A Strange Orbiting Object

What is 200 kilometers in diameter, located outside the plane of the solar system, and orbits the sun is a direction opposed to everything else in the solar system? Your guess is really as good as anyone else's at this point since scientists are baffled.

This trans-Neptunian object (TNO) is the subject of a New Scientist article that reports on recent findings from the Pan-STARRS 1 Outer Solar System Survey.  The paper associated with this discovery (titled "Discovery of A New Retrograde Trans-Neptunian Object: Hint of A Common Orbital Plane for Low Semi-Major Axis, High Inclination TNOs and Centaurs") labels the newly discovered NTO "Niku" (Chinese for "rebellious").

The article goes on to ponder the cause, be be it billiards among the planets or the mysterious Planet Nine. Just a quick hint - Planet Nine is not a suspect.

It seems we have plenty more to discover about our neighborhood. Who says there's nothing new under the sun (or orbiting it)?

Reign of the Perseids

It sounds like the name of a planet near Vulcan, but Perseids is the name of the meteor shower peeking this evening over the northern hemisphere.

Blame it on a comet called Swift-Tuttle, which takes 133 years to orbit the sun. Each August the Earth passes through the comet's tale, creating a magnificent show. 

The Irish Times noted the Perseids even inspired John Denver years ago. His song Rocky Mountain High includes the lyrics “The Colorado rocky mountain high/I’ve seen it rainin’ fire in the sky.”

Astronomy can be pretty inspiring. 

North Korea on the Moon?

I am reading news reports that North Korea would like to send a mission to the Moon within 10 years. Is this idea similar to the plot of that movie where the Nazis place a secret base on the dark side of the Moon? 

Hyon Kwang II, director of the scientific research department of North Korea's National Aerospace Development Administration, stated:

Even though the U.S. and its allies try to block our space development, our aerospace scientists will conquer space and definitely plant the flag of the DPRK on the moon.

I wonder why. 

Of course, DPRK is an abbreviation for the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. Why is it every country with "democratic" in its name is never democratic?

With all the trouble that country is causing on planet Earth we certainly do not need it on another world. I may want to see more journeys into space, but this might be one time where I think the space-faring country has more important tasks back here at home.

U.S.S. Enterprise: Cleaning an Icon

The Smithsonian Institute made a film showing the cleaning process the curators went through before displaying the original model of the Enterprise used in the 1960s series. It was an act of devotion that is appreciated by fans around the world.

Vimeo provided this summary of the film:

This is a short film showing the process of the detail paint work on the conservation of the original U.S.S. Enterprise miniature, used in all 79 episodes of the original Star Trek television series. The detail paint work was done between the 11th and the 23rd of April 2016 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The model is now on display in the Boeing Milestones of Flight Hall at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C.

If you watched the recent film Star Trek Beyond you might remember a similar scene at the end of the film. However, I believe that the repair process was a little more elaborate and on a larger scale (in the movie, at least). 

Great Image: Orion Nebula

The image above of the Orion Nebula was captured by Josh Borup at the picket post mountain trail head in the Arizon desert during a new moon. Mr. Burup used a Canon T3i and an 80mm Refractor on an Orion Atlas mount.  You can see more photos such as these at The Planetary Society.  You can also see more photos from Mr. Borup at this link. 

Google Goes to the Moon

I am happy to read that a private company has permission to land a rover on the Moon. Earlier this week, the Federal Aviation Administration granted Moon Express the permission, which it sought in part to win the Google Lunar X Prize.  This is a first for commercial space anywhere. 

On its website, Moon Express stated: 

The federal interagency approval of the Moon Express 2017 lunar mission establishes an important precedent for the private sector to engage in peaceful space exploration, bringing with it monumental implications for the advancement of technology, science, research, and development, as well as commercial ventures that expand Earth’s economic sphere.

What is interesting is that private companies have been spending more time talking about private trips to Mars and simply foregoing the Moon until now.  For instance, Mars One is still working on a Martian mission. 

