Jjmonl 1812.Pmd

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Jjmonl 1812.Pmd alactic Observer John J. McCarthy Observatory G Volume 11, No. 12 December 2018 First Image of the surface of Mars as transmitted by the InSight spacecraft moments after landing on November 26th . The image was transmitted via the MarCO cubesats. The dust cover (covered with black specks) will be ejected once the dust settles (approxi- mately two days after landing) Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech The John J. McCarthy Observatory Galactic Observvvererer New Milford High School Editorial Committee 388 Danbury Road Managing Editor New Milford, CT 06776 Bill Cloutier Phone/Voice: (860) 210-4117 Production & Design Phone/Fax: (860) 354-1595 www.mccarthyobservatory.org Allan Ostergren Website Development JJMO Staff Marc Polansky Technical Support It is through their efforts that the McCarthy Observatory Bob Lambert has established itself as a significant educational and recreational resource within the western Connecticut Dr. Parker Moreland community. Steve Barone Jim Johnstone Colin Campbell Carly KleinStern Dennis Cartolano Bob Lambert Route Mike Chiarella Roger Moore Jeff Chodak Parker Moreland, PhD Bill Cloutier Allan Ostergren Doug Delisle Marc Polansky Cecilia Detrich Joe Privitera Dirk Feather Monty Robson Randy Fender Don Ross Louise Gagnon Gene Schilling John Gebauer Katie Shusdock Elaine Green Paul Woodell Tina Hartzell Amy Ziffer In This Issue "OUT THE WINDOW ON YOUR LEFT" .................................. 3 REFERENCES ON DISTANCES ............................................ 18 MOUNT MARILYN ........................................................... 3 NASA'S GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE ............................... 19 ENTRY, DESCENT AND LANDING ........................................ 4 EARTH-SUN LAGRANGE POINTS ....................................... 19 APOLLO 8 - 50 YEAR LOOKBACK ..................................... 5 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION/IRIDIUM SATELLITES .......... 20 OSIRIS-REX ............................................................... 6 SOLAR ACTIVITY ........................................................... 20 DECEMBER COMET ......................................................... 7 CONTACT INFORMATION ................................................. 21 COMET FINDER CHART ................................................... 8 DECEMBER GRAPHIC CALENDAR ..................................... 22 EXOMARS UPDATE ......................................................... 8 NEWLY DISCOVERED IMPACT CRATER ............................... 9 MISSION TO THE FAR SIDE ............................................... 9 FIRST ENCOUNTER ......................................................... 11 IMPACT RELICS? ........................................................... 11 SPACESHIP EARTH AND THE BLUE MARBLE ........................ 12 PURCHASING A TELESCOPE .............................................. 13 DECEMBER NIGHTS ....................................................... 15 SUNRISE AND SUNSET ...................................................... 15 ASTRONOMICAL AND HISTORICAL EVENTS ......................... 15 COMMONLY USED TERMS ............................................... 18 2 • Dec 2018 JJMO http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org “Out the Window on Your Left” T’S BEEN 45 YEARS since flank. Jim Lovell, the Command Apollo 10 was a dress rehearsal we left the last footprint on the Module Pilot on the crew of for Apollo 11, with astronauts Apollo 8, was one of the first Thomas Stafford and Eugene Idusty lunar surface. Sadly, as a Mare Serenitatis nation founded on exploration and people to circumnavigate the Cernan taking the Lunar Module the conquest of new frontiers, we Moon. He named that ancient rock down to within 9 miles (14 km) of appear to have lost our will to lead outcrop "Mount Marilyn" as a the lunar surface. Along the way, as a space-faring nation. But, what tribute to his wife. Forty-nine years the Apollo 10 crew created dozens if the average citizen had the means later (in 2017), the International of informal landmarks (like Boot to visit our only natural satellite; Astronomical Union (IAU) Hill and Sidewinder Rille) that what would they see out the formally adopted the name for could be used by Armstrong and window of their spacecraft as they the lunar feature, based upon its Aldrin, and mission control, as entered orbit around the Moon? This significance as a navigation waypoints to check their progress column may provide some thoughts landmark for the Apollo 11 against the nominal descent landing (along with Little West timeline. The names appear on the and Double craters). charts used by the astronauts, in to ponder when planning your visit (if only in your imagination). Mount Prior to 1968, a triangular- shaped outcrop of rock located be- Marilyn tween two dark patches of lava (Mare Tranquillitatis and Mare Fecunditatis) was noteworthy only for a small crater located on its NASA Photo The Apollo 10 Command Module as seen from the Lunar Module with Mt. Marilyn visible in the background http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org JJMO Dec 2018 • 3 technical reports, and in transcripts of communications between the astronauts and the ground. The 4,593 foot (1,400 meters) high Mt. Marilyn is just one of the landmarks identified on the follow- ing page. It was likely created over 4 billion years ago in the aftermath of the impact that formed the nearby basins. Entry, Descent and Landing The Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) spacecraft separated from its cruise stage on November 26th and en- tered the Martian atmosphere ap- proximately 80 miles (128 km) above the planet's surface at 12,300 miles per hour (5.5 km/sec). It was protected from the heat of reentry by an aeroshell (which experienced a peak temperature of approxi- mately 2,700°F or 1,500°C). The aeroshell's heatshield, a large para- chute and twelve retrorockets (braking rockets) slowed down the spacecraft for a gentle landing on its three shock-absorbing legs. Just before 3 pm EST, on a winter's day in the northern hemi- sphere of Mars, the InSight space- craft set down on an expansive lava plain, Elysium Planitia, 373 miles (600 km) from Gale Crater, cur- rently being explored by the Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) rover. The high temperature on land- ing day was a chilly -4ºF (-20ºC). Mission Planning and Sequencing Engineers post-landing celebration The landing ellipse (area in (Kyle Cloutier center) Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech which the spacecraft had a 99 per- sity. The lander's science team is The first instrument, a six-sen- cent chance of landing when tar- interested in probing below the sor seismometer called the Seismic geting the center of the ellipse) was surface and that requires a smooth, Experiment for Interior Structure 81 miles (130 km) long and 17 level area upon which to set down (SEIS), will record seismic waves miles (27 km) wide. Unlike other its experiments. InSight will spend (from impacts or marsquakes) as Martian landing sites, with com- the first two to three months on the they travel through the planet. Sci- pelling geologic features, ancient surface surveying its landing area, entist use the waves' characteris- water-carved channels or river before using its robotic arm to tics and speed of travel, to build a delta deposits, Elysium Planitia place its two instruments on the model of the planet's interior. was selected for its lack of diver- surface. InSight's seismometer will be the 4 • Dec 2018 JJMO http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org first to be placed on the surface and event in this otherwise horrific year the United States once again. It was is thousands of times more sensitive was the reading from the Book of a proposal by a quiet engineering than the ones permanently mounted Genesis by the crew of Apollo 8 genius, George Low, (Manager of on the Viking landers. Because of the as they orbited the Moon on the Apollo Spacecraft Program Of- instrument's extreme sensitivity Christmas Eve. fice) to send the Apollo 8 com- (SEIS is sensitive enough to detect The race to beat the Soviets to mand module alone into lunar or- vibrations smaller than the width the Moon took a dramatic turn in bit that would ultimately place the of a hydrogen atom), a wind and 1968 and saw the United States United States in a position to thermal shield will be placed over take its first lead by year's end. achieve President Kennedy's goal the seismometer to eliminate Apollo 7 was launched in October to land a man on the Moon and vibrations from the wind and 1968 into Earth orbit. A week or safely return him to Earth by the temperature fluctuations. so later, the Soviets launched two end of the decade. InSight will also measure the Soyuz space craft into Earth orbit Apollo 8 was launched on heat flowing out of the planet's core (one manned and one unmanned December 21st under the command with a self-burrowing, mechanical for a planned rendezvous). In of Frank Borman with astronauts mole. The Heat Flow and Physical November, another unmanned William Anders and Jim Lovell Properties Package (HP3), the Zond flew around the Moon and (Lovell replaced Michael Collins second instrument, will burrow photographed the unseen far side. on the original team; Collins, who into the soil to a maximum depth The United States expected that required back surgery, would go on of 16 feet (5 meters). At that depth, the Soviets would attempt another to be the Command Module Pilot the instrument will be able to moon shot in early December for Apollo 11). The launch was detect heat trapped below the
Recommended publications
  • USGS Open-File Report 2005-1190, Table 1
    TABLE 1 GEOLOGIC FIELD-TRAINING OF NASA ASTRONAUTS BETWEEN JANUARY 1963 AND NOVEMBER 1972 The following is a year-by-year listing of the astronaut geologic field training trips planned and led by personnel from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Branches of Astrogeology and Surface Planetary Exploration, in collaboration with the Geology Group at the Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas at the request of NASA between January 1963 and November 1972. Regional geologic experts from the U.S. Geological Survey and other governmental organizations and universities s also played vital roles in these exercises. [The early training (between 1963 and 1967) involved a rather large contingent of astronauts from NASA groups 1, 2, and 3. For another listing of the astronaut geologic training trips and exercises, including all attending and the general purposed of the exercise, the reader is referred to the following website containing a contribution by William Phinney (Phinney, book submitted to NASA/JSC; also http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/alsj/ap-geotrips.pdf).] 1963 16-18 January 1963: Meteor Crater and San Francisco Volcanic Field near Flagstaff, Arizona (9 astronauts). Among the nine astronaut trainees in Flagstaff for that initial astronaut geologic training exercise was Neil Armstrong--who would become the first man to step foot on the Moon during the historic Apollo 11 mission in July 1969! The other astronauts present included Frank Borman (Apollo 8), Charles "Pete" Conrad (Apollo 12), James Lovell (Apollo 8 and the near-tragic Apollo 13), James McDivitt, Elliot See (killed later in a plane crash), Thomas Stafford (Apollo 10), Edward White (later killed in the tragic Apollo 1 fire at Cape Canaveral), and John Young (Apollo 16).
