be absolutely honest, it would be much more convenient if the Pentagon and the intelligence community could come up with a relatively rational down-to-Earth, so to speak, explanation for these sightings. However, that flies in the face of a lot of the data that underpins the phenomenon. These sightings, at least in the modern era, go back to 1945, sort of the end of the Second World War period. So we have a 75-year window in which this data has presented itself to us and in which people, including the Pentagon and the intelligence community, have had a chance to examine it. In order to say this has been developed by us, America, or by China or Russia, you have to acknowledge that the technology has been in existence for the last 75 years, and that is patently impossible. That is even more irrational than the ET explanation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So you don’t see a possible analogue to these craft in the stealth planes that were developed in the black and went into operation before they were revealed to the public?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stealth came out of conventional physics. The algorithm from which you derive stealth technology, whether that’s radar-absorbent material or the shaping of the aircraft, that is down to basic albeit clever math. If you apply that same sort of thinking to these anomalous aircraft that the Navy is coming up against, they defy our understanding of math and physics. So whilst there are similarities to the stealth story, there are also great discrepancies as well, because stealth, as weird as it was back in the early 1980s, was borne of rational physics, and the stuff these people are seeing in the skies now defies rationality if you apply it to our current understanding of physics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s tempting to say that this has all been developed in the black. It’s so ahead of its time that you would want to keep it beyond unacknowledged. I mean, stealth was unacknowledged and deeply secret, but this would be such a quantum leap in terms of capability, you’d want to keep this buried for decades more. If we saw this stuff appearing in 100 years time, it would be soon. So whilst that is tempting, you look at what these people say they see, and these are qualified witnesses, military witnesses, to my mind, it just doesn’t conform to our understanding of technology development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Technology development, broadly speaking, follows a fairly ordered pathway. And there are clues in physics and in science and technology and research and development that give even outsiders like us hints to what may be being developed in the black world. There are no hints, or there are very few hints, despite attempts by people to try and develop breakthrough physics, that this could have been developed in the black to the degree that it’s developed a performing aerospace vehicle such as are reported by these very credible witnesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So what are the attributes that these objects have reportedly exhibited that are outside the bounds of what we think of as our current level of aircraft capability?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most significant attribute, I think, is that these craft, as they seem to present themselves, have no visible means of propulsion. There’s no propeller-driven source of energy; there is no jet engine attached to it. So when you look at the propulsion side of it, you are confronted by craft that just don’t have any analogues in our world. You go beyond that into other attributes that they exhibit, such as stealth and cloaking — these things, whilst plotted on radar, often vanish from it. People who are watching them occasionally say they’ve vanished before their eyes. That would not be a characteristic that you could pin to a conventional kind of aircraft. They are also capable of phenomenal speeds, in excess of Mach 25, which is the orbital velocity that a rocket needs to escape the bounds of Earth’s orbit. And they’re capable of high maneuverability and stop-start motion, so they can literally stop on a dime and then accelerate to phenomenal speeds, all of which, of course, is not recognized by any aircraft designer. And even when you apply those attributes to the classical world, where we have seen some of those things develop, such as stealth, and there have been efforts at least in the last 25 year to try and instill cloaking through clever camouflage means to aircraft, it’s the totality of all of those things that just doesn’t add up to anything that has been or could have been developed over the last few decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Have all these attributes you mention been documented by instrumentation or credible eyewitness accounts, even outside the recent sightings described on “60 Minutes” by the airmen?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Within the last two decades, the U.S., particularly the Navy, has fielded a new generation of sensors, particularly in the radar field and in the infrared field, which may have accounted for an increase in the sightings data. The airborne, electronically scanned array \u003ca href=\"https://www.raytheon.com/capabilities/products/apg79aesa/fa18airdom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AESA radars of these F/A-18s\u003c/a>, which have been going up against these craft, are relatively new. The technology itself is not that new, but they’ve been fielded within the last couple of decades. So it may be an attribute of the sensor systems that they’re picking up more evidence of these things. There are other sensors like infrared search and track systems. And then there’s the fusion of data that you get from within a fleet; that is all networked now. So even if your own radar on your F-18 is blinded or blindsided, to some degree, you can tap into offboard data from ships, from airborne early warning aircraft and even satellites, to give you a sort of fused picture of the battle space. And that may be eliciting more sightings data than we’ve had than before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s quite interesting listening to Ryan Graves, one of the pilots who has come up against these things. He said even when he couldn’t pick them up on his own radar, he was fed off-board data from the rest of the fleet, either from an airborne early warning aircraft or a ship itself that suggested these things were out there in his airspace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Have you talked with people in the defense industry about this phenomenon?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m no longer a journalist, but I’m a consultant in that field, and I’ve maintained a lot of links into the aerospace and defense world. So I talk to people a lot in and around the kinds of regimes where this sort of technology would be developed, if it were being developed. And they are predominantly as baffled as everyone else. So you have several bodies of people who should know about this stuff and who remain baffled — the pilots and the operational community, and the development community, insofar as I can speak to it. Even outfits known for the development of radical technology, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/who-we-are/business-areas/aeronautics/skunkworks.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lockheed Martin Skunk Works\u003c/a>, appear to be baffled by this technology. Now, you have to caveat that with: It’s not impossible that this has been developed in the black. But on the balance of probabilities, when after you’ve spoken to all of those people who are all equally baffled by what is going on, and then you apply that to Congress, which should have, at least in some courses, some oversight of what is going on, and they are baffled, you’ve got to sort of shrug your shoulders and go, you know, whatever this is, it’s much more interesting than anything I’ve had an opportunity to examine in the course of a 30-odd year career in aerospace and defense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So far, what we’ve heard from intelligence officials who have gone public with this, and from Sen. Marco Rubio, is that they worry about this phenomena as a threat. Is it a concern that these alleged incursions are being framed almost exclusively that way?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think it is incredibly important that the military does not exclusively own this narrative, because it will begin to shape it to its own ends — the threat narrative will build and build. We’ve seen this before with Soviet bombers and Soviet ICBMs during the ’50s and ’60s, and you get a massive ramp-up in defense spending.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there’s a corollary to that, which is that the intelligence community has a responsibility to examine threats. Are they right to sort of dwell on that unnaturally? No, I don’t think that is particularly helpful. But I think it is good to sort of bear in mind that when you have a quantum leap in technology and you don’t have it yourself, it behooves you to find out what this is, and in as much granular detail as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Do you find this whole set of events disorienting at all? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, I will confess to feeling disoriented by it, even though I’ve written books on exotic propulsion, and I’ve investigated and reported on the periphery of this sort of world. I’ve looked at highly advanced aerospace technology, the kinds of technologies that are being developed in the black. That can be a fairly discombobulating world in and of itself. It’s a world of sort of smoke and mirrors. But this is something else. When you’ve got mainstream media publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post, and we’ve got them over here in the U.K., writing about this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In days gone by, I could sort of look at this stuff, read up about it, even investigate it a little bit, but then I could put it back in a box, and I could get on with my day job, and the balance of my orderly life was restored. But with so much information now coming out in the mainstream media, which has traditionally absolutely abhorred any idea of covering this topic, to see it with regularity in the headlines of those news outlets means that I cannot leave my safe, closed Pandora’s box on the side, because every day it is being opened for me by the mainstream media. And there I am having to confront these dark potential secrets, and potentially destabilizing paradigms of physics, science and reality, such as I have known them for the best part of my life. So, yes, it is disconcerting and discombobulating. And, you know, I just don’t know anymore what tomorrow will bring in terms of new headlines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "SETI Institute astronomer Seth Shostak, Stanford professor Garry Nolan; and former Janes Defence aviation editor Nick Cook on the much publicized encounters of U.S. Navy pilots with unidentifed flying objects. ",
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"description": "SETI Institute astronomer Seth Shostak, Stanford professor Garry Nolan; and former Janes Defence aviation editor Nick Cook on the much publicized encounters of U.S. Navy pilots with unidentifed flying objects. ",
"title": "UFOs: SETI Astronomer, Stanford Researcher, Aerospace Expert Weigh In | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Sometime this month, military and intelligence officials will dip a toe down\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975081/what-should-we-make-of-the-highly-disorienting-ufo-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> the UFO rabbit hole\u003c/a> by releasing a report required by Congress to include every unclassified fact the government has gleaned about UFOs — now officially called UAPs, for unidentified aerial phenomena. The analysis was mandated last year after Sen. Marco Rubio included it in a bill to fund intelligence activities. The stipulation came on the heels of publicized encounters between U.S. Navy pilots and mysterious unidentifiable objects reported to maneuver well past the limits of present technology. According to stories from \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/03/us/politics/ufos-sighting-alien-spacecraft-pentagon.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The New York Times\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/report-does-not-confirm-or-rule-out-ufos-in-unexplained-aerial-events/2021/06/03/87654f70-c4d3-11eb-8c34-f8095f2dc445_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Washington Post\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/03/politics/intelligence-officials-navy-pilot-ufo-encounters/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CNN\u003c/a>, officials who were briefed on the upcoming report said the findings are inconclusive about what these mysterious objects are, but that a much-theorized extraterrestrial origin was not specifically ruled out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#shostak\">Seth Shostak, SETI astronomer\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#nolan\">Garry Nolan, Stanford researcher\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#cook\">Nick Cook, former aviation editor, Janes Defence Weekly\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975081/what-should-we-make-of-the-highly-disorienting-ufo-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">What Should We Make of the Highly Disorienting UFO Story?\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Below are three interviews about these strange developments with professionals from different fields who have different takes on what’s going on. \u003ca href=\"https://www.seti.org/our-scientists/seth-shostak\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Seth Shostak\u003c/a> is the senior astronomer for the \u003ca href=\"https://www.seti.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SETI Institute\u003c/a>, located in Mountain View, which searches for signs of intelligent alien life by scanning for radio or light signals in space. \u003ca href=\"https://web.stanford.edu/group/nolan/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Garry Nolan \u003c/a>is a professor of microbiology and pathology at Stanford who is currently analyzing alleged UFO artifacts. And \u003ca href=\"http://www.nickcook.works/about-nick-cook/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nick Cook\u003c/a> is the former longtime aviation editor of Janes Defence Weekly, who specialized in covering the Pentagon’s black budget programs and made a TV documentary examining the relationship between top secret aerospace projects and UFOs. \u003ca id=\"shostak\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The following have been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Seth Shostak, senior astronomer, SETI Institute\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Let’s proceed logically. First off, how much more likely do we think it is than, say, 30 years ago, that there’s life on other planets? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Seth Shostak\u003c/em>: When you think back 30 years, that’s more or less before the big discovery of exoplanets — planets around other stars.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But by 1995, there were articles appearing about finding planets around normal stars, and very quickly it became obvious that essentially all stars have planets. That’s the big change that’s happened in the last 30 years. This knowledge that habitable planets are probably as common as, you know, junk food. That doesn’t mean there are a lot of aliens. Given, say, a million planets like the Earth, how many of them will ever produce a species that can build a radio transmitter? We don’t know. But there are roughly a trillion planets in the Milky Way galaxy. Buy a trillion lottery tickets, you’re going to win.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Has this relatively recent development become part of the \u003ca href=\"https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1350/are-we-alone-in-the-universe-revisiting-the-drake-equation/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Drake equation\u003c/a> in terms of figuring out the odds of some extraterrestrial life-forms existing that have the brainpower of humans or greater?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ever since the Drake equation was written down by Frank Drake in 1961, the only term in that equation where you actually have more data now is the fraction of planets. But, you know, they were very optimistic back then and figured probably 100% of stars like the sun have a planet like the Earth. That’s actually close to what we now think is the answer. So, the Drake equation still remains totally determined by unknown quantities, parameters like the lifetime of societies and what fraction of planets with life cook up intelligence. We don’t know anything more about that than we did then.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>\u003c/b>But say, well, if the dinosaurs hadn’t been wiped out 66 million years ago, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, because there was no reason that the dinosaurs couldn’t have gone on essentially forever, because they were quite successful and they were adapting; you didn’t need brainy beings. So that that’s a big uncertainty. Just because you’ve got a million worlds with life doesn’t mean that you’ve got a lot of worlds with intelligence. But nobody knows.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How far away might the closest habitable planet be?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The nearest other star is Proxima Centauri, and it has a planet in the habitable zone. The \u003ca href=\"https://seti.berkeley.edu/listen/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Breakthrough Listen\u003c/a> people at UC Berkeley found a signal coming from the direction of it. Its most likely interference, but if it turns out that it is a real signal, then the nearest cosmic companions are only four-and-a-half light years away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>At our present rate of space travel, how long would that take us?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NASA’s fastest rocket, the one that took the New Horizons spacecraft to Pluto, went about 10 miles a second, which means you could be here in Mountain View from where you are in San Francisco in three-and a-half seconds. To take that rocket and go to Proxima Centauri would take 75,000 years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Okay, given all that, are you quite certain we haven’t been visited by aliens, at least in our lifetimes?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Personally I am. But you know, about one-third of the population simply disagrees with me. And it’s a highly emotional issue. I get emails every day from people who are having difficulties with aliens in their personal lives. Whether we’re being visited today, sure, a lot of people believe it’s true. But you have to ask, well, how good is the evidence? I mean, you could argue that it’s very difficult to do because of the time required for interstellar travel. Or you could also ask, why are they here now? Why didn’t they visit the Romans? On its face, it doesn’t strike me as a very reasonable assumption, but in the end, it depends on the evidence, and the evidence to me is not good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>That brings us to the present moment, where outlets like The New York Times, The New Yorker and “60 Minutes” have covered these sightings by Navy pilots. What do you make of the latest collection of evidence?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I watched “\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBtMbBPzqHY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">60 Minutes\u003c/a>,” and I thought it was very one-sided. I’ve looked at the videos. They’re certainly intriguing; you see something in these infrared camera scope displays and so forth. But I’ve talked to people about that and, for example, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1THwiaXZfzA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tic Tac video\u003c/a>, that could just be a twin-engine aircraft in front of the Navy jet. Because it’s an infrared camera, you’re looking at heat. So you’re looking up the tailpipes of a twin engine jet and it looks like a peanut from five miles away or whatever.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are two things that you really have to watch out for playing out in the whole story of the Navy videos. One is \u003ca href=\"https://www.intelligentspeculation.com/blog/argument-from-authority\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">argument from authority\u003c/a>: “This is true because these guys went to flight school,” so they know what alien spacecraft look like. That’s when they bring on, you know, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.intelligentspeculation.com/blog/argument-from-authority\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">former defense minister of Canada\u003c/a> or \u003ca href=\"https://www.intelligentspeculation.com/blog/argument-from-authority\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Edgar Mitchell\u003c/a> [two believers of extraterrestrial visitations]. You know, “He went to the moon.” Argument from authorities doesn’t work in science. Just because somebody says it’s true doesn’t mean it’s true. Even if it’s Einstein. I mean, look, where are the data? Show me the data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The other thing is \u003ca href=\"https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/logicalfallacies/Argument-from-Ignorance\">argument from ignorance\u003c/a>. They say, look, we haven’t convinced you guys, you guys being the science community, and you tick us off by saying it’s all rubbish. But we know there is compelling evidence, proof that you would accept, other than the fact it’s being hidden by the U.S. government. You should believe us because we can’t show you the evidence. That’s a pretty weak argument.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is it irksome to you that your life is dedicated to using science to try to make this very important discovery, while what you deem to be poor argumentation and a lack of evidence is being put out there to claim it’s already been discovered?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No, maybe because I’m used to it. I mean, I hadn’t been at the institute for more than a couple of months when a TV crew from some Fox show wanted to interview me. And I said, well, let me talk to the the boss here, who was the local NASA guy. He said, yes, it’s OK, just don’t let them ask you anything about UFOs. He was obviously sensitive to the issue. So they said fine, we’re not going to ask you about UFOs. They came down and they shot about two hours, and I thought, OK, they never asked about UFOs. But then I happened to see the show, and they had a housewife from the Midwest. And she said, “I was abducted twice by aliens,” and then they cut to me saying, “Well, we’re looking into that.” So I’ve been dealing with this for a long time. They invite me all the time to these UFO conferences; I don’t, as a rule, go. But I have spoken at, for example, at an ancient aliens conference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You must be very unpopular. Do you get booed?