The End

Posted on April 23, 2018 by Chris K.

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big-bang-sound-1jpg
Artist’s Illustration of the Big Bang

n Astro 2110, we have looked at every from the birth of the universe to possibility of life outside of our own solar system. It has been an interesting journey, and since this class is coming to end I figure we take a moment to look at how the universe itself will die. Like all good things, the universe itself will eventually end.

The Big Freeze and Big Rip are two of the most widely believed theories of the universe’s demise and both rely on dark energy to explain the end of all things. Dark energy is not well understood by scientists, but it is believed to be causing the universe’ rate of expansion to accelerate over time. This accelerating expansions in the crux of both the he Big Freeze and Rip models. In the Big Freeze model, the universe will expand ever larger and eventually it will reach a point of maximum entropy where nothing can happened at all. There’s finite amount of energy in the universe and will be evenly spread out across the massive cosmos. Every star will have died and even black holes will have evaporated. The Big Rip takes the same model of expansion but draws a different conclusion. As space expands, the space between galaxies expands as well. Eventually, the universe will reach a point where it is accelerating so fast that individual atoms are ripped apart. The universe will devolve into a sea of forever separate particles. Both of these models foretell a universe that will eventually be dead forever, but there’s another model that predicts death but then resurrection.

Finally, let’s take a look at the Big Crunch. This theory relies on the idea that dark energy will eventually be overpowered by the force of gravity, and the universe will begin to contract. As contraction begins, the universe will shrink and become hotter and hotter until it reverts into a single point. The universe is destroyed, but some believe a second big bang would occur in this situation, essentially rebooting the universe and creating another chance for life. All of these theories about the universe’ end result in the annihilation of everything we know, but at least the Big Crunch theory gives hope that something could rise from the ashes.

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The aliens in Starcraft.

Posted on April 22, 2018 by kkim7243

zerg_vs_protoss_by_zxoqwikl-d4kzggn
Source: Devianart

When it comes to how creative and bright people are at imagining aliens in the universe, some people would think of Star Trek, Star Wars, and Alien: Covenant. In these creative movies, some aliens are portrayed as gross, primitive monsters that kill and eat humans while others are portrayed as friendly, intelligent creatures.

About 20 years ago, a game called, Starcraft was released and had a huge impact in the gaming industry. The main theme of the game was very similar to that of Star Wars in that humans are fighting against 2 distinct alien species to gain control over the entire universe.

One extraterrestrial life type in the game, Zerg is a group of primitive species that evolved under various environments. These creatures are somewhat similar to the aliens from  Alien: Covenant. They are reptile just like dinosaurs and very instinct driven. I guess they are still in the stage of forming intelligence.

Other extraterrestrial life type is Protoss. Protoss is a specie that evolved far beyond humans in many aspects such as intelligence, and science. Interestingly, this specie uses a different element to fuel its spaceships, reminding that it’s possible to have some forms of life even in drastic environments such as Jupiter, and Io.

Just like the movies above, Starcraft is a great game to enjoy another hypothetical scenario of what it would be in the future when we confront the extraterrestrial lives.

Source: Wikipedia

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The aliens in Starcraft.

Posted on April 22, 2018 by kkim7243
zerg_vs_protoss_by_zxoqwikl-d4kzggn
Source: Devianart

When it comes to how creative and bright people are at imagining aliens in the universe, some people would think of Star Trek, Star Wars, and Alien: Covenant. In these creative movies, some aliens are portrayed as gross, primitive monsters that kill and eat humans while others are portrayed as friendly, intelligent creatures.

About 20 years ago, a game called, Starcraft was released and had a huge impact in the gaming industry. The main theme of the game was very similar to that of Star Wars in that humans are fighting against 2 distinct alien species to gain control over the entire universe.

One extraterrestrial life type in the game, Zerg is a group of primitive species that evolved under various environments. These creatures are somewhat similar to the aliens from  Alien: Covenant. They are reptile just like dinosaurs and very instinct driven. I guess they are still in the stage of forming intelligence.

Other extraterrestrial life type is Protoss. Protoss is a specie that evolved far beyond humans in many aspects such as intelligence, and science. Interestingly, this specie uses a different element to fuel its spaceships, reminding that it’s possible to have some forms of life even in drastic environments such as Jupiter, and Io.

Just like the movies above, Starcraft is a great game to enjoy another hypothetical scenario of what it would be in the future when we confront the extraterrestrial lives.

Source: Wikipedia

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Interesting facts about Fermi Paradox

Posted on April 21, 2018 by kkim7243

alien_head_biology_1024
Source: Sciencealert.com

In respect to one of the most controversial question, “whether extraterrestrial lives exist in the universe,” we often assume there is high probability that such alien lives exist somewhere. Because there are 70 sextillion stars and numerous earth-like planets along with the stars in the observable universe, we often think that some intelligent forms of life should have emerged due to the large scale of the universe.

One Scientist named, Erico Fermi suggested the idea of paradox that even though we assume such high probability for the existence of extraterrestrial lives, there hasn’t been one single evidence to support our thought. Accordingly, Fermi suggests why we humans can’t find any evidence of alien lives anywhere in the universe.

