Podcast: Getting to Mars and Staying Alive

Posted on by onespaceman2000

If you are interested in the future of humanity on Mars, you may want to tune into Red Planet Radio from The Mars Society. A recent podcast, as well as an upcoming podcast, highlight some things to consider before you pack your bags.

Back on June 15, in the podcast titled “Dr. Antonio Paris, Astrophysicist, Author “Mars: Your Personal 3-D Journey!,” we heard from Dr. Antonio Paris, who is the Chief Scientist at the Center for Planetary Science as well as an Assistant Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at St. Petersburg College, Florida. In this podcast, Dr. Paris discussed the difficulties of traveling in space as well as the types of structures one might need to build to live safely on Mars. He also discussed his recent book, Mar: Your Personal 3D Journey to the Red Planet.

Tomorrow (July 2) another podcast episode will include a three-person NASA panel discussing topics such as general Mars exploration, strategies for sample returns from the Red Planet, and the architecture supporting Moon to Mars missions.

The three panelists are:

  • Nujoud Merancy: Deputy Associate Administrator, Strategy and Architecture Office, in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate for NASA Headquarters.
  • Eric Ianson: Deputy Director, Planetary Science Division, and Director, Mars Exploration Program and Radioisotope Power Systems Program at NASA Headquarters. 
  • Dr. Lindsay Hays: Program Scientist in the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters and Deputy Program Scientist for the Mars Sample Return Mission. 

I enjoyed the first episode and look forward to tomorrow’s discussion.

And don’t forget that from August 8-11 The Mars Society will hold its 27th Annual International Mars Society Convention at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. You can see videos from prior conventions here.

Credit: The Center for Planetary Science, Inc.

A Day in Astronomy: The Tunguska Event

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): A current map showing the location of the Tunguska Event in Russia. (Wikipedia)

It was on this day in 1908 that about 800 square miles of forest in Siberia were decimated in what was later attributed to an meteor exploding 3 to 6 miles above the Tunguska River area. As a result of the aerial explosion, no impact crater was created from what was called the Tunguska Event.

The meteor that hit Russia has been estimated top be 160–200 feet wide. The asteroid that passed by the Earth yesterday, 2024 MK, has been estimated to be 400 and 850 feet wide. We are lucky that we did not need to go through this again more than 100 years later.

The Tunguska Event is the largest impact event in recorded history. It was this event that later inspired what we celebrate today – Asteroid Day.

Happy Asteroid Day!

Just in Time for Asteroid Day

Posted on by onespaceman2000

Tomorrow we recognize Asteroid Day around the world, but today we witnessed an asteroid coming so close to the Earth that it was within the Moon’s orbit.

Asteroid 2024 MK flew past the Earth earlier today with no incident, but it was pretty close. Its closest approach was about 75 percent of the distance between Earth and the Moon. The asteroid, about the size of a skyscraper, would have made quite a mess had it hit us.

What is somewhat disturbing is that we have set up systems and processes to detect Near Earth Objects (NEO) to better prepare for potential collisions, yet this particular asteroid was first detected this month. Had it been on a collision course, we would have had less than two weeks to prepare.

NASA and others continue with efforts to step up NEO detection. One planned improvement is the NEO Surveyor, which will be the first space telescope specifically designed to locate potentially hazardous NEOs. The NEO Surveyor is scheduled to launch in June 2028.

Better detection, as well as defenses, can help to ensure we have many more Asteroid Days far into the future.

Pic of the Week: The Dark Doodad Nebula

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The molecular cloud near star cluster NGC 4372. (NASA, Martin Pugh & Rocco Sung)

This week’s image is from NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day website. It shows a dark blur in the night sky caused by interstellar dust.

Here is the full description from NASA:

What is that strange brown ribbon on the sky? When observing the star cluster NGC 4372, observers frequently take note of an unusual dark streak nearby running about three degrees in length. The streak, actually a long molecular cloud, has become known as the Dark Doodad Nebula. (Doodad is slang for a thingy or a whatchamacallit.) Pictured here, the Dark Doodad Nebula sweeps across the center of a rich and colorful starfield. Its dark color comes from a high concentration of interstellar dust that preferentially scatters visible light. The globular star cluster NGC 4372 is visible as the fuzzy white spot on the far left, while the bright blue star gamma Muscae is seen to the cluster’s upper right. The Dark Doodad Nebula can be found with strong binoculars toward the southern constellation of the Fly (Musca).