Let's hope we start to see more commercial traffic heading to the moon and elsewhere.

More Discoveries on Planet Earth

Have you heard if Luca? It stands for the Last Universal Common Ancestor and existed when the Earth was only 560 million years old. And what was it ancestor too? Well, life itself, or so some theorize.

It is believed to have thrived in deep sea vents where it served as the source of the life to follow.  However, it was not fully alive as we would define it since it also dependent on chemical components. 

If this is all confusing then I suggest you read the full story in the New York Times. 

And if you are surprised we are unable to agree on the nature of life, remember that this is something we can study here in Earth. It is better answering these questions here before guessing about them on distant worlds we are just starting to bring into focus.

Ice Volcanoes on Ceres

Speaking of an extended Dawn mission orbiting Ceres, scientists are not wondering why Ceres does not have more craters.  Could it be ice volcanoes?  Data from the Dawn mission may offer clues.

Simone Marchi, a senior research scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, stated:

We concluded that a significant population of large craters on Ceres has been obliterated beyond recognition over geological time scales, which is likely the result of Ceres' peculiar composition and internal evolution...Whatever the process or processes were, this obliteration of large craters must have occurred over several hundred millions of years.

Maybe it does make sense for Dawn to stick around a learn a little more about this fascinating dwarf planet buried in the asteroid belt.

This video from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory shares even more details. 

A Sad 30 Year Anniversary

This week marks the 30th anniversary of the Challenger Shuttle disaster - January 28, 1986.  Seven crew members lost their lives when the shuttle broke apart about a minute into its ascent.  Their names will forever stand as a testament to the price we will be asked to pay as we reach for the stars:

- Gregory Jarvis,
- Christa McAuliffe,
- Ronald McNair,
- Ellison Onizuka,
- Judith Resnik,
- Dick Scobee, and
- Michael J. Smith.

As Ronald Reagan stated on that tragic day,

There's a coincidence today. On this day three hundred and ninety years ago, the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans, and a historian later said, "He lived by the sea, died on it, and was buried in it." Well, today, we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was, like Drake's, complete.

Extended NASA Missions

Earlier this month NASA extended nine space missions via the 2016 Senior Review of Operating Missions, which area provided below in alphabetical order:

-Dawn;

-Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO);

-Mars Atmospere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN); 

-Mars Odyssey orbiter;

-Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO);

-New Horizons;

-the Opportunity and Curiosity Mars rovers; and

-support for the European Space Agency’s Mars Express mission.

That is quite an investment in Mars, but let's not forget ongoing missions as well such as Cassini around Saturn and Juno orbiting Jupiter. 

Unfortunely, Dawn is done exploring the asteroir belt. While a visit to another asteroid (145 Adeona) was proposed, the panel decided to keep the spacecraft in orbit around Ceres to learn more about the dwarf planet. 

Luckily, New Horizons will continue to explore the outer reaches of the solar system. The panel approved a mission to Kuiper Belt Object MU69 by 2019. So the exploration continues. 

Star Trek Discovery

This weekend at Comic-Con Star Trek fans saw the first clip for the new CBS series Discovery.  The 13-part series is expected to premiere next January. 

It is an interesting teaser given the hidden USS Discovery and accompanying war-like music. Why is the ship in hiding? It is not clear and CBS is remaining quiet.

With a new Star Trek movie appearing last week, fans should be happy everywhere and particularly at Comic-Con. Given the multitude of movies and television iterations, no one can question Gene Roddenberry spoke for more than one generation. 

Who Needs Dismal Conventions?

I cannot say anything from this week's convention in Cleveland provided a path forward or a hopeful future. With that in mind, I was happy to hear next week's convention in Philadelphia will include former astronaut Mark Kelly and his wife former congresswoman Gabrielle Gifford, a victim gun violence.