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix 1: Venus Missions
    Appendix 1: Venus Missions Sputnik 7 (USSR) Launch 02/04/1961 First attempted Venus atmosphere craft; upper stage failed to leave Earth orbit Venera 1 (USSR) Launch 02/12/1961 First attempted flyby; contact lost en route Mariner 1 (US) Launch 07/22/1961 Attempted flyby; launch failure Sputnik 19 (USSR) Launch 08/25/1962 Attempted flyby, stranded in Earth orbit Mariner 2 (US) Launch 08/27/1962 First successful Venus flyby Sputnik 20 (USSR) Launch 09/01/1962 Attempted flyby, upper stage failure Sputnik 21 (USSR) Launch 09/12/1962 Attempted flyby, upper stage failure Cosmos 21 (USSR) Launch 11/11/1963 Possible Venera engineering test flight or attempted flyby Venera 1964A (USSR) Launch 02/19/1964 Attempted flyby, launch failure Venera 1964B (USSR) Launch 03/01/1964 Attempted flyby, launch failure Cosmos 27 (USSR) Launch 03/27/1964 Attempted flyby, upper stage failure Zond 1 (USSR) Launch 04/02/1964 Venus flyby, contact lost May 14; flyby July 14 Venera 2 (USSR) Launch 11/12/1965 Venus flyby, contact lost en route Venera 3 (USSR) Launch 11/16/1965 Venus lander, contact lost en route, first Venus impact March 1, 1966 Cosmos 96 (USSR) Launch 11/23/1965 Possible attempted landing, craft fragmented in Earth orbit Venera 1965A (USSR) Launch 11/23/1965 Flyby attempt (launch failure) Venera 4 (USSR) Launch 06/12/1967 Successful atmospheric probe, arrived at Venus 10/18/1967 Mariner 5 (US) Launch 06/14/1967 Successful flyby 10/19/1967 Cosmos 167 (USSR) Launch 06/17/1967 Attempted atmospheric probe, stranded in Earth orbit Venera 5 (USSR) Launch 01/05/1969 Returned atmospheric data for 53 min on 05/16/1969 M.
    [Show full text]
  • PEANUTS and SPACE FOUNDATION Apollo and Beyond
    Reproducible Master PEANUTS and SPACE FOUNDATION Apollo and Beyond GRADE 4 – 5 OBJECTIVES PAGE 1 Students will: ö Read Snoopy, First Beagle on the Moon! and Shoot for the Moon, Snoopy! ö Learn facts about the Apollo Moon missions. ö Use this information to complete a fill-in-the-blank fact worksheet. ö Create mission objectives for a brand new mission to the moon. SUGGESTED GRADE LEVELS 4 – 5 SUBJECT AREAS Space Science, History TIMELINE 30 – 45 minutes NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS ö 5-ESS1 ESS1.B Earth and the Solar System ö 3-5-ETS1 ETS1.B Developing Possible Solutions 21st CENTURY ESSENTIAL SKILLS Collaboration and Teamwork, Communication, Information Literacy, Flexibility, Leadership, Initiative, Organizing Concepts, Obtaining/Evaluating/Communicating Ideas BACKGROUND ö According to NASA.gov, NASA has proudly shared an association with Charles M. Schulz and his American icon Snoopy since Apollo missions began in the 1960s. Schulz created comic strips depicting Snoopy on the Moon, capturing public excitement about America’s achievements in space. In May 1969, Apollo 10 astronauts traveled to the Moon for a final trial run before the lunar landings took place on later missions. Because that mission required the lunar module to skim within 50,000 feet of the Moon’s surface and “snoop around” to determine the landing site for Apollo 11, the crew named the lunar module Snoopy. The command module was named Charlie Brown, after Snoopy’s loyal owner. These books are a united effort between Peanuts Worldwide, NASA and Simon & Schuster to generate interest in space among today’s younger children.
    [Show full text]
  • Disequilibrium Melting and Melt Migration Driven by Impacts: Implications for Rapid Planetesimal Core Formation
    Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 100 (2013) 41–59 www.elsevier.com/locate/gca Disequilibrium melting and melt migration driven by impacts: Implications for rapid planetesimal core formation Andrew G. Tomkins ⇑, Roberto F. Weinberg, Bruce F. Schaefer 1, Andrew Langendam School of Geosciences, P.O. Box 28E, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia Received 20 January 2012; accepted in revised form 24 September 2012; available online 12 October 2012 Abstract The e182W ages of magmatic iron meteorites are largely within error of the oldest solar system particles, apparently requir- ing a mechanism for segregation of metals to the cores of planetesimals within 1.5 million years of initial condensation. Cur- rently favoured models involve equilibrium melting and gravitational segregation in a static, quiescent environment, which requires very high early heat production in small bodies via decay of short-lived radionuclides. However, the rapid accretion needed to do this implies a violent early accretionary history, raising the question of whether attainment of equilibrium is a valid assumption. Since our use of the Hf–W isotopic system is predicated on achievement of chemical equilibrium during core formation, our understanding of the timing of this key early solar system process is dependent on our knowledge of the seg- regation mechanism. Here, we investigate impact-related textures and microstructures in chondritic meteorites, and show that impact-generated deformation promoted separation of liquid FeNi into enlarged sulfide-depleted accumulations, and that this happened under conditions of thermochemical disequilibrium. These observations imply that similar enlarged metal accumu- lations developed as the earliest planetesimals grew by rapid collisional accretion.
    [Show full text]
  • Lost Lake by Robert Verish
    Meteorite-Times Magazine Contents by Editor Like Sign Up to see what your friends like. Featured Monthly Articles Accretion Desk by Martin Horejsi Jim’s Fragments by Jim Tobin Meteorite Market Trends by Michael Blood Bob’s Findings by Robert Verish IMCA Insights by The IMCA Team Micro Visions by John Kashuba Galactic Lore by Mike Gilmer Meteorite Calendar by Anne Black Meteorite of the Month by Michael Johnson Tektite of the Month by Editor Terms Of Use Materials contained in and linked to from this website do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Meteorite Exchange, Inc., nor those of any person connected therewith. In no event shall The Meteorite Exchange, Inc. be responsible for, nor liable for, exposure to any such material in any form by any person or persons, whether written, graphic, audio or otherwise, presented on this or by any other website, web page or other cyber location linked to from this website. The Meteorite Exchange, Inc. does not endorse, edit nor hold any copyright interest in any material found on any website, web page or other cyber location linked to from this website. The Meteorite Exchange, Inc. shall not be held liable for any misinformation by any author, dealer and or seller. In no event will The Meteorite Exchange, Inc. be liable for any damages, including any loss of profits, lost savings, or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to special, consequential, or other damages arising out of this service. © Copyright 2002–2010 The Meteorite Exchange, Inc. All rights reserved. No reproduction of copyrighted material is allowed by any means without prior written permission of the copyright owner.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mineralogical Magazine Journal
    THE MINERALOGICAL MAGAZINE AND JOURNAL OF THE MINERALOGICAL SOCIETY. 1~o. 40. OCTOBER 1889. Vol. VIII. On the Meteorites which have been found iu the Desert of Atacama and its neighbourhood. By L. FLETCHER, M.A., F.R.S., Keeper of Minerals in the British Museum. (With a Map of the District, Plate X.) [Read March 12th and May 7th, ]889.J 1. THE immediate object of the present paper is to place on record J- the history and characters of several Atacama meteorites of which no description has yet been published; but incidentally it is con- venient at the same time to consider the relationship of these masses to others from the same region, which either have been already described, or at least are stated to be preserved in one or more of the known Meteo. rite-Collections. 2. The term " Desert of Atacama " is generally applied to that part of western South America which lies between the towns of Copiapo and Cobija, about 330 miles distant from each other, and which extends island as far as the Indian hamlet of Antofagasta, about 180 miles from 224 L. FLETCHER ON THE METEORITES OF ATACAMA. the coast. The Atacama meteorites preserved in the Collections have been found at several places widely separated throughout the Desert. 3. A critical examination of the descriptive literature, and a compari- son of the manuscript and printed meteorite-lists, which have been placed at my service, lead to the conclusion that all the meteoritic frag- ments from Atacama now preserved in the known Collections belong to one or other of at most thirteen meteorites, which, for reasons given below, are referred to in this paper under the following names :-- 1.
