REPORT

Prepared For

Ms.Sharmin Farah

Lecturer

Prepared By

Group DStudent Name Student ID

Mushfik Ur Rahman 111151512Athkiya Sharmin 111151632

Taiyeb Ahmed Bhuiyan 111151349Shagufta Rahman 111151022

CST 1206 (NF)

August 23, 2015

United International University

Letter of transmittalAugust 23,2015

Ms. Sharmin Farah

Lecturer Faculty of MIS

School of Business and Economics

United International University

Subject: Submission of Report.

Dear Ma’m,

We are pleased to submit the report that you asked for & gave us the authorization to work on “Newest developments in outer space (existing and emerging)”. We tried our best to work on it carefully and sincerely to make the report informative.

The study we conducted enhanced our knowledge to make an executive report. This report has given us an exceptional experience that might have immense uses in the future endeavors and I sincerely hope that it would be able to fulfill your expectations.

We have put our sincere effort to give this report a presentable shape and make it as informative and precise as possible. We thank you for providing us with this unique opportunity.

Sincerely yours,

1. Mushfik Ur Rahman2. Athkiya Sharmin3. Taiyeb Ahmed Bhuiyan4. Shagufta Rahman

AcknowledgementIt is our esteemed pleasure to present the project report on “Newest developments in outer space (existing and emerging)”.

We express our deep gratitude to our course guide, Ms. Sharmin Farah

(Lecturer-MIS, School of Business and Economics), who have gave us the

inspiration to pursue the project and guided us in this endeavor. She has been

a constant source of motivation and encouragement for us. We thank her for

all the initiative and zeal she filled us with throughout the project work.

Executive summary

Table of content

ContentsIntroduction.................................................................................................................6

Description..................................................................................................................8

Newest developments in outer space (existing & emerging).....................................11

1.Wild inflatable space elevator idea.........................................................................11

2.Asteroid impact early-warning system's 1st telescope (atlas#1) up & running.......13

3.Gecko Feet Inspire Climbing Space Robots..........................................................14

4.Nasa finds closest earth twin (kepler 452b exoplanet) yet in haul of 500 alien planets.......................................................................................................................16

5.Found 'young jupiter',(51 eridani b) the smallest exoplanet directly seen by telescope...................................................................................................................17

Advantages/Features................................................................................................20

Disadvantages..........................................................................................................22

Conclusion................................................................................................................24

Reference..................................................................................................................25

IntroductionOuter space, or simply just space, is the void that exists between celestial bodies,

including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum

containing a low density of particles, predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and

helium as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, neutrinos, dust and

cosmic rays. The baseline temperature, as set by the background radiation from the

Big Bang, is 2.7 kelvin (K). Plasma with a number density of less than one hydrogen

atom per cubic metre and a temperature of millions of kelvin in the space between

galaxies accounts for most of the baryonic (ordinary) matter in outer space; local

concentrations have condensed into stars and galaxies. In most galaxies,

observations provide evidence that 90% of the mass is in an unknown form, called

dark matter, which interacts with other matter through gravitational but not

electromagnetic forces. Data indicates that the majority of the mass-energy in the

observable Universe is a poorly understood vacuum energy of space which

astronomers label dark energy. Intergalactic space takes up most of the volume of

the Universe, but even galaxies and star systems consist almost entirely of empty

space.

There is no firm boundary

where space begins. However

the Kármán line, at an altitude

of 100 km (62 mi) above sea

level, is conventionally used as

the start of outer space in space

treaties and for aerospace

records keeping. The

framework for international

space law was established by the Outer Space Treaty, which was passed by the

United Nations in 1967. This treaty precludes any claims of national sovereignty and

permits all states to freely explore outer space. Despite the drafting of UN resolutions

for the peaceful uses of outer space, anti-satellite weapons have been tested in

Earth orbit.

Humans began the physical exploration of space during the 20th century with the

advent of high-altitude balloon flights, followed by manned rocket launches. Earth

orbit was first achieved by Yuri Gagarin of the Soviet Union in 1961 and unmanned

spacecraft have since reached all of the known planets in the Solar System. Due to

the high cost of getting into space, manned spaceflight has been limited to low Earth

orbit and the Moon.

