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<br /><br /><ul><li>The National Aeronautics and Space Agency has discovered an Earth-sized planet 100 lightyears away with the potential to support human life. </li><li>The planet, TOI 700 d, has the right conditions to allow the presence of liquid water on its surface.</li><li>Its star is 40% the size of our Sun and only half as hot.</li></ul>The Earth isn’t going to last forever. Scientists continue to debate over what poses the greater threat to humanity — World War III, global warming, or overpopulation — but most agree that the planet’s demise is inevitable. <br /><br />That is why space agencies all over the world are looking for other planets that could support human life. The National Aeronautics and Space Agency (<keyword id="6360409" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nasa">NASA</keyword>) seems to have found one — TOI 700 d, an Earth-sized just over 100 lightyears away.<br /><br />This means that the planet’s conditions are suitable to allow the presence of liquid water on the surface.<br /><br /> Not only is it one of the few planets capable of supporting human life, but it’s also the <keyword id="1469572" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Transiting-Exoplanet-Survey-Satellite">Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite</keyword>’s (TESS) — NASA’s ‘planet hunter’ — first discovery of a habitable-zone.<br /><br /><strong>The scope for human life 100 lightyears away<br /></strong><br />TOI 700 d is located in the Dorado constellation orbiting a cool M dwarf star — and it’s not alone. Two other planets also orbit the same Sun. TOI 700 b is the innermost planet of the system. It’s also Earth-sized and believed to have a rocky surface. Since it’s so close to the star, it only takes the planet 10 days to complete one orbit. <br /><br />
  <div type="image" title="tess3_edited" msid="73133672" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;TOI 700 and its planets&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>


<br />TOI 700 c, the middle planet, is more than twice the size of Earth and believed to be largely dominated by gas. It takes around 16 days to complete its orbit.<br /><br />TOI 700 d is only one suited for human habitation. The energy is received for its star is around 86% of the energy the Earth receives from the Sun. It’s tidally locked in orbit, which means it only rotates once as it goes around its star. And, one orbit takes 37 days. <br /><br />This means, on average, daylight would persist on side of the planet for at least 15 days at a single stretch.<br /><br /><strong>TOI 700 d’s star<br /></strong><br />TOI 700, the star at the centre of this planetary system, was originally classified as being the same as the Sun. Only later, did astronomers discover that TOI 700 only has 40% of the Sun’s mass and size — and is only half as hot. <br /><br />
  <div type="image" title="tess5_edited" msid="73133697" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Illustration of TOI 700 d , a cool M dwarf star&amp;lt;span class=&amp;quot;redactor-invisible-space&amp;quot;&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/span&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>



<br />"When we corrected the star’s parameters, the sizes of its planets dropped, and we realized the outermost one was about the size of Earth and in the habitable zone," said Emily Gilbert, a graduate student at the University of Chicago. <br /><br />Although TESS first spotted the planet, its discovery was only confirmed after the <keyword id="1228017" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Spitzer-Space-Telescope">Spitzer Space Telescope</keyword> was able to verify its existence.<br /><br />"Discovering TOI 700 d is a key science finding for TESS. Confirming the planet’s size and habitable zone status with Spitzer is another win for Spitzer as it approaches the end of science operations this January," said Paul Hertz, the director of the astrophysics division at NASA.<br /><br />TOI 700 d isn’t the only planet in the universe that has the potential to support human life. NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has identified several other planets that could allow for water on their surface. But, without more data, it will be difficult to discern if there are other obstacles to prevent human habitation.<br /><br /><strong>See also:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/nasas-planet-hunter-uncovers-its-first-world-with-two-stars-1300-light-years-away/articleshow/73133158.cms?src=hp_ts">NASA's planet-hunter uncovers its first world with two stars 1,300 light-years away</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/all-mars-missions-in-2020-by-nasa-esa-roscosmos-china-and-uae/articleshow/73116605.cms">Space race heads to Mars — Four missions plan to explore Earth's closest neighbour in July this year</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/indian-scientists-spot-a-galaxy-260-light-years-away-that-isnt-giving-birth-to-any-new-stars/articleshow/73104110.cms">Indian scientists spot a galaxy 260 light-years away that isn't giving birth to any new stars</a></strong><br />

Habitable earth-sized planet discovered but its Sun doesn't set for over two weeks