    [Show full text]
  • ASTRONAUTICS and AERONAUTICS, 1977 a Chronology
    NASA SP--4022 ASTRONAUTICS AND AERONAUTICS, 1977 A Chronology Eleanor H. Ritchie ' The NASA History Series Scientific and Technical Information Branch 1986 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington, DC Four spacecraft launched by NASA in 1977: left to right, top, ESA’s Geos 1 and NASA’s Heao 1; bottom, ESA’s Isee 2 on NASA’s Isee 1, and Italy’s Wo. (NASA 77-H-157,77-H-56, 77-H-642, 77-H-484) Contents Preface ...................................................... v January ..................................................... 1 February .................................................... 21 March ...................................................... 47 April ....................................................... 61 May ........................................................ 77 June ...................................................... 101 July ....................................................... 127 August .................................................... 143 September ................................................. 165 October ................................................... 185 November ................................................. 201 December .................................................. 217 Appendixes A . Satellites, Space Probes, and Manned Space Flights, 1977 .......237 B .Major NASA Launches, 1977 ............................... 261 C. Manned Space Flights, 1977 ................................ 265 D . NASA Sounding Rocket Launches, 1977 ..................... 267 E . Abbreviations of References
    [Show full text]
  • Long-Term Venus Lander
    Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Honors Theses Lee Honors College 4-20-2021 Long-Term Venus Lander Scott Miller Western Michigan University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses Part of the Space Vehicles Commons Recommended Citation Miller, Scott, "Long-Term Venus Lander" (2021). Honors Theses. 3383. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/3383 This Honors Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Lee Honors College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Long-Duration Venus Explorer Aidan Wales, Ethan Reid, and Scott Miller Group #04-21-01 Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kristina Lemmer Western Michigan University College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................. pg. 1 Disclaimer .......................................................................................................... pg. 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... pg. 2 Methodology ...................................................................................................... pg. 2 Preliminary Research ............................................................................. pg. 2 Decision Matrices
    [Show full text]
  • Syllabus for Classics 140 (#20821) Introduction to Classics
    SYLLABUS FOR CLASSICS 140 (#20821) INTRODUCTION TO CLASSICS Fall 2014 Semester, San Diego State University Brett Robbins, PhD., Department of Classics & Humanities Class Hours: M/W 2-3:15 PM, Classroom: PSFA-310 Office Hours (AL-672): MW 12:30-1:45 PM (or by appointment) Phone: 805-444-2393, E-Mail: [email protected] 1) COURSE DESCRIPTION If you’re curious about your own society, you should also be curious about the ancient Greeks and Romans, because they were the inventors of western culture and you should be curious about where so much of what you take for granted comes from. It’s inherently pleasurable to trace so much of what we think and do today to their roots in ancient Greece and Rome, to make sense of their world and our own world through their world and of both worlds through their interrelationships with each other. That is, I believe, what is most special about the study of antiquity: we find, if we look closely, so many firsts in western culture: the first epic and lyric poems, the first plays, the first theaters, the first histories, even the first cinema (huh?). And through the literature of ancient Greece and Rome we encounter the first expression of certain ideas like community, democracy, and imperialism and of certain emotions like courage, curiosity, and love. If tracing things back to their roots, their origins in the past, excites you, you are in the right place, because that is what I am primarily interested in: getting back to the roots. There is more.
