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Interesting facts about space.
In nature, moon jellies spend most of their time drifting on currents rather that swimming. In captivity, they will require an aquarium with a well designed turbulence system to keep them from becoming a helpless ball of gelatinous goo at the bottom of your tank.
and here is another
Some studies which have been performed in certain cities within the United States show that there is no correlation between the full moon phase and such things as a rise in suicides, crime rate, dog bites or births. And yet, other studies completed by such individuals as psychologists and other human behaviorists have shown that there is, in fact, a peak in certain kinds of behavior associated with a loss of contact with reality during full moons. These include murder, arson, dangerous driving and kleptomania, which is an irresistible impulse to steal due to an emotional rather than economical need.
With such intriguing results before them, the team of astronomers studied the data to determine if Kepler-22b actually has a moon. Unfortunately, their analysis reveals no evidence for the existence of an exomoon circling Kepler-22b. This non-detection suggests that the mass of any companion world around Kepler-22b must be less than 0.54 times the mass of our planet--with an impressive confidence rate of 95%! Therefore, it is very unlikely that Kepler-22b is circled by an Earth-like moon. Nevertheless, it is still too soon to give up hope. The Hunt for Exomoons with Kepler project has studied nine planetary systems in search of exomoons. Although none were detected, with the team's new results about the possibility of finding Earth-sized moons and the remaining treasure trove of Kepler data to sift through, large and possibly even habitable exomoons may start being spotted in the near future.
- Creatology Solar System Kit
- Curiosity Rover Landing Date
- Earth Sun System
- Earth Orbiting The Sun
- Light Side of the Moon NASA
- Nine Planets And Pluto
- Original Blue Marble NASA
- Hunter Carson Invaders From Mars
- Rocket at Space
- NASA Titan Rocket
- Cape Canaveral Launch Pad SpaceX
- Wyndcom Space Station
- Outer Solar System Belt
- Moon Closest to Earth
- Bed Rest Study NASA
In the tragicomedy that characterizes human relationships, it has been said that the closer we get to someone, the weirder that person gets. Earth's Moon is our planet's closest neighbor in Space--mysterious, bewitching, bothersome, and bewildering, it has successfully hidden many of its secrets from the prying eyes of curious observers. In July 2017, using satellite data, a team of astronomers announced that they have, for the first time, detected widespread water hidden within ancient explosive volcanic material on Earth's nearest and dearest companion world. This discovery indicates that the interior of Earth's Moon contains large quantities of indigenous water that has finally been revealed in numerous volcanic deposits distributed across the lunar surface--and these ancient deposits contain unusually high amounts of imprisoned water compared with surrounding terrains. The discovery of water in these ancient lunar deposits, which are believed to be composed of glass beads created in the explosive fiery eruption of magma shooting out from the deep interior of the Moon, strengthens the theory that the lunar mantle is surprisingly water-rich.
Saturn is probably the most beautiful planet in our Sun's lovely family, with its magnificent system of enchanting rings, gleaming icy moons, and myriads of tumbling moonlets that dance and somersault both within and outside of the rings. One of Saturn's moons is Titan, the second largest moon in our Solar System, after Ganymede of Jupiter. Shrouded in a dense orange mist, Titan is famous for its frozen clouds of methane, and hydrocarbon seas and lakes. Titan's thick, veiling atmosphere is composed of a wonderful icy soup of compounds very much like those thought to have been present in Earth's primordial atmosphere. Titan's thick atmosphere--which is much denser than Earth's atmosphere--contains mostly nitrogen, like that of our own planet. But Titan's atmosphere also contains significantly greater percentages of such so-called "smoggy" chemicals as methane and ethane. The smog on Titan is so extremely dense that it actually rains "gasoline-like" liquids down on the surface of this bizarre world. Indeed, some of the chemicals discovered in Titan's atmosphere might indicate that simple and primitive methane-based life (methanogens), might dwell on this truly weird moon.
Until 2004, no spacecraft had visited Saturn in over two decades. Pioneer 11 had snapped the very first close-up images of Saturn when it flew past in 1979, Voyager 1 had its rendezvous about a year later, and in August 1981 Voyager 2 had its brief but highly productive encounter. At last, on July 1, 2004, NASA's Cassini spacecraft went into orbit around Saturn, and started taking breathtaking photographs.


Debris from the ISS broke through the roof of a house in the USA
An object weighing about 1 kg fell on a private house in Florida on March 8, broke through the roof and flew two floors. It was captured by surveillance cameras. There were no casualties.
On the same day, the US space services reported the entry of a 2.6-ton garbage container from the ISS into the Earth's atmosphere. The fragment fell on the house five minutes after the warning was issued.
The origin of the object is not yet clear, but NASA believes that it is one of nine discharged nickel-hydrogen batteries from the ISS.
Unnecessary items were thrown from the International Space Station back in 2021.


Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower | 2019
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San Francisco Bay Area |
Submitted by the Event Organizer
Set your alarm and get up before dawn to witness the Eta Aquarids meteor shower. In 2019, the forecast calls for the greatest number of Eta Aquariid meteors to fall before dawn on (or near) May 5.
However, the broad peak of the Eta Aquariid shower may present a decent showing of meteors during the predawn hours on May 4 and May 6 too.
Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower
May 5, 2019 | Peak is the wee hours before dawn
This shower favors the Southern Hemisphere, ranking as one of the finest showers of the year – in a year when no moon obscures the show.
At mid-northern latitudes, these meteors don’t fall so abundantly – and the early morning twilight interferes at northerly latitudes.
When and how should I watch the Eta Aquarids?
The 2019 Eta Aquariid meteor shower is expected to produce the greatest number of meteors in the wee hours before dawn on May 5.
In general, the best time to watch these fast and often bright meteors is in the early morning hours, before the onset of morning twilight.
Give yourself at least an hour of viewing time for watching any meteor shower. Meteors tend to come in spurts that are interspersed by lulls. Also, it can take as long as 20 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dark.
Categories: **Annual Event**, *Top Pick*, Celestial Events, East Bay, North Bay, Peninsula, San Francisco, San Francisco Bay Area, South Bay


These ladies missed the fashion bus, on quite a few occasions this year. Enjoyed our pick of the fabulous dressers of 2014? Now, it’s time to... ...http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/pix-the-worst-dressed-actresses-of-2014/20141219.htm
India has successfully launched its largest rocket and an unmanned capsule which could send astronauts into space. The Geosynchronous Satellite... ...http://www.calcuttanews.net/index.php/sid/228665407
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) today successfully launched its heaviest rocket GSLV-Mk III on Thursday at 9:30 am from Sriharikota... ...http://www.domain-b.com/aero/space/satellites/20141218_rocket.html
India's space agency Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Thursday successfully tested its most powerful satellite launch vehicle GSLV Mark... ...http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/isro-tests-its-heaviest-space-launch-vehicle-gslv-mark-iii/1/213649.html
Methane, a gas that on Earth comes mainly from living organisms, has been measured for the first time making a sudden spike on Mars, leaving... ...http://www.asianage.com/newsmakers/methane-spike-there-life-mars-142
The fact that will the FX market is...


Join me on my journey through the cosmos. Here i'll post the images I take how I shot them and maybe some guides along the way. Clear Skies!
Sunday, June 5, 2022
Messier 106 June 4th, 2022
Messier 106 is an intermediate spiral galaxy in the constellation Canes Venatici. FOV is 3.57˚ X 2.07˚ This is thirty 240s guided subs taken from the Darling Hill Observatory in Vesper, NY with an Optolong L-Pro filter on June 4th 2022. A Canon EOS6D camera, iOptron CEM40G mount, ZWO ASI120MM mini mono guide camera, William Optics 50mm guide scope, ASIAir Plus, William Optics FLT 91 + Flat 6AIII 0.8 reducer FL 432mm f/4.9.
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Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2016 March 29
Explanation: Point or tilt to see a spectacular view of Mars visible to the Curiosity rover last December. In the foreground, part of Curiosity itself is visible, including its dusty sundial. Starting about seven meters back, the robotic rover is seen posing in front of a 5-meter tall dark sand dune named Namib, one of many dunes that span Bagnold field. Further in the distance is the summit of Mt. Sharp, the 5.5-kilometer peak at the center of 150-km wide Gale crater, the crater where Curiosity landed a few years ago. The featured composite spans a full 360-degrees around by combining several images taken on the same day, while the result has been color adjusted to mimic Earth lighting. Most recently, Curiosity is crossing the rocky and uneven Naukluft Plateau as it continues to make its way around and up Mt. Sharp.
Authors & editors:
Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.


NASA's portable antennas help bring space data back to Earth
Spacecraft wouldn't have to wait to talk to giant ground stations.
SpaceX aims to test its Mars rocket system in first half of 2019
You could see 'BFR' in action sooner than you think.
New Horizons probe captures images at record distance from Earth
They're the farthest since the legendary 'Pale Blue Dot' picture.
Dream Chaser's first ISS resupply mission launches in late 2020
It'll ferry space station cargo and host science experiments.
A portrait of Earth and the Moon from 3 million miles away
Sierra Nevada spacecraft completes first test flight in 4 years
The Dream Chaser is one step closer to space station missions.
Lockheed Martin unveils Mars space station and surface lander
The company claims its spacecraft will venture to the Red Planet in the next decade.
Cassini mission ends with final plunge into Saturn
"The signal ... is gone and within the next 45 seconds, so will be the spacecraft."
Hypersonic aircraft are more realistic thanks to a ceramic coating
Aircraft could survive extreme temperatures with relative ease.


Keeler is an impact crater on Mars, located at 61.0°S latitude and 151.3°W longitude in the Phaethontis quadrangle. It is 95.0 km in diameter and was named after James Edward Keeler, and the name was approved in 1973.
The first image below shows the relationship among three craters that are near each other. Keeler Crater is to the north of Trumpler Crater. After Keeler was formed, a later impact formed Trumpler Crater, and in the process destroyed part of Keeler.
MOLA image showing the relationship among Wright, Keeler, and Trumpler Craters. Colors indicate elevations.
Keeler Crater, as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter)
Enlargement of dunes along northern wall (near top of image) of Trumpler Crater, as seen by CTX camera (on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter). Dark lines at the top are dust devil tracks on the floor of Keeler Crater. Note: this is an enlargement of the previous image of Keeler Crater.


Critiquing a legend is a tough task, let me tell you. I am a big fan of your art, and have been since the start of my own space art journey. This piece is no different. The detail in the nebula is awesome, the colors are very spacy and rare, which i really like. It does, how ever, look an awful lot like the rest of your gallery. I mean, obviously you have your own style, but you can obviously pull it off superbly. I would try pushing your limits, trying to add something completely new to your works. Push not only the limits of the "norm" but your own limits as a designer. Throw us all a curve ball.
I also dont like the planet very much. The texture is good, but not very inciting. It seems a little dull to me. The planet itself also seems a bit flat. Maybe if you could see more of the planet, you could really relate the shadows with the highlights.
Other than that, i love it. Great overall work as usual.
I think this is a beautiful piece. Technically it's perfect. Nothing in it looks man-made or unfinished, at least not at this resolution.
I have three issues with it, and all are closely related, conjoined twins sort of issues. Basically, while it's beautiful and very well made, it is a little boring.
The composision is all diagonal lines. If you took a pinstriped fabric and held it against the image at an angle, it would line up with the way the eye sees this piece. It has a little bit of a flow, but not much. The planet's curve takes me from the left edge to the top edge. The nebula and asteroid belt take me from the bottom edge to the top edge. There's no one thing, or one chain of things, that leads me around the image.
There's no "heat". It's all cool tones, greens, blues, a couple of violets and dull yellows. There are no bright spots and nothing eye-catching. The strongest thing in the image is the planet. A dull pallate can be rather boring.
Last, the image doesn't tell a story. There's no action, no forming planets, no old planets. It's just...kinda there.
I said that all three issues were closely related. Composision and a couple bright colors would lend it more movement (more "story") and make it interesting. In my experiance, good composision (and sometimes color choice) come out of "story". That just means you take a few seconds out of someone's life (this would be a few millinia for a star system) and ask what happened just before, during and what will happen just after the image.
Try, say, giving the planet a moon (maybe even a half-destroyed moon) in the middle left ,between the planet and the asteroid belt, and then putting a comet in the upper right area. Something along those lines. Give the image more movement and "story" and a couple of bright spots.


The Bruce Murray Space Image Library
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NASA / Bill Ingalls
Most NASA images are in the public domain. Reuse of this image is governed by NASA's image use policy.
Explore related images:
The Mountains of Tombaugh Regio
Curiosity's observation tray, sol 571
Comet ISON's evolution from September 24 to November 15, 2013
Elektro-L views Earth's four seasons
Design of the face of the MarsDial
Become a member of The Planetary Society and together we will create the future of space exploration.
Support the Bruce Murray Space Image Library and help us share the wonders of other worlds.


India’s “eye in the sky”, GISAT-1 Earth observation satellite was launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota in AP. The country watched the much-touted event with fascination as GISAT-1 satellite launch was termed a game-changer. Considering it as boost to India’s space ambitions, the satellite was to keep an eye out on ‘locations of interest’ for India.
ISRO said the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-F10 (GSLV-F10) lifted off successfully from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota as scheduled and completed two stages. However, Cryogenic Upper Stage ignition did not happen due to technical anomaly.


A planet has just been discovered which, by our current understanding of the cosmos, should not be able to exist.
NGTS-1b is a planet that our world’s newest and most advanced celestial observation equipment—the Next-Generation Transit Survey—has just observed. But, despite the observations being the absolute highest in quality and accuracy, their results show something that shouldn’t be possible based upon the conventional understanding of the universe.
What they depict is a planet that’s more than a quarter the size of its sun, which it orbits once every three days. It’s completely preposterous, based upon the standard understanding of the cosmos, but repeated observations have returned the same result, leading to the question: is all of our technology wrong, or is our understanding of the cosmos wrong?
“In theory, it is impossible. Current theories of planetary emergence dictate that only small, rocky planets – and not a giant planet – can form around a dwarf star. The most recent discovery by the Next-Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) system has thrown some doubt on this assumption. NGTS-1b is a planet of a size equivalent to that of Jupiter, orbiting a star that is only half as big as the Sun.“
For some, this might all sound odd. However, it’s only the most recent discovery in a long-running chain of so-called “impossible” findings that have been emerging for decades alongside the more palatable discoveries made in astronomy and astrophysics. Of course, the key difference between these two kinds of discoveries is that the palatable variety are graciously courted by mainstream news sources, while the so-called “impossible” discoveries receive little attention and are quickly forgotten. Without digressing too far, examples of such impossible findings include: black holes that are too large, galaxies that are moving too fast, distantly spread celestial objects that are somehow in harmony, stars that are too large to exist, planets with million-year orbits, red-shift, impossible traits of comets, etc, etc—this list really could go on for some time. The point is that such “impossible” discoveries occur about as often as “reasonable” discoveries, and this should raise some concern.
Also interesting is the fact that this planet apparently travels around its sun, the equivalent of a year for us, in 2.6 days.


Following an investigation into the Apollo 13 mishap, Apollo 14 departed for the Moon 10 months later. For the first time, difficult terrain was selected for the landing. Although the radar failed during the approach, Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell were able to make a precision landing with the Antares Lunar Module on 5 February 1971. While exploring Cone Crater, the astronauts made slow progress and lost their orientation. Pulling the vehicle containing the instruments - the 'lunar rickshaw' - proved tiring. As they began to run short of oxygen, they were forced to turn back, only 17 metres from the crater rim. Meanwhile, Stuart Roosa photographed the Moon from the Kitty Hawk Command Module.


Eclipse Fleece & Felting
Oct. 13th-15th Skill Building & Resiliency Intro to Felting w/ Alpaca
- 8 hr 30 min8 hours 30 minutes
- 890 US dollars$890
- Starflower Eco Farm
Increase your resiliency by learning sustainable fiber practices and the ancient art of felting! We will pick, card and felt fleece under the auspicious energy of the eclipse! Felt is the very first fabric humans created! It has a variety of diverse applications and can be used to make anything from clothing, to boots, slippers, yurts & hats. You will get to felt your very own small project to take home! *The eclipse is visible at around 10am on Saturday. It is an annular eclipse so the moon will slide in front of the Sun blocking out the light but leaving an outer ring visible. The path of the eclipse will be about 85% visible from our farm where places like Texas will be 100%. For more info about this eclipse see link below. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/eclipses/2023/oct-14-annular/overview/ **Price does not include food. Attendees must bring own camping gear. 50% deposit is due upon appying & remainder due by Sept. 29th. Signup for both retreats & save $90. Email w/ questions Nicole@StarflowerEcoFarm.com.


July 25, 2011
The Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off, creating billows of smoke and steam on its way into space for mission STS-111 to the International Space Station (ISS). Liftoff occurred at 5:22:49 p.m. (EDT), June 5, 2002. The STS-111 crew includes astronauts Kenneth D. Cockrell, commander; Paul S. Lockhart, pilot, and Franklin R. Chang-Diaz and Philippe Perrin, mission specialists. Also onboard were the Expedition Five crew members including cosmonaut Valery G. Korzun, commander, along with astronaut Peggy A. Whitson and cosmonaut Sergei Y. Treschev, flight engineers. Perrin represents CNES, the French space agency, and Korzun and Treschev are with the Russian Aviation and Space Agency (Rosaviakosmos). This mission marks the 14th Shuttle flight to the International Space Station and the third Shuttle mission this year. Mission STS-111 is the 18th flight of Endeavour and the 110th flight overall in NASA's Space Shuttle program.
Topics: Valery Korzun, Human spaceflight, Spaceflight, Disaster Accident, Philippe Perrin, Expedition 5, STS-111, STS-113, Space Shuttle


Izsak Delporte Crater Location of an Alien Spaceship?
Izsak is a small lunar impact crater that is located on the Moon’s far side, hidden from view from the Earth. It lies about half-way between the walled plains Fermi to the northeast and Milne to the southwest. Due south of Izsak is the larger crater Schaeberle. Izsak is a circular, nearly symmetric crater formation with a sharp-edged rim that has received little erosion. At the midpoint of the interior floor is a small central peak. – wikipedia
Delporte is a lunar impact crater on the Moon’s far side. It overlies part of the northwestern rim of the huge walled plain Fermi, and the crater Litke is nearly attached to the southeastern rim.
The rim of this crater is only marginally worn, although it is not quite circular and the edge is somewhat uneven. There is a shelf running along the northern inner wall. At the midpoint is a central ridge that extends to the northward. – wikipedia
This is the original image from NASA of the location where the famous “Alien ship” rests. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/apollo/frame/?AS15-P-9625


Project Icarus is an ambitious five-year study into launching an unmanned spacecraft to an interstellar destination. Headed by the Tau Zero Foundation and British Interplanetary Society, a non-profit group of scientists dedicated to interstellar spaceflight, Icarus is working to develop a spacecraft that can travel to a nearby star.
Andreas Tziolas, secondary propulsion lead for Project Icarus, overviews the general Icarus mission timeline, with a focus on the secondary propulsion techniques that will be required to support the fusion-propelled interstellar vehicle.
To appreciate the wide range of systems needed for in interstellar mission, let us consider a nominal profile for Icarus. The Icarus study is still underway, but we will take a bird's eye view of the mission, keeping in mind the importance of achieving its scientific objectives.
The spacecraft construction would necessarily take place in space. If constructed in low-Earth orbit (LEO), we would most likely need a high thrust chemical propulsion system, and ideally a reliable single-stage-to-orbit solution, such as SKYLON or perhaps a revised program for mass production of launch vehicles.
A large scale space-based infrastructure would then be needed, which would most likely use a wide range of solar powered systems.
This orbiting shipyard might look like a fabrication ring capable of moving around the spacecraft (pictured above), with a number of remote manipulators working on sections of it at a time.
The engineers may be operating the manipulators safely from Earth, working in shifts around the clock and from around the world. The sheer size of the orbiting shipyard would make it suitable for visits, effectively making the Icarus construction a tourist attraction:
"Hotel Icarus: All proceeds go towards building mankind's first interstellar starship."
The Daedalus starship required an enormous amount (50,000 tons) of a rare Helium isotope to power its fusion engines: Helium-3 -- extremely rare on Earth, but which can be found in the sun and gas giant planets.
The solar wind that has been splashing against our moon for millions of years, also contains Helium-3, and has been slowly depositing some quantities of it on its surface.
The most abundant source of Helium-3 however is the atmospheres of gas giants. The two best candidates are Jupiter which is the closest to Earth -- but has very powerful and tenuous gravitational field -- and Uranus -- with a slightly higher Helium-3 concentration, but is almost four times further away from Earth.
Team Icarus is actively researching fusion fuels and several interesting fuel acquisition methods. One option, also considered in detail by the Daedalus team, is the placement of atmospheric mining balloons in the atmospheres of gas giants, the designs for which may be informed from research into stratospheric balloons.
Another novel concept system being considered is based on a ramjet type aero-spacecraft, which partially uses the atmospheric gases for propulsion, and includes a forward gas collection scoop.
Yet another concept design involves an orbiting spacecraft with a very long hollow tether which is descended into the gas giant's upper atmosphere and effectively 'sucks' the atmosphere up and distils the Helium-3 in orbit. The tether could be used for power as well as propulsion in this case, because it can generate electrical current by moving through the magnetic field of the gas giant, through induction.
Interplanetary tankers would then carry the fuel back to LEO, perhaps using some of the Helium-3 for their own propulsion. An alternative would be to store the Helium-3 in interplanetary fuel depots orbiting the gas giant, where the Icarus could pick them up on its way out of the solar system.
Navigation and Trajectory Insertion
Attitude control and navigation are of particular importance inside our solar system, where the initial Icarus interstellar trajectory insertion would take place.
An orbital insertion trajectory called the Oberth maneuver, has the spacecraft dip towards the sun and then quickly power outwards, in a move reminiscent to an orbital slingshot. In this case however, the benefit comes from using up as much of the fuel as possible deep inside the gravitational field of the sun, which saves energy because that same amount doesn't need to be carried it up and out of the gravity well.
This move also brings the spacecraft very close to the sun, which gives us an opportunity to use a solar sail to either supplement the main engine, or to assist in trajectory insertion.
The Icarus may suffer malfunctions that would need to be repaired from time to time.
The Daedalus team decided to deal with on-board repairs by using a type of mobile repair robot, they called "Wardens," as they were made to survey and patrol the spacecraft.
If Team Icarus makes the decision to use something similar, these robots will also require a means of propulsion for locomotion. This would most likely be a form of electro-thermal pulsed plasma thruster, which is capable of micro-newton performance, giving the bots the ability to position themselves very accurately.
An alternative is to use a "repair rail" with robotic manipulators, inspired from the Canadarm which has served on board the Space Shuttle (Canadarm 1) and ISS (Canadarm 2) for almost 30 years ( without single event failure ).
While the Icarus is on route to the target star, there are still numerous tasks required of the secondary propulsion systems. The fuel tanks, for instance, would be dropped as they are depleted, after which trajectory corrections are to be expected.
Fuel Tanks as Relays
The use of these dropped fuel tanks as communications relays has been proposed to assist in maintaining a robust communications link with Earth. These parabolic, clam-shelled fuel tanks could split open to reveal two telecommunications dishes, one pointing at the Icarus, while the other back at Earth.
These relays would be, for the most part, free-flying with whatever velocity and direction they had when they were released. To allow them to point towards the Icarus and the Earth, they would require some accurate method of orientation. In this particular case, a Radioisotope Thermal Generator (RTG) powered flywheel fits the bill quite well, as both of these systems can be used for long term operation.
Deceleration Options on Arrival at Target Star
There is a current push in observational astronomy to determine if there are any Earth-like planets in our solar neighborhood.
The Icarus target definition has remained open for precisely this reason, where on discovery of an Earth-like planet within 15 light-years, it will almost certainly become our target star.
In order to carefully study the planets and moons of the target system, the Icarus would need to explore several deceleration options, which may allow the spacecraft to at least spend more time in the target system, if not fully decelerate.
We essentially have two alternatives. We can either decelerate the entire Icarus spacecraft mainly using reverse main engine thrust, or we can decelerate the individual probes using a combination of magsails, solar sails and perhaps nuclear rockets. This task is complicated by the fact that we would need to first survey the target solar system and acquire reliable orbital information for the planets or moons of interest.
What are then the requirements for maximizing the scientific data return from the probes, and what demands does this place on the probe propulsion systems?
Planetary Science Probes
Let's assume full deceleration at the target star has been achieved and planetary orbit information has been processed and assigned to a number of science probes.
By that time, near-Earth telescopes would be sufficiently advanced to verify and inform the Icarus computers on which scientific objectives are most desirable. As might be expected, there will be an incredible amount of "feature creep" at this stage, where scientists will be arguing over which objectives should take priority over others, while the probe power and propulsion systems last.
Essentially this means a solar powered propulsion system would be needed. Solar thermal engines require a reaction mass (usually Hydrogen) for propellant that, however, will have to be carried along and stored safely for the duration of the interstellar journey.
Solar electric engines could be used, especially if combined with a stable and inert ion source like teflon. The best overall option for a reliable and abundant propulsion method would appear to be the use of solar sails, particularly for planetary surveyors and orbiters with prolonged remote sensing agendas.
If we were to take it a step further, we might consider landers with rovers or even submarines. RTG power sources, combined with aerobreaking, parachutes and airbags require the least amount of propellant, but would probably only be chosen for use in relatively dense atmospheres.
Keeping these systems operational after 100 years of storage, sends everyone back to the drawing board, as the entire history of human spaceflight isn't that long. It is however possible with current engineering practices to construct and test many of these systems.
Perhaps testing these advanced systems in dual-role planetary exploration missions, as concurrent precursor and engineering proofing platforms for interstellar missions is the best way to both explore our solar system and prepare for interstellar exploration.


The month as opened with very nice skies, a bit cold in the mornings at -15 C. Despite the cold start April will feature at least a few (much) warmer conditions. I’m going to order a couple new of those reclining lawn chairs, and will enjoy the spring skies at a new location.
There is a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse tomorrow (23 March 2016). Will you be able to see it? Check out map. Europe and Africa are pretty much out of luck for this one.
Most of North America can see this at moon set (look west) and Asia look at moon rise.
This is not a total eclipse but you should see some nice color to the moon.
Fireballs are spectacular and this is a good time of year to see them. This particular fireball was reported to the American Meteor Society 45 times mostly from the UK with reports from France and the Netherlands as well.
The AMS website is a great place to look around and if you see a fireball you can leave a report.
March is a roller coaster month climatically, we do have a few comparatively warm nights which makes observing a lot more comfortable. We do tend to have more water vapour in the sky so “seeing” is sometimes erratic.
Hubble sets a new distance record in finding GN-z11, this galaxy has a redshift of 11.1, that’s amazing!
ough space, astronomers actually look back through time. Now, by pushing Hubble to its limits, an international team of astronomers has shattered the cosmic distance record by viewing the farthest galaxy ever seen. Named GN-z11, this surprisingly bright, infant galaxy is seen as it was 13.4 billion years in the past. The astronomers saw it as it existed just 400 million years after the big bang, when the universe was only three percent of its current age. At a spectroscopically confirmed redshift of 11.1, the galaxy is even farther away than originally thought. It existed only 200 million to 300 million years after the time when scientists believe the very first stars started to form. At a billion solar masses, it is producing stars surprisingly quickly for such an early time. This new record will most likely stand until the launch of Hubble’s successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, which will look even deeper into the universe for early galaxies.
Here’s a video version:
Looking at that area of the sky, it would appear that not much is there, but look at it through even a small telescope reveal a completely different picture.
This video got me wondering if there were going to be any visible passes we might see and the answer is no, at least not at the moment.
There are a number of other satellites we CAN see including the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope among others. Nothing too special is required other than where and when to look.
I had started a photo collection of Iridium flares once upon a time. I have since moved of course, it might be a good project. The flares are easy to see (usually) and occur conveniently around the hours of sunrise and sunset. One or two flares a can typically be seen on any given day depending on location. The flares are sometimes visible during the day at various hours although I must confess having not seen one – due to lack of trying mostly. I should start again at this new location.
Below are a few sites I use for satellite tracking/spotting. There are other good sites out there too, you might check out a few to find the one you like.
This was the NASA Image of the Day. The aurora as seen from the ISS over the Pacific Northwest. I was outside about the right time and saw no sign of an aurora, but I DID see the planetary line-up and it was excellent, will be looking this morning too.
NASA’s image caption:
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and ESA astronaut Tim Peake shared a series of aurora photographs taken from the International Space Station on Jan. 20, 2016. Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) wrote, “#goodmorning #aurora and the Pacific Northwest! #YearInSpace” and Peake (@astro_timpeake) followed up with, “Getting a photo masterclass from @StationCDRKelly – magical #aurora”
The dancing lights of the aurora provide spectacular views on the ground, but also capture the imagination of scientists who study incoming energy and particles from the sun. Aurora are one effect of such energetic particles, which can speed out from the sun both in a steady stream called the solar wind and due to giant eruptions known as coronal mass ejections or CMEs.
Image Credit: ESA/NASA
Try to get outside before sunrise and have a look at a fabulous planetary line-up! The line-up will last for a number of days so hopefully you will get a chance.
About an hour before your local sunrise you will be able to see the following planets all lined up: Venus, Saturn, Mars, Spica (dwarf planet), and Jupiter.
The image above will show which planets are which to make it easier for you. Click the image for a large version. Ignore the time stamp on the image that is for my time zone, just look before daylight. You might even get to see a few satellites, the ISS and the HST if you are lucky.
Among other things in this installment of JPL’s What’s Up for January 2016 is how to see Comet Catalina, a binocular comet! I can’t wait!


