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Research describes a computational model that captures the intricate muscular architecture of an octopus arm.

Creating sustainable chemicals and developing better waste management will contribute to better sustainability. This research is part of figuring out how to make green hydrogen available for waste management using catalysts. The research uses solvents in low amounts that also act as hydrogen sources to break down a specific class of plastics called condensation polymers, which include polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, packaging, textiles, and 3D printing.

Like the Earth, the Sun likely has swirling polar vortices, according to new research. But unlike on Earth, the formation and evolution of these vortices are driven by magnetic fields.

A town in the Austrian Alps might not seem like the most conducive place to come up with daring space missions. But, for the last 40 years, students and professors have been gathering to do just that in Alpbach, just north of the Lichtenstein/Austrian border. One outcome of the Alpbach Summer School this year was an idea for a combined Neptune / Triton explorer mission to take advantage of existing technology developed for the JUICE missions. Before we get into the technical details of the mission, though, let’s dive into why scientists should care about the Neptunian system in the first place.

The last time we visited Neptune was with Voyager 2 back in 1989, and it was launched 12 years before that in 1977. Technology has advanced significantly since then, and the limited amount of data Voyager collected at Neptune provided exciting insights into the planet. For example, its magnetosphere is tilted by 47 degrees. Also, Neptune’s interior remains opaque, with our best guess being that it differs from the other gas giants. However, a lack of data makes further speculation difficult.

Triton, Neptune’s moon, is also interesting in its own right. It has a retrograde orbit, which implies that it is a captured Trans-Neptunian Object rather than a moon that formed from some violent event on Neptune itself. It shows a significant amount of geological activity and shot a series of dark plumes into space during Voyager’s flyby, whose composition remains unknown.

There are plenty of mission ideas for visiting Neptune and Triton – including the Trident mission at NASA.

Visiting these faraway worlds requires plenty of foresight, and many missions have been proposed. The “Blue” team at the Alpbach summer school developed a two-pronged approach for this mission design – the Triton Unveiler & Neptune Explorer (TUNE). This orbiter would hold most of the mission’s primary instrumentation and the Probe for Inner Atmospheric Neptune Observations (PIANO). One of the classes at the Summer School was space exploration acronym training.

TUNE, the orbiter, will be placed into a trajectory allowing it to orbit Neptune 600 times while using Triton to course-correct during its 40 flybys of the smaller moon. Its payload would include a standard suite of sensors, including a radiometer, spectrometer, altimeter, and many other meters. These instruments would help it complete its nine science objectives, which range from measuring temperature and pressure differences in Neptune’s atmosphere to determining Triton’s surface composition.

A second craft will help with several of those missions. PIANO has its own suite of meters, including a Nephelometer and helium sensor. It is designed to be shot into Neptune and send data back to TUNE during its descent, allowing scientists to get a first glimpse into the interior of this enigmatic world.

Fraser discusses the Voyager’s collected data on Neptune.

Thanks to the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission from ESA, most of the mission’s technologies already exist and have been flight-proven. While that lowers the overall development cost of the mission, other factors play into a sense of urgency for launch. In the 2070s, the part of Triton that emits those dark plumes will enter a night phase that it will not leave for years, making it necessary to get there before that nuance of orbital mechanics makes the mission goals more difficult.

Given the long development time for some missions and the decade-plus journey to reach the last planet in the solar system, the sooner scientists and engineers start working toward the mission, the better. But so far, none of the big space agencies have picked up the idea as a fully-fledged mission concept. Though we will eventually send another probe to Neptune at some point, unless one of them does pick up this mission, TUNE-PIANO might remain only a dream of one summer in the Austrian Alps.

Learn More:
M. Acurcio et al – The TUNE & PIANO Mission
UT – 10 Interesting Facts About Neptune
UT – What Is The Surface of Neptune Like?
UT – An Ambitious Mission to Neptune Could Study Both the Planet and Triton

Lead Image:
Global color mosaic of Neptune’s largest moon, Triton, taken by NASA’s Voyager 2 in 1989.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/USGS

The post A Mission to Triton and Neptune Would Unlock Their Mysteries appeared first on Universe Today.

Someone sent me this old video of Mr. Rogers singing a song about sex, and oy, would he be excoriated if he did this today. In fact, they wouldn’t even let this song on the air. :”Boys are boys from the beginning; only girls can be the mommies,” etc. That just won’t fly in today’s world!

When I sent it to a friend, I got the response, “You know the world is fucked up when Mr. Rogers would be cancelled.”

Never underestimate what a single gopher can achieve in a day: one of the burrowing mammals helped boost soil fungi in an area blanketed by ash from the explosive eruption of Mount St Helens in Washington state

To get a good sense of a country's level of development, you need to look at the items people have in their homes, according to economists. Research on low- and middle-income countries often focuses on income, health or education, but that doesn't tell you the full story of a country's situation.

A new microscope is capable of live imaging of biological processes in such detail that moving protein complexes are visible.

Two quantum information theorists have solved a decades-old problem that will free up quantum computing power.

Two quantum information theorists have solved a decades-old problem that will free up quantum computing power.

A team develops high-speed rotational scanning PACT system for monitoring whole-body biodynamic.

The discovery, centred around controlling tiny hurricanes of light and electromagnetic fields, could revolutionise how much information we can deliver over cables.

The discovery, centred around controlling tiny hurricanes of light and electromagnetic fields, could revolutionise how much information we can deliver over cables.

Researchers have succeeded in developing a microbial strain that efficiently produces pseudoaromatic polyester monomer to replace polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using systems metabolic engineering.

Why is the expansion of our Universe accelerating? Twenty-five years after its discovery, this phenomenon remains one of the greatest scientific mysteries. Solving it involves testing the fundamental laws of physics, including Albert Einstein's general relativity. Researchers compared Einstein's predictions with data from the Dark Energy Survey. Scientists discovered a slight discrepancy that varies with different periods in cosmic history. These results challenge the validity of Einstein's theories for explaining phenomena beyond our solar system on a universal scale.

Why is the expansion of our Universe accelerating? Twenty-five years after its discovery, this phenomenon remains one of the greatest scientific mysteries. Solving it involves testing the fundamental laws of physics, including Albert Einstein's general relativity. Researchers compared Einstein's predictions with data from the Dark Energy Survey. Scientists discovered a slight discrepancy that varies with different periods in cosmic history. These results challenge the validity of Einstein's theories for explaining phenomena beyond our solar system on a universal scale.

Where does the periodic table of chemical elements end and which processes lead to the existence of heavy elements? Researchers report on experiments to come closer to an answer. They gained insight into the structure of atomic nuclei of fermium (element 100) with different numbers of neutrons. Using forefront laser spectroscopy techniques, they traced the evolution of the nuclear charge radius and found a steady increase as neutrons were added to the nuclei. This indicates that localized nuclear shell effects have a reduced influence on the nuclear charge radius in these heavy nuclei

A robot, trained for the first time by watching videos of seasoned surgeons, executed the same surgical procedures as skillfully as the human doctors, say researchers.

A robot, trained for the first time by watching videos of seasoned surgeons, executed the same surgical procedures as skillfully as the human doctors, say researchers.

Engineers have found a way to make stronger and crack-resistant concrete with scrap carpet fibers, rolling out the red carpet for sustainability in the construction sector.