Page 14 - All About Space 68 - 2017 UK

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YOUR FIRST CONTACT WITH THE UNIVERSE

Radio signals detected

from nearby star are © Mark A Garlick / University of Warwick

not alien life

Could a civilisation be trying to send out a
message to us earthlings? Maybe not

Signals, which have been described the dispersion suggestions a much
by observers as “very peculiar,” have farther source or a dense electron
been detected from a red dwarf star 11 field”. They could be emissions from
light years from Earth. Abel Mendez, another object in the field of view of
director of the Planetary Habitability Ross 128, but Mendez says no nearby
Laboratory at the University of Puerto objects are in the field of view, which
Rico, says the odd radio signals suggests that it is likely not.
emanated in the ten-minute dynamic Alternatively, the radio signals
spectrum obtained from Ross 128 on may simply be a “burst from a high-
12 May. He explains they “consisted orbit satellite.” He explains “low-orbit
of broadband quasi-periodic non- satellites are quick to move out of the
polarised pulses with very strong field of view.” Yet even that possibility
dispersion-like features,” and says has its flaws: “We have never seen
they are not believed to be local radio satellites emit bursts like that,”
frequency interferences. Mendez says. One thing's for sure, he
But are they from aliens? Mendez reckons an alien hypothesis is at the
Mimicking the infamous
says they may be emissions from Ross bottom of the list of explanations. Wow! Signal, Abel Mendez
128, which would be similar to Type He and his team are now setting out and his team are calling their
II solar flares. Although, he says they to amass more data in the hope of discovery the Weird! Signal
occur at much lower frequencies, “and solving this newly emerged mystery.

Half of Milky Way matter is Private spaceships
from distant galaxies

Computer simulations bring fresh insight into how on target for 2018
our galaxy and other galaxies have formed SpaceX and Boeing will be testing crewed flights to

A research team of astrophysicists amounts of gas are ejected from the International Space Station next year
has unearthed evidence that galaxies galaxies following supernova
are able to acquire matter from explosions, and these cause atoms Test flights for the commercial An artist's impression of Boeing's CST-
other galaxies. The analysis, which to be transported from one galaxy crew vehicles that are being created 100 Starliner spacecraft in space
was made using supercomputer to another. by SpaceX and Boeing are still on
simulations, suggests as much as half “It is likely that much of the Milky schedule for next year, according © NASA
of all of the matter in the Milky Way Way’s matter was in other galaxies to NASA. The two companies were
may have come from a distant galaxy. before it was kicked out by a powerful given the task of creating a spaceflight
According to a statement put out wind, travelled across intergalactic vehicle that could carry American
by astrophysicists at Northwestern space, and eventually found its astronauts to and from space back
University in Illinois, USA, copious new home in the Milky Way,” says in September 2014. While they have
Daniel Anglés-Alcázar, a postdoctoral suffered delays, NASA says both will
© NASA JPL fellow at Northwestern Center for be seeking to send humans on a
Interdisciplinary Exploration and
commercial vehicle next summer.
Research in Astrophysics.
SpaceX will attempt an uncrewed
The process, he says, would take test flight in February, while Boeing
place over several billion years, since will do the same in June. The former
the galaxies are far apart from each will then look to have a human crew
other. To reach this conclusion, on board for a June launch while given that humans are involved in the
realistic 3D models of galaxies were Boeing is pencilling in August. test. Chris Ferguson, director of the
produced, which showed the galaxies SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says the Starliner crew and mission systems at
forming from just after the Big Bang primary focus is staying on track Boeing, meanwhile, said it is planning
to the present day. Dr Anglés-Alcázar's for getting a crew to the ISS. “That's for an upcoming milestone: the
cutting-edge algorithms were then going to be real exciting,” he added, selection of a NASA astronaut to fly
Gas is said to flow from smaller able to mine the data and quantify hinting that the delays have been due with a Boeing test pilot on the crewed
galaxies to larger galaxies how galaxies acquire matter. to the tougher oversight from NASA test flight.

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