Jjmonl 1707-8 Exp.Pmd

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Jjmonl 1707-8 Exp.Pmd alactic Observer John J. McCarthy Observatory G Volume 10, No. 7/8 July/August 2017 Image by the Deep Space Climate Observatory's (DSCOVR) EPIC camera of a total solar eclipse on March 9, 2016. The eclipse was only visible from the South Pacific and, in this image, the Moon's shadow is moving toward the east, north of Australia. DSCOVR is located at the Sun-Earth first Lagrange point, approximately 1 million miles from Earth. The spacecraft's instruments provide real-time monitoring of the Sun's solar wind. On August 21, 2017, DSCOVR will be position to watch the Moon's shadow race across the continental United States. The John J. McCarthy Observatory Galactic Observer 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 JUPITER AND ITS MOONS ................................................. 17 MARE CRISIUM AND THE LUNA 23 AND 24 LANDING SITES ... 3 SUNRISE AND SUNSET ...................................................... 17 LUNA 24 SPACECRAFT AND LRO VIEW OF LANDING SITE .... 3 SATURN - JEWEL OF THE SUMMER SKY ............................. 18 THE ALL-AMERICAN SOLAR ECLIPSE ................................ 4 ASTRONOMICAL AND HISTORICAL EVENTS ......................... 18 WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR AUGUST 21ST ............................. 5 COMMONLY USED TERMS ............................................... 23 ENCELADUS REVISITED .................................................... 5 REFERENCES ON DISTANCES ............................................ 23 ENDLESS RINGS .............................................................. 6 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION/IRIDIUM SATELLITES .......... 24 JOURNEY TO THE SUN ...................................................... 6 LAGRANGE POINTS ........................................................ 24 CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH THE GREAT RED SPOT ................. