SciByte

The results suggest the HR 8799 system is like a scaled-up Solar System

Now, with improved instruments, a team

has detected light coming directly from a planet light-years away

The data have high enough resolution to reveal not only the presence but the abundance of carbon monoxide and water in the planet’s atmosphere

Such information could shed light on how the planet formed

studies could also reveal the presence of life on a distant planet, but the planet’s size and orbit have already ruled it out as a habitable world

In 2008

the first image of a multiplanet system outside the solar system, showing three gas giants orbiting the star HR 8799

HR 8799 is about 130 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Pegasus

The planets are scorching hot, making them bright enough for astronomers to detect directly

In 2010, the researchers imaged a fourth planet around HR 8799

In the new study

focused on one of these planets, HR 8799c.

Five to 10 times as massive as Jupiter, HR 8799c sits about eight times farther away from its star than Jupiter does from the sun

Because of that great distance, the astronomers could block the star’s light and record infrared light

Because different gases absorb and emit light in distinct ways, the team could identify carbon monoxide and water but found no methane, which scientists had thought might be present.

In another new study

researchers simultaneously collected infrared light from the atmospheres of all four planets

A team led by

an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, found hints of ammonia, methane, carbon dioxide and acetylene in the planets’ atmospheres

The chemistry of each planet varies

different from anything in our own solar system

Although the teams looked at different wavelengths of light, which pick up different types of molecules, the two studies appear consistent

by peering at just one planet, Konopacky’s team obtained more detailed data that allowed the researchers to get a sense of how much carbon and oxygen is in HR 8799c’s atmosphere

Knowing the ratio of carbon to oxygen in the atmosphere may reveal how the planet formed

Astronomers have two competing theories of how planets arise from the disk of gas and dust encircling a young star

In the gravitational instability model, some of the gas and dust suddenly clumps and collapses, simultaneously creating a planet’s core and atmosphere

In this scenario, the chemical composition of a planet should match that of its star

In the other model, known as core accretion, planet building is a two-step process

First, material from the disk accumulates into a core.

Later, the core captures gases swirling in the disk to form an atmosphere.

In this case, the carbon-to-oxygen ratio of the planet may differ from the star because the accretion of cores may deplete the disk of certain elements

Compared with its star, HR 8799c appears to have slightly more carbon relative to oxygen, suggesting the planet originated via core accretion

surmise that when the disk around HR 8799 formed, water froze into particles of ice.

The bits of ice collided to form the planet’s core, leaving behind little water vapor, and therefore less oxygen, when the planet accumulated its atmosphere later on

Other researchers are not convinced by this conclusion

“We don’t really understand planetary formation enough to make a strong case either way,”

the data from both new studies may help astronomers refine their simulations of planetary formation

astronomers have directly imaged planets around three distant stars

researchers are poised to capture light from many more planets

Project 1640,

is looking for Jupiter-sized planets around some 200 stars

“Ultimately, with better instruments, people will be able to use these methods on Earthlike planets.”

The semicircle is divided into twelve sections of about 15 degrees each.

A dent in the middle of the approximately 16 centimeter long horizontal baseline served to insert a wooden or metal bolt that would cast a shadow to show the hours of the day

Small dots in the middle of each section were used for even more detailed time measuring

found in an area of stone huts that were used in the 13th century BC to house the men working at the construction of the graves

possibly used to measure their work hours

the division of the sun path into hours also played a crucial role in the so-called netherworld guides that were drawn onto the walls of the royal tombs

These guides are illustrated texts that chronologically describe the nightly progression of the sun-god through the underworld.

the sun dial could also have served to further visualize this phenomenon.

Then the payload bay doors will be carefully opened and the Canadian built remote manipulator system (RMS) — or robotic arm — will be installed and extended

new 90,000-square-foot home

mounted high on steel pedestals – tilted at exactly 43.21 degrees – simulating the outlook as though she was ‘in flight’ orbiting Earth and approaching the International Space Station (ISS).

Atlantis rises some 30 feet off the ground

nose soars 26.5 feet above ground the portside wingtip sits only 7.5 feet from the floor. The wing tip top soars 87 feet from the ground

sitting right beside Atlantis will be a co-orbiting, high fidelity full scale replica of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope

CDHS - command and data handling system, the satellite's main onboard computer

COM - communications system for up- and downlinks

EPS - electrical power system, provides electrical power for the satellite

PL - payload, the satellite's experiment module, that containt the tether and everything else related to the experiment

STR - satellite's structure

According to the CubeSat standard there are three different sized CubeSats corresponding to size 1U, 2U and 3U. Base side lengths are the same but height is 2 to 3 times bigger than 1U CubeSats

Mass is also set in CubeSat standard, the highest possible mass for 1U CubeSat is 1300 grams, 2U CubeSat 2600 grams and 3U CubeSat 4000 grams

CubeSat base side length must be 100.0±0.1 millimeters and satellite height must be 113.5±0.1 mm

the Estonian satellite

a 1U CubeSat

Although

its main purpose was to educate students, the satellite does have a scientific purpose.

On board of the satellite is an electric solar wind sail (e-sail) which was created by a Finnish scientist Pekka Janhunen

it is the first real experimentation of the e-sail

10 meters of e-sail 50 to 20 micrometers thick wire of high-technology structure so-called Heytether will be deployed from the satellite.

The deployment of the Heytether can be detected by decrease of the satellite's speed of rotation or by a on-board camera

To control the loaded solar wind sail elements interaction with the plasma surrounding the earth and the effect it has on the spacecraft spinning speed the spacecraft has two on-board nanotechnologic electron emitters/gun

The electron emitters are connected to the e-sail element and by shooting out electrons it loads the e-sail element positively to 500 volts

The positive ions in the plasma push the e-sail element and have an influence on the satellites rotation speed

The effect of the e-sail is measured by the change in rotation speed

The camera is used to take a picture of Earth and the successfully deployed Heytether. [edit]

ESTCube-1 will be sent to orbit by the European Space Agency's rocket Vega in spring of 2013

Start in spring of 2013

Half an hour after the satellites deployment from the start capsule satellites antennas will be opened and radio transmitter and important subsystems will be switched on

First days or weeks will be used to test the satellite and set it to work on full capacity.

Orienting the satellite so the on-board camera will be faced to earth

trying to take a picture of Estonia

Rotating the satellite on an axis with a speed of 1 revolution per second

E-sail element deployment from the satellite by a centrifugal force and confirming the deployment via the on-board camera

Activating the electron emitter and loading the e-sail

Measuring the e-sails and Lorentz force by satellites revolutions per second

If possible using the negatively charged e-sail to take the satellite off orbit and burn it in the earths atmosphere

If everything goes perfect the mission can be completed within a few weeks to a month

Lifespan of the satellite

Measurements and weight

Scientific purpose

Communicating with the satellite

held by two International Amateur Radio Unions three registered frequencies

Periodic but very slow communication is done on a telegraphic signal on a frequency of 437.250 MHz

the most important satellite parameters are transmitted every 3 to 5 minutes

For fast connections FSK-modulation radio signal on a frequency of 437.505 MHz with a 9600 baud connection speed and AX.25 standard is used.

Somewhat slow connection speed is caused by the usage of amateur radio frequencies which allow a maximum of 25 kiloherz bandwidth

Fast connection is used only when the satellite has been given a specific

Using the GFSK-modulation maximum possible connection speed is 19,200 bits per second

Software

FreeRTOS on the satellite's Command and Data Handling System and camera module

TinyOS on the satellite's communication module

Financing and costs

Cheapest possibility to send a satellite onto orbit is offered by European Space Agency. Because Estonia is an associated member of ESA most of the launch expenses (about 70,000 euros) will be covered from Estonian member fee for educational expenses. With the launch total expenses for the project are approximately 100,000 euros.

Last September, Grasshopper flew to 2.5 meters (8.2 feet),

in November, it flew to 5.4 meters (17.7 feet)

in December, it flew to 40 meters (131 feet).

Grasshopper stands 10 stories tall

consists of a Falcon 9 rocket first stage tank, Merlin 1D engine, four steel and aluminum landing legs with hydraulic dampers, and a steel support structure