There are about 2000 active satellites orbiting the Earth and around 3000 dead satellites are littering the space. WION's Molly Gambhir tells you why is space junk a problem and who is going to fix it.

WION Fineprint: Why is space junk a problem?

For the first-time ever, enthusiasts can witness the maiden launch of an all-new Indian rocket from an Indian Spaceport. The Indian Space Research Organization has announced that the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle(SSLV) will be having its maiden flight or first developmental flight on Saturday, August 7th, at 9:18am, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The icing on the cake is that public will be allowed to witness the launch from up-close, from ISRO's Launch Viewers gallery.&nbsp;

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The launch of the SSLV-D1/EOS-02 Mission is scheduled for Sunday, August 7, 2022, at 9:18 am (IST) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota. ISRO invites citizens to the Launch View Gallery at SDSC to witness the launch. Registration is open at <a href="https://t.co/J9jd8yDs4a">https://t.co/J9jd8yDs4a</a> <a href="https://t.co/rq37VfSfXu">pic.twitter.com/rq37VfSfXu</a>
— ISRO (@isro) <a href="https://twitter.com/isro/status/1554003107545092096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
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India's workhorse PSLV rocket had its maiden flight in 1993, GSLV rocket in 2001 and GSLV Mk3 rocket in 2017. However, during these launches the public did not have any means to witness the launch from the spaceport. In recent years, ISRO has inaugurated a Launch Viewers Gallery at Sriharikota and the public will have the opportunity to witness it from there, based on <a href="https://lvg.shar.gov.in/VSCREGISTRATION/index.jsp">prior registration</a> with ISRO.

SSLV&nbsp;is a rocket that is designed to orbit satellites weighing less than 500kg in Low Earth Orbit. Dr. Somanath had earlier told WION that&nbsp;SSLV&nbsp;was being conceptualized as a rocket that can be handed over to Indian industry for the entire manufacturing process and it can be put together for launch in a week's time. He had added that&nbsp;SSLV&nbsp;uses less-exotic materials in its manufacturing process to ensure that it is kept simple and easy to adopt by industry.&nbsp;

On its maiden launch, the SSLV's primary payload is said to be the&nbsp;142kg 'Miscrosat 2A' or 'EOS-2', which is meant to meet the increasing demand for cadastral mapping(demarcation of land parcel boundaries), urban and rural management, coastal land use etc. The satellite carries two payloads MWIR and LWIR, with the resolution of 6meters.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

In addition to this, a student-built satellite <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/student-built-azaadisat-to-be-co-passenger-on-isros-maiden-launch-of-sslv-rocket-501487">'AzaadiSAT'</a> will also be piggybacking on the SSLV.&nbsp;

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For the first-time ever, enthusiasts can witness the maiden launch of an all-new Indian rocket from an Indian Spaceport. The Indian Space Research Organization has announced that the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle(SSLV) will be having its maiden flight or first developmental flight on Saturday, August 7th, at 9:18am, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

For the first-time ever, enthusiasts can witness the maiden launch of an all-new Indian rocket from an Indian Spaceport. The Indian Space Research Organization has announced that the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle(SSLV) will be having its maiden flight or first developmental flight on Saturday, August 7th, at 9:18am, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. The icing on the cake is that public will be allowed to witness the launch from up-close, from ISRO's Launch Viewers gallery. The launch of the SSLV-D1/EOS-02 Mission is scheduled for Sunday, August 7, 2022, at 9:18 am (IST) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota. ISRO invites citizens to the Launch View Gallery at SDSC to witness the launch. Registration is open at https://t.co/J9jd8yDs4a pic.twitter.com/rq37VfSfXu — ISRO (@isro) August 1, 2022 × India's workhorse PSLV rocket had its maiden flight in 1993, GSLV rocket in 2001 and GSLV Mk3 rocket in 2017. However, during these launches the public did not have any means to witness the launch from the spaceport. In recent years, ISRO has inaugurated a Launch Viewers Gallery at Sriharikota and the public will have the opportunity to witness it from there, based on prior registration with ISRO. SSLV is a rocket that is designed to orbit satellites weighing less than 500kg in Low Earth Orbit. Dr. Somanath had earlier told WION that SSLV was being conceptualized as a rocket that can be handed over to Indian industry for the entire manufacturing process and it can be put together for launch in a week's time. He had added that SSLV uses less-exotic materials in its manufacturing process to ensure that it is kept simple and easy to adopt by industry. On its maiden launch, the SSLV's primary payload is said to be the 142kg 'Miscrosat 2A' or 'EOS-2', which is meant to meet the increasing demand for cadastral mapping(demarcation of land parcel boundaries), urban and rural management, coastal land use etc. The satellite carries two payloads MWIR and LWIR, with the resolution of 6meters. In addition to this, a student-built satellite 'AzaadiSAT' will also be piggybacking on the SSLV.

Public can watch the maiden launch of India's SSLV rocket, from up-close; Here's how

Italian Samantha Cristoforetti, embarks on Europe's 1st spacewalk by a female astronaut

We Earth-dwellers have Earth-centric idea of the Universe and that's probably fine. From sunrise to sunset (and beyond), we eat, drink, work and sleep on one single planet. Human colonies on Moon and Mars are still in the concept stage. Till then, its one blue planet for us.

Due to our Earth-centric thoughts, its hard to imagine that the largest canyon in the Solar System is not on Earth. Sorry Grand Canyon but a canyon system on Mars takes the cake here. And European Space Agency has clicked a picture of it.

Valles Marineris, the canyon system on Mars, is longer, wider and deepr than Grand Canyon. It is 4000 kilometres long, 200 kilometre wide and upto 7 km deep. These dimensions are much greater than the Grand Canyon. To put things in Indian perspective, the length of Valles Marineris is greater than the distance between Kashmir to Kanyakumari.

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Image of the Valles Marineris has been captured by ESA's Mars Express. The image shows two trenches, called Chasma in the western region of Valles Marineris. Left portion of the image is southern direction. 840-kilometre-long lus Chasma is visible there and 805-kilometre-long Tithonium Chasma is visible in the right side of the image. Incredible surface details are present in this high resolution image that captures Valles Marineris that is up to 7 kilometres deep.

The blackened portion in the Tithonium Chasma is black sand. Scientists think that the sand must have come from Tharsis volcanic region.

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We Earth-dwellers have Earth-centric idea of the Universe and that's probably fine. From sunrise to sunset (and beyond), we eat, drink, work and sleep on one single planet.

We Earth-dwellers have Earth-centric idea of the Universe and that's probably fine. From sunrise to sunset (and beyond), we eat, drink, work and sleep on one single planet. Human colonies on Moon and Mars are still in the concept stage. Till then, its one blue planet for us. Due to our Earth-centric thoughts, its hard to imagine that the largest canyon in the Solar System is not on Earth. Sorry Grand Canyon but a canyon system on Mars takes the cake here. And European Space Agency has clicked a picture of it. Valles Marineris, the canyon system on Mars, is longer, wider and deepr than Grand Canyon. It is 4000 kilometres long, 200 kilometre wide and upto 7 km deep. These dimensions are much greater than the Grand Canyon. To put things in Indian perspective, the length of Valles Marineris is greater than the distance between Kashmir to Kanyakumari. Image of the Valles Marineris has been captured by ESA's Mars Express. The image shows two trenches, called Chasma in the western region of Valles Marineris. Left portion of the image is southern direction. 840-kilometre-long lus Chasma is visible there and 805-kilometre-long Tithonium Chasma is visible in the right side of the image. Incredible surface details are present in this high resolution image that captures Valles Marineris that is up to 7 kilometres deep. The blackened portion in the Tithonium Chasma is black sand. Scientists think that the sand must have come from Tharsis volcanic region. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

'Grand Canyon on Mars': ESA clicks Martian feature that's bigger than the original thing

The search for alien life has been the driving force for a number of scientists over the years and it seems that NASA are all set to take a huge step to help them. The US space agency had earlier stated that they will be investigating UFO sightings across the country following the first public hearing in almost 50 years and Dr Thomas Zurbuchen, of Nasa’s Science Mission Directorate, has now hinted that NASA can actually take the help of existing satellites to find traces of alien life by getting “another view on strange aerial phenomena”.

A similar emotion was expressed by Col Pam Melroy, the deputy administrator of NASA.

According to The Telegraph, he said in a media interaction: “This team is going to be looking at questions like: ‘do we have sensors that can see things, you know, take another look at the evidence?’

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bus-plunges-into-kenyan-river-valley-34-people-dead-reports-500509" hreflang="en">Bus plunges into Kenyan river valley, 34 people dead - Reports</a>

&nbsp;‘We have a ton&nbsp;of satellites looking down at the Earth, are any of them useful?’

“I mean, before you build a rover that’s going to Mars, you ask yourself, ‘What’s the sensor I have to build to detect the most interesting thing?’ So, they’re going to really focus on that.

“How would you get the evidence that you need to be able to determine if it’s an optical phenomenon or some other kind (of phenomena)?”, he explained in the interaction.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinese-military-in-the-air-and-at-sea-has-become-significantly-more-aggressive-us-general-mark-milley-500356" hreflang="en">Chinese military has become significantly more aggressive: US General</a>

In the recent past, a number of experts have criticised NASA for deploying their assets for what they thought was a “fringe” subject. However, Bill Nelson, a NASA administrator, said that it is a mission which is important to the agency and one of their “remits was to hunt for life outside of Earth”.

