The latest TMRO program included Bill Dunford of RidingWithRobots.org “to talk about robotic exploration of the cosmos” : Riding with Robots – TMRO
Monthly Archives: January 2015
Asteroid to pass near Earth-Moon system on January 26th
An asteroid half a kilometer in diameter will pass near earth on Monday: Giant asteroid is about to give Earth a close call – Sen.com
Here is the original NASA JPL story:
Asteroid to Fly By Earth Safely on January 26
(See GIF animation clip)
This graphic depicts the passage of asteroid 2004 BL86, which will come
no closer than about three times the distance from Earth to the moon
on Jan. 26, 2015. Due to its orbit around the sun, the asteroid is
currently only visible by astronomers with large telescopes who are
located in the southern hemisphere. But by Jan. 26, the space rock’s
changing position will make it visible to those in the northern hemisphere.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
An asteroid, designated 2004 BL86, will safely pass about three times the distance of Earth to the moon on January 26. From its reflected brightness, astronomers estimate that the asteroid is about a third of a mile (0.5 kilometers) in size. The flyby of 2004 BL86 will be the closest by any known space rock this large until asteroid 1999 AN10 flies past Earth in 2027.
At the time of its closest approach on January 26, the asteroid will be approximately 745,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers) from Earth.
“Monday, January 26 will be the closest asteroid 2004 BL86 will get to Earth for at least the next 200 years,” said Don Yeomans, who is retiring as manager of NASA’s Near Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, after 16 years in the position. “And while it poses no threat to Earth for the foreseeable future, it’s a relatively close approach by a relatively large asteroid, so it provides us a unique opportunity to observe and learn more.”
One way NASA scientists plan to learn more about 2004 BL86 is to observe it with microwaves (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2006-00a ). NASA’s Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, California, and the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico will attempt to acquire science data and radar-generated images of the asteroid during the days surrounding its closest approach to Earth.
“When we get our radar data back the day after the flyby, we will have the first detailed images,” said radar astronomer Lance Benner of JPL, the principal investigator for the Goldstone radar observations of the asteroid. “At present, we know almost nothing about the asteroid, so there are bound to be surprises.”
Asteroid 2004 BL86 was initially discovered on Jan. 30, 2004 by a telescope of the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) survey in White Sands, New Mexico.
The asteroid is expected to be observable to amateur astronomers with small telescopes and strong binoculars.
“I may grab my favorite binoculars and give it a shot myself,” said Yeomans. “Asteroids are something special. Not only did asteroids provide Earth with the building blocks of life and much of its water, but in the future, they will become valuable resources for mineral ores and other vital natural resources. They will also become the fueling stops for humanity as we continue to explore our solar system. There is something about asteroids that makes me want to look up.”
NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program Office is experiencing its first transition in leadership since it was formed almost 17 years ago. On Jan. 9, after a 39-year-long career at JPL, Yeomans retired. Paul Chodas, a long-time member of Yeomans’ team at JPL, has been designated as the new manager.
NASA detects, tracks and characterizes asteroids and comets using both ground- and space-based telescopes. Elements of the Near-Earth Object Program, often referred to as “Spaceguard,” discover these objects, characterize a subset of them and identify their close approaches to determine if any could be potentially hazardous to our planet.
JPL manages the Near-Earth Object Program Office for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
More information about asteroids and near-Earth objects is at: www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch.
To get updates on passing space rocks, follow: twitter.com/asteroidwatch
Help send the Garden of ETON to space
Back in December I posted about the DreamUP! program created by NanoRacks and FISE ( Foundation for International Space Education), which aims to send STEM projects to the International Space Station.
Chicks in Space is the first team attempting to raise the $15k needed to get an experiment to the station:
Chicks in Space is a group of high school girls who hope to advance space science. We have grown up working on NASA challenges and have had the opportunity to participate in the Conrad Spirit of Innovation – a program aimed at development of innovative ideas. We have created the Garden of ETON – or Extra Terrestrial Organic Nutrition.
This is a hydroponic garden developed to function under conditions of microgravity. It has always been our dream to have an experiment on NASA’s International Space Station. We hope to be able to have the opportunity to launch a reconfigured Garden of ETON – NanoETON – on NanoRacks LLC on NASA’s International Space Station. NanRacks LLC is a company that helps projects like ours get through NASA’s safety and review processes.
When we are not working on space related projects we enjoy golfing and hanging out with our family.
They have raised about a third of the funding needed to Send the Garden of ETON to Space.
Winning films in the Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival
I posted here about the Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival, which took place last weekend. Here is a report on the winning films:
The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival returned to New York City for its third annual event from January 15-18, 2015 and has culminated in yet another successful season. With events at three distinguished locations including The Cervantes Institute, Tribeca Cinemas and The Producer’s Club, the festival has announced of award winners in recognition for achievement in filmmaking.
The honorable list includes Mark Netter’s Nightmare Code (2014) for Best Philip K. Dick Feature, Matt Duggan’s Inverse (2014) for Best Science Fiction Feature, Kathleen Behun’s 21 Days (2014) for Best Supernatural Feature, MacGregor and Bruno Zacarías’ Similo (2014) for Best Latino, African American and Other People of Color Short and Matt Owen’s Turn On (2013) for Best Science Fiction Short.
