How the Earth Formed

Check out this documentary on the formation of the earth (first 20 minutes if you are short on time). You don't want to miss when a rock the size of Mars crashes into Earth (the theory is that the debris from that explosion created the moon).

The 'Goldilocks Zone' - But is it Really "Home"

Since globalization, man has become aware of the imminent growing population of the human race on Earth. Although it is important for us to keep in mind the importance of ‘upcycling’ like those ideas brought up by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, it is undeniably difficult to overlook the fast depleting resources misused by the human race. Essential articles such as oxygen, water, and uncorrupted land has become prized resources not seemingly in high demand in the previous decades. Therefore, despite the efforts to keep sustainability, it would also be wise to look beyond our planet for means of dispersing potential population for future stability. This is where the planet Kepler 442b comes into the picture.

Kepler 442b has been studied under much scrutiny, and was founded to have a habitability 0.863, while Earth is assigned 0.829 (Orphanides, 2015). Amongst the various planets being studied this planet falls under the “Goldilocks zone” (Orphanides, 2015). This means that the planet is the perfect distance away from a sun, keeping it warm, but also far enough away so that the water sources are not evaporated. This creates a fundamental, acceptable premise for the expansion of mankind.   

According to scientist speculation (although the information is nowhere near conclusive), there is a 97 percent chance that Kepler 442b is habitable for humans. This is mainly because the rotation of Kepler 442b is similar to that of earth, with 112 days for every orbit, and receiving two-thirds the amount of sunlight Earth receives from the Sun. "We don't know for sure whether any of the planets in our sample are truly habitable," says David Kipping, a researcher from Harvard; however, it brings promising information and further inspiration for additional research on potential planets, if not Kepler 442b (Noyes, 2015).  

However, what are the means it takes to move to a planet so far away. According to scientists, Kepler 442b is at least 110,000 light years away (Noyes, 2015). On top of that, we would have to transport huge demographics of people across the galaxy. It would take a tremendous spacecraft, something unimaginable in current science technology. Furthermore, would the people be able to live comfortably on this new planet? Who would volunteer to go? Would anyone want to go, leaving the comforts of their home? Would there be enough people to keep a population going? Is it even a choice by the time this project is created or would it be a random drafting that tears apart family? These are all important factors to think about in the finding a new suitable planet so physically distant from home.

I think that the idea of this planet is a great thing; however, it would take a lot more research about the potential of this planet before any steps about population immigration can take place. We must keep in mind all the different factors such as water sources, oxygen sources, and viable atmosphere of the planet. Like the scientists say, all research so far is just a speculation of the potential of the new planets. Until we find concrete evidence, there is no way people will move.

Work Cited

Clavin, Whitney. "NASA's Kepler Marks 1,000th Exoplanet Discovery, Uncovers More Small
            Worlds in Habitable Zones." NASA/JPL. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 6 Jan. 2015. Web. 29   3Mar. 2016.

Noyes, Katherine. "Kepler-438b and 442b: Are These the Planets We're
            Looking For?" Kepler-438b and 442b: Are These the Planets We're Looking For? Tech
            News World, 8 Jan. 2015. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.

Orphanides, K. G. "Kepler-442b More Habitable than Earth." Wired UK. N.p., 07 Oct. 2015.        
            Web. 29 Mar. 2016.

Swimming in a Far Away Ocean

One lovely but lonely high school day, I was drawing planets. Yeah, kind of weird. But, according to my own unconscious desire of escape which I barely come to understand years later, I was drawing a planet that could possibly be my new home. I imagined a massive planet with a humongous ocean and human made skyscrapers growing from the sea that used hydroelectric and hydraulic energy as a renewable fuel source, as if water and its power was our greatest tool and all our structures encompass that feeling of being one with it. Pretty eco-friendly for a 14 year old.

Suddenly, and thankfully for a break in trigonometry in Math class, my best friend Rodrigo, the loudest person alive if I may say so, sprints into the classroom and into my seat screaming with it all: "THEY FOUND WATER IN EUROPA. THERE IS WATER IN EUROPA. WATER!!!". Of course, my lovely classmates where not so impressed by this and several of them said: "You are pretty late, you dumb twat!" or  "You have to be kidding me! Have you ever even heard  of the the Mediterranean Sea?" Obviously, the fact that in Spanish Europa, the continent and Europa, one of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter made a little bit of a joke of my dear friend. But I understood what he meant. In his amateur research, he had found that the 6th largest moon of the solar system could possibly have a massive global ocean beneath a relatively thin and geologically active icy shell. This gave my puberty self a glimmer of hope for a place to escape: Europa could sustain life. Since then, I have come to be a true believer that the next clear step for human expansion on the universe is Europa.

Europa's surface's cracks remastered from NASA's Galileo mission to Jupiter in the 1990's. The mission lasted 14 years.

Europa was discovered along with Jupiters three other moons Io, Callisto and Ganymede by no other than Galileo Galilei himself in 1610. The discovery of the Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter helped him realize that the planets in our solar system, including Earth, revolved around the sun and not the Earth because those moons orbited Jupiter.

Now, I believe that Europa could be the perfect moon for human colonization if it is proven  to have an ocean of water below the surface since it would give the conditions to sustain life.

But, to be able to understand the conditions that make this moon so interesting for human exploration, we need to identify the conditions of life in our own planet. And life on earth as we know it began on  our ocean. Generally when you find water, you find life.  Europa might posses an ocean that is 10 times as deep as ours, and might contain 2 to 3 times the volume of liquid. To come to think that there might be a  huge ocean beneath the icy surface of  Europe, we have collected data from telescopes, spacecraft that has flown by Europa such as the Voyager (1979), Galileo (1998) that has told us about the surface, the interior structure and its magnetic field.

Apart from water, life needs two other key elements: the building bonds for life (essential chemical elements) and a form of energy to power life.  Europa, although far away from the sun, has this liquid ocean because it orbits Jupiter which humongous nature  causes a tidal tough and pull which flexes Europa up and down because its orbit is an elipse the tide is much higher when it is closer to Jupiter.
This creates heat makes it warmer than just from sun's heat alone that turns into friction and heat that helps maintain that ocean.  But not only that, what makes Europa so special is that it is believed that the ocean its in direct contact with its rocky interior which might what on Earth is called hydrothermal zones, known to be rich in life, powered by energy and nutrients.

There is to much evidence to prove that Europa can what is required to provide life. We just need the exact result of a mission orbiting Jupiter in NASA's Europa Mission to see Europa in different points in its orbits.  If there is life on Europa, it is independent to that one on Earth.  We, as the human race in search for answers of how are we here and what is our next step, we need to find life and understand it.  Maybe if we can find life in some other way, we can find somewhere where we might be able to live that is not so far away. We have been pushing a mission to colonize Mars  but the planet does not posses conditions that would favor us and Kepler 452b although very similar to Earth is a long way. I believe Europa is the next step in our understanding of  universe, and possibly, a place to scape Math Class.



More information:

https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/europa/overview.cfm
http://www.space.com/15498-europa-sdcmp.html#sthash.j70WtGQU.dpuf
http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/all-systems-go-for-nasas-mission-to-jupiter-moon-europa
http://phys.org/news/2015-09-jupiter-moon-europa.html

Have No Doubt, Kepler 452b Has Been Found Out!

 Kepler 452b is the smallest planet yet discovered that orbits in the habitable zone which means it has the capability of containing liquid water on its surface. It mustn’t go unnoticed that the current inhabitants of our beloved yet neglected planet Earth is rapidly being stripped of its recourses which are vital and cataclysmic to human life. For in the book The Upcycle by McDonough, Braungart, and Clinton, explain how in today’s society, we don’t focus on changing our designs but rather we put emphasis on being “less bad” which only perpetuates the initial issue- improper, harmful, and wasteful systematic or structural designs. With that being said, we are running our potential for life into the ground and need to expand to other habitable plants.

