Tag: University of Washington
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Climate science mission led by University of Washington wins backing from NASA
A color-coded image based on Copernicus Sentinel satellite data shows the extent of the Antarctic ozone hole in September 2023. (ESA / DLR Graphic) NASA has selected four proposals for climate science missions, including an effort led by a University of Washington researcher, to go forward for further study with millions of dollars in funding.…
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Asteroid hunters say they’ve found 27,500 new prospects in search for space rocks
This visualization shows the solar system trajectories of asteroids discovered by ADAM and THOR. (Credit: B612 Asteroid Institute / Univ. of Wash. DiRAC Institute / OpenSpace Project) A team of asteroid hunters that includes researchers at the University of Washington says it has identified 27,500 new, high-confidence asteroid discovery candidates — not by making fresh…
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Researchers find a way to detect signs of extraterrestrial life in a single grain of ice
An artist’s conception shows NASA’s Europa Clipper probe flying over Europa. (NASA / JPL-Caltech Illustration) Scientists have verified that a method to look for cellular life on Europa, an ice-covered moon of Jupiter, just might work. The technique could be put to the test in the 2030s, when NASA’s Europa Clipper probe is due to…
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NASA awards funds to study deep-space interferometer and other far-out ideas
This collage highlights several concepts proposed by 2024 NIAC Phase I awardees, including miniaturized interstellar spacecraft, a Venus glider, a water detoxifier for Mars, a solar-system-scale interferometer and an electric aircraft flying above Mars. (NASA Illustration) A proposal to build a far-flung set of radio antennas to measure the cosmos is one of 13 far-out…
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Scientists successfully test algorithm for identifying potentially hazardous asteroids
A bird’s-eye view of the solar system shows the orbital path for Earth in blue and the projected orbit for the asteroid known as 2022 SF289 at its closest approach in green. Orbits of Venus and Mars are shown in orange and red. (Credit: Joachim Moeyens / University of Washington / OpenSpace) A new technique…
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Scientists trace phosphates to Enceladus, boosting outlook for life on Saturn’s moon
A cutaway view shows water rising up from Enceladus’ ice-covered ocean. (NASA / JPL-Caltech Illustration) Phosphorus, an essential ingredient for life as we know it, has been detected for the first time in water samples that can be traced back to Enceladus, an ice-covered moon of Saturn. The discovery, reported today in the journal Nature,…
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Scientists create new types of salt crystals that could exist on Europa
An image from NASA’s Galileo orbiter shows Europa’s icy surface, crisscrossed by reddish-brown streaks of radiation-darkened salt. (Credit: NASA / JPL / Ted Stryk) A prime target in the search for extraterrestrial life is Europa, a moon of Jupiter that’s covered with a sheet of salty ice. But what kind of salt is there? Researchers…
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How ‘Big Data’ could help SETI researchers intensify the search for alien civilizations
Artwork shows the Gaia spacecraft against the background of the Milky Way. (ESA Illustration / D. Ducros) Could far-off aliens be sending out signals telling us they exist? If so, how would we know where to look? Researchers focusing on the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI, have laid out a new strategy for focusing…
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Astronomers demonstrate how using the cloud can rev up the race to find asteroids
This visualization shows trajectories of asteroids found using ADAM (in green). Earth’s orbit is represented by a blue arc closer to the sun. (B612 Asteroid Institute / UW DiRAC Institute / Open Space Project) Astronomers have used a cloud-based technique pioneered at the University of Washington to identify and track asteroids in bunches of a…
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Astronomers make an Earth Day plea to rein in satellite constellations for the environment’s sake
Astronomers say this streak in a Hubble Space Telescope image is likely to have been created by a Starlink satellite flying just a few miles above Hubble. (MAST Image via Nature Astronomy / Simon Porter) Astronomers have issued an Earth Day call for environmentalism to be extended more fully to the final frontier, and for…