Ha! I knew it.
Well, OK, I guessed it.
And added miners.
And space pirates.
Whatever.
A ‘Megasatellite’ Orbiting Ceres Would Make a Fine Home For Humans, Scientist Says
January 22, 2021
Yet another conjunction of the Moon, Mars, and, uh…
January 22, 2021
Hey, everyone! If you look up at the right time, you can…
Uh. Yeah, anyway.
https://www.space.com/uranus-mars-moon-conjunction-january-2021
The One Small Step Act: Only for US?
January 16, 2021
It’s a small step. It applies only to companies that are working with NASA; it pertains only to U.S. lunar landing sites; it implements outdated and untested recommendations to protect historic lunar sites implemented by NASA in 2011. However, it offers significant breakthroughs. It is the first legislation from any nation to recognize an off-Earth site as having “outstanding universal value” to humanity, language taken from the unanimously ratified World Heritage Convention.
https://astronomy.com/news/2021/01/neil-armstrongs-bootprint-and-other-lunar-artifacts-are-now-protected-by-us-law
The author believes this shows that “nonpartisan” desire to journey to space and preserve human heritage.
Hmm.
Well, I do agree with the assessment that it’s only a matter of time before the Moon is occupied by multiple political entities (China, India, Russia, the US, ESA…) and probably even a few private enterprises as well. Will the private company-sponsored missions agree to abide by a US law?
We’ll see.
Six Space Events to Look Forward To in 2021
January 5, 2021
And it comes from a travel mag. Talk about confidence!
https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/space-astronomy/space-missions-2021
Tardigrads…In…Space…I mean, On the Moon…
December 28, 2020
Despite the impact, scientists believe that if anything survived the crash intact, it may well have been the tardigrades. The microscopic creatures were sandwiched between micron-thin sheets of nickel and suspended in epoxy, a resin-like preservative that acts like a jelly — potentially enough to cushion their landing.
https://www.inverse.com/science/tardigrades-may-have-taken-over-the-moon
I, for one, look forward to our lovably cute waterbear overlords…
Amateur Thai astronomer photographs unknown Sungrazer
December 27, 2020
This family of comets originated from a large parent comet that broke up into smaller fragments well over a thousand years ago. The sungrazers continue to orbit around the sun today.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/12/21/world/new-comet-solar-eclipse-scn/index.html
Now this is something I didn’t know. Learn a new thing ever day…
A sneak peek at the inside of the Red Planet
December 18, 2020
Despite the lack of large marsquakes, the researchers were able to estimate how thick Mars’ crust is. They predict it has three layers—but possibly two—that are between 12.4 and 23 miles thick, reports Nature. Mars’ crust is considerably thinner than that of Earth, which can be up to 25 miles thick—and that’s surprising, reports Science.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/robotic-explorer-mars-offers-sneak-peek-mars-inner-layers-180976568/
Lots of small “Marsquakes,” but nothing big. Max M4.5.
A techtonically silent world. Might explain the weak magnetic field which allowed solar winds to rip off its atmosphere long ago.
Solar System Likely To Disintegrate Sooner Than Earlier Predictions
December 7, 2020
“As per the new simulations, it will take 100 billion years for any remaining planets to run off across the galaxy, leaving the dying Sun far behind.”
Pack your bags, folks!
Nuclear power plants in space!
November 30, 2020
The proposal is for a fission surface power system, and the goal is to have a flight system, lander and reactor ready to launch by 2026.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/15/why-nasa-wants-to-put-a-nuclear-power-plant-on-the-moon.html
The goal, apparently, is to generate 10 Kw, or about enough to power “five to eight large households.”
Um. That’s not really enough for an actual lunar base. Try again?
And you thought living on Earth in 2020 was bad…
November 7, 2020
On the scorching hot planet, hundreds of light-years away, oceans are made of molten lava, winds reach supersonic speeds and rain is made of rocks. Scientists have referred to the bizarre, hellish exoplanet as one of the most “extreme” ever discovered.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/astronomers-discover-hell-planet-k2-141b-rock-rain-lava-oceans/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab6a&linkId=103730808&fbclid=IwAR2W9JqL9gjnrBTJeZ4bMbV4XsnqO_1kScgP0GLq7eYbq__0bDtmqcbH4BM
I think we may have seen this kind of planet before…
Yep, that’s it.
M Thomas Apple Author Page 