Obituaries Prepared by the Historical Astronomy Division
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Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Terrestrial Magnetism Washington, DC 20015-1305
43 Carnegie Institution of Washington Department of Terrestrial Magnetism Washington, DC 20015-1305 This report covers astronomical research carried out during protostellar outflows have this much momentum out to rela- the period July 1, 1994 – June 30, 1995. Astronomical tively large distances. Planetary nebulae do not, but with studies at the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism ~DTM! their characteristic high post-shock temperatures, collapse of the Carnegie Institution of Washington encompass again occurs. Hence all three outflows appear to be able to observational and theoretical fields of solar system and trigger the collapse of molecular clouds to form stars. planet formation and evolution, stars and star formation, Foster and Boss are continuing this work and examining galaxy kinematics and evolution, and various areas where the possibility of introducing 26Al into the early solar system these fields intersect. in a heterogeneous manner. Some meteoritical inclusions ~chondrules! show no evidence for live 26Al at the time of their formation. So either the chondrules formed after the 1. PERSONNEL aluminium had decayed away, or the solar nebula was not Staff Members: Sean C. Solomon ~Director!, Conel M. O’D. Alexander, Alan P. Boss, John A. Graham, Vera C. Rubin, uniformly populated with the isotope. Foster & Boss are ex- Franc¸ois Schweizer, George W. Wetherill ploring the injection of shock wave particles into the collaps- Postdoctoral Fellows: Harold M. Butner, John E. Chambers, ing solar system. Preliminary results are that ;40% of the Prudence N. Foster, Munir Humayun, Stacy S. McGaugh, incident shock particles are swallowed by the collapsing Bryan W. Miller, Elizabeth A. Myhill, David L. -
Lecture 9—Is the Earth Rare?
41st Saas-Fee Course From Planets to Life 3-9 April 2011 Lecture 9—Is the Earth Rare? List of Rare Earth arguments/ Nitrogen abundance/ Frequency of large impacts/ Chaotic obliquity fluctuations J. F. Kasting The Gaia hypothesis First presented in the 1970s by James Lovelock 1979 1988 • Life itself is what stabilizes planetary environments • Corollary: A planet might need to be inhabited in order to remain habitable The Medea and Rare Earth hypotheses Peter Ward 2009 2000 Medea hypothesis: Life is harmful to the Earth! Rare Earth hypothesis: Complex life (animals, including humans) is rare in the universe Additional support for the Rare Earth hypothesis • Lenton and Watson think that complex life (animal life) is rare because it requires a series of unlikely evolutionary events – the origin of life – the origin of the genetic code – the development of oxygenic photosynthesis) – the origin of eukaryotes – the origin of sexuality 2011 Rare Earth/Gaia arguments 1. Plate tectonics is rare --We have dealt with this already. Plate tectonics is not necessarily rare, but it requires liquid water. Thus, a planet needs to be within the habitable zone. 2. Other planets may lack magnetic fields and may therefore have harmful radiation environments and be subject to loss of atmosphere – We have talked about this one also. Venus has retained its atmosphere. The atmosphere itself provides protection against cosmic rays 3. The animal habitable zone (AHZ) is smaller than the habitable zone (HZ) o – AHZ definition: Ts = 0-50 C o – HZ definition: Ts = 0-100 C. But this is wrong! For a 1-bar atmosphere like Earth, o water loss begins when Ts reaches 60 C. -
AIAA Fellows
AIAA Fellows The first 23 Fellows of the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences (I) were elected on 31 January 1934. They were: Joseph S. Ames, Karl Arnstein, Lyman J. Briggs, Charles H. Chatfield, Walter S. Diehl, Donald W. Douglas, Hugh L. Dryden, C.L. Egtvedt, Alexander Klemin, Isaac Laddon, George Lewis, Glenn L. Martin, Lessiter C. Milburn, Max Munk, John K. Northrop, Arthur Nutt, Sylvanus Albert Reed, Holden C. Richardson, Igor I. Sikorsky, Charles F. Taylor, Theodore von Kármán, Fred Weick, Albert Zahm. Dr. von Kármán also had the distinction of being the first Fellow of the American Rocket Society (A) when it instituted the grade of Fellow member in 1949. The following year the ARS elected as Fellows: C.M. Bolster, Louis Dunn, G. Edward Pendray, Maurice J. Zucrow, and Fritz Zwicky. Fellows are persons of distinction in aeronautics or astronautics who have made notable and valuable contributions to the arts, sciences, or technology thereof. A special Fellow Grade Committee reviews Associate Fellow nominees from the membership and makes recommendations to the Board of Directors, which makes the final selections. One Fellow for every 1000 voting members is elected each year. There have been 1980 distinguished persons elected since the inception of this Honor. AIAA Fellows include: A Arnold D. Aldrich 1990 A.L. Antonio 1959 (A) James A. Abrahamson 1997 E.C. “Pete” Aldridge, Jr. 1991 Winfield H. Arata, Jr. 1991 H. Norman Abramson 1970 Buzz Aldrin 1968 Johann Arbocz 2002 Frederick Abbink 2007 Kyle T. Alfriend 1988 Mark Ardema 2006 Ira H. Abbott 1947 (I) Douglas Allen 2010 Brian Argrow 2016 Malcolm J. -
JHU/APL Colloquia
JHU Applied Physics Laboratory Colloquia November 15, 2019 www.jhuapl.edu/colloquium/archive [email protected] 2019 – 2020 Stephen Moore (Author and Journalist) UNCOMMON VALOR: Recon Company Medal of Honor Heroes of FOB-2. November 8, 2019. Lawrence Goldstone (Author) Going Deep: John Philip Holland and the Invention of the Attack Submarine. November 1, 2019. David Blodgett (JHU/APL) Optical Imaging of the Brain: Is There Really Anything to See? October 25, 2019. Larrie D. Ferreiro (George Mason Univ.) Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It. October 18, 2019. Dr. Etta Pisano, M.D., FACR (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) The Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (TMIST) – A Bridge to Personalized Breast Cancer Screening. October 16, 2019. Héctor L. Díaz (Hispanics In History Cultural Organization) The Hispanic Assistance to the American Revolution. October 11, 2019. Andrés Muñoz-Jaramillo (Southwest Research Institute) How the Hemispheric Polar Field Reversal Sets the Timing and Shape of the Solar Cycle. October 9, 2019. Dave "Bio" Baranek (Author, "TOPGUN Days") Topgun and Tomcats: High Explosives, Type-A Personalities, and Prandtl–Meyer Expansion Fans. October 4, 2019. 2018 – 2019 Mojie Crigler (END Fund) Under the Big Tree: Extraordinary Stories From the Movement to End Neglected Tropical Diseases. September 27, 2019. CAPT Mercedes Benitez-McCrary, Dr.HSc, MA CCC-SLP (Chief Professional Officer - Chief Therapist Officer, United States Public Health Service) “Puentes Y Verjas” – Hispanic Health. September 20, 2019. Eric Haseltine (Analyst and Consultant) The Spy in Moscow Station: A Counterspy's Hunt for a Deadly Cold War Threat. -
Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 110 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 110 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 154 WASHINGTON, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2008 No. 19 House of Representatives The House met at 2 p.m. and was THE JOURNAL world peace can occur by sitting called to order by the Speaker pro tem- The SPEAKER pro tempore. The around smoking dope and banging on pore (Mr. BAIRD). Chair has examined the Journal of the the tambourine. Berkeley should lose all Federal f last day’s proceedings and announces to the House his approval thereof. funding for their smug denouncement DESIGNATION OF THE SPEAKER Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Jour- of the Marine Corps. Patriotic Ameri- PRO TEMPORE nal stands approved. cans should not subsidize cities that tell the Marines to ‘‘get out of town.’’ The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- f And as for the Marines, we’ll take fore the House the following commu- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE nication from the Speaker: them all in Texas. We’ll have a parade, The SPEAKER pro tempore. Will the fly the flag, and sing the Marine Hymn. WASHINGTON, DC, gentleman from Florida (Mr. MILLER) February 6, 2008. So Semper Fi. come forward and lead the House in the I hereby appoint the Honorable BRIAN And that’s just the way it is. BAIRD to act as Speaker pro tempore on this Pledge of Allegiance. day. Mr. MILLER of Florida led the f NANCY PELOSI, Pledge of Allegiance as follows: Speaker of the House of Representatives. -
2005 Annual Report American Physical Society
1 2005 Annual Report American Physical Society APS 20052 APS OFFICERS 2006 APS OFFICERS PRESIDENT: PRESIDENT: Marvin L. Cohen John J. Hopfield University of California, Berkeley Princeton University PRESIDENT ELECT: PRESIDENT ELECT: John N. Bahcall Leo P. Kadanoff Institue for Advanced Study, Princeton University of Chicago VICE PRESIDENT: VICE PRESIDENT: John J. Hopfield Arthur Bienenstock Princeton University Stanford University PAST PRESIDENT: PAST PRESIDENT: Helen R. Quinn Marvin L. Cohen Stanford University, (SLAC) University of California, Berkeley EXECUTIVE OFFICER: EXECUTIVE OFFICER: Judy R. Franz Judy R. Franz University of Alabama, Huntsville University of Alabama, Huntsville TREASURER: TREASURER: Thomas McIlrath Thomas McIlrath University of Maryland (Emeritus) University of Maryland (Emeritus) EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Martin Blume Martin Blume Brookhaven National Laboratory (Emeritus) Brookhaven National Laboratory (Emeritus) PHOTO CREDITS: Cover (l-r): 1Diffraction patterns of a GaN quantum dot particle—UCLA; Spring-8/Riken, Japan; Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lab, SLAC & UC Davis, Phys. Rev. Lett. 95 085503 (2005) 2TESLA 9-cell 1.3 GHz SRF cavities from ACCEL Corp. in Germany for ILC. (Courtesy Fermilab Visual Media Service 3G0 detector studying strange quarks in the proton—Jefferson Lab 4Sections of a resistive magnet (Florida-Bitter magnet) from NHMFL at Talahassee LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT APS IN 2005 3 2005 was a very special year for the physics community and the American Physical Society. Declared the World Year of Physics by the United Nations, the year provided a unique opportunity for the international physics community to reach out to the general public while celebrating the centennial of Einstein’s “miraculous year.” The year started with an international Launching Conference in Paris, France that brought together more than 500 students from around the world to interact with leading physicists. -
