Category Archives: Space participation

Exoplanets, Space participation

Planet Hunters citizen scientists contribute again to the discovery of a new exoplanet

Yale grad student Joseph R. Schmitt says that the discovery of a new exoplanet was enabled by the work of volunteers in the Planet Hunters  citizens science program. Schmitt is first author on a paper about the discovery:

A New Paper and New Planet Discoveries

We’re happy to announce the discovery of a new planet discovered by Planet Hunters volunteers, which is now published in The Astrophysical Journal. You can read the article for free on the arXiv here.

[ [1410.8114] Planet Hunters VII. Discovery of a New Low-Mass, Low-Density Planet (PH3 c) Orbiting Kepler-289 with Mass Measurements of Two Additional Planets (PH3 b and d)]

The star (PH3/Kepler-289/KOI-1353/KIC 7303287) is young and Sun-like. Two planets in the system, with periods of 35 and 126 days, had been previously validated statistically, the outer planet being a gas giant. However, Planet Hunters volunteers discovered a third transit signal between these two planets at a period of 66 days (PH3 c).

A quirk in the system allowed us to actually measure the mass of all the planets using only the exact times that each planet transited. The outer two planets, PH3 c and d, do not have a constant period like most planets do. Instead, it oscillates around an average value in a regular manner, which meant that it had been missed by computer algorithms but was easy to find for human eyes. In particular, the period of PH3 c changes by 10.5 hours in just 10 orbits due to the gravitational influence of the outer gas giant tugging on the middle planet. If Earth experienced such large changes, then if 2014 were 365 days long, 2024 would be 367.4 days long, almost two and a half days longer than 2014.

The new planet is about 2.7 times the radius of Earth and 4 times as massive. Its low density means that, despite its low mass, a large chunk of the planet must be composed of hydrogen and helium: 2% by mass and 50% by radius. The outer planet, on the other hand, is like a warm version of our Saturn, while the inner planet’s mass is poorly known. It could be mostly rocky, watery, or gassy.

We would like to thank all of the people involved in the project and all of the Planet Hunters volunteers for making this possible. We hope to find more gems like this in the future.

DIY space, Rocketry, Space participation

Update on the Register’s LOHAN high-altitude model rocket plane adventure

I’ve posted a couple of times (see here and here) about the Register newspaper’s LOHAN (Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator) somewhat tongue-in-cheek project, which aims to launch a small rocket powered plane (named Vulture 2) from a high altitude balloon. The launch will start from Spaceport America in New Mexico.

Here is an update on the project:  This rocket-powered toy plane will soon jet off to stratosphere – CNN.com –

It took the team four years, thousands of volunteer hours, and $60,000 from crowdfunding, to complete the “Lohan.” The nickname is short for “Low Orbit Helium Assisted Navigator” and, its inventors say, a reference to the Hollywood star Lindsey Lohan.

 

General, Space participation

‘Women in Space’ database at Telegraph Jobs

The Telegraph newspaper has created a special resource site called Women In Space – Telegraph Jobs –

The Women In Space database is brought to you by Telegraph Jobs. This educational and motivational resource enables you to view what the historic heroines have accomplished on their missions to space and what the current modern female marvels are accomplishing in their day to day job role. If you happen to be working in these fields of work and are not currently on the database then feel free to email the Telegraph Engineering Jobs team today to be featured (womeninspace@telegraph.co.uk).

We would love to hear from all you women out there and would like to encourage more females to make an impact around STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), to take the opportunity to study in these fascinating fields and to venture off into deep space.

The world, planets and space awaits you, and we look forward to hearing from you.

DIY space, Education, Space participation

‘NASA Solve’, aimed at citizen scientists, opens with Mars Balance Mass Challenge

NASA opens the citizens science program NASA Solve :

NASA Launches New Citizen Science Website;
Opens Challenge to Participate in Future Mars Missions

NASA announced Saturday the opening of registration for its Mars Balance Mass Challenge and the launch of its new website, NASA Solve, at the World Maker Faire in New York.

“NASA is committed to engaging the public, and specifically the maker community through innovative activities like the Mars Balance Mass Challenge,” said NASA Chief Technologist David Miller. “And NASA Solve is a great way for members of the public, makers and other citizen scientists to see all NASA challenges and prizes in one location.”

The Mars Balance Mass Challenge seeks design ideas for small science and technology payloads that could potentially provide dual purpose as ejectable balance masses on spacecraft entering the Martian atmosphere.

The payloads will serve two roles: perform scientific or technology functions that help us learn more about the Red Planet, and provide the necessary weight to balance planetary landers.

Submissions are due by Nov. 21. A winner will be announced in mid-January 2015 and receive an award of $20,000.

“We want people to get involved in our journey to Mars,” said Lisa May, lead program executive for NASA’s Mars exploration program. “This challenge is a creative way to bring innovative ideas into our planning process, and perhaps help NASA find another way to pack more science and technology into a mission.”

NASA Solve, which will host content for all agency challenges and prizes, features information on this new challenge at: http://www.nasa.gov/solve/marsbalancechallenge

In addition to the challenge and website announcements, NASA is hosting an exhibit at the World Maker Faire through 6 p.m. EDT Sunday, Sept. 21, where citizen scientists and makers can learn about other ways to engage with the space agency, including Centennial Challenges, the CubeSat program, a 3-D printer challenge, and the Asteroid Grand Challenge.

The exhibit also features information on a NASA mission that will mark a major milestone Sunday. NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft is scheduled to enter Mars’ orbit at approximately 9:50 p.m., after a 10-month interplanetary journey of more than 440 million miles. NASA Television coverage of the orbit insertion and post-event news conference begins at 9:30 p.m. The broadcast also will be available on the agency’s website.

Launched on Nov. 18, 2013, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, MAVEN is the first spacecraft dedicated to exploring the upper atmosphere of Mars. It is another NASA robotic scientific explorer paving the way for the journey to Mars.

The Mars Balance Mass challenge is managed by NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI). CoECI was established in coordination with White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to advance NASA open innovation efforts and extend that expertise to other federal agencies. The challenges are being released on the NASA Innovation Pavilion, one of the CoECI platforms available to NASA team members, through its contract with InnoCentive, Inc.

To learn more about MAVEN and view the live broadcast of orbit insertion activities, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/maven

For NASA Television downlink information, scheduling information and streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Astronomy, Education, Space participation

The Black Rock Observatory at Burning Man

For the recent Burning Man event, the “Desert Wizards of Mars” brought their Black Rock Observatory. Funded via a Kickstarter, the project include two domed-covered 21 inch telescopes and the Mars Rover Art Car.

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Here’s an article about the project : Bringing Space Science Education to Burning Man–and Beyond – Co.Create.

And their Kickstarter video: