Another AI Program is Benefiting Exoplanet Researchers.

New AI Program Classifies Planets and Predicts Probability of Life

Researchers have developed a new technique that uses artificial intelligence to classify planets and, in turn, determine whether life may exist on other worlds. The new technique uses so-called artificial neural networks, known as ANNs, to classify planets, based on whether they resemble present-day Earth, early Earth, Mars, Venus or Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

From article, (Researchers have developed a new technique that uses artificial intelligence to classify planets and, in turn, determine whether life may exist on other worlds. 

ANNs are computer systems that essentially mimic the human brain's learning process. They have proven to be particularly useful for sorting through and identifying patterns in vast amounts of data that would otherwise be too complex and time-consuming for scientists to process, researchers said in the statement. 

In this case, the ANNs are fed atmospheric observations, also known as spectra, from present-day Earth, Mars, Venus, Titan and predictions for early Earth — all of which are rocky bodies that have characteristics that suggest the right conditions to support life, according to the statement. 

However, since life has yet to be discovered outside of Earth, the ANNs classify planets using a "probability of life" measurement that is based on the atmospheric and orbital properties of the five target bodies in our solar system, the researchers said. 

Based on these spectral profiles, the ANNs can predict the habitability of numerous planets, and, as a result, save researchers time by allowing them to focus only on the most promising targets. This technique has been successful for categorizing new planets, according to the statement. 

"Given the results so far, this method may prove to be extremely useful for categorizing different types of exoplanets using results from ground-based and near-Earth observatories," Angelo Cangelosi, a supervisor of the project, who is also from the Centre for Robotics and Neural Systems at Plymouth University, said in the statement. 

The researchers hope to apply this technique to data collected during upcoming missions such as NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and the European Space Agency's ARIEL (Atmospheric Remote-sensing Exoplanet Large-survey) space mission. 

Their findings were presented today (April 4) at the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science conference in Liverpool, England. )

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Three Offshore Wind Farms Proposed in the Connecticut/Massachusetts Ocean Area

Three wind power projects submitted to Connecticut DEEP

A request for renewable energy proposals by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has yielded three bids for generating power with offshore wind farms. The deadline for submitting the renewable energy proposals to DEEP was Monday. DEEP officials received a total of 27 bids, according to agency spokesman Chris Collibee.

 From article, (A request for renewable energy proposals by the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has yielded three bids for generating power with offshore wind farms.

The deadline for submitting the renewable energy proposals to DEEP was Monday. DEEP officials received a total of 27 bids, according to agency spokesman Chris Collibee.

In addition to three proposals involving offshore wind farms, there were 20 involving fuel cells and four that would use anaerobic digestion, which processes plant materials into methane gas for heating and power, Collibee said.

One of the three offshore wind power proposals is a joint venture between Eversource Energy and Orsted, a Danish company, that was announced before the deadline. The wind farm the joint venture partners are proposing would produce 200 megawatts of electricity in federal water 65 miles off the coast of New London.

Two other offshore wind projects were revealed publicly Tuesday. One is proposed by Providence, R.I.-based Deepwater Wind, which launched the nation’s first commercial offshore wind farm off Block Island at the start of 2017 and the other is coming from Vineyard Wind, a New Bedford, Mass. company.

Details on the Vineyard Wind proposal submitted to DEEP weren’t immediately available Tuesday. But the Vineyard Wind project, which is scheduled to begin construction some time in 2019, calls for building an 800-megawatt offshore wind project in a 160,000-acre area 14 miles south of Martha’s Vineyard.

The Deepwater Wind submission to DEEP calls for 200-megawatts from the company from its Revolution Wind project to Connecticut. The Revolution Wind project is located in federal waters roughly halfway between Montauk, N.Y. and Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. Deepwater Wind has a pending proposal before Massachusetts officials to supply energy from Revolution Wind to that state as well.

“We’re ready to put Connecticut on the map when it comes to offshore wind,” Jeffrey Grybowski, Deepwater Wind’s chief executive officer, said in a statement. “We’re the best fit to help make Connecticut’s renewable energy goals a reality.”

