Scientist urgently sought!

[Anuranium]

Greetings CMDR's!

As much as I loved DCello's Science Guide to the Galaxy, which explained many of the practical things in this game, I cannot help but to want to know more.
Therefore I hope that any scientist, or would-be scientists out there could explain to me some things I cannot figure out on my own (and yes I have truly tried)

1. Planets with ammonia-based life.


Sure they make nice screenshots, but what kind of life are we talking about here? Although I know this kind of life is purely speculative, is this life restricted to be single cellular, or if we land, (coming soon I hope) could we expect to see dinasour-like animals roam the planet? Ammonia-based life has is limits, as I understand, but what possibilities are there? Any biologist out there?

2. Names of the Stars.

What is the logic behind the names of the stars? Sure I get Sol, Achenar etc. However when I go exploring I find the naming of the stars to be highly erratic.
Let me examplify:
Hegeia AA-A H1 is a Class A blue-white supergiant star.
Traikea AA-A H1 is a Class B giant
So I think to myself, perhaps this "code" is the most luminous or largest star in the respective sector... so I apply this to Traikeou AA-A H1 and find.... a black hole...
Allright I say, let's try Traikeou AA-A H2 then, and it turns out to be an entire nebula.
Where is the logic? Astronomers, please indulge me!

3. Oxygen-pure atmosphere.


So I find this water world... with an atmosphere of 92,5% oxygen. Something tells me that going down and visiting this planet would be problematic. Please explain to me how this world can exist, and how it wouldn't instantenously combust if there where a comet or spaceship that were to enter it's atmosphere. Can I at least have a cigarette there?
Perhaps a chemist could answer this..?

Thank you FD for a wonderful game, you guys are truly amazing! As for the rest, forgive my ignorence.

Safe travels

 

[Devil's Refugee]

Talk to @astroengine on Twitter. He's an astrophysicist by trade, works for Discovery Space, interviewed The Braben (write-up pending) and is an avid Elite fan too. Can't go wrong on all counts there

 

[Skürt Avil]

Ammonia is one of the basic building blocks for life. It was found on the comet CP-67 by Rosetta recently. So my guess would be that planets with ammonia based life would pretty primordial. Essentially, organic lifeforms in soupy ponds.

 

[Surly_Badger]

Re: an oxygen-rich world - I guess it could happen if there wasn't much for the oxygen to react with.

When planetary landings are available, you could test that theory by taking down a large supply of hydrocarbons and a box of matches.

 

[Anuranium]

Ammonia is one of the basic building blocks for life. It was found on the comet CP-67 by Rosetta recently. So my guess would be that planets with ammonia based life would pretty primordial. Essentially, organic lifeforms in soupy ponds.

A shame really... I was hoping for an Ammonia T-Rex

Re: an oxygen-rich world - I guess it could happen if there wasn't much for the oxygen to react with.

When planetary landings are available, you could test that theory by taking down a large supply of hydrocarbons and a box of matches.

LOL, sure, however I will send a probe first... just in case.

 

[Mostly Hamster]

Yeah, I think the high oxygen is possible, maybe unlikely.
Oxygen is pretty stable on its own, particularly at low temps. But give it a little kick and something to oxidize, and its off, really, quite spectacularly.
With 92% of it out there, I suspect landing your ship, with all its flaming boosters would be......... inauspicious.
Basic reaction (example with methane) is this
CH4 (methane) + 2O2-------------->2H2O + CO2
Not sure if this would happen spontaneously, probably depend on temperature and pressure.

 

[Kerrec Snowmane]

I'm just a plain engineer, but I know that fire requires 3 "ingredients".
1) Heat
2) Fuel
3) Oxygen
.
I don't think Oxygen can be considered fuel.

However, if you tried to light up a cigarette or something, IT would burn really really well.

 

[Lister_of_Smeg]

Very VERY smelly life

 

[Gully Foyle]

I'm just a plain engineer, but I know that fire requires 3 "ingredients".
1) Heat
2) Fuel
3) Oxygen
.
I don't think Oxygen can be considered fuel.

However, if you tried to light up a cigarette or something, IT would burn really really well.

It would make you giddy too. Humans are used to low oxygen and high nitrogen levels here on Terra.

- - - - - Additional Content Posted / Auto Merge - - - - -

Very VERY smelly life

As the OP said, Dinosours

 

[KodiakAlpha]

I'm just a plain engineer, but I know that fire requires 3 "ingredients".
1) Heat
2) Fuel
3) Oxygen
.
I don't think Oxygen can be considered fuel.

However, if you tried to light up a cigarette or something, IT would burn really really well.

This. Anything burning will burn hotter and faster than on earth. I'm not positive, but I think that you would also get increased levels of oxidization (rusting in the case of iron), especially on a water world, due to the higher oxygen content of the air. That might cause problems with a lot of the materials your equipment might be made of.

 

[Gregstrom]

92.5% oxygen would be a doable atmosphere, with a couple of conditions.
Either.
A low pressure atmosphere (so lower partial pressure of oxygen, limiting the danger - at ~0.2 bars pressure, it would be as safe as Earth's atmosphere),
or...
Nothing flammable above the surface of the water. Which would be thecase before long anyway. The oxygen would mostly come from algae or other water-based life, which would be pretty much safe. The hyper-oxygenated water could support some pretty large sea life.

 

[Jackie Silver]

What is the logic behind the names of the stars? Sure I get Sol, Achenar etc. However when I go exploring I find the naming of the stars to be highly erratic.
Let me examplify:
Hegeia AA-A H1 is a Class A blue-white supergiant star.
Traikea AA-A H1 is a Class B giant
So I think to myself, perhaps this "code" is the most luminous or largest star in the respective sector... so I apply this to Traikeou AA-A H1 and find.... a black hole...
Allright I say, let's try Traikeou AA-A H2 then, and it turns out to be an entire nebula.
Where is the logic? Astronomers, please indulge me!