Outer space represents a

challenging environment for

human exploration because of

the dual hazards of vacuum

and radiation. Microgravity

also has a negative effect on

human physiology that causes

both muscle atrophy and bone

loss. In addition to these

health and environmental

issues, the economic cost of

putting objects, including

humans, into space is high.

DescriptionThe modern concept of outer space is based on the "Big Bang" cosmology, first

proposed in 1931 by the Belgian physicist Georges Lemaître. This theory holds that

the observable Universe originated from a very compact form that has since

undergone continuous expansion. The background energy released during the initial

expansion has steadily decreased in density, leading to a 1948 prediction by

American physicts Ralph Alpher and Robert Herman of a temperature of 5  K for the

temperature of space.

The term outer space was used as early as 1842 by the English poet Lady Emmeline

Stuart-Wortley in her poem "The Maiden of Moscow". The expression outer space

was used as an astronomical term by Alexander von Humboldt in 1845. It was later

popularized in the writings of H. G. Wells in 1901. The shorter term space is actually

older, first used to mean the region beyond Earth's sky in John Milton's Paradise

Lost in 1667.

Outer space is the closest known

approximation to a perfect vacuum. It

has effectively no friction, allowing

stars, planets and moons to move

freely along their ideal orbits.

However, even the deep vacuum of

intergalactic space is not devoid of

matter, as it contains a few hydrogen

atoms per cubic meter. By

comparison, the air we breathe

contains about 1025 molecules per

cubic meter. The sparse density of

matter in outer space means that electromagnetic radiation can travel great

distances without being scattered: the mean free path of a photon in intergalactic

space is about 1023 km, or 10 billion light years. In spite of this, extinction, which is

the absorption and scattering of photons by dust and gas, is an important factor in

galactic and intergalactic astronomy.

Stars, planets and moons retain their atmospheres by gravitational attraction.

Atmospheres have no clearly delineated boundary: the density of atmospheric gas

gradually decreases with distance from the object until it becomes indistinguishable

from the surrounding environment. The Earth's atmospheric pressure drops to about

0.032 Pa at 100 kilometers (62 miles) of altitude, compared to 100,000 Pa for the

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) definition of standard

pressure. Beyond this altitude, isotropic gas pressure rapidly becomes insignificant

when compared to radiation pressure from the Sun and the dynamic pressure of the

solar wind. The thermosphere in this range has large gradients of pressure,

temperature and composition, and varies greatly due to space weather.

The temperature of the vacuum is measured in terms of the kinetic activity of the

gas, as it is on Earth. However, the radiation that fills the vacuum has a different

temperature than the kinetic temperature of the gas, meaning that the gas and

radiation are not in thermodynamic equilibrium.[48][49] All of the observable Universe is

filled with photons that were created during the Big Bang, which is known as the

cosmic microwave background radiation (CMB). (There is quite likely a

correspondingly large number of neutrinos called the cosmic neutrino background.[50]) The current black body temperature of the background radiation is about 3 K

(−270 °C; −454 °F). The gas temperatures in outer space are always at least the

temperature of the CMB but can be much higher. For example, the corona of the

Sun has temperatures which range over 1.2–2.6 million K.

Outside of a protective atmosphere and magnetic field, there are few obstacles to

the passage through space of energetic subatomic particles known as cosmic rays.

These particles have energies ranging from about 106 eV up to an extreme 1020 eV

of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays.[53] The peak flux of cosmic rays occurs at energies

of about 109 eV, with approximately 87% protons, 12% helium nuclei and 1% heavier

nuclei. In the high energy range, the flux of electrons is only about 1% of that of

protons.[54] Cosmic rays can damage electronic components and pose a health threat

to space travelers. According to astronauts, like Don Pettit, space has a

burned/metallic odor that clings to their suits and equipment, similar to the scent of

an arc welding torch.

Despite the harsh environment, several life forms have

been found that can withstand extreme space conditions

for extended periods. Species of lichen carried on the

ESA BIOPAN facility survived exposure for ten days in

2007. Seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana

tabacum germinated after being exposed to space for 1.5

years. A strain of bacillus subtilis has survived 559 days

when exposed to low-Earth orbit or a simulated martian

environment. The lithopanspermia hypothesis suggests

that rocks ejected into outer space from life-harboring

planets may successfully transport life forms to another habitable world. A conjecture

is that just such a scenario occurred early in the history of the Solar System, with

potentially microorganism-bearing rocks being exchanged between Venus, Earth,

and Mars.

Space is a partial vacuum: its different regions are defined by the various

atmospheres and "winds" that dominate within them, and extend to the point at

which those winds give way to those beyond. Geospace extends from Earth's

atmosphere to the outer reaches of Earth's magnetic field, whereupon it gives way to

the solar wind of interplanetary space. Interplanetary space extends to the

heliopause, whereupon the solar wind gives way to the winds of the interstellar

medium.[95] Interstellar space then continues to the edges of the galaxy, where it

fades into the intergalactic void.

Newest developments in outer space (existing & emerging)

1. Wild inflatable space elevator idea

Space elevators usually refer to devices where cars, or “climbers,” pull themselves

up a long, flexible metal ribbon stretching from Earth to geosynchronous orbit, and

held taught by the centrifugal force of a huge anchor weight at the end. The idea is to

make “launch” to orbit several orders of magnitude cheaper and safer, so next-gen

space projects like the colonization of Mars might become practically possible. A

space elevator would allow us to power a launch to space with electricity, rather than

explosive chemical energy, and thus beat the majority of Earth’s gravity for far, far

less investment.

A Canadian space company was recently awarded a patent for a space elevator that

would reach about 12 miles (20 kilometers) above the Earth's surface. The elevator

features a commercial space launch runway at the top, where single-stage reusable

spacecraft can launch and land in thin atmosphere, and slightly reduced gravity. This

would be well matched with other next-gen space technology programs, like several

ongoing reusable spacecraft from companies like Lockheed and SpaceX, including

those that can do vertical takeoff vertical landing (VTVL) maneuvers.

Although space elevators have been considered a theoretical technology, they have

been billed as a cheaper alternative to rocket launches, especially when it comes to

sending heavy

objects or people into

space.

According to Thoth

Technology Inc., the

company that was

awarded the patent,

the U.S. patent allows for an elevator that would be 30 percent cheaper than the fuel

required by a conventional rocket. Also, the system would be fully reusable, further

reducing costs, the company said.

"Astronauts would ascend to 20 km by electrical elevator," inventor Brendan Quine

said in a statement. "From the top of the tower, space planes will launch in a single

stage to orbit, returning to the top of the tower for refueling and reflight."

Space transportation options will increase if other companies contribute to the effort

of developing alternatives to traditional rockets, noted Thoth CEO Caroline Roberts.

For instance, SpaceX is testing self-landing rockets, and the company has made

several attempts at landing a version of its Falcon 9 rocket on a sea barge drone, in

a move that SpaceX says will eventually decrease launch costs.

"Landing on a barge at sea level is a great demonstration," Roberts said, "but

landing at 12 miles above sea level will make spaceflight more like taking a

passenger jet."

On the product page, Thoth said it is an original equipment manufacturer of

"miniaturized payloads for space and UAV platforms." The company flew a

greenhouse-gas sensor called Argus IR aboard the CanX-2 microsatellite in 2008.

Thoth Technology is also working on several missions still in the development

phase, such as the Northern Light lander concept for Mars and an Extrasolar

Spectroscopy of Planets mission that would probe for elements in the atmospheres

of alien planets.

2. Asteroid impact early-warning system's 1st

telescope (atlas#1) up & running

The first Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System telescope is now in operation

on Haleakala – on the Hawaiian island of Maui.

Known as ATLAS, the telescope is part of an asteroid impact early-warning system

being developed by the University of Hawaii and funded by NASA. Once completed

in 2015, ATLAS will consist of two telescopes 100 miles (62 kilometers) apart that

will automatically scan the whole sky several times every night looking for moving

objects.