    [Show full text]
  • 18Th Meeting of the Venus Exploration Analysis Group (Vexag)
    18TH MEETING OF THE VENUS EXPLORATION ANALYSIS GROUP (VEXAG) Program and Abstracts LPI Contribution No. 2356 18th Meeting of the Venus Exploration Analysis Group November 16–17, 2020 Institutional Support Lunar and Planetary Institute Universities Space Research Association Convener Noam Izenberg Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Darby Dyar Mount Holyoke College Science Organizing Committee Darby Dyar Planetary Science Institute, Mount Holyoke College Noam Izenberg JHU Applied Physics Laboratory Megan Andsell NASA Headquarters Natasha Johnson NASA Goddard Jennifer Jackson California Institute of Technology Jim Cutts Jet Propulsion Laboratory Tommy Thompson Jet Propulsion Laboratory Lunar and Planetary Institute 3600 Bay Area Boulevard Houston TX 77058-1113 Compiled in 2020 by Meeting and Publication Services Lunar and Planetary Institute USRA Houston 3600 Bay Area Boulevard, Houston TX 77058-1113 This material is based upon work supported by NASA under Award No. 80NSSC20M0173. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this volume are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Lunar and Planetary Institute is operated by the Universities Space Research Association under a cooperative agreement with the Science Mission Directorate of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Material in this volume may be copied without restraint for library, abstract service, education, or personal research purposes; however, republication of any paper or portion thereof requires the written permission of the authors as well as the appropriate acknowledgment of this publication. ISSN No. 0161-5297 Abstracts for this meeting are available via the meeting website at https://www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/vexag2020/ Abstracts can be cited as Author A.
    [Show full text]
  • IAC-14,A3,P,31X26111 ZEPHYR: a LANDSAILING ROVER FOR
    65th International Astronautical Congress, Toronto, Canada. Copyright ©2014 by the International Astronautical Federation. This work was done by employees of the United States government, and no copyright is asserted in the United States. IAC-14,A3,P,31x26111 ZEPHYR: A LANDSAILING ROVER FOR VENUS Geoffrey A. Landis, Steven R. Oleson, David Grantier, and the COMPASS team NASA John Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH, 44135 USA [email protected] With an average temperature of 450 °C and a corrosive atmosphere at a pressure of 90 bars, the surface of Venus is the most hostile environment of any planetary surface in the solar system. Exploring the surface of Venus would be an exciting goal, since Venus is a planet with significant scientific mysteries, and interesting geology and geophysics. Technology to operate at the environmental conditions of Venus is under development. A rover on the surface of Venus with capability comparable to the rovers that have been sent to Mars would push the limits of technology in high-temperature electronics, robotics, and robust systems. Such a rover would require the ability to traverse the landscape on extremely low power levels. We have analyzed an innovative concept for a planetary rover: a sail-propelled rover to explore the surface of Venus. Such a rover can be implemented with only two moving parts; the sail, and the steering. Although the surface wind speeds are low (under 1 m/s), at Venus atmospheric density even low wind speeds develop significant force. Under funding by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts office, a conceptual design for such a rover has been done.
    [Show full text]
  • Conference Program
    NAL C O IO N T F A E R Eighteenth International Conference N E R N E C T E “Crimea 2011” N I « » C 1 R 1 I M E A 20 The “Crimea 2011” Conference is held within the framework of IFLA-2011 projects Libraries and Information Resources in the Modern World of Science, Culture, Education, and Business 2011 Topic: Libraries in the Second Decade of the Information Century: Developing Technologies and Enhancing Cooperation Conference Program SUDAK (Main Program) Koktebel and Simferopol (Guest Sessions) Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Ukraine June 4–12, 2011 2 INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE CHAIR Yakov Shrayberg, Director General, Russian National Public Library for Science and Technol- ogy; President, International Association of Users and Developers of Electronic Libraries and New Information Technologies (ELNIT International Association), Moscow, Russia DEPUTY CHAIRS Ekaterina Genieva, Director General, M.I. Rudomino All-Russian State Library for Foreign Literature, Moscow, Russia Tatyana Manilova, Deputy Director, Division of Cultural Heritage and Fine Arts; Head, Library and Archive Department, Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia Maurice Freedman, Publisher, Consultant, ex-President, American Library Association (2002- 2003); Acting Director, Purchase Public Library, Mount Kisco, NY, USA Larisa Nikiforenko, Deputy Director, Division of Art and Regional Policy; Head, Department of Library Activity Analysis and Forecast, Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine MEMBERS Ramazan Abdulatipov, Chairman,
    [Show full text]