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Astronomy 3040 Astrobiology Spring_2016 Day-1 Snow-1, Education-0 ASTR_3040 I’m posting these so y’all can look through them BEFORE we meet (probably on) Monday 1/25. Syllabus and all that rot Resources Grading Project Expectations Who are we? ASTR_3040 Dr. Allyn Smith Office Hours: (B329-SSB): MWF 1000-1100 & by app’t. D2L – Will be used for grade tracking only. Do NOT send email via D2L – it probably will not be read. Everything you need for this class can be found at: http://www.apsu.edu/astronomy NOT using i-clickers in this class. ASTR_3040 Text Book: Life in the Universe, 3rd Edition By Bennett & Shostak ORDER FROM: Amazon.com or visit Study Master ISBN: 978-0-321-68767-8 or 0-321-68767-1 We will however, be using journal articles that pertain to the subject. How to Attack the course • Read the text – preferably BEFORE class. • Visualize the concept. • Quiz yourself (and others) • Try to teach the material to your study group. • Focus - Concepts, Relationships, Connections. • Don’t psych yourself out over the “math”. • Stay current with assignments. • If you have questions … Office Hours!!! ASTR_3040 Goals for the class: What is life? Evolutionary history of life on Earth What is required for life? How do you search for life? How do you form a star and planets? Possibilty of life in the Solar System ISS experiments Exo-planets Kardashev civilization scale ASTR_3040 Assignment: Look through these slides AND the on-line material; especially the syllabus, observing requirements, and the project. Read Chapter 1. Think about the key concepts outlined in the chapter. ASTR_3040 The ASTR-1010/1020 classes have an Observing Rqmnt: 1st quarter moon nights – 3 of them this semester 6 Dark Night observing sessions – you must attend 1: Weather dependent Notice posted on astronomy URL by 5pm. Dates are on the web site. This is NOT required for ASTR-3040, but you are welcome to attend if you choose to. And, we greatly appreciate people who show up to help setup and tear-down the equipment. ASTR_3040 Exams: 2-3, ”1 hour” exams The last one will be given during the final exam time BONUS POINTS: Wear Hawai’ian shirts on exam days; Attend a planetarium show (or two); attend a BSAS star party or meeting. ... And help at the ASTR-1010/1020 observing nights. Spacecraft Design Project If you were to design a spacecraft to explore one of the moons of our solar system to search for indicators of life: How much power do you need to run the instruments? Which moon would you choose and why? Where would expect to find life on or in this moon? What instruments would you include on the probe? Why? What is the power source? (nuclear, solar?) Then, consider the mass of the instruments, spacecraft structure, propulsion system (including fuel), and power supply source (rough estimates only here). Finally, look at the launch vehicle performance ... This will be a group effort. Why & How Study Astrobiology? Folk Lore Martian canals UFOs Astronomy Planetary Sciences Geology Atmospheres & Oceans Biology Mars, the only planet inhabited only by robots Where do we Look? Earth - extremophiles In the Solar System Planets – sizes, distance from Sun Mars Moons – sizes, water & water ice Jupiter – Europa, Ganymede, Callisto Saturn – Titan, Enceladus Neptune - Triton Exoplanets 2014 confirmed planets (22 Jan. 2016) How find them? Pulsar Timing Radial Velocity Astrometry Gravitational Lensing Photometry (transits) Where do we Look? Beyond the Solar System Distances to stars, travel time SETI But First ... What is Life? If you're going to find it, you have to know what you're looking for. Carbon based? (or Silicon) Liquid water? Simple or complex Communicating? Cyborgs?