“Remember that one of our missions is to reach out to see if there is life,” he said according to The Telegraph. “That’s why we’re digging on Mars right now.

“Is there the possibility of life in something as big as the universe? Of course, there is the chance that in somewhere as big as that, conditions similar to Earth existed, and some other kind of life form developed.”

The search for alien life has been the driving force for a number of scientists over the years and it seems that NASA are all set to take a huge step to help them.

The search for alien life has been the driving force for a number of scientists over the years and it seems that NASA are all set to take a huge step to help them. The US space agency had earlier stated that they will be investigating UFO sightings across the country following the first public hearing in almost 50 years and Dr Thomas Zurbuchen, of Nasa’s Science Mission Directorate, has now hinted that NASA can actually take the help of existing satellites to find traces of alien life by getting “another view on strange aerial phenomena”. A similar emotion was expressed by Col Pam Melroy, the deputy administrator of NASA. According to The Telegraph, he said in a media interaction: “This team is going to be looking at questions like: ‘do we have sensors that can see things, you know, take another look at the evidence?’ Also read | Bus plunges into Kenyan river valley, 34 people dead - Reports ‘We have a ton of satellites looking down at the Earth, are any of them useful?’ “I mean, before you build a rover that’s going to Mars, you ask yourself, ‘What’s the sensor I have to build to detect the most interesting thing?’ So, they’re going to really focus on that. “How would you get the evidence that you need to be able to determine if it’s an optical phenomenon or some other kind (of phenomena)?”, he explained in the interaction. Also read | Chinese military has become significantly more aggressive: US General In the recent past, a number of experts have criticised NASA for deploying their assets for what they thought was a “fringe” subject. However, Bill Nelson, a NASA administrator, said that it is a mission which is important to the agency and one of their “remits was to hunt for life outside of Earth”. “Remember that one of our missions is to reach out to see if there is life,” he said according to The Telegraph. “That’s why we’re digging on Mars right now. “Is there the possibility of life in something as big as the universe? Of course, there is the chance that in somewhere as big as that, conditions similar to Earth existed, and some other kind of life form developed.”

NASA looking to repurpose existing satellites to search for alien life in space

China has launched the second of three modules to its permanent space station. Wentian module is designed for scientific and biology experiments.

China launches second space station module

An Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti joined a Russian cosmonaut in a rare spacewalking show of unity recently amid tensions over Ukraine. Watch this report!

WION Fineprint | Italian, Russian share spacewalk amid tensions in Ukraine

We are literally made of star stuff. Each atom and element in our bodies was forged in huge processes that make stars in the cosmos. We know this for sure. But there are still many opinions about the origin of life on Earth. Some scientists say that it originated on Earth, while others say that life was ‘brought’ to Earth by celestial bodies like meteorites and comets.

Now, a study has put forth an interesting argument that DNA, the very building blocks of life, originated in outer space. The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications. The researchers have found presence of nucleobases, compounds that form the DNA, in meteorites.

The researchers examined material from three meteorites. One of them fell to Earth in the year 1950. It fell near the town of Murray in Kentucky, USA. The second meteorite they studied fell in 1969 near Murchison in Australia’s Victoria State. The third one fell in 2000 in Canada’s British Columbia province.

“There is still much to learn about the chemical steps that led to the origin of life on Earth — the first self-replicating system. This research certainly adds to the list of chemical compounds that would have been present in the early Earth’s prebiotic (existing before the emergence of life) soup,” Danny Glavin of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight and co-author of the study told Reuters.

The findings in this study have&nbsp;reinforced the argument that life’s building blocks are extra-terrestrial in origin.

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&nbsp;

We are literally made of star stuff. Each atom and element in our bodies was forged in huge processes that make stars in the cosmos. We know this for sure. But there are still many opinions about the origin of life on Earth.

We are literally made of star stuff. Each atom and element in our bodies was forged in huge processes that make stars in the cosmos. We know this for sure. But there are still many opinions about the origin of life on Earth. Some scientists say that it originated on Earth, while others say that life was ‘brought’ to Earth by celestial bodies like meteorites and comets. Now, a study has put forth an interesting argument that DNA, the very building blocks of life, originated in outer space. The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications. The researchers have found presence of nucleobases, compounds that form the DNA, in meteorites. The researchers examined material from three meteorites. One of them fell to Earth in the year 1950. It fell near the town of Murray in Kentucky, USA. The second meteorite they studied fell in 1969 near Murchison in Australia’s Victoria State. The third one fell in 2000 in Canada’s British Columbia province. “There is still much to learn about the chemical steps that led to the origin of life on Earth — the first self-replicating system. This research certainly adds to the list of chemical compounds that would have been present in the early Earth’s prebiotic (existing before the emergence of life) soup,” Danny Glavin of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight and co-author of the study told Reuters. The findings in this study have reinforced the argument that life’s building blocks are extra-terrestrial in origin. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Our DNA came from space, says a scientific study

What distinguishes Saturn from the rest of the planets in our Solar System are the majestic rings the planet has. These rings are so prominent, they are visible from amateur telescopes as well. The planet sure gets a regal look due to it. But what is stopping from all planets to have such a ring? size? Saturn is a giant planet in our Solar System. But so is Jupiter, in fact, Jupiter is bigger than Saturn, then why it does not have Saturn-like rings?

A recent study from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) throws light on the reason why Jupiter does not have Saturn-like rings. Findings of this study were reported in the journal Planetary Science.

UCR astrophysicist Stephen Kane led the study along with his student. Together, they ran a simulation. Into the simulation, they fed info about orbits of Jupiter's four moons and the orbit of the planet itself. They also fed information about how much time it takes to form rings around the planet.

Kane found that the reason why Jupiter could not form Saturn-like moon was its moons. Jupiter has four main moons that were discovered by Galileo.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-posts-colourful-pic-of-pluto-wows-netizens-499450">NASA posts colourful pic of Pluto, wows netizens</a>

We found that the Galilean moons of Jupiter, one of which is the largest moon in our solar system, would very quickly destroy any large rings that might form," Kane said.

So based on this research, it can be said that Jupiter did not have Saturn-like rings even in its past.

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What distinguishes Saturn from the rest of the planets in our Solar System are the majestic rings the planet has. These rings are so prominent, they are visible from amateur telescopes as well.

What distinguishes Saturn from the rest of the planets in our Solar System are the majestic rings the planet has. These rings are so prominent, they are visible from amateur telescopes as well. The planet sure gets a regal look due to it. But what is stopping from all planets to have such a ring? size? Saturn is a giant planet in our Solar System. But so is Jupiter, in fact, Jupiter is bigger than Saturn, then why it does not have Saturn-like rings? A recent study from the University of California, Riverside (UCR) throws light on the reason why Jupiter does not have Saturn-like rings. Findings of this study were reported in the journal Planetary Science. UCR astrophysicist Stephen Kane led the study along with his student. Together, they ran a simulation. Into the simulation, they fed info about orbits of Jupiter's four moons and the orbit of the planet itself. They also fed information about how much time it takes to form rings around the planet. Kane found that the reason why Jupiter could not form Saturn-like moon was its moons. Jupiter has four main moons that were discovered by Galileo. Also Read | NASA posts colourful pic of Pluto, wows netizens We found that the Galilean moons of Jupiter, one of which is the largest moon in our solar system, would very quickly destroy any large rings that might form," Kane said. So based on this research, it can be said that Jupiter did not have Saturn-like rings even in its past. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Why doesn't Jupiter have Saturn-like rings? Here's the answer

James Webb Space Telescope may be (rightfully) hogging all the limelight right now, but its predecessor, Hubble Space Telescope is still dutifully capturing fascinating images of the cosmos after all these years. The telescope has been humanity’s major scope in the space and will gradually make way for JWST. 
The new image taken by the Hubble telescope is unique because it captures a fascinating phenomenon in the cosmos. This photo shows mirror images of the galaxy in the centre. This phenomenon is called ‘gravitational lensing’. Check out the image posted by European Space Agency.

“This NASA/ESA @HUBBLE_space Telescope image shows a gravitationally lensed galaxy with the name SGAS J143845+145407 😮 Gravitational lensing has caused a mirror image of the galaxy at the centre of this picture, creating a captivating centrepiece,” says ESA in its tweet while sharing&nbsp;the image.

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📸 This NASA/ESA <a href="https://twitter.com/HUBBLE_space?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HUBBLE_space</a> Telescope image shows a gravitationally lensed galaxy with the name SGAS J143845+145407 😮 Gravitational lensing has caused a mirror image of the galaxy at the centre of this picture, creating a captivating centrepiece 👉 <a href="https://t.co/QAT8CVVMBX">https://t.co/QAT8CVVMBX</a> <a href="https://t.co/sKv8UfQEEN">pic.twitter.com/sKv8UfQEEN</a>
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What is gravitational lensing?

A large celestial body having huge amount of mass, a galaxy for example, has an effect on the spacetime fabric around it. The massive gravity ‘bends’ the fabric of the space. This is called gravitational lensing. Due to this bending, some rays of light emanating from the same object cause the lensing (or an object placed behind the object causing the lensing) travel along the bent space-time fabric. This forms a mirror image of, either the same object or the object behind it. 
In this case, the mirror-image is of the same galaxy. 
Another feature of such a lensing is that it magnifies the image of the object. This makes it&nbsp;easier for us to study the celestial body in detail.

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James Webb Space Telescope may be (rightfully) hogging all the limelight right now, but its predecessor, Hubble Space Telescope is still dutifully capturing fascinating images of the cosmos after all these years.

James Webb Space Telescope may be (rightfully) hogging all the limelight right now, but its predecessor, Hubble Space Telescope is still dutifully capturing fascinating images of the cosmos after all these years. The telescope has been humanity’s major scope in the space and will gradually make way for JWST. The new image taken by the Hubble telescope is unique because it captures a fascinating phenomenon in the cosmos. This photo shows mirror images of the galaxy in the centre. This phenomenon is called ‘gravitational lensing’. Check out the image posted by European Space Agency. “This NASA/ESA @HUBBLE_space Telescope image shows a gravitationally lensed galaxy with the name SGAS J143845+145407 😮 Gravitational lensing has caused a mirror image of the galaxy at the centre of this picture, creating a captivating centrepiece,” says ESA in its tweet while sharing the image. 📸 This NASA/ESA @HUBBLE_space Telescope image shows a gravitationally lensed galaxy with the name SGAS J143845+145407 😮 Gravitational lensing has caused a mirror image of the galaxy at the centre of this picture, creating a captivating centrepiece 👉 https://t.co/QAT8CVVMBX pic.twitter.com/sKv8UfQEEN — ESA (@esa) July 18, 2022 × What is gravitational lensing? A large celestial body having huge amount of mass, a galaxy for example, has an effect on the spacetime fabric around it. The massive gravity ‘bends’ the fabric of the space. This is called gravitational lensing. Due to this bending, some rays of light emanating from the same object cause the lensing (or an object placed behind the object causing the lensing) travel along the bent space-time fabric. This forms a mirror image of, either the same object or the object behind it. In this case, the mirror-image is of the same galaxy. Another feature of such a lensing is that it magnifies the image of the object. This makes it easier for us to study the celestial body in detail. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Hubble telescope clicks galaxy forming its own mirror image in space

We have a visitor in our backyard. Comet K2 is set to fly by Earth this week. Comets are not rare as much as they are fascinating. They are made of water, dust and ice. Comet K2 is the most distant active comet found. And this one has scientists scratching their heads.

Comets 'live' in Oort cloud, a repository of comets and other frozen spacaballs in the outer reaches of our Solar System. When external gravitational forces nudge one of the comets, it comes under the gravitational influence of the Sun and begins travelling million of miles towards the Sun. As the comet gradually comes closer to the Sun, it begins warming up and ice begins melting. As this happens, the water and other materials form the tail and halo of the comet.

Usually, this process starts when the comet is around Jupiter. But Comet K2 gave signs of this activity when it was around Neptune. The comet developed a halo when it was in a region of Solar System where solar rays are too feeble to melt ice on the comet.&nbsp;

Comets are like time capsules. They contain within them elements and materials that were formed at the time of formation of the Solar System. Study of comets is hence very important for scientists.

"It's kind of like being able to touch something from the beginning of the solar system," David Jewitt, an astronomer at University of California, Los Angeles, told Space.com. "It's probably the most primitive thing in the inner solar system at this time."

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We have a visitor in our backyard. Comet K2 is set to fly by Earth this week. Comets are not rare as much as they are fascinating. They are made of water, dust and ice.

We have a visitor in our backyard. Comet K2 is set to fly by Earth this week. Comets are not rare as much as they are fascinating. They are made of water, dust and ice. Comet K2 is the most distant active comet found. And this one has scientists scratching their heads. Comets 'live' in Oort cloud, a repository of comets and other frozen spacaballs in the outer reaches of our Solar System. When external gravitational forces nudge one of the comets, it comes under the gravitational influence of the Sun and begins travelling million of miles towards the Sun. As the comet gradually comes closer to the Sun, it begins warming up and ice begins melting. As this happens, the water and other materials form the tail and halo of the comet. Usually, this process starts when the comet is around Jupiter. But Comet K2 gave signs of this activity when it was around Neptune. The comet developed a halo when it was in a region of Solar System where solar rays are too feeble to melt ice on the comet. Comets are like time capsules. They contain within them elements and materials that were formed at the time of formation of the Solar System. Study of comets is hence very important for scientists. "It's kind of like being able to touch something from the beginning of the solar system," David Jewitt, an astronomer at University of California, Los Angeles, told Space.com. "It's probably the most primitive thing in the inner solar system at this time." You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Mysterious Comet K2 baffles scientists

We do not know of life beyond Earth. There hasn't been any conclusive proof yet. We have tried to contact alien civilizations (if they exist). But we have got no response till now. However, it is intriguing to imagine that there is indeed an alien civilization out there that's trying to contact us and hasn't been successful. Till now at least.

A 'heartbeat' like radio signal has been received by universities across US and Canada. This radio signal, coming from a distant galaxy is flashing with surprising regularity.

Such signals are called Fast Radio Bursts or FRB. Generally, FRB's last for several milliseconds. But this FRB has lasted 1000 times longer. The scientists have discovered that the bursts are taking place every 0.2 seconds. This is similar to a beating heart.

The FRB has been designated FRB 20191221A by scientists. It is the longest-lasting FRB till date.

The radio signals are coming from a galaxy billions of light years away. The source of the radio bursts is unknown but it is being said by the scientists that it is a radio pulsar or a magnetar that is emitting this signal

“There are not many things in the universe that emit strictly periodic signals,” says Daniele Michilli, a postdoc in MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. “Examples that we know of in our own galaxy are radio pulsars and magnetars, which rotate and produce a beamed emission similar to a lighthouse. And we think this new signal could be a magnetar or pulsar on steroids.”

The discovery has been reported in the journal Nature.

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We do not know of life beyond Earth. There hasn't been any conclusive proof yet. We have tried to contact alien civilizations (if they exist). But we have got no response till now.

We do not know of life beyond Earth. There hasn't been any conclusive proof yet. We have tried to contact alien civilizations (if they exist). But we have got no response till now. However, it is intriguing to imagine that there is indeed an alien civilization out there that's trying to contact us and hasn't been successful. Till now at least. A 'heartbeat' like radio signal has been received by universities across US and Canada. This radio signal, coming from a distant galaxy is flashing with surprising regularity. Such signals are called Fast Radio Bursts or FRB. Generally, FRB's last for several milliseconds. But this FRB has lasted 1000 times longer. The scientists have discovered that the bursts are taking place every 0.2 seconds. This is similar to a beating heart. The FRB has been designated FRB 20191221A by scientists. It is the longest-lasting FRB till date. The radio signals are coming from a galaxy billions of light years away. The source of the radio bursts is unknown but it is being said by the scientists that it is a radio pulsar or a magnetar that is emitting this signal “There are not many things in the universe that emit strictly periodic signals,” says Daniele Michilli, a postdoc in MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. “Examples that we know of in our own galaxy are radio pulsars and magnetars, which rotate and produce a beamed emission similar to a lighthouse. And we think this new signal could be a magnetar or pulsar on steroids.” The discovery has been reported in the journal Nature. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

'Heartbeat' in space: Mysterious radio signal from nothingness has been received

Space Race- It was a term coined during the cold war, the United States and the Soviet Union were super power rivals when the space race began in the year 1955. Now, political tensions boil over in Space.

Space race reflects earthly tensions

The European Space Agency is formally ending its partnership with Russia on a rover mission to explore the surface of Mars, citing Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Molly Gambhir tells how earthly tensions are now impacting the space race.

WION Fineprint | Ukraine war tensions boil over in space

Astrophysicist Jane Rigby, the project scientist for Webb’s operations, recounted her initial thoughts when she first saw the NASA telescope’s first pictures, which have since startled the entire globe. Rigby said, “Earlier than this, the first focussed images that we took where they were razor-sharp...that for me had the very emotional reaction like oh my goodness, it works. And it works better than we thought...personally, I went and had an ugly cry. What the engineers have done to build this thing is amazing.” The space agency has released 5 pictures in total taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, beginning a new age of astronomy.&nbsp;

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"Personally, I went and had an ugly cry. Because it works." 
 
The razor-sharp resolution of the <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAWebb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASAWebb</a> imagery was enough to bring astrophysicist Jane Rigby to tears. How are you reacting to this telescope's ability to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UnfoldTheUniverse?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UnfoldTheUniverse</a>? <a href="https://t.co/qUphFblA75">pic.twitter.com/qUphFblA75</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1546902924697210885?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The first picture shared is of SMACS 0723, a far-off galaxy cluster. It appeared 4.6 billion years ago, with many additional galaxies in the front and behind this cluster, NASA reported.&nbsp;

<img alt="NASA'S telescope picture (Image courtesy:NASA)" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5f50538c-5b23-4804-bfac-cec24f65ffd3" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2847%29.png" /> 
The second picture shared is of Stephan’s Quintet, a visual collection of five galaxies. Today a new perspective on Stephan’s Quintet is provided by NASA’s telescope. This massive mosaic spans nearly one-fifth of the moon’s diameter.&nbsp;

<img alt="NASA'S telescope picture (Image courtesy:NASA)" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2d26ffc7-70fc-4976-8bca-25a3ac83bb70" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2848%29.png" />

The atmosphere of a hot, puffy gas giant planet orbiting a far-off Sun-like star has been observed by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to bear the unique signature of water as well as signs of clouds and haze. There are more than 5,000 known exoplanets in the Milky Way, including WASP-96. it is a type of gas giant that has a direct counterpart in our solar system and is about 1,150 light-years away in the southern-sky constellation Phoenix.&nbsp;

<img alt="NASA'S telescope picture (Image courtesy:NASA)" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bfad4ac1-935c-42f0-a4f1-29b35e3ee72f" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2849%29.png" />

The above picture is when for the first time, NASA’s telescope has shown that the star at the center of this image is shrouded in dust. This star has been ejecting rings of gas and dust in all directions for millions of years.&nbsp;

<img alt="NASA'S telescope picture (Image courtesy:NASA)" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="309aa816-d967-4018-afc2-b80c62f51f4c" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2850%29.png" />

The last picture is of the Carina Nebula, one of the prominent stellar nebulae in the sky. It is located around 7,600 light-years from Earth. Previously concealed young stars revealed in the picture give “a rare peek into stars in their earliest, rapid stages of formation.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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Astrophysicist Jane Rigby, the project scientist for Webb’s operations, recounted her initial thoughts when she first saw the NASA telescope’s first pictures, which have since startled the entire globe.

Astrophysicist Jane Rigby, the project scientist for Webb’s operations, recounted her initial thoughts when she first saw the NASA telescope’s first pictures, which have since startled the entire globe. Rigby said, “Earlier than this, the first focussed images that we took where they were razor-sharp...that for me had the very emotional reaction like oh my goodness, it works. And it works better than we thought...personally, I went and had an ugly cry. What the engineers have done to build this thing is amazing.” The space agency has released 5 pictures in total taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, beginning a new age of astronomy. "Personally, I went and had an ugly cry. Because it works." The razor-sharp resolution of the @NASAWebb imagery was enough to bring astrophysicist Jane Rigby to tears. How are you reacting to this telescope's ability to #UnfoldTheUniverse? pic.twitter.com/qUphFblA75 — NASA (@NASA) July 12, 2022 × The first picture shared is of SMACS 0723, a far-off galaxy cluster. It appeared 4.6 billion years ago, with many additional galaxies in the front and behind this cluster, NASA reported. The second picture shared is of Stephan’s Quintet, a visual collection of five galaxies. Today a new perspective on Stephan’s Quintet is provided by NASA’s telescope. This massive mosaic spans nearly one-fifth of the moon’s diameter. The atmosphere of a hot, puffy gas giant planet orbiting a far-off Sun-like star has been observed by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to bear the unique signature of water as well as signs of clouds and haze. There are more than 5,000 known exoplanets in the Milky Way, including WASP-96. it is a type of gas giant that has a direct counterpart in our solar system and is about 1,150 light-years away in the southern-sky constellation Phoenix. The above picture is when for the first time, NASA’s telescope has shown that the star at the center of this image is shrouded in dust. This star has been ejecting rings of gas and dust in all directions for millions of years. The last picture is of the Carina Nebula, one of the prominent stellar nebulae in the sky. It is located around 7,600 light-years from Earth. Previously concealed young stars revealed in the picture give “a rare peek into stars in their earliest, rapid stages of formation.” (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

‘I went and had an ugly cry’: Female astrophysicist on seeing NASA’s Webb telescope pictures

Most of us think of our Solar system as a nice little cozy cocoon inside which planets are safely embedded and we are doing what we do on Earth with complete safety. Little do we realise that Solar System is revolving around centre of the Milky Way Galaxy at huge speed and other celestial bodies are very much present around the solar system.

Another star may thus fly by the solar system. And if it does it while being a little too close for comfort, it may also result in collapse of the Solar System.

The passing star may exert its gravitational pull on planets in the Solar System and may alter their orbits, thus sending them colliding into each other.

Garret Brown and Hanno Rein, two researchers at University of Toronto have studied this possibility. They've found that gravity of the foreign star nudges orbits of some of the planets even by 0.1 per cent, it may wreak havoc.

So how close is too close for comfort?

The study has found that a distance of 23 billion miles between the Sun and the other star may make things a bit uncomfortable. This may appear a huge distance but just to put into perspective, Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Siolar System is 24.8 trillion miles away. So 23 billion miles is much less of a distance.

Fortunately, the destruction of Solar System, if at all it happens, may not happen instantly. The process may take billions of years.

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Most of us think of our Solar system as a nice little cozy cocoon inside which planets are safely embedded and we are doing what we do on Earth with complete safety.

Most of us think of our Solar system as a nice little cozy cocoon inside which planets are safely embedded and we are doing what we do on Earth with complete safety. Little do we realise that Solar System is revolving around centre of the Milky Way Galaxy at huge speed and other celestial bodies are very much present around the solar system. Another star may thus fly by the solar system. And if it does it while being a little too close for comfort, it may also result in collapse of the Solar System. The passing star may exert its gravitational pull on planets in the Solar System and may alter their orbits, thus sending them colliding into each other. Garret Brown and Hanno Rein, two researchers at University of Toronto have studied this possibility. They've found that gravity of the foreign star nudges orbits of some of the planets even by 0.1 per cent, it may wreak havoc. So how close is too close for comfort? The study has found that a distance of 23 billion miles between the Sun and the other star may make things a bit uncomfortable. This may appear a huge distance but just to put into perspective, Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Siolar System is 24.8 trillion miles away. So 23 billion miles is much less of a distance. Fortunately, the destruction of Solar System, if at all it happens, may not happen instantly. The process may take billions of years. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Our Solar System may collapse if a passing star came too close

Gravity is something we take for granted here on Earth. It's an everyday phenomenon that doesn't dominate our daily calculus until we fall spread-eagled on the floor after a nasty slip. Astronauts may not 'fall' in the sense we do here on Earth but they are sure to sometimes wish there was a bit of gravity in space. For astronauts working aboard International Space Station (ISS) zero-gravity means anything that slips from hands goes in any direction it pleases. Besides, its hard to control stuff when you yourself have no weight and are floating inside the space station.

It may look fascinating to see astronauts floating around but zero-gravity has negative impact on human bodies. Prolonged effects include decrease in bone mass. Researchers and engineers from Japan's Kyoto University and Kajima Construction Co. are working on a system that will create 'artificial gravity' that will support human life in space.

Check out | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/watch-joe-biden-reveals-first-image-from-james-webb-space-telescope-and-its-stunning-496510">James Webb telescope's first image: A never-before-seen view of the universe</a>

These experts are trying to harness Centrifugal Force to create artificial gravity. They are designing a craft that will have a component that will revolve while in space. Astronauts inside that component would experience Centrifugal Force which will keep them steady on surfaces like gravity does on Earth.

The architecture will be cylindrical, 100 metres wide and upto 400 metres tall (328 feet wide and 1,312 feet wide). In order to create artificial gravity, it will complete one revolution every 20 seconds. This will generate 1G of gravity which will be equivalent to that on Earth.

If Humankind is able to achieve creation of artificial gravity, it will open a new vista of space exploration. Currently, astronauts cannot live in space beyond a certain days as effect of zero gravity begins to kick-in. With artificial gravity, astronauts would be able to stay in space for longer periods. This would come in handy in case of space voyages that would require years of space travel.

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Gravity is something we take for granted here on Earth. It's an everyday phenomenon that doesn't dominate our daily calculus until we fall spread-eagled on the floor after a nasty slip.

Gravity is something we take for granted here on Earth. It's an everyday phenomenon that doesn't dominate our daily calculus until we fall spread-eagled on the floor after a nasty slip. Astronauts may not 'fall' in the sense we do here on Earth but they are sure to sometimes wish there was a bit of gravity in space. For astronauts working aboard International Space Station (ISS) zero-gravity means anything that slips from hands goes in any direction it pleases. Besides, its hard to control stuff when you yourself have no weight and are floating inside the space station. It may look fascinating to see astronauts floating around but zero-gravity has negative impact on human bodies. Prolonged effects include decrease in bone mass. Researchers and engineers from Japan's Kyoto University and Kajima Construction Co. are working on a system that will create 'artificial gravity' that will support human life in space. Check out | James Webb telescope's first image: A never-before-seen view of the universe These experts are trying to harness Centrifugal Force to create artificial gravity. They are designing a craft that will have a component that will revolve while in space. Astronauts inside that component would experience Centrifugal Force which will keep them steady on surfaces like gravity does on Earth. The architecture will be cylindrical, 100 metres wide and upto 400 metres tall (328 feet wide and 1,312 feet wide). In order to create artificial gravity, it will complete one revolution every 20 seconds. This will generate 1G of gravity which will be equivalent to that on Earth. If Humankind is able to achieve creation of artificial gravity, it will open a new vista of space exploration. Currently, astronauts cannot live in space beyond a certain days as effect of zero gravity begins to kick-in. With artificial gravity, astronauts would be able to stay in space for longer periods. This would come in handy in case of space voyages that would require years of space travel. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

Japan: Research on for artificial gravity to aid astronauts in space

From James Webb Telescope releasing the first infrared image of the universe to Yosemite National Park’s raging wildfire, here are some impactful images from around the world on July 12, 2022.

World in Pictures: Deepest image of universe; Yosemite’s wildfire; queues in Sri Lanka for LPG

A&nbsp;booster&nbsp;rocket&nbsp;developed by Elon Musk's&nbsp;SpaceX&nbsp;for its next-generation Starship spacecraft burst into&nbsp;flames&nbsp;during a ground-test&nbsp;firing on Monday in Texas, dealing a likely setback to Musk's aim of launching Starship to orbit this year.

"Yeah, actually not good. Team is assessing damage," Musk said on Twitter after the early evening explosion of the Super Heavy&nbsp;Booster&nbsp;7 prototype, as seen in a livestream recorded by the website NASA Spaceflight.

There was no immediate indication of injuries.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/spacexs-starlink-internet-approved-for-use-with-ships-boats-planes-by-us-federal-communications-commission-493408">SpaceX's Starlink internet approved for use with ships, boats, planes by US Federal Communications Commission</a>

The explosion, which engulfed the base of the&nbsp;rocket&nbsp;in a ball of&nbsp;flames&nbsp;and heavy smoke and appeared to shake the video camera, was specific to the engine spin start&nbsp;test, Musk said on Tuesday.

"Going forward, we won't do a spin start&nbsp;test&nbsp;with all 33 engines at once," he said on Twitter.

The&nbsp;booster&nbsp;remained standing upright, bolted to a&nbsp;test&nbsp;gantry afterward.

Watch |&nbsp;SpaceX: Employees who wrote letter criticizing CEO Elon Musk fired

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The failure came in the midst of a dayslong static fire&nbsp;test&nbsp;campaign in Boca Chica, Texas, of the&nbsp;booster, equipped with an array of 33 Raptor engines for use in an upcoming uncrewed orbital&nbsp;test&nbsp;flight&nbsp;SpaceX&nbsp;hoped to launch later this year.

SpaceX's complete Starship, which will stand 394 feet (120 meters) tall when mated with its super-heavy first-stage&nbsp;booster, is the company's next-generation launch vehicle at the center of Musk's ambitions to make human space travel more affordable and routine.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pentagon-eyes-using-spacex-rockets-to-build-military-starships-490412">Pentagon eyes using SpaceX rockets to build 'military starships'</a>

SpaceX&nbsp;did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Monday's blast.

The US&nbsp;Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also did not immediately respond when asked if it would investigate the explosion.

In late 2020 and early 2021,&nbsp;SpaceX&nbsp;lost four prototypes of the Starship itself in a series of high-altitude&nbsp;test&nbsp;launches when the return landing attempts ended in explosions. The Starship prototype finally made a safe touchdown in May 2021.

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A booster rocket developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX for its next-generation Starship spacecraft burst into flames during a ground-test firing on Monday in Texas, dealing a likely setback to Musk's aim of launching Starship to orbit this year.

A booster rocket developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX for its next-generation Starship spacecraft burst into flames during a ground-test firing on Monday in Texas, dealing a likely setback to Musk's aim of launching Starship to orbit this year. "Yeah, actually not good. Team is assessing damage," Musk said on Twitter after the early evening explosion of the Super Heavy Booster 7 prototype, as seen in a livestream recorded by the website NASA Spaceflight. There was no immediate indication of injuries. Also read | SpaceX's Starlink internet approved for use with ships, boats, planes by US Federal Communications Commission The explosion, which engulfed the base of the rocket in a ball of flames and heavy smoke and appeared to shake the video camera, was specific to the engine spin start test, Musk said on Tuesday. "Going forward, we won't do a spin start test with all 33 engines at once," he said on Twitter. The booster remained standing upright, bolted to a test gantry afterward. Watch | SpaceX: Employees who wrote letter criticizing CEO Elon Musk fired The failure came in the midst of a dayslong static fire test campaign in Boca Chica, Texas, of the booster, equipped with an array of 33 Raptor engines for use in an upcoming uncrewed orbital test flight SpaceX hoped to launch later this year. SpaceX's complete Starship, which will stand 394 feet (120 meters) tall when mated with its super-heavy first-stage booster, is the company's next-generation launch vehicle at the center of Musk's ambitions to make human space travel more affordable and routine. Also read | Pentagon eyes using SpaceX rockets to build 'military starships' SpaceX did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Monday's blast. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also did not immediately respond when asked if it would investigate the explosion. In late 2020 and early 2021, SpaceX lost four prototypes of the Starship itself in a series of high-altitude test launches when the return landing attempts ended in explosions. The Starship prototype finally made a safe touchdown in May 2021. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Test-fired booster rocket bursts into flames at SpaceX plant

Is a new space war heating up? The United States has launched a new space force spy agency. The move is to counter Russia and China.

Is space war heating up? The US launches a new space force spy agency

In an attempt to stop global warming and reverse its impact, a group of MIT researchers is exploring the idea of fighting climate change using a variation from the common geoengineering of a solar shield of "space bubbles" that would float above the Earth to block and reflect the incoming sun's rays without risk of any interference with the Earth's biosphere. The space bubbles research project proposes building a floating "raft" of frozen bubbles made of a thin filmed material that can be manufactured in space.

Having its root in ideas by scientist James Early, who first suggested deploying a deflective object at the Lagrangian Point, and astronomer Roger Angel, who proposed the bubble-raft, these Bubbles once interconnected would cover an area as large as the size of Brazil, will be floated at L1 Lagrangian Point. It is the stable point in outer space where the Earth's gravitational pull equals the sun.

One of the key reasons for climate change is the greenhouse&nbsp;effect which traps the incoming Solar Radiation from Sun in the atmosphere, hence resulting in a further rise in temperature. The idea was to find a solution that should not interfere with the earth’s atmosphere but supplement the current climate change mitigation efforts.

<blockquote>
"Geoengineering might be our final and only option," said Ratti, who is the head of MIT's Senseable City Lab.&nbsp;"Yet, most geoengineering proposals are earth-bound, which poses tremendous risks to our living ecosystem." 
"Space-based solutions would be safer – for instance, if we deflect 1.8 per cent of incident solar radiation before it hits our planet, we could fully reverse today's global warming."&nbsp;
</blockquote>

Apart from its non-interfering property, another advantage of this particular kind of solar shield is its reversibility i.e., the bubbles could be deflated and removed from their position and then can be inflated back. The most promising material to build such spheres would be silicon, transported to space in molten form, or graphene-reinforced ionic liquids.

A successful preliminary experiment is already carried out by the team at MIT where a spherical shell is inflated in outer space conditions and is believed to be one of the most efficient thin-film bubble-shaped structures for deflecting incoming solar radiation.

As of now, the project is a working hypothesis, but the interdisciplinary team hopes to receive support to conduct a feasibility study that would involve further experimentation and analyses of these shields under various conditions. It will help to identify the right structure as well as materials that would be shipped from the earth for the creation of such space bubbles. It will also help to understand the positioning and stabilization of the shield, shading efficacy, cost efficiency, maintenance, and end-of-life transition, impact on climate and ecosystem, as well as public policy implications.

One such Public Policy debate is whether geoengineering of such a space bubble would undermine the ongoing effort to curb fossil fuel burning and may encourage people to see the shift away from fossil fuels as less important.

Even though Geoengineering has proven controversial, United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC) has focused on it as a necessary alternative, in case we fail to control the temperature rise at a manageable level.

Other geoengineering proposals in consideration include: -&nbsp;

1. Sucking carbon dioxide from the air,&nbsp;

2. Pumping gas into the stratosphere to reflect some of the incoming solar radiation,&nbsp;

3. Brightening marine clouds to make them more reflective, and&nbsp;

4. Modifying the Earth's albedo with white roofs or reflective coverings for deserts.

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

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In an attempt to stop global warming and reverse its impact, a group of MIT researchers is exploring the idea of fighting climate change using a variation from the common geoengineering of a solar shield of "space bubbles" that would float above the Earth to block and reflect the incoming sun's rays without risk of any interference with the Earth's biosphere.