But have no fear, we can start over on Kepler 452b! Kepler 452b is not only in the habitable zone, but it is also 60% larger in diameter than Earth, meaning it has a larger capacity for human life. In addition, it has spent 6 billion years in the habitable zone which is significantly longer than Earth, giving the planet ample opportunity to create life. And, as we know, a main contributor to the fact that our planet’s sustainability is plummeting is due to overpopulation. With human expansion to Kepler 452b, it would allow for more room as well as recourses to efficiently support more lives. Also helping support life on Kepler452b is its potential rocky surface, again closely resembling that of Earth.

With that being said, the planet’s orbit is only 5% longer that that of Earth, so time adjustment wouldn’t be much of an issue.  Speaking of time, the Kepler 452 system is 1,400 light years away in the constellation Cygnus.

As we know, when stars begin to die, they grow larger and hotter. Kepler 452b’s sun, Kepler 452, is 1.5 billion years older than our sun and, while it is 10% larger and 20% more luminous it remains the same temperature as our sun. This could mean it has potentially the same or even longer life expectancy!

Though the planet closely resembles Earth, there would still be some large differences in relation to living on this planet. Due to its significantly bigger size, the gravitational force would most likely be stronger than it is on Earth, a strange adjustment for humans as it could potentially create a difference in body structure.

To better reinstate the point that Kepler 452b is our best candidate for a new life-sustaining planet, NASA ‘s Ames Research Center’s lead says they refer to Kepler 452b as an older, bigger cousin to Earth. They are clearly giving great hope and optimism to the future of the newly discovered planet. If humans were able to expand life to Kepler 452b, we would have a second chance at living efficiently and sustainably on a new planet.

Destination: Kepler- 22b

Both the curiosity of human kind and the depleting resources to sustain life on this planet do to extreme exploitation of its fruits have acted as fuel for the ongoing search for potential homes to life of the future. Kepler- 22b, the first planet to be discovered in the NASA Kepler mission that was within the habitable zone (meaning the distance from a star where water can exist in its liquid state on the planet), could potentially be our saving grace. Despite the problematic 600 light years distance between our solar system and its star, the planet may hold the raw materials that sustain life. Below are images from NASA's Eyes on Exoplanets app that depict the planet and its solar system:

NASA Eyes on Exoplanets app

NASA Eyes on Exoplanets app

Many determinant factors are unknown about this distant planet such as if there is an atmosphere surrounding its surface, however it is thought that the gravitational pull of this planet is twice that of Earth so it may be likely that gases may be being contained close to the surface. Other promising features include the planets surface being covered in a super ocean, a relatively similar size and orbit to that of Earth, as well as a similar density to that of rock which could potentially mean that the environment could be similar to Earth.

Another seemingly problematic factor is that the planet is tilted on its axis like Uranus, throwing its poles into darkness for half of each year, luckily this is combatted with the worldwide ocean that keeps the overall climate mild and spring like year round, keeping temperatures around 71 degrees Fahrenheit.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have compared this planets physical factors to that of "Kamino" in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, which also had a super-ocean surface and Uranus-like poles. In the film, constructed ocean platforms made up cities and sustained terrestrial life. This type of technology would be something to consider if we were to travel to Kepler- 22b, seeing that the average depth of the ocean is relatively shallow at 160ft. Below is a still from the film and a scene that depicts the physical features of the planet Kamino:

Star Wars Episode II: The Clone Wars (2002)

Because at this moment in time we have no knowledge of what life on other planets may look like, it is great to turn to science fiction to put ourselves in these positions to creatively problem-solve. The universe beyond our world is vast and invites continued exploration of both physical space and logistics to sustain life. As a human race I am not entirely positive that we will succeed in inhabiting a foreign planet before our eventual demise, but I am sure that our fascination with what is up and beyond our Earth will be everlasting until we meet our end.

For more information, see:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4792

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/kepler/multimedia/images/kepler-22b-diagram.html

http://www.space.com/24128-kepler-22b.html

Mars 2020: Scouting for Sustainability

Although space travel to Mars has been splashed across the news for the last couple of years, the expectations and reality of a renewed space program and private funding for prolonged travel to the Red Planet is fundamentally unsustainable in the long run. NASA's upcoming Mars 2020 expedition is planned to put down a more advanced rover to take additional measurements, investigate key questions about the habitability of Mars, and assess natural resources and hazards in preparation for future human expeditions.