Revolution Wind Connecticut could be developed as a stand-alone project or as an expansion of what is being proposed to serve Massachusetts, depending upon the outcome of the two state’s procurement efforts.

Part of the Deepwater Wind proposal also calls for an optional energy storage component, in which power generated by the Revolution Wind project could be stored and delivered during periods of peak electricity consumption.)

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How Talking to a Neighbor Saves Endangered Species.

Scientists use astronomy to save species

Researchers are using astronomical techniques used to study distant stars to survey endangered species. The team of scientists is developing a system to automatically identify animals using a camera that has been mounted on a drone. It is able to identify them from the heat they give off, even when vegetation is in the way.

From article, (Currently, conservationists estimate numbers of endangered species by physically counting them or the signs they leave.

This is an inexact science, as the animals can be in areas inaccessible to observers. Further problems can arise if species have migrated to another area since the previous census. Signs of their presence, such as abandoned nests, rely on assumptions such as the number of animals that share the nest and the frequency with which the species build and abandon their nests.

The process is time consuming, expensive and inaccurate. So Dr Wich developed a system to monitor them using infrared cameras mounted on drones.

Trials at Chester Zoo and Knowsley Safari Park showed that the system could pick up animals on the ground from the heat they gave off, even through tree cover.

 But the problem was that they couldn't always identify the species - especially when they were far away. Dr Wich needed a system that could identify different species from their heat signatures.

He explained his problem to his neighbour, Dr Steve Longmore, while chatting over the fence. The neighbour was an astronomer and he explained that he knew someone who identified the size and age of far away stars from their heat signatures.

"I collaborated with quite a few people during my career but astrophysicists were not on my list of potential collaborators," Dr Wich told BBC News.

"But here we are. It shows how the serendipity of how science works."

Dr Wich worked with astrophysicist Dr Claire Burke, also at Liverpool John Moores University. She told BBC News that her work in identifying the most massive galaxies in the Universe from the light they emit helped her devise software that could identify different types of animal from the pattern of the heat they give off.

Each species, she said, has distinct warmer and colder areas that are unique.

"When we look at animals in the thermal infrared, we're looking at their body heat and they glow in the footage. That glow is very similar to the way that stars and galaxies in space glow," Dr Burke explained.

"So we can apply techniques and software used in astronomy for decades to automatically detect and measure this glow".

The system can also give information about the health of animals. If an animal is injured then that part of the animal's body will be glowing brighter than the rest. Similarly, diseased animals also have a different heat profile, according to Dr Burke.

"The real advantage this gives you is that if you know how many animals you have and where they are and what kind of health they are in, then you can you can formulate a good conservation strategy for looking after them," she said.

"And if you can track them as well, then you can tell what they need to survive and thrive and this helps us. If, for example, we needed to relocate animal because its habitat was being destroyed then you would know better what it needed to be relocated to.")

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Volkswagen Poaches a Senior Tesla Engineer for Its Electrification Division. This Strengthens the Future of EV's By Showing Increased Dedication by a Major Car Company to Several EV Programs

Tesla loses Model S and Model X program manager to VW in order to 'strengthen their EV position'

Tesla has lost a few executives and senior engineers over the last few months and now another is added to the list. Volkswagen poached a senior Tesla engineer in charge of the Model S and Model X programs. The German automaker announced that Tesla's Matthew Renna is joining the company as 'Vice President of Volkswagen North American Region (NAR)-G4'.

From article, (Volkswagen poached a senior Tesla engineer in charge of the Model S and Model X programs.

[Matthew Renna] will be starting later this month and take over the responsibilities of “managing the NAR-G4 team, steering objectives for the Modular Electrification Toolkit (MEB) line, Volkswagen’s modular system for manufacturing electric vehicles.”

The MEB platform is supporting the series of all-electric vehicles currently known as the I.D. electric vehicles that VW is planning to bring to market starting in 2020.