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There was one guy who would write me. He’s a well-known person, you can hear him on the radio and TV often. He threatened violence. It’s very emotional. I think that’s almost more interesting than the question of whether there are aliens teasing our Navy pilots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Why do you think it is so emotional?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>My answer to that is probably not very good, but I think it’s partially empowering that Mr. and Mrs. Front Porch know something that those pointy-headed guys down at the local university don’t. Maybe that’s it. I mean, it’s certainly an interesting thing to know; it’s important, if true.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Let’s say when this report from the director of national intelligence comes out, it says, “We think that we have been visited.” What would be your reaction?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I would be totally gobsmacked, as the British like to say. I mean, honestly, I would say, you know, why don’t we see them? We’ve got all 800 satellites looking down at the Earth all the time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"nolan\">\u003c/a>I honestly think that if we were hosting aliens in our atmosphere, we would know it 10 different ways from Sunday, because it isn’t that nobody ever looks up. Or that there aren’t hundreds of thousands of amateur astronomers using their telescopes on every clear night. So it would be like saying to the chief Inca in 1533, “You think we’re being visited by Europeans?” Those guys \u003cem>knew\u003c/em> they were being visited. It wasn’t up for debate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1975081/what-should-we-make-of-the-highly-disorienting-ufo-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\u003cem>Read ‘What Should We Make of the Highly Disorienting UFO Story?’ from KQED\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Garry Nolan, professor of microbiology and pathology, Stanford University\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So how did you get involved working on UFOs?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Garry Nolan\u003c/em>: I was approached by some people representing the government and an aerospace corporation to help them understand the medical harm that had come to some individuals, related to supposed interactions with an anomalous craft. I had no expectation of this, but they came primarily because they were interested in the kinds of blood analysis that my lab can do.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What were your findings on that? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It turned out there couldn’t be any findings because some of the events had happened so long ago that the signal would be lost in the noise of time, and it just wasn’t worth going into.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>You’re now looking into some alleged artifacts that came from UFOs, including a case from\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Vall%C3%A9e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Jacques Vallee\u003c/a>, perhaps the most famous UFO researcher. How’s that going?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can think of it as almost like investigative forensics. Somebody claims something happened or didn’t happen. And so you use whatever psychological or scientific means to investigate and document the case. And in the case of some of these materials, they’re almost all metals that are claimed to have either been dropped by these UAPs, or somehow left behind. In the case of \u003ca href=\"https://www.amazon.com/TRINITY-Best-Kept-Jacques-F-Vall%C3%A9e/dp/B094ZQ1GW5/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=trinity&qid=1623437335&s=books&sr=1-3&asin=B094ZQ1GW5&revisionId=&format=4&depth=1\">Trinity\u003c/a>, two boys got into what they claimed is a craft and took a piece of it. And they’ve kept it since 1945. I come to it with no preconceptions. I come to it with, well, here’s how you do the analysis. Am I the best person to do the analysis? No. Absent an actual metallurgist stepping in, I’m willing to do the groundwork, to get preliminary results that might interest a sufficiently expert metallurgist to go the next step.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What can you say about the results of your analysis?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If people are expecting a spectacular smoking gun, this is not it. But the objective is to take even some of the most blasé cases and just create a pipeline of how this should be done, to demonstrate to people that you don’t need to come up with a spectacular answer. I mean, we don’t disprove anything with this case. It’s just not a case of this being an obvious piece of technology.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The things that interest me the most are the cases where there are claimed changes in the isotope ratios of given elements. The point I’ve always made is we don’t know why you would do that in the first place, because it’s expensive. And so if somebody is engineering isotope ratios for a practical purpose, I’d like to understand why, because that would be evidence of an understanding of material science that we don’t currently possess.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And so if you put together this idea of material science understanding that we don’t possess with some of the claimed observations of craft that do things that we don’t know how to do, it’s like catnip to somebody who likes to solve problems\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you come to a conclusion that is not supported by the facts or anecdotal, and start pushing an agenda, you’re only going to discredit yourself, because one of the things I’ve learned in looking at this area is that it’s way too complex to come to some Hollywood conclusion about aliens. As many people have said, the majority of the so-called sightings are likely to be mistakes. And so let’s get the mistakes off the table.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’ve dealt with fake cases before. People brought me things that were clearly faked trying to make money. So it’s a fraught field.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>How have your colleagues reacted to your work in this area?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A little bit the usual giggles, and some have said, “Garry, you’re going to ruin your reputation.” And my response is: I’m not making a conclusion. I’m just saying that there is data here that is anomalous and that somebody needs to explain. I’m willing to take the time to explain it. What scientist takes something off the table? If the explanation is sitting there right in front of you and you decide to throw it away before you even come to a conclusion, you can’t really claim to be a scientist — you’re a cultist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think the crux of the whole issue here is: Why are we afraid of talking about it? It’s interesting that suddenly in the last year this has come to national attention. We train these pilots for tens of millions of dollars, and we entrust them with multimillion dollar pieces of equipment. Now people are coming to me who kind of giggled in the past, and they’re saying, “Garry, it looks like you might have been right. I’m really interested in this. Can you tell me more?” It’s a little bit more open now, and that’s a good thing. And if it is disproven, ultimately, I’m perfectly fine with that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Are you aware of any other scientists who are working on UFO issues? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dozens. And there are probably others who just don’t want to step forward. I’m the only one perhaps foolish enough to be a bit more public about it. Part of the problem is that there is no funding, so people are doing it on a nickel and a dime, paying for it themselves in their spare time. And I think that when people say, well, there’s no real results, it’s because nobody’s funded the question properly to get the results. As many people know, science is on some level capitalist in nature in that it will follow the money. If there’s money in research grants and things to be done, people will start investigating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong> It sounds like you think there is really something to this phenomenon.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think there is genuinely something interesting there. How to explain it, I don’t know. As Jacques once said, the problem with coming to conclusions is if you can come up with one counter conclusion or one counter observation, your whole set of conclusions can fall apart. So maintain your distance until you have all of the data. All I’m saying is there is data that is interesting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Is it fair to say that your open-mindedness about this issue is a minority position among the scientific community?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca id=\"cook\">\u003c/a>I think it’s a minority position. But in my science, I always consider everything. I’m very much, “Keep it on the table.” So it might be a low probability, a 0.1% chance. If I throw it away and consider it impossible, then I might be limiting myself. That’s how I’ve succeeded, at least in my field. Not everybody works that way, and I don’t think everybody needs to. We need the skeptics. They are, in a sense, peer review. As long as they’re not pathologically skeptical. There has to come a point at which we agree there’s a proof point. We can still be proven wrong later.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>Nick Cook, former aviation editor, Janes Defence Weekly, author of ‘The Hunt for Zero Point Energy’\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What are the possibilities we might see in the U.S. intelligence report due out this month? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Nick Cook\u003c/em>: Given that we haven’t seen the report yet, there are four possible options. The first is that it will largely fudge the issue and go for “nothing to see here, please move along.” The second is that there will be some declaration perhaps that this is classified U.S. technology that’s deeply secret. The third is that it could be Russian or Chinese, near-peer adversary technology that is streets ahead of anything that has been developed in the U.S. And the fourth is that it’s none of the above and that we are truly confronted by a bizarre explanation for these phenomena which defy rational explanation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>For that fourth possibility, what has been mentioned or at least hinted at is extraterrestrials. Is that what you’re talking about as well? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, let me couch that with a bit of a proviso, which is that there is a lot of skirting around what the fourth one is. So if it’s none of the above and the explanation as put to Congress is not accounted for as “this is a big nothing”; or this is classified U.S. technology that we’re not prepared to discuss; or this is stuff that China or Russia is doing, we are left with “something else.” No one really wants to say, well, it’s not from here, therefore it must be extraterrestrial. But extraterrestrial itself is kind of shorthand for a much more complex explanation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If this were merely visitations from entities from another planet or other planetary systems, of course that would be extremely interesting. But it doesn’t really account for the facts that these craft that are witnessed by very professional witnesses, predominantly the U.S. military, still exhibit facets which don’t really conform to just an ET explanation, that they’ve come from light years away from other star systems to here. Given the frequency with which these things appear in our airspace, it seems extremely unlikely to me and actually to a lot of other people who are having to confront this phenomenon that ET is an explanation. Does it therefore have to delve into an even more complex scenario? So, that last explanation, which is that it’s not from anything or anyone here on Earth, is replete with all kinds of bear traps, booby traps and unfortunate corollaries that Congress would then have to deal with.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>But wouldn’t you say, given there isn’t a more mundane explanation, that it’s much more likely that this is either secret U.S. technology or adversarial technology from right here on planet Earth?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If I’m to be absolutely honest, it would be much more convenient if the Pentagon and the intelligence community could come up with a relatively rational down-to-Earth, so to speak, explanation for these sightings. However, that flies in the face of a lot of the data that underpins the phenomenon. These sightings, at least in the modern era, go back to 1945, sort of the end of the Second World War period. So we have a 75-year window in which this data has presented itself to us and in which people, including the Pentagon and the intelligence community, have had a chance to examine it. In order to say this has been developed by us, America, or by China or Russia, you have to acknowledge that the technology has been in existence for the last 75 years, and that is patently impossible. That is even more irrational than the ET explanation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So you don’t see a possible analogue to these craft in the stealth planes that were developed in the black and went into operation before they were revealed to the public?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stealth came out of conventional physics. The algorithm from which you derive stealth technology, whether that’s radar-absorbent material or the shaping of the aircraft, that is down to basic albeit clever math. If you apply that same sort of thinking to these anomalous aircraft that the Navy is coming up against, they defy our understanding of math and physics. So whilst there are similarities to the stealth story, there are also great discrepancies as well, because stealth, as weird as it was back in the early 1980s, was borne of rational physics, and the stuff these people are seeing in the skies now defies rationality if you apply it to our current understanding of physics.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s tempting to say that this has all been developed in the black. It’s so ahead of its time that you would want to keep it beyond unacknowledged. I mean, stealth was unacknowledged and deeply secret, but this would be such a quantum leap in terms of capability, you’d want to keep this buried for decades more. If we saw this stuff appearing in 100 years time, it would be soon. So whilst that is tempting, you look at what these people say they see, and these are qualified witnesses, military witnesses, to my mind, it just doesn’t conform to our understanding of technology development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Technology development, broadly speaking, follows a fairly ordered pathway. And there are clues in physics and in science and technology and research and development that give even outsiders like us hints to what may be being developed in the black world. There are no hints, or there are very few hints, despite attempts by people to try and develop breakthrough physics, that this could have been developed in the black to the degree that it’s developed a performing aerospace vehicle such as are reported by these very credible witnesses.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So what are the attributes that these objects have reportedly exhibited that are outside the bounds of what we think of as our current level of aircraft capability?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The most significant attribute, I think, is that these craft, as they seem to present themselves, have no visible means of propulsion. There’s no propeller-driven source of energy; there is no jet engine attached to it. So when you look at the propulsion side of it, you are confronted by craft that just don’t have any analogues in our world. You go beyond that into other attributes that they exhibit, such as stealth and cloaking — these things, whilst plotted on radar, often vanish from it. People who are watching them occasionally say they’ve vanished before their eyes. That would not be a characteristic that you could pin to a conventional kind of aircraft. They are also capable of phenomenal speeds, in excess of Mach 25, which is the orbital velocity that a rocket needs to escape the bounds of Earth’s orbit. And they’re capable of high maneuverability and stop-start motion, so they can literally stop on a dime and then accelerate to phenomenal speeds, all of which, of course, is not recognized by any aircraft designer. And even when you apply those attributes to the classical world, where we have seen some of those things develop, such as stealth, and there have been efforts at least in the last 25 year to try and instill cloaking through clever camouflage means to aircraft, it’s the totality of all of those things that just doesn’t add up to anything that has been or could have been developed over the last few decades.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Have all these attributes you mention been documented by instrumentation or credible eyewitness accounts, even outside the recent sightings described on “60 Minutes” by the airmen?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Within the last two decades, the U.S., particularly the Navy, has fielded a new generation of sensors, particularly in the radar field and in the infrared field, which may have accounted for an increase in the sightings data. The airborne, electronically scanned array \u003ca href=\"https://www.raytheon.com/capabilities/products/apg79aesa/fa18airdom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AESA radars of these F/A-18s\u003c/a>, which have been going up against these craft, are relatively new. The technology itself is not that new, but they’ve been fielded within the last couple of decades. So it may be an attribute of the sensor systems that they’re picking up more evidence of these things. There are other sensors like infrared search and track systems. And then there’s the fusion of data that you get from within a fleet; that is all networked now. So even if your own radar on your F-18 is blinded or blindsided, to some degree, you can tap into offboard data from ships, from airborne early warning aircraft and even satellites, to give you a sort of fused picture of the battle space. And that may be eliciting more sightings data than we’ve had than before.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s quite interesting listening to Ryan Graves, one of the pilots who has come up against these things. He said even when he couldn’t pick them up on his own radar, he was fed off-board data from the rest of the fleet, either from an airborne early warning aircraft or a ship itself that suggested these things were out there in his airspace.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Have you talked with people in the defense industry about this phenomenon?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I’m no longer a journalist, but I’m a consultant in that field, and I’ve maintained a lot of links into the aerospace and defense world. So I talk to people a lot in and around the kinds of regimes where this sort of technology would be developed, if it were being developed. And they are predominantly as baffled as everyone else. So you have several bodies of people who should know about this stuff and who remain baffled — the pilots and the operational community, and the development community, insofar as I can speak to it. Even outfits known for the development of radical technology, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/who-we-are/business-areas/aeronautics/skunkworks.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lockheed Martin Skunk Works\u003c/a>, appear to be baffled by this technology. Now, you have to caveat that with: It’s not impossible that this has been developed in the black. But on the balance of probabilities, when after you’ve spoken to all of those people who are all equally baffled by what is going on, and then you apply that to Congress, which should have, at least in some courses, some oversight of what is going on, and they are baffled, you’ve got to sort of shrug your shoulders and go, you know, whatever this is, it’s much more interesting than anything I’ve had an opportunity to examine in the course of a 30-odd year career in aerospace and defense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>So far, what we’ve heard from intelligence officials who have gone public with this, and from Sen. Marco Rubio, is that they worry about this phenomena as a threat. Is it a concern that these alleged incursions are being framed almost exclusively that way?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I think it is incredibly important that the military does not exclusively own this narrative, because it will begin to shape it to its own ends — the threat narrative will build and build. We’ve seen this before with Soviet bombers and Soviet ICBMs during the ’50s and ’60s, and you get a massive ramp-up in defense spending.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there’s a corollary to that, which is that the intelligence community has a responsibility to examine threats. Are they right to sort of dwell on that unnaturally? No, I don’t think that is particularly helpful. But I think it is good to sort of bear in mind that when you have a quantum leap in technology and you don’t have it yourself, it behooves you to find out what this is, and in as much granular detail as possible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Do you find this whole set of events disorienting at all? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah, I will confess to feeling disoriented by it, even though I’ve written books on exotic propulsion, and I’ve investigated and reported on the periphery of this sort of world. I’ve looked at highly advanced aerospace technology, the kinds of technologies that are being developed in the black. That can be a fairly discombobulating world in and of itself. It’s a world of sort of smoke and mirrors. But this is something else. When you’ve got mainstream media publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post, and we’ve got them over here in the U.K., writing about this.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In days gone by, I could sort of look at this stuff, read up about it, even investigate it a little bit, but then I could put it back in a box, and I could get on with my day job, and the balance of my orderly life was restored. But with so much information now coming out in the mainstream media, which has traditionally absolutely abhorred any idea of covering this topic, to see it with regularity in the headlines of those news outlets means that I cannot leave my safe, closed Pandora’s box on the side, because every day it is being opened for me by the mainstream media. And there I am having to confront these dark potential secrets, and potentially destabilizing paradigms of physics, science and reality, such as I have known them for the best part of my life. So, yes, it is disconcerting and discombobulating. And, you know, I just don’t know anymore what tomorrow will bring in terms of new headlines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "When and Where to Watch the Total Lunar Eclipse Early Wednesday Morning",