Chapter 9: the Origin and Evolution of the Moon and Planets
Chapter 9 THE ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE MOON AND PLANETS 9.1 In the Beginning The age of the universe, as it is perceived at present, is perhaps as old as 20 aeons so that the formation of the solar system at about 4.5 aeons is a comparatively youthful event in this stupendous extent of time [I]. Thevisible portion of the universe consists principally of about 10" galaxies, which show local marked irregularities in distribution (e.g., Virgo cluster). The expansion rate (Hubble Constant) has values currently estimated to lie between 50 and 75 km/sec/MPC [2]. The reciprocal of the constant gives ages ranging between 13 and 20 aeons but there is uncertainty due to the local perturbing effects of the Virgo cluster of galaxies on our measurement of the Hubble parameter [I]. The age of the solar system (4.56 aeons), the ages of old star clusters (>10" years) and the production rates of elements all suggest ages for the galaxy and the observable universe well in excess of 10" years (10 aeons). The origin of the presently observable universe is usually ascribed, in current cosmologies, to a "big bang," and the 3OK background radiation is often accepted as proof of the correctness of the hypothesis. Nevertheless, there are some discrepancies. The observed ratio of hydrogen to helium which should be about 0.25 in a "big-bang" scenario may be too high. The distribution of galaxies shows much clumping, which would indicate an initial chaotic state [3], and there are variations in the spectrum of the 3OK radiation which are not predicted by the theory. -
What Famous Computer Person(S)
I Won a famous prize also won by Jane Goodall, Noam Chomsky, and John Cage? (Kyoto) I Won a famous prize also won by the chemist Linus Pauling, physicist John Bardeen, economist Herbert Simon, and the astronomer James van Allen? (NMS) I Proudly puts an INTERCAL program they wrote on their home page? (Abandon sanity) I Dedicated their first book to a computer “in remembrance of many pleasant evenings”? I Instead of celebrating their 65th birthday, celebrated their millionth ((1000000)2 = 64 birthday)? I Along with Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds is regarded as one of the three pioneers of open-source software? I Introduced big-O notation to the computer science community? What famous computer person(s) I Had their first publication in Mad magazine? I Won a famous prize also won by the chemist Linus Pauling, physicist John Bardeen, economist Herbert Simon, and the astronomer James van Allen? (NMS) I Proudly puts an INTERCAL program they wrote on their home page? (Abandon sanity) I Dedicated their first book to a computer “in remembrance of many pleasant evenings”? I Instead of celebrating their 65th birthday, celebrated their millionth ((1000000)2 = 64 birthday)? I Along with Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds is regarded as one of the three pioneers of open-source software? I Introduced big-O notation to the computer science community? What famous computer person(s) I Had their first publication in Mad magazine? I Won a famous prize also won by Jane Goodall, Noam Chomsky, and John Cage? (Kyoto) I Proudly puts an INTERCAL program they -
Sophie's Planet
Sophie’s Planet Dear Young People, I am writing for the sake of all young people, and I hope to communicate with those of you of high school and college age. You must be concerned about your future, and hopefully also about the future of your nation and your planet. You have the potential to affect all of those futures. That is a bold assertion – it may seem like a homily for a graduation ceremony. I wish to persuade you that it is not only a plausible goal, but that it is essential that you alter the course upon which older generations have set us. No doubt you know that global climate is changing. Moreover, political polarization and disaffection within and among nations is rising. Life prospects for youth, in many nations, are not improving. These matters are interrelated. While these threats are not being addressed effectively, nevertheless a basis for optimism emerges – if the global situation is assessed objectively and if the issues are well understood. “Well understood” is the key phrase here. Is there any reason you should believe that I can help you understand these matters? The best reason I can offer is that I am trained in scientific objectivity, and so done by a master, Prof. James Van Allen at the University of Iowa. I will always try to make clear the rationale for my conclusions, warn you when subjective and political factors may be involved, and leave ultimate conclusions to you. I describe where I came from, so you can assess what prejudices that might introduce. -
Dynamical Models of Terrestrial Planet Formation
