874 research outputs found
Sustained eruptions on Enceladus explained by turbulent dissipation in tiger stripes
Spacecraft observations suggest that the plumes of Saturn's moon Enceladus
draw water from a subsurface ocean, but the sustainability of conduits linking
ocean and surface is not understood. Observations show sustained (though
tidally modulated) fissure eruptions throughout each orbit, and since the 2005
discovery of the plumes. Peak plume flux lags peak tidal extension by 1
radian, suggestive of resonance. Here we show that a model of the tiger stripes
as tidally-flexed slots that puncture the ice shell can simultaneously explain
the persistence of the eruptions through the tidal cycle, the phase lag, and
the total power output of the tiger stripe terrain, while suggesting that the
eruptions are maintained over geological timescales. The delay associated with
flushing and refilling of \emph{O}(1) m-wide slots with ocean water causes
erupted flux to lag tidal forcing and helps to buttress slots against closure,
while tidally pumped in-slot flow leads to heating and mechanical disruption
that staves off slot freeze-out. Much narrower and much wider slots cannot be
sustained. In the presence of long-lived slots, the 10-yr average power
output of the tiger stripes is buffered by a feedback between ice melt-back and
subsidence to \emph{O}(10) W, which is similar to the observed power
output, suggesting long-term stability. Turbulent dissipation makes testable
predictions for the final flybys of Enceladus by the \emph{Cassini} spacecraft.
Our model shows how open connections to an ocean can be reconciled with, and
sustain, long-lived eruptions. Turbulent dissipation in long-lived slots helps
maintain the ocean against freezing, maintains access by future Enceladus
missions to ocean materials, and is plausibly the major energy source for tiger
stripe activity
Valuing life detection missions
Recent discoveries imply that Early Mars was habitable for
life-as-we-know-it; that Enceladus might be habitable; and that many stars have
Earth-sized exoplanets whose insolation favors surface liquid water. These
exciting discoveries make it more likely that spacecraft now under construction
- Mars 2020, ExoMars rover, JWST, Europa Clipper - will find habitable, or
formerly habitable, environments. Did these environments see life? Given finite
resources (\$10bn/decade for the US ), how could we best test the hypothesis of
a second origin of life? Here, we first state the case for and against flying
life detection missions soon. Next, we assume that life detection missions will
happen soon, and propose a framework for comparing the value of different life
detection missions:
Scientific value = (Reach x grasp x certainty x payoff) / \$
After discussing each term in this framework, we conclude that scientific
value is maximized if life detection missions are flown as hypothesis tests.
With hypothesis testing, even a nondetection is scientifically valuable.Comment: Accepted by "Astrobiology.
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Developing a grid computing system for commercial-off-the-shelf simulation packages
Today simulation is becoming an increasingly
pervasive technology across major business
sectors. Advances in COTS Simulation Packages
and Commercial Simulation Software have made
it easier for users to build models, often of large complex processes. These two factors combined are to be welcomed and when used correctly can be of great benefit to organisations that make use of the technology. However, it is also the case
that users hungry for answers do not always have the time, or possibly the patience, to wait for results from multiple replications and multiple experiments as standard simulation practice would demand. There is therefore a need to support this advance in the use of simulation within todayâs business with improved computing technology. Grid computing has been put forward as a potential commercial solution to this requirement. To this end, Saker Solutions and the Distributed Systems Research Group at Brunel University have developed a dedicated Grid Computing System (SakerGrid) to support the deployment of simulation models across a desktop grid of PCs. The paper identifies route taken to solve this challenging issue and suggests where the future may lie for this exciting integration of two effective but underused technologies
Readjustment of Federal Coal Leases
19 pages.
Contains references
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