Entry - Blog Posts

Side Yard Porch

An example of a small mediterranean concrete side porch design with a roof extension.

Sacramento Front Yard Concrete Pavers

An example of a mediterranean full sun front yard concrete paver walkway in summer.

Craftsman Landscape - Front Yard

Ideas for a summertime Mediterranean front yard concrete paver walkway.

San Diego Craftsman Porch This is an illustration of a medium-sized craftsman-style screened-in back porch with decking and an added roof.

Front Yard Porch

A Personal Update

Hello everyone! This is just a quick behind-the-blog update from me.

I’ve been applying to NASA internships for the past three months, and I’m sad to say that I was not chosen for any of them. 

I must admit it broke my heart a little bit to see the positions I applied for fill up with no offer extended to me. I really thought I had a good shot at a few of them this time around. I really thought I had a chance.

I’m writing this because I want everyone to know that is natural to feel frustrated and disappointed, and that whatever setback you may encounter is not the end of the world. Just as there are countless stars in the night sky, there are just as many opportunities still waiting for you to find them.

Yes, my heart is heavy from this, but I know I’ll bounce right back. Rejection is a part of life, after all, and no one ever made it to the stars after giving up because of a few rejections.

I’m going to keep moving forward, with my eyes on the stars, doing what I love to do, and I know I’ll get where I want to be someday.

Until then, ad astra!

A Quick Q&A

Ever my first post, I’ve had some great comments and questions from people who’ve stopped by my blog, and I’m going to respond to them all in this post to keep things organized! 

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Q1: In reference to the Emirates’ plans to build a Mars city by the end of the century - do you think they can do it? (question by krrizal)

A: I definitely think anything is possible. With the current rate of technological advancements and rise of interest in space exploration globally, I think there is a lot of support for those who want to go space - and more specifically Mars. Really, there has never been a better time for space to take the forefront of global topics. If Emirates stays on track with their plans, I believe they can build a city on Mars.

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Q2: cute theme! where did you get it from? (question anonymous)

A: Hello! The theme is made by this wonderful person, I just added my own code to it for editing and personalizing purposes.

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Q3: lol high 5 from UCF! (comment made anonymous)

A: Go Knights! :D

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Q4: Do you have any experience working in space?

A: I wish! I am doing undergraduate research right now in the field of environmental engineering, since I also want to go into sustainable energy. I’m waiting on internship responses from NASA, so fingers crossed! My dream is to do astrobiology research in space and sustainable urban development down on Earth. 

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Thank you everyone for your questions and comments! Please feel free to stop by my ask box at any time.

Extraterrestrial Life May Be Closer Than We Think

Just when we think we have the universe somewhat figured out, it throws us a massive curveball from our very own backyard. Hold on to your telescopes, everyone, because one of our own planetary neighbors right around the corner may have the right conditions for extraterrestrial life.

On April 14, a paper published in Science Mag pointed out biochemical signatures of hydrogen production in the hydrothermal reactions in the form of plumes that erupt from the ice surface of Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons. Molecular hydrogen is one of the building blocks of life because it is the ideal food source for microbes and bacteria, which are at the forefront of every food and energy chain (at least on Earth). This implies that the ocean beneath the ice has enough chemical activity and organic matter to maintain the right conditions to sustain life, at least on the molecular level. This kind of chemistry can indicate habitable zones in Enceladus’ ocean. 

To provide a bit of a context from here on Earth: our own oceans contain deep-sea hydrothermal vents that are home to complex and important ecosystems that allow microorganisms to live and grow by using energy from the minerals produced by these vents. These microorganisms are necessary for food and energy chains to form since larger organisms feed on these microorganisms and create entire ecological communities. Many scientists have pointed out these kinds of superheated environments as prime locations for life to begin. 

But having the right conditions for life doesn’t mean already harboring life. There is still a lot that we don’t know about what’s going on below the surface of Enceladus. While scientists have known about its ocean since 2005, it is only now that technology has improved to the point where it can pick up sensitive biochemical signatures and provide a more detailed picture of Saturn’s icy moon. 

Recently, NASA has announced a mission called Europa Clipper that will explore Europa, another one of Jupiter’s icy moons with an ocean. It will launch sometime in the 2020s. Perhaps NASA will consider stopping by Enceladus...who knows what we can find there?

List of Online Resources

Over the past week I’ve been compiling a short list of online resources I often use when I’m doing anything space-related online, whether it be writing summaries of news updates or trying to understand some complicated science topic. Hope these are useful!

On getting up-to-date news:

ScienceDaily

Space.com

Science Mag

On understanding scientific topics:

Crash Course

Khan Academy

Space Exploratorium

Of course, there are many resources out there, but these are the ones I use most often. 

First Discovery of Atmosphere on Known Exoplanet

While news of Trappist-1′s potentially inhospitable environment made its way through the news feeds, a new discovery emerged to make up for it: an existing atmosphere on exoplanet GJ1132b.

Located 39 light years away (just around the corner in galactic terms), the exoplanet is similar to Earth in size and mass, and is in close-orbit to its star: a dim red dwarf just slightly cooler and smaller than our own Sun. It was discovered in 2015, but it’s only now that scientists have been able to take a closer look at its composition.

While the distance between GJ and its host star is more similar to the one between Venus and our Sun, therefore most likely rendering the exoplanet incapable of hosting life due to extreme surface temperatures of up to 370 degrees Celsius/700 degrees Fahrenheit, the most important aspect to focus on is the discovery is the atmosphere that exists on GJ.

Using advanced technology that picks out biochemical signatures such as those of oxygen, methane, and hydrogen, scientists have identified a thick atmosphere of either steam or methane surrounding GJ. While this is not a certain indicator of life, it is an crucial step in increasing our knowledge of potentially habitable alien planets out there. 

It is definitely interesting to see that scientists have found the first alien atmosphere that isn’t Earth’s. It seems that many of the Earth-like planets scientists have discovered are inclined to orbit red dwarf stars like Earth and that of GJ1132b. I wonder if we specifically target finding red dwarves, will wel increase our chances of finding more and more Earth-like exoplanets that could be capable of having life? It’s something to think about as we continue moving into the future.

Thoughts on the ISS Water Systems

Recently, I was asked by my research mentor to conduct a literature review on the drinking water systems aboard the International Space Station. Let me say this: the technology and the people aboard the ISS really know how to recycle water!

Here are some cool facts I discovered while doing this research:

- Sweat, pee, and tears are all recycled through intensive chemical and physical processes

- There is no way to recycle/reuse solid waste like brine yet, so it is packaged and sent back down to Earth through payloads

- The ISS has a motherboard-like program called the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) that basically outlines in detail all the processes that need to be in order to sustain life aboard the spacecraft

- The ISS is currently able to support six living crewmembers aboard, but it is not 100% sustainable because chemical resources (oxygen, water, etc.) are invariably lost over time

Just some things I found interesting. I was glad to do this kind of literature review because it gives me an outlook on how much progress we still need to make in trying to achieve long-term space travel and habitation. 

Beautiful photo! This reminds me of the time my family and I went to Yellowstone National Park around four years ago. We arrived at the park around midnight and were treated to the clearest star-filled night sky we had ever seen. It was stunning - the stars stretched from one horizon to the next, and there was no end to them. It made me feel very small in the grand scope of the universe, and just how much we miss out when we become accustomed to city lights and the urban sprawl. Makes me want to go camping in some remote place again.

The Milky Way from Acadia National Parks Thunder Hole

js

Historic Milestone in Space Flight Technology

Today, March 30, 2017, marks a significant and critical step in making affordable space travel more possible than ever.

Last April, the whole scientific community worldwide was watching as Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully launched and landed the Falcon 9 rocket booster, proving for the first time in space flight history that it was possible to save and collect rockets after being launched into space. This March, SpaceX aims to up its standards by relaunching and re-landing the same rocket booster, which will deliver a communications satellite into orbit for a Luxembourg-based telecommunications company. 

Why is this important? Simply put, rocket boosters are the most expensive part to build for any type of rocket. While SpaceX claims to have the most affordable rocket launches in the world, solidifying the concept of 100% reusable rocket boosters can save space programs $18 million per launch and open more doors for cost-effective commercial space travel.

If 100% reusable rocket boosters become a reality, the cost of launching rockets, experiments, and people into space can be significantly lowered to the point where non-scientific commercial space travel can be a common occurrence.

I can only wonder, then, how much and how far this development will impact not only the space industry, but the whole world itself. If this pushes through,  there can be few excuses, then, for not recognizing the potential in looking beyond our own orbit and planet. With incredible scientific progress and discoveries happening almost every day, I think it’s only a matter of time before everyone sets their sights on the stars and starts pushing for interstellar travel.

