Latest news with #Huygens
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA's Dragonfly nuclear-powered helicopter clears key hurdle ahead of 2028 launch toward huge Saturn moon Titan
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. NASA's pioneering Dragonfly mission has cleared a key hurdle, keeping it on track for a 2028 launch to Saturn's huge moon Titan. Dragonfly, a car-sized, nuclear-powered rotorcraft designed to investigate Titan's potential to host life, passed its Critical Design Review, NASA announced on Thursday (April 24). "Passing this mission milestone means that Dragonfly's mission design, fabrication, integration and test plans are all approved, and the mission can now turn its attention to the construction of the spacecraft itself," a NASA statement reads. The $3.35 billion Dragonfly mission was first selected by NASA in 2019 and is being designed and built under the direction of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Maryland, with APL's Elizabeth Turtle as the principal investigator. The mission has been hit by delays and cost overruns, but studying Titan is considered a high priority by scientists for its potential to harbor alien life. The mission is set to launch no earlier than July 2028 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft will then embark on an almost seven-year-long voyage through deep space to the Saturn system, with the goal of spending more than three years studying areas across Titan's frigid and diverse surface. Equipped with cameras, sensors and samplers, Dragonfly will assess Titan's habitability, looking out for prebiotic chemistry as well as potential signs of life. Related: NASA greenlights 2028 launch for epic Dragonfly mission to Saturn's huge moon Titan Related stories: — NASA's nuclear-powered Dragonfly helicopter will ride a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket toward Saturn moon Titan — Nuclear-powered Dragonfly mission to Saturn moon Titan delayed until 2028, NASA says — NASA's Titan Dragonfly will touch down on a field of dunes and shattered ice Titan is Saturn's largest moon, and the second largest in the solar system behind Ganymede of Jupiter. Its thick, hazy atmosphere shrouds a surface featuring dunes of hydrocarbons and methane lakes. Beneath the moon's icy crust, scientists think there's a subsurface ocean of salty water, adding to the possibilities for Titan to harbor life. In 2005, NASA's Cassini mission delivered the Huygens probe to Titan. The European Space Agency-built Huygens made a parachute-assisted landing, which provided profound insights into the giant moon. Dragonfly, if successful, could revolutionize our understanding of how life might arise elsewhere in the solar system.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Alien life could exist on Saturn's big moon Titan — but finding it will be tough
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. With rivers, lakes and even seas made of liquid methane and ethane, plus a hidden underground ocean of water, Saturn's moon Titan has long fascinated scientists as a place where alien life might exist. A new study backs up that idea — but with a twist. Yes, alien life could be there, researchers say, but probably not in the abundance we once hoped. "We focus on what makes Titan unique when compared to other icy moons: its plentiful organic content," study co-lead author Antonin Affholder, a postdoctoral research associate in the University of Arizona's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, said in a statement. "There has been this sense that because Titan has such abundant organics, there is no shortage of food sources that could sustain life." NASA's Cassini mission flew past Titan over 100 times, and in 2005, the European ride-along probe Huygens landed on its surface. On its way down, Huygens collected valuable data on Titan's dense atmosphere, finding a host of photochemical reactions — light-driven chemical reactions that shape the moon's chemical environment and could play a role in making it potentially habitable. This is because such reactions can create complex organic molecules, including some that could be the building blocks for life. Related: Titan: Facts about Saturn's largest moon The idea is that these organic molecules eventually settle on Titan's surface and, through a mix of material exchange and possible geochemical processes, find their way down into the moon's hidden ocean — potentially making the dark waters below a habitable environment. But "potentially" is a key word here, according to the new study. "We point out that not all of these organic molecules may constitute food sources, the ocean is really big, and there's limited exchange between the ocean and the surface, where all those organics are, so we argue for a more nuanced approach," said Affholder. Using bioenergetic modeling — a method that uses mathematical simulations to quantify the energy needed to make and break chemical bonds in a biological system — the team attempted to identify a plausible scenario in which life could emerge on Titan. They landed on a simple and familiar process: fermentation. "Fermentation probably evolved early in the history of Earth's life and does not require us to open any door into unknown or speculative mechanisms that may or may not have happened on Titan," Affholder said. Fermentation is a simple metabolic process in which microorganisms, such as bacteria, break down organic molecules like sugars or carbohydrates into simpler compounds. The key part? It all happens without oxygen, which makes it especially relevant for a world like Titan, where oxygen is scarce or absent. "We asked, could similar microbes exist on Titan?" Affholder said. "If so, what potential does Titan's subsurface ocean have for a biosphere feeding off of the seemingly vast inventory of abiotic organic molecules synthesized in Titan's atmosphere, accumulating at its surface and present in the core?" Related stories: — Titan: Facts about Saturn's largest moon — The search for alien life — Largest sea on Saturn's mysterious moon Titan could be more than 1,000 feet deep Using the simplest of all known amino acids — glycine, which is relatively abundant throughout the solar system — the team's simulations found that conditions on Titan could, in theory, support microbial life through fermentation. However, only a tiny portion of Titan's organic material might actually reach the ocean, depending on how much glycine makes its way down from the surface. "This supply may only be sufficient to sustain a very small population of microbes weighing a total of only a few kilograms at most — equivalent to the mass of a small dog," Affholder said. "Such a tiny biosphere would average less than one cell per liter of water over Titan's entire vast ocean," he added. "We conclude that Titan's uniquely rich organic inventory may not in fact be available to play the role in the moon's habitability to the extent one might intuitively think." That means that, if life does exist on Titan, it could be extremely sparse, making it especially challenging for future missions to detect — like trying to find a needle in a haystack, the team concludes. The new study was published April 7 in The Planetary Science Journal.
