Space Stories: Earth Similar to Vesta, Comet 3I/ATLAS is from a Strange Cold Place, and a US/China Telescope Battle in South America

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Dawn spacecraft image of Vesta. (NASA / JPL-Caltech / UCLA / MPS / DLR / IDA)

Here are some recent space-related stories.

—BBC Sky at Night: “We Were Truly Astonished” – Astronomers Say Earth Formed from the Same Material as Mars“

Planetary scientists say they’ve taken a step closer to solving the mystery of where the material that formed Earth comes from. While Earth resides in the inner Solar System with Mercury, Venus and Mars, it’s been proposed that up to 40% of the material that formed our planet came from the outer reaches, beyond the orbit of Jupiter. But a new study looking at the chemistry of meteorites has found that Earth is likely made entirely from the inner Solar System. In particular, Earth’s make-up is strikingly similar to that of Mars and Vesta, one of the biggest objects in the asteroid belt.

—SciTechDaily: “Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Came From a Place Nothing Like Our Solar System“

A comet from beyond our solar system is giving astronomers a rare look at how alien planetary systems may form under conditions very different from those that shaped our own cosmic neighborhood. The object, called 3I/ATLAS, was discovered less than a year ago as it traveled through our solar system. Although scientists still do not know exactly where it originated, new research led by the University of Michigan suggests the comet formed in an extremely cold region of space…“Our new observations show that the conditions that led to the formation of our solar system are much different from how planetary systems evolved in different parts of our galaxy,” said Luis Salazar Manzano, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in the U-M Department of Astronomy.

—New York Times: “U.S.-China Rivalry Reaches South American Skies“

In the foothills of the Argentine Andes, the enormous Chinese radio telescope sits in one of the world’s premier stargazing locations, surrounded by vast, undulating mountain ranges and beneath skies untouched by light pollution. It is also on the opposite side of the planet from Beijing, offering China a window on the half of the heavens it would not otherwise see. But the Chinese telescope at the site, the Cesco observatory in San Juan Province, picks up no signals. After the U.S. government repeatedly pressed them on the issue, the Argentine authorities stopped the project’s completion. Lacking key parts, the telescope now sits dismembered, its gigantic antenna pointing blindly at the sky.

Space Quote: Houston, We Have Glitter on the Moon

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Image of the three dots NASA’s Apollo 17 crew reported seeing during their lunar visit. (NASA)

“Now we’ve go a few very bright particles or fragments or something that go drifting by as we maneuver.”

“There’s a whole [bunch] of big ones on my window down there – just bright. It looks like the Fourth of July out of Ron’s window.”

-Statements by Apollo 17 Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, respectively, per a recently released Department of Defense document that is part of information being released that may apply to UFOs. Of course, as you read more of the transcript, you will find that the astronauts casually discuss how these particles look like “jagged, angular fragments” that may be ice chunks or paint chips. The media is certainly playing up the various sightings and issues, but I recommend reading of the transcripts to get a better feel for what was said and the various explanations proposed.

Martian Rover Worksite Problems

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Curiosity Mars rover arm with a piece of rock attached. (NASA)

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover had some issues two weeks ago while drilling on the Martian surface. On April 25th, the drill became stuck on a piece of rock that would not drop off of the robotic arm. The 28.6 pound rock, nicknamed “Atacama,” was fully attached to the rover. NASA stated this is the first time this has happened.

NASA scientists did not panic, yet this was not an easy issue to resolve. The rock remained attached to the arm after several days of attempts to dislodge it. Remember, it takes 40 minutes for a round trip message to go from the rover to the scientists and then back to the rover. It was not until May 1 that the rock was safely removed from the arm after a lot of rotating, vibrating, and spinning.

The rover has been busy on the Martian surface since 2012, so it has already had plenty of time to become entangled with the rocks on the surface. Fortunately, patience prevailed and the search for water and life on Mars continues.

Sci-Fi Stories: A New Murderbot Book Arrives, Captive’s War Planned for Prime, and Somewhere Our There Coming to Netflix

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Credit: Tor Books

Here are a few sci-fi stories of interest.

—Winter is Coming: “Book review: Platform Decay is Exactly What We Wanted from Martha Wells’s Murderbot Next“

Platform Decay is the eighth book in Martha Wells’s Murderbot Diaries series, and it gives fans exactly what they love while taking the story in some new directions. If you’ve been following Murderbot since the first book All Systems Red you’ll find plenty to enjoy here...The book picks up after System Collapse (2023). Murderbot gets asked to help with what should be a simple rescue mission. Dr. Ayda Mensah, the person who freed Murderbot and is basically its closest friend, needs help getting some family members off a dangerous space station.

—Polygon: “The Expanse Creators Admit Their New Sci-fi Series will be ‘So Freaking Hard to Adapt’ for TV“

When Syfy began adapting Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck’s space-opera novels The Expanse for television, the authors (who write together under the name James S.A. Corey) were closely involved in the process. Over six seasons and a shift to Prime Video, Franck and Abraham served as screenwriters, producers, media ambassadors, and even walk-on actors. Abraham and Franck are set to have an even bigger role in the developing adaptation of their current book series, The Captive’s War. In 2024, they formed a production company, Expanding Universe, to produce the show, and they already have a development deal with Amazon. But the duo tells Polygon that knowing they’re writing for the screen as well as the page this time around didn’t change their plotting or process at all — which is going to cause a lot of problems in adapting the series for TV.

—Screenrant: “Shawn Levy Confirms New Arrival-Like Netflix Sci-Fi Movie“

Shawn Levy and Netflix unite for an original sci-fi epic.The project, titled Somewhere Out There, is reportedly an “emotional sci-fi” story that is similar to Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival, which stars Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. It also apparently resembles Levy and Netflix’s The Adam Project, featuring Mark Ruffalo, Ryan Reynolds, Jennifer Garner, and Zoe Saldaña. The plot follows a widowed father who, while struggling with the loss of his wife, sends a message into outer space. To his surprise, he receives a mysterious response from something or someone. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix has acquired the script for Somewhere Out There, a science fiction film written by Max Taxe, and Levy has signed on to direct the project. The Deadpool & Wolverine director will also serve as a producer for the project through his 21 Laps banner with Dan Levine.

Pic of the Week: The Crescent Earth

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Image (Credit): A look back at Earth by the Artemis II crew. (NASA)

This week’s image is one of more than 12,000 from the Artemis II mission recently released by NASA. This particular shot of the crescent Earth is a whole new way to look at our world from afar.

These images are currently available via the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth website, but they are not easy to locate. NASA also maintains a multimedia website with many images, videos, wallpapers, and more (shown below).