In an attempt to stop global warming and reverse its impact, a group of MIT researchers is exploring the idea of fighting climate change using a variation from the common geoengineering of a solar shield of "space bubbles" that would float above the Earth to block and reflect the incoming sun's rays without risk of any interference with the Earth's biosphere. The space bubbles research project proposes building a floating "raft" of frozen bubbles made of a thin filmed material that can be manufactured in space. Having its root in ideas by scientist James Early, who first suggested deploying a deflective object at the Lagrangian Point, and astronomer Roger Angel, who proposed the bubble-raft, these Bubbles once interconnected would cover an area as large as the size of Brazil, will be floated at L1 Lagrangian Point. It is the stable point in outer space where the Earth's gravitational pull equals the sun. One of the key reasons for climate change is the greenhouse effect which traps the incoming Solar Radiation from Sun in the atmosphere, hence resulting in a further rise in temperature. The idea was to find a solution that should not interfere with the earth’s atmosphere but supplement the current climate change mitigation efforts. "Geoengineering might be our final and only option," said Ratti, who is the head of MIT's Senseable City Lab. "Yet, most geoengineering proposals are earth-bound, which poses tremendous risks to our living ecosystem." "Space-based solutions would be safer – for instance, if we deflect 1.8 per cent of incident solar radiation before it hits our planet, we could fully reverse today's global warming." Apart from its non-interfering property, another advantage of this particular kind of solar shield is its reversibility i.e., the bubbles could be deflated and removed from their position and then can be inflated back. The most promising material to build such spheres would be silicon, transported to space in molten form, or graphene-reinforced ionic liquids. A successful preliminary experiment is already carried out by the team at MIT where a spherical shell is inflated in outer space conditions and is believed to be one of the most efficient thin-film bubble-shaped structures for deflecting incoming solar radiation. As of now, the project is a working hypothesis, but the interdisciplinary team hopes to receive support to conduct a feasibility study that would involve further experimentation and analyses of these shields under various conditions. It will help to identify the right structure as well as materials that would be shipped from the earth for the creation of such space bubbles. It will also help to understand the positioning and stabilization of the shield, shading efficacy, cost efficiency, maintenance, and end-of-life transition, impact on climate and ecosystem, as well as public policy implications. One such Public Policy debate is whether geoengineering of such a space bubble would undermine the ongoing effort to curb fossil fuel burning and may encourage people to see the shift away from fossil fuels as less important. Even though Geoengineering has proven controversial, United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (UNIPCC) has focused on it as a necessary alternative, in case we fail to control the temperature rise at a manageable level. Other geoengineering proposals in consideration include: - 1. Sucking carbon dioxide from the air, 2. Pumping gas into the stratosphere to reflect some of the incoming solar radiation, 3. Brightening marine clouds to make them more reflective, and 4. Modifying the Earth's albedo with white roofs or reflective coverings for deserts. (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

MIT's space bubble to tackle climate change

WION spoke with Indian-origin woman astronaut Sirisha Bandla. Bandla shared on her flight to stardom. She is the third Indian-origin woman space traveller.

WION speaks to Indian-origin woman astronaut Sirisha Bandla

The word 'Selfie' was the 'word of the year'&nbsp;of Oxford Dictionaries in 2013. The concept was new in the preceding years. But since then the word (and photos) have become almost a second nature to us. If we are at a great outdoor location, we click a selfie. If we are with friends, we click a selfie. Even if we are doing something that we think is special, the photo makes its way to the social media in no time.

A satellite has now clicked a selfie with the Great Barrier Reef in the background. The satellite even used a selfie stick to click the photo. The satellite is owned by a company and is revolving around the Earth in an orbit 550 kilometres from the surface.&nbsp;

The microsatellite, named MP42 was launched into space in the month of April this year. It hitched a ride on SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.&nbsp;

"We wanted to highlight the vulnerability of our planet and the importance of Earth observation by satellites, especially for monitoring environment and climate changes," said NanoAvionics, the company which owns the microsatellite. The company has even published the video on Yutube. Check it out.

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The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world. It stretches for more than 2300 Kilometres along northeast coast of Australia.

The selfie, and the video was taken with a GoPro Hero 7. The camera was mounted on a selfie stick.

The Great Barrier Reef is in need of conservation. A report by Australian government earlier this year said that the reef was undergoing 'mass bleaching' due to global warming. 
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The word 'Selfie' was the 'word of the year' of Oxford Dictionaries in 2013. The concept was new in the preceding years. But since then the word (and photos) have become almost a second nature to us.

The word 'Selfie' was the 'word of the year' of Oxford Dictionaries in 2013. The concept was new in the preceding years. But since then the word (and photos) have become almost a second nature to us. If we are at a great outdoor location, we click a selfie. If we are with friends, we click a selfie. Even if we are doing something that we think is special, the photo makes its way to the social media in no time. A satellite has now clicked a selfie with the Great Barrier Reef in the background. The satellite even used a selfie stick to click the photo. The satellite is owned by a company and is revolving around the Earth in an orbit 550 kilometres from the surface. The microsatellite, named MP42 was launched into space in the month of April this year. It hitched a ride on SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. "We wanted to highlight the vulnerability of our planet and the importance of Earth observation by satellites, especially for monitoring environment and climate changes," said NanoAvionics, the company which owns the microsatellite. The company has even published the video on Yutube. Check it out. × The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system in the world. It stretches for more than 2300 Kilometres along northeast coast of Australia. The selfie, and the video was taken with a GoPro Hero 7. The camera was mounted on a selfie stick. The Great Barrier Reef is in need of conservation. A report by Australian government earlier this year said that the reef was undergoing 'mass bleaching' due to global warming.

Video: A satellite has clicked 'selfie' from space

Solar eclipse is a wonder to behold when viewed from Earth in first. Not everyone of us has been lucky enough to experience this wonder of nature. If the celestial event is so impressive from our planet, imagine how it must enthral those who view it from space!&nbsp;

For those of us not having chosen being&nbsp;an astronaut as a career option, NASA comes to rescue.

In a solar eclipse, Moon is situated between the Earth and the Sun in a way that its shadow falls on Earth. Depending upon extent to which the Moon obstructs the Sun, there are three types of solar eclipses.

The one clicked by NASA is a partial solar eclipse. It has been clicked by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The SDO is NASA's observatory in the sky. It was launched in the year 2010.

The SDO recorded the 35-minute partial solar eclipse from space on Wednesday (June 29).

Over the last 12 years, observations made SDO have been extremely useful to understand the Sun

"SDO observations start in the interior of the Sun with the solar dynamo -- the churning of the Sun’s interior that creates its magnetic field and drives space weather. Further out, SDO observes the solar surface to directly measure the magnetic field and the solar atmosphere to understand how magnetic energy is linked to the interior and converted to space weather-causing events. Finally, SDO measures the extreme ultraviolet irradiance of the Sun that is a key driver to the structure and composition of the Earth’s upper atmosphere," says NASA on its website.

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Solar eclipse is a wonder to behold when viewed from Earth in first. Not everyone of us has been lucky enough to experience this wonder of nature. If the celestial event is so impressive from our planet, imagine how it must enthral those who view it from space!

Solar eclipse is a wonder to behold when viewed from Earth in first. Not everyone of us has been lucky enough to experience this wonder of nature. If the celestial event is so impressive from our planet, imagine how it must enthral those who view it from space! For those of us not having chosen being an astronaut as a career option, NASA comes to rescue. In a solar eclipse, Moon is situated between the Earth and the Sun in a way that its shadow falls on Earth. Depending upon extent to which the Moon obstructs the Sun, there are three types of solar eclipses. The one clicked by NASA is a partial solar eclipse. It has been clicked by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The SDO is NASA's observatory in the sky. It was launched in the year 2010. The SDO recorded the 35-minute partial solar eclipse from space on Wednesday (June 29). Over the last 12 years, observations made SDO have been extremely useful to understand the Sun "SDO observations start in the interior of the Sun with the solar dynamo -- the churning of the Sun’s interior that creates its magnetic field and drives space weather. Further out, SDO observes the solar surface to directly measure the magnetic field and the solar atmosphere to understand how magnetic energy is linked to the interior and converted to space weather-causing events. Finally, SDO measures the extreme ultraviolet irradiance of the Sun that is a key driver to the structure and composition of the Earth’s upper atmosphere," says NASA on its website. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

NASA captures breathtaking image of an eclipse from space

Astronauts undergo rigorous training before travelling to space, but no amount of preparation can make them ready for the toll that the entire experience takes on their health. Researchers have found that astronauts lose a huge amount of bone mass when travelling in space and it takes more than a year for them to recover it after coming back from their missions. Dr Steven Boyd, of Canada’s University of Calgary and director of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, also warned that the rate of bone mass loss can be a problematic for future missions to Mars due to the duration.

“Will it continue to get worse over time or not? We don’t know,"

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-looking-to-come-up-with-tiny-swimming-robots-to-search-for-alien-life-493397" hreflang="en">NASA looking to come up with tiny swimming robots to search for alien life</a>

“It’s possible we hit a steady state after a while, or it’s possible that we continue to lose bone. But I can’t imagine that we’d continue to lose it until there’s nothing left,” Boyd told The Guardian.

The research scanned the wrists and ankles of astronauts during and after a stay at the International Space Station (ISS) and found that they lost around 1 to 2 per cent of bone density every month.

That is basically the same amount of bone density that people lose in almost decades. &nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/worlds-biggest-chocolate-plant-contaminated-with-salmonella-in-production-lot-493277" hreflang="en">World's biggest chocolate plant contaminated with Salmonella in production lot</a>

“The longer you spend in space, the more bone you lose,” Boyd said.

Guillemette Gauquelin-Koch, the head of medicine research at France’s CNES space agency, explained that the weightlessness experienced in space is the reason behind the loss of bone density.

“Even with two hours of sport a day, it is like you are bedridden for the other 22 hours. It will not be easy for the crew to set foot on Martian soil when they arrive – it’s very disabling.”

Astronauts undergo rigorous training before travelling to space, but no amount of preparation can make them ready for the toll that the entire experience takes on their health.