Hinrich J. Woebcken, CEO of the VW North American Region, commented on hiring Renna:

“Matt brings an outstanding combination of financial acumen, engineering depth and product program management– all within the electric vehicle space. His experience and leadership will be a tremendous asset as we strengthen our electric vehicle position in North America and we are excited to welcome him to Volkswagen.”

Renna commented on his move on LinkedIn:

“I am honored to join the Volkswagen family. Electrification is a mission close to my heart, and I am excited for this new adventure with VW!”

Before joining VW, Renna had been working at Tesla since 2013.

He first started as an electrical engineer and quickly move through the ranks – becoming ‘Model 3 Project Manager’ in 2015 and since 2016, he has been the Model S and Model X program manager, according to his LinkedIn account.

The engineer described the position:

“Managed Model S and X platforms delivering record sales and profitability. Responsibilities spanned from new product ideation through design, supply, manufacturing, finance, and sales. Launched longest range EV (100D), fastest production vehicle (P100D), and highest featured autopilot system to date.”

It’s certainly a loss for Tesla, but it might be a good thing for overall EV development since the MEB platform is expected to enable several high volume all-electric vehicle programs, which are currently rare outside of Tesla.

Now VW gets an engineer with experience in managing two successful electric vehicle programs to bring the new platform to market.)

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Critics: "Launch Every Two Weeks? No Way." SpaceX: "No Problem."

SpaceX reaches the promised land of launching every two weeks

SpaceX has long talked a good game about increasing its launch cadence, but the company now appears to be delivering in a big way. After two launches in four days, the California-based company has now flown seven rockets in 2018-six Falcon 9 missions and one Falcon Heavy.

From article, (SpaceX has long talked a good game about increasing its launch cadence, but the company now appears to be delivering in a big way. After two launches in four days, the California-based company has now flown seven rockets in 2018—six Falcon 9 missions and one Falcon Heavy. That breaks down to one launch every 13 days this year.

This is a significant number because it brings the company within its longstanding goal of launching a rocket every two weeks. Indeed, at this pace, SpaceX will launch a total of 27 rockets in 2018, which is consistent with expectations set by the company's president and chief operating officer, Gwynne Shotwell.

 At the end of 2017, when the company was in the midst of shattering all of its previous launch records by flying 18 missions, Shotwell said SpaceX would aim for more in the coming year. “We will increase our cadence next year about 50 percent,” Shotwell told Space News. “We’ll fly more next year than this year, knock on wood, and I think we will probably level out at about that rate, 30 to 40 per year.”

About a decade ago, when SpaceX began publishing its launch prices online, it heavily undercut its rivals in the commercial launch market. With the low price of about $60 million per launch, SpaceX built up a lengthy manifest of customers—creating a backlog of nearly 100 missions by some accounts. In response to the upstart, competitors of SpaceX criticized the company for failing to deliver on ambitious promises of dozens of launches per year. Why buy from SpaceX, they said, if a satellite must wait years to get into space?


And for a time, this was true. From 2012 through 2016, SpaceX averaged fewer than five successful launches of its Falcon 9 rocket per year. (Catastrophic failures in 2015 shortly after launch and on the launch pad in 2016 did not help). But last year, with no failures, SpaceX finally began to master the art of supply lines, in-house production, engine-testing workflow, and more to reach 18 launches.

This increase does not appear to have been a fluke. With its early run of success this year, and now three launch pads at its disposal in Florida and California, the company is showing that it can make another sizable leap in cadence, laying to rest the doubts of rivals who said SpaceX could never fly out its manifest.

"SpaceX is proving what commercial space advocates have always believed, that more affordable, reliable, and plentiful access to space will change the level and nature of demand for space transportation," said James Muncy, founder and president of PoliSpace, an independent space policy consultancy. "It’s not just that SpaceX can launch 30 or more times a year—and they will keep increasing their flight rate in 2019—it’s that demand is increasing, too. That’s great news for all emerging launch providers and for the government if they’re allowed to buy intelligently.")

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