In efforts to explain Fermi Paradox, there are many hypothetical explanations that might be the reason why we still haven’t found the evidence. One explanation is that our assumption of the existence of intelligent lives is false in that there isn’t any intelligent life or it is very rare to be detected. Another explanation for Fermi Paradox is that they are too distant from the Earth and we lack technology to communicate with the intelligent life. These two explanations try to adjust our assumptions that the probability of the intelligent life is extremely low. On the other hand, there is one explanation, which suggests that these lives are here on the Earth, but we can’t recognize them due to many different reasons.

Even with many hypothetical explanations, we currently lack technology to verify whether they are true or not. However, as we develop more technology to eventually travel through the universe to seek for any evidence, we will be able to explain Fermi Paradox in the future.

 

Source: Wikipedia

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Interesting facts about Fermi Paradox

Posted on April 21, 2018 by kkim7243
alien_head_biology_1024
Source: Sciencealert.com

In respect to one of the most controversial question, “whether extraterrestrial lives exist in the universe,” we often assume there is high probability that such alien lives exist somewhere. Because there are 70 sextillion stars and numerous earth-like planets along with the stars in the observable universe, we often think that some intelligent forms of life should have emerged due to the large scale of the universe.

One Scientist named, Erico Fermi suggested the idea of paradox that even though we assume such high probability for the existence of extraterrestrial lives, there hasn’t been one single evidence to support our thought. Accordingly, Fermi suggests why we humans can’t find any evidence of alien lives anywhere in the universe.

In efforts to explain Fermi Paradox, there are many hypothetical explanations that might be the reason why we still haven’t found the evidence. One explanation is that our assumption of the existence of intelligent lives is false in that there isn’t any intelligent life or it is very rare to be detected. Another explanation for Fermi Paradox is that they are too distant from the Earth and we lack technology to communicate with the intelligent life. These two explanations try to adjust our assumptions that the probability of the intelligent life is extremely low. On the other hand, there is one explanation, which suggests that these lives are here on the Earth, but we can’t recognize them due to many different reasons.

Even with many hypothetical explanations, we currently lack technology to verify whether they are true or not. However, as we develop more technology to eventually travel through the universe to seek for any evidence, we will be able to explain Fermi Paradox in the future.

 

Source: Wikipedia

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Blog 8: In Space Manufacturing

Posted on April 21, 2018 by battismm

Over the past two semesters I have been working on an engineering senior design project. My team and I have been working for the Marshall Space Flight Center on one of NASA’s ongoing missions to develop in space manufacturing capabilities. The International Space Station currently houses approximately 29,000 pounds of spares in storage. Historically, 95% of these spares are never used. This practice is unsustainable for long duration space flight missions as the spares waste vital storage space and cause unnecessary expenses. Additive manufacturing provides a promising solution as on-demand manufacturing of tools and supplies reduces the need to carry consumables and spares. Our team worked to develop 3D printable medical devices and 3D printable plant substrates.

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Image Credit: Vanderbilt ISM

We prototyped printable medical devices including otoscope specula, syringes, and nasal trumpets. We selected these devices because they are both customizable and consumable. While our prototypes are progress in this field, in order to make medically accurate devices further advancements in 3D printing technology is necessary.

IMG_1956
Image Credit: Vanderbilt ISM

The 3D printed plant substrates aid crop growth on long duration space flight missions by providing a hospitable environment for root and crop growth while retaining water and being food safe. The testing we conducted focused on pore size, filament material, and lattice structure to optimize plant yield and printability while minimizing use of material. Tests were performed using wheatgrass because of its use in previous research and its quick growth cycle allowed multiple test iterations. Our testing demonstrated the printed substrates ability to cultivate food crops.

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Our Solar System– On Earth

Posted on April 21, 2018 by laurenegish

IMG_2523
A picture I took of Venus, Earth, and Mars at the Gainesville Solar Walk

Two weeks ago, I was in Gainesville, Florida when I saw the solar system pass me by as I drove down the street. I was so excited to spot a solar system model because I thought the only model that existed in the country was at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Spotting this solar model made me wonder, where else can people find solar models in America and across the world?

The answer is that solar models are relatively numerous. There are 20 permanent scale models of the solar system in the US and around 50 worldwide. Depending on the scale of the model, some models are walkable, some are bikeable and some are so large that they are only drivable.

In America, the largest model is the Maine Solar System Model, which is at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Running 64 km long, the scale of the model is 1 to 93 million and Earth is 13.7 cm in diameter. For perspective, the Washington D.C. model that goes across the entire National Mall is on a scale of 1 to 10 billion and on this model the Earth is only .1cm in diameter. The solar model that I spotted in Gainesville was similar to that in D.C., but is slightly bigger with a 1 to 4 billion scale and a sculpture of Earth with a .3cm diameter.

