{"id":10131,"date":"2015-03-14T02:16:28","date_gmt":"2015-03-14T06:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10131"},"modified":"2015-03-14T02:16:28","modified_gmt":"2015-03-14T06:16:28","slug":"misc-science-curiosity-back-to-work-hydrothermal-enceladus-earth-size-exoplanet-next-door-pluto-history-and-near-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10131","title":{"rendered":"Misc. science: Curiosity back to work + Hydrothermal Enceladus + Earth size exoplanet next door + Pluto history and near-future"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Curiosity rover<\/a> is back to work on Mars after being idle for a couple of weeks while NASA JPL engineers figured out what caused a brief electric short during an operation with the sample drill:\u00a0over Arm Delivers Rock Powder Sample – NASA JPL<\/a>.<\/p>\n

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its robotic arm Wednesday, March 11, to sieve and deliver a rock-powder sample to an onboard instrument. The sample was collected last month before the team temporarily suspended rover arm movement pending analysis of a short circuit.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) analytical instrument inside the rover received the sample powder. This sample comes from a rock target called “Telegraph Peak,” the third target drilled during about six months of investigating the “Pahrump Hills” outcrop on Mount Sharp. With this delivery completed, the rover team plans to drive Curiosity away from Pahrump Hills in coming days.<\/em><\/p>\n

“That precious Telegraph Peak sample had been sitting in the arm, so tantalizingly close, for two weeks. We are really excited to get it delivered for analysis,” said Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"PIA19148_ip[1]\" <\/a><\/p>\n

…area at the base of Mount Sharp on Mars includes a pale outcrop on the right, “Pahrump Hills,” where NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover worked for nearly six months, and the “Artist’s Drive” route toward higher layers of the mountain….<\/em><\/p>\n

Continue…<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

===<\/p>\n

Mentioned here earlier the findings that indicate Jupiter’s moon Ganymede has an ocean beneath a thick crust of ice. Now comes a new report that\u00a0Saturn’s moon\u00a0Enceladus<\/em> periodically shoots out sprays of hot water from its own underground ocean\u00a0:\u00a0Spacecraft Data Suggest Saturn Moon’s Ocean May Harbor Hydrothermal Activity – NASA JPL<\/a><\/p>\n

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has provided scientists the first clear evidence that Saturn’s moon Enceladus exhibits signs of present-day hydrothermal activity which may resemble that seen in the deep oceans on Earth. The implications of such activity on a world other than our planet open up unprecedented scientific possibilities.<\/em><\/p>\n

“These findings add to the possibility that Enceladus, which contains a subsurface ocean and displays remarkable geologic activity, could contain environments suitable for living organisms,” said John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “The locations in our solar system where extreme environments occur in which life might exist may bring us closer to answering the question: are we alone in the universe.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Hydrothermal activity occurs when seawater infiltrates and reacts with a rocky crust and emerges as a heated, mineral-laden solution, a natural occurrence in Earth’s oceans. According to two science papers, the results are the first clear indications an icy moon may have similar ongoing active processes.<\/em><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/images\/cassini\/20150311\/pia19058-home.m4v<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

Continue…<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

===<\/p>\n

Alpha Centauri B, just next door at 4.3\u00a0light years distnace from us, has at least one planet near our size, though it is close to the sun and out of the habitable zone:\u00a0Closest exoplanet is remarkably Earth-sized – Science\/AAAS<\/a>.<\/p>\n

… as other astronomers report in work submitted to The Astrophysical Journal, computer simulations of the planet’s history indicate that the orbit isn’t face-on, which in turn means the world is only one to three times as massive as Earth<\/a>. This implies that the planet may have a terrestrial composition. Before you snap up any real estate here, though, be forewarned that the planet’s day side is hot enough to melt lead.<\/em><\/p>\n

===<\/p>\n

A brief pictorial history of the (dwarf) planet Pluto:\u00a0Pluto’s long, strange history \u2014 in pictures –\u00a0Nature News & Comment<\/a><\/p>\n

\"06_ALT_Pluto_and_its_satellites_(2005)%20copy[1]\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Pluto and its Moons.<\/em><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the New Horizons probe<\/a> closes in on Pluto for its fly-by in July:\u00a0A Record Day for New Horizons – New Horizons<\/a><\/p>\n

