Page 13 - All About Space 68 - 2017 UK

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in Brief

pyroclastic deposits by analysing Largest galactic
satellite data. They found that this supercluster is
material – which is formed out of discovered from India
magma ejected from deep within the
Astronomers based in India have
moon's interior – had evidence of water
trapped in 'glass beads'. Since the identified an extremely large
supercluster of galaxies in the
amount of present water is unusually
high compared with the surrounding direction of the constellation Pisces.
Previously unknown and dubbed the
terrains, the scientists believe the
lunar mantle to be water-rich. Sarawasti supercluster, it is thought
to contain the equivalent of 20
“By looking at the orbital data we
can examine the large pyroclastic The colouring in this image shows elevated water content on the Moon with the million billion suns and extend over
deposits on the Moon that were yellow and red indicating the richest water content a scale of 600 million light years.
never sampled by the Apollo or
Luna missions,” says Ralph Milliken, “The key question is whether those lunar surface, they could get an idea
associate professor of Brown’s Apollo samples represent the bulk of the minerals and compounds that
Department of Earth, Environmental conditions of the lunar interior, or are present.
and Planetary Sciences. “The fact that instead represent unusual or perhaps “The distribution of these water-
nearly all of them exhibit signatures of anomalous water-rich regions within rich deposits is the key thing,”
water suggests that the Apollo samples an otherwise ‘dry’ mantle,” Professor Professor Milliken says. “They’re © IUCAA
are not anomalous, so it may be that Milliken says. To find out, they took spread across the surface, which
the bulk interior of the Moon is wet.” data from the Moon Mineralogy tells us that the water found in the
Researchers first began to suspect Mapper instrument on board India's Apollo samples isn’t a one-off. Lunar Gravitational wave
the moon had deep flows of water in Chandrayaan-1 probe, in order to pyroclastics seem to be universally mission deactivated
2008, when a research team noted see measurements of the light as water-rich, which suggests the same As planned, the European Space
traces within volcanic rock brought it bounced off the lunar surface may be true of the mantle.” The Agency has switched off LISA
back to Earth in the Apollo 15 and 17 or became absorbed. Isolating the origin of the water, however, remains Pathfinder. It had been sent into
missions of the 1970s. Three years thermal energy emitted by the hot a mystery. space ahead of the future space
later, more studies of the crystalline observatory LISA, which is due to
formations within the volcanic glass “It may be that the bulk be launched in 2034, to measure
beads showed similar amounts of low-frequency gravitational waves.
water as some basalts on Earth. interior of the Moon is wet" The spacecraft had spent 16
successful months taking scientific
measurements in preparation.
SpaceX drops propulsive landing for its Mars mission Lawbreaking particles
may point to
The decision will unknown force
A trio of experiments has produced
have an impact on evidence that electrons, muons
the private space and tau leptons are not reacting as
company's plans to use expected within the Standard Model
when placed under a mysterious
the Dragon craft influence. It indicates a previously
SpaceX CEO and founder Elon Musk unknown force which Mark Wise, of
says the private company will not California Institute of Technology,
be allowing its Dragon capsules to says would be a “complete revolution”.
make a propulsive landing. Although
the original plans were to use the ISS crystals may
spacecraft's built-in Super Draco combat nerve poisons
thrusters and four landing legs Astronauts on the International
to soft-land (propulsive landings Space Station have been growing
involve using rocket engines to go crystals of a human enzyme known
down instead, slowing the descent), as AchE on the understanding that
Dragon will instead continue to make the microgravity environment allows
splashdowns using parachutes. This, What goes up is going to come them to be produced on a larger scale.
down in a different way than
Musk explained, was due to concerns initially intended by SpaceX The enzyme helps muscles to relax,
over safety. helping to fight back against deadly
The company's decision to make nerve agents such as sarin and VX.
such a change to plans it outlined was “pretty confident that [the Dragon Station Research and Development
last year will have an impact on its approach to landing on Mars] is Conference in July: “You’d have to
proposals to eventually land on Mars. not the right way and there's a far land [the Dragon] on some pretty soft Stay up to date…
Musk tweeted that the idea was to better approach.” landing pad because we deleted the www.spaceanswers.com
now “do powered landing on Mars for Calling the decision “tough” and little landing legs that pop out of the
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sure, but with a vastly bigger ship.” saying the Dragon 2 was capable heat shield.” The decision will affect
While he hasn't described exactly how of a propulsive landing, he told SpaceX's plan to send a robotic Dragon Twitter Facebook
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this would be achieved, he said he delegates at the International Space spacecraft to Mars as early as 2020.
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