"headTitle": "When and Where to Watch the Total Lunar Eclipse Early Wednesday Morning | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If it feels like a good celestial event has been lacking in your life since last December’s Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, get ready for a treat. A \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.mreclipse.com/Special/LEprimer.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">total lunar eclipse\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is about to grace the night sky, and, weather permitting, you don’t have to travel far from home to enjoy it.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>When and Where\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2021May26T.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">eclipse\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> takes place on the morning of Wednesday, May 26, beginning at 1:47 a.m. PDT, when the moon makes first contact with Earth’s partial, penumbral shadow. At this time, the full moon will be in the south — you can’t miss it — positioned about 30 degrees above the horizon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may want to sleep through this part of the eclipse, setting your alarm for a bit later, because the penumbral phase offers only a minor dimming of the moon’s light, when you may notice little change.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1974879\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1974879 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/pdt_print-May262021-nasa-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/pdt_print-May262021-nasa-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/pdt_print-May262021-nasa-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/pdt_print-May262021-nasa-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/pdt_print-May262021-nasa-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/pdt_print-May262021-nasa.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diagram showing the progression of the May 26, 2021, total lunar eclipse. The moon will first enter Earth’s partial, penumbral shadow at 1:47 a.m. PDT, then by 2:44 will contact the full umbral shadow. By 3:20 it will be halfway into the umbra, and between 4:11 and 4:26 will be fully engulfed in it — the total phase of the eclipse. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The real show starts at 2:44 a.m. at the beginning of the eclipse’s partial phase, when the moon begins to enter the Earth’s full shadow, or umbra. Now you will begin to see a definite bite taken out of one edge of the moon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1974877\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 174px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1974877 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/2007-03-03_-_Lunar_Eclipse_small-43imgThomas-Knoblauch.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"174\" height=\"144\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Time lapse animation of a total lunar eclipse, beginning and ending during the partial eclipse phase. \u003ccite>(Thomas Knoblauch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you’d like to view the eclipse from the comfort of your home, Chabot Space & Science Center will host a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/lunar-eclipse-party/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">live virtual eclipse-viewing event\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through observatory telescopes. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Totality\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The darkness will grow across the lunar disk until 4:11 a.m., when the eclipse enters “totality” and the moon is fully engulfed in Earth’s deep shadow. The entire face of the moon will dim and may take on a rosy coloration, from rusty brown to deep blood-red. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At totality, the moon will loom low in the sky, about 15 degrees high, so be sure to pick a viewing spot with a clear view of the southwestern horizon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Totality is a breathtaking sight to behold. The once brilliant full moon transforms into a serene coppery sphere, strange and almost looking out of place. Depending on atmospheric conditions, it may even appear like a ball you can reach up and grab. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1974878\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1974878 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/lunar-eclipse-diagram_0-800x602.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"602\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/lunar-eclipse-diagram_0-800x602.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/lunar-eclipse-diagram_0-1020x767.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/lunar-eclipse-diagram_0-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/lunar-eclipse-diagram_0-768x578.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/lunar-eclipse-diagram_0.jpg 1041w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through Earth’s shadow, either partly (partial lunar eclipse) or completely (total lunar eclipse). \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For this particular eclipse, totality won’t last long — less than 15 minutes. For some eclipses, totality can last an hour or longer, but Wednesday morning the moon will \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/san-francisco\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">take a shortcut\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through the Earth’s umbra, and will be fully engulfed in Earth’s shadow from 4:11 to 4:25 a.m. After that, the moon will brighten again at one edge as it peeks back into the sun’s rays. The moon will depart the umbra completely at 5:52 a.m., only minutes before moonset.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Why Does the Moon Turn Red?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might expect that the moon would go completely dark when it enters the Earth’s full umbral shadow. Instead, it seems as if the moon’s “night light” switch is flipped on, so that it becomes a ruddy, glowing fixture in the starry sky. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1974880\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1974880 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/totallunareclipse-nasa-800x629.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"629\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/totallunareclipse-nasa-800x629.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/totallunareclipse-nasa-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/totallunareclipse-nasa-768x604.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/totallunareclipse-nasa.jpg 896w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The moon during the total phase of a lunar eclipse, when the moon is fully covered by Earth’s deep umbral shadow. The red coloration comes from sunlight filtering through Earth’s atmosphere around the edges and being bent into its shadow. The reddening is caused by the same phenomenon that makes a sunset or a sunrise red. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://earthsky.org/space/why-does-the-moon-look-red-during-a-total-lunar-eclipse#:~:text=The%20moon%20passes%20through%20Earth's%20shadow.&text=Bottom%20line%3A%20The%20moon%20can,and%20refracted%20by%20Earth's%20atmosphere.\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">answer to this puzzle\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is found in the Earth’s atmosphere. While the Earth itself blocks sunlight from shining directly into the umbral shadow, the atmosphere bends and scatters some of the light slipping around the edges, casting a glow into the shadow. Bluer tones of sunlight are filtered out by atmospheric gases, while redder shades can pass through more freely. The effect is similar to how a piece of red glass lets red light pass through while blocking other colors. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you stood on the moon during this eclipse and looked back at the Earth, you would see the dark disk of the Earth blocking the sun, rimmed with brilliant reddish light, the glow of all the sunrises and sunsets happening on Earth at that moment. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>When’s the Next Lunar Eclipse?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you miss this one, there won’t be another total lunar eclipse visible from the Americas until almost a year from now, on May 16, 2022. So now’s your chance. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A total lunar eclipse will grace the night sky on Wednesday morning, May 26, starting at 1:47 a.m. PDT. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If it feels like a good celestial event has been lacking in your life since last December’s Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, get ready for a treat. A \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.mreclipse.com/Special/LEprimer.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">total lunar eclipse\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is about to grace the night sky, and, weather permitting, you don’t have to travel far from home to enjoy it.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>When and Where\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2021May26T.pdf\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">eclipse\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> takes place on the morning of Wednesday, May 26, beginning at 1:47 a.m. PDT, when the moon makes first contact with Earth’s partial, penumbral shadow. At this time, the full moon will be in the south — you can’t miss it — positioned about 30 degrees above the horizon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may want to sleep through this part of the eclipse, setting your alarm for a bit later, because the penumbral phase offers only a minor dimming of the moon’s light, when you may notice little change.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1974879\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1974879 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/pdt_print-May262021-nasa-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/pdt_print-May262021-nasa-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/pdt_print-May262021-nasa-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/pdt_print-May262021-nasa-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/pdt_print-May262021-nasa-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/pdt_print-May262021-nasa.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Diagram showing the progression of the May 26, 2021, total lunar eclipse. The moon will first enter Earth’s partial, penumbral shadow at 1:47 a.m. PDT, then by 2:44 will contact the full umbral shadow. By 3:20 it will be halfway into the umbra, and between 4:11 and 4:26 will be fully engulfed in it — the total phase of the eclipse. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The real show starts at 2:44 a.m. at the beginning of the eclipse’s partial phase, when the moon begins to enter the Earth’s full shadow, or umbra. Now you will begin to see a definite bite taken out of one edge of the moon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1974877\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 174px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1974877 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/2007-03-03_-_Lunar_Eclipse_small-43imgThomas-Knoblauch.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"174\" height=\"144\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Time lapse animation of a total lunar eclipse, beginning and ending during the partial eclipse phase. \u003ccite>(Thomas Knoblauch)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you’d like to view the eclipse from the comfort of your home, Chabot Space & Science Center will host a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/lunar-eclipse-party/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">live virtual eclipse-viewing event\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through observatory telescopes. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Totality\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The darkness will grow across the lunar disk until 4:11 a.m., when the eclipse enters “totality” and the moon is fully engulfed in Earth’s deep shadow. The entire face of the moon will dim and may take on a rosy coloration, from rusty brown to deep blood-red. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At totality, the moon will loom low in the sky, about 15 degrees high, so be sure to pick a viewing spot with a clear view of the southwestern horizon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Totality is a breathtaking sight to behold. The once brilliant full moon transforms into a serene coppery sphere, strange and almost looking out of place. Depending on atmospheric conditions, it may even appear like a ball you can reach up and grab. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1974878\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1974878 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/lunar-eclipse-diagram_0-800x602.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"602\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/lunar-eclipse-diagram_0-800x602.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/lunar-eclipse-diagram_0-1020x767.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/lunar-eclipse-diagram_0-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/lunar-eclipse-diagram_0-768x578.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/lunar-eclipse-diagram_0.jpg 1041w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes through Earth’s shadow, either partly (partial lunar eclipse) or completely (total lunar eclipse). \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For this particular eclipse, totality won’t last long — less than 15 minutes. For some eclipses, totality can last an hour or longer, but Wednesday morning the moon will \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/san-francisco\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">take a shortcut\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through the Earth’s umbra, and will be fully engulfed in Earth’s shadow from 4:11 to 4:25 a.m. After that, the moon will brighten again at one edge as it peeks back into the sun’s rays. The moon will depart the umbra completely at 5:52 a.m., only minutes before moonset.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Why Does the Moon Turn Red?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might expect that the moon would go completely dark when it enters the Earth’s full umbral shadow. Instead, it seems as if the moon’s “night light” switch is flipped on, so that it becomes a ruddy, glowing fixture in the starry sky. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1974880\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1974880 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/totallunareclipse-nasa-800x629.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"629\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/totallunareclipse-nasa-800x629.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/totallunareclipse-nasa-160x126.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/totallunareclipse-nasa-768x604.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/05/totallunareclipse-nasa.jpg 896w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The moon during the total phase of a lunar eclipse, when the moon is fully covered by Earth’s deep umbral shadow. The red coloration comes from sunlight filtering through Earth’s atmosphere around the edges and being bent into its shadow. The reddening is caused by the same phenomenon that makes a sunset or a sunrise red. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://earthsky.org/space/why-does-the-moon-look-red-during-a-total-lunar-eclipse#:~:text=The%20moon%20passes%20through%20Earth's%20shadow.&text=Bottom%20line%3A%20The%20moon%20can,and%20refracted%20by%20Earth's%20atmosphere.\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">answer to this puzzle\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is found in the Earth’s atmosphere. While the Earth itself blocks sunlight from shining directly into the umbral shadow, the atmosphere bends and scatters some of the light slipping around the edges, casting a glow into the shadow. Bluer tones of sunlight are filtered out by atmospheric gases, while redder shades can pass through more freely. The effect is similar to how a piece of red glass lets red light pass through while blocking other colors. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you stood on the moon during this eclipse and looked back at the Earth, you would see the dark disk of the Earth blocking the sun, rimmed with brilliant reddish light, the glow of all the sunrises and sunsets happening on Earth at that moment. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>When’s the Next Lunar Eclipse?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you miss this one, there won’t be another total lunar eclipse visible from the Americas until almost a year from now, on May 16, 2022. So now’s your chance. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"headTitle": "By Flying Helicopter, Making Oxygen on Mars, NASA Lays Groundwork for Human Visit | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The only helicopter on Mars has \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/status/297/ingenuity-completes-its-fourth-flight/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">done it\u003c/a> again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/ingenuity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ingenuity\u003c/a> took off on its fourth flight Friday, reaching an altitude of 16 feet and traveling a distance of almost three football fields — 872 feet — round trip, its longest sojourn yet. Airtime: Just short of two minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not even 2 feet tall, the spunky flier is part of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NASA’s Perseverance mission, which has been exploring Martian terrain for over two months, and is still checking off first-ever achievements in planetary exploration from its ambitious to-do list. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perseverance\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> rover and its helicopter sidekick \u003c/span>—\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> nicknamed Percy and Ginny by some team members at NASA’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jet Propulsion Laboratory\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> — are just as busy proving technology concepts for future Mars missions as they are conducting scientific exploration. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides the ever more daring flights by Ingenuity, the latest technical feats include Perseverance manufacturing oxygen directly from the Martian atmosphere.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Making 10 Minutes of Oxygen\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To explore what valuable natural resources Mars offers future human missions, Perseverance has the MOXIE.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Actually, that’s the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, a small, double-shoebox-sized device designed to produce up to 10 grams of oxygen per hour directly from the planet’s thin carbon dioxide atmosphere. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMnOo2zcjXA?start=14]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On April 20, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-perseverance-mars-rover-extracts-first-oxygen-from-red-planet\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MOXIE produced 5 grams of oxygen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by heating carbon dioxide to over 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit. Five grams may not seem like much, but it’s enough to last an adult for about 10 minutes of breathing. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Future human missions would benefit hugely from making their own oxygen on Mars, not only for humans to breathe, but for making rocket fuel. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On a planet where free oxygen is scarce, astronauts will breathe easier if they are not dependent on supplies brought all the way from Earth. The first quick visits to Mars will probably rely on stored oxygen, but longer habitations will require astronauts to tap such a valuable resource, as well as water, where they find it, living off the land. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ingenuity Aces Flying Tests\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mars Helicopter’s mission to demonstrate the feasibility of aerial exploration of the planet got off to a flying start on April 19 with the first-ever powered flight on another planet, a 40-second hover maneuver that lifted it about 10 feet off the ground. But this was only the beginning of a 30-day testing program still underway. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the altitude of 16 feet attained by the helicopter on Friday and the flight before doesn’t seem very high, consider that Mars’ atmospheric pressure at ground level is equivalent to Earth’s at an elevation of 100,000 feet. Ingenuity’s feathery 4-pound weight and \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/#Anatomy\">specially designed twin rotors\u003c/a> spinning at 2,500 rotations per minute allow it to fly where conventional helicopters couldn’t. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1974332\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1974332\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/heliocopter-1200-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/heliocopter-1200-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/heliocopter-1200-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/heliocopter-1200-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/heliocopter-1200-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/heliocopter-1200.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NASA’s Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, resting on the ground before its first flight on Mars. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What’s ahead for Ingenuity? NASA just announced that the helicopter’s mission has been extended by an additional 30 days, and will enter a \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8936/nasas-ingenuity-helicopter-to-begin-new-demonstration-phase/\">new phase of flight testing\u003c/a> following its sixth flight in about two weeks. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After that, unless NASA adds another extension, Ingenuity will be grounded and the rover will move on with its \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.planetary.org/space-missions/perseverance\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mission to search for clues of past life on Mars\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Asked if “Ginny” could be used for reconnaissance to aid the rover’s scientific mission, one JPL team member commented there is no need since “Percy’s” general route has already been mapped out and the rover will drive autonomously between programmed points of scientific interest. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jon Brooks contributed to this post.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The only helicopter on Mars has \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/status/297/ingenuity-completes-its-fourth-flight/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">done it\u003c/a> again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/ingenuity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ingenuity\u003c/a> took off on its fourth flight Friday, reaching an altitude of 16 feet and traveling a distance of almost three football fields — 872 feet — round trip, its longest sojourn yet. Airtime: Just short of two minutes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Not even 2 feet tall, the spunky flier is part of \u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NASA’s Perseverance mission, which has been exploring Martian terrain for over two months, and is still checking off first-ever achievements in planetary exploration from its ambitious to-do list. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perseverance\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> rover and its helicopter sidekick \u003c/span>—\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> nicknamed Percy and Ginny by some team members at NASA’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jet Propulsion Laboratory\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> — are just as busy proving technology concepts for future Mars missions as they are conducting scientific exploration. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides the ever more daring flights by Ingenuity, the latest technical feats include Perseverance manufacturing oxygen directly from the Martian atmosphere.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Making 10 Minutes of Oxygen\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To explore what valuable natural resources Mars offers future human missions, Perseverance has the MOXIE.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Actually, that’s the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, a small, double-shoebox-sized device designed to produce up to 10 grams of oxygen per hour directly from the planet’s thin carbon dioxide atmosphere. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutube'>\n \u003cspan class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__embedYoutubeInside'>\n \u003ciframe\n loading='lazy'\n class='utils-parseShortcode-shortcodes-__youtubeShortcode__youtubePlayer'\n type='text/html'\n src='//www.youtube.com/embed/wMnOo2zcjXA?start=14'\n title='//www.youtube.com/embed/wMnOo2zcjXA?start=14'\n allowfullscreen='true'\n style='border:0;'>\u003c/iframe>\n \u003c/span>\n \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On April 20, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-perseverance-mars-rover-extracts-first-oxygen-from-red-planet\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MOXIE produced 5 grams of oxygen\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by heating carbon dioxide to over 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit. Five grams may not seem like much, but it’s enough to last an adult for about 10 minutes of breathing. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Future human missions would benefit hugely from making their own oxygen on Mars, not only for humans to breathe, but for making rocket fuel. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On a planet where free oxygen is scarce, astronauts will breathe easier if they are not dependent on supplies brought all the way from Earth. The first quick visits to Mars will probably rely on stored oxygen, but longer habitations will require astronauts to tap such a valuable resource, as well as water, where they find it, living off the land. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Ingenuity Aces Flying Tests\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Mars Helicopter’s mission to demonstrate the feasibility of aerial exploration of the planet got off to a flying start on April 19 with the first-ever powered flight on another planet, a 40-second hover maneuver that lifted it about 10 feet off the ground. But this was only the beginning of a 30-day testing program still underway. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the altitude of 16 feet attained by the helicopter on Friday and the flight before doesn’t seem very high, consider that Mars’ atmospheric pressure at ground level is equivalent to Earth’s at an elevation of 100,000 feet. Ingenuity’s feathery 4-pound weight and \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/#Anatomy\">specially designed twin rotors\u003c/a> spinning at 2,500 rotations per minute allow it to fly where conventional helicopters couldn’t. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1974332\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1974332\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/heliocopter-1200-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/heliocopter-1200-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/heliocopter-1200-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/heliocopter-1200-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/heliocopter-1200-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/heliocopter-1200.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">NASA’s Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, resting on the ground before its first flight on Mars. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What’s ahead for Ingenuity? NASA just announced that the helicopter’s mission has been extended by an additional 30 days, and will enter a \u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8936/nasas-ingenuity-helicopter-to-begin-new-demonstration-phase/\">new phase of flight testing\u003c/a> following its sixth flight in about two weeks. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After that, unless NASA adds another extension, Ingenuity will be grounded and the rover will move on with its \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.planetary.org/space-missions/perseverance\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mission to search for clues of past life on Mars\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Asked if “Ginny” could be used for reconnaissance to aid the rover’s scientific mission, one JPL team member commented there is no need since “Percy’s” general route has already been mapped out and the rover will drive autonomously between programmed points of scientific interest. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Jon Brooks contributed to this post.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Earth Day 2021: 11 Bay Area Events to Get You Inspired",
"headTitle": "Earth Day 2021: 11 Bay Area Events to Get You Inspired | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>The first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, kicked off the modern environmental movement with more than 20 million Americans — 10% of the U.S. population — hitting the streets to demand action against unchecked pollution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now in its 51st year, the event has transformed into a global movement with participation by more than 1 billion people across 192 countries. This year’s theme is “\u003ca href=\"https://www.earthday.org/toolkit-earth-day-2021-restore-our-earth/\">Restore Our Earth\u003c/a>,” emphasizing the importance of enlisting natural processes, emerging green technologies and innovative thinking to restore ecosystems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, on its 50th anniversary, California EPA Secretary Jared Blumenfeld \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1962618/has-earth-day-had-any-impact-california-environmental-chief-weighs-in\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said \u003c/a>Earth Day has had “a major impact on policy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Back in 1970, we didn’t have the Clean Air Act, we didn’t have the Clean Water Act, we didn’t have any federal legislation, really, relating to the environment,” he said. “And people went out on the streets, made their voices heard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year Earth Day will be mainly virtual again. But with the Bay Area slowly opening up, there are some in-person options, too. Just remember to mask up and social distance. Below are a few, mostly Bay Area events to put on your radar:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebrate-earth-day-outdoors-with-bandaloop-vertical-dance-open-rehearsal-tickets-150758900931\">\u003cstrong>BANDALOOP\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Earth Day Vertical Dance Rehearsal Outdoors\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22 – 4-5 p.m., Oakland, In-Person Event\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nCelebrate Earth Day with aerial dance company BANDALOOP and special guests as the group unveils excerpts from its newest work, LOOM, weaving performance, research and education around the ancestral power and ecological impacts of textiles past, present and future. Event highlights include: Live music by Ben Juodvalkis, Chibueze Crouch, and Charles Peoples III. Special guest speakers include eco-somatic dance artist and inaugural BANDALOOP Artist-In-Residence Jes DeVille, and Phoenix Armenta from the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1974001\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/BandaLoop_Photo-by-Krystal-Harfert.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1974001\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/BandaLoop_Photo-by-Krystal-Harfert.jpg\" alt=\"BANDALOOP dancers perform on side of building in Oakland\" width=\"800\" height=\"445\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/BandaLoop_Photo-by-Krystal-Harfert.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/BandaLoop_Photo-by-Krystal-Harfert-160x89.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/BandaLoop_Photo-by-Krystal-Harfert-768x427.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">BANDALOOP dancers perform on the side of the Breuner building in downtown Oakland. \u003ccite>(Krystal Harfert/BANDALOOP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.calacademy.org/nightlife/nightschool-earth-day-for-the-people\">\u003cstrong>California Academy of Sciences\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>NightSchool: Earth Day for the People\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22 – 7 p.m., Free Virtual Event\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nGet inspired by people and organizations radically changing both the health of the environment and their communities through “greenprint” projects that focus on sustainable development, environmental justice, and remaking the food system. Featured speakers include: Elizabeth Hiroyasu, landscape scientist at The Nature Conservancy of California; Dr. Mónica Ramírez-Andreotta, assistant professor at the University of Arizona and director of Project Harvest; and Ashley Yates, media director for Planting Justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/saving-the-dark-movie-and-panel-discussion/\">\u003cstrong>Chabot Space and Science Center\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Earth Day Screening: Saving the Dark\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 23 – 7 p.m., Free Virtual Event\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nEnjoy a special screening and discussion of “Saving The Dark,” a documentary about astronomy and light pollution. Event highlights include film producer Sriram Murali, joined by astronomers Richard Ozer and Gerald McKeegan, to discuss the costs of light pollution, including its effects on our health, wildlife and environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/calendar/after-dark-online-earth-day\">\u003cstrong>The Exploratorium\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>After Dark Online: Earth Day\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22 – 7 p.m., Free Virtual Event \u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nDiscover the work of local organizations that expose inequitable impacts of climate change and advocate for environmental justice and legislation. Event highlights include: Conversations with youth leaders from Oakland-based Youth vs. Apocalypse and a virtual screening of the short film “My 25: The Ocean Between Us,” a student film that merges memories and reality to tell an intimate story of how our oceans have changed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parksconservancy.org/events/earth-day-2021\">\u003cstrong>Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy\u003cbr>\nEarth Day Events\u003cbr>\nMake a Monarch Butterfly Kite for Earth Day!\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22 – 11 a.m.-12 p.m., Free Virtual Event\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nJoin National Park Service Ranger Rebecca Au and Price Sheppy as they take you step by step through building your own monarch butterfly kite to fly on Earth Day. You will also hear stories about the monarch butterfly and find out more about what you can do to help these beautiful animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parksconservancy.org/events/earth-day-2021\">\u003cstrong>Monitoring Frogs in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 23 – Noon-1:30 p.m., Free Virtual Event\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nLearn about the common and uncommon frogs you can see in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Join the conversation and find out about efforts to reintroduce and monitor the California red-legged frog, a threatened population in the park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://fortmason.org/event/flix/international-ocean-film-festival-2021-earth-day/\">\u003cstrong>International Ocean Film Festival (IOFF)\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Earth Day Drive-in Screening at Fort Mason Center For Arts & Culture\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22 – 8:30-10:30 p.m.\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong> Tickets Required, $49 Per Vehicle\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nIOFF is presenting a special screening of two of its 2021 award-winning films, “Ocean Souls” and “Whales in a Changing Ocean.” This screening is part of the 18th annual IOFF taking place virtually through May 2, showcasing more than 80 independent films, representing 17 countries, reflecting IOFF’s mission of restoring, protecting and balancing ocean biodiversity through independent films. If you can’t make it to the drive-in, these films are also screening virtually. Check out this year’s festival schedule at \u003ca href=\"http://www.IntlOceanFilmFest.org/\">IntlOceanFilmFest.org\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/events/146656235749\">KQED\u003cbr>\nOn Common Ground: Hyper-Local Climate Resilience\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22 – 6 p.m., Free Virtual Event\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nMany people can adapt to climate change via migration, but for some, adaptation means finding the solutions to remain in place. KQED’s senior science editor, Katrin Snow, will moderate a conversation on how resiliency takes hold on a local level in two very different locations, Marin City and the Sierra Nevada. Special guests include: Terrie Harris-Green of Shore Up Marin City; Beth Rose Middleton Manning, professor and department chair of the Native American Studies Department at UC Davis; and guest reporter Janelle Marie Salanga, engagement reporting intern at the College Journalism Network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/earth-day-2021\">\u003cstrong>National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Earth Day 2021\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 21-23 – Multiday, Free Virtual Events\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nWhen you think of NASA, you might think of astronauts and missions to Mars. But NASA also has a variety of missions that focus on studying Earth, from sea level rise to hurricanes. NASA’s three-day Earth Day virtual event extravaganza features: Live presentations and chats with NASA Earth science experts; an interactive kid-friendly science fun zone with coloring and activity sheets; and Meet a Scientist videos. Plus, you can find out how you can be a scientist for NASA. There’s also an online scavenger hunt to kick off #GrowForLaunch, a chance to learn about plants grown in space and how you can start your own “space” garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandzoo.org/programs-and-events/earth-day\">\u003cstrong>Oakland Zoo\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Earth Day Events\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22-25 – 10 a.m.-3:30p.m., Timed Tickets Required, $24-$20, Free Virtual Activities\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nCelebrate animals and the planet and learn how to take action against the illegal wildlife trade. All guests must reserve a ticket for a specific date and entry time. Event highlights include an in-person scavenger hunt that will focus on animals that need saving from illegal wildlife trade. The zoo also has several online activities to help you act for the planet from the comfort of your own home, such as learning what plants attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://browercenter.org/wsff-2021\">\u003cstrong>The David Brower Center\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Wild and Scenic Film Festival Earth Day 2021\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22 – 7 p.m., Tickets Required, General $25, Student $15, Group Rates Available \u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nThe Wild and Scenic Film Festival, organized by Citizens Climate Lobby Alameda County, the David Brower Center, Earth Island Institute, Green the Church, and Communities for a Better Environment, is hosting a virtual Earth Day screening with films that tell extraordinary stories of local and global front-line communities fighting for environmental justice and restoration. After the live event on the 22nd, all films will be available on-demand from April 23-27. Included with every ticket is an on-demand bonus session featuring five films about threatened wildlife and efforts to protect their habitats and save them from extinction. Get $5 off with this special code: WSFFDBC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1974013\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/EarthDay_WSFF-dbc-page-Elephant-and-Woman-.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1974013\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/EarthDay_WSFF-dbc-page-Elephant-and-Woman-.jpg\" alt=\"earthday_wsf\" width=\"800\" height=\"510\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/EarthDay_WSFF-dbc-page-Elephant-and-Woman-.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/EarthDay_WSFF-dbc-page-Elephant-and-Woman--160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/EarthDay_WSFF-dbc-page-Elephant-and-Woman--768x490.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Included with every ticket is an on-demand bonus session featuring five amazing films about threatened wildlife and efforts to protect their habitats and save them from extinction. \u003ccite>(Wild and Scenic Film Festival)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Check your local event listings for additional Earth Day related community events in your neighborhood. And be sure to bookmark \u003ca href=\"https://www.bayareascience.org\">bayareascience.org\u003c/a> for year-round science and environment events and festivals. Below is a reminder of a few things you can do to make every day Earth Day, courtesy of the \u003ca href=\"https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/ocean/earthday.html\">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Earthday-infographic_NOAA2.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1974014\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Earthday-infographic_NOAA2.jpg\" alt=\"NOAAA\" width=\"800\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Earthday-infographic_NOAA2.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Earthday-infographic_NOAA2-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Earthday-infographic_NOAA2-768x481.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"subhead": "Check out KQED's San Francisco Bay Area Earth Day 2021 event picks and get inspired! Enjoy mainly virtual events from the California Academy of Sciences, the Exploratorium, the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the Oakland Zoo and more!",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The first Earth Day, on April 22, 1970, kicked off the modern environmental movement with more than 20 million Americans — 10% of the U.S. population — hitting the streets to demand action against unchecked pollution.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now in its 51st year, the event has transformed into a global movement with participation by more than 1 billion people across 192 countries. This year’s theme is “\u003ca href=\"https://www.earthday.org/toolkit-earth-day-2021-restore-our-earth/\">Restore Our Earth\u003c/a>,” emphasizing the importance of enlisting natural processes, emerging green technologies and innovative thinking to restore ecosystems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, on its 50th anniversary, California EPA Secretary Jared Blumenfeld \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1962618/has-earth-day-had-any-impact-california-environmental-chief-weighs-in\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said \u003c/a>Earth Day has had “a major impact on policy.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Back in 1970, we didn’t have the Clean Air Act, we didn’t have the Clean Water Act, we didn’t have any federal legislation, really, relating to the environment,” he said. “And people went out on the streets, made their voices heard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This year Earth Day will be mainly virtual again. But with the Bay Area slowly opening up, there are some in-person options, too. Just remember to mask up and social distance. Below are a few, mostly Bay Area events to put on your radar:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celebrate-earth-day-outdoors-with-bandaloop-vertical-dance-open-rehearsal-tickets-150758900931\">\u003cstrong>BANDALOOP\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Earth Day Vertical Dance Rehearsal Outdoors\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22 – 4-5 p.m., Oakland, In-Person Event\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nCelebrate Earth Day with aerial dance company BANDALOOP and special guests as the group unveils excerpts from its newest work, LOOM, weaving performance, research and education around the ancestral power and ecological impacts of textiles past, present and future. Event highlights include: Live music by Ben Juodvalkis, Chibueze Crouch, and Charles Peoples III. Special guest speakers include eco-somatic dance artist and inaugural BANDALOOP Artist-In-Residence Jes DeVille, and Phoenix Armenta from the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1974001\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/BandaLoop_Photo-by-Krystal-Harfert.