The past decade has seen a rapid expansion of the commercial space industry. Rival nations are competing for prime military and economic positions beyond the Earth. Public and private entities are clamoring tomine the Moon, and a growing halo of space junk is polluting low Earth orbit.In a 2023 white paper, a group of concerned astronomers warned against repeating Earthly “colonial practices” in outer space. But what’s wrong with colonizing space if there’s nothing there to begin with?I ...read more
Volcanoes are dangerous. Even when they aren't hurling rocks, ash and lava at you, they can release potential toxic gases, crumble beneath your feet or send slurries down their slopes to wipe you away. When you hike on a volcano, you need to be aware of that risk. I'm not saying you shouldn't visit volcanic places -- you should because they are some of the most amazing landscapes on Earth! However, satiating your desire for risk needs to be balanced with not become another death on a volcano.Yet ...read more
There was a time when giant cranes did not dot the city skyline and when bulldozers, backhoes, and excavators did not yet exist. But even before these pieces of seemingly critical technology were invented, we had palatial estates, temples, churches, pyramids, and the like, all of which were built with none other than human ingenuity.But how were these mega-structures of yesteryear built? Let’s take a closer look. 1. The Great Sphinx of Giza(Credit: gumbao/Shutterstock) The Great Sphinx of Giz ...read more
Most space mission systems historically have used one spacecraft designed to complete an entire mission independently. Whether it was a weather satellite or a human-crewed module like Apollo, nearly every spacecraft was deployed and performed its one-off mission completely on its own.But today, space industry organizations are exploring missions with many satellites working together. For example, SpaceX’s Starlink constellations include thousands of satellites. And new spacecraft could soon ha ...read more
Earth’s oxygen is something of a puzzle. Until recently, scientists believed it is produced entirely by photosynthesis — plants using sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.But earlier this year, oceanographers discovered an entirely new source of oxygen. Deep in Earth’s oceans, they found oxygen levels much higher than can be explained by photosynthesis alone, which typically occurs near the surface where sunlight can penetrate.The researchers concluded that ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine