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The complete Psychotechnic League
World War III has ravaged the globe. Once great nations have been brought to their knees. Now, a new science offers hope for the future: Psychodynamics, the ability to influence government and popular opinion. Led by the Psychotechnic Institute, humanity denounces its violent ways, once and for all. While peace reigns on Earth, humankind ventures out into the Solar System--and to the stars beyond. But soon the cycle of war and destruction begins anew. Publisher.
Book
Discovery of the Elusive Carbonic Acid (HOCOOH) in Space
A quarter century after the detection of the last interstellar carboxylic acid, acetic acid (CH3COOH), we report the discovery of a new one, the cis-trans form of carbonic acid (HOCOOH), toward the Galactic center molecular cloud G+0.693–0.027. HOCOOH stands as the first interstellar molecule containing three oxygen atoms and the third carboxylic acid detected so far in the interstellar medium. Albeit the limited available laboratory measurements (up to 65 GHz), we have also directly identified several pairs of unblended lines in the astronomical data (between 75 and 120 GHz), which allowed us to slightly improve the set of spectroscopic constants. We derive a column density for cis-trans HOCOOH of N = (6.4 ± 0.4) × 1012 cm−2, which yields an abundance with respect to molecular H2 of 4.7 × 10−11. Meanwhile, the extremely low dipole moment (about 15 times lower) of the lower-energy conformer, cis-cis HOCOOH, precludes its detection. We obtain an upper limit to its abundance with respect to H2 of ≤1.2 × 10−9, which suggests that cis-cis HOCOOH might be fairly abundant in interstellar space, although it is nearly undetectable by radio astronomical observations. We derive a cis-cis/cis-trans ratio of ≤25, consistent with the smaller energy difference between both conformers compared with the relative stability of trans- and cis-formic acid. Finally, we compare the abundance of these acids in different astronomical environments, further suggesting a relationship between the chemical content found in the interstellar medium and the chemical composition of the minor bodies of the solar system, which could be inherited during the star formation process.
Journal Article
The 100 year starship
So far, our travels into outer space have been limited to the planets and moons surrounding the sun in our own solar system. What would we find if we made it all the way to another star's solar system? Today's astronomers are planning a mission to explore further reaches of space than humans have ever reached. Readers will discover how these bold scientists are working to build faster spaceships and overcome the obstacles that make it difficult for humans to survive in outer space.
Book
Discovery in space of ethanolamine, the simplest phospholipid head group
Cell membranes are a key element of life because they keep the genetic material and metabolic machinery together. All present cell membranes are made of phospholipids, yet the nature of the first membranes and the origin of phospholipids are still under debate. We report here the presence of ethanolamine in space, NH₂CH₂CH₂OH, which forms the hydrophilic head of the simplest and second-most-abundant phospholipid in membranes. The molecular column density of ethanolamine in interstellar space is N = (1.51 ± 0.07) × 1013 cm−2, implying a molecular abundance with respect to H₂ of (0.9 − 1.4) × 10−10. Previous studies reported its presence in meteoritic material, but they suggested that it is synthesized in the meteorite itself by decomposition of amino acids. However, we find that the proportion of the molecule with respect to water in the interstellar medium is similar to the one found in the meteorite (10−6). These results indicate that ethanolamine forms efficiently in space and, if delivered onto early Earth, could have contributed to the assembling and early evolution of primitive membranes.
Journal Article
Interstellar travel
\"Interstellar Travel: Purpose and Motivations is a comprehensive, technical look at the necessary considerations for interstellar travel addressed by leading experts in the field, from scientists studying possible destinations (exoplanets) and the vast distances between, to those concerned with building institutions and capabilities in society that could sustain such endeavors. In addition to the technical, medical, and anthropological aspects of deep space travel, the ethics and morality of spreading Earth-based life to other worlds is also examined. In the first book of a three-book compilation, Interstellar Travel: Purpose and Motivations offers in-depth, up-to-date and realistic technical and scientific considerations in the pursuit of interstellar travel and is an integral reference for scientists, engineers, researchers and academics working on, or interested in, space development and space technologies. With a renewed interest in space exploration and development evidenced by the rise of the commercial space sector and various governments now planning to send humans back to the moon and to Mars, so also is interest in taking the next steps beyond the Solar System and to the ultimate destination--planets circling other stars.\"-- Provided by publisher.
BOOK
JWST Detection of a Carbon-dioxide-dominated Gas Coma Surrounding Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS
3I/ATLAS is the third confirmed interstellar object to visit our solar system and only the second to display a clear coma. Infrared spectroscopy with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) provides the opportunity to measure its coma composition and determine the primary activity drivers. We report the first results from our JWST NIRSpec campaign for 3I/ATLAS, at an inbound heliocentric distance of rH = 3.32 au. The spectral images (spanning 0.6–5.3 μm) reveal a CO2-dominated coma, with enhanced outgassing in the sunward direction and the presence of H2O, CO, water ice, dust, and a tentative detection of OCS. The coma CO2/H2O mixing ratio of 7.6 ± 0.3 is among the highest ever observed in a comet, and is 4.5σ above the trend as a function of rH for long-period and Jupiter-family comets (excluding the outlier C/2016 R2). Our observations are compatible with an intrinsically CO2-rich nucleus, which may indicate that 3I/ATLAS contains ices exposed to higher levels of radiation than solar system comets or that it formed close to the CO2 ice line in its parent protoplanetary disk. A relatively low coma H2O gas abundance may also be implied, for example, due to inhibited heat penetration into the nucleus, which could suppress the H2O sublimation rate relative to CO2 and CO.
Journal Article
Deep space propulsion : a roadmap to interstellar flight
This text reviews the many reasons for exploring our stellar neighbours using robotic probes, and closely examines new technologies for constructing space probes that can traverse the enormous distances between the stars.
Book
Discovery and Preliminary Characterization of a Third Interstellar Object: 3I/ATLAS
We report initial observations aimed at the characterization of a third interstellar object. This object, 3I/ATLAS or C/2025 N1 (ATLAS), was discovered on 2025 July 1 UT and has an orbital eccentricity of e ∼ 6.1, perihelion of q ∼ 1.36 au, inclination of ∼175°, and hyperbolic velocity of V∞ ∼ 58 km s−1. We report deep stacked images obtained using the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope and the Very Large Telescope that resolve a compact coma. Using images obtained from several smaller ground-based telescopes, we find minimal light-curve variation for the object over a ∼4 day time span. The visible/near-infrared spectral slope of the object is 17.1% ± 0.2%/100 nm, comparable to other interstellar objects and primitive solar system small bodies (comets and D-type asteroids). Moreover, 3I/ATLAS will be observable through early 2025 September, then unobservable by Earth-based observatories near perihelion due to low solar elongation. It will be observable again from the ground in late 2025 November. Although this limitation unfortunately prohibits detailed Earth-based observations at perihelion when the activity of 3I/ATLAS is likely to peak, spacecraft at Mars could be used to make valuable observations at this time.
Journal Article
Children of time
\"The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age--a world terraformed and prepared for human life. But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare. Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?\" -- (Source of summary not specified)
Book
Tuning the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Observing Strategy for Solar System Science
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is expected to start the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) in early to mid-2025. This multiband wide-field synoptic survey will transform our view of the solar system, with the discovery and monitoring of over five million small bodies. The final survey strategy chosen for LSST has direct implications on the discoverability and characterization of solar system minor planets and passing interstellar objects. Creating an inventory of the solar system is one of the four main LSST science drivers. The LSST observing cadence is a complex optimization problem that must balance the priorities and needs of all the key LSST science areas. To design the best LSST survey strategy, a series of operation simulations using the Rubin Observatory scheduler have been generated to explore the various options for tuning observing parameters and prioritizations. We explore the impact of the various simulated LSST observing strategies on studying the solar system’s small body reservoirs. We examine what are the best observing scenarios and review what are the important considerations for maximizing LSST solar system science. In general, most of the LSST cadence simulations produce ±5% or less variations in our chosen key metrics, but a subset of the simulations significantly hinder science returns with much larger losses in the discovery and light-curve metrics.
Journal Article