<ul><li>Mars is humanity’s ‘back up’ plan in case the Earth were ever to become uninhabitable.<br /></li><li>This year, four different missions plan to explore the Red Planet for signs of life and the potential for human colonisation. <br /></li><li>All then plan to launch during the July window when Mars will be at least closest to Earth.<br /></li></ul>Mars is humanity’s back-up plan. If the Earth were ever to become inhabitable, the contingency plan is to colonise <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/mars-orbiter-mission-completes-4-years-in-pictures/articleshow/65972664.cms">our next-door neighbour</a>. But before that’s possible, scientists need more information.<br /><br />The space race is going forward full-throttle with four space missions — by four different countries — scheduled to launch in July this year. All of them with the singular objective to study Mars, and the potential it holds for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/before-we-put-people-on-mars-we-should-infect-the-planet-with-earthly-microbes-a-group-of-scientists-says/articleshow/71412145.cms">human habitation</a>.<br /><br />Movies like <em>The Martian </em>and<em> Total Recall </em>have already set the stage of what <keyword id="6449862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="life-on-mars">life on Mars</keyword> could be like. Now, it’s just a matter of figuring out <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/nasa-has-pinpointed-an-area-where-astronauts-could-land-on-mars-ice-is-so-accessible-there-that-they-could-dig-it-up-with-a-shovel-/articleshow/72498351.cms">how we’re going get there</a>. And once we’re there, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/a-140-million-prototype-of-a-mars-colony-is-being-planned-for-a-desert-near-dubai-heres-what-it-looks-like/slidelist/60944056.cms">how we will survive</a>.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="mars" msid="73116753" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Artist&amp;#39;s illustration of what human colonisation of Mars would look like in its early days&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div>

<br /><strong>Why July?<br /></strong><br />Mercury may be the <a href="https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/287809-mercury-is-actually-the-closest-planet-to-every-other-planet">closest planet</a> to every other planet in the solar system, but Mars stays closest to Earth for the longest time period. The two planets are closest to each other every 26 months — an event that’s called the Mars Close Approach. From Earth, it’s when Mars appears brightest in the sky. <br /><br />At its closest, Mars is approximately 54.6 million kilometres away. Yet, not all close encounters are equal. In 2003, it was less than 56 million kilometres from Earth — the closest it’s ever been in 60,000 years and won’t be again until the year 2287.<br /><br />The Red Planet’s last close approach was in 2018 when it was 57.6 million kilometres away. This year in July, it will be even further — approximately 62.07 million kilometres away, which is over 161 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. Nonetheless, astronomers are excited because it’s the closest Mars will be to Earth for another 26 months.<br /><br /><strong>Here are the missions that plan to take advantage of Mars Close Approach in July to study the Red Planet:</strong><br />

Space race heads to Mars — Four missions plan to explore Earth's closest neighbour in July this year

<ul><li>Elon Musk has shared updates on <keyword id="6360701" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="spacex" source="Orion">SpaceX</keyword>’s <keyword id="10328229" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="starship-rocket" source="Orion">Starship rocket</keyword> that will fly people to the moon, Mars and other destinations.</li><li>Musk imagines a future where SpaceX launches ten Starships three times a day.</li><li>There’s no definite timeline yet but Musk expects <keyword id="1611690" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="starship" source="Orion">Starship</keyword> to get to orbit by the end of the year.</li></ul>Elon Musk today shared updates on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/astronomers-form-centre-to-address-growing-number-of-starlink-and-other-satellites/articleshow/89397341.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">SpaceX’s</a> megarocket ‘Starship’ that will one day take people and cargo to the moon, Mars and other destinations in space. This is the first major update on Starship that Musk shared after 2019, and it took place at the company’s Starbase facility in Texas. <br /><br />At the event, SpaceX showed off the fully stacked Starship which consists of a huge first-stage booster called “Super Heavy”, and Starship which is the 50-meter-tall upper-stage spacecraft. Both elements of the rocket are designed to be reusable, something Musk reiterated at the event. <br /><br />Musk imagines a future where SpaceX launches ten Starships three times a day. There would be more Starships than the boosters as the boosters will return to Earth in about six months. That’s quite ambitious since the Super Heavy booster will have double the thrust than NASA’s Saturn V which is the largest ever rocket sent to orbit.<br /><br />This is part of Musk’s grand plan to colonise Mars. <br /><br />"One day we could make Mars a planet like Earth," Musk said.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Launch timeline" comment="subhead" text="Launch timeline"><span data-til="noop">Launch timeline</span></cmsannotation><br />Musk said that Starship will be used for Starlink missions and human spaceflight missions with NASA. The timeline for these missions weren’t revealed but Musk expects Starship to get to orbit by the end of the year. SpaceX is awaiting an environmental assessment of the Starbase facility by the FAA which is expected to be cleared in March. Once it’s approved, the first orbital testflight could take place next month. <br /><br />Musk also mentioned the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa’s dearMoon mission that will take people and fly around the moon on Starship. This mission is slated to take place in 2023. <br /><br />He added that people can look forward to future announcements on Starship that they “will be pretty fired up about.”<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/apple-updated-airtags-to-fend-off-unwanted-tracking-after-people-said-they-were-being-stalked-with-the-devices/articleshow/89489581.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Apple updated AirTags to fend off unwanted tracking after people said they were being stalked with the devices</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/microsoft-pledges-not-to-monopolize-call-of-duty-in-a-bid-to-get-its-69-billion-acquisition-through-regulators/articleshow/89486858.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Microsoft pledges not to monopolize 'Call of Duty' in a bid to get its $69 billion acquisition through regulators</a><br />

