jimcantrell

[jimcantrell]

Human beings have yet to travel beyond the Moon, but their machines have explored the planets and satellites of the Solar System. Interplanetary robotic exploration is now an international venture, but its origin dates back to the 1930s and a handful of enthusiasts on the West Coast. Their efforts eventually led to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which designed and built the spacecraft used in almost every voyage.

[jimcantrell]

Unique Space Discoveries

After creating the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1968, man has undergone several space breakthroughs such as walking on the moon, exploring the nature of stars, and discovering the existence of exoplanets (planets outside Earth's solar system). The size of space is unfathomable, and often discoveries are uncovered. Out of these discoveries, some stand out. One of them is the discovery of super-Earth. Super-Earth is an exoplanet with a mass thrice that of Earth's. A team led by A. Suárez Mascareño used the HARPS-N spectrograph to make this discovery in 2017. The Super-Earth is 21-light years away from Earth. This planet orbits its dwarf star in just 14 days. Presently, scientists are observing the planet to see if there are signs of life. In 2017, NASA discovered about seven exoplanets similar to the size of Earth. These seven planets orbit a dwarf star called TRAPPIST- 1, located outside the Milky Way. This discovery offers a lot of hope for NASA in the area of life outside Earth. Scientists theorize that there might be water on these planets. So, if these planets have water and satisfy other conditions, they can support life. The discovery may help scientists tackle questions such as "Are we alone in the Universe?" or "Are there other habitable planets for humans?" Scientists also witnessed the collapse of two neutron stars in 2017. Generally, when a star no longer has energy, it collapses into itself. This phenomenon results in forming a neutron star or a black hole. The collapse showed that the effects of two neutron stars colliding resulted in the generation of gravitational waves and heavy elements such as platinum and gold. According to a NASA-funded study published in 2016, two mega-tsunami occurrences revealed shorelines beneath Mars' surface. The discoveries back up the hypothesis that Mars previously had an ocean beneath its barren surface. In March 2020, NASA's NEOWISE mission discovered comet NEOWISE's close encounter with Earth. After passing Earth, the icy comet had a close encounter with the sun and survived. Scientists watched as the impressive-looking comet made its way past the Milky Way. NASA estimates that the comet would not pass by Earth for about 6300 years. Furthermore, the brightness exhibited by the comet allowed scientists to obtain significant data. According to NASA, the last comet to make such a lasting appearance on Earth was the Hale-Bopp in 1997. In 2018, NASA discovered the presence of water on the moon. This discovery adds more mystery to the lunar surface. On the moon's north poles and south poles, NASA found concrete evidence of ice. Consequently, the discovery verifies the presence of water molecules. These molecules are similar to H2O that is found on Earth. NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) played a key role in this moon's ice discovery. SOFIA is a reconstructed Boeing 747SP jetliner possessing a telescope that discovered the ice on the moon's Clavius Crater. Another unique space discovery is the presence of iron and titanium outside the solar system. The elements iron and titanium were found on the exoplanet, KELT-9b.