The promise of ATLAS is that it can provide

one day's warning for a 30-kiloton "town killer,"

a week for a 5-megaton "city killer" and three

weeks for a 100-megaton "county killer."

The telescope is located on Maui's Haleakala

volcano and "is working well and producing

useful images," according to a post on the ATLAS website. "We anticipate full

resolution after some adjustments are made to the Schmidt corrector. The mount

also performs well though it will require some fine-tuning to achieve ATLAS' stringent

tracking specifications."

"All aspects of this whole system are

very much under development right

now. However, the existing system on

Haleakala can survey the entire sky in a little more than one night, and we have

begun accumulating images,"

ATLAS representatives added in a July 30,2015 update.

ATLAS Telescope #2 is to be situated on Mauna Loa, a volcano located on the main

island of Hawaii. In the end of August 2015, the ATLAS team was expected to meet

with representatives from NASA and South Africa during the International

Astronomical Union meeting in Honolulu. Discussions are to focus on the possibility

of a third ATLAS unit in South Africa.

3.Gecko Feet Inspire Climbing Space Robots

NASA robots may climb the walls of the International Space Station one day using

grippers inspired by the super-adhesive feet of geckoes.

Scientists at the space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena,

California, are developing a "gecko gripper" system that could help robots inspect

and repair the space station's exterior, and perhaps conduct a wide range of

activities in Earth orbit. NASA released a video describing the gecko space robot

concept Wednesday (Aug. 12,2015).

"We might eventually grab satellites to repair them, service them, and we also could

grab space garbage and try to clear it out of the way," JPL engineer Aaron Parness

said in a statement.

Gecko feet aren't sticky in the same way that tape

is. Rather, the lizards rely on millions of tiny hair

like protrusions that become powerfully adhesive

when bent due to a phenomenon called van der

Waals forces.

Because the electrons orbiting a molecule's nucleus aren't evenly spaced, even a

neutral (uncharged) molecule has a positive side and a negative side. The positive

side of one molecule attracts the negative side of neighboring molecules, and vice

versa, generating the "stickiness" that allows geckoes to scuttle up walls and across

ceilings with ease.

The lizards can turn this adhesive force on by pushing their feet down and bending

the tiny "hairs," Parness said.

"This is how the gecko does it, by weighting its feet," he said.

The JPL team's gecko gripper works in pretty much the same way. Parness and his

colleagues created a material studded with synthetic hairs, each of them much

smaller than a human hair. When this material is pushed against a surface, it

adheres.

The latest generation of grippers

can support more than 150

Newton’s of force, which is the

equivalent of 35 lbs. (16

kilograms), researchers said.

In a microgravity flight test last

year through Nasa's Space

Technology Mission

Directorate's Flight

Opportunities Programme, the

gecko-gripping technology was used to grapple a 10 kilogramme cube and a 100

kilogramme person.

The gripping system doesn't lose its stickiness over time the way tape does,

researchers added, and it should work well in all environments — even those

featuring extreme temperatures, pressures and/or radiation conditions.

Parness and the team have already started testing out the gecko gripper in the

microgravity environment, using the technology to grab and manipulate objects

during parabolic airplane flights.

The researchers have also affixed gecko-gripper feet to a climbing robot called

Lemur 3, which can clamber over simulated solar panels and other spacecraft parts

as a result.

4.Nasa finds closest earth twin (kepler 452b exoplanet) yet in haul of 500 alien planets

It may not be Earth's exact twin, but it's a pretty close cousin.

NASA's Kepler space telescope has spotted the most Earth-like alien planet yet

discovered — a world called Kepler-452b that's just slightly bigger than our own and

orbits a sunlike star at about the same distance Earth circles the sun.

"This is the first possibly rocky, habitable planet around a solar-type star," Jeff

Coughlin, Kepler research scientist at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

(SETI) Institute in Mountain View, California, said during a news briefing on July

23,2015.

