Tag Archives: NASA

When it comes to asteroids– close counts

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On April 13, 2029, the asteroid Apophis (designated 99942) will pass within 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) of Earth—an incredibly close distance in astronomical terms. This asteroid is about 1,100 feet (340 meters) in diameter.

NASA assures us there is no risk of Apophis impacting Earth for at least the next century (really). If you’re curious, NASA’s website offers live tracking of the asteroid’s current location, which is definitely worth checking out.

Still, when it comes to asteroids, even a near miss can feel unsettling—like playing horseshoes, where close counts.

To put the distance in perspective: if we were to unravel Earth’s circumference (about 24,000 miles) into a straight line, it would stretch 4,000 miles beyond where Apophis will pass. For further context, geosynchronous satellites orbit 22,000 miles above Earth’s surface—2,000 miles farther than Apophis’ path—and there are roughly 400-500 such satellites currently in orbit.

And here’s an interesting coincidence that NASA doesn’t mention: Apophis will make its closest approach on Friday, April 13th. Yes, Friday the 13th. And then you need to consider the name, Apophis, the ancient Egyptian god of chaos and destruction….

For a thrilling and thought-provoking read, check out Red Lightning by John Varley, if you can find it (out of print). In this science fiction novel, a massive, unidentified object skips past Earth, initially feared to be a weapon but later revealed as an asteroid. Although it didn’t collide with the planet, it came close enough to generate a shockwave that grazed the Atlantic Ocean, triggering 300-foot tsunamis that devastated the Eastern U.S. coastline as well as parts of Europe and Africa. It’s a gripping story that blurs the line between fiction and reality—reminding us that we are all in a game of Galactic Roulette.

LUCY, I’m home!

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We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news:

The LUCY mission is named after the fossilized skeleton of pre-human ancestry, which gave us a breakthrough understanding of our own human origin. The LUCY mission will do the same, giving us a much greater understanding of the formation of planets in our own solar system. When you see what this mission entails, it is truly magnificent that humans can think through the complications of this flight plan and execute it. Everything else in the news is a distraction to lower us to the least common denominator— to become complacent and ignorant. If every citizen would watch and understand this endeavor, converse with others, become curious and work together to question our surroundings and question our own existence…. well …. our government and its media arm do not want you to think this way.

Now back to our regular programming: Depp-Amber Trial……

Follow The James Webb Telescope

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With a very smooth and successful launch on Christmas day, The James Webb Telescope is on its way, traveling 1,000,000 miles from Earth, where it will slowly unravel over a two week period, calibrate the mirrors and run through various configurations, while cooling down to -230 C so there is no heat interference gathering the radiation (light) from space. The mirror is three times larger than Hubble and will be our eyes into the 13.3 billion year past (baby pictures are always so cute).

Congratulations to the ESA, CSA, NASA and to all the team members for this human achievement.

The size of this telescope is huge: Shield – 21.197 m x 14.162 m (69.5 ft x 46.5 ft), The mirror is 6.5 m (21.3 ft) approximately

To follow The James Webb Telescope, click here.

Arianespace’s Ariane 5 rocket launches with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope onboard, Saturday, Dec. 25, 2021, from the ELA-3 Launch Zone of Europe’s Spaceport at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. The James Webb Space Telescope (sometimes called JWST or Webb) is a large infrared telescope with a 21.3 foot (6.5 meter) primary mirror. The observatory will study every phase of cosmic history—from within our solar system to the most distant observable galaxies in the early universe. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

A Lost Opportunity

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Mars Opportunity has not been heard from since June 10th, 2018, after a global dust storm swept across the Martian surface, most likely covering the solar panels with a layer of red dirt, too thick for NASA’s attempts to clear it away before Opportunity’s on-board batteries drained  against the cold winter months.

 

Today, NASA has announced it will stop trying to reach Opportunity–a time to say goodbye.

One of my favorite images from Opportunity was the tracks lit left behind, leading back to the horizon.  The things Opportunity saw…. Postcards wishing you were here.

Rover tracks disappear toward the horizon like the wake of a ship across the desolate sea of sand between the craters Endurance and Victoria on the Meridiani Plains. Opportunity took the image while stuck in the sand ripple dubbed Purgatory for over a month. This panorama (only partly shown here) was named Rub Al Khali after the “Empty Quarter” in the Arabian Desert.
Image Number: WEB13648-2014
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University

Fifteen years ago, Opportunity landed on Mars and was only anticipated to last ninety days.  Congratulations to all the NASA engineers and staff, to all those who contributed the financials, to all of us on Earth who followed this journey.

To see the raw Images taken by Opportunity over the past 15 years, click here.

So long for now Opportunity, we will see you when we get there.  And one day, when all who visit and move to Mars, I am sure you will have a proper place in the Mars Space Museum among your peers told for and lost, who will have made our visit and stay possible.