Author: M. Özgür Nevres

I am a software developer and a science enthusiast. I was graduated from the Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Computer Engineering. In the past, I worked at the Istanbul Technical University Science Center as a science instructor. I write about the planet Earth and science on this website, ourplnt.com. I am also an animal lover! I take care of stray cats & dogs. This website's all income goes directly to our furry friends. Please consider supporting me on Patreon, so I can help more animals!

Point Nemo [The Spacecraft Graveyard!]

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date October 12, 2018
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Point Nemo location in the Pacific Ocean — Point Nemo location in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies at least 2,688 km (1,670 mi) from the nearest land. It is also called "Oceanic pole of inaccessibility". Point Nemo, Latin for "no one" is also a reference to Jules Verne's Captain Nemo, a fictional character who appears in two of Verne's novels, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) and The Mysterious Island (1874), and makes a cameo appearance in Verne's play Journey Through the Impossible (1882). Its remoteness is the reason why NASA uses the point as its "spacecraft cemetery".

In the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, there’s a location called “Point Nemo”. It’s not a place where humans live, in fact, there is no land there: not an island, not even a small rock. It is actually the remotest place from any human civilization you can find on Earth. It lies at least 2,688 km (1,670 mi) from the nearest land. It is also called the “Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility” (see notes 1).

Astrobiology Astronomy Earth from Space Life on Earth Plants Prehistoric Space Exploration

Earth can be a model for detecting vegetation on exoplanets

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date October 9, 2018
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Amazon from space — This image of the Amazon rainforest is from a 2010 global map of the height of the world's forests based on multiple satellite datasets. Image: NASA The Amazon rainforest is the biggest rainforest in the world. It covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin encompasses 7,000,000 km² (2,700,000 sq mi), of which 5,500,000 km2 (2,100,000 sq mi) are covered by the rainforest. This region includes territory belonging to nine nations. The majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with 13%, Colombia with 10%, and with minor amounts in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.

Back in December 1990, during its flyby of Earth, NASA’s Galileo spacecraft, which studied the planet Jupiter and its moons, as well as several other Solar System bodies, pointed its instruments towards Earth, at the urging of Carl Sagan. And, it has found evidence of life on our planet. This can be a key to detecting vegetation on exoplanets – which is key to a possible intelligent extraterrestrial life.

In a paper published in Nature, researchers wrote “The Galileo spacecraft found evidence of abundant gaseous oxygen, a widely distributed surface pigment with a sharp absorption edge in the red part of the visible spectrum, and atmospheric methane in extreme thermodynamic disequilibrium. Together, these are strongly suggestive of life on Earth.”

Earth from Space Environment Planet Earth Space Exploration

10 Best Earth Quotes

In December 1972, Apollo 17 spacecraft took a photo of Earth from space, at a distance of about 45,000 kilometers (28,000 miles). This image, with the official NASA designation AS17-148-22727, became known as "The Blue Marble", one of the most iconic photos of Earth from space. In fact, it was not the first clear image of Earth taken from space - similar photos had already been taken as early as 1967. But, the 1970s were the scene of a big surge in environmental activism. For example, on April 22, 1970, the first "Earth Day" was organized by Gaylord Nelson, former senator of Wisconsin, and Denis Hayes, a Harvard graduate student. Millions of people gather in the United States for the event. So, in today's terms, image AS17-148-22727 went "viral" and became a symbol of the environmental movement, as a depiction of Earth's frailty, vulnerability, and isolation amid the vast expanse of space. According to NASA archivist Mike Gentry, it is among the most widely distributed images in human history.

Earth, our beautiful blue planet. It is the third planet from the Sun, but above all, it is our home, the only astronomical object known to harbor life. Here are the top 10 best Earth quotes.

Space Exploration Mars Moon Landing Robotics Technology

How NASA Reinvented The Wheel

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date October 1, 2018
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Spring Tires (NASA) — During the mid-2000s, NASA Glenn engineer Vivake Asnani worked with industry partner Goodyear to develop the Spring Tire, an airless compliant tire that consists of several hundred coiled steel wires woven into a flexible mesh, giving the tires the ability to support high loads while also conforming to the terrain. The Spring Tire has been proven to generate very good traction and durability in soft sand and on rocks. This innovation led to an R&D 100 Award for Top Inventions of the Year. Spring tires are light, they are capable of bending, and conform to the terrain without permanently deforming. They are also capable of holding a heavy vehicle. Engineers use a new material called Nickel titanium, also known as Nitinol (part of shape memory alloy). Nitinol alloys exhibit two closely related and unique properties: shape memory effect (SME) and superelasticity (SE; also called pseudoelasticity, PE). Shape memory is the ability of nitinol to undergo deformation at one temperature, then recover its original, undeformed shape upon heating above its "transformation temperature". Superelasticity occurs at a narrow temperature range just above its transformation temperature; in this case, no heating is necessary to cause the undeformed shape to recover, and the material exhibits enormous elasticity, some 10-30 times that of ordinary metal.

On August 6, 2012, at 05:17 UTC, NASA has successfully landed a Mini-Cooper-sized rover, Curiosity, on Aeolis Palus in Gale Crater on Mars. The 900-kg rover (899 kg, to be exact, which is 1,982 lbs) is equipped with six 50 cm (20 in) diameter wheels in a rocker-bogie suspension (see notes 1). For the first time in the history of space exploration, the suspension system also served as landing gear for the vehicle, unlike its smaller predecessors.