We are no longer limited to our own solar system, and the possibilities that come with recognizing and answering to that are as unfathomable as space itself.

Hope for Life on Trappist-1 is a Little Too Bright for Comfort

Bad news, everyone: Trappist-1 may not be the extraterrestrial paradise we thought it would be. On March 29, 2017, a new study was released from the Konkoly Observatory in Hungary that analyzed photometric data on Trappist-1 which was collected by NASA’s K2 mission.

The study suggested that the host star of the Trappist-1 system produces too many powerful solar flares to allow its planets to host and sustain life. Data pointed out 42 high-energy flares that occurred over an 80-day period, 5 of which were “multi-peaked” which means they gave off multiple bursts of energy in one instance. The average time between these flares was 28 hours. 

To provide a comparison to understand the magnitude of the solar flares -- the strongest flare on Trappist-1 is equivalent in release of energy to our own Carrington Event of 1859, which would destroy global communications if it happened today. During the Event, the flare sent powerful electrical surges through telegraph lines and produced tropical aurorae so bright, they woke up Rocky Mountain gold miners in the middle of the night because they thought it was morning. 

Now, some people might say, “But Earth has managed to survive powerful solar flares in the past. Why can’t Trappist-1 do the same?”

Well, there may be a few reasons why Trappist-1 may no longer be the place to sustain life:

1) Our wonderful Earth has in place a magnetic field that protects us from the worst effects of our host star’s stellar magnetic outbursts, but it is not yet known whether or not the Trappist-1 planets have this same defensive capability.

2) Both the frequency and magnitude of Trappist-1′s solar flares may prohibit its planets from even recovering from previous flares. According to this study done a year ago, it would take 30,000 years for a planet’s atmosphere to recover from just one of a high-intensity flare. Solar flares are occurring every 28 hours on Trappist-1. Logic, then, points out that there is a very small chance of life being possible on any of Trappist-1′s planets.

3) Trappist-1′s planets are very, very close to their Sun -- much closer than we are to our own. This means that the near-constant flaring would likely destroy any chance of stability in the planets’ atmospheres, unless (on the small chance) they somehow have incredibly powerful magnetospheres. 

This is definitely disappointing news. I think many people (myself included) had a lot of hope riding on Trappist-1 for the possibility of sustaining life and being a true sister solar system to our own. 

But not all hope is lost! There’s still a lot that we can’t confirm about this mysterious and volatile solar system. Scientists are relying on the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope to probe Trappist-1 and give us a more detailed look on what’s going on in that side of the universe. The telescope will launch in 2018, so don’t give up on Trappist-1 just yet! A lot can happen in one year. 

Let me start off by saying that I think Crash Course is a great resource for people who want to get the basic details of any subject the creators offer. CC’s series for astronomy is particularly wonderful. The science behind astronomy and space can be mind-boggling due to the complexities of physics, mathematics, photonics, and other relevant subjects; CC makes it easy and fun to learn about astronomy without being too technical or in-depth. Great series of videos if you have time to check them out!

A 2015 documentary on the history of space, the current progress of space exploration, and where we might go in the future.

If you have around an hour to spare, and a space itch to scratch, this is an awesome documentary to watch! It has very good scientific support, fantastic HD visuals, and exciting narration. It really opens your eyes to how much we’ve discovered only recently, and also how much we still don’t know. Great documentary!

United Arab Emirates’ Plan for a Mars City

It seems that everyone is really starting to get into the race to Mars! The project, dubbed “Mars 2117”, envisions a completely functioning human community on the surface of the red plane by year 2117.

According to the Emirates Mars Mission main website, Mars 2117 is a specific goal that the UAE hopes will encourage international cooperation in space exploration and scientific discovery. This ambitious project also falls under a larger umbrella of aerospace goals that the UAE has set out since 2014 when they first showed interest in entering the space industry. Some of these goals include sending an unmanned probe to Mars by 2021, studying Earth’s atmosphere using advanced technology, and collaborating with scientists worldwide.

The Mars 2117 project is an incredible vision, one that I am excited to see grow and gain more attention in the years to come. While there are many initiatives around the world that aim at reaching the famous red planet, this is the first time that an entire nation has so publicly announced support and planning for such an enormous long-term project, and looks to be moving with forward momentum.

I can only wonder what other nations and organizations are thinking about this concept, as well as marvel at how much attention the space industry has garnered recently. It seems as if there are new technical discoveries and achievements being made everyday, and it doesn’t look like the space race is stopping. With SpaceX and NASA already testing advanced aero-spacecraft for future launches, and the Dutch Mars One Mission currently under progress, Mars 2117 certainly adds more fuel to the fire.

A century is certainly a long time and anything can happen between 2017 and 2117, but I can’t wait to see what happens until then.

Meet Our 7 Newest Planetary Neighbors

On Wednesday, February 22, NASA took the whole world by storm when they announced the incredible discovery of 7 Earth-sized exoplanets – all of which could potentially have the right conditions for life to exist!

While there has been a relatively continuous stream of newly found exoplanets in the past years, this exoplanet system, named TRAPPIST-1 for the Chile-based telescope that first discovered the planets back in May, is particularly special because of three main reasons:

1.) They are considered relatively close (40 light years/235 trillion miles) to Earth.

2.) They are the first known system of Earth-sized planets that orbit a single parent star, with 3 planets located in the “Goldilocks zone”, the astrophysical orbit that has just the right conditions for allowing liquid water, and by extension, life, to exist. While all 7 could have liquid water, these 3 have the highest chances.

3.) Their parent star, an ultra-cool dwarf, has temperatures so low that liquid water can exist on the planets closest to it; what’s more, the planets are so incredibly close to their parent star – all 7 are closer to their parent star than Mercury is to our own Sun – that someone standing on the surface of each planet could potentially see the physical features of the other planets.

The implications of this find is mind-blowing: at the moment, Earth is the only planet we know that exists with liquid water in our solar system’s Goldilocks zone. We have no other suitable planet we can use for comparison, which is why the search for life in outer space can seem futile. But this discovery of 7 whole Earth-sized planets with the right conditions for water and life to flourish sparks the age-old question into overdrive – are we alone in the universe or not?

Earth is no longer the potentially only life-sustaining planet; we have 7 exoplanets, 3 in the Goldilocks zone, that can harbor water and life. That just blows my mind, and while I have often lamented in the past that I was born too late for traveling the world and too early for exploring space, I am grateful to be alive in this time of immense space-science discovery.

But what next? We’ve discovered this new system, what are we going to do about it? According to NASA, a new telescope called the James Webb Space Telescope will be launched in 2018. Equipped with state-of-the-art technological capabilities such as increased sensitivity sensors, it will be able to detect chemical signals present in a planet’s atmosphere such as methane, oxygen, and water. And hopefully, it will tell us more about our 7 new neighbors – and what could be on them.

My Constellation

I was born with stars in my eyes.

I mean this in a very literal sense! I was born in an island village that didn’t have any electricity, on a clear moonless night when millions of bright stars unfurled across the dark sky. And (according to my baby pictures) my hospital cradle was right next to the window which afforded a wide view of the ocean waves and – yep, that’s right – the stars. One of my earliest memories is that of the stars, though I’m not sure if that is from when I was a baby, or when I was slightly older.

Nevertheless, the night sky and its bright inhabitants have been constants in my life for as long as I can remember. From as early as my toddling years, I would always make it a point to my parents to let me stay outside long enough to stargaze. I didn’t know why I was so fascinated with the night sky – it was just instinctive to look up and be in wonder. My love for the stars became so apparent that my grandparents, aunts, and uncles decided to save enough money to buy me a secondhand telescope, a gift that I cherished until I had to move to the United States and leave it behind to my younger relatives.

That telescope opened up a new world for me, one where I only had to look through a pair of simple lens to excitedly meet my nighttime friends face-to-face. While the telescope wasn’t very advanced, it was strong enough to show me the faint outlines of neighboring planets, the tail-ends of occasional comets, and the blurry but beautiful glows of twinkling stars. “There’s stuff out there! STUFF!” I remember saying to my family after my first time looking through the telescope, “there’s a bunch of stuff! So much stuff!”

From there, it was inevitably easy to fall in love with outer space and all of its complications and mysteries. My curiosity and questions about the “stuff” I saw grew in leaps and bounds, propelling me to – in essence – attack our local library to get my hands on anything related to space. I was overjoyed to see an entire shelf dedicated to space science and astronomy. But when I finished devouring the texts there a few weeks later, I was devastated. Surely there was more to read, more to learn more out there?

Can you imagine, then, how I reacted when I was told that my parents and I were moving to America? The America that had sent people to the moon, built incredible spacecrafts and satellites that were currently circling the globe in low orbit, and helped found the International Space Station? I was ecstatic, and my hopes for the future far outweighed my reservations about leaving the only home I had ever known.