"We've gotten closer and closer to

finding a true twin like the Earth,"

Coughlin added. "We haven't found it

yet, but every step is important because

it shows we're getting closer and closer.

And this current planet, 452b, is really

the closest yet."

Scientists have discovered other small,

potentially habitable exoplanets, but those previous finds orbited red dwarfs, stars

much smaller and cooler than the sun. Kepler-452b lies 1,400 light-years away, and

is the only planet known in its solar system. It's about 60 percent wider than Earth,

which gives it a "better than even" chance of being rocky, researchers said. The

planet is probably about five times more massive than our own, making it a so-called

"super Earth." It likely possesses a thick atmosphere, lots of water and active

volcanoes.

The exoplanet completes one

orbit every 385 days, so its year

is only slightly longer than

Earth's. And Kepler-452b circles

a sunlike star that's just 10

percent bigger and 20 percent

brighter than the one that hangs

in Earth's sky.

"It would feel a lot like home,

from the standpoint of the sunshine that you would experience," said Jon Jenkins,

Kepler data analysis lead at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field,

California. (Jenkins led the team that discovered Kepler-452b.)

But Kepler-452b's star appears to be considerably older than the sun — 6 billion

years, compared to 4.5 billion years.

"It’s awe-inspiring to consider that this planet has spent 6 billion years in the

habitable zone of its star; longer than Earth," Jenkins said in a statement, referring to

that just-right range of distances that could support the existence of liquid water on a

world's surface. "That’s substantial opportunity for life to arise, should all the

necessary ingredients and conditions for life exist on this planet."

5.Found 'young jupiter',(51 eridani b) the smallest exoplanet directly seen by telescope

Astronomers have found the smallest

planet outside this solar system yet to be

directly photographed by a telescope on Earth, a methane-shrouded gas giant much

like a young Jupiter.

This newfound alien planet, called 51 Eridani b, orbits a star about 96 light-years

from Earth in a planetary system that may be much like Earth's own solar system.

The discovery could shed light on how our solar system formed, scientists added.

Scientists focused on 51 Eridani, a yellow-white dwarf star about 1.5 times the mass

and diameter of the sun located roughly 96 light-years away from Earth in the

Southern Hemisphere constellation Eridanus. This star, also known as 51 Eri, is very

young, only 20 million years old. In comparison, the sun is about 4.6 billion years old.

Young stars and planetary systems in the early ages of development can shed light

on how Earth's solar system was born and evolved. 51 Eri is one of 600 young stars

within about 300 light-years of Earth that the Gemini Planet Imager is slated to

analyze in the next three years. So far, researchers have scanned nearly 100 of

these stars.

"51 Eri is one of the best stars for imaging young planets," study co-author Eric

Nielsen at Stanford University and the SETI Institute, said in a statement. "It's one of

the very youngest stars this close to the sun. 51 Eri was born 20 million years ago,

40 million years after the dinosaurs died out."

51 Eridani b, or 51 Eri b as it is also known, is more than a million times fainter than

its star, and it still glows from the heat of its creation. The planet orbits its star at a

distance of about 13 astronomical units, or about 13 times the span between Earth

and the sun. This is between the distances of Saturn and Uranus from the sun. One

astronomical unit is about 93 million miles (150 million kilometers).

Planet 51 Eri b was discovered only a

month after the Gemini Planet Imager

began operations, in 2014.

"This is the first exoplanet discovered

with the Gemini Planet Imager," study co-

author Franck Marchis, senior planetary

astronomer at the SETI Institute, said in a statement. "Gemini Planet Imager is far

more sensitive than its predecessors. In fact, the 51 Eri system had been observed

by four previous-generation instruments that all missed the planet completely."51 Eri

b is only about twice the mass of Jupiter."51 Eri b is in many ways a young Jupiter,"

Macintosh.

Advantages/FeaturesWild inflatable space elevator idea:

This space elevator would reach about 12 miles

(20 kilometers) above the Earth's surface. This system would be 30 percent cheaper

than the fuel required by a conventional rocket. Also, the system would be fully

reusable, further reducing costs.