Dynamical Models of Terrestrial Planet Formation Jonathan I. Lunine, LPL, The University of Arizona, Tucson AZ USA, 85721. [email protected] David P. O’Brien, Planetary Science Institute, Tucson AZ USA 85719 Sean N. Raymond, CASA, University of Colorado, Boulder CO USA 80302 Alessandro Morbidelli, Obs. de la Coteˆ d’Azur, Nice, F-06304 France Thomas Quinn, Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle USA 98195 Amara L. Graps, SWRI, Boulder CO USA 80302 Revision submitted to Advanced Science Letters May 23, 2009 Abstract We review the problem of the formation of terrestrial planets, with particular emphasis on the interaction of dynamical and geochemical models. The lifetime of gas around stars in the process of formation is limited to a few million years based on astronomical observations, while isotopic dating of meteorites and the Earth-Moon system suggest that perhaps 50-100 million years were required for the assembly of the Earth. Therefore, much of the growth of the terrestrial planets in our own system is presumed to have taken place under largely gas-free conditions, and the physics of terrestrial planet formation is dominated by gravitational interactions and collisions. The ear- liest phase of terrestrial-planet formation involve the growth of km-sized or larger planetesimals from dust grains, followed by the accumulations of these planetesimals into ∼100 lunar- to Mars- mass bodies that are initially gravitationally isolated from one-another in a swarm of smaller plan- etesimals, but eventually grow to the point of significantly perturbing one-another. The mutual perturbations between the embryos, combined with gravitational stirring by Jupiter, lead to orbital crossings and collisions that drive the growth to Earth-sized planets on a timescale of 107 − 108 years. -
The Iron Planet Sex and Skin Color
PERIODICALS Yet, this is the key to the lesson, Kass says. necessary condition for national self- "God's dispersion of the nations is the PO- awareness and the possibility of a politics litical analog to the creation of woman: in- that will. hearken to the voice of what is stituting otherness and opposition, it is the eternal, true, and good." SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ''Mercu~'~Heart of Iron" by Clark R. Chapman, in Asfrononzy The Iron Planet (Nov. 19881, 1027 N. 7th St., Milwaukee, Wisc. 53233. More than a decade after America's un- plays a vita1 role in the two leading theo- manned Mariner 10 flew near the planet ries of the origins of the solar system. Ac- Mercury during 1974-75, scientists have fi- cording to one theory, formulated by cos- nally digested all of the data from the mochemist John Lewis during the 1970~~ flight. And they are starting to ask some the solar system was created in a more or big questions, reports Chapman, of Tuc- less orderly fashion. Lewis believes that son's Planetary Science Institute. the planets formed out of gases that cooled Located about midway between the and condensed. At some point, billions of Earth and the Sun, Mercury is a "truly bi- years ago, the sun flared up briefly, blast- zarre" planet. Its rock cmst is unusually ing away many gases. According to Lewis's thin; a "metallic iron core" accounts for theory, there should not be any sulfur, or 70 percent of the planet's weight. anything like it, on Mercury. The most surprising discovery made by A more recent theory, propounded by Mariner 10 was that the tiny planet has a George Wetherill of the Carnegie Institu- magnetic field, like Earth's but much tion, is that the solar system emerged from weaker. -
Complex Life, by Jove!
Complex Life, By Jove! By: Leslie Mullen The gas giants in our solar system. From left: Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, and Jupiter. Credit: NASA One of the tenets of astrology is that the positions of the planets affect us. For instance, the position of the planet Jupiter in your chart is supposed to indicate good luck for a certain aspect of your life. In an eerie echo of astrology, some scientists are now saying that the position of Jupiter in our solar system was very good luck for life on Earth. Jupiter is about 5 astronomical units (AU) away from the Sun − far enough away from Earth to not have interfered with the development of our planet, and yet close enough to gravitationally deflect asteroids and comets, limiting the number of dangerous impacts. Impacts by asteroids and comets can create cataclysmic events that destroy life − witness the demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, widely believed to have been brought about by a "killer" asteroid impact. Without Jupiter, instead of being hit with a killer asteroid every hundred million years or so, we´d get one every 10,000 years. This reduction in impacts enabled the Earth to develop both simple and complex forms of life. But gas giant planets like Jupiter don´t always help in the development of complex life. Consider, for instance, that while Jupiter deflects many asteroids away from Earth, it also is responsible for most of the asteroids in the first place. When planetesimals were clumping together to form the terrestrial planets, the gravitational influence of Jupiter prevented a fifth planet from forming.