Next exit: Pluto!<\/em><\/p>\n

After more than nine years in space, on a voyage taking it farther to its primary destination than any mission before it, NASA’\u2019s New Horizons spacecraft is within one astronomical unit of Pluto \u2013 meaning it\u2019s closer to Pluto than the Earth is to the Sun.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Curiosity rover is back to work on Mars after being idle for a couple of weeks while NASA JPL engineers figured out what caused a brief electric short during an operation with the sample drill:\u00a0over Arm Delivers Rock Powder Sample – NASA JPL. NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its robotic arm Wednesday, March 11, … Continue reading Misc. science: Curiosity back to work + Hydrothermal Enceladus + Earth size exoplanet next door + Pluto history and near-future<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,46,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-titan","category-exoplanets","category-space-science"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-2Dp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":530,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=530","url_meta":{"origin":10131,"position":0},"title":"Curiosity drills out sample of rock for the first time on Mars","author":"TopSpacer","date":"February 9, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Curiosity has drilled into rock for the first time: NASA Curiosity Rover Collects First Martian Bedrock Sample - Mars Science Laboratory\/NASA JPL Curiosity's First Sample Drilling - Mars Science Laboratory\/NASA JPL NASA JPL report: NASA's Curiosity rover has, for the first time, used a drill carried at the end of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Space Science"","block_context":{"text":"Space Science","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"Hole drilled in rock by Curiosity","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mars.jpl.nasa.gov\/msl\/images\/pia16726-br.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":860,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=860","url_meta":{"origin":10131,"position":1},"title":"Curiosity’s lab begins analysis of rock powder","author":"TopSpacer","date":"February 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The Curiosity Rover begins analysis of the rock powder from the recent drilling activity: Mars Science Laboratory: Lab Instruments Inside Curiosity Eat Mars Rock Powder PASADENA, Calif. - Two compact laboratories inside NASA's Mars rover Curiosity have ingested portions of the first sample of rock powder ever collected from the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Space Science"","block_context":{"text":"Space Science","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=13"},"img":{"alt_text":"PIA16766-br_450x338","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/PIA16766-br_450x338.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9676,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=9676","url_meta":{"origin":10131,"position":2},"title":"Curiosity rover update: Drilling of ‘Mojave” crystal-rich rock","author":"TopSpacer","date":"January 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"NASA JPL reports on what the Curiosity rover will be up to next: Crystal-Rich Rock 'Mojave' is Next Mars Drill Target A rock target where NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is using its sample-collection drill this week may have a salty story to tell. This view from the Mars Hand Lens\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mars"","block_context":{"text":"Mars","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=78"},"img":{"alt_text":"mars-rover-curiosity-drill-rock-cracks-MAHLI-sol867-pia19105-br2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mars-rover-curiosity-drill-rock-cracks-MAHLI-sol867-pia19105-br2-763x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9199,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=9199","url_meta":{"origin":10131,"position":3},"title":"The Mars Curiosity rover confirms orbiter’s surface mineral identification","author":"TopSpacer","date":"November 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The Curiosity rover confirms that\u00a0the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter\u00a0really can\u00a0identify a\u00a0mineral on the ground: NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover Finds Mineral Match Reddish rock powder from the first hole drilled into a Martian mountain by NASA's Curiosity rover has yielded the mission's first confirmation of a mineral mapped from orbit. This image\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mars"","block_context":{"text":"Mars","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=78"},"img":{"alt_text":"PIA19036_ip[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/PIA19036_ip1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1908,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=1908","url_meta":{"origin":10131,"position":4},"title":"Curiosity rover provides stereo view of Mount Sharp","author":"TopSpacer","date":"April 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Mars Stereo View from 'John Klein' to Mount Sharp Left and right eyes of the Navigation Camera (Navcam) in NASA's Curiosity Mars rover took the dozens of images combined into this stereo scene of the rover and its surroundings. The component images were taken during the 166th, 168th and 169th\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Multiple media"","block_context":{"text":"Multiple media","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=36"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mars Stereo View from John Klein to Mount Sharp - NASA JPL","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/mars.jpl.nasa.gov\/msl\/images\/PIA16847_anaglyph-br.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9471,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=9471","url_meta":{"origin":10131,"position":5},"title":"Curiosity finds new and old organic chemistry on Mars","author":"TopSpacer","date":"December 17, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"An announcement from NASA JPL: NASA Rover Finds Active and Ancient Organic Chemistry on Mars NASA's Mars Curiosity rover has measured a tenfold spike in methane, an organic chemical, in the atmosphere around it and detected other organic molecules in a rock-powder sample collected by the robotic laboratory's drill. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mars"","block_context":{"text":"Mars","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=78"},"img":{"alt_text":"PIA16936_ip[1]","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/PIA16936_ip1-300x223.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10131"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10134,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10131\/revisions\/10134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}