This is a family that has seen its highs and lows, be it orbiting this blue marble to battling gun laws back here on Earth. They both lead an organization called Americans for Responsible Solutions.  The mission of this organization is to:

...encourage elected officials to stand up for solutions to prevent gun violence and protect responsible gun ownership by communicating directly with the constituents that elect them.

We need more signs of responsible leadership this summer. I also hope we can hear more from explorers, inventors, and others who create that future. It is important we offer the next generation hope and show them the way.

SpaceX Lands the Falcon Again

Yesterday morning SpaceX had another successful landing following the launch of the CRS-9 mission aboard the Dragon to the International Space Station.  The Falcon 9 rocket successfully returned to Cape Canaveral and landed back onto the launch pad.  You can see the video here.  An impressive feat no matter how many times you see it. 

The image above shows both the launching and landing of the Falcon 9 in one image.  The credit for that shot goes to Ken Kremer at kenkremer.com.  

Great image: Juno's Insertion

This impressive image is a digital painting created by Mathias Verhasselt depicting Juno during its orbital insertion burn over Jupiter.  You can find an assortment of similarly fascinating images at the Bruce Murray Space Image Library on The Planetary Society's website. 

Space Quotes: The Boring Moon?

"After two revolutions of the moon, it became clear that it was kind of boring. On Earth, you have rivers, oceans, continents, highlands and mountains, but the moon looks like one beat-up, sand-blasted ball with hole upon hole."

--Astronaut Bill Anders, who served on Apollo 8 during its lunar orbit in1968.  You can find the rest of his quote and a number of additional astronaut quotes in this Forbes magazine article.  

Great Image: Juno Approaching Jupiter

NASA has released the first images showing the Juno spacecraft's view of Jupiter and its surroundings. The picture, taken July 10, shows Jupiter and three of its moons, including Europa. Hopefully, we will visit Europa in the near future as a separate mission. 

As with the early images from the Pluto mission last year, this is just the start of some great images. 

Chinese ET Search

China’s Aperture Spherical Telescope will be up and running in September. The 500-meter-wide device is the largest of its kind and will add more resources to the ongoing search for extraterrestrial life. The next largest telescope of this type is Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory, which is 300 meters in diameter.

Of course, the new telescope can also do more things such as neutral hydrogen, faint pulsars, and low frequency gravitational waves.

Even better is China's plan to make the telescope available to world scientists in a few years. This makes it a world scientific asset.

You can read more here.

Light Show on Jupiter

Good news! The Juno spacecraft is safely in orbit around Jupiter. 

The image above is a composite from the Hubble Space Telescope showing the gas giants amazing auroras just prior to Juno's arrival.

I expect we will learn much more about the unique properties of Jupiter as Juno starts its research mission. 

Stay tuned.

Something to Ponder on the Fourth of July

The Wall Street Journal had an enlightening article this weekend titled "Fleeing the Czars, Defying Gravity: A Fourth of July Immigrant Tale."  It leads up to the career of astronaut Jeffrey Hoffman, pictured above, who was part of the missions to keep the Hubble Space Telescope operating properly.  Hoffman retired from NASA in 1997 and is now a professor of aeronautics and astronautics at MIT. You can read more about his career here.

Great Image: The Solar System's Smaller Worlds

The image above recently posted by The Planetary Society is labeled "Every round object in the solar system under 10,000 kilometers in diameter, to scale." This impressive collection represents 2 planets, 18 or 19 moons, 1 or 2 asteroids, and 87 "trans-Neptunian" objects. 

You can see how the moons Ganymede and Titan outside Mercury, and our own Moon exceeds the size of Pluto.

The image below shows the objects we have already visited, including the recently explored Ceres and Pluto. We are making great progress in our explorations of the solar system. 

Image Credit: Montage by Emily Lakdawalla. Data from NASA / JPL, JHUAPL/SwRI, SSI, and UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA, processed by Gordan Ugarkovic, Ted Stryk, Bjorn Jonsson, Roman Tkachenko, and Emily Lakdawalla.