Curiosity “soft-landed” (wheels down) on the surface of Mars. But, even it’s called “soft-landing”, the touchdown speed was 0.6739m/s vertical and 0.044m/s horizontal, which could damage the wheels. Plus, while the rover is moving, the wheels should withstand the substantial damage through the rough Martian surface. That’s why the wheels of the Curiosity rover have been one of the biggest technical difficulties encountered on the mission (see notes 2).

Life on Earth Animals Evolution

8 major extinctions due to human interference

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date October 1, 2018
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Landscape with Birds by Roelant Savery, 1628 — Landscape with Birds, (showing a dodo in the lower right corner) by Roelant Savery, 1628. Image Courtesy Wikimedia Roelant Savery (or Roeland(t) Maertensz Saverij, or de Savery, or many variants) (1576 - buried 25 February 1639), was a Flanders-born Dutch Golden Age painter. He primarily painted landscapes, often embellished with many meticulously painted animals and plants, regularly with a mythological or biblical theme as background. Among his best-known works are several depictions of the now-extinct dodo painted between 1611 and 1628.

If you are one among the many who have watched the movie Rio and have fallen in love with the adorable lead named Blu, then I have some terrible news for you! As of this date, the Spix’s Macaw has been declared “extinct as in wild”.

Places

10 Iconic Bridges Around the World You Must Cross

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date September 25, 2018
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One of the most iconic bridges in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide (1.6 km) strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The structure links the American city of San Francisco, California - the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula - to Marin County, carrying both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1 across the strait. The bridge is one of the most internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco, California, and the United States. It has been declared one of the Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. At the time of its opening in 1937, it was both the longest and the tallest suspension bridge in the world, with a main span of 4,200 feet (1,280 m) and a total height of 746 feet (227 m).

The history of bridges started in ancient times – dating back to Mesopotamia. In the beginning, they were incredibly simple structures built using natural resources like wooden logs, stone, and dirt. But over the course of time, bridges became far more significant than helping civilization get from one land mass to another. They have managed to influence our cultures and improve the way we travel, do business and forge policies.

Space Exploration Artificial Intelligence Mars Robotics

The Confluence Of Robotics With Space Research And Exploration

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date September 23, 2018
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NASA's Robonaut 2 — Robonaut 2, the latest generation of the Robonaut astronaut helpers, launched to the space station aboard space shuttle Discovery on the STS-133 mission. Robonaut 2 is the first humanoid robot in space. Although its primary job for now is teaching engineers how dexterous robots behave in space, the hope is that through upgrades and advancements Robonaut 2 could venture outside the station one day to help spacewalkers make repairs or additions to the station or perform scientific work. R2, as the robot is called, launched inside the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module, which was packed with supplies and equipment for the station and then installed permanently on the Unity node. Once R2 is unpacked -- probably several months after it arrives -- it will be operated initially inside the Destiny laboratory for operational testing. But over time, both its territory and its applications could expand. There are no plans to return R2 to Earth. Image: NASA

Those of us who have grown up reading Asimov’s robot series are quite informed about what robots can accomplish. While that’s only a reel representation, it definitely points to an abundance of opportunities in the realm of space research.

Space Exploration

RemoveDEBRIS satellite deploys a Net and Captures Space Debris for the First Time in History (video)

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date September 21, 2018
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RemoveDEBRIS satellite captures artificial space junk — On June 20, 2018, the International Space Station deployed the NanoRacks-RemoveDEBRIS satellite into space from outside the Japanese Kibo laboratory module. This technology demonstration was designed to explore using a 3D camera to map the location and speed of orbital debris or "space junk." The NanoRacks-RemoveDEBRIS satellite successfully deployed a net to capture a nanosatellite that simulates debris.

In this amazing video, the RemoveDEBRIS satellite deploys a net and captures space debris, a defunct nanosatellite – and this has happened (capturing space junk in space) happened for the first time in space exploration history.

Orbital debris is a really big problem: it can cause collisions in space, and these collisions could have serious consequences for the International Space Station and satellites. The space junk literally can end space exploration and destroy the modern way of life. And the problem is getting worse each year as we are slowly filling the most important part just above us, the Low Earth Orbit (LEO), with junk.

Climate Planet Earth

NASA Balloon Mission Captures Rare Noctilucent Clouds (Video)

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date September 20, 2018
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An amazing video: a recent NASA long-duration balloon mission observed a thin group of seasonal electric blue clouds which are known as noctilucent clouds or polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs). Forming 50 miles (80 km) above polar regions in summer they are Earth’s uppermost clouds and only visible around twilight. PMCs are composed of ice crystals that glow bright blue or white when reflecting sunlight.

Animals Life on Earth

Lullaby to the snoring elephant

Post author By M. Özgür Nevres
Post date September 20, 2018
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Faa Mai, the snoring elephant, and her caretaker Lek — Born on April 17, 2009, Faa Mai is the first elephant born free at Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Faa Mai and her caretaker Lek are very close to each other, the bond between them is very strong. It seems like Faa Mai think Lek is her mom. When Lek walk around the park, you will see that Faa Mai is her shadow and she loves to kiss Lek by using her trunk. Even though she is now a big girl, Faa Mai still loves to have Lek lullaby to make her sleep well. Every time when Lek sit next to her while she lay down, she falls asleep and snores very loud.

This lullaby to the snoring elephant is all you need to hear today! There’s definitely a strong bond between Lek and Faa Mai. Watch and listen to Lek’s lullaby to the snoring elephant Faa Mai at Elephant Nature Park Chiang Mai, Thailand. Speakers/headphones on!