A team of Virginia Tech researchers and students is preparing to deliver a 3U CubeSat for space launch qualification testing. The satellite, once cleared for flight, is scheduled to launch on Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus NG-19 spacecraft from Wallops Island, Virginia, later this year.
This flight – designed, built, and operated by students – represents the next generation of the ThickSat launched in February 2021, incorporating lessons learned and upgrading specific deployable structures and materials technologies.
Dubbed the Ut ProSat-1, this mission provides both undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to design, fabricate, assemble, and validate a 3U satellite that will serve as a testbed for NASA Langley Research Center’s ultralightweight deployable boom technology. Throughout the deployment, the students will communicate and operate the mission through Virginia Tech’s Ground Station, execute a number of autonomous/remote deployments of the boom, and recover inertial measurement units and collect data from in-space deployment.
Come sail away — with solar sails
NASA’s new deployable structures and materials technologies in development will benefit solar sail propulsion systems destined for future low-cost deep space missions. Just as a sailboat is powered by wind in a sail, solar sails employ the pressure of sunlight for propulsion, eliminating the need for conventional rocket propellant.
These novel, lightweight booms are being tested on a small scale through deployment from CubeSats. The composite booms are made from a polymer material that is flexible and reinforced with carbon fiber.
This mission is made possible through a partnership between NASA Langley Research Center, the Virginia Institute for Spaceflight and Autonomy, and the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, also known as Virginia Space. Two slots were secured on the Cygnus NG-19 spacecraft, reserved for educational payloads from both Virginia Tech and Old Dominion University. The student-built 3U units will test NASA’s carbon fiber technology in different capacities.
“The boom Virginia Tech will be flying is unique in its inclusion of copper traces down the entire length, making it possible to power, control, and receive data from a sensor at the boom tip,” said Jonathan Black, professor in the Kevin T. Crofton Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering. “Data obtained from a variety of experiments will guide the design of future larger-scale composite solar sail systems to be used for space weather early warning satellites, near-Earth asteroid reconnaissance missions, or communications relays for crewed exploration missions.”
Virginia Tech’s most recent space experiment was a 6T ThickSat, designed to passively deploy a much smaller boom arm once. Building off this experience and the lessons learned throughout the ThickSat flight, the new mission provides opportunities for additional experimentation, repeated flights, and testing new capabilities.
To support the larger payload and free-flying spacecraft, the avionics system for the Ut ProSat-1 – which includes power, battery, radio, and communications units – was built in-house by the Virginia Tech team. This year, the mission will contain three payloads, with the primary one being the boom deployer. The team will evaluate the deployer’s reliability by testing the deployment of the arm multiple times and aim to capture accelerometer data from the tip of the boom.
To measure the reliability of the deployer, a visible light camera will capture an image of the boom when fully deployed for ground confirmation and an infrared camera will record temperature measurements of the boom as it is deployed and retracted. Additionally, an encoder keeps track of the angular position of the spool and an inertial measurement unit records acceleration at the tip of the boom.
The mission is expected to last approximately 10 days, depending on exact orbital configurations. If successful, the mission will give insight into the viability of designs for future missions with novel deployable structures.
Extreme constraints in space
“Some of the most complex engineering projects we tackle are those in space,” said Gustavo Gargioni, a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate studying aerospace engineering and currently serving as Ut ProSat-1 project manager. “Building a spacecraft really pushes you to the limit because the constraints are so small. Each component and sub-system needs to work together and must be extremely optimized, use minimal power, and capture only the most essential data. We take the conditions we have for experimentation on Earth for granted. In space, we are working on an extremely small scale, but there is beauty in leaning into those constraints.”
For more than 40 undergraduate and graduate students, the Ut ProSat-1 project provides an invaluable opportunity to plan and fly a successful mission. Since April 2021, sub-teams have been working on avionics, integration, mechanical and electrical payload, and testing.
“While their work in the classroom offers some crossover into additional engineering disciplines, a student project of this magnitude offers groups of engineers the opportunity to learn from one another and come out stronger working in multiple disciplines outside of their plan of study,” said Black.
The team has been testing several components in a low-pressure and microgravity environment in a series of high altitude balloon launches at Kentland Experimental Aerial Systems Laboratory. In November, their balloon reached 100,377 feet and enabled testing of the deployer, the payload control module, and multiple sensors.
The completed Ut ProSat-1 is scheduled to be delivered to Wallops Space Flight Facility later this month for space launch qualification testing, and then will be incorporated onto the Cygnus NG-19 spacecraft.
Looking ahead to the launch, the team has defined its criteria for measuring a successful mission. According to Gargioni, key successes will include establishing uplink/downlink communication with the Virginia Tech Ground Station, commissioning the spacecraft into science mode, and confirming deployment through the decoder and multiple camera images.
“For us as students, the experience gained in flying a successful mission is immeasurable,” said Gargioni. “But another major gain for our program is the development of an infrastructure for operations, easing transition from one project to another. Experienced students eventually become leaders of sub-teams, sharing their knowledge and setting the next group up for success.”
The Ut ProSat-1 mission was guided by faculty advisors Black and Professor Kevin Shinpaugh and research associates Sheyda Davaria, Samantha Parry-Kenyon, and Zach Leffke. Additional support came from the Center for Space Science and Engineering, also known as Space@VT, as well as departmental laboratories in aerospace and ocean engineering and electrical and computer engineering, the Puri Satellite Ground Network, and the Virginia Space Grant Consortium. Team leads and members include undergraduate and graduate students of all skill levels from across the College of Engineering, as well as some majoring in physics.
- Suzanne Miller


Greetings, and welcome to the official Satellite 11 space on the internet.
YOU ARE VIEWING THE BETA / EARLY VERSIONS.
PLEASE NOTE This website is currently and consistEntly being updated/improved so it may look different when you check back later. There is much much more coming so stay tuned! .
signing off for now.
-- Satellite 11
GET IN TOUCH : firstname.lastname@example.org


Herschelwedges (Solar prisms) are made for the solar observation with refractors. Around 95% of the incoming solar light will be blocked. With a variable polarising filter or strong grey filters, the sunlight can be reduced to an usable amount. Unlike objective solar filters, the filtering happens close to the eyepiece or camera. Normally the resulting contrast and sharpness of the image will be qualitative better with a Herschel wedge. The full solar energy enters the telescope and the filtering happens close to the focal plane, so we only recommend refractors for the work with a Herschel wedge. And important, the refractor shouldn't have a rear corrector lens. The optical elements would heated up through the concentrated energy and could be damaged. Also filters are only allowed at the eyepiece side of the Herschel wedge and not at the front side.
Additional to a better image quality, the Herschel wedge offers more light. So you can use special contrast filters, like the Baader Solar Continuum. With filters like these you can increase the contrast of the sun image. Of course 5% are too much for visual solar observation. So, you need an additional filter for light reduction. A Neutral Density 3 Filter can be screwed directly in the eyepiece. Because the Herschel wedge produces polarized light, you only need to screw in a simple polarizing filter into the eyepiece or photo adapter for additional light reduction. Now you can rotate the eyepiece and so reduce the light level. With additional grey filters and the Baader Solar Continuum Filter you can reduce the brightness to the required amount and so setup the contrast.
This Herschel wedge comes with integrated ND3 density filter.
The Lunt Herschel wegde offers a really good performance for a very reasonable price.
- High quality surfaces for best contrast values
- Completely closed body with light catch
- No come out light, therefore secure working
- Delivery with solid Aluminum case
- Lunt Herschel wedge 1¼"
- Integrated ND3 density filter
- Aluminum carrying case
|Type of filter
|Made for telescope
|ca. 5 oz without Case
|Herschelwedge with inscrewed ND3.0 Filter


On November 30, a strong earthquake measuring 7 in Richter scale jolted Alaska. Even though the quake claimed no lives, it inflicted considerable structural damage in and around Alaska. As a strong tremor shook Alaska, many conspiracy theorists were quick to connect this quake to the predictions made by Frank Hoogerbeets, a self-proclaimed earthquake researcher.
Frank Hoogerbeets who runs the website Ditrianum had recently claimed that a strong earthquake will hit the planet in the first week of December. Interestingly, the earthquake measuring 7 happened in Alaska just hours before Hoogerbeets' predicted timeline. As per Hoogerbeets, a rare planetary alignment is happening in the solar system now, and the quakes are the result of the gravitational pull exerted by Venus, Uranus, Neptune, and the Mars on earth.
"Seismic unrest is expected to continue in the coming days, possibly peaking high 6 to 7 magnitude. Throughout the week doesn't look much better. Especially from the 7th to the 10th may be highly critical with the potential of a magnitude 8+ earthquake," wrote Hoogerbeets on the website.
Hoogerbeets argues that he is using an advanced technology named Solar System Geometry Index (SSGI) to predict possible tremors. Hoogerbeets reveals that this advanced system analyses the geometric positions of various planets, the Sun and the moon to predict potential quakes.
It should be also noted that Hoogerneets had predicted the possibility of a megaquake during the Christmas period. The earthquake researcher claims that very critical planetary configuration will happen between December 21 and 25, and during these days, the chances of a megaquake measuring 7 to 8 in magnitude are pretty high. Hoogerbeets also urged people to consider this warning very seriously, as the entire world will be busy planning for Christmas in these days.
Even though Hoogerbeets have made it a habit of predicting earthquakes, experts have always dismissed his claims. As per geological experts, it is practically impossible to predict any quakes precisely.
In the meantime, a section of doomsday mongers has started arguing that this increase in seismic activities is due to the arrival of Nibiru, an alleged killer planet that is pulling strings from the edge of the solar system. As per these apocalypse believers, Nibiru alias Planet X will hit the earth one day or the other causing massive destruction everywhere.


Dr. Mike Brown is a professor of planetary astronomy at Caltech. He’s best known as the man who killed Pluto, thanks to his team’s discovery of Eris and other Kuiper Belt Objects. We asked him to help us explain this unusual region of our solar system.
Soon after Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh on February 18th, 1930, astronomers began to theorize that Pluto was not alone in the outer Solar System. In time, they began to postulate the existence of other objects in the region, which they would discover by 1992. In short, the existence of the Kuiper Belt – a large debris field at the edge of the Solar System – was theorized before it was ever discovered.
The Kuiper Belt (also known as the Edgeworth–Kuiper belt) is a region of the Solar System that exists beyond the eight major planets, extending from the orbit of Neptune (at 30 AU) to approximately 50 AU from the Sun. It is similar to the asteroid belt, in that it contains many small bodies, all remnants from the Solar System’s formation.
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But unlike the Asteroid Belt, it is much larger – 20 times as wide and 20 to 200 times as massive. As Mike Brown explains:
The Kuiper Belt is a collection of bodies outside the orbit of Neptune that, if nothing else had happened, if Neptune hadn’t formed or if things had gone a little bit better, maybe they could have gotten together themselves and formed the next planet out beyond Neptune. But instead, in the history of the solar system, when Neptune formed it led to these objects not being able to get together, so it’s just this belt of material out beyond Neptune.
Discovery and Naming:
Shortly after Tombaugh’s discovery of Pluto, astronomers began to ponder the existence of a Trans-Neptunian population of objects in the outer Solar System. The first to suggest this was Freckrick C. Leonard, who began suggesting the existence of “ultra-Neptunian bodies” beyond Pluto that had simply not been discovered yet.
That same year, astronomer Armin O. Leuschner suggested that Pluto “may be one of many long-period planetary objects yet to be discovered.” In 1943, in the Journal of the British Astronomical Association, Kenneth Edgeworth further expounded on the subject. According to Edgeworth, the material within the primordial solar nebula beyond Neptune was too widely spaced to condense into planets, and so rather condensed into a myriad of smaller bodies.
In 1951, in an article for the journal Astrophysics, that Dutch astronomer Gerard Kuiper speculated on a similar disc having formed early in the Solar System’s evolution. Occasionally one of these objects would wander into the inner Solar System and become a comet. The idea of this “Kuiper Belt” made sense to astronomers. Not only did it help to explain why there were no large planets further out in the Solar System, it also conveniently wrapped up the mystery of where comets came from.
In 1980, in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Uruguayan astronomer Julio Fernández speculated that a comet belt that lay between 35 and 50 AU would be required to account for the observed number of comets.
Following up on Fernández’s work, in 1988 a Canadian team of astronomers (team of Martin Duncan, Tom Quinn and Scott Tremaine) ran a number of computer simulations and determined that the Oort cloud could not account for all short-period comets. With a “belt”, as Fernández described it, added to the formulations, the simulations matched observations.
In 1987, astronomer David Jewitt (then at MIT) and then-graduate student Jane Luu began using the telescopes at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona and the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile to search the outer Solar System. In 1988, Jewitt moved to the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Hawaii, and Luu later joined him to work at the University’s Mauna Kea observatory.
After five years of searching, on August 30th, 1992, Jewitt and Luu announced the “Discovery of the candidate Kuiper belt object” (15760) 1992 QB1. Six months later, they discovered a second object in the region, (181708) 1993 FW. Many, many more would follow…
In their 1988 paper, Tremaine and his colleagues referred to the hypothetical region beyond Neptune as the “Kuiper Belt”, apparently due to the fact that Fernández used the words “Kuiper” and “comet belt” in the opening sentence of his paper. While this has remained the official name, astronomers sometimes use the alternative name Edgeworth-Kuiper belt to credit Edgeworth for his earlier theoretical work.
However, some astronomers have gone so far as to claim that neither of these names are correct. For example, Brian G. Marsden – a British astronomer and the longtime director of the Minor Planet Center (MPC) at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics – claimed that “Neither Edgeworth nor Kuiper wrote about anything remotely like what we are now seeing, but Fred Whipple (the American astronomer who came up with the “dirty snowball” comet hypothesis) did”.
Furthermore, David Jewitt commented that, “If anything … Fernández most nearly deserves the credit for predicting the Kuiper Belt.” Because of the controversy associated with its name, the term trans-Neptunian object (TNO) is recommended for objects in the belt by several scientific groups. However, this is considered insufficient by others, since this can mean any object beyond the orbit of Neptune, and not just objects in the Kuiper Belt.
There have been more than a thousand objects discovered in the Kuiper Belt, and it’s theorized that there are as many as 100,000 objects larger than 100 km in diameter. Given to their small size and extreme distance from Earth, the chemical makeup of KBOs is very difficult to determine.
However, spectrographic studies conducted of the region since its discovery have generally indicated that its members are primarily composed of ices: a mixture of light hydrocarbons (such as methane), ammonia, and water ice – a composition they share with comets. Initial studies also confirmed a broad range of colors among KBOs, ranging from neutral grey to deep red.
This suggests that their surfaces are composed of a wide range of compounds, from dirty ices to hydrocarbons. In 1996, Robert H. Brown et al. obtained spectroscopic data on the KBO 1993 SC, revealing its surface composition to be markedly similar to that of Pluto, as well as Neptune’s moon Triton, possessing large amounts of methane ice.
Water ice has been detected in several KBOs, including 1996 TO66, 38628 Huya and 20000 Varuna. In 2004, Mike Brown et al. determined the existence of crystalline water ice and ammonia hydrate on one of the largest known KBOs, 50000 Quaoar. Both of these substances would have been destroyed over the age of the Solar System, suggesting that Quaoar had been recently resurfaced, either by internal tectonic activity or by meteorite impacts.
Keeping Pluto company out in the Kuiper belt, are many other objects worthy of mention. Quaoar, Makemake, Haumea, Orcus and Eris are all large icy bodies in the Belt. Several of them even have moons of their own. These are all tremendously far away, and yet, very much within reach.
On January 19th, 2006, NASA launched the New Horizons space probe for the sake of studying Pluto, its moons and one or two other Kuiper Belt objects. As of January 15th, 2015, the spacecraft began its approach to the dwarf planet, and is expected to make a flyby by July 14th, 2015. When it reaches the area, astronomers are expecting several interesting photographs of the Kuiper Belt as well.
Even more exciting is the fact that surveys of other solar systems indicate that our Solar System isn’t unique. Since 2006, there have been other “Kuiper Belts” (i.e. icy debris belts) discovered around nine other star systems. These appear to fall into two categories: wide belts, with radii of over 50 AU, and narrow belts (like our own Kuiper Belt) with radii of between 20 and 30 AU and relatively sharp boundaries.
According to infrared surveys, an estimated 15-20% of solar-type stars are believed to have massive Kuiper-Belt-like structures. Most of these appear to be fairly young, but two star systems – HD 139664 and HD 53143, which were observed by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2006 – are estimated to be 300 million years old.
Vast and unexplored, the Kuiper Belt is the source of many comets, and is believed to be the point of origin for all periodic or short-period comet (i.e. ones with an orbit lasting 200 years or less). The most famous of these is Halley’s Comet, which has been active for the past 16,000–200,000 years.
Future of the Kuiper Belt:
When he initially speculated about the existence of a belt of objects beyond Neptune, Kuiper indicated that such a belt probably did not exist anymore. Of course, subsequent discoveries have proven this to be wrong. But one thing that Kuiper was definitely right about was the idea that these Trans-Neptunian Objects won’t last forever. As Mike Brown explains:
We call it a belt, but it’s a very wide belt. It’s something like 45 degrees in extent across the sky – this big swath of material that’s just been churned and churned by Neptune. And these days, instead of making a bigger and bigger body, they’re just colliding and slowly grinding down into dust. If we come back in another hundred million years, there’ll be no Kuiper Belt left.
Given the potential for discovery, and what up-close examination could teach us about the early history of our Solar System, many scientists and astronomers look forward to the day when we can examine the Kuiper Belt in more detail. Here’s hoping that the New Horizons mission is just the beginning of future decades of research into this mysterious region!
We have many interesting articles here at Universe Today on the subject on the Outer Solar System and Trans-Neptunion Objects (TNOs).
And be sure to check out this article on the planet Eris, the latest dwarf planet and the largest TNO to be discovered.
And astronomers are expecting to discover two more large planets in our Solar System.
Universe Today also has a full-length interview with Mike Brown from Caltech.
Podcast (audio): Download (Duration: 4:28 — 4.1MB)
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Podcast (video): Download (82.7MB)
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16 Replies to “What Is The Kuiper Belt?”
why would something that’s been there for 5bn years be gone in the next 100mil?
There is a nice parallel article to this (by Emily Lakdawalla) in the most recent Sky & Telescope. Great topic!
At 2:54, the transcript says “If we come back in another hundred million years, there’ll be no Kuiper Belt left.” Million with an M? It sounded to me like Billion with a B, though it’s so unstressed that it’s hard to tell. Also, 100e6 years is an eyeblink in the Solar System — it would be one heck of a coincidence if we managed to catch the very end of the Kuiper Belt.
One hundred million years maybe (100 billion? no). If the objects are currently being churned to dust, had they once grown larger? If so, what event reversed the trend – the gradual forming of Neptune or perhaps a change in its orbit?
Yeah that 100 million years tag is weird. Quaoar, Makemake, Haumea, Orcus, Eris, and Pluto are going to “churn and churn” from impacts into bits that escape, collide, or evaporate? MMmmmm something doesn’t seem right there.
On the other hand – and I forget if there is more recent work on this – if Earth got most of its water from comets and you scale per the objects of the solar system and still allow for the dry ones to dry up, a percentage to escape as well as dive into other planets, does that scale to about the size of the kuiper belt aged at some rate? There’s a PhD or more in there somewhere.
The Kuiper Belt is what holds up Kuiper’s pants.
Mike Brown did NOT “kill” Pluto, and it is disappointing to see a writer on this site use this wording. The article shows further bias in an issue that is a subject of ongoing debate by speaking of the “eight major planets.” According to the equally legitimate geophysical planet definition, our solar system has far more than eight major planets, as dwarf planets are simply a subclass of planets. They are not “minor planets,” a term that is a synonym for asteroids and comets. The geophysical planet definition defines a planet as any non-self-luminous spheroidal body orbiting a star, free floating in space, or orbiting another planet. If an object is large enough and massive enough to be squeezed into a round or nearly round shape by its own gravity, it is a planet. Although the bodies in the Kuiper Belt were not able to form a gas giant like Neptune, they were able to form small planets such as Pluto and Eris, which are large enough to be spherical and therefore meet the geophysical definition of planet. While the majority of objects in the Kuiper Belt are “dirty snowballs,” a small number are small planets with geology and weather, complex worlds differentiated into core, mantle, and crust just like Earth.
While most of the 100,000 plus objects in the Kuiper Belt are composed primarily of ices, Pluto and the small planets in this region are rocky. Pluto is estimated to be 70 percent rock, and Eris, being 27 percent more massive, is likely more rocky and therefore more planet-like. Calling objects such as Quaoar, Makemake, Haumea, Orcus and Eris “largely icy bodies” is therefore misleading. Blurring the distinction between tiny, shapeless “dirty snowballs” and complex small planets is simply bad science.
Since Brown represents one view in this ongoing debate, I urge you to interview a second planetary scientist who hold to the geophysical planet definition. Readers deserve to be presented with both sides of this issue.
It is a debate which the IAU unnecessarily created out of nowhere, and to which it has no solution. (How long is a road?) Are both Mercury and Jupiter “major planets”? This the first ever official planet definition is meaningless. We already talked about dwarf planets before the IAU held a ceremony to “unplanet” Pluto (with the worst possible timing considering New Horizons and the exoplanet boom). Just like the term giant planets was introduced, who knows when already 18th century maybe, and works well without any IAU definitional ceremonies. Incompetent organization of the IAU is the problem here. Nothing to do with astronomy.
Thanks Laurel for your insight.
IAU classification is not in perpetuity and I hope that after New Horizons’ encounter with Pluto, its status will be reconsidered.
Pluto’s status should be unconsidered! Pluto is Pluto. What is a planet? What is anything, actually, how long is a string? The sixth planet ever discovered was Earth, 400 years ago. Or rather the eighth since the Sun and the Moon were considered planets back then.
“….it’s just this belt of material out beyond Neptune……”
That is a riduculously minimizing statement. Here we are at Pluto’s doorstep, with five known moons (one of which also a fellow binary dwarf planet in Charon), and Pluto is the second-most highly contrasted solar system body, and Dr. Brown is trying to sell that line? I am not buying it. Sorry. Maybe Eris and its one moon are just space material for you, but Pluto is clearly more than mere space material. Nice try.
The revelations about the Kuiper Belt further prove that the IAU was out of line with their demotion of Pluto, as a massive part of their argument was based around the “hard science of the Kuiper belt being immutable and universal regarding the creation of planets and solar systems prohibiting anything within the Kuiper area from being considered a real planet”.
The fact is we have no real hard science about these formations, and these formations further seem to have little to nothing to do with limitations on planetary formation, and rather have more of a complex and misunderstood relationship with other factors (such as maybe the orbital gravity/rotation of a star – personal speculation).
The only point I may have toward your wonderful article is – I refuse to use the word “dwarf” when describing any planet wink emoticon that’s just my own little protest against the IAU and it’s unfounded influence on the field of space exploration.
seriously though, love the article 🙂
Thanks Kevin! Good to know someone wasn’t entirely focused on Pluto and the IAU.
Matt, I like the article too. Because much of the media has so blindly bought into the IAU view as the only “truth” about Pluto, I feel the need to present the other side for the sake of fairness and balance.
Yes, and I think that the more science is revealed, the more it strengthens the argument that Pluto is indeed a planet; the Kuiper Belt is in need of more research; and the IAU needs to be ignored.
Comments are closed.