If there were any reservations, though, they disappeared the moment I woke up at some point during the 22-hour flight, looked out my tiny plane window, and saw with wide eyes…

… the stars – right there – right in front of me – right within my reach. At eight years old, I genuinely thought the plane was flying in a sea of stars, and kept my face mushed against the glass until a plane attendant asked me to close the window (I did close the window, but I opened it again after she left.)

It’s funny, looking back at that starry-eyed eight-year-old. I want to tell her that there’s only so much more to look forward to. I want to tell her that when she’s ten, she’s going to visit a place called Kennedy Space Center and firmly declare to everyone in the tour group that she will become an astronaut one day. I want to tell her that when she’s thirteen, she’ll visit another place called the Orlando Science Center and peek through an enormous telescope that will show her the distant planet of Saturn in color, and she’ll be so shocked that she’ll ask if the picture was a sticker on the lens. I want to tell her that when she’s eighteen, she’ll gain two mentors who will encourage her to pursue her love for the stars, and help her get started on the path to getting there… I want to tell her that the next eleven years won’t be easy, and there will be times when she’ll feel as if the stars could never be more far away or unreachable.

But I think she’ll end up just fine. She was born with stars in her eyes, after all.

Catch Constellations

Hello everyone! My name is Dianne and this is my blog on everything space related! While I am currently writing more about news updates and what’s currently going on in the space world than anything else, I hope to branch out  - catch other constellations, so to speak - and contribute more content such as quotes, commentaries, videos, explanations of scientific concepts, and more. 

I created this blog not only because I wanted to share my love for space with anyone who happens to find this little corner of the internet, but also because I wanted to do it in a way that isn’t too techno-jargon-filled or confusing. As a STEM major, I know how confusing trying to understand complicated scientific concepts can be, and that’s why I’ll do my best to make sure everyone and anyone can enjoy my posts! 

A little bit about me:

- I’m currently a sophomore at the University of Central Florida, studying biotechnology and planning to enter the astrobiology/sustainable energy fields one day. 

- I love space, which may seem obvious given this blog, but it is sincerely one of my life goals to become an astronaut and go beyond Earth. It has been ever since I was a little girl. There is so much out there that we don’t know, that we can explore, that we can learn from!

- When I’m not studying or planning to take over NASA, you can find me writing and journaling, buried in a book, singing my lungs out to Disney songs or Broadway soundtracks, or generally doing a bunch of nerdy stuff. 

- Rapid fire personality points! INFJ + Hufflepuff + Virgo

Alright! This will be it for my first blog post. I’ll be back soon with updates on some really cool space news. Until then, ad astra!

A Raw Unedited Entry from My Hand-Written Journal--My Dream

“31.10

My dream is to one day soon live in the Santa Cruz Mountains, or maybe somewhere in Washington, with no technology. I want to bring a whole library of books, a car, an iPod, a type write or MAYBE a laptop with only Word on it. I want to wakeup before sunset every day and hike while the sun is rising. I want to maybe go fishing. I will search the forest for treats...I won’t even need to shower. I can meditate. Maybe I’ll occasionally drive to the ocean and explore the area. I can find farmers’ markets and only buy from small businesses. I’ll have a garden next to my cabin. I can write a book, some poetry, a biography. I can journal. I could bring Bodhi (my Bernese Mountain Dog) to keep me company. Or maybe Louis + Barkley (my other two dogs). I’ve been dreaming about this for a while now and I might have to do it this summer. Maybe Ray + Anna will be nearby and they’ll be able to visit me.

I’d only use snailmail and I’d be so isolated I would have to row to the mainland everyday. 

I want this so badly.

I need this.

Then I might feel happy.”

--I wrote this late at night and I was in a pensive mindset. I was drawing a lot in my journal and I started to draw a picture of what happiness looked like to me, so i decided to add an accompanying description. Me writing this does not mean that I am not happy, it is just an alternative happiness. One that is less complicated, more straight-forward, and probably happier... 

a confidence in the heart, a tranquility in the mind 

Cleveland Mudroom Large medium tone wood floor and brown floor mudroom photo with beige walls

An example of a large modern full sun front yard brick landscaping.

Porch Backyard in New York Inspiration for a mid-sized country stone back porch remodel with a roof extension

Outdoor Kitchen Outdoor Kitchen

with a roof extension, a sizable mid-century modern backyard concrete patio kitchen image