Space News thread

[harrybarracuda]

Scientists find strongest evidence yet of life on an alien planet

WASHINGTON, April 16 (Reuters) - In a potential landmark discovery, scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have obtained what they call the strongest signs yet of possible life beyond our solar system, detecting in an alien planet's atmosphere the chemical fingerprints of gases that on Earth are produced only by biological processes.

The two gases - dimethyl sulfide, or DMS, and dimethyl disulfide, or DMDS - involved in Webb's observations of the planet named K2-18 b are generated on Earth by living organisms, primarily microbial life such as marine phytoplankton - algae.

This suggests the planet may be teeming with microbial life, the researchers said. They stressed, however, that they are not announcing the discovery of actual living organisms but rather a possible biosignature - an indicator of a biological process - and that the findings should be viewed cautiously, with more observations needed.

Nonetheless, they voiced excitement. These are the first hints of an alien world that is possibly inhabited, said astrophysicist Nikku Madhusudhan of the University of Cambridge's Institute of Astronomy, lead author of the study published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

"This is a transformational moment in the search for life beyond the solar system, where we have demonstrated that it is possible to detect biosignatures in potentially habitable planets with current facilities. We have entered the era of observational astrobiology," Madhusudhan said.

Madhusudhan noted that there are various efforts underway searching for signs of life in our solar system, including various claims of environments that might be conducive to life in places like Mars, Venus and various icy moons.

K2-18 b is 8.6 times as massive as Earth and has a diameter about 2.6 times as large as our planet.

It orbits in the "habitable zone" - a distance where liquid water, a key ingredient for life, can exist on a planetary surface - around a red dwarf star smaller and less luminous than our sun, located about 124 light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km). One other planet also has been identified orbiting this star.

About 5,800 planets beyond our solar system, called exoplanets, have been discovered since the 1990s. Scientists have hypothesized the existence of exoplanets called hycean worlds - covered by a liquid water ocean habitable by microorganisms and with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere.

Earlier observations by Webb, which was launched in 2021 and became operational in 2022, had identified methane and carbon dioxide in K2-18 b's atmosphere, the first time that carbon-based molecules were discovered in the atmosphere of an exoplanet in a star's habitable zone.

"The only scenario that currently explains all the data obtained so far from JWST (James Webb Space Telescope), including the past and present observations, is one where K2-18 b is a hycean world teeming with life," Madhusudhan said. "However, we need to be open and continue exploring other scenarios."

Madhusudhan said that with hycean worlds, if they exist, "we are talking about microbial life, possibly like what we see in the Earth's oceans." Their oceans are hypothesized to be warmer than Earth's. Asked about possible multicellular organisms or even intelligent life, Madhusudhan said, "We won't be able to answer this question at this stage. The baseline assumption is of simple microbial life."

DMS and DMDS, both from the same chemical family, have been predicted as important exoplanet biosignatures. Webb found that one or the other, or possibly both, were present in the planet's atmosphere at a 99.7% confidence level, meaning there is still a 0.3% chance of the observation being a statistical fluke.

The gases were detected at atmospheric concentrations of more than 10 parts per million by volume.

"For reference, this is thousands of times higher than their concentrations in the Earth's atmosphere, and cannot be explained without biological activity based on existing knowledge," Madhusudhan said.

Scientists not involved in the study counseled circumspection.

"The rich data from K2-18 b make it a tantalizing world," said Christopher Glein, principal scientist at the Space Science Division of the Southwest Research Institute in Texas. "These latest data are a valuable contribution to our understanding. Yet, we must be very careful to test the data as thoroughly as possible. I look forward to seeing additional, independent work on the data analysis starting as soon as next week."

K2-18 b is part of the "sub-Neptune" class of planets, with a diameter greater than Earth's but less than that of Neptune, our solar system's smallest gas planet.

To ascertain the chemical composition of an exoplanet's atmosphere, astronomers analyze the light from its host star as the planet passes in front of it from the perspective of Earth, called the transit method. As the planet transits, Webb can detect a decrease in stellar brightness, and a small fraction of starlight passes through the planetary atmosphere before being detected by the telescope. This lets scientists determine the constituent gases of the planet's atmosphere.

Webb's previous observations of this planet provided a tentative hint of DMS. Its new observations used a different instrument and a different wavelength range of light.

The "Holy Grail" of exoplanet science, Madhusudhan said, is to find evidence of life on an Earth-like planet beyond our solar system. Madhusudhan said that our species for thousands of years has wondered "are we alone" in the universe, and now might be within just a few years of detecting possible alien life on a hycean world.

But Madhusudhan still urged caution.

"First we need to repeat the observations two to three times to make sure the signal we are seeing is robust and to increase the detection significance" to the level at which the odds of a statistical fluke are below roughly one in a million, Madhusudhan said.
"Second, we need more theoretical and experimental studies to make sure whether or not there is another abiotic mechanism (one not involving biological processes) to make DMS or DMDS in a planetary atmosphere like that of K2-18 b. Even though previous studies have suggested them (as) robust biosignatures even for K2-18 b, we need to remain open and pursue other possibilities," Madhusudhan said.

So the findings represent "a big if" on whether the observations are due to life, and it is in "no one's interest to claim prematurely that we have detected life," Madhusudhan said.

reuters.com

[DrWilly]

At 124 lightyears away it’s difficult to see how humanity will ever be able to confirm such a finding with absolute clarity.

[misskit]

China launches mission to retrieve asteroid samples

China embarked on Thursday (May 29) on its first mission to retrieve samples from a nearby asteroid, with the nighttime launch of its Tianwen-2 spacecraft, set to make the fast-growing space power the third nation to fetch pristine asteroid rocks.