Elon Musk shares update on Starship rocket that will one day help Earthlings colonise Mars

The fastest way to turn public sentiment in your favour might just be pulling off the sort of engineering marvel the world has never seen before and casually making history — because the internet cannot stop talking about <keyword id="19903807" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Elon-Musk" source="keywords">Elon Musk</keyword> and his “chopsticks”.<br /><br />In case you don’t know what we’re talking about, <keyword id="19905255" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="SpaceX" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="SpaceX" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="SpaceX">SpaceX</keyword> recently “caught” its massive, 15-storey tall <keyword id="23544091" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Super-Heavy-rocket" source="keywords">Super Heavy rocket</keyword> Booster as it approached Earth using mechanical arms — the <keyword id="20215700" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="chopsticks" source="keywords">chopsticks</keyword> in question. After its launch in Texas, the booster returned to pad just 7 minutes later and neatly fell into the tower’s arms.<div type="twitter" handle="shaunmmaguire" handlename="shaunmmaguire" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1845444890764644694"></div>These massive mechanical arms on the launch tower were designed to catch the <keyword id="23533141" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rocket-booster" source="keywords">rocket booster</keyword> mid-air as it returned to the launch pad, rather than letting it crash into the ground or splash into the ocean. Might we add, this was a test flight that was a part of Elon Musk’s efforts to make the Starship system fully reusable and they got it right in the first try!<br /><br />Meanwhile, the Starship rocket, which flew to more than 130 miles in altitude, also successfully completed a controlled descent into the Indian Ocean. SpaceX intends on finding ways to make that reusable as well. And as Elon himself said, this is an important step towards making <keyword id="23544092" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="multiplanetary-travel" source="keywords">multiplanetary travel</keyword> possible — something the man’s been talking about for years.<div type="twitter" handle="elonmusk" handlename="elonmusk" favoritecount="0" retweetcount="0" id="1845463518671466934"></div>But as mind-numbingly cool as this entire event was, how exactly do these chopsticks tie into the multiplanetary transport goal — and also potentially alter the course of human history?<br /><h2>Boosting reusability and good ol’ cost-cutting</h2>Sending a rocket to space and having it come back usually means that it's going to splash down in water or worse — hard-land. Traditionally, rockets are either destroyed after use or land in the ocean, requiring complex recovery operations. By catching the rocket more gently using the chopstick manoeuvre, the rocket booster experiences less damage and can be refurbished and reused more quickly and with fewer repairs.<br /><br />This brings us to the other important barrier in making interplanetary travel a thing: how insanely expensive it is. SpaceX's goal is to make space travel affordable and efficient by reusing rockets instead of discarding them after each launch. Fully <keyword id="23532644" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="reusable-rockets" source="keywords">reusable rockets</keyword> drastically reduce the costs of launching payloads into space, making regular <keyword id="20018231" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space-missions" source="keywords">space missions</keyword> more feasible. By catching and reusing the massive Super Heavy boosters, SpaceX can slash the costs associated with building new rockets for every mission.<br /><br />Not to mention, it would also help cut costs if we didn’t need to go fetch the booster back from remote landing sites.<br /><h2>More efficient and frequent launches!</h2>Apart from the cost aspect of it, the ability to catch and reuse these massive boosters directly at the launch site means SpaceX can streamline the whole launch process as it eliminates the need to transport the boosters back. Reusability also means that SpaceX can shorten the time between launches, allowing for more frequent spaceflights. This would also save time and resources, making space missions more practical and sustainable for the long haul.<br /><br />This means the company can launch more often, potentially sending supplies, habitats, and crew to the Moon or Mars on a regular basis. For humanity to survive and thrive on another planet, we’ll need a reliable and consistent flow of resources. The "Chopsticks" help create a logistical system where rockets can be prepped and launched frequently, something critical for long-term colonisation.<br /><h2>Scaling up for deep space missions</h2>The Super Heavy booster that the "Chopsticks" caught isn’t just any rocket — it’s the most powerful ever built. Starship, the spacecraft designed to ride atop this booster, is intended to carry massive payloads, including people and cargo, on interplanetary missions. The ability to catch and reuse such a large rocket is a technical leap that will make future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond more feasible. <br /><br />However, safely recovering and reusing these enormous boosters is a technical challenge that SpaceX needs to master if it hopes to send frequent missions to Mars. With each test flight, SpaceX refines the technology that will one day send astronauts to colonise other planets. And by developing this technology, SpaceX is paving the way for the continuous, cost-effective supply chain necessary to support human colonies on other planets.<br />    <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="113162328" title="Elon Musk: SpaceX to launch first Starships to Mars in two years" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><br />

3 ways SpaceX’s “chopsticks” tie into making multiplanetary transport possible!

Experiencing a dead battery or losing your network connection is frustrating enough on Earth, but it would be infinitely more challenging in the inevitable event of such issues occurring in outer <keyword id="41531" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space" source="Orion">space</keyword>, where we have become a spacefaring society. In such situations, you can't simply call a tow truck because there might not be a nearby planet.<br /><br />The key solution to this futuristic problem lies in the creation of a vast <keyword id="1274004" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="interstellar" source="Orion">interstellar</keyword> network that operates around the clock. Think of it as the <keyword id="6357247" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="internet" source="Orion">internet</keyword>, but on an unimaginably larger scale!<br /><br />Although this concept is a matter for the distant future, we are already laying the groundwork in terms of theoretical science. To achieve this remarkable feat, we are relying on knowledge that was initially developed by none other than <keyword id="6417558" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="albert-einstein" source="Orion">Albert Einstein</keyword> himself.<br /><br />Albert Einstein's revolutionary theory of general relativity, which he proposed over a century ago to explain how <keyword id="87920" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gravity" source="Orion">gravity</keyword> influences the universe, plays a crucial role in this endeavour. This theory also gave rise to the idea of <keyword id="3144702" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gravitational-lensing" source="Orion">gravitational lensing</keyword>, a phenomenon in which the gravitational fields of massive objects can bend and amplify the light that approaches them. The iconic images of swirling rings around black holes, as seen in the movie "Interstellar," are a result of gravitational lensing.<br /><br />The potential to manipulate long-range signals, such as light, is enormous, as it paves the way for transmitting information across previously unimaginable distances. Once we can reliably transmit data from one star to another using gravitational lensing, we could theoretically establish a sort of <keyword id="19431737" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="intergalactic" source="Orion">intergalactic</keyword> internet, which is the focus of the researchers' latest study.<br /><br />The research team proposes that by positioning a spacecraft around the focal region of a solar gravitational lens (SGL), we could, in theory, enhance the light coming from exoplanets and other faint celestial bodies and transmit this information to other star systems. One potential challenge is the degradation of data as it travels through interstellar space, but the researchers have already demonstrated that achieving a viable signal-to-noise ratio is theoretically possible.<br /><br />Additionally, there is the possibility of increasing the power we receive from stars and transmitting it remotely to other celestial bodies. Space-based solar power has long been considered an ideal means of generating clean energy. With the establishment of the necessary infrastructure, we might use SGLs to transmit power from one star system to another and even deeper into the depths of interstellar space than ever before.<br /><br />While there are undoubtedly many more aspects that require thorough study before turning this theory into reality, the researchers remain hopeful. After all, by ticking off the items on the long list of challenges, we can explore interstellar space and colonisation in ways we've never been able to before.<br />

Interstellar internet may be possible if we can weaponise the gravity of massive stars, say scientists

