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NASA collecting anti-matter with giant ballon

Posted by Hemos on from the up-up-and-away dept.

Doofus writes " It almost sounds like a science-fiction movie: NASA launched a 60-story-high balloon to the upper fringes of Earth's atmosphere to collect precious particles of some of the rarest stuff in the Universe -- antimatter -- and, just possibly, evidence that entire anti-galaxies exist. The press release is online. " Check out more coverage as well.

10 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. You know... by slothbait · · Score: 2

    If there are, indeed, entire galaxies composed of anti-matter, than its not exact a "rare" substance, now is it? Its just a little difficult to come by round these parts. :)

    Similarly, the vast majority of matter (and/or anti-matter) in the universe is in a plasma state. Being terrestrial, however, we don't bump into plasma very often.

    Scientists have been working on this sort of thing for a while. Its still very interesting. I'm not sure if/how the existence of anti-matter galaxies would effect the Big Bang theory. I am but a humble Engineer. Do we have any Physicists in the room?

    --Lenny

  2. Antimatter Galaxies? by Accipiter · · Score: 2
    It would make sense that Antimatter Galaxies may exist, simply because we have found antimatter. Think about it. As far as that anti-proton is concerned, it's just a proton (With a Negative charge), and everything it encounters is opposite of itself. So, that would mean, to something somewhere, our universe as we know it, is composed of antimatter (Or, matter which is exactly the opposite of what they refer to as matter.)

    -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?

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    -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
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    1. Re:Antimatter Galaxies? by Accipiter · · Score: 2
      Well, if you ever meet an Anti-person, don't run up and hug them.

      -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?

      --

      -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
      (If you can't figure out how to E-Mail me, Don't. :P)

    2. Re:Antimatter Galaxies? by barawn · · Score: 3

      This is not true. Antiprotons have been found, yes, as have positrons, but they are entirely consistent with having been produced in secondary reactions with the interstellar medium - i.e., a very high energy cosmic ray proton interacts with a stray hydrogen atom and produces a whole bunch of crap, some of which decays into an antiproton, which then propagates to Earth. We have actually found very few antiprotons in cosmic rays. In addition, there are other reasons why antimatter galaxies either do not exist, or are separated from matter galaxies on an immensely huge scale. If antimatter galaxies did exist, we would have regions of intermixing of matter and antimatter which produce gamma rays. We don't see a high diffuse gamma ray flux, therefore, the intermixing regions don't exist. Hence, antimatter galaxies either don't exist, or are separated from normal matter galaxies on an immense scale. Currently, we don't know of any way in which they could have been separated on such a huge scale during the Big Bang, so the current thought is, there are no antimatter galaxies.

    3. Re:Antimatter Galaxies? by anatoli · · Score: 2

      No, there is slight asymmetry between matter and attimatter. It is believed that Big Bang created slightly more matter than antimatter, and then almost everything annihilated.
      --

      --
      Industrial space for lease in Flatlandia.
  3. Re:I don't get it... by Accipiter · · Score: 2
    Antimatter is similar in theory to the magnetic + and -.

    On one side of the spectrum, you have positive matter. Positive matter makes up everything you know to exist. (Keep in mind that positive matter can have a negative charge.)

    Now, it's been theorized that for every positive type of matter, there must be an exact opposite for each type. Helium to Anti-helium (which has yet to be proven), protons to anti-protons, etc.

    Antimatter would be easier to study, but unfortunately, when Matter and Antimatter collide, they annihilate each other producing massive amounts of energy. So if you try to put your pet anti-proton in a mayonaise jar, it won't work. :)

    -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?

    --

    -- Give him Head? Be a Beacon?
    (If you can't figure out how to E-Mail me, Don't. :P)

  4. Hmmmm. Antimatter. by nicksand · · Score: 3

    I wonder what those people who whine about the nuclear-powered Cassini space craft would say if they understood the implications of collecting antimatter: when antimatter comes into contact with matter it annihilates, creating two gamma rays (gamma rays != good).

    Luckily for the human race, we currently only have to ability to create and maintain minute amounts of the stuff. Someday, however, I'm sure we'll have anti-anti-matter protestors. Won't that be fun?

  5. I have an antimatter collection! by DonkPunch · · Score: 2

    It's right here on my antishelf in my anticloset in my antibedroom!

    antiDonkPunch

    --

    Save the whales. Feed the hungry. Free the mallocs.
  6. Re:Antimatter Galaxies? em, duh by Hobbex · · Score: 3

    Wow, that is like deep and freaky man, but like, dude, I got something even more out there.

    Like, imagine this dude who lives in the mirror right. What he would call right, would be what I call left, and what he would call left, would be what I call right.

    Deep shit...

  7. Re:This is utter BS by TomL · · Score: 2

    On the contrary anonymous coward, I hate Star Trek and try not to watch it. Mr. Spock's recklessly flawed logic tends to disgust me. Good point though.