Wave After Wave
Learn To Surf!
Wave After Wave — Learn To Surf! – By Dr. Schavi M. Ali
Cosmic plasma particles are continually swashing into our magnetosphere like ocean waves highly flowing upwards and slushing onto a shore of golden sand.
Solar winds are slightly above normal and pushing out solar flares at the “C-Class” level (“C.1” as of 1125 Universal Time) along with coronal mass ejections.
Clicks on the Ads Keep Us Alive 😊
Sunspot #3053 is harboring energy for stronger “M-Class” flares.
The “KP Index” is rating neutron counts (cosmic rays) as “High”.
For 14 hours a crack in our planet’s magnetic field allowed all that has just been mentioned to pour into it.
Colorful purple auroras tinged with green were painted across the skies.
Purple auroras are relatively rare and indicate that solar activity is very high.
Wave After Wave
They are activated by nitrogen particles. Green auroras are seen quite often and indicate atomic oxygen.
In brief, auroras are created by electrically-charged atmospheric gas.
Auroras are also seen in various shades of blue, red, yellow, and pink.
Spiritual Science suggests that by the color green being of the heart chakra, we are being given a message that more LOVE needs to come forth towards all of creation, and the purple hue tells us that a HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS is necessary in order for us to understand DIVINE LAW and to apply it to our lives.
Focusing on traditional science certainly gives us intellectual knowledge; however, we need to learn how science also has a spiritual orientation.
Thus, SOUCE cannot be separated from “ITS” cosmic creation.
From the modern intellectual standpoint, cosmic forces were noticed by various levels of science (Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Physics, etc.) as of 1961 to be escalating in solar dynamics.
Decade after decade, the escalation has intensified in energy.
However, if we travel back into ancient research, we discover that the intensity that we think is just a few decades old has actually been occurring for thousands of years.
Many holy texts speak of the very times that we are witnessing.
Magnetosphere Pressure 8 July 2022
Wave After Wave
Age after age, era after era has been a cascade of cosmic energetics which have given elevation to our planet’s vibrational frequency and amplitude—shifting “Her”, heating “Her”, tossing “Her”—but soaring “Her” ever upwards to a faster molecular spin and envelopment in LIGHT.
We share “Mama Earth/Gaia’s” journey in our physical vessels, emotions, and mind. Prepare to “surf” the “waves” of LIGHT as the “Cosmic Ocean” washes onto our planetary shore with messages and with opportunities to become closer to the ultimate vibrational frequency and amplitude of the SACRED FEMININE–THE DIVINE MOTHER—from whose vast, watery womb all has been birthed.
Birthing is continuing for the DIVINE MOTHER is “Self-Created” and “Self-Creating” which is a constant process of fertilization, gestation, and birth anew.
Obtain a prayer mala of fragrant Rosewood and recite the mantra “AUM SRI MATRE NAMAHA” (“Oh, Divine, I bow to the Holy Mother”).
Let “Her” soothe you, heal you, and guide you as we head further through the portal of the coming “Super Full Moon” which will exit from the “birth canal” on July 13th at 2:38 PM (Eastern Daylight Time).
More By Dr. Schavi
The cosmic energetics are like the spiraling of time—not linear— but up and down at increasingly higher levels. If a person draws a spiral with a pen or pencil, for example, when the dot begins at the bottom of the page, the line goes steadily upwards with periodic downward movements as circles are made, but the line and its circles head always up higher, never going all the way back down to the bottom of the page.
This morning, Thursday, 1/26/2023, at 13:06 UTC, our Sun exploded another “M-Class” flare–an “M.2”, and it is crackling with further “M-Class” energy which will probably be unleashed later today.
This is overall yet another day of intensity in the cosmos, and it is becoming more pronounced in its heightened ferver. The days ahead will be filled with further cosmic power.
A huge sunspot (AR3190) which NASA is calling a “giant” has an enormous negative magnetic pole surrounded by big islands of positive polarity. When they reconnect, tremendous solar flares are the result such as the most powerful “X-Class”.
As many people know, the concept of “time” is an artificial construction of humanity for purposes of organization of our lives and their various activities on this planet that we primarily call “Earth” or “Gaia” or “Earth/Gaia”.
Cosmic energy is continually elevating as the phenomenon of the “Shift of the Ages” transpires–a time when our solar system is being enveloped in enormous amounts of LIGHT directly from SOURCE as well as the multiversal creations of SOURCE such as Photon Belt blasts of brightness, the pulling of us towards the Great Attractor, and the power of the Great Central Sun soaring into our Sun and then that empowerment coming to our planet and others in our solar “neighborhood”.
Our Moon arrives to embrace our Sun today, Saturday, January 21st, at 1:29 PM (EST) and reaches its Super New Moon status at 3:53 PM. Emotional energies of the human collective will be heightened.
Protons are entering Earth/Gaia’s magnetosphere from outside of our solar system while the level of neutrons remains below normal indicating that they are behaving like proton charges due to decreased negative electron charges.
On Saturday, January 21st, 2023, at 20:53 UTC, we will have a “Super New Moon” in Tropical Aquarius. It is referred to as “Super” because it will be closer to our planet Earth/Gaia than typical New or Full Moons and will seem larger.
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On 9 November 2005, ESOC was the scene of intense media scrutiny as ESA prepared to launch Venus Express and all eyes were on the Main Control Room. We've prepared on online album of people and activities (additional photos added 11/11/05).
The launch was a success and Venus Express is now heading towards Venus! We've posted a few photos for you (more to follow...). Enjoy!
Click on link here.