Asteroid impact early-warning system's 1st telescope (atlas#1) up & running:

This system promises that it can

provide one day's warning for a 30-kiloton

"town killer," a week for a 5-megaton "city

killer" and three weeks for a 100-megaton

"county killer."

Gecko feet inspire climbing space robots:

a "gecko gripper" system could help robots inspect and repair the space

station's exterior, and perhaps conduct a wide range of activities in Earth orbit. This

might eventually grab satellites to repair them, service them, and could grab space

garbage and try to clear it out of the way. The latest generation of grippers can

support more than 150 Newton’s of force, which is the equivalent of 35 lbs. (16

kilograms), researchers said.

Nasa finds closest earth twin (kepler 452b exoplanet) yet in haul of 500 alien planets:

This is the first possibly rocky, habitable planet around a solar-type star. It's

about 60 percent wider than Earth, which gives it a "better than even" chance of

being rocky, researchers said. The planet is probably about five times more massive

than Earth, making it a so-called "super Earth." It lies 1,400 light-years away, and is

the only planet known in its solar system. It likely possesses a thick atmosphere, lots

of water and active volcanoes. The exoplanet completes one orbit every 385 days,

so its year is only slightly longer than Earth's. And it circles a sunlike star that's just

10 percent bigger and 20 percent brighter than the Sun.

Found 'young jupiter',(51 eridani b) the smallest exoplanet directly seen by telescope:

It is a yellow-white dwarf star about 1.5 times the mass and diameter of the

sun located roughly 96 light-years away from Earth in the Southern Hemisphere

constellation Eridanus. This is the first exoplanet discovered with the Gemini Planet

Imager. It is a very young star, only 20 million years old. In comparison, the sun is

about 4.6 billion years old. It is more than a million times fainter than its star, and it

still glows from the heat of its creation. It is only about twice the mass of Jupiter and

in many ways it is a young Jupiter.

DisadvantagesWild inflatable space elevator idea:

It’s an odd design, even by the standards of lifts to

the heavens, and it makes some key compromises that make it less useful than a

traditional space elevator design. But those very compromises mean that it might just

be feasible enough to make a debut in the real, actual world.

Nasa finds closest earth twin (kepler 452b exoplanet) yet in haul of 500 alien planets:

It is impossible to judge whether it is similar to Earth with the few parameters

we have – it might just as well resemble Venus, or something entirely different. It

was detected by the Kepler telescope, which looks for small dips in a star’s

brightness as planets pass across its surface. It is a method that measures the

planet’s size, but not its mass. Conditions on Kepler-452b are therefore entirely

estimated from just two data points: the planet’s size and the radiation it receives

from its star. It was found to be 60% larger than the Earth. It orbits a sun-like star

once every 385 days. As a result, the planet receives a similar amount of radiation

as we do from the sun; just 10% higher. This puts the Kepler-452b in the so-called

“habitable zone”; a term that sounds excitingly promising for life, but is actually

misleading. Based on an Earth-like density, Kepler-452b would be five times more

massive than our planet. This would correspond to a stronger gravitational pull,

capable of drawing in a thick atmosphere to create a potential runaway greenhouse

effect, which means that the planet’s temperature continues to climb. This could be

especially problematic as the increasing energy from its ageing sun is likely to be

heating up the surface. Any water present on the planet’s surface would then boil

away, leaving a super-Venus, rather than a super-Earth. Kepler-452b is alone. As far

as we know, there are no other planets in the same system. This is an issue

because it was most likely our giant gas planets that helped direct water to Earth. At

our position from the sun, the dust grains that came together to form the Earth were

too warm to contain ice. Instead, they produced a dry planet that later had its water

most likely delivered by icy meteorites. These frozen seas formed in the colder outer

solar system and were kicked towards Earth by Jupiter’s huge gravitational tug. No

Jupiter analogue for Kepler-452b might mean no water and therefore, no

recognisable life.

Conclusion

Referencehttp://www.space.com/ Space and NASA news, universe and deep space

information.

http://www.extremetech.com/ Latest technology news,Tech blog,Extreme tech.