But here's the gist. With NASA funding being slashed by the government, the dissolution of the Shuttle program which allowed for up to 7 individuals being taken into space, and the sheer costs of space travel, even if Mars does become a possibility in the near or even near-ish future, travel with be restricted to those who can afford it, which carries overt tones from the Pixar film, Walle.

Walle (2009)

Walle (2009)

Current space "tourism" starts off with a $250,000 dollar pricetag, and that's only to get into subliminal orbit, let alone the Moon or even Mars. Space travel, whether we like it or not, becomes a class issue, with rumblings of the "survival of the fittest" and the ethical questions of who are left behind in the event of a compete and planetary disaster.

Even with the discovery of the "earth-planet" Kepler 452b, we know barely any information regarding the planet or if life is actually sustainable there. Since the beginning of time, humans have been obsessed with the tracking of the stars, the meaning of celestial signs, and more recently, the imperialist race to get any form of life into orbit, let alone deeper space.

Aliens have their own unique place in pop culture and have been used as Cold War hysteria, fostered by the CIA.

This being said, I would label myself a realist. Space travel is not hovering over the next horizon. Flying cars are not the reality that was predicted to us in the 1970s. We don't even have a cure for cancer. Although the pull of "up" has always tugged at the heartstrings of those privileged enough to make the journey, we need to collectively take charge of protecting our own planet and the state of our own animals and organisms before we divert any more taxpayer money to celestial travel.

And for those who signed up the for future Mars expedition, I hope you have a hefty life insurance policy, because projections run by MIT have stated that the first Mars One colonists will suffocate, starve, and be incinerated.

Read about that here: http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/191862-the-first-mars-one-colonists-will-suffocate-starve-and-be-incinerated-according-to-mit

STYROFOAM IN SPACE IS... SUPER HOT? ALSO EARTH IS A LITTLE BABY

     Space is weird.  Like.. really weird.  And I'm not even talking about aliens or anything crazy, I'm talking about Kepler 7B also known as the styrofoam planet.  This exoplanet is eccentric due to the fact that although its diameter is 1.5 times the size

Screenshot from NASA's Eyes on Exoplanets            

of Jupiter's,  it is only half the mass of Jupiter-- this means that Kepler 7B would be able to float on water!  It's huge yet lightweight!
     In comparing Kepler 7B to earth we are able to get a little less abstract in our understanding of its size and density.  Discovered in 2009, the exoplanet's mass is 0.44x Jupiter's.  Jupiter's mass is 1.8981 x 10^27 kg, over 317 times the mass of earth.  Distance-wise K7B isn't very close to Earth, if you were driving in a car at an average rate of 60 miles per hour it would take you 16 billion years to get there.  If you were traveling at light speed, 670 million miles per hour, it would shorten the trip to 1419 years.  Much better.

Screenshot from NASA's Eyes on Exoplanets - A
comparison of  Earth and K7B

     Another interesting comparison is in Earth and Kepler 7B's orbital periods: while a year on Earth is marked by the orbital period of 365 days, on Kepler 7B a year would end every 5 days since the planet has an orbital radius of .06 AU.  Kepler 7B is also not within the habital zone, it is inside the ring indicating that it is far too hot for liquid water to exist on the surface.  NASA has nicknamed the gaseous planet "Hot Jupiter" ;)  

     So what would living on Kepler 7B be like?  Or rather, considering that it isn't in the habitable zone, what would those who live on it be like?  To quote any real scientist (according to our lecturer), "Well... anything is possible".  The life forms inhabiting "Hot Jupiter" would need to be able to handle the heat and in addition weigh almost nothing since their colossal planet weighs as much as styrofoam...  maybe the inhabitants could be balloon like lifeforms?  Floating above the 