If you are headed out on a road trip for spring break we might be able to help you out with travel tips and suggestions of neat places to visit. On top of the list is of course, Embry Riddle’s Prescott campus 🙂 A close second is the Grand Canyon, the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Phoenix, and Sedona. I have been to three of the above destinations and they are well worth the trip, so if you are in the Prescott area you are within a 2-3 hour drive of each area, I highly suggest taking advantage of it.
The grand canyon is great for hiking, seeing the sights, and learning a little about the nation’s history. The Lowell Observatory is breathtaking!! Pluto was actually discovered in the early 19th century by a scientist who worked at the observatory. The images of space and the technology that is available for visitors to see is incredible. At $20 a head with discounts available for youth, the elderly, military, and students it is well worth the trip.
Just remeber to check your oil, brakes, windshield wipers, coolant, air pressure, etc. before you set out on a trip. We want you to arrive at your destination safely so that we can give you an awesome tour here at Embry Riddle and send you on your way to the other cool places in our area. Have a great Spring Break, and we hope to see you here soon!


Atmospheric mineral dust may increase the potential habitability of exoplanets suggests a study this week in Nature Communications. The findings highlight the need to consider the potential effects of dust when studying terrestrial exoplanets.
The so-called ‘habitable zone’ is the region around a star where an Earth-like planet may host liquid water at its surface. As such, it is a preferred target when searching for extra-terrestrial life. However, habitability can also depend on the makeup of the planetary atmosphere. Mineral dust (carbon-silicate material from the surface) can have an effect on the climate system, but this has been neglected in modelling the climate of exoplanets until now.
Ian Boutle and colleagues show, via simulations, how airborne mineral dust can have a significant impact on the habitability of Earth-like exoplanets. The authors found that on tidally locked planets (where the same side of the planet always faces the star), dust cools the day-side of the exoplanet and warms the night-side, therefore widening the habitable zone for such planets to exist in. They suggest that dust can slow down a planet’s water loss at the inner edge of the habitable zone and warm planets at the outer edge.
In simulations of transmission spectra from exoplanets, the authors also found that the inclusion of dust can obscure the presence of key biomarkers, such as water vapour and oxygen. They argue that this should be taken into consideration when interpreting observations about the habitability of exoplanets.
Evolution: Turtle ears may be bigger on the insideNature Communications
Environment: Quantifying glacier ice loss via frontal ablationNature Communications


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|Virgo Cluster Early-Type Dwarf Galaxies with the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. I. On the Possible Disk Nature of Bright Early-Type Dwarfs|
We present a systematic search for disk features in 476 Virgo Clusterearly-type dwarf (dE) galaxies. This is the first such study of analmost-complete, statistically significant dE sample, which includes allcertain or possible cluster members with mB<=18 that arecovered by the optical imaging data of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey DataRelease 4. Disk features (spiral arms, edge-on disks, or bars) wereidentified by applying unsharp masks to a combined image from threebands (g, r, and i), as well as by subtracting the axisymmetric lightdistribution of each galaxy from that image. Fourteen objects areunambiguous identifications of disks, 10 objects show ``probable disk''features, and 17 objects show ``possible disk'' features. The numberfraction of these galaxies, for which we introduce the term ``dEdi,''reaches more than 50% at the bright end of the dE population anddecreases to less than 5% for magnitudes mB>16. Althoughpart of this observed decline might be due to the lower signal-to-noiseratio at fainter magnitudes, we show that it cannot be caused solely bythe limitations of our detection method. The luminosity function of ourfull dE sample can be explained by a superposition of dEdis and ordinarydEs, strongly suggesting that dEdis are a distinct type of galaxy. Thisis supported by the projected spatial distribution: dEdis show basicallyno clustering and roughly follow the spatial distribution of spirals andirregulars, whereas ordinary dEs are distributed similarly to thestrongly clustered E/S0 galaxies. While the flattening distribution ofordinary dEs is typical for spheroidal objects, the distribution ofdEdis is significantly different and agrees with their being flat oblateobjects. We therefore conclude that the dEdis are not spheroidalgalaxies that just have an embedded disk component but are instead apopulation of genuine disk galaxies. Several dEdis display well-definedspiral arms with grand-design features that clearly differ from theflocculent, open arms typical for late-type spirals that have frequentlybeen proposed as progenitors of dEs. This raises the question of whatprocess is able to create such spiral arms-with pitch angles like thoseof Sab/Sb galaxies-in bulgeless dwarf galaxies.
|IC3328: A ``dwarf elliptical galaxy'' with spiral structure|
We present the 2-D photometric decomposition of the Virgo galaxyIC3328. The analysis of the global light distributionof this morphologically classified nucleated dwarf elliptical galaxy(dE1,N) reveals a tightly wound, bi-symmetric spiral structure with adiameter of 4.5 kpc, precisely centered on the nucleus of the dwarf. Theamplitude of the spiral is only three percent of the dwarf's surfacebrightness making it the faintest and smallest spiral ever found in agalaxy. In terms of pitch angle and arm winding the spiral is similar tothe intermediate-type galaxy M51, but it lacks the dust and prominent HIi regions which signal the presence of gas. The visual evidence of aspiral pattern in an early-type dwarf galaxy reopens the question onwhether these dwarfs are genuine rotationally supported or anisotropicstellar systems. In the case of IC3328, we argue for a nearly face-ondisk (dS0) galaxy with an estimated maximum rotation velocity ofvc,max~ 55 km s-1 . The faintness of the spiraland the small motions within it, suggests that we could be seeingswing-amplified noise. The other possibility is a tidal origin, causedby the near passage of a small companion. Based on observationscollected at the European Southern Observatory (ESO 63.O-0055)
|Studies of the Virgo Cluster. II - A catalog of 2096 galaxies in the Virgo Cluster area.|
The present catalog of 2096 galaxies within an area of about 140 sq degapproximately centered on the Virgo cluster should be an essentiallycomplete listing of all certain and possible cluster members,independent of morphological type. Cluster membership is essentiallydecided by galaxy morphology; for giants and the rare class of highsurface brightness dwarfs, membership rests on velocity data. While 1277of the catalog entries are considered members of the Virgo cluster, 574are possible members and 245 appear to be background Zwicky galaxies.Major-to-minor axis ratios are given for all galaxies brighter than B(T)= 18, as well as for many fainter ones.
|A catalog of dwarf galaxies in Virgo|
A catalog listing the location, apparent angular diameter, type,estimated central light concentration, and estimated brightness of 846dwarf galaxies in a 200-deg-sq region in Virgo is presented. Thegalaxies comprise 634 ellipticals, 137 IC-3475-type galaxies, 73 dwarfspirals and irregulars, and two objects which are jets of normalgalaxies, and were found on nine long-exposure IIIa-J-emulsion platesmade with the 1.2-m-Schmidt telescope at Palomar Observatory from 1971to 1976. Concordances to other catalogs, tables of additionalparameters, maps, graphs, and photographs are provided. The projecteddistributions of normal and dwarf galaxies and the dependence ofapparent luminosity on central light concentration are discussed. It isfound that dwarf ellipticals and IC-3475-type galaxies are probablemembers of the Virgo cluster, while dwarf spirals and possibly dwarfirregulars are not.
|The distribution of Sculptor-type dwarf galaxies.|
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Launch of Soyuz-U Carrier09 april 2014
April 9, 2014 at 07:26pm (msc time) from Launch Pd #1 of Baikonur space range was launched Progress-M-23M cargo spaceship with Soyuz-U carrier.
The launch of the cargo spaceship was performed nominally. Progress-M-23M will bring 2.5t of various goods to the International Space Station. Among the cargo are foodstuffs, water and air for the crew, propellant for ISS orbit upkeeping maneuvers, hardware for the station equipping, research hardware for experiments.
Soyuz-U middle-class launch vehicle is designed and manufactured by TsSKB-Progress Samara State Research and Production Space-Rocket Center.


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In order to precisely deliver the Schiaparelli landing demonstrator module to the martian surface and then insert ExoMars/TGO into orbit around the Red Planet, it’s necessary to pin down the spacecraft’s location to within just a few hundred metres at a distance of more than 150 million km.
To achieve this amazing level of accuracy, ESA experts are making use of ‘quasars’ – the most luminous objects in the Universe – as ‘calibrators’ in a technique known as Delta-Differential One-Way Ranging, or delta-DOR.
Until recently, quasars were only poorly understood. These objects can emit 1000 times the energy of our entire Milky Way galaxy from a volume that it not much bigger than our Solar System, making them fearfully powerful.
They are fuelled by supermassive black holes – which are many, many times more massive than our Sun – feeding on matter at the centre of their host galaxies. In addition to their extreme luminosity, their extreme distance means that, seen from Earth, they appear to be fixed in the sky and their positions can be mapped with high precision, making them very useful as reference points for spacecraft navigation.
In the delta-DOR technique, radio signals from ExoMars/TGO are being received by two widely separated deep-space ground stations, one, say, at New Norcia, Western Australia, and one at Cebreros, Spain, and the difference in the times of signal arrival is precisely measured.
Next, errors due to current conditions in Earth’s atmosphere (which affect all radio signals passing through) are derived by simultaneously tracking radio signals from a quasar. Engineers can apply these as corrections to the signal received from ExoMars/TGO, delivering a significantly more accurate fix on its position.
On Wednesday this week, ESA ground stations began the first of many delta-DOR observations that will be used to precisely locate ExoMars/TGO, using quasar P1514-24, seen inset in an image of ESA's deep-space tracking station at Malargüe, Argentina, above.
Delta-DOR observations will be increasingly performed as the journey to Mars enters the crucial phases, enabling flight dynamics teams to generate precise instructions for thruster burns and separation timing and to assess manoeuvre performance.
“In October, in the final critical week before Mars arrival, teams will be conducting two delta-DOR observations daily,” says Mattia Mercolino, responsible for delta-DOR activities at ESOC, ESA’s operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany.
“It’s an excellent example of critical, real-time teamwork between the flight dynamics experts, the ground station operators, the ExoMars mission controllers and our delta-DOR team, and it would be much more difficult to get to Mars without this expertise.”
How precisely will we know ExoMars/TGO’s location?
“The current set of delta-DOR observations will enable us to locate the spacecraft to less than 1000 m when it’s near Mars, a distance of slightly more than 150 million km from Earth,” says Mattia.
“This is comparable to detecting from the location of an object in Singapore from Darmstadt, to about 5 cm precision.”
“In future, with currently planned technology improvements, we should be able to get the accuracy down to just 150 m at 150 million km.”


