Thinking Beyond the Final Frontier

How do we as humans imagine our future in outer space? Gathered articles that speculate on human space exploration, from colonising Mars to extraterrestrials in Thailand.

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InSight: Nasa lander asks Mars the questions Earth can't answer

Scientists hope latest mission will shed light on the similar processes believed to have formed both planets 4.5bn years ago

Scientists hope latest mission will shed light on the similar processes believed to have formed both planets 4.5bn years ago...read more

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NASA's new planetary protection officer says she doesn't want 'another red Roadster up there in orbit'

NASA Planetary Protection Officer Lisa Pratt is worried about Elon Musk having sent a Roadster into orbit.

"Mars is relatively clean, so let's try to find the answers before we change the conditions forever" Lisa Pratt, astrobiologist and NASA’s planetary protection officer

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From SYSTEM Sounds: “We used a numerical simulation of TRAPPIST-1 to play a piano note every time a planet passes in front of the star (a 'transit') and a drum every time a faster inner planet overtakes its outer neighbour (a 'conjunction'). To assign pitches, we simply scaled up the orbital frequencies by 212 million times to bring them into the human hearing range. The TRAPPIST-1 system is a resonant chain which means that the periods of the planets' orbits are very close to whole number ratios (ex. 3:2, 4:3). This is exactly what makes two musical notes sound consonant when played together and as a result, TRAPPIST-1 creates a beautiful, but slightly twisted harmony. For the same reason, the transits and conjunctions occur in a steady, repeating pattern. The crackling sound heard towards the end is Kepler's K2 lightcurve data of the star's observed brightness sped up by many times.” 

 Created by Matt Russo, Dan Tamayo and Andrew Santaguida 2017. 

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The legal battle to colonize Mars

International rules to protect outer space may not be enough to stop the United States.

“Even under existing laws, space is vulnerable to the will of private companies. The Outer Space Treaty states, “The exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province of all mankind.” However, “benefit” and “interest” are not specifically defined.“

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Dr Saran Poshyachinda, Executive Director of National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) on how NARIT has changed astronomical research and education in Southeast Asia and why astronomy is important for society. 

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Thailand Today interviews Dr Saran Poshyachinda, deputy director of the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) about whether life exists beyond life and if Mars could be a suitable home for humans in the future.

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สถาบันวิจัยดาราศาสตร์แห่งชาติ Fan Page

นักดาราศาสตร์ศึกษาอะไร...?!? นี่เป็นส่วนหนึ่งของงานวิจัยดาราศาสตร์ จากทีมนักวิจัยของ NARIT และส่วนหนึ่งของภารกิจอันยิ่งใหญ่ของหอดูดาวแห่งชาติของเรา #ดาราศาสตร์สร้างแรงบันดาลใจ...

About the National Astronomical Institute of Thailand (NARIT) in Chiang Mai (click link for video)

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Wat San Paolo Observatory: Siam’s first astronomical observatory

Springer International Publishing AG

Wat San Paolo Observatory was built during 1686 - 1687 at the commission of King Narai, marking the start of modern scientific astronomy in Thailand. The King allowed French Jesuit missionaries to set up a large modern well-equipped astronomical observatory in Lopburi Province. There, the missionaries observed a total lunar eclipse on 10 December 1685 and a partial solar eclipse on 30 April 1688.

Wat San Paolo Observatory today. Photo: Viseua (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

Read more on the history of astronomy in Thailand in  Nakamura, Tsuko; Orchiston, Wayne (Eds). 2017. The Emergence of Astrophysics in Asia: Opening a New Window on the Universe. Springer International Publishing AG

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The Real Reasons We Explore Space

Ambition, curiosity, and a reason the NASA Administrator admits has nothing to do with economic benefit.

Ambition, curiosity, and a reason the NASA Administrator admits has nothing to do with economic benefit.

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Three Visions of Human Space Settlement – Space + Anthropology – Medium

You may have seen images of NASA’s 1970s space colony artwork. But you’ve never seen them like this, as full size, high resolution art.

You may have seen images of NASA’s 1970s space colony artwork. But you’ve never seen them like this, as full size, high resolution art.

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Source: UFO Reports in Southeast Asia, 1800-1996 by Ahmad Jamaludin. These are just a tip of the iceberg of UFOs activities in South East ...

Source: UFO Reports in Southeast Asia, 1800-1996 by Ahmad Jamaludin.

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Cosmopsychism explains why the Universe is fine-tuned for life – Philip Goff | Aeon Essays

Cosmopsychism might seem crazy, but it provides a robust explanatory model for how the Universe became fine-tuned for life

We have no direct access to the nature of matter outside of brains. But the most reasonable speculation, according to [English astronomer, Arthur] Eddington, is that the nature of matter outside of brains is continuous with the nature of matter inside of brains.

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Harvard-Trained Professor Of Medicine Summons Martian Alien UFOs To Land In Bangkok, Thailand [Video]

A Harvard-trained medical scientist from Thailand, Prof. Dr. Theppanom Muangman, claims to have summoned alien Martians to Bangkok. Theppanom’s claim has sparked interest among UFO enthusiasts ...

“Alien and UFO paranormal movements are surging in Thailand and attracting professionals, students as well as blue-collar workers. The beliefs are often served as an eclectic mix of UFO paranormal and traditional religious beliefs of Buddhism.”

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Glowing Auras and ‘Black Money’: The Pentagon’s Mysterious U.F.O. Program

The shadowy program began in 2007 and was largely funded at the request of Harry Reid, the former Senate majority leader, who has had a longtime interest in space phenomena.

“Our scientists are scared of being ostracized, and our media is scared of the stigma. China and Russia are much more open and work on this with huge organizations within their countries. Smaller countries like Belgium, France, England and South American countries like Chile are more open, too. They are proactive and willing to discuss this topic, rather than being held back by a juvenile taboo.” Robert Bigelow, a billionaire entrepreneur who received most of the money allocated for the Pentagon program.

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Southeast Asia's UFO enthusiasts - Southeast Asia Globe

Welcome to the hospitable world of Southeast Asia’s UFO enthusiasts

...According to Ahmad Jamaludin, a Malaysian UFO researcher, the first known sighting of a flying saucer in Southeast Asia was recorded in Bangkok in 1810, reported by a Briton. “Between July and August of 1810, there appeared to be a concentration of UFO and alien sightings around Bangkok. This is called a UFO wave,” Jamaludin says...

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The new space race

Events in space reflect those back home

“In the days of the space race between America and the Soviet Union, the heavens were a front in the cold war between two competing ideologies. Since then, power has not merely shifted between countries. It has also shifted between governments and individuals.”