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1974001\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/BandaLoop_Photo-by-Krystal-Harfert.jpg\" alt=\"BANDALOOP dancers perform on side of building in Oakland\" width=\"800\" height=\"445\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/BandaLoop_Photo-by-Krystal-Harfert.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/BandaLoop_Photo-by-Krystal-Harfert-160x89.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/BandaLoop_Photo-by-Krystal-Harfert-768x427.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">BANDALOOP dancers perform on the side of the Breuner building in downtown Oakland. \u003ccite>(Krystal Harfert/BANDALOOP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.calacademy.org/nightlife/nightschool-earth-day-for-the-people\">\u003cstrong>California Academy of Sciences\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>NightSchool: Earth Day for the People\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22 – 7 p.m., Free Virtual Event\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nGet inspired by people and organizations radically changing both the health of the environment and their communities through “greenprint” projects that focus on sustainable development, environmental justice, and remaking the food system. Featured speakers include: Elizabeth Hiroyasu, landscape scientist at The Nature Conservancy of California; Dr. Mónica Ramírez-Andreotta, assistant professor at the University of Arizona and director of Project Harvest; and Ashley Yates, media director for Planting Justice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://chabotspace.org/calendar/saving-the-dark-movie-and-panel-discussion/\">\u003cstrong>Chabot Space and Science Center\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Earth Day Screening: Saving the Dark\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 23 – 7 p.m., Free Virtual Event\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nEnjoy a special screening and discussion of “Saving The Dark,” a documentary about astronomy and light pollution. Event highlights include film producer Sriram Murali, joined by astronomers Richard Ozer and Gerald McKeegan, to discuss the costs of light pollution, including its effects on our health, wildlife and environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/calendar/after-dark-online-earth-day\">\u003cstrong>The Exploratorium\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>After Dark Online: Earth Day\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22 – 7 p.m., Free Virtual Event \u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nDiscover the work of local organizations that expose inequitable impacts of climate change and advocate for environmental justice and legislation. Event highlights include: Conversations with youth leaders from Oakland-based Youth vs. Apocalypse and a virtual screening of the short film “My 25: The Ocean Between Us,” a student film that merges memories and reality to tell an intimate story of how our oceans have changed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parksconservancy.org/events/earth-day-2021\">\u003cstrong>Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy\u003cbr>\nEarth Day Events\u003cbr>\nMake a Monarch Butterfly Kite for Earth Day!\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22 – 11 a.m.-12 p.m., Free Virtual Event\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nJoin National Park Service Ranger Rebecca Au and Price Sheppy as they take you step by step through building your own monarch butterfly kite to fly on Earth Day. You will also hear stories about the monarch butterfly and find out more about what you can do to help these beautiful animals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.parksconservancy.org/events/earth-day-2021\">\u003cstrong>Monitoring Frogs in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 23 – Noon-1:30 p.m., Free Virtual Event\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nLearn about the common and uncommon frogs you can see in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Join the conversation and find out about efforts to reintroduce and monitor the California red-legged frog, a threatened population in the park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://fortmason.org/event/flix/international-ocean-film-festival-2021-earth-day/\">\u003cstrong>International Ocean Film Festival (IOFF)\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Earth Day Drive-in Screening at Fort Mason Center For Arts & Culture\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22 – 8:30-10:30 p.m.\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong> Tickets Required, $49 Per Vehicle\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nIOFF is presenting a special screening of two of its 2021 award-winning films, “Ocean Souls” and “Whales in a Changing Ocean.” This screening is part of the 18th annual IOFF taking place virtually through May 2, showcasing more than 80 independent films, representing 17 countries, reflecting IOFF’s mission of restoring, protecting and balancing ocean biodiversity through independent films. If you can’t make it to the drive-in, these films are also screening virtually. Check out this year’s festival schedule at \u003ca href=\"http://www.IntlOceanFilmFest.org/\">IntlOceanFilmFest.org\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/events/146656235749\">KQED\u003cbr>\nOn Common Ground: Hyper-Local Climate Resilience\u003c/a>\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22 – 6 p.m., Free Virtual Event\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nMany people can adapt to climate change via migration, but for some, adaptation means finding the solutions to remain in place. KQED’s senior science editor, Katrin Snow, will moderate a conversation on how resiliency takes hold on a local level in two very different locations, Marin City and the Sierra Nevada. Special guests include: Terrie Harris-Green of Shore Up Marin City; Beth Rose Middleton Manning, professor and department chair of the Native American Studies Department at UC Davis; and guest reporter Janelle Marie Salanga, engagement reporting intern at the College Journalism Network.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/earth-day-2021\">\u003cstrong>National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Earth Day 2021\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 21-23 – Multiday, Free Virtual Events\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nWhen you think of NASA, you might think of astronauts and missions to Mars. But NASA also has a variety of missions that focus on studying Earth, from sea level rise to hurricanes. NASA’s three-day Earth Day virtual event extravaganza features: Live presentations and chats with NASA Earth science experts; an interactive kid-friendly science fun zone with coloring and activity sheets; and Meet a Scientist videos. Plus, you can find out how you can be a scientist for NASA. There’s also an online scavenger hunt to kick off #GrowForLaunch, a chance to learn about plants grown in space and how you can start your own “space” garden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandzoo.org/programs-and-events/earth-day\">\u003cstrong>Oakland Zoo\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Earth Day Events\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22-25 – 10 a.m.-3:30p.m., Timed Tickets Required, $24-$20, Free Virtual Activities\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nCelebrate animals and the planet and learn how to take action against the illegal wildlife trade. All guests must reserve a ticket for a specific date and entry time. Event highlights include an in-person scavenger hunt that will focus on animals that need saving from illegal wildlife trade. The zoo also has several online activities to help you act for the planet from the comfort of your own home, such as learning what plants attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://browercenter.org/wsff-2021\">\u003cstrong>The David Brower Center\u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>Wild and Scenic Film Festival Earth Day 2021\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cbr>\n\u003cstrong>April 22 – 7 p.m., Tickets Required, General $25, Student $15, Group Rates Available \u003c/strong>\u003cbr>\nThe Wild and Scenic Film Festival, organized by Citizens Climate Lobby Alameda County, the David Brower Center, Earth Island Institute, Green the Church, and Communities for a Better Environment, is hosting a virtual Earth Day screening with films that tell extraordinary stories of local and global front-line communities fighting for environmental justice and restoration. After the live event on the 22nd, all films will be available on-demand from April 23-27. Included with every ticket is an on-demand bonus session featuring five films about threatened wildlife and efforts to protect their habitats and save them from extinction. Get $5 off with this special code: WSFFDBC.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1974013\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/EarthDay_WSFF-dbc-page-Elephant-and-Woman-.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1974013\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/EarthDay_WSFF-dbc-page-Elephant-and-Woman-.jpg\" alt=\"earthday_wsf\" width=\"800\" height=\"510\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/EarthDay_WSFF-dbc-page-Elephant-and-Woman-.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/EarthDay_WSFF-dbc-page-Elephant-and-Woman--160x102.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/EarthDay_WSFF-dbc-page-Elephant-and-Woman--768x490.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Included with every ticket is an on-demand bonus session featuring five amazing films about threatened wildlife and efforts to protect their habitats and save them from extinction. \u003ccite>(Wild and Scenic Film Festival)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Check your local event listings for additional Earth Day related community events in your neighborhood. And be sure to bookmark \u003ca href=\"https://www.bayareascience.org\">bayareascience.org\u003c/a> for year-round science and environment events and festivals. Below is a reminder of a few things you can do to make every day Earth Day, courtesy of the \u003ca href=\"https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/ocean/earthday.html\">National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Earthday-infographic_NOAA2.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-1974014\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Earthday-infographic_NOAA2.jpg\" alt=\"NOAAA\" width=\"800\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Earthday-infographic_NOAA2.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Earthday-infographic_NOAA2-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Earthday-infographic_NOAA2-768x481.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "A Helicopter Takes Flight on Mars",
"headTitle": "A Helicopter Takes Flight on Mars | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">More than a century ago the first propeller-driven aircraft took off on Earth.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On Monday, another one took flight for the first time on a different planet. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">NASA’s experimental Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1KolyCqICI\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">successfully lifted off the ground\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at 3:34 a.m. EDT — that’s around noon local Martian time in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/science/landing-site/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jezero Crater\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the current location of Ingenuity and the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-2020-perseverance-rover\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Perseverance rover\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The flight data, sent from Perseverance and relayed by the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter-mro\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, was transmitted back to Earth almost three hours later. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973875\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1973875 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/shadow-of-ingenuity.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/shadow-of-ingenuity.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/shadow-of-ingenuity-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/shadow-of-ingenuity-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An image captured by a camera on the Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, during its historic first flight on Mars. The image is an overhead view of the ground where Ingenuity took off from, showing the twin wheel tracks of the Perseverance rover that deposited in on the ground, and the shadow of the helicopter in flight. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ingenuity’s first flight took it straight up about 10 feet, where it hovered, made a small victory turn-in-place for Perseverance’s cameras, then settled back to the ground about 40 seconds after liftoff. Not a flight endurance record by tried-and-true Earth aviation standards, but certainly a one-small-hop-for-a-robot, one-giant-leap-for-interplanetary-exploration achievement. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ingenuity’s maiden flight had been scheduled for April 11, but was postponed when a software glitch failed to engage the system’s flight mode during a pre-flight rotor test. After some analysis and software testing, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab engineers worked out a fix and ran further tests before mission controllers approved another flight attempt. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973876\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1973876\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/km6rnydpMsN7heLcoaNw5A-970-80-NASAJPLCaltechASU.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Animation showing the Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, testing its twin rotors in preparation for its historic first flight on Mars. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With more test flights planned in days ahead, engineers at JPL, located in Pasadena, California, will have further opportunity to hone their brand new Martian aviation skills. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Proof of Concept\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/6-things-to-know-about-nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mars Helicopter\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is an add-on experiment to last year’s Perseverance mission. Equipped with only an onboard computer, two small cameras and a wireless link to Perseverance, Ingenuity carries no science instruments; its entire mission is to provide proof of concept for aerial exploration of Mars, and maybe of other worlds. Even if it never leaves the ground again, Ingenuity has still achieved the mission’s primary goal.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973871\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973871\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/ingenuity1-underbelly-NASAJPLCaltech-800x1099.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1099\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/ingenuity1-underbelly-NASAJPLCaltech-800x1099.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/ingenuity1-underbelly-NASAJPLCaltech-1020x1401.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/ingenuity1-underbelly-NASAJPLCaltech-160x220.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/ingenuity1-underbelly-NASAJPLCaltech-768x1055.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/ingenuity1-underbelly-NASAJPLCaltech-1118x1536.jpg 1118w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/ingenuity1-underbelly-NASAJPLCaltech.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, still attached to the underbelly of the Perseverance rover, before begin placed on the ground. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As scientists and engineers \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1948555/nasa-wants-to-send-shapeshifting-robots-to-saturn-moon\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">conceive new designs\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for robots to move around the surfaces of other worlds, which to this point has all been done by wheeled rovers, Ingenuity’s successful flight opens a path to greater freedom for humans to explore areas where wheels cannot carry us. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To achieve this flight, engineers at JPL had to meet some steep design challenges, not the least of which was to build a helicopter that can fly in Mars’ thin atmosphere, which is about a hundredth the density of Earth’s at sea level. Even helicopters on Earth that have reached the highest mountain peaks such as Mount Everest, where the air is still one-third as dense as it is at sea level, have strained the limits of conventional engine and rotor blade technology.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973873\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1973873 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A “selfie” taken by the Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, showing the Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, placed on the ground from where it would later take to flight. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS/Sean Doran)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ingenuity’s specially designed twin counter-rotating propeller blades must spin at around 2,500 revolutions per minute to lift the 1.8 kilogram (4-pound) craft off Mars’ surface. Mars’ lower surface gravity, which is 38% of Earth’s, makes the feat easier, but the low air density underscores the unearthly challenges of exploring other planets. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Future missions may include airborne drones to perform aerial reconnaissance, collect rock and soil samples over a wider area, or even independently explore a much vaster region than a wheeled rover crawling carefully through an obstacle-laden terrain can. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973872\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973872\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia24172-jezerolake-nasajplcaltech-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia24172-jezerolake-nasajplcaltech-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia24172-jezerolake-nasajplcaltech-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia24172-jezerolake-nasajplcaltech-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia24172-jezerolake-nasajplcaltech-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia24172-jezerolake-nasajplcaltech.jpg 1041w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An illustration of how Mars’ Jezero Crater, where the Mars 2020 rover Perseverance is currently exploring, may have looked when it was a river-fed lake in Mars’ distant, wetter past. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Perseverance landed on Feb. 18 in Mars’ Jezero Crater, on a mission to search for clues to ancient life locked in the rocks and soil of a dry lakebed and a formation of sediments washed into it long ago, when Mars possessed a wetter, more Earth-like climate.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The NASA Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, successfully lifted off the ground Monday at 3:34 a.m. EDT.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">More than a century ago the first propeller-driven aircraft took off on Earth.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">On Monday, another one took flight for the first time on a different planet. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">NASA’s experimental Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1KolyCqICI\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">successfully lifted off the ground\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> at 3:34 a.m. EDT — that’s around noon local Martian time in \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/science/landing-site/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jezero Crater\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, the current location of Ingenuity and the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-2020-perseverance-rover\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Perseverance rover\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">. The flight data, sent from Perseverance and relayed by the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mars-reconnaissance-orbiter-mro\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, was transmitted back to Earth almost three hours later. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973875\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1973875 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/shadow-of-ingenuity.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/shadow-of-ingenuity.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/shadow-of-ingenuity-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/shadow-of-ingenuity-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An image captured by a camera on the Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, during its historic first flight on Mars. The image is an overhead view of the ground where Ingenuity took off from, showing the twin wheel tracks of the Perseverance rover that deposited in on the ground, and the shadow of the helicopter in flight. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ingenuity’s first flight took it straight up about 10 feet, where it hovered, made a small victory turn-in-place for Perseverance’s cameras, then settled back to the ground about 40 seconds after liftoff. Not a flight endurance record by tried-and-true Earth aviation standards, but certainly a one-small-hop-for-a-robot, one-giant-leap-for-interplanetary-exploration achievement. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ingenuity’s maiden flight had been scheduled for April 11, but was postponed when a software glitch failed to engage the system’s flight mode during a pre-flight rotor test. After some analysis and software testing, NASA Jet Propulsion Lab engineers worked out a fix and ran further tests before mission controllers approved another flight attempt. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973876\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 640px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1973876\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/km6rnydpMsN7heLcoaNw5A-970-80-NASAJPLCaltechASU.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Animation showing the Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, testing its twin rotors in preparation for its historic first flight on Mars. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">With more test flights planned in days ahead, engineers at JPL, located in Pasadena, California, will have further opportunity to hone their brand new Martian aviation skills. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Proof of Concept\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/6-things-to-know-about-nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mars Helicopter\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is an add-on experiment to last year’s Perseverance mission. Equipped with only an onboard computer, two small cameras and a wireless link to Perseverance, Ingenuity carries no science instruments; its entire mission is to provide proof of concept for aerial exploration of Mars, and maybe of other worlds. Even if it never leaves the ground again, Ingenuity has still achieved the mission’s primary goal.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973871\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973871\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/ingenuity1-underbelly-NASAJPLCaltech-800x1099.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1099\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/ingenuity1-underbelly-NASAJPLCaltech-800x1099.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/ingenuity1-underbelly-NASAJPLCaltech-1020x1401.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/ingenuity1-underbelly-NASAJPLCaltech-160x220.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/ingenuity1-underbelly-NASAJPLCaltech-768x1055.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/ingenuity1-underbelly-NASAJPLCaltech-1118x1536.jpg 1118w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/ingenuity1-underbelly-NASAJPLCaltech.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, still attached to the underbelly of the Perseverance rover, before begin placed on the ground. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">As scientists and engineers \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/1948555/nasa-wants-to-send-shapeshifting-robots-to-saturn-moon\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">conceive new designs\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for robots to move around the surfaces of other worlds, which to this point has all been done by wheeled rovers, Ingenuity’s successful flight opens a path to greater freedom for humans to explore areas where wheels cannot carry us. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To achieve this flight, engineers at JPL had to meet some steep design challenges, not the least of which was to build a helicopter that can fly in Mars’ thin atmosphere, which is about a hundredth the density of Earth’s at sea level. Even helicopters on Earth that have reached the highest mountain peaks such as Mount Everest, where the air is still one-third as dense as it is at sea level, have strained the limits of conventional engine and rotor blade technology.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973873\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1973873 size-medium\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Selfie_NASAJPLCaltechASU-MSSS-Sean-Doran-1920x1080.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A “selfie” taken by the Mars 2020 rover, Perseverance, showing the Mars Helicopter, Ingenuity, placed on the ground from where it would later take to flight. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS/Sean Doran)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Ingenuity’s specially designed twin counter-rotating propeller blades must spin at around 2,500 revolutions per minute to lift the 1.8 kilogram (4-pound) craft off Mars’ surface. Mars’ lower surface gravity, which is 38% of Earth’s, makes the feat easier, but the low air density underscores the unearthly challenges of exploring other planets. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Future missions may include airborne drones to perform aerial reconnaissance, collect rock and soil samples over a wider area, or even independently explore a much vaster region than a wheeled rover crawling carefully through an obstacle-laden terrain can. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973872\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973872\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia24172-jezerolake-nasajplcaltech-800x450.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia24172-jezerolake-nasajplcaltech-800x450.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia24172-jezerolake-nasajplcaltech-1020x574.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia24172-jezerolake-nasajplcaltech-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia24172-jezerolake-nasajplcaltech-768x432.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia24172-jezerolake-nasajplcaltech.jpg 1041w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An illustration of how Mars’ Jezero Crater, where the Mars 2020 rover Perseverance is currently exploring, may have looked when it was a river-fed lake in Mars’ distant, wetter past. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Perseverance landed on Feb. 18 in Mars’ Jezero Crater, on a mission to search for clues to ancient life locked in the rocks and soil of a dry lakebed and a formation of sediments washed into it long ago, when Mars possessed a wetter, more Earth-like climate.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Meet the Interstellar Five, Robotic Explorers Venturing Far, Far From Earth",
"headTitle": "Meet the Interstellar Five, Robotic Explorers Venturing Far, Far From Earth | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than four decades after launch, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is over 14 billion miles from Earth, cruising an eternal course through the stars of the Milky Way galaxy. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And Voyager 1 i\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">s not the only spacefaring vehicle to venture so far from home. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The probe belongs to a cadre of five interstellar-bound spacecraft, three of which are still communicating with Earth through NASA’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/services/networks/deep_space_network/about\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deep Space Network\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> radio dishes. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What have these interstellar five been doing over their decades of exploration, and where are they now?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>New Horizons: Pluto or Bust\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The youngest of NASA’s interstellar vehicles, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/new-horizons/in-depth/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Horizons\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, launched 15 years ago with a singular goal: to become the first spacecraft to reach Pluto, the last unexplored planet in the solar system. Only after launch, in 2006, did the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.iau.org/public/themes/pluto/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">International Astronomical Union\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> vote to demote Pluto to a “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/infographics/what-is-a-dwarf-planet\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dwarf planet\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">”.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973552\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 790px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1973552\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/790px-New_Horizons_1-nasa.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"790\" height=\"599\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/790px-New_Horizons_1-nasa.jpg 790w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/790px-New_Horizons_1-nasa-160x121.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/790px-New_Horizons_1-nasa-768x582.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The plutonium-powered New Horizons spacecraft during final assembly before its 2006 launch. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a boost in speed generated by a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/basics/primer/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gravitational slingshot maneuver\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at Jupiter, New Horizons became the fastest interplanetary spacecraft up till that time, reaching a peak velocity of over 36,000 mph—a speed that would take you from the Earth to the moon in under seven hours.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since Pluto’s discovery in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh, little was known of this small, distant world; the best pictures of the dwarf planet, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, had revealed little more than a blur of light and dark patches. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So on July 14, 2015, the world waited with great anticipation of seeing the first up-close images–and were rewarded handsomely for a decade of giddy patience. \u003c/span>After nine years in hibernation, New Horizons \u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/five-years-after-new-horizons-historic-flyby-here-are-10-cool-things-we-learned-about-plut-0/\">whizzed past Pluto\u003c/a> at over 30,000 mph, passing within 4,800 miles of the dwarf planet’s surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pluto, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/281378/new-horizons-spacecraft-turns-pluto-from-blurry-disk-into-highly-complex-world\">brought into sharp focus\u003c/a> for the first time, was revealed as a far more interesting world than anyone expected. With mountains of solid ice reaching two miles high, vast planes of frozen nitrogen-methane “slush” that appear to be flowing like glaciers, and a thin hazy atmosphere reaching heights of 80 miles above the surface, we are still gasping at Pluto’s beauty and uniqueness six years after the encounter.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973555\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1973555\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/2020_march31_pluto-NASA-JHUAPL-SwRI-.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/2020_march31_pluto-NASA-JHUAPL-SwRI-.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/2020_march31_pluto-NASA-JHUAPL-SwRI--160x120.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/2020_march31_pluto-NASA-JHUAPL-SwRI--768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pluto. Image captured by New Horizons during its flyby on July 14, 2015. \u003ccite>(NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following that flyby, New Horizons cruised onward into the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/kuiper-belt/overview/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kuiper Belt\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a wide swath of space beyond Neptune that contains multitudes of icy objects, mostly smaller than Pluto, circling the sun.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2019 New Horizons encountered one of these objects, later named \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/kuiper-belt/arrokoth-2014-mu69/overview/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arrokoth\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is to date the most distant object visited by any spacecraft. Discovered with the Hubble Space Telescope in June 2014, Arrokoth was added to New Horizons’ post-Pluto itinerary as a target of opportunity. Scientists interested in how our solar system formed about 4.5 billion years ago wanted an up-close look at this example of a primitive “building block” object, the likes of which are believed to have come together to form the planets. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973559\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973559\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/mu69-named-arrokoth-800x1143.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1143\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/mu69-named-arrokoth-800x1143.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/mu69-named-arrokoth-1020x1457.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/mu69-named-arrokoth-160x229.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/mu69-named-arrokoth-768x1097.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/mu69-named-arrokoth-1075x1536.png 1075w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/mu69-named-arrokoth.png 1302w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arrokoth, the Kuiper Belt Object that New Horizons flew by in 2019. This is an ancient object, formed in the earliest times of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago. Arrokoth is the most distant object ever visited by a spacecraft. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Horizons was bound for interstellar space since it launched, moving fast enough to escape the sun’s gravitational pull and coast forever outward into space, never to return home\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong> Today, it is more than 4.6 billion miles away, forging ahead \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">through the vast region of the Kuiper Belt\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> toward its inevitable departure from the solar system.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Voyagers 1 and 2: A Grand Tour\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The twin \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voyager\u003c/span> \u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">spacecraft launched from Earth in 1977 on a five-year mission to explore the two largest planets of the solar system, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/jupiter/#:~:text=NASA%20launched%20the%20two%20Voyager,approach%20was%20July%209%2C%201979.&text=They%20took%20more%20than%2033%2C000,and%20its%20five%20major%20satellites.\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jupiter\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/saturn/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saturn\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. But as time went on, and the Voyagers continued in good health, NASA engineers became optimistic the spacecraft might operate for years beyond their expiration dates.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then a rare alignment of planets offered an opportunity to send at least one of the Voyagers on to the planet Uranus and perhaps Neptune as well.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973557\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973557\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Voyager_Path-800x671.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"671\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Voyager_Path-800x671.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Voyager_Path-160x134.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Voyager_Path-768x644.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Voyager_Path.jpg 805w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Map of the “Grand Tour” of the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After capturing astounding close-up images of Jupiter and Saturn plus a host of their remarkable moons, mission planners engineered an end game that still tops all record charts.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saturn’s gravity flung Voyager 2 toward \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/uranus/#:~:text=NASA's%20Voyager%202%20spacecraft%20flew,24%2C%201986.\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uranus\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and the spacecraft arrived at the “ice giant” five years later, in 1986. Uranus, in turn, hurled Voyager 2 toward its final planet encounter, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/neptune/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Neptune\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, in 1989. To date, Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have visited either of these worlds.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voyager 1’s path through the Saturn system sent it by \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.drewexmachina.com/2015/11/12/voyager-1-the-first-close-encounter-with-titan/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Titan\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the ringed world’s largest moon. Titan’s size and thick atmosphere offered great scientific reward, trumping an alternative option to send the spacecraft to Pluto.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With most of their instruments still functioning after their final encounters, the Voyagers began new careers searching for the boundary of interstellar space, where the rarefied gases and magnetic fields flowing outward from the sun change like a shift in the wind to become the prevailing environment between stars.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973556\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973556\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia22835a_20181206_voyager_in_interstellar_space_annotated_1920x1080_72dpi-final-nasa-jpl-caltech-800x450.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia22835a_20181206_voyager_in_interstellar_space_annotated_1920x1080_72dpi-final-nasa-jpl-caltech-800x450.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia22835a_20181206_voyager_in_interstellar_space_annotated_1920x1080_72dpi-final-nasa-jpl-caltech-160x90.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia22835a_20181206_voyager_in_interstellar_space_annotated_1920x1080_72dpi-final-nasa-jpl-caltech-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia22835a_20181206_voyager_in_interstellar_space_annotated_1920x1080_72dpi-final-nasa-jpl-caltech.png 985w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The boundary between our solar system and interstellar space is formed where the “bubble” of our sun’s gases and magnetic fields encounters the gases spread through interstellar space. Called the heliosphere, the shape of this bubble is not symmetrical around the sun, extending farther in some directions than in others. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voyager 1 officially passed into interstellar space on Aug. 12, 2012. Voyager 2 made the crossing in 2018.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, Voyager 1 has traveled the greatest distance from home of any spacecraft, 152 astronomical units from Earth, or just over 14 billion miles—a distance that takes radio signals over 21 hours to cross.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both Voyagers are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">still reporting back to Earth\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, more than four decades after their five-year missions began. Electrical power from their radioisotope thermoelectric generators has declined over the decades, and some of their instruments have been shut down to conserve what remains, but NASA estimates that Voyager 1 could remain functional until 2025.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pioneers 10 and 11: Gone But Not Forgotten\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before the Voyagers’ epic tours came the first explorers of the outer solar system: \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/missions/archive/pioneer10-11.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pioneers 10 and\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 11\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Launched in 1972, scarcely a decade after the dawn of the space age, the Pioneers gave us our first up-close looks of Jupiter and Saturn and some of their moons. Before this, the gas giants’ enigmatic moons were known only as fuzzy points of light in Earth-based telescopes, and measurements of Jupiter’s magnetic field and intense radiation belts were crucial for designing the later Voyager and Galileo spacecraft. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973551\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 784px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1973551\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/784px-Pioneer_10_at_Jupiter-NASA-Rick-Guidice.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"784\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/784px-Pioneer_10_at_Jupiter-NASA-Rick-Guidice.jpg 784w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/784px-Pioneer_10_at_Jupiter-NASA-Rick-Guidice-160x122.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/784px-Pioneer_10_at_Jupiter-NASA-Rick-Guidice-768x588.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 784px) 100vw, 784px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist concept of Pioneer 10 passing through the Jupiter system, the first spacecraft encounter with any planet beyond the orbit of Mars. \u003ccite>(NASA/Rick Guidice)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to cross the asteroid belt, to enter the outer solar system, and to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/content/forty-years-ago-pioneer-10-closest-approach-to-jupiter\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fly past Jupiter\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, in 1973. Afterward, Pioneer 10 continued on a solar escape trajectory that will carry it eventually to interstellar space, probably within the next three decades. The last radio signal we received from Pioneer 10 came in 2003.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973553\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 228px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1973553\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Pioneer_10_-_Ganymede_-_P102a.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"228\" height=\"227\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Pioneer_10_-_Ganymede_-_P102a.jpg 228w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Pioneer_10_-_Ganymede_-_P102a-160x159.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 228px) 100vw, 228px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, captured by Pioneer 10. Before this image, pictures of outer solar system moons taken from Earth will little more than fuzzy dots. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pioneer 11 flew past Jupiter, and then on to become the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-pioneer-11-first-to-explore-saturn\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">first spacecraft to visit Saturn\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, in 1979. The last radio signal received from Pioneer 11 came in 1995.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What’s Next for the Frontier Five?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the youngster New Horizons may continue to actively explore objects and the environment of the Kuiper Belt for years to come, the ultimate fate of all five of our interstellar pioneers is to drift perpetually between the stars of the Milky Way, becoming galactic derelicts of human technology and space exploration.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "More than four decades after launch, the Voyager 1 spacecraft is over 14 billion miles from Earth, one of five spacecraft bound for interstellar space. ",