<ul><li><keyword id="9608929" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="mission-hope">Mission Hope</keyword> took off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at around 4:00 am IST and the probe successfully detached from the rocket after 30 minutes. <br /></li><li>The Hope Probe is now on a 7-month journey through space until it reaches the Red Planet to study the Martian atmosphere all year round. <br /></li><li>The probe has three instruments on board to keep tabs on Martian weather so that the data will one day prove useful for colonising the planet. <br /></li></ul>Mission Hope — or the Hope Probe — isn’t just the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) first bout in interplanetary space exploration, it also kicks off the first of three missions that are headed to the Red Planet this summer.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="mars orbiter_edited" msid="77064914" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The UAE&amp;#39;s Mission Hope orbiter&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Mission Hope took off aboard the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries H-IIA rocket from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center at around 4:00 am Indian Standard Time (IST) on Monday. It was originally scheduled for July 14 but delayed multiple times due to poor weather conditions. <br /><br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="76980266" title="UAE Mars mission from Japan delayed again by weather" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><br />The probe successfully detached from the rocket after 30 minutes. For the next seven months, it will be flying straight for Mars.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="mission hope map" msid="77064819" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Mission Hope planned journey from Earth to Mars&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The reasons behind naming the $200 million Mars mission ‘Hope’ was two-fold. One, the Emirati wanted to show that their country can reach new heights in spite of conflicts on the ground. The other reason was their intent to one day colonise Mars.<br /><br /><strong>What makes Mission Hope different from other Mars missions?</strong><br />Unlike the other two Mars missions slated to launch this year — Tianwen-1 from China and Mars 2020 from The US — Mission Hope has no intentions of landing on the Red Planet. Instead, it plans to orbit it for a whole Martian year, which amounts to approximately 687 days. <br /><br /><div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="73116605" title="Space race heads to Mars — Four missions plan to explore Earth's closest neighbour in July this year" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><br /><strong>What is Mission Hope expecting to find on Mars?<br /></strong>The main objective of the Mission Hope is to understand Martian weather, which is one of the years they want to complete at least one year’s orbit. As a result, the scientists behind the mission are hoping to establish a connection between the ancient climate of Mars and what it has now. <br /><br /><div type="image" title="hope probe examination_edited" msid="77064869" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Performing checks on the Hope Probe&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Instruments aboard Mission hope will also be monitoring the escape of hydrogen and oxygen from the Martian atmosphere in addition to investigating how the lower and upper levels of the atmosphere are connected. <br /><strong><br />The technology and instruments behind Mission Hope<br /></strong>The Hope Probe has three instruments onboard — the Emirates Mars Infrared Spectrometer (EMIRS), Emirates Exploration Imager (EXI) and Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EMUS).<br /><br /><div type="image" title="hope probe_edited" msid="77064894" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The Hope Probe before launch&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />EMIRS will be used to measure the lower atmosphere and determine the temperature of the planet through the next year. EXI will provide information about ozone levels. Finally, EMUS will measure the oxygen and hydrogen level 43,000 kilometres from the surface of Mars.<br /><br />Combined, the three will send images of the Martian atmosphere back to Earth in the six to eight hours a week that UAE command and control centre will be able to establish contact. <br /><br /><br />

The Hope Probe is on its way to Mars — everything you need to know about the UAE’s first jump into interplanetary space