The Guardian
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Darkness from Serra, delights from Siena, and a polar bear sound asleep – the week in art
Richard Serra: The Final WorksGlimpses of night and nothingness in the last works by this formidable abstract artist. Cristea Roberts Gallery, London from 13 March to 26 April Siena: The Rise of PaintingPhenomenal exhibition that will make you fall in love with medieval art, full of ravishing works by Duccio, Simone Martini and more. National Gallery, London, from 8 March to 22 June Deutsche Börse prizeThis year's shortlisted artists Cristina De Middel, Rahim Fortune, Tarrah Krajnak and Lindokuhle Sobekwa show their stuff. Photographers' Gallery, London, until 15 June Making EgyptThis exhibition of ancient Egyptian art and history is a blockbuster for children - what a great idea. Young V&A, London, until 2November Format 25: ConflictedOpen call, international survey of how photographers are documenting conflicts of all kinds. Derby city centre venues from 13 to 30 March Winners of the second annual Nature Photography Contest were announced this week, with the photography of the year award going to Polar Bear Amid Fireweed Blooms by Christopher Paetkau. See the rest of the winners here. A new exhibition shows how Polish film poster artists navigated communist censorsArtists must leave a Dalston street that nurtured Oscar winner Daniel Blumberg 'Art always has a sensual aesthetic,' says Martha Edelheit, 93, of her erotic exhibition Designers are rethinking 'human-centric' approach in favour of nature and animals A Washington DC gallery been accused of caving in to Donald Trump's anti-DEI drive Les Misérables author Victor Hugo spent much of his time drawing The late Australian performance artist Leigh Bowery had a singular artistic vision Lubaina Himid says the British pavilion at the Venice Biennale is her dream venue German expressionists' works on paper are peculiarly well suited to our times Wildly popular Scottish painter Jack Vettriano has died aged 73 A 'spectacular' stolen Brueghel has been found in a provincial Dutch museum Blind artist Bianca Raffaella explained how painting with her thumbs adds to the work Seven hundred years ago, western art came alive in Siena, Italy A portrait of Lady Jane Grey, England's 'nine-day queen', may have been discovered Portrait of Constantijn Huygens and his clerk by Thomas de Keyser, 1627 Constantijn Huygens, Lord of Zuilichem, looks as approachable and down to earth as he is important in this very likable portrait. Huygens was a towering political influence in the young Dutch Republic who had recently come back from diplomatic work in England. You can see the symbolic stuff of his public life surrounding him in his study, including two huge globes and a pen ready to write his next weighty missive. On his desk are architectural plans, and behind him a fine tapestry. A servant or clerk is handing him an urgent letter. Yet Huygens was also a cultured individual who spotted the genius of the young Rembrandt and his friend Jan Lievens. The real power of De Keyser's portrait is in its sensitive capturing of Huygens's pale, alert features and nonchalant pose. Wearing unshowy but expensive clothes, Huygens here is the epitome of style, civility and intellectual curiosity. National Gallery, London If you don't already receive our regular roundup of art and design news via email, please sign up here. If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Space photo of the week: Dry ice 'geysers' erupt on Mars as spring hits the Red Planet
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. What it is: Geysers of gas and dust on Mars Where it is: The south polar region of Mars When it was shared: Jan. 29, 2025 Why it's so special: These odd, fan-like features on the surface of Mars are geysers of gas and dust near the planet's south pole that are visible only in springtime on the Red Planet. This image was taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) in 2018 and was reshared by NASA recently. During winter on Mars, carbon dioxide ice accumulates near the surface. According to NASA, carbon dioxide ice is transparent, and sunlight that gets through it is absorbed at the base of the icy layer. As the sun rises higher into the sky and spring begins, carbon dioxide ice begins to warm and turn to vapor. That vapor then escapes through weaknesses in the ice and erupts in the form of geysers. These eruptions sometimes leave dusty, jagged streaks, nicknamed "spiders on Mars." Related: Hundreds of black 'spiders' spotted in mysterious 'Inca City' on Mars in new satellite photos Mars has four seasons similar to those on Earth. That's because Mars' orbit spins on an axis tilted by 25.2 degrees (similar to Earth's 23.5 degrees), meaning different parts of Mars get differing amounts of sunlight as the planet orbits the sun. However, because Mars takes 687 Earth days to orbit the sun, the seasons last around twice as long as they do on our planet. There's something else about Mars' orbit that makes the seasons different. Because the planet's orbit of the sun is slightly elliptical, there's a significant difference between Mars' closest and farthest point to the sun. SEE MORE SPACE PHOTOS —James Webb and Hubble telescopes unite to solve 'impossible' planet mystery —Space photo of the week: Galaxies teeter toward collision in the sparkling depths of Virgo —Space photo of the week: Look into Titan's 'eye,' 20 years after the Huygens spacecraft's historic landing on Saturn's largest moon According to the European Space Agency, Mars is closest to the sun during summer in its southern hemisphere, making that season shorter and hotter than summer in the North. Conversely, winter in the southern hemisphere occurs when Mars travels at its slowest and farthest from the sun, making it longer and colder than winter in the North. This stunning image comes from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on the MRO, which launched on Aug. 12, 2005, and began orbiting Mars on March 12, 2006. For more sublime space images, check out our Space Photo of the Week archives.