Cheaper Launch Options for Science?
Low cost launchers, like SpaceX’s Falcon family, could have a significant impact on scientific missions, which typically rely on scarce public funds. Payloads from universities and research labs often “piggy back” on the launch of commercial satellites.
The Tangible Benefits of Space Research Realized
Space-based platforms provide unique opportunities for microgravity research and international scientific cooperation. The ISS, the space shuttles, Skylab, Russia’s Mir Space Station and Soyuz, and the Chinese Shenzhou have enabled microgravity research.
From the Outside Looking In: Earth Observation
In 2005, NOAA requested $## million for scientific research to provide funding for internal research laboratories and partnerships with academia. In addition to gathering data through Earth observation satellites, NOAA research projects use space systems for communication and navigation such as the joint NOAA/NASA Altair Unmanned Aircraft System.
Oh, the Learning You Shall Learn (through Space Telescopes)
Telescopes placed in space have greater capabilities than those located on the ground. Light received by telescopes in Earth orbit does not travel through the atmosphere (which causes the characteristic “twinkle” in stars). Orbital telescopes are protected from vibrations and weather.
Lunar and Interplanetary Exploration
More than ## missions carrying scientific instruments, in the form of probes and rovers, have been launched into the solar system to study planets, comets, asteroids, and other phenomena. These instruments return valuable scientific data on the history and nature of the solar system. Recently, NASA launched the New Horizons probe in January 2006 to study Pluto.
Globe-spanning Education Networks
World-class education services to rural and remote locations will continue to proliferate and stimulate economic development in those locations. The OECD’s Space 2030 recommends governments use satellites to provide services such as distance learning to rural and remote areas. India’s EDUSAT satellite, launched in 2005 with the goal of developing rural states like West Bengal by 2020, is a prime example of governments using distance learning in remote and undeveloped areas.
“For the Next Hour, Sit Quietly and We Will Control All That You See and Hear.”
Retail stores themselves have been increasing the use of “digital signage,” in-store TV or radio content that features programming and advertisements produced exclusively for viewing in the store.
Managing Inventory Through Space Connections
Inventory management is a crucial element to the profitability of retail stores, and this process has come to incorporate satellite capabilities at critical moments. The most sophisticated retail outlets collaborate closely with their suppliers; for instance, when a Proctor & Gamble item is scanned for purchase at a retail store, a message is sent via satellite uplink to the factory.
Satellite Terminals Saves Wal-Mart Money
The management of large corporations requires dedicated networks to support a number of communications applications, from the financial transactions discussed above to video conferencing, local network interconnection, wide area wireless networking, multicasting, virtual private networks, Inter… This article is for subscribers. Please sign up for a subscription or login below. Username Password Remember Me …
Banking on VSAT and GPS
According to OECD’s Space 2030, satellites have the ability to reduce the digital divide and provide telecommunication infrastructure, opening markets for e-commerce. E-commerce applications are well established and expanding broadband networks via satellites is likely to have a strong effect on the economy and electronic trade in the near future.


Spaceship Earth "Where to From Here?"
So many people!
Our amazing journey.
Over the last few hubs we've been looking at the Earth and just how unique she really is, but there are a few things that have come up that we seriously need to take notice of if we want to continue to live here on Earth that is.
Last week we started looking at how many people live here, and how that number is increasing. How things are likely to change with the finite amount of resources we have at our disposal.
Back in the latter part of the nineteenth century, a science fiction writer named Jules Verne wrote an amazing novel called 'Around the world in 80 days' where the main character is bet that he can't circumnavigate the earth in less than 80 days.
Today, one hundred and fifty years later the ISS makes the same trip in 80 minutes, but down 'on deck' you can do the same trip in 40 hours, and wherein the days of Phineas Fogg there were a billion souls on the planet, now there are nearly eight billion and it's still climbing.
The spaceship that has nurtured and looked after mankind for so long is getting a little crowded, and resources are starting to get scarce.
Scarce resources WATER
You'd think that a planet that had 70% of its surface covered in water wouldn't have a problem finding usable water wouldn't you?
You'd be wrong!
Of that 70%, only about 5% is actually 'freshwater' and even less than that is drinkable! The majority of the water we have on the planet is saltwater, good for some species of fish and crustaceans to live in, but not suitable for drinking, taking salt in like that causes the body to leech water out and creates even greater thirst.
Another 15% of the earth's water supply can be considered 'freshwater' but is locked up in the polar ice caps, melting those will give us more freshwater, but at the cost of much worse storms and terrible weather patterns than we face today.
Military strategists admit that the next major conflict the earth will face will probably not be over oil, but over water rights, there have already been a few over it that haven't been widely reported.
- Jordan Built a Dam on the Jabbok river preventing water from flowing into the Jordan, Israel destroyed it in a missile attack.
- Turkey has built a dam across the Euphrates river potentially cutting off water to both Syrian and Iraq, the Kurds in Turkey re-started their guerilla war as they saw it as a breach in the peace treaty they signed with Turkey, thousands were displaced.
- China built a dam across the Yallo river. Entire cities were bulldozed and millions forcibly resettled (but it was within China's own borders so no one really said much)
- Egypt built the Aswan Dam to provide water even in drought seasons. During operation Desert Storm Sudan (who supported Saddam) threatened to attack the dam, Egypt replied that their response would be massive.
And that's just now, in a few years time there'll be more people and more pressure.
That's just one of the resources, then you have the situation with growing food for a growing population, and that's just as dire.
But I don't want to leave things there, because there is an answer, and it's right in front of us, or rather all around us, it's just that we think it's the realm of science fiction, but it isn't, it's a reality that is coming to pass one way or the other.
And now for something totally different, why not visit me on my latest blog post?
Building a wall is easy right? Read how I found out you have to have the right tools, and it's just the same with writing.
Small step, or Giant leap?
Fifty years on
Fifty years ago mankind went to the moon on top of the most powerful engines that had ever been built, but those engines had some limitations, they could only hurl a forty-ton payload as far as the moon, and everything pretty much had to be discarded on the way, there was no way to retrieve the pieces, this made things very expensive.
The Saturn V rocket is still the most powerful engine ever to carry a Human being, but that may change in the next couple of years, the race is on to build a rocket that can take a spaceship out and send in on its way to either the moon or Mars and return for refuelling and re-use.
Fifty years ago the machine that took us to the Moon had so little computing power that the average kettle in your or my kitchen now has more, and the average smartphone has one hundred thousand times the computing power of all the computers aboard Apollo 11!
Did you know that the Moon has water? Only trace amounts, but some think there may be enough to provide for a small settlement, what it does have is plenty of Silica and Aluminium oxide, both of which we here on Earth find pretty useful.
And the moon is only a short 'hop' away.
It took us just over a week to get to the moon and back when we went in the sixties and seventies, it would probably take the same amount of time today, but the difference is we could build facilities on the moon that would enable us to reach further out into the cosmos, let's take a look at where we might go.
Step one The Moon
Only just under two hundred thousand miles away, the Moon could be a very effective way of testing out our equipment as we head out into the solar system.
The Earth has many of the minerals we have here on Earth and a few that we don't have but would love to get our hands on to test out what we think they might do.
Imagine a fuel that's very safe in a nuclear reactor! One that makes Fusion reactions possible (think Medieval Alchemy where the goal was to turn lead into gold, but this might work!)
Helium is one of the most abundant elements in the universe. It has an Atomic number of 2 meaning that every atom of Helium has two protons, two neutrons and two electrons, well almost every atom that is, you see in the samples we brought back from the Moon we found Helium with THREE of each of these!
Helium 3 is very rare on Earth, but seems to be abundant on the Moon!
The price of Helium 3 at the moment is around $2k per litre.
There's also an abundance of Aluminium on the Moon, along with Iron and various other materials.
From the Moon, which has 1/3 Earth gravity we could build craft that would take us out into our solar system using fuel refined on the Moon for a fraction of the fuel expended getting us to the Moon let alone getting out as far as Mars or beyond.
Another thing proposed for the Moon is an observatory for the far side of the Moon, away from the glaring lights of the cities of Earth, a chance to look into the heavens without interference from earth.
And this is just the beginning.
What we thought we'd be doing in 1999 (back in the seventies)
Time for a break
You might be wondering where I'm going with this hub. We started a few hubs ago exploring how unique the Earth is, but now we seem to be going out into space on some 'wild goose chase' as it were.
That's because I firmly believe that while the Earth is unique, we are facing some serious issues, and the only way we're going to really be able to deal with them is by allowing people to move 'off-world' to make space for the other species on our planet to survive, but how do we get there, and why would we go?
That's what I want to explore in the next few hubs, want to tag along? you're most welcome to.
But for now, it's time for me to stop.
Hey, here's an idea, and yes I'm being very cheeky I know, but I put a link to my post on Wordpress earlier in the hub, how about popping along and having a read.
See you next time
© 2019 Lawrence Hebb