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6355315" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="elon-musk">Elon Musk</keyword> commented "haha" on a meme about <keyword id="191583" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Jeff-Bezos">Jeff Bezos</keyword>' upcoming <keyword id="41531" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="space">space</keyword> flight.</li><li>The meme mocked Bezos' flight because it will be sub-orbital - it will only touch the edge of space.</li><li>Musk has had a long-running rivalry with Bezos as the pair both own space exploration companies.</li></ul><p>Elon Musk enjoyed a meme on Saturday poking fun at Jeff Bezos' upcoming flight to the edge of space.</p><p>Musk <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1416286548258086914">commented "haha"</a> under a meme posted on Twitter about Bezos' flight. The meme shows Bezos talking to Musk about his flight, but with their faces superimposed onto Anakin Skywalker and Padme from "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones" - a <a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/for-the-better-right">popular meme format</a>.</p><p>The meme makes fun of the fact Jeff Bezos' flight will be sub-orbital, meaning it will only just touch the edge of space before coming back down to Earth, rather than going into orbit.</p><p>Bezos is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/watch-live-jeff-bezos-blue-origin-space-launch-2021-7">scheduled to fly</a> onboard New Shepard, a spacecraft made by his company <keyword id="199288" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Blue-Origin">Blue Origin</keyword>, on July 20.</p><p>Bezos' flight is slated to fly just above the Kármán line, an imaginary line 62 miles above sea-level, which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/blue-origin-jeff-bezos-astronaut-edge-of-space-2021-6">some use to define the boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and space</a>.</p><p>Bezos' flight should take <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-spaceflight-unlike-any-prior-rocket-launch-2021-6">roughly 11 minutes</a>, during which Bezos and the other passengers will experience approximately three minutes of weightlessness. Travelling with Bezos will be his <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-mark-bezos-jeff-bezos-brother-space-flight-2021-6">brother Mark Bezos</a>, 82-year-old aviator <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-space-flight-passenger-revealed-wally-funk-2021-7">Wally Funk</a>, and 18-year-old physics student <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-spaceflight-blue-origin-final-passenger-oliver-daemen-life-2021-7">Oliver Daeman</a>.</p><p><em><strong>Read more: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/space-tourism-axiom-spacex-gateway-foundation-iss-tickets-private-astronauts-2021-6">These 4 companies are leading the charge in 'space vacations' - from giant balloon flights to orbital hotels</a></em></p><p>Elon Musk has had a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-elon-musk-rivalry-history-timeline-2020-7">long-running rivalry with Bezos</a>, as both billionaires own space exploration companies. Musk's company <keyword id="6360701" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="spacex">SpaceX</keyword> has a stated goal of one day transporting human beings to Mars, and Musk has said he wants to help <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-plans-1-million-people-to-mars-by-2050-2020-1">colonise the red planet</a>.</p><p>Musk has previously <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1115764921482919937">called Bezos' Blue Origin a "copycat,"</a> and made fun of the company's proposed lunar lander <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-and-elon-musk-mocking-each-others-mars-and-moon-plans-2019-5">Blue Moon comparing it to "blue balls."</a></p><p>Recently, the two companies have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-elon-musk-spacex-nasa-contract-flawed-2021-4">clashed over a contract awarded to SpaceX by NASA</a> in April, with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-elon-musk-spacex-nasa-moon-landing-2021-6">Blue Origin lobbying</a> Washington to allow NASA to give out more money to another company.</p>

Elon Musk laughs at a meme about Jeff Bezos' upcoming space flight, making fun of him for only touching the edge of space