The decade-long mission is the latest in recent space efforts that include landing robots on the moon's far side, running a national space station in orbit and investing heavily in plans to send humans to the moon by 2030.

The Long March 3B rocket lifted off at about 1.31am from the Xichang satellite launch centre carrying the Tianwen-2 robotic probe.


Over the next year it will approach the small near-Earth asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, which is between 15 million km and 39 million km distant.

China's official news agency Xinhua confirmed the launch of Tianwen-2, calling it a "complete success".


Tianwen-2 is set to reach the asteroid in July 2026 and shoot a capsule packed with rocks back to Earth for a landing in November 2027.

Then it will fly to its second target, main-belt comet 311P/PanSTARRS, on a journey lasting years, as the comet's closest distance to Earth is about 140 million km.


Located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, Comet 311P is far closer to the Sun than the region where typical comets originate.


The odd location makes it unlikely to have the surface ice of typical comets that, once vaporised, forms their characteristic tails.


Tianwen-2 will make in-depth studies of the main features of Kamoʻoalewa and 311P, including possibly the material ejected by the latter, an official of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said.

Returning samples from Kamo'oalewa will be far more challenging than China's successful lunar missions, mainly because the asteroid's gravity is much lower than that of the moon, making landing and sampling much harder.

Japan's Hayabusa, which fetched samples from a small asteroid in 2010, was the world's first such mission, followed by its Ryugu mission of 2019.


In 2020, the first US asteroid retrieval mission, OSIRIS-REx, brought back samples from the Bennu asteroid.


Kamoʻoalewa is known as a quasi-satellite of Earth, a close celestial neighbour that has orbited the sun for roughly a century, NASA says. Its size is anywhere between 40m and 100m.


Tianwen-2's predecessor, Tianwen-1, another uncrewed spacecraft launched in 2020, was China's first mission to Mars, successfully landing on a vast plain known as Utopia Planitia after a six-month journey.


China is already planning its third interplanetary mission, Tianwen-3, scheduled tentatively for 2028, which could make it the first country to retrieve samples from Mars.


Last month CNSA announced payload capacity of 20kg for foreign countries and research institutions aboard the orbiter and lander that will explore the red planet.

China launches mission to retrieve asteroid samples - CNA

[malmomike77]

The Guardian has some cracking shots of the milkyway in this article

Milky Way photographer of the year 2025 – in pictures | Art and design | The Guardian

[misskit]

Thai Chicken Goes to Space

In a world first, specially prepared Thai chicken dishes have cleared NASA's rigorous safety and quality standards, earning a coveted spot on the menu for astronauts aboard the Axiom Mission 4, set to launch from Florida on 9th June



"Thai chicken" is poised to make a historic journey into the cosmos, marking the first time that food from Thailand will be consumed in outer space.


Dishes featuring Thai chicken have been rigorously selected by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the astronaut diet for the Axiom Mission 4 space flight.


The mission is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA, on 9th June 2025 at 19:45 Bangkok time.


This upcoming mission will see astronauts from various nations travel to the International Space Station (ISS).


All food served aboard spacecraft must undergo stringent certification processes to ensure its quality, safety, nutritional value, and suitability for storage and consumption in zero-gravity conditions.


On this occasion, "Thai chicken" has successfully navigated NASA's demanding assessment, securing its place as an official menu item for the crew.



Behind the Scenes of "Thai Chicken in Space"


This ground-breaking project is the culmination of extensive collaboration between the Thai government and leading private sector entities.


Key players include the Department of Livestock Development (under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives), the Thai Broiler Processing Exporters Association, and a prominent Thai food company, Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CPF).


Together, they developed processed Thai food menus to meet the exacting 'space-grade' standards, all under the meticulous oversight of NASA and Axiom Space, the firm responsible for mission organisation.

The selected Thai chicken dishes are "Green Curry Chicken" and "Baked Rice with Herbs and Chicken".


Both culinary creations underwent multi-stage laboratory testing, covering critical aspects such as shelf life, sterility, nutritional integrity, and performance during zero-gravity consumption trials.



From Thai Farms to the Astronauts' Plates


Thailand holds its position as one of the world's leading chicken meat exporters, with over 900,000 tonnes of processed chicken shipped to markets including Europe, Japan, and the Middle East in 2024 alone.


This latest selection as space food further underscores and bolsters international confidence in the already robust standards of Thai chicken.


Moreover, sending Thai chicken into orbit significantly elevates the global image of the Thai food industry. It extends the long-standing vision of "Thai Kitchen to the World," now proudly embracing the new frontier of "Thai Kitchen to the Universe".


This remarkable achievement is anticipated to substantially enhance the credibility and market standing of Thai food worldwide in the years to come.




Countdown to a Moment of National Pride


The Thai public is invited to follow the rocket launch and Axiom Mission 4 live on 9th June 2025 at 19:45 (Bangkok time).


Coverage will be broadcast via official NASA and Axiom Space channels, complemented by celebratory events organised across several provinces throughout Thailand.

Thai Chicken Secures Historic Place as NASA Astronaut Food

[Molle]

The Thai public is invited to follow the rocket launch and Axiom Mission 4 live on 9th June 2025 at 19:45 (Bangkok time).

I'll set double alarm clocks so I don't miss this important event

[misskit]

Video of ispace’s HAKUTO R lunar landing just now. Spoiler alert! It didn’t.

[Topper]

Spoiler alert! It didn’t.

That's incorrect. It landed on the moon, just at a higher than expected velocity.

[Salsa dancer]

And an unscheduled disassembly...