While Maine’s model is quite large, it is only the 3rd largest in the world. The largest solar system model is actually in Sweden with sculptures of planets in various cities across the country! This solar system model runs 300 km and has a scale of 1 to 20 million. Earth, located in the Swedish museum of Natural History in Stockholm, is represented by a sculpture that is 65 cm in diameter. The Sun’s size in this model is incredibly impressive with a diameter of 110 m. It is represented by the Ericsson Globe, the largest spherical shaped building in the world. Just to reiterate the massive size of this model, Pluto, which is a mere dust spec in a 1 to 10 billion scale model, is 12 cm in diameter in Sweden’s model.

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Our Solar System– On Earth

Posted on April 21, 2018 by laurenegish
IMG_2523
A picture I took of Venus, Earth, and Mars at the Gainesville Solar Walk

Two weeks ago, I was in Gainesville, Florida when I saw the solar system pass me by as I drove down the street. I was so excited to spot a solar system model because I thought the only model that existed in the country was at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Spotting this solar model made me wonder, where else can people find solar models in America and across the world?

The answer is that solar models are relatively numerous. There are 20 permanent scale models of the solar system in the US and around 50 worldwide. Depending on the scale of the model, some models are walkable, some are bikeable and some are so large that they are only drivable.

In America, the largest model is the Maine Solar System Model, which is at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Running 64 km long, the scale of the model is 1 to 93 million and Earth is 13.7 cm in diameter. For perspective, the Washington D.C. model that goes across the entire National Mall is on a scale of 1 to 10 billion and on this model the Earth is only .1cm in diameter. The solar model that I spotted in Gainesville was similar to that in D.C., but is slightly bigger with a 1 to 4 billion scale and a sculpture of Earth with a .3cm diameter.

While Maine’s model is quite large, it is only the 3rd largest in the world. The largest solar system model is actually in Sweden with sculptures of planets in various cities across the country! This solar system model runs 300 km and has a scale of 1 to 20 million. Earth, located in the Swedish museum of Natural History in Stockholm, is represented by a sculpture that is 65 cm in diameter. The Sun’s size in this model is incredibly impressive with a diameter of 110 m. It is represented by the Ericsson Globe, the largest spherical shaped building in the world. Just to reiterate the massive size of this model, Pluto, which is a mere dust spec in a 1 to 10 billion scale model, is 12 cm in diameter in Sweden’s model.

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Is there life out there?

Posted on April 19, 2018 by haleytopper04

In 2016, there was a study that stated that many other planets throughout the universe have probably hosted intelligent life before earth did. The study claims that, even if you claim that the chance of an evolved civilization on a planet was one in a trillion, that means that what happened on earth would have happened about 10 billion other times due to the immense amount of planets in our universe.

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Source: Nasa- Exoplanet Exploration

As we discussed in class, Frank Drake, an astronomer, came up with a formula to estimate the number of extraterrestrial civilizations that may exist today in the Milky Way alone. However, for this study, researchers at the University of Washington were interested in the number of extraterrestrial civilizations that would have ever existed in the universe. To do this, they created an “archaeological version” of the Drake that doesn’t take into account of how long the civilizations would last.

Assuming that 20% of all stars have a planet in the habitable zone (data from Kepler space telescope and other instruments), the study came to the conclusion that it is highly unlikely that we are the first planet to host intelligent life. However, this doesn’t mean that there are tons and tons of aliens waiting to be contacted. Since the universe is so old, it is possible that any other civilization that had existed has already died off.

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First Contact and a Spin of the Wheel

Posted on April 19, 2018 by Chris K.
borg-drones
The Borg from Star Trek: TNG. Would you want to risk first contact with this “civilization?”

Are we alone in the universe? This question has fascinated both scientists and philosophers alike for centuries and although we have not yet found life on other planets, sheer probability alone tells life must exist outside of Earth. If any of this life is intelligent, further questions arise. We’ve sent messages to other worlds through golden records on Voyagers 1 and 2 and plaques on Pioneer, among other thing, and what would happen if we got a response back? Shows like Star Trek depict a world where first contact transformed humanity from a squabbling mess into a peaceful spacefaring civilization in a short amount of time, and many other depictions of first contract in media take similarly positive positions on what first contact would be like. However, this seems hardly the most likely outcome. If humanity’s own actions in the past are any indication, first contact would not bring peace but suffering on scales that cannot be comprehended.

When humans found new groups of other humans, things did not work out very well for the less technologically advanced group. During European expansion into the New World, 90% of the Americas’ native population was killed through both horrific acts of violence and the spread of non-native diseases. If intelligent life finds us, we may be in for a similar disaster. Even worse, we may not even be considered intelligent by other forms of life. I’ve never thought twice after I’ve swatted down a fly, and what makes us believe that other intelligent life wouldn’t consider us to be nothing more than pests to be exterminated? Maybe these foreign lifeforms want to extract resources from Earth, and in the same way a lumberjack wouldn’t ask a bird for its consent to chop down its tree down, foreign life could ransack the Earth without any qualms. This is a cynical view, but its own that has to be considered. First contact could solve all of Earth’s problems, or it could eradicate humanity. Is this a risk we’re willing to take?

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