Tag: moon

Explanation for formation of abundant features on Europa bodes well for search for extraterrestrial life

sarah JonasResearch Results

Europa is a prime candidate for life in our solar system, and its deep saltwater ocean has captivated scientists for decades. But it’s enclosed by an icy shell that could be miles to tens of miles thick, making sampling it a daunting prospect. Now, increasing evidence reveals the ice shell may be less of a barrier and more of a dynamic system – and site of potential habitability in its own right.

Titan-in-a-glass experiments hint at mineral makeup of Saturn moon

sarah JonasResearch Results

Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, has a dense atmosphere and weather cycles like Earth. Now, researchers have recreated the moon’s conditions in small glass cylinders, revealing properties of two molecules believed to exist as minerals on Titan. They will present their results at ACS Fall 2021.

Washington University to develop lunar resource utilization technology for NASA

sarah JonasAnnouncement

Power and in-situ resources are two things humans will need as they explore deep space. How future astronauts use these commodities depends on the technology at hand. That’s why NASA is looking to U.S. universities — including Washington University in St. Louis — for lunar-focused research to bring about advancements in in-situ resource utilization and sustainable power solutions.

Missouri S&T among winners in NASA’s BIG Idea Challenge

sarah JonasAnnouncement

The success of NASA’s future plans to explore and inhabit the moon may depend in part on research by university students, including a team of seven from Missouri University of Science and Technology who have won a grant from the space agency to develop a way to remove lunar dust from power-producing solar cells.The Missouri S&T team is one of seven university-affiliated groups to be selected for funding through NASA’s Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-changing (BIG) Idea Challenge.

On nights before a full moon, people go to bed later and sleep less, study shows

sarah JonasResearch Results

Sleep cycles in people oscillate during the 29.5-day lunar cycle: In the days leading up to a full moon, people go to sleep later in the evening and sleep for shorter periods of time. Scientists observed these oscillations in urban and rural settings — regardless of an individual’s access to electricity.

MTU students win NASA’s BIG Idea Challenge

sarah JonasFeature

MTU students took home top honors — the Artemis Award — in NASA’s Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-changing (BIG) Idea Challenge. Eight university teams competed in the BIG Idea Challenge for 2020, called the Lunar PSR Challenge. The goal? Demonstrating different technologies and designs to study and explore the moon’s permanently shadowed regions (PSRs), which NASA officials note are a formidable challenge for space exploration.

Rutgers Expert Available to Discuss Habitats, Living on Moon’s Surface

sarah JonasExpert Pitch

New Brunswick, N.J. (Oct. 27, 2020) – Rutgers University–New Brunswick Professor Haym Benaroya is available for interviews on placing habitats for long-term living on the moon’s surface in light of new evidence of water on Earth’s satellite. Benaroya, a Distinguished Professor in the…

Hubble Uses Earth as a Proxy for Identifying Oxygen on Potentially Habitable Planets Around Other Stars

sarah JonasResearch Results

Astronomers used Hubble during a total lunar eclipse to detect ozone in our planet’s atmosphere by looking at Earthlight reflected off the Moon in ultraviolet wavelengths. This method serves as a proxy for how astronomers will observe Earth-like exoplanets in search of life.