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"title": "Meet the Interstellar Five, Robotic Explorers Venturing Far, Far From Earth | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than four decades after launch, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft is over 14 billion miles from Earth, cruising an eternal course through the stars of the Milky Way galaxy. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And Voyager 1 i\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">s not the only spacefaring vehicle to venture so far from home. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The probe belongs to a cadre of five interstellar-bound spacecraft, three of which are still communicating with Earth through NASA’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/heo/scan/services/networks/deep_space_network/about\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Deep Space Network\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> radio dishes. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What have these interstellar five been doing over their decades of exploration, and where are they now?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>New Horizons: Pluto or Bust\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The youngest of NASA’s interstellar vehicles, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/new-horizons/in-depth/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Horizons\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, launched 15 years ago with a singular goal: to become the first spacecraft to reach Pluto, the last unexplored planet in the solar system. Only after launch, in 2006, did the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.iau.org/public/themes/pluto/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">International Astronomical Union\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> vote to demote Pluto to a “\u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/infographics/what-is-a-dwarf-planet\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">dwarf planet\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">”.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973552\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 790px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1973552\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/790px-New_Horizons_1-nasa.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"790\" height=\"599\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/790px-New_Horizons_1-nasa.jpg 790w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/790px-New_Horizons_1-nasa-160x121.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/790px-New_Horizons_1-nasa-768x582.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The plutonium-powered New Horizons spacecraft during final assembly before its 2006 launch. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With a boost in speed generated by a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/basics/primer/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gravitational slingshot maneuver\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at Jupiter, New Horizons became the fastest interplanetary spacecraft up till that time, reaching a peak velocity of over 36,000 mph—a speed that would take you from the Earth to the moon in under seven hours.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since Pluto’s discovery in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh, little was known of this small, distant world; the best pictures of the dwarf planet, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, had revealed little more than a blur of light and dark patches. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So on July 14, 2015, the world waited with great anticipation of seeing the first up-close images–and were rewarded handsomely for a decade of giddy patience. \u003c/span>After nine years in hibernation, New Horizons \u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/five-years-after-new-horizons-historic-flyby-here-are-10-cool-things-we-learned-about-plut-0/\">whizzed past Pluto\u003c/a> at over 30,000 mph, passing within 4,800 miles of the dwarf planet’s surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pluto, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/science/281378/new-horizons-spacecraft-turns-pluto-from-blurry-disk-into-highly-complex-world\">brought into sharp focus\u003c/a> for the first time, was revealed as a far more interesting world than anyone expected. With mountains of solid ice reaching two miles high, vast planes of frozen nitrogen-methane “slush” that appear to be flowing like glaciers, and a thin hazy atmosphere reaching heights of 80 miles above the surface, we are still gasping at Pluto’s beauty and uniqueness six years after the encounter.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973555\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1973555\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/2020_march31_pluto-NASA-JHUAPL-SwRI-.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/2020_march31_pluto-NASA-JHUAPL-SwRI-.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/2020_march31_pluto-NASA-JHUAPL-SwRI--160x120.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/2020_march31_pluto-NASA-JHUAPL-SwRI--768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pluto. Image captured by New Horizons during its flyby on July 14, 2015. \u003ccite>(NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following that flyby, New Horizons cruised onward into the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/kuiper-belt/overview/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kuiper Belt\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a wide swath of space beyond Neptune that contains multitudes of icy objects, mostly smaller than Pluto, circling the sun.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2019 New Horizons encountered one of these objects, later named \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/kuiper-belt/arrokoth-2014-mu69/overview/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Arrokoth\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is to date the most distant object visited by any spacecraft. Discovered with the Hubble Space Telescope in June 2014, Arrokoth was added to New Horizons’ post-Pluto itinerary as a target of opportunity. Scientists interested in how our solar system formed about 4.5 billion years ago wanted an up-close look at this example of a primitive “building block” object, the likes of which are believed to have come together to form the planets. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973559\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973559\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/mu69-named-arrokoth-800x1143.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1143\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/mu69-named-arrokoth-800x1143.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/mu69-named-arrokoth-1020x1457.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/mu69-named-arrokoth-160x229.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/mu69-named-arrokoth-768x1097.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/mu69-named-arrokoth-1075x1536.png 1075w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/mu69-named-arrokoth.png 1302w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arrokoth, the Kuiper Belt Object that New Horizons flew by in 2019. This is an ancient object, formed in the earliest times of our solar system 4.5 billion years ago. Arrokoth is the most distant object ever visited by a spacecraft. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">New Horizons was bound for interstellar space since it launched, moving fast enough to escape the sun’s gravitational pull and coast forever outward into space, never to return home\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong> Today, it is more than 4.6 billion miles away, forging ahead \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">through the vast region of the Kuiper Belt\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> toward its inevitable departure from the solar system.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Voyagers 1 and 2: A Grand Tour\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The twin \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voyager\u003c/span> \u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">spacecraft launched from Earth in 1977 on a five-year mission to explore the two largest planets of the solar system, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/jupiter/#:~:text=NASA%20launched%20the%20two%20Voyager,approach%20was%20July%209%2C%201979.&text=They%20took%20more%20than%2033%2C000,and%20its%20five%20major%20satellites.\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jupiter\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/saturn/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saturn\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. But as time went on, and the Voyagers continued in good health, NASA engineers became optimistic the spacecraft might operate for years beyond their expiration dates.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then a rare alignment of planets offered an opportunity to send at least one of the Voyagers on to the planet Uranus and perhaps Neptune as well.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973557\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973557\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Voyager_Path-800x671.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"671\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Voyager_Path-800x671.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Voyager_Path-160x134.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Voyager_Path-768x644.jpg 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Voyager_Path.jpg 805w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Map of the “Grand Tour” of the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After capturing astounding close-up images of Jupiter and Saturn plus a host of their remarkable moons, mission planners engineered an end game that still tops all record charts.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saturn’s gravity flung Voyager 2 toward \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/uranus/#:~:text=NASA's%20Voyager%202%20spacecraft%20flew,24%2C%201986.\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Uranus\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and the spacecraft arrived at the “ice giant” five years later, in 1986. Uranus, in turn, hurled Voyager 2 toward its final planet encounter, \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/science/neptune/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Neptune\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, in 1989. To date, Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to have visited either of these worlds.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voyager 1’s path through the Saturn system sent it by \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.drewexmachina.com/2015/11/12/voyager-1-the-first-close-encounter-with-titan/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Titan\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the ringed world’s largest moon. Titan’s size and thick atmosphere offered great scientific reward, trumping an alternative option to send the spacecraft to Pluto.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With most of their instruments still functioning after their final encounters, the Voyagers began new careers searching for the boundary of interstellar space, where the rarefied gases and magnetic fields flowing outward from the sun change like a shift in the wind to become the prevailing environment between stars.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973556\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973556\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia22835a_20181206_voyager_in_interstellar_space_annotated_1920x1080_72dpi-final-nasa-jpl-caltech-800x450.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia22835a_20181206_voyager_in_interstellar_space_annotated_1920x1080_72dpi-final-nasa-jpl-caltech-800x450.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia22835a_20181206_voyager_in_interstellar_space_annotated_1920x1080_72dpi-final-nasa-jpl-caltech-160x90.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia22835a_20181206_voyager_in_interstellar_space_annotated_1920x1080_72dpi-final-nasa-jpl-caltech-768x432.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/pia22835a_20181206_voyager_in_interstellar_space_annotated_1920x1080_72dpi-final-nasa-jpl-caltech.png 985w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The boundary between our solar system and interstellar space is formed where the “bubble” of our sun’s gases and magnetic fields encounters the gases spread through interstellar space. Called the heliosphere, the shape of this bubble is not symmetrical around the sun, extending farther in some directions than in others. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voyager 1 officially passed into interstellar space on Aug. 12, 2012. Voyager 2 made the crossing in 2018.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Today, Voyager 1 has traveled the greatest distance from home of any spacecraft, 152 astronomical units from Earth, or just over 14 billion miles—a distance that takes radio signals over 21 hours to cross.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both Voyagers are \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">still reporting back to Earth\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, more than four decades after their five-year missions began. Electrical power from their radioisotope thermoelectric generators has declined over the decades, and some of their instruments have been shut down to conserve what remains, but NASA estimates that Voyager 1 could remain functional until 2025.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Pioneers 10 and 11: Gone But Not Forgotten\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before the Voyagers’ epic tours came the first explorers of the outer solar system: \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/missions/archive/pioneer10-11.html\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pioneers 10 and\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 11\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Launched in 1972, scarcely a decade after the dawn of the space age, the Pioneers gave us our first up-close looks of Jupiter and Saturn and some of their moons. Before this, the gas giants’ enigmatic moons were known only as fuzzy points of light in Earth-based telescopes, and measurements of Jupiter’s magnetic field and intense radiation belts were crucial for designing the later Voyager and Galileo spacecraft. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973551\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 784px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1973551\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/784px-Pioneer_10_at_Jupiter-NASA-Rick-Guidice.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"784\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/784px-Pioneer_10_at_Jupiter-NASA-Rick-Guidice.jpg 784w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/784px-Pioneer_10_at_Jupiter-NASA-Rick-Guidice-160x122.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/784px-Pioneer_10_at_Jupiter-NASA-Rick-Guidice-768x588.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 784px) 100vw, 784px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist concept of Pioneer 10 passing through the Jupiter system, the first spacecraft encounter with any planet beyond the orbit of Mars. \u003ccite>(NASA/Rick Guidice)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pioneer 10 was the first spacecraft to cross the asteroid belt, to enter the outer solar system, and to \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/content/forty-years-ago-pioneer-10-closest-approach-to-jupiter\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fly past Jupiter\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, in 1973. Afterward, Pioneer 10 continued on a solar escape trajectory that will carry it eventually to interstellar space, probably within the next three decades. The last radio signal we received from Pioneer 10 came in 2003.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973553\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 228px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1973553\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Pioneer_10_-_Ganymede_-_P102a.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"228\" height=\"227\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Pioneer_10_-_Ganymede_-_P102a.jpg 228w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/04/Pioneer_10_-_Ganymede_-_P102a-160x159.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 228px) 100vw, 228px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede, captured by Pioneer 10. Before this image, pictures of outer solar system moons taken from Earth will little more than fuzzy dots. \u003ccite>(NASA)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pioneer 11 flew past Jupiter, and then on to become the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/feature/40-years-ago-pioneer-11-first-to-explore-saturn\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">first spacecraft to visit Saturn\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, in 1979. The last radio signal received from Pioneer 11 came in 1995.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>What’s Next for the Frontier Five?\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the youngster New Horizons may continue to actively explore objects and the environment of the Kuiper Belt for years to come, the ultimate fate of all five of our interstellar pioneers is to drift perpetually between the stars of the Milky Way, becoming galactic derelicts of human technology and space exploration.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "NASA Is Considering 5 Space Tech Concepts That Sound Like Sci-Fi",
"headTitle": "NASA Is Considering 5 Space Tech Concepts That Sound Like Sci-Fi | KQED",
"content": "\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Farming space with soil from asteroids “digested” by fungus?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Levitating across the lunar landscape? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">How about powering a moon base with sunlight? Or scaffolding enormous spinning space habitats? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sounds like a science fiction epic about taming the solar system with a high-tech plough through the sweat of an astronaut’s brow. These concepts, however, are a step closer to reality than mere science fiction. Their authors are researchers at various technology corporations, educational institutions, and NASA centers, and their inventive plot devices are not conceived merely to entertain, but to facilitate future expeditions to the moon, Mars and beyond.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">More than a dozen researchers have been \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/Futuristic_Space_Technology_Concepts_Selected_by_NASA_for_Initial_Study\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">awarded grants by the NASA\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Innovative Advanced Concepts program to study the feasibility of their near-sci-fi technology concepts. Working in a gray zone between the real and the imagined, they are kicking ideas from the shadows of the fictional into the light of real potential. And with the $125,000 boost of each NIAC Phase 1 study grant, their speculations on future space technology have been reified just a titch.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Who are the grant recipients, and what kinds of ideas are they coming up with? A few examples.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Portable Magnetic Highway\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A robotics engineer at NASA’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jet Propulsion Laboratory\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is exploring a concept for a portable \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2021_Phase_I/FLOAT/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">magnetic “rail” transportation\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> system for use on the moon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973299\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973299\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_float_graphic_2021_ph_i-ethan-schaler-800x615.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"615\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_float_graphic_2021_ph_i-ethan-schaler-800x615.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_float_graphic_2021_ph_i-ethan-schaler-160x123.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_float_graphic_2021_ph_i-ethan-schaler-768x590.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_float_graphic_2021_ph_i-ethan-schaler.png 985w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Concept for a portable “road way” to be rolled out across the moon’s surface, on which transport robots magnetically levitate loads from one place to another, efficiently and autonomously. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ethan Schaler)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When humans begin to establish long-term lunar habitats, there will be a need to regularly transport a lot of material around the surface. Mining lunar materials for air, water, and fuel components will involve moving the raw “ore” to processing facilities. Excavating rock and soil to build living and working structures will dig up a lot of debris that needs to be carted away. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To do this, the initial concept calls for a flat “track” to be rolled out onto the moon’s surface between locations, creating a sort of instant roadbed without the need for permanent construction. Autonomous transport robots then levitate above the track on a magnetic cushion, carrying their loads across the landscape with no friction or air resistance, and without a need for constant human management.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Swimbots\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The same JPL researcher is also exploring a concept for robotic exploration vehicles that can \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2021_Phase_I/SWIM/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">swim in the oceans\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of other worlds like Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Titan, which has a methane sea. As we get closer to mounting expeditions to these remote and hazardous liquid environments, we’ll need more than wheels and helicopter blades to drive exploration forward.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973304\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973304\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_swim_graphic_2021_ph_i-800x391.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"391\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_swim_graphic_2021_ph_i-800x391.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_swim_graphic_2021_ph_i-160x78.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_swim_graphic_2021_ph_i-768x375.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_swim_graphic_2021_ph_i.png 985w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Concept for ocean-swimming probes deployed in a liquid environment, such as the sub-ice ocean on Jupiter’s moon Europa. In this concept, small swimming robots would be released from an ice-boring vessel connected to the lander vehicle on top the icy crust far above. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ethan Schaler)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Cultivating Space Soil\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A researcher with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.transastracorp.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Trans Astronautica Corporation\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is eyeing the asteroids as possible source material for \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2021_Phase_I/Making_Soil_for_Space_Habitats/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">creating arable soil\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and putting Earth fungus to work to make it happen. The idea is for the fungus to break down or “digest” the sterile asteroid material into soil for growing plants.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Along with aspirations for humans to live on the moon and make the arduous voyage to Mars comes the need to feed them. Such expeditions will no doubt bring along food staples and water, but carrying cargo into space — even the short hop from Earth to the International Space Station — is costly, especially with a continual need to resupply. And sending supplies to a moon base, or a long-range Mars mission, is an even greater expense and challenge.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Any food that can be produced or grown on the ship or station where it is to be consumed will grant a mission greater autonomy and food security, and eventually may allow space-faring humans to become self-sufficient. Even today, plants are experimentally grown and harvested onboard the International Space Station, laying the groundwork for future space farms much farther from home.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The idea of mining asteroids for precious metals, either by traveling to one or relocating it to an orbit around Earth or the moon, has been envisioned for some time. But the thought of tapping the worthless rocky components of asteroids to produce a commodity far more valuable than gold to astronauts who need to eat is a stroke of brilliance. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since there are plenty of asteroids flying around the solar system, the potential to produce usable soil is practically unlimited, and the practice may one day feed large-scale space habitations.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Prefabbed Space Homes\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cmu.edu/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Carnegie Mellon University\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> assistant professor is conceiving a lightweight collapsible apparatus as a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2021_Phase_I/Kilometer-Scale_Space_Structures_from_a_Single_Launch/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">deployable “building block”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for constructing enormous, kilometer-scaled space structures.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973298\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973298\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/manchester_graphic_2021_ph_i_0-Zachary-Manchester-graphic-by-Tzipora-Thompson-800x510.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"510\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/manchester_graphic_2021_ph_i_0-Zachary-Manchester-graphic-by-Tzipora-Thompson-800x510.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/manchester_graphic_2021_ph_i_0-Zachary-Manchester-graphic-by-Tzipora-Thompson-160x102.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/manchester_graphic_2021_ph_i_0-Zachary-Manchester-graphic-by-Tzipora-Thompson-768x490.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/manchester_graphic_2021_ph_i_0-Zachary-Manchester-graphic-by-Tzipora-Thompson.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Concept for a lightweight, compact construct that is launched into space and then expands to a large-scale structure. \u003ccite>(Zac Manchester/Jeff Lipton/Tziporah Thompson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This idea accepts an ambitious challenge set by science fiction writers over the decades: to engineer an artificial space habitat, or “space ark,” of a scale grand enough to accommodate a population of humans and a sustainable, even self-sufficient ecosystem.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Supercharged Solar Power\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A researcher at NASA’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/langley\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Langley Research Center\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is shining light on a concept to generate and distribute \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2021_Phase_I/Light_Bender/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">electrical power for use on the moon\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, using telescope optics to capture, redirect and focus sunlight.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973300\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973300\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/taylor_graphic_2021_ph_i_lg-Ronald-Neale-800x492.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"492\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/taylor_graphic_2021_ph_i_lg-Ronald-Neale-800x492.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/taylor_graphic_2021_ph_i_lg-Ronald-Neale-1020x628.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/taylor_graphic_2021_ph_i_lg-Ronald-Neale-160x98.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/taylor_graphic_2021_ph_i_lg-Ronald-Neale-768x473.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/taylor_graphic_2021_ph_i_lg-Ronald-Neale-1536x945.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/taylor_graphic_2021_ph_i_lg-Ronald-Neale.png 1599w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Concept for the collection and distribution of solar energy across the moon’s surface to buildings, spacecraft, and other vehicles, using telescope optics. \u003ccite>(NASA/Ronald Neale)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Though concentrated solar energy systems are nothing new, engineering a system for the moon presents some unearthly technical challenges — for one, designing a system small and light enough to be transported from Earth to the lunar surface while still maximizing energy production to squeeze out as much power from the sun’s rays as possible.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Back to Sci-Fi\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Science fiction may inspire the invention of new technologies and scientific endeavors, but the reverse is also true. Real achievements in space exploration and the tech that enables it inspire us to wonder more deeply about where the adventure can lead, which can inspire further innovation.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We may not see giant space habitats and crops harvested from asteroid dirt for some time, but thinking about how to do these things needs to start now. As humans gradually move farther from Earth and dwell in space for longer stretches of time, visions of this kind may inevitably become the reality of future generations.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Levitating across the lunar landscape? Powering a moon base with sunlight? Researchers have been awarded grants by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program to study the feasibility of future technologies. ",
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"description": "Levitating across the lunar landscape? Powering a moon base with sunlight? Researchers have been awarded grants by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program to study the feasibility of future technologies. ",
"title": "NASA Is Considering 5 Space Tech Concepts That Sound Like Sci-Fi | KQED",
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"headline": "NASA Is Considering 5 Space Tech Concepts That Sound Like Sci-Fi",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Farming space with soil from asteroids “digested” by fungus?\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Levitating across the lunar landscape? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">How about powering a moon base with sunlight? Or scaffolding enormous spinning space habitats? \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sounds like a science fiction epic about taming the solar system with a high-tech plough through the sweat of an astronaut’s brow. These concepts, however, are a step closer to reality than mere science fiction. Their authors are researchers at various technology corporations, educational institutions, and NASA centers, and their inventive plot devices are not conceived merely to entertain, but to facilitate future expeditions to the moon, Mars and beyond.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">More than a dozen researchers have been \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/Futuristic_Space_Technology_Concepts_Selected_by_NASA_for_Initial_Study\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">awarded grants by the NASA\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Innovative Advanced Concepts program to study the feasibility of their near-sci-fi technology concepts. Working in a gray zone between the real and the imagined, they are kicking ideas from the shadows of the fictional into the light of real potential. And with the $125,000 boost of each NIAC Phase 1 study grant, their speculations on future space technology have been reified just a titch.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Who are the grant recipients, and what kinds of ideas are they coming up with? A few examples.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Portable Magnetic Highway\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A robotics engineer at NASA’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Jet Propulsion Laboratory\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is exploring a concept for a portable \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2021_Phase_I/FLOAT/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">magnetic “rail” transportation\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> system for use on the moon. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973299\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973299\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_float_graphic_2021_ph_i-ethan-schaler-800x615.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"615\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_float_graphic_2021_ph_i-ethan-schaler-800x615.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_float_graphic_2021_ph_i-ethan-schaler-160x123.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_float_graphic_2021_ph_i-ethan-schaler-768x590.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_float_graphic_2021_ph_i-ethan-schaler.png 985w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Concept for a portable “road way” to be rolled out across the moon’s surface, on which transport robots magnetically levitate loads from one place to another, efficiently and autonomously. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ethan Schaler)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">When humans begin to establish long-term lunar habitats, there will be a need to regularly transport a lot of material around the surface. Mining lunar materials for air, water, and fuel components will involve moving the raw “ore” to processing facilities. Excavating rock and soil to build living and working structures will dig up a lot of debris that needs to be carted away. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">To do this, the initial concept calls for a flat “track” to be rolled out onto the moon’s surface between locations, creating a sort of instant roadbed without the need for permanent construction. Autonomous transport robots then levitate above the track on a magnetic cushion, carrying their loads across the landscape with no friction or air resistance, and without a need for constant human management.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Swimbots\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The same JPL researcher is also exploring a concept for robotic exploration vehicles that can \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2021_Phase_I/SWIM/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">swim in the oceans\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of other worlds like Jupiter’s moon Europa and Saturn’s moon Titan, which has a methane sea. As we get closer to mounting expeditions to these remote and hazardous liquid environments, we’ll need more than wheels and helicopter blades to drive exploration forward.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973304\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973304\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_swim_graphic_2021_ph_i-800x391.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"391\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_swim_graphic_2021_ph_i-800x391.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_swim_graphic_2021_ph_i-160x78.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_swim_graphic_2021_ph_i-768x375.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/schaler_swim_graphic_2021_ph_i.png 985w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Concept for ocean-swimming probes deployed in a liquid environment, such as the sub-ice ocean on Jupiter’s moon Europa. In this concept, small swimming robots would be released from an ice-boring vessel connected to the lander vehicle on top the icy crust far above. \u003ccite>(NASA/JPL-Caltech/Ethan Schaler)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Cultivating Space Soil\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A researcher with \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.transastracorp.com/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Trans Astronautica Corporation\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is eyeing the asteroids as possible source material for \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2021_Phase_I/Making_Soil_for_Space_Habitats/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">creating arable soil\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, and putting Earth fungus to work to make it happen. The idea is for the fungus to break down or “digest” the sterile asteroid material into soil for growing plants.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Along with aspirations for humans to live on the moon and make the arduous voyage to Mars comes the need to feed them. Such expeditions will no doubt bring along food staples and water, but carrying cargo into space — even the short hop from Earth to the International Space Station — is costly, especially with a continual need to resupply. And sending supplies to a moon base, or a long-range Mars mission, is an even greater expense and challenge.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Any food that can be produced or grown on the ship or station where it is to be consumed will grant a mission greater autonomy and food security, and eventually may allow space-faring humans to become self-sufficient. Even today, plants are experimentally grown and harvested onboard the International Space Station, laying the groundwork for future space farms much farther from home.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">The idea of mining asteroids for precious metals, either by traveling to one or relocating it to an orbit around Earth or the moon, has been envisioned for some time. But the thought of tapping the worthless rocky components of asteroids to produce a commodity far more valuable than gold to astronauts who need to eat is a stroke of brilliance. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Since there are plenty of asteroids flying around the solar system, the potential to produce usable soil is practically unlimited, and the practice may one day feed large-scale space habitations.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Prefabbed Space Homes\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.cmu.edu/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Carnegie Mellon University\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> assistant professor is conceiving a lightweight collapsible apparatus as a \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2021_Phase_I/Kilometer-Scale_Space_Structures_from_a_Single_Launch/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">deployable “building block”\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for constructing enormous, kilometer-scaled space structures.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973298\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973298\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/manchester_graphic_2021_ph_i_0-Zachary-Manchester-graphic-by-Tzipora-Thompson-800x510.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"510\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/manchester_graphic_2021_ph_i_0-Zachary-Manchester-graphic-by-Tzipora-Thompson-800x510.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/manchester_graphic_2021_ph_i_0-Zachary-Manchester-graphic-by-Tzipora-Thompson-160x102.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/manchester_graphic_2021_ph_i_0-Zachary-Manchester-graphic-by-Tzipora-Thompson-768x490.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/manchester_graphic_2021_ph_i_0-Zachary-Manchester-graphic-by-Tzipora-Thompson.png 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Concept for a lightweight, compact construct that is launched into space and then expands to a large-scale structure. \u003ccite>(Zac Manchester/Jeff Lipton/Tziporah Thompson)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This idea accepts an ambitious challenge set by science fiction writers over the decades: to engineer an artificial space habitat, or “space ark,” of a scale grand enough to accommodate a population of humans and a sustainable, even self-sufficient ecosystem.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Supercharged Solar Power\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">A researcher at NASA’s \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/langley\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Langley Research Center\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> is shining light on a concept to generate and distribute \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/spacetech/niac/2021_Phase_I/Light_Bender/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">electrical power for use on the moon\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">, using telescope optics to capture, redirect and focus sunlight.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1973300\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 800px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1973300\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/taylor_graphic_2021_ph_i_lg-Ronald-Neale-800x492.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"492\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/taylor_graphic_2021_ph_i_lg-Ronald-Neale-800x492.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/taylor_graphic_2021_ph_i_lg-Ronald-Neale-1020x628.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/taylor_graphic_2021_ph_i_lg-Ronald-Neale-160x98.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/taylor_graphic_2021_ph_i_lg-Ronald-Neale-768x473.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/taylor_graphic_2021_ph_i_lg-Ronald-Neale-1536x945.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2021/03/taylor_graphic_2021_ph_i_lg-Ronald-Neale.png 1599w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Concept for the collection and distribution of solar energy across the moon’s surface to buildings, spacecraft, and other vehicles, using telescope optics. \u003ccite>(NASA/Ronald Neale)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Though concentrated solar energy systems are nothing new, engineering a system for the moon presents some unearthly technical challenges — for one, designing a system small and light enough to be transported from Earth to the lunar surface while still maximizing energy production to squeeze out as much power from the sun’s rays as possible.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cb>Back to Sci-Fi\u003c/b>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Science fiction may inspire the invention of new technologies and scientific endeavors, but the reverse is also true. Real achievements in space exploration and the tech that enables it inspire us to wonder more deeply about where the adventure can lead, which can inspire further innovation.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">We may not see giant space habitats and crops harvested from asteroid dirt for some time, but thinking about how to do these things needs to start now. As humans gradually move farther from Earth and dwell in space for longer stretches of time, visions of this kind may inevitably become the reality of future generations.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
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},
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"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
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},
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"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
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"order": 8
},
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},
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"order": 1
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"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 9
},
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"hidden-brain": {
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
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"source": "NPR"
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"order": 18
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},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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},
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},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
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"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
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"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
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