A Moon of Saturn Has a Sea, Scientists Say
nytimes.com
A Moon of Saturn Has a Sea, Scientists Say
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Re: A Moon of Saturn Has a Sea, Scientists Say
#2"Dr. Tsou devised a way to capture comet particles and bring them back to Earth for NASA’s Stardust mission and has been suggesting a similar method for a spacecraft that would fly through Enceladus’ plumes and then return to Earth for scientists to examine.
The challenges are to make sure that the interesting particles would not break apart, to take precautions that any alien life would not infect Earth, and to fit it into the $500 million budget of one of NASA’s lower-cost planetary missions."
Why bring it back to earth? Wouldn't it be safer & less expensive to return it to ISS instead, (or is that what's implied) ?
Didn't know the carbon & nitrogen part of the story, read the article thinking only 1 thing: "when are you going to mention Europa".
Re: A Moon of Saturn Has a Sea, Scientists Say
#3C:\TAD\Text\Words\AUGUST.TXT
It is one thing then for a man to think that to be ill which is good, as the forenamed do; another, that that which is good, a man should see that it is good (as Thy creatures be pleasing unto many, because they be good, whom yet Thou pleasest not in them, when they prefer to enjoy them, to Thee); and another, that when a man sees a thing that it is good, God should in him see that it is good, so, namely, that He should be loved in that which He made, Who cannot be loved, but by the Holy Ghost whic
Re: A Moon of Saturn Has a Sea, Scientists Say
#4"Dr. Tsou devised a way to capture comet particles and bring them back to Earth for NASA’s Stardust mission and has been suggesting a similar method for a spacecraft that would fly through Enceladus’ plumes and then return to Earth for scientists to examine. The challenges are to make sure that the interesting particles would not break apart, to take precautions that any alien life would not infect Earth, and to fit…
> Why bring it back to earth? Wouldn't it be safer & less expensive to return it to ISS instead, (or is that what's implied) ?
No, that would involve a very complicated and expensive breaking maneuver to slow down the spacecraft, not to mention getting in exactly the right orbit to rendezvous with the ISS. It's much, much easier to just the payload sturdy enough to survive atmospheric entry and a crash landing.
Re: A Moon of Saturn Has a Sea, Scientists Say
#5This is amusingly relevant to my life:
Dr. McKay, who was not involved with gravity measurements, noted that only Enceladus was known to possess the four essential ingredients for life, at least as it exists on Earth: liquid water, energy, carbon and nitrogen.
“I would say it’s our best bet,” he said.
Mars has a dearth of nitrogen, found in amino acids and proteins, and the surface today is dry and cold. Europa, which also possesses an under-ice ocean, may have all of the ingredients, but that has not been confirmed.
Amusingly, I have Europa as a colony in a comic I write. In mentioning this elsewhere just now, a physicist has suggested this resource to me: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_System_in_fiction#Comics_...
I shall have to learn yet more about our solar system so I can make up dumb bs for humor's sake.
(Not that I expect anyone here to really care. I am just cracking up over this.)
Re: A Moon of Saturn Has a Sea, Scientists Say
#6"Dr. Tsou devised a way to capture comet particles and bring them back to Earth for NASA’s Stardust mission and has been suggesting a similar method for a spacecraft that would fly through Enceladus’ plumes and then return to Earth for scientists to examine. The challenges are to make sure that the interesting particles would not break apart, to take precautions that any alien life would not infect Earth, and to fit…
I doubt in orbit rendezvous with ISS would be safer and cheaper. It might be safer from planetary contamination standpoint, but complexity of such maneuver would handily offset that. On top of that there is a host of other issues due to the cramped space on ISS. For example: not enough space for proper isolation of sample, not enough equipment to properly study sample, and the fact that limited manpower would be available for examination.
Regarding planetary contamination, with the amount of meteorites hitting ocean I do not think we have anything to worry about.
Re: A Moon of Saturn Has a Sea, Scientists Say
#7[deleted]
Re: A Moon of Saturn Has a Sea, Scientists Say
#8"All these worlds are yours, except Europa. Attempt no landings there. Oh, and stay off Enceladus too."
Doesn't quite have the same ring to it.
Re: A Moon of Saturn Has a Sea, Scientists Say
#9"Dr. Tsou devised a way to capture comet particles and bring them back to Earth for NASA’s Stardust mission and has been suggesting a similar method for a spacecraft that would fly through Enceladus’ plumes and then return to Earth for scientists to examine. The challenges are to make sure that the interesting particles would not break apart, to take precautions that any alien life would not infect Earth, and to fit…
I doubt in orbit rendezvous with ISS would be safer and cheaper. It might be safer from planetary contamination standpoint, but complexity of such maneuver would handily offset that. On top of that there is a host of other issues due to the cramped space on ISS. For example: not enough space for proper isolation of sample, not enough equipment to properly study sample, and the fact that limited manpower would be avai…
That makes sense.
But regarding your last sentence: I'm not very fond of that risk analysis. Potentially introducing an alien aquatic micro-organism (that's what we hope to bring back, remember) into earth's system... No competition, paradise compared to its hostile home. No meteorite has ever been shown to carry life, but into this case we intend to deliberately introduce it, either controlled or uncontrolled.
NASA can bill me for the extra cost for taking it to ISS instead of earth's surface.
Re: A Moon of Saturn Has a Sea, Scientists Say
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