I think it's a rotational coordinate system. I haven't worked out the details but you may notice groups of nearby stars ALICE AA-A C1, ALICE AA-A C2 and so on with ALICE AA-AB1 off to one side of them and ALICE AA-AD1 off to the other.

As far as I can tell areas have an underlying alphanumeric name (something along the lines of SWOINS or SYNUEFA or whatever), which is itself some further part of the coordinate system but which is overridden by specific named areas (like COL 359 SECTOR) around nebulae etc.

If I get really bored some time I'll have another go at it.

 

[[VR] Deggial]

Ammonia, in some theories, could replace water as a solvent (-> wikipedia here).

While this might be possible in theory, I somehow doubt that ammonia is capable to replace water in all respect. I've once visited my organic chemestry professor in his office and was stunned by his cyclopedia featuring one molecule and one molecule only: Water! The cyclopedia spanned 10 or 12 volumes and took over 1 meter on his shelve!

Water is in fact an incredible molecule! Most of its awesomness is based on its strong dipol character, which is lacking in ammonium.

--

Oxygen, by the way, is by no means necessary for life - at least for single cellular life forms. In fact, oxygen is very toxic and caused one of the first global cataclysm when the oxygen produced by the first photosyntetic algees wasn't bound by iron-containing minerals any more and started to accumulate in the athmosphere. A good share of the microorganisms died back then and most of the recent lifeforms are descendants of the survivors, which managed to render it innoxious.

It is true, though, that those who have learned to use oxygen for energy production (by oxidation) were able to advance. Multi-cellular life (on earth) is possible only because of this high energy yield.

 

[Yaffle]

Oxygen is toxic. Yes, really.

At high concentrations you'll have a Very Bad Time Indeed, so you could land on the planet, but would need to check the pressure of the atmosphere. If it was about the same as oxygen's partial pressure here you'd be okay, but might have problems if there is no water vapour to help dissolve it in the moist lining of your lungs.

Your cigarette would burn like there's no tomorrow, but oxygen doesn't burn, it reacts with other things and that reaction may have flames.

 

[Anuranium]

If I get really bored some time I'll have another go at it.

Much appreciated if you do What boggles me is that there seem to be no connection in what type of star or location the name indicates... If it is as you said a rotational system it would make more sense.

 

[Darkfyre99]

2. Names of the Stars.

What is the logic behind the names of the stars? Sure I get Sol, Achenar etc. However when I go exploring I find the naming of the stars to be highly erratic.
Let me examplify:
Hegeia AA-A H1 is a Class A blue-white supergiant star.
Traikea AA-A H1 is a Class B giant
So I think to myself, perhaps this "code" is the most luminous or largest star in the respective sector... so I apply this to Traikeou AA-A H1 and find.... a black hole...
Allright I say, let's try Traikeou AA-A H2 then, and it turns out to be an entire nebula.
Where is the logic? Astronomers, please indulge me!

Most names are taken from actual astronomical catalogs, and often refer to the catalog name and its reference number, often times its location in the sky (inclination and ascension, IIRC). Some names refer to what constellation they appear to be in, which has a system all its own. Some names are generated by the game's galaxy engine, or from the previous games.

 

[Anuranium]

Your cigarette would burn like there's no tomorrow, but oxygen doesn't burn, it reacts with other things and that reaction may have flames.

Got it, no smoking here. How about thrusters on i.e a ship? Or the effect on a ship in general, apart from rust as mention earlier?

 

[Space Time]

Science Fiction...

It's all science fiction based on theory from people who need a job after acquiring an almost useless college degree...

There's been no life found, so how can there be astrobiology other than observing the effects of space upon the few humans and other biological things that have been there, "from here".
This is the only ammonia breathing animal I know of...

They ran out of names for most of the planets and stars, because they didn't pursue language courses beyond class 101...

and we have yet to find anything useful for guys like this to do, who repeat things they read in books...

For the exception of hosting educational shows where they speak of things yet proven or found, other than a box of rocks brought back by the Apollo Missions which were so valuable they were sold on E-Bay...

It's much easier to speak of Si-Fi, than it is to speak of Si-Found, because it's a repeating proses which convinces us the more we hear that anything is said to be true.
To know what is out there is one thing, but to have it useful, we must bring it back here, or go to there where it is... "or where it should be"... based on what most library students have read and what few scientists have found.

To have a book case of the works of others in your brain, is to be a librarian, and to be a scientist does presume that person is looking for, or have found something.

Multi-perception is the key to everything and few have it... "including me"

Space Time

 

[Zenith]

I attended a chemistry lecture where the prof was a real mad scientist. He started out by saying that liquid oxygen is dangerous because it will enable anything to oxidise, even substances that wouldn't normally burn. He went on to say that it's so dangerous that they don't let mad professor types like him use it.
So here's some in a Thermos he made earlier!

He lit a cigarette, it glowed as usual.
He soaked a cigarette in LO2 then lit it. The cigarette just flashed and was gone, no ash, just a bit of smoke.
He got a digestive biscuit and tried to burn it, but all it did was char. Soak it in LO2. Go to light it, WHUMP! No biscuit, no ash, just some smoke.

If it is capable of burning, a high oxygen environment is very bad because it will make a tiny flame uncontrollable very quickly.

As for ammonia based life in a gas giant, it would be comparable to radioplankton in our oceans. Just using ammonia instead of water.

The odd name of pg systems is simply a way to give a unique name to almost 400 billion data points.

 

[OnePercent]

Water is just water, the one unique molecule that managed to help make us, I assume anything other would be primitive.

The strong dipole nature of water is the key reason we exist.