Space-Time Around Black Holes Visualized

Two spiral-shaped vortexes (yellow) of whirling space sticking 

out of a black hole, and the vortex lines (red curves) that form

the vortexes.
CREDIT: The Caltech/Cornell SXS Collaboration

For the first time, physicists have visualized what goes on during the collision of two black holes, providing insight into what one researcher calls the "stormy behavior" of space and time during such a merger.

The findings could help researchers interpret gravitational signals from space to reconstruct the cosmic events that created them, said study researcher Kip Thorne, a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology. The study also opens up a new way to understand black holes, gravity and cosmology.

"It's as though we had only seen the surface of the ocean on a calm day," Thorne told LiveScience. "We'd never seen the ocean in a storm, we'd never seen a breaking wave, we'd never seen water spouts … We have never before understood how warped space and time behave in a storm."

Here's how black holes and space-time are linked: The theory of general relativity, proposed by Albert Einstein in 1915, describes how gravity affects very massive, huge things such as black holes and the universe itself. According to this theory, gravity actually warps the fabric of space-time in such a way that massive objects bend the universe (think a Sumo wrestler on a soft mat) so that objects can't help but fall toward them. Even time can be bent by gravity, the theory goes.

Vortex and tendex

In other words, researchers had a good handle on the forces created by a quietly spinning black hole. They were also able to simulate the results of black hole collisions to see what type of gravitational waves the collisions create. "What we were not able to do is go down and look at the merger itself," Thorne said. [See a video of the black hole collisions]

To visualize a black hole merger, the researchers used two concepts, one old and one new: vortex lines and tendex lines. These lines are the equivalent of the lines drawn to represent magnetic fields, said study author Robert Owen, a postdoctoral researcher in astronomy at Cornell University.

Vortex lines represent a twisting force in space-time. If you were to fall into a vortex line, your body would be wrung like a wet dish towel, Owen said. Tendex lines, which are a new concept, represent a stretching or squeezing force. [Visualization of vortex lines]

"Tendex is actually a word that we had to invent because it didn't exist before this," Owen said.

Using supercomputers, the researchers created simulations of the vortex and tendex lines that would be created when black holes merge. The patterns differ depending on how the merger happens, Thorne said. For example, a head-on collision of two black holes ejects doughnut-shaped vortexes from the merger. Two black holes spiraling into each other create a very different arrangement.[ Gallery: Black Holes of the Universe]

"This is where we see vortexes sticking out of the merged black hole that swing around the merged black hole like spiral arms of the galaxy or like water spraying out of a rotating sprinkler head," Thorne said.

In another simulation of spinning black holes orbiting into each other, the vortexes diffused into one another, Thorne said.

Tracing the source

The researchers are working on three follow-up studies to explore the details of the dynamics involved, Owen said. He said the research team expects that tendexes and vortexes will be used to investigate lots of situations where gravitational forces are very strong, including just after the Big Bang that may have created the universe about 13.7 billion years ago.

Whether any valuable insights will come out of the new visualization method has yet to be seen, University of Texas, Brownsville and Southmost Texas College physicist Richard Price told LiveScience. But the method has more potential than any other method he knows of, Price said.

"My initial impression [upon hearing about the research] was, 'Yeah. This could work,'" said Price, who was not involved in the study.

"You can't calculate everything; you've got to know where to look," Price added. "And therefore, you need to have the ability to visualize."

The results may also help researchers understand the findings of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, or LIGO, an instrument that detects gravitational waves from space. Before, researchers knew enough about black hole collisions to figure out what sorts of waves LIGO should be looking for, Thorne said. Now, scientists can start interpreting those waves when they come in.

"We want to be able to look at the shapes of the waves and be able to go back and say what was happening to produce the waves," Thorne said.

Photos: NASA's First Space Shuttle Flight: STS-1

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 The First Space ShuttleCredit: NASAThe space shuttle Columbia, NASA's first orbiter, is showered with lights in this nocturnal scene at Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., during preparations for the first flight (STS-1) of NASA's new reusable spacecraft system. This photo was taken in March 1981 ahead of Columbia's April 12, 1981 launch  Source

SPACE MUSIC: SETI ARTIST IN RESIDENCE AND AN ORBITAL FLAUTIST

We have some cool bits of Space Music to roundup this week. First, we've already covered NASA's first and last artist in residence (AIR), but what aboutSETI?

 

The ET-seeking non-profit just signed on multimedia artist Charles Lindsay for a three year stint as its first AIR, during which he'll grow the program and "encourage cross disciplinary artistic expression in order to explore and illuminate the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe."

As you see in the image above, Lindsay's work definitely has a spaced-out look to it. He uses a camera-less, carbon-based emulsion photographic process. His works also creates custom ambient soundscapes to accompany his work -- a process that includes processing samples from NASA's audio archives. Visit his official website to hear some of this.

As shared over at Wired, it was also a good week for live music aboard the International Space Station. In the following video, astronaut Catherine Coleman plays the flute for us in microgravity, continuing a long tradition of live music in orbit. In the past, humans have taken up. everything from synths to didgeridoos. In fact, ten days before Christmas 1965, the astronauts aboard Gemini 6 performed a rendition of the holiday tune "Jingle Bells" using a harmonica and bells. Anyway, here's Coleman (she whips it out around 1:20):

What else is there to listen to this week? Well, Luke Twyman of Neverest Songs recently scored the film "All that Glitters" and you can test drive the tracks right here. I interviewed Twyman in this previous space music post about his excellent SolarBeat space music application. It's good stuff to drift away to.

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Spaceships of the World: 50 Years of Human Spaceflight

Source SPACE.com: All about our solar system, outer space and exploration

Nobel Prize Winner Baruch Blumberg Dies of Apparent Heart Attack

A NASA portrait of Dr. Baruch Blumberg in 1999.

Nobel Prize winner Dr. Baruch "Barry" Blumberg, who served as the first director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute at NASA's Ames Research Center, died of an apparent heart attack while attending a conference at Ames on Tuesday, April 5. He was 85.

Blumberg served as the first director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute from 1999 to 2002. He is best known as the winner of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Medicine for identifying the Hepatitis B virus. Blumberg shared the Nobel Prize with D. Carleton Gajdusek for their work on the origins and spread of infectious viral diseases.

Lynn Harper of NASA's Ames Research Center and Dr. Baruch Blumberg attended the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory Workshop in October 2007

Blumberg was a featured speaker and participant at the International Lunar Research Park Exploratory Workshop being held in the NASA Ames Conference Center when he was stricken.

"Barry Blumberg was a great biochemist and researcher," said Ames Center Director Pete Worden. "He was a leading light in the scientific community and a great humanitarian. He also was a loyal and supportive friend to NASA, Ames Research Center and the nation's space program." 

Dr. Baruch Blumberg was introduced as the first director of the NASA Astrobiology Institute during a press conference held at NASA's Ames Research Center in May 1999.

A native of New York, N.Y., Blumberg had been a member of the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia since 1964 and held the rank of University Professor of Medicine and Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania since 1977. Since 2005, he had served as president of the American Philosophical Society, the oldest learning society in the United States, dating back to 1743. He had been a member of the society since 1986.

Blumberg first entered the graduate program in mathematics at Columbia University, but soon switched to medicine and enrolled in Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, graduating with his M.D. in 1951. He remained at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center for the next four years, first as an intern and then as a resident. He began his graduate work at Balliol College, Oxford, where he earned his Ph.D. in 1957.  

"The world has lost a great man," said former NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin, who served as NASA administrator from 1992 to 2001. "Barry saved lives through his research on the Hepatitis B virus. He also inspired a whole generation of people worldwide through his work in building the NASA Astrobiology Institute. On a personal level, he improved my life through his friendship. Our planet is an improved place as a result of Barry's few short days in residence."

For more information about Baruch Blumberg, visit: 

http://lunarscience.arc.nasa.gov/bios/baruch-blumberg

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NASA Braces for Possible Government Shutdown

The U.S. Capitol

NASA is once again bracing for a potential shutdown of the federal government, which could begin this weekend if Republicans and Democrats in Congress can't agree on a budget.

U.S. lawmakers have yet to pass a budget for fiscal year 2011, which began in October. As a result, the government has been operating under a series of stopgap funding measures called continuing resolutions. The latest of these is set to expire at 12:01 a.m. EDT Saturday (April 9).

NASA officials expressed hope that Democrats and Republicans can reach an agreement in time to forestall a government shutdown— but they're not necessarily counting on it.

"Given the realities of the calendar, however, prudent management requires that we plan for an orderly shutdown should Congress be unable to pass a funding bill," NASA chief Charlie Bolden wrote in a recent memo to agency employees that was posted online by the websiteSpaceRef.com today (April 6).

Furloughs could be coming

At this point, Republicans are seeking deeper cuts in federal spending than Democrats are willing to concede. If the two sides can't come together by Friday, the federal government could shut down for the first time since 1995.

Federal activities deemed essential to the nation's safety and economic well-being — such as air-traffic control and food inspection — would continue to receive funding. But many other operations would be suspended, and many federal employees furloughed.

NASA has now begun the process of trying to figure out which of its operations and employees would be affected.

"Our contingency planning for the potential funding lapse includes determining which agency functions are excepted from a furlough," Bolden wrote. "Should it become necessary to implement our contingency plans, you will receive formal notice from your manager no later than Friday, April 8th regarding the designation of your position and furlough status."

"Essential" employees exempt from a furlough would almost certainly include anyone involved with keeping astronauts safe and healthy in space, NASA officials said — not to mention the astronauts themselves.

Keeping astronauts safe

There are two NASA astronauts in space today – Cady Coleman and Ron Garan. They are two of the six spaceflyers making up the International Space Station's Expedition 27 crew.

Coleman and two crewmates are currently living on the station. Garan and two other crewmembers will arrive at the orbiting laboratory tonight. They launched into space Monday aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

"We will take the steps necessary to ensure the safety of our astronauts on the International Space Station and our other missions," said NASA spokeswoman Katherine Trinidad. "Critical personnel will remain in place."

Engineers and technicians actually operating the various NASA spacecraft flying through the solar system could probably stay on as well, experts have predicted. Researchers analyzing spacecraft data, on the other hand, might have to go home for a spell — along with large numbers of support staff, from cafeteria workers to office managers.

NASA's next space shuttle flight — Endeavour's STS-134 mission to the space station — is slated to launch April 29. The space agency is looking into how a government shutdown might complicate preparations for that flight, the shuttle program's second-to-last before it retires later this year.

"NASA is still assessing the potential impact to orbiter processing and the upcoming STS-134 mission," Trinidad told SPACE.com.

It's happened before

This is not the first time a possible government shutdown has loomed. Just last month, for example, lawmakers avoided a potential shutdown by passing another continuing resolution.

And in November 1995, President Clinton and congressional Republicans — led by then House Speaker Newt Gingrich — couldn't come to an agreement in time. A shutdown ensued right in the middle of the space shuttle Atlantis' STS-74 mission to Russia's Mir space station.

NASA employees considered essential to that mission stayed on. But many other workers were furloughed, including NASA's public affairs office.

The 1995 shutdown dragged on for three weeks. While NASA officials hope lawmakers can avert such an incident this time around, they're firming up employees' resolve just in case.

"Your contributions touch people's lives in so many significant ways, and I want you to know how deeply I appreciate your dedication and your expertise," Bolden wrote in the memo. "We're a determined and resilient team and we'll get through this!"

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Russian Spaceship 'Gagarin' Arrives at Space Station

The Soyuz spaceship "Gagarin" approaches the International Space Station for docking on April 6, 2011.
CREDIT: NASA TV

A Russian spaceship bearing the name of history's most famous cosmonaut docked at the International Space Station late Wednesday  (April 6) to deliver three new crewmembers to the orbiting lab.

The Soyuz TMA-21 — nicknamed "Gagarin" after Yuri Gagarin, who became the first person in space on April 12, 1961 — successfully docked with the station's Poisk module at 7:09 p.m. EDT (2309 GMT). The spacecraft had launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 4, blasting off from the same pad used for Gagarin's historic flight nearly 50 years ago.

"Contact and capture — docking confirmed," a NASA official announced as the "Gagarin" sidled up to the orbiting lab.   

The "Gagarin" launched into space Monday (April 4 EDT) carrying  two cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut to join three other crewmembers already aboard the station, rounding out the orbiting lab's Expedition 27.

The three spaceflyers — NASA's Ron Garan and Russians Alexander Samokutyaev and Andrey Borisenko — will also stay on as part of the next station mission, Expedition 28.

"It was a great couple of days and we're ready to get to work," Garan said.

Garan and Samokutyaev will be flight engineers on both expeditions. Borisenko will serve as a flight engineer on Expedition 27 and later serve as the commander of Expedition 28. [Vote Now! The Best Spaceships of All Time]

The crew received a flood of congratulatory calls from Russia's Mission Control center near Moscow after docking at the space station. Russian space official and the families of the astronaut and cosmonauts were on hand to wish the crew well.

"We love you," Garan's wife Carmel told her husband and his crewmates after their arrival on the station. "We'll keep the fires burning at home, and we'll welcome you home with open arms at the end of your successful mission."

The International Space Station seen from the Soyuz "Gagarin," as the spaceship approaches for docking on April 6, 2011.
CREDIT: NASA TV

 

Marking many milestones

All three spaceflyers — and the "Gagarin" — will stay at the space station until September, when they'll come back down to Earth. They'll therefore be aboard the orbiting lab for a series of big spaceflight anniversaries and milestones.

There's the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's flight and the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle flight. Both of those events occurred on April 12 - Gagarin's mission in 1961 and the shuttle fleet's first launch 20 years later, in 1981. The three new crewmembers will also be aloft for the 50th anniversary of the first American in space — Alan Shepard's flight of May 5, 1961.

They'll also bid farewell to NASA's space shuttle program from the orbiting lab. The space agency isretiring the workhorse vehicles later this year after three decades of service. The last two shuttle flights — Endeavour's STS-134 mission and Atlantis' STS-135 flight — are slated to launch toward the station in April and June, respectively.

The three crewmembers already aboard the station — cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev, NASA astronaut Cady Coleman and European spaceflyer Paolo Nespoli — have been there since December. They're scheduled to return to Earth next month.

Gagarin's historic flight

Yuri Gagarin's 1961 flight was a significant victory for the Soviet Union in its escalating space race with the United States. It opened wounds first inflicted by the Soviets' surprise launch of Sputnik 1 — the world's first artificial satellite — in October 1957. [The Top 10 Soviet and Russian Science Missions]

Gagarin launched in a spherical Vostok 1 capsule, orbited Earth once, then landed safely in a Russian field 108 minutes later.

While Gagarin's name will live forever in the history books, the man himself died tragically young. His plane crashed during a military training exercise in 1968, killing the cosmonaut at the age of 34.

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