Astronauts undergo rigorous training before travelling to space, but no amount of preparation can make them ready for the toll that the entire experience takes on their health. Researchers have found that astronauts lose a huge amount of bone mass when travelling in space and it takes more than a year for them to recover it after coming back from their missions. Dr Steven Boyd, of Canada’s University of Calgary and director of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, also warned that the rate of bone mass loss can be a problematic for future missions to Mars due to the duration. “Will it continue to get worse over time or not? We don’t know," Also read | NASA looking to come up with tiny swimming robots to search for alien life “It’s possible we hit a steady state after a while, or it’s possible that we continue to lose bone. But I can’t imagine that we’d continue to lose it until there’s nothing left,” Boyd told The Guardian. The research scanned the wrists and ankles of astronauts during and after a stay at the International Space Station (ISS) and found that they lost around 1 to 2 per cent of bone density every month. That is basically the same amount of bone density that people lose in almost decades. Also read | World's biggest chocolate plant contaminated with Salmonella in production lot “The longer you spend in space, the more bone you lose,” Boyd said. Guillemette Gauquelin-Koch, the head of medicine research at France’s CNES space agency, explained that the weightlessness experienced in space is the reason behind the loss of bone density. “Even with two hours of sport a day, it is like you are bedridden for the other 22 hours. It will not be easy for the crew to set foot on Martian soil when they arrive – it’s very disabling.”

Astronauts lose shocking amount of bone mass in space, study finds

It's real fun to observe astronauts in space bouncing around in zero gravity. Though we theoretically know that space does not have gravity, actually seeing zero gravity in action is amusing nonetheless.

Like solids, liquids act strange in zero gravity. But it's a bit hard to imagine how that would come to be.

An astronaut has come to our rescue. Chris Hadfield, a Canadian astronaut who is aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has shown everyone what happens when you wring a wet cloth in zero gravity.

The astronaut first takes a washcloth, packed to the size of a hockey puck. He takes the cloth out and wets it in water.&nbsp;

This may sound simple but how he does that in zero gravity is a thing to behold. Once the washcloth is wet with water, Hadfield proceeds to wring it.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-hubble-telescope-clicks-crisp-image-of-a-sparkling-galaxy-491728">NASA's Hubble Telescope clicks crisp image of a sparkling galaxy</a>

Now, if we do this on Earth, the water will come out of the wash cloth and drip to the ground. But in space, where there is no gravity, the water simply forms a tube around the cloth and continues to cling to it. Even the water that 'falls' on Hadfield's hands forms an enveloping film around it.

Check out the video here

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It's amazing to see how he does that. And its perhaps precisely why the highly amusing video has got more than 10 million views so far and more than 100,000 people have liked it. 
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It's real fun to observe astronauts in space bouncing around in zero gravity. Though we theoretically know that space does not have gravity, actually seeing zero gravity in action is amusing nonetheless.

It's real fun to observe astronauts in space bouncing around in zero gravity. Though we theoretically know that space does not have gravity, actually seeing zero gravity in action is amusing nonetheless. Like solids, liquids act strange in zero gravity. But it's a bit hard to imagine how that would come to be. An astronaut has come to our rescue. Chris Hadfield, a Canadian astronaut who is aboard the International Space Station (ISS) has shown everyone what happens when you wring a wet cloth in zero gravity. The astronaut first takes a washcloth, packed to the size of a hockey puck. He takes the cloth out and wets it in water. This may sound simple but how he does that in zero gravity is a thing to behold. Once the washcloth is wet with water, Hadfield proceeds to wring it. Also Read | NASA's Hubble Telescope clicks crisp image of a sparkling galaxy Now, if we do this on Earth, the water will come out of the wash cloth and drip to the ground. But in space, where there is no gravity, the water simply forms a tube around the cloth and continues to cling to it. Even the water that 'falls' on Hadfield's hands forms an enveloping film around it. Check out the video here × It's amazing to see how he does that. And its perhaps precisely why the highly amusing video has got more than 10 million views so far and more than 100,000 people have liked it.

Astronaut shows what happens when you wring wet cloth in space

Nasa, along with the US department of energy, is working&nbsp;to enhance space nuclear technologies. The space agency&nbsp;has chosen three design concept proposals for a fission surface power system design which may be ready for launch by the end of this decade for a demonstration on the Moon and is going to benefit exploration under the Artemis mission in the future.

Three companies, Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse, and IX (a partnership between Intuitive Machines and X-Energy), will be receiving a contract through DOE's Idaho National Laboratory, each valued at nearly $5 million.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/narrow-escape-international-space-station-dodges-space-debris-from-russian-anti-satellite-test-490218">Narrow escape! International Space Station dodges space debris from Russian anti-satellite test</a>

The contracts will finance the development of initial design concepts for a 40-kilowatt class fission power system which is being planned to last for a minimum period of 10 years in the lunar environment.

Fission systems are reliable and relatively small and lightweight in comparison to other power systems. These systems will have the capacity to enable continuous power regardless of location, available sunlight, and other natural environmental conditions, paving the way for long-duration missions on the Moon and even Mars.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Mysterious rocks reveal to reveal secrets of Mars?

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The Associate Administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, Jim Reuter, said, "New technology drives our exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The development of these early designs will help us lay the groundwork for powering our long-term human presence on other worlds."

Idaho National Laboratory's managing and operating contractor, Battelle Energy Alliance, led the request for the Proposal development, evaluation, and also procurement sponsored by NASA.&nbsp;

Idaho National Laboratory Director John Wagner said, "The Fission Surface Power project is a very achievable first step toward the United States establishing nuclear power on the Moon. I look forward to seeing what each of these teams will accomplish."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-to-gradually-shut-voyager-probes-as-they-drift-away-489927">NASA to gradually shut Voyager probes as they drift away</a>

NASA will receive critical information from the industry through Phase 1 awards that can result in the full flight-certified fission power system being jointly developed.

The Fission surface power technologies will also help NASA with mature nuclear propulsion systems that rely on reactors to generate power that can be used for deep space exploration missions.

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Nasa, along with the US department of energy, is working to enhance space nuclear technologies. The space agency has chosen three design concept proposals for a fission surface power system design which may be ready for launch by the end of this decade for a demonstration on the Moon and is going to benefit exploration under the Artemis mission in the future.

Nasa, along with the US department of energy, is working to enhance space nuclear technologies. The space agency has chosen three design concept proposals for a fission surface power system design which may be ready for launch by the end of this decade for a demonstration on the Moon and is going to benefit exploration under the Artemis mission in the future. Three companies, Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse, and IX (a partnership between Intuitive Machines and X-Energy), will be receiving a contract through DOE's Idaho National Laboratory, each valued at nearly $5 million. Also read | Narrow escape! International Space Station dodges space debris from Russian anti-satellite test The contracts will finance the development of initial design concepts for a 40-kilowatt class fission power system which is being planned to last for a minimum period of 10 years in the lunar environment. Fission systems are reliable and relatively small and lightweight in comparison to other power systems. These systems will have the capacity to enable continuous power regardless of location, available sunlight, and other natural environmental conditions, paving the way for long-duration missions on the Moon and even Mars. Watch | Gravitas: Mysterious rocks reveal to reveal secrets of Mars? The Associate Administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, Jim Reuter, said, "New technology drives our exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The development of these early designs will help us lay the groundwork for powering our long-term human presence on other worlds." Idaho National Laboratory's managing and operating contractor, Battelle Energy Alliance, led the request for the Proposal development, evaluation, and also procurement sponsored by NASA. Idaho National Laboratory Director John Wagner said, "The Fission Surface Power project is a very achievable first step toward the United States establishing nuclear power on the Moon. I look forward to seeing what each of these teams will accomplish." Also read | NASA to gradually shut Voyager probes as they drift away NASA will receive critical information from the industry through Phase 1 awards that can result in the full flight-certified fission power system being jointly developed. The Fission surface power technologies will also help NASA with mature nuclear propulsion systems that rely on reactors to generate power that can be used for deep space exploration missions. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

NASA to test 3 nuclear fission plant designs on the Moon to power Martian and deep space exploration

The International Space Station had a close shave on Thursday as it narrowly avoided crashing into a piece of space junk from a Russian anti-satellite weapons test. NASA confirmed that the ISS had to quickly maneuver in order to avoid the orbital debris. The space debris originated from an anti-satellite weapons test that ended up destroying the Soviet-era Cosmos 1408 satellite in November 2021. A rough estimate states that there were around 1500 pieces of debris from the incident.

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"The crew was never in any danger and the maneuver had no impact on station operations," read a statement released by NASA about the avoidance maneuver. "Without the maneuver, it was predicted that the fragment could have passed within around a half-mile from the station."

This was not the first time that the ISS had to perform such avoidance maneuvers in the recent past as they had to avoid space debris in November and December of 2021. Any collision with space debris can result in massive damage to the system and also the astronauts inside the ISS.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/no-pee-in-sea-spanish-city-to-relieve-those-urinating-on-beach-of-money-in-fine-490140" hreflang="en">No pee in sea: Spanish city to relieve those urinating on beach of money in fine</a>

Russian space agency Roscosmos posted a video on Telegram of the entire process as they used an uncrewed Progress 81 cargo ship to move the orbiting lab away from the path of the debris.

"I confirm that at 22.03 Moscow time, the engines of the Russian Progress MS-20 transport cargo ship carried out an unscheduled maneuver to avoid a dangerous approach of the International Space Station with a fragment of the Kosmos-1408 spacecraft," Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said.

