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Alactic Observer Gjohn J alactic Observer GJohn J. McCarthy Observatory Volume 4, No. 7/8 July/August 2011 Coming Home The Space Shuttle Endeavour on its final descent to the Kennedy Space Center on June 1, 2011, at the end of a 16-day mission to outfit the International Space Station. After one more Atlantis mission on July 8, the space shuttle program will end. Future missions will be launched aboard Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan untill a new private launch program is developed (see inset below). Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls Image Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi 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 Allan Ostergren www.mccarthyobservatory.org Website Development John Gebauer JJMO Staff Josh Reynolds It is through their efforts that the McCarthy Observatory has Technical Support established itself as a significant educational and recreational Bob Lambert resource within the western Connecticut community. Dr. Parker Moreland Steve Barone Dr. Parker Moreland Don Besaw Allan Ostergren Colin Campbell Cecilia Page Dennis Cartolano Bruno Ranchy Route Mike Chiarella Josh Reynolds Jeff Chodak Barbara Richards Bill Cloutier Monty Robson Charles Copple Don Ross Randy Fender Ned Sheehey John Gebauer Gene Schilling Elaine Green Diana Shervinskie Tina Hartzell Katie Shusdock Tom Heydenburg Jon Wallace Phil Imbrogno Bob Willaum Bob Lambert Paul Woodell Amy Ziffer In This Issue THE YEAR OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM ................................ 3 REFERENCES ON DISTANCES ........................................ 17 MISSION UPDATES ........................................................ 5 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION/SPACE SHUTTLE/IRIDIUM DAWN ............................................................. 5 SATELLITES ......................................................... 17 JUNO ............................................................. 5 SOLAR ACTIVITY ........................................................ 17 OUT THE WINDOW ON YOUR LEFT ............................... 5 PAST LINKS ............................................................ 17 ARISTOTELES AND EUDOXUS ......................................... 6 COVER PHOTO AND OTHER CREDITS ............................. 18 FINAL FLIGHT ............................................................. 7 POST-SPACE SHUTTLE TRANSPORTATION ........................ 8 ENTERPRISE ............................................................. 9 SUMMER ACTIVITIES ................................................... 11 LIBERTY BELL ........................................................... 12 SUNRISE AND SUNSET .................................................. 12 ASTRONOMICAL AND HISTORICAL EVENTS ...................... 12 2 • July/Aug 2011 http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org July/August Astronomy Calendar and Space Exploration AlmanacAlmanacAlmanac http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org July/Aug 2011 • 3 Year of the Solar System NASA announced on Oct. 7, 2010 that the upcoming year would be “The Year of the Solar System.” The “Year,” however, is a Martian year and, as such, 23 months in length. Some of the highlights of the “Year” of exploration are: Date Mission Status Successful rendezvous, see Deep Impact encounters Comet http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ 4 Nov 2010 Hartley 2 epoxi/index.html Launch of O/OREOS, a shoebox- sized satellite designed to test the 19 Nov 2010 durability of life in space Ground stations receiving data Launch of an experimental solar sail (NanoSail-D) aboard the Fast Delayed separation from FASTSAT Affordable Scientific and on 17 Jan 2011, deployment 19 Nov 2010 Technology Satellite (FASTSAT) confirmed, sail is operational Japan's Akatsuki (Venus Climate Spacecraft fails to enter orbit around 7 Dec 2010 Orbiter) spacecraft Venus - now in orbit around the Sun Stardust NExT encounters Comet Successful rendezvous; see 14 Feb 2011 Tempel 1 http://stardustnext.jpl.nasa.gov/ First spacecraft to achieve orbit MESSENGER enters orbit around around Mercury; see 17 Mar 2011 Mercury http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/ New Horizons spacecraft crosses 4+ more years to Pluto; see 18 Mar 2011 the orbit of Uranus http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/ Dawn spacecraft arrives at the 16 Jul 2011 asteroid Vesta Launch of the Juno spacecraft to 5 Aug 2011 Jupiter Launch of twin GRAIL spacecraft 8 Sept 2011 to map Moon’s gravitational field Launch of the Phobos-Grunt 8 Nov 2011 sample-return mission Launch of Mars Science 25 Nov 2011 Laboratory (MSL) Aug 2012 MSL lands on Mars Other notable events: • June 28, 2011 Pluto at Opposition • July 2011 End of the Space Shuttle Program • October 8, 2011 2nd