<ul><li>Microbial hitchhikers like the <keyword id="10807252" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="black-mold-fungus">black mold fungus</keyword> can potentially survive on <keyword id="47638" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mars">Mars</keyword> and pose a threat to astronauts looking to set up camp on the fourth planet from the Sun.</li><li>Black mold, also called ‘<keyword id="10807250" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="toxic-mold">toxic mold</keyword>’, has been linked to allergic reactions like skin rashes, headaches and other symptoms.</li><li>Researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (<keyword id="6360409" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nasa">NASA</keyword>) and the <keyword id="10807249" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="german-aerospace">German Aerospace</keyword> Centre found that black mold can survive Martian conditions by launching them into the Earth’s stratosphere.</li></ul>Not all life on Earth is doomed to die on Mars. Some microbes, like the black mold fungus, have the ability to temporarily survive on the Red Planet’s tough terrain.<br />Researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the German Aerospace Centre tested the endurance of microorganisms in Martian conditions by launching them into the Earth’s stratosphere.<br /><br />    <div type="image" title="marsbox3_edited" msid="81152379" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;em&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;MARSBOx payload containing dried microbial samples sent up in the Earth&amp;#39;s middle stratosphere to test for whether they would be able to survive on Mars&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />"We successfully tested a new way of exposing bacteria and fungi to Mars-like conditions by using a scientific balloon to fly our experimental equipment up to Earth's stratosphere," said Marta Filipa Cortesão, co-author of the study published in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2021.601713/">Frontiers in Microbiology</a>.<br /><br />But there’s a catch. These microbial hitchhikers pose a threat to astronauts who may be looking to settle down on Mars one day. The black mold fungus poses a potential health risk, even though studies are <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323419#_noHeaderPrefixedContent">yet to prove</a> exactly how much exposure is too much.<br /><br /><strong>Why is black mold dangerous?<br /></strong>Black mold — also called ‘toxic mold’ — is more of a legal construct, than a medical diagnosis, according to <a href="https://www.poison.org/articles/2011-oct/mold-101-effects-on-human-health">US Poison Control.</a><br /><br />    <div type="image" title="marsbox2_edited" msid="81152503" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Quartz disc with dried Aspergillus niger spores -- black mold -- before being placed in the aluminum sample carriers that went into the MARSBOx payload&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Nonetheless, there is research to suggest that there is a correlation between the presence of black mold and serious health problems. A 2016 study published in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4939167/">Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry</a> suggests that the presence of black mold in contaminated buildings can lead to skin rashes, headaches, dizziness and chronic fatigue. <br /><br />“With crewed long-term missions to Mars, we need to know how human-associated microorganisms would survive on the Red Planet, as some may pose a health risk to astronauts," noted co-author Katharina Siems.<br /><br />On Earth, mild or even dire symptoms can be easy to treat. But, on Mars, where supplies are likely to be limited, they could severely impact the productivity of the astronauts posted on the planet. <br /><br /><strong>What does this mean for manned missions to Mars?<br /></strong>The ability of microbes to survive in extreme conditions — the good and the bad — could have major implications for missions like <keyword id="6355315" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="elon-musk">Elon Musk</keyword>’s plans to eventually colonise Mars. His mandate for <a href="https://www.spacex.com/human-spaceflight/mars/">SpaceX</a>, an aerospace company he founded in 2002, is to send a million people to the Red Planet by 2050. <br /><br />To be fair, samples of microbes were only sent up to Earth’s stratosphere. Not the real deal located 225 million kilometres away.<br /><br />  <div type="image" title="marsbox_edited" msid="81152521" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;MARSBOx payload in the Earth&amp;#39;s middle stratosphere (38 km altitude). The shutter is open exposing the top layer samples to UV radiation.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Many key characteristics of the environment at the Martian surface cannot be found or easily replicated at the surface of our planet. But, scientists believe that — above the Earth’s ozone layer — the middle stratosphere provides conditions that are remarkably similar.<br /><br />The survival of microbes could actually be good news since the end goal is to create <keyword id="6449862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="life-on-mars">life on Mars</keyword> and hopefully make it fit for human habitation in the future. <br /><br />According to <keyword id="6360701" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="spacex">SpaceX</keyword>, the atmosphere on the fourth planet from the Sun can be compressed to accommodate the group of planets.<br /><br />Meanwhile, NASA’s latest mission, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/now-on-mars-time-nasas-perseverance-team-has-to-shift-their-work-hours-40-minutes-later-every-day/articleshow/81127068.cms">Perseverance</a>, has landed on Mars and one part of its mission is to hunt for life that may already exist on its seemingly barren surface.<br /><br />While exploring outer space, one just needs to be doubly sure that any life that is found — even if its microbes — is not something that travelled from Earth in the first place.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/deutsche-bank-plans-to-hire-1000-freshers-in-india-as-it-looks-to-build-core-technologies-in-house/articleshow/81147886.cms">INTERVIEW: Deutsche Bank plans to hire 1,000 employees in India as it looks to build core technologies in-house</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/politics/india/news/puducherry-government-falls-as-chief-minister-v-narayanasamy-loses-trust-vote-in-assembly/articleshow/81148119.cms">Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy resigns after Congress-led govt loses majority</a><br /><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/analysts-reports-showed-that-90-percent-of-unsecured-retail-loans-have-gone-to-salaried-government-employees/articleshow/81150110.cms"><strong>One in every five rupees lent by SBI to individuals, goes to government employees</strong></a><br />

NASA finds black mold fungus can survive on Mars — and it poses a threat to astronauts