The International Space Station had a close shave on Thursday as it narrowly avoided crashing into a piece of space junk from a Russian anti-satellite weapons test.

The International Space Station had a close shave on Thursday as it narrowly avoided crashing into a piece of space junk from a Russian anti-satellite weapons test. NASA confirmed that the ISS had to quickly maneuver in order to avoid the orbital debris. The space debris originated from an anti-satellite weapons test that ended up destroying the Soviet-era Cosmos 1408 satellite in November 2021. A rough estimate states that there were around 1500 pieces of debris from the incident. Also read | In Pics: 290-million-year-old ‘rare’ forest unearthed in Brazil "The crew was never in any danger and the maneuver had no impact on station operations," read a statement released by NASA about the avoidance maneuver. "Without the maneuver, it was predicted that the fragment could have passed within around a half-mile from the station." This was not the first time that the ISS had to perform such avoidance maneuvers in the recent past as they had to avoid space debris in November and December of 2021. Any collision with space debris can result in massive damage to the system and also the astronauts inside the ISS. Also read | No pee in sea: Spanish city to relieve those urinating on beach of money in fine Russian space agency Roscosmos posted a video on Telegram of the entire process as they used an uncrewed Progress 81 cargo ship to move the orbiting lab away from the path of the debris. "I confirm that at 22.03 Moscow time, the engines of the Russian Progress MS-20 transport cargo ship carried out an unscheduled maneuver to avoid a dangerous approach of the International Space Station with a fragment of the Kosmos-1408 spacecraft," Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin said.

Narrow escape! International Space Station dodges space debris from Russian anti-satellite test

Chinese researchers caused a massive stir in the scientific community when they claimed that the “Sky Eye” telescope has picked up signals which they believed originated from aliens. However, that claim has now been questioned by an American researcher. Dan Werthimer, which works for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) at the University of Berkeley, California and a co-author on the research project which first spotted the signal, believes that the signals are actually from “human interference”. The news about the signals coming from aliens was reported by a lot of media outlets after it appeared on the official newspaper of China's Ministry of Science and Technology.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/three-word-resignation-frustrated-with-your-job-heres-how-you-can-draft-your-resignation-letter-489511" hreflang="en">Three-word resignation: Frustrated with your job? Here’s how you can draft your resignation letter</a>

The claim found more footing as the narrow-band radio signals found by the radio telescope are not found from natural sources, but Werthimer said they were most probably artificial signals.

"The big problem, and the problem in this particular case, is that we're looking for signals from extraterrestrials, but what we find is a zillion signals from terrestrials," Werthimer told Live Science.

"They're very weak signals, but the cryogenic receivers on the telescopes are super sensitive and can pick up signals from cell phones, television, radar and satellites — and there are more and more satellites in the sky every day. If you're kind of new in the game, and you don't know all these different ways that interference can get into your data and corrupt it, it's pretty easy to get excited."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ufo-expert-claims-to-have-spotted-weird-elephant-like-creature-on-mars-489595" hreflang="en">UFO expert claims to have spotted ‘weird elephant-like creature’ on Mars</a>

Despite the claims by the authorities, the team of scientists have remained quite cautious in their approach and have keep the possibility open of the signals not being from alien sources.

"These are several narrow-band electromagnetic signals different from the past, and the team is currently working on further investigation," Zhang Tongjie, head scientist at the China Extraterrestrial Civilization Research Group at Beijing Normal University, said in the report. "The possibility that the suspicious signal is some kind of radio interference is also very high, and it needs to be further confirmed and ruled out. This may be a long process."

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Chinese researchers caused a massive stir in the scientific community when they claimed that the “Sky Eye” telescope has picked up signals which they believed originated from aliens.

Chinese researchers caused a massive stir in the scientific community when they claimed that the “Sky Eye” telescope has picked up signals which they believed originated from aliens. However, that claim has now been questioned by an American researcher. Dan Werthimer, which works for Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) at the University of Berkeley, California and a co-author on the research project which first spotted the signal, believes that the signals are actually from “human interference”. The news about the signals coming from aliens was reported by a lot of media outlets after it appeared on the official newspaper of China's Ministry of Science and Technology. Also read | Three-word resignation: Frustrated with your job? Here’s how you can draft your resignation letter The claim found more footing as the narrow-band radio signals found by the radio telescope are not found from natural sources, but Werthimer said they were most probably artificial signals. "The big problem, and the problem in this particular case, is that we're looking for signals from extraterrestrials, but what we find is a zillion signals from terrestrials," Werthimer told Live Science. "They're very weak signals, but the cryogenic receivers on the telescopes are super sensitive and can pick up signals from cell phones, television, radar and satellites — and there are more and more satellites in the sky every day. If you're kind of new in the game, and you don't know all these different ways that interference can get into your data and corrupt it, it's pretty easy to get excited." Also read | UFO expert claims to have spotted ‘weird elephant-like creature’ on Mars Despite the claims by the authorities, the team of scientists have remained quite cautious in their approach and have keep the possibility open of the signals not being from alien sources. "These are several narrow-band electromagnetic signals different from the past, and the team is currently working on further investigation," Zhang Tongjie, head scientist at the China Extraterrestrial Civilization Research Group at Beijing Normal University, said in the report. "The possibility that the suspicious signal is some kind of radio interference is also very high, and it needs to be further confirmed and ruled out. This may be a long process." WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Alien signal or human interference? Researcher using 'Sky Eye' telescope explains

In a recently released photo of Mars by NASA, a self-proclaimed UFO expert has claimed to have spotted an unusual creature on the giant red planet. Share his discovery on the UFO Sightings Daily website, Scott Waring, a self-proclaimed alien researcher found something strange between the rock formations on the surface of the red planet. The Taiwan-based extraterrestrial expert claimed that it resembled an ‘elephant-like-creature’ and that its existence was concrete proof of life on Mars.

“Today, I found some interesting ancient alien artifacts in a Mars photo,” Scott Waring wrote on&nbsp;UFO Sightings Daily.

“The most outstanding artefact is a statue of an elephant-like creature with a short trunk. It is sitting down and turned looking to the left,” he said describing the features of this unknown creature in his June 10 report.

“There is also a huge face with thick lips, open mouth and a round nose, two eyes,” adding, “Proof of life on Mars, without a doubt.”

Waring’s observations came days after NASA’s Perseverance rover released photos of the Mars where several people spotted a ‘thermal blanket.

Watch |&nbsp;Gravitas: Human trash found on Mars

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This is not the first time that Waring, the author of the book UFO Sightings of 2006-2009, has pointed out weird sightings on the surface of Mars.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasas-mars-rover-spots-human-trash-on-mars-488689">NASA's Mars Rover spots 'human trash' on Mars</a>

He has previously shared pictures of inexplicable sightings on the Martian surface, which includes claims of spotting a ‘dark lady’, a polar bear and a space crab on Mars.

&nbsp;Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasas-perseverance-rover-clicks-amazing-picture-of-bizarre-snake-head-rock-balancing-boulder-on-mars-488258">NASA's Perseverance rover clicks amazing picture of bizarre snake-head rock, balancing boulder on Mars</a>

He once spotted a furry monkey sitting on the planet’s surface&nbsp;and demanded, “Why the hell aren’t biologists and zoologists looking into this?”

(With inputs from agencies)

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In a recently released photo of Mars by NASA, a self-proclaimed UFO expert has claimed to have spotted an unusual creature on the giant red planet. Share his discovery on the UFO Sightings Daily website, Scott Waring, a self-proclaimed alien researcher found something strange between the rock formations on the surface of the red planet.

In a recently released photo of Mars by NASA, a self-proclaimed UFO expert has claimed to have spotted an unusual creature on the giant red planet. Share his discovery on the UFO Sightings Daily website, Scott Waring, a self-proclaimed alien researcher found something strange between the rock formations on the surface of the red planet. The Taiwan-based extraterrestrial expert claimed that it resembled an ‘elephant-like-creature’ and that its existence was concrete proof of life on Mars. “Today, I found some interesting ancient alien artifacts in a Mars photo,” Scott Waring wrote on UFO Sightings Daily. “The most outstanding artefact is a statue of an elephant-like creature with a short trunk. It is sitting down and turned looking to the left,” he said describing the features of this unknown creature in his June 10 report. “There is also a huge face with thick lips, open mouth and a round nose, two eyes,” adding, “Proof of life on Mars, without a doubt.” Waring’s observations came days after NASA’s Perseverance rover released photos of the Mars where several people spotted a ‘thermal blanket. Watch | Gravitas: Human trash found on Mars This is not the first time that Waring, the author of the book UFO Sightings of 2006-2009, has pointed out weird sightings on the surface of Mars. Also read | NASA's Mars Rover spots 'human trash' on Mars He has previously shared pictures of inexplicable sightings on the Martian surface, which includes claims of spotting a ‘dark lady’, a polar bear and a space crab on Mars. Also read | NASA's Perseverance rover clicks amazing picture of bizarre snake-head rock, balancing boulder on Mars He once spotted a furry monkey sitting on the planet’s surface and demanded, “Why the hell aren’t biologists and zoologists looking into this?” (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

UFO expert claims to have spotted ‘weird elephant-like creature’ on Mars

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