The festival, which recently received massive attention from NBC New York/COZI TV’s News 4 New York at 7, The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Time Out New York and Metro New York continues to which celebrates the cinematic style inspired by Philip K. Dick is grateful for any support as the team continues to offer the very best in science fiction film, culture and excitement.
Here’s the trailer for Nightmare Code, which won the Best Philip K. Dick Feature award:
And here is the trailer for Inverse, which won the Best Science Fiction Feature award:
Update: Here is an announcement with the full list of award winners:
(New York City, N.Y.) January 18, 2015 – The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival ascended into glory in its third year honoring the literary world’s most nuanced and visionary author, Philip K. Dick. As the city’s hottest ticket from January 15-18, 2015, the festival screened at three locations including The Cervantes Institute, Tribeca Cinemas and The Producer’s Club and culminated in award recognition for achievement in filmmaking by the creative individuals who are leaders in the most daring cornerstone of the movie industry. With its largest yet slate of innovative features and shorts, the sold out event brought festival-goers on an unforgettable ride to the best science fiction cinema has to offer.
The festival itself has received high-profile praise in recent days including founder and programming director Daniel Abella’s guest appearance on NBC New York/COZI TV’s News 4 New York at 7 as he was interviewed by anchor Roseanne Colletti. The televised segment preceded flattering editorial pieces in The New York Times, The New York Daily News, Time Out New York and Metro New York, all of which called fans to the festival’s mission in bringing forth the best in science fiction and beyond in the footsteps of its namesake. With energy at an all-time high and vigorously growing by the minute a sentiment by Abella in his television appearance remains wholeheartedly true — that this festival “will leave you smiling.”
List of Award Winners:
- BEST PHILIP K. DICK FEATURE
- Mark Netter’s Nightmare Code (2014)
- BEST SCIENCE FICTION DRAMATIC FEATURE
- Matt Duggan’s Inverse (2014)
- BEST SUPERNATURAL FEATURE
- Kathleen Behun’s 21 Days (2014)
- BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY / SINGULARITY AND BEYOND
- Christopher Garetano’s Montauk Chronicles (2014)
- BEST DOCUMENTARY
- Jacob Akira Okada’s Painting The Way To The Moon (2013)
- BEST PHILIP K. DICK SHORT – AUDIENCE AWARD
- Etienne Gravrand’s The Fischer Case (2014)
- BEST LATINO, AFRICAN AMERICAN AND OTHER PEOPLE OF COLOR SHORT
- MacGregor and Bruno Zacarías’ Similo (2014)
- BEST SCIENCE FICTION SHORT
- Mat Owen’s Turn On (2013)
- BEST HORROR / SUPERNATURAL SHORT
- Andy Green’s Vomica (2014)
- BEST WEB SERIES
- Aldo Romero’s The Disappeared (2014)
- BEST TRAILER
- Eric Norcross’s The Spaceship (2014)
Video: Opportunity reaches a high point on 11th anniversary of Mars landing
The Opportunity rover reaches a high point and a distance record on the anniversary of its landing on Mars 11 years ago.
Here is a press release about the milestone:
Hilltop Panorama Marks Mars Rover’s 11th Anniversary
High Viewpoint for 11-Year-Old Rover Mission on Mars
(Large image)
A panorama from one of the highest elevations that NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has reached in its 11 years on Mars includes the U.S. flag at the summit.
The view is from the top of “Cape Tribulation,” a raised section of the rim of Endeavour Crater. The panorama spans the interior of the 14-mile-wide (22-kilometer-wide) crater and extends to the rim of another crater on the horizon.
Opportunity has driven 25.9 miles (41.7 kilometers) since it landed in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars on Jan. 25, 2004 (Universal Time, which was Jan. 24, PST). That is farther than any other off-Earth surface vehicle has driven. The rover’s work on Mars was initially planned for three months. During that prime mission and for more than a decade of bonus performance in extended missions, Opportunity has returned compelling evidence about wet environments on ancient Mars.
Opportunity has been exploring Endeavour’s western rim since 2011. From a low segment of the rim that it crossed in mid-2013, called “Botany Bay,” it climbed about 440 feet (about 135 meters) in elevation to reach the top of Cape Tribulation. That’s about 80 percent the height of the Washington Monument.
High viewpoint in 3D.
(Large image)
The U.S. flag is printed on the aluminum cable guard of the rover’s rock abrasion tool, which is used for grinding away weathered rock surfaces to expose fresh interior material for examination. The flag is intended as a memorial to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. The aluminum was recovered from the site of the Twin Towers in the weeks following the attacks. Workers at Honeybee Robotics in lower Manhattan, less than a mile from World Trade Center, were making the rock abrasion tool for Opportunity and NASA’s twin Mars Exploration Rover, Spirit, in September 2001.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. For more information about Opportunity and Spirit, visit: www.nasa.gov/rovers and marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov
You can follow the project on Twitter and on Facebook at: twitter.com/MarsRovers and www.facebook.com/mars.rovers.