Screenshot from NASA's Eyes on Exoplanets- The blue
ring is the habitable zone and Kepler 7B is not in it

surface of their planet, bobbing up and down
in the immense heat and somehow not melting.          At least for the inhabitants Kepler 7B's forcast would always be consistent: hot and cloudy.  While Kepler 7B ranges between 1800-1500 degrees Farenheit, it is much cooler than expected for orbiting so closely to its star.  K7B's secret?  The clouds!  The exoplanet reflects much more light than other planets of its size and scientists believe this is because of thick cloud cover.  The climate on Keplar 7B is remarkably stable as well, so if my proposed balloon beings do live on K7B, they're just bobbing up and down into eternity since every day is the same on Hot Jupiter.

Inhabitants of Keplar 7B? Probably.
(Courtesy of of kidzactivities.net)

     While K7B can teach us about weather systems like circulation and cloud distribution along with whatever chemical processes it allows to happen on its gaseous surface, the exoplanet probably is not a place we would be able to visit due to its mind boggling mass and high temperatures.  For now I guess we'll have to admire Keplar 7B and all it's "hotness" from a distance.




additional sources to supplement jpl site:
- http://wamu.org/news/13/10/01/whats_the_forecast_on_kepler_7b_hot_and_cloudy
- http://news.mit.edu/2013/scientists-generate-first-map-of-clouds-on-kepler-7b-1003

Welcome Home

This is Kepler 452b. That name really rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? I always (or maybe just in this moment) refer to this Earth-Giant as "Perhaps We Could Live There, Maybe".


This colorful beauty is approximately 1,700 years away, assuming you're travelling at the speed of light, but who's counting? Kepler 452b, Iike KepB for short, lies in a habitable, yes kids, habitable zone and is the first near-Earth-size world to be discovered in the habitable area of star that is similar to our own Sun. 

When can we move in? The planet is roughly 60 percent larger than our own Earth (plenty of space for everyone to enjoy) and fully orbits its star every 385 days– because I know what we've really wanted all along is a longer fiscal year!

Considering the messy state in which our current planet exists ("Climate change is a myth", said most of those conservative politicians) it's probably in our best interest to say, "Screw Earth!" and jump ship while we can. We're moving up, ladies and gentlemen. 

KepB is gorgeous, stunning to behold, but unfortunately we really don't know a damn thing about it so let's cross our fingers and hope it's bigger and better than the digs we're currently living in (on?). This is "House Hunters: Exoplanetary" and we're not choosing the fixer-upper. We're going a bit over our budget and investing in a space our family can grow in.

I'm unsure how these spacecrafts will be funded– has anyone asked the Koch Brothers?

I assume we'll all be packing into a couple of these bad boys (right) and sailing across the galaxy (and further) on a cruise vacation of a lifetime. Or several hundreds of lifetimes. Get some rest, it's going to be a while until we get to Earth Part II.  

Once we're there, assuming the surface of KepB is as rocky as they say it is, I'm suggesting we recreate a piece of our old home on our new planet, referencing the loghouse-style of architecture commonly seen in the rockier, mountainous areas of Colorado. Of course, a log cabin home would take logs and we aren't sure exactly what kind of life is sustained on Kepb, but we can always bring some seeds along with us to see what sticks (here's to hoping for summer squash!).

If you're interested in learning more about this handsome planet we will soon call "Yeah, That's Good Enough" take a look at this informative (but accessible) video describing Earth's older, larger cousin... the one that's seen things. He's rougher than you'd like, but you can't help but find the good in him. He's family and you can't turn your back on family. Even if he turns out to be gassy and volatile. 

And don't you worry, if we find anyone or anything else living on the planet when we arrive we'll sequester a smaller, less respected area of land for them to live on, take their resources, ruin any sort of established economy and declare ourselves as the better, more rightful champions of the land. There's no way this won't work in our favor. That is unless these Earth-Giant inhabitants turn out to be lizard-like creatures interested in wearing our bodies as skin suits and disguising themselves among other humans. 

Like Ted Cruz. 

Source: http://www.nasa.gov/keplerbriefing0723