International Observe the Moon Night • March 3, 2012 Mars at Opposition • May 20, 2012 Annular Solar Eclipse (visible in southwest U.S.) • June 6, 2012 Venus Transit • Mid 2012 Opportunity reaches the rim of Endeavour crater 4 • July/Aug 2011 http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org P Mission Updates Come September and the waning days of summer, the Dawn spacecraft will have reached its first destination and the Juno spacecraft will be on its way to Jupiter. Dawn The Dawn spacecraft acquired its first image of the asteroid Vesta in early May. Appearing in the image as a group of bright pixels among a field of stars, the space- craft was still 1.21 million kilometers (752,000 miles) and two months travel from Vesta. Dawn is expected to enter orbit around Vesta on July 16th. The spacecraft will use its ion engine, powered by large solar panels, to gradually spiral into a lower orbit from which it will conduct its science mission. Vesta is the Artist Concept: NASA/JPL second most massive and brightest object in the asteroid “Out the Window on Your Left” belt. It is classified as a protoplanet due to its size (530 kilometers or 330 miles in diameter). It’s been 39 years since we left the last footprint on Dawn will spend a year in orbit around Vesta before the dusty lunar surface. Sadly, as a nation founded on leaving for the larger asteroid (and Dwarf Planet) Ceres. exploration and the conquest of new frontiers, we appear Dawn is expected to arrive at Ceres in February of 2015. to have lost our will to lead as a space-faring nation. But, Based upon distant observations, scientists believe that what if the average citizen had the means to visit our only Vesta and Ceres evolved very differently during the early natural satellite; what would they see out the window of formation of the solar system. While their growth as pro- their spacecraft as they entered orbit around the Moon? toplanets was disrupted by the formation of Jupiter, Dawn This column may provide some thoughts to ponder when will find out just how different these two worlds are. planning your visit (if only in your imagination). The view this month is of the southeastern shore of Juno Mare Frigoris (the Sea of Cold) and the craters Aristoteles and Eudoxus (see next page). Mare Frigoris has an elon- Final preparations are underway for the launch of gated shape, approximately 1,500 km across and only the Juno spacecraft in August to the planet Jupiter. The 200 km wide. There is some speculation that Frigoris is spacecraft will take five years to complete its journey, arriving at Jupiter in 2016. Once in polar orbit, Juno will study the atmosphere, magnetosphere and gravity of the gas giant. Understanding the structure of Jupiter will further our knowledge of how planets formed in the early solar system. Juno will orbit Jupiter in a highly elliptical path. The polar orbit will minimize the spacecraft’s exposure to the planet’s intense radiation field. The spacecraft will spend a year around Jupiter (32 orbits). Juno’s instruments are powered by three massive solar panels that extend out- ward 8.9 meters (29 feet) from the spacecraft’s body. This is the first time that solar panels have been used to power a spacecraft this far from Earth. While Juno’s solar panels are 50 percent more effi- cient and more radiation resistant than the solar panels on early deep space missions, they only generate 450 watts of electricity at Jupiter’s great distance from the Sun (enough to power five average light bulbs). Check out the new Juno mission website at http:// Lunar "seas" and "lakes" are actually expansive missionjuno.swri.edu/. low-lying plains formed by ancient lava flows http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org July/Aug 2011 • 5 Aristoteles and Eudoxus 6 • July/Aug 2011 http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org actually a shallow part of the Imbrium basin, separated Imbrium basin. This may have had an effect on how the by ejecta from the basin’s formation. underlying rock rebounded after the impact, which cre- Aristoteles is named for the Greek philosopher Aristotle ates the central peak. (384 BC – 322 BC), a student of Plato and teacher of Southwest of Aristoteles is Egede, the remains of a Alexander the Great. Eudoxus of Cnidus, a Greek as- crater that has been flooded by lava. Only the rim re- tronomer, mathematician, and physician was also a stu- mains visible. Southwest of Egede and in the bottom left dent of Plato. hand corner of the photo is Vallis Alpes (the Alpine Val- Aristoteles and Eudoxus are two of the larger and ley), still in shadow. The valley is actually a depression or younger craters in Mare Frigoris. Aristoteles has a diam- graben, formed when the surface drops between two eter of 87 km (54 miles) and Eudoxus a diameter of 67 parallel faults. km (42 miles). Eudoxus
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