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>PA</span></p><p class="caption">Proton-M rocket carries the ExoMars probe to Mars.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>LONDON - The stratospheric ambitions of the British space industry and its role in discovering life on Mars will not be blown off course by Brexit, according to the <keyword id="6354868" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="UK">UK</keyword> Space Agency boss.</p><p>Chief executive Katherine Courtney said she is confident that the growing sector, which now contributes more than £5 billion ($6.3 billion) to UK GDP, will continue to thrive once Britain leaves the European Union.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>PA</span></p><p class="caption">Katherine Courtney.</p></div><p></p></div></div>The UK Space Agency collaborates closely with the European Space Agency (ESA) - perhaps most notably on <a href="http://exploration.esa.int/mars/" target="_blank">the ExoMars mission.</a></p><p>The British government is <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2859504/Britain-lead-European-space-mission-life-Mars-using-hi-tech-rover-built-Stevenage.html" target="_blank">providing £47 million of funding</a> to help send an unmanned rover to Mars in 2020. The first part of the mission, to send a satellite to study the atmosphere of the Red Planet, <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/04/esa-releases-first-color-photos-of-the-exomars-crash-site/" target="_blank">did not go to plan in October 2016 when the probe crash landed.</a></p><p>Europe is also the biggest export market for the British space industry. <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/575784/Size_and_Health_summary_report_2016.pdf" target="_blank">A London Economics review of the sector in December last year</a> found that 18% of its £13.7 billion revenue came from Europe in 2014/15. This includes £351 million from the ESA and £65 million from the European Commission.</p><p>Speaking to Business Insider from the Airbus Defence and Space centre in Stevenage, Courtney said she is upbeat about the future. Far from raising fears about what a "Hard Brexit" might mean for British space trade in Europe, she was cheered by Prime Minister <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/theresa-may-single-market-customs-union-hard-brexit-speech-2017-1" target="_blank">Theresa May's Lancaster House speech last week.</a></p><p>"Brexit obviously is an important change for the country. I'm quite confident that, actually, the close collaboration that we've always had in science and space will continue after Article 50 is triggered and beyond," Courtney said.</p><p>"European funding is important to our industry, but we have a very strong domestic industry in the UK space sector. We export outside of the EU as well. We have strong collaborations with other countries on space programmes. EU funding is one element of what is driving the sector's growth."</p><p>She was "particularly reassured" that May singled out space in her Brexit speech. The UK Space Agency is an executive arm of the Department for Business, Energy &amp; Industrial Strategy, and the prime minister said last week it will continue to be central to collaboration with Europe on "major science, research, and technology initiatives."</p><p>May said: "From space exploration to clean energy to medical technologies, Britain will remain at the forefront of collective endeavours to better understand, and make better, the world in which we live."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2015/12/Tim_Peake_thumbs_up">NASA</a></span></p><p class="caption">Tim Peake aboard the International Space Station.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Courtney was speaking to BI at the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-38760802" target="_blank">opening of a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths centre at Airbus in Stevenage on Thursday.</a> British astronaut Tim Peake was also at the opening, <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/boost-for-uk-space-sector-as-european-space-agency-plans-second-tim-peake-space-mission" target="_blank">fresh from announcing that he is returning to the International Space Station with ESA.</a></p><p>Peake has previously made clear that the UK's involvement in ESA will not be affected by Brexit because the agency is a "separate entity" from the EU. But he did say the result of the 23 June 2016 referendum has created uncertainty. "What we do have to be careful of is science, which will be affected by the EU referendum, and I know that there are many people involved in science in the UK who're concerned about how that's going to be affected," <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-36805080" target="_blank">he told the BBC last year.</a></p><p>Courtney said Peake's work underlines the health of the British space sector, which aims to capture 10% of the global market for space by 2030. She explained: "The UK space industry is one of the fastest growing, it generates over £13 billion in revenue for the UK economy and employs 37,000 people. It's a very thriving industrial sector for us and having an ambassador [like Peake]... that continues to show the world that the UK is a leading space nation."</p><h2>The mission to find life on Mars</h2><p>One of the UK Space Agency's top priorities is finding life on Mars through the ExoMars mission, Courtney said. The discovery rover is being assembled and tested in a giant sandpit "Mars yard" in Stevenage, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/2016/apr/29/tim-peake-takes-mars-rover-for-a-test-drive-in-stevenage" target="_blank">with Peake playing with a prototype last year.</a></p><p>"That search for signs of life has long been a fascination for scientists and the general public alike. Understanding the history of the universe and that search for signs of life continues to be an interesting and stimulating bit of scientific work we do through the space agency," she said.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>PA</span></p><p class="caption">ExoMars rover prototype.</p></div><p></p></div></div>"I have been told by people who are much smarter than I am that it's not a question of if, but a question of when. Missions to asteroids and other planets have shown that there are the ingredients for life."</p><p>Courtney also provided hope for Elon Musk's vision to colonise the Red Planet. The SpaceX founder and billionaire wants to <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-mars-speech-transcript-2016-9/#-1" target="_blank">launch a million people to Mars in hopes of saving humanity from doom.</a></p><p>She said: "If you look at some of the entrepreneurs out in the US, like Elon Musk, there are lots of people who are absolutely convinced that's not only feasible but they have plans to make it happen. It's bold and ambitious to have a vision that says: 'I want to go to Mars and come back.' And actually at one time when I was born in 1963, taking humans to the moon and back safely was a bold an ambitious mission. Now it's almost pedestrian."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/omega-globemaster-apple-watch-expensive-rare-2017-1">We got our hands on the $44,000 watch that only 352 people can own</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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