Tyler O'Neal, Staff Editor APPLICATIONS

Giant planets threaten habitable zones, UCR simulations show

New research shows how giant gas planets harm habitable planets.

In a new study, UC Riverside researchers have demonstrated the harmful impact of giant planets on their Earth-like counterparts in other star systems. Unlike Jupiter, which protects our solar system, these giant planets cause chaos by displacing smaller planets from their orbits and disrupting their climates.

The study focuses on the HD 141399 star system, which serves as an excellent model for comparison with our solar system. The gravitational pull of the four giants in this system destabilizes the orbits of neighboring rocky planets. Multiple supercomputer simulations reveal that only a few areas within the habitable zone, which is defined as the range of distances from a star that allows for liquid water, have the potential to maintain stable Earth-like planets. In the film Melancholia (2011), Earth collides with a planet that enters the solar system. It illustrates how an Earth-like planet can be kicked out of its habitable zone. (Zentropa Entertainments)

Lead author and UC Riverside astrophysicist, Stephen Kane, explains that only a select few areas within the habitable zone are safe from the giants' gravitational pull, which would otherwise knock a rocky planet out of its orbit and send it flying right out of the zone.

A second paper focuses on the star system GJ 357, located just 30 light years away from Earth. Although a planet named GJ 357 d resides within the habitable zone of this system, recent measurements suggest it may be larger than initially believed. This raises concerns about its terrestrial nature and its ability to support life as we know it. The study warns that if GJ 357 d is indeed significantly larger, it would prevent other Earth-like planets from coexisting within the habitable zone, forcing their orbits to become highly elliptical.

Co-author Tara Fetherolf, a UCR planetary science postdoctoral scholar, emphasizes that this paper is a warning not to assume that planets in the habitable zone are automatically capable of hosting life.

The study shows how rare the circumstances required to host life in the universe are. It is a reminder of how fortunate we are to have a planetary configuration that supports stability and the potential for life in our solar system.

While Jupiter safeguards our planet from comets and asteroids, creating a stable environment for life on Earth, the research reveals the vulnerability of other star systems. The presence of giant gas planets does not guarantee the protection or sustainability of neighboring Earth-like exoplanets.

These findings contribute to the ongoing quest for understanding the conditions necessary for life elsewhere in the universe. The research study is a groundbreaking stepping stone in our pursuit to unravel the mysteries of distant star systems and the potential habitability of exoplanets.

The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) launched in December 2021. Together, LCRD and ILLUMA-T will complete NASA’s first bi-directional end-to-end laser communications system. Photo credit: Dave Ryan
The Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) launched in December 2021. Together, LCRD and ILLUMA-T will complete NASA’s first bi-directional end-to-end laser communications system. Photo credit: Dave Ryan

NASA demos first two-way end-to-end laser communications system

Tyler O'Neal, Staff Editor APPLICATIONS

NASA has achieved a significant breakthrough by creating a two-way end-to-end laser communications relay system. This system is being demonstrated on the International Space Station (ISS), with the Integrated Laser Communications Relay Demonstration Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal (ILLUMA-T) featuring as a technology demonstration.

Laser communications use invisible infrared light to send and receive information at higher data rates. This technology allows spacecraft to send more data back to Earth in a single transmission, which speeds up the arrival of data for researchers.

NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program manages this system. The ILLUMA-T payload was launched into space in November 2021 and installed on the ISS's exterior. The optical module of ILLUMA-T, consisting of a telescope and two-axis gimbal, points and tracks the Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) satellite in geosynchronous orbit.

ILLUMA-T relays data from the ISS to LCRD at a rate of 1.2 gigabits per second. LCRD then sends the data down to optical ground stations in California and Hawaii. Once the data reaches these ground stations, it is sent to the LCRD Mission Operations Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The ILLUMA-T ground operations teams at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland determine whether the data sent through the end-to-end relay process is accurate and of high quality.

The main benefit of this system is that it provides enhanced data rates for experiments conducted on the ISS. By facilitating more data transfer, researchers can achieve more breakthrough discoveries. At 1.2 Gbps, the ILLUMA-T/LCRD end-to-end laser communication relay system can transfer the equivalent amount of data in an average movie in under a minute.

Moreover, this system can help improve network capabilities like delay/disruption tolerant networking (DTN) over laser links and improve navigation capabilities. Laser communications are proving to be an essential technology for NASA's space communications networks and will likely be integrated into the Near Space Network and Deep Space Network.

In conclusion, the ILLUMA-T/LCRD end-to-end laser communications relay system is a significant achievement for NASA. It provides enhanced data rates for critical experiments conducted aboard the ISS and demonstrates the benefits of laser communications systems for both near-Earth and deep-space exploration. This technology will likely soon be integrated into NASA's space communication networks.

If you are a mission planner interested in using laser communications, please reach out to the Space Communications and Navigation program at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

The study with Charles Darwin University's Dr Dylan Irvine explored the opportunities and limitations of ChatGPT in hydrological science practices.
The study with Charles Darwin University's Dr Dylan Irvine explored the opportunities and limitations of ChatGPT in hydrological science practices.

Artificial Intelligence can save time, help us tackle some of the world's most pressing problems

Tyler O'Neal, Staff Editor APPLICATIONS

According to investigators from Charles Darwin University in Australia, AI could allow researchers to dedicate more time to the world's most pressing problems. CDU groundwater hydrology expert Dr. Dylan Irvine and researchers from the University of Neuchatel in Switzerland have explored the opportunities and limitations of using new capabilities of ChatGPT for hydrological analyses in a recently published paper. ChatGPT can translate between coding languages, plot data, generate codes, and analyze data in a hydrological science setting, saving time for researchers with limited or no coding ability. However, users need to check the accuracy of results because ChatGPT is prone to errors. By automating basic tasks using AI, researchers can free up time to focus on more challenging tasks, contributing to solving the world's most pressing problems.

Dr. Irvine, who began experimenting with AI tools to analyze data, said integrating AI into his processes has become a significant asset to his work.

“Computer codes that used to take me days to write can now be written in an hour or less. Solving problems and overcoming issues is much quicker now,” Dr Irvine said.

“It used to be that if I wanted to learn a new technique, such as something in machine learning, I'd often have to spend a long time reading and trawling the web for examples. Often there was one part that was hard to set up and without it, the entire code doesn't work.

“Now, fixing errors or learning new approaches is much easier. I'm expanding my skillset into adjacent disciplines. I'm a groundwater researcher by training but I can now do a lot more surface water-related work.”

Dr Irvine said carefully and appropriately incorporating AI to automate low-level tasks could have a positive impact on the hydrological sciences by freeing up time to focus on complex problems common in the field.

“I'm an earth and environmental scientist. It's amazing to get to study how the world works, and the work that we do is as important now as ever,” Dr Irvine said.

“However, we struggle to convince students to study earth science, and/or water resources. This shortage basically means that there's more work to do than we have the capacity for. Automating basic tasks using AI can free up time so that we can focus on more challenging tasks.”