[Space Bites+] HUGE “Life on Mars” Announcement // 3I ATLAS Grows a Tail // JWST Looks at TRAPPIST-1e

@fraser question: with regards returning flights from Mars, it is often just casually said that the craft can be refuelled by extracting methane and oxygen from Mars, but I haven’t seen anyone explain how. On Earth methane and oxygen extraction/separation plants are massive and use large amounts of energy; how would it be possible to produce a methane/oxygen processing plant on Mars in a way that the components could be transported from Earth or be manufactured on Mars and how much power would need to be generated (from nuclear, presumably) to achieve this?

All of these cancelled missions for what is essentially a rounding error in the federal budget.

@fraser you are doing journalism the correct way. Thanks for the interviews, insights, rants and keep on smiling. Sometimes it's ok to push the news early and fast, I appreciate you giving context. These days I rely almost completely on my own well curated (and trimmed) subscription list. Patreon and Nebula are getting more important than YouTube. Cheers

I'm very disappointed in the click bait title.

How... how do we fight back against these things being shut down? Practically speaking? I mean... as an engineer, I understand there are things mission control for these spacecraft can do to safe them for potential future operations for as long as possible, but only so many. But I'm not sure if premature termination of Juno's mission means they have to send it down (as was done with Cassini per anti-forward-contamination protocols) now in case they don't have a chance to do that later. Is there a safe graveyard orbit in that system that a spacecraft could be reactivated from? If not, and if I were being safe, I'd say we have to send it now or risk collision with an ice shell moon later. A spacecraft with years left on its operational life. Honestly, the reason I don't know the answer to that question is that I'm afraid to look. Every time I look at the news -- unless it's from somewhere like this, which is at least sympathetic to the loss -- I see something being taken away in the way a bully smashes a classmate's science homework on the morning school bus. There is no wisdom here, no prudence, no financial responsibility; only waste intended to hurt and anger and isolate. I'm not sure most Americans would even know that China is planning to send a sample recovery mission to Mars -- possibly to the very same place Perseverance has visited to sample the very same rock! -- unless that fact were salient to someone's political message. Imagine Percy still sitting there while a whole other mission comes and goes, obviating its own. That's such a demoralizing thought I can't imagine it would be part of someone's political message at all, and for that reason, I can't imagine this isn't part of some intentional strategy to cede footholds for space exploration and industry to less-than-altruistic factions while we're collectively looking elsewhere. Everyone loses. The more this happens, the more everyone loses. We're carving ourselves to pieces to spite the other pieces. This is the worst of all possible outcomes.

It's like people are learning how comets work all over again.

What tests would they do on these mars samples on earth that could show conclusively if mars had life??

Was hoping you’d do this early for the big news! Or what appears to be big news. Need to hear what you have to say 1st. I’m all ears.

Probably the most exciting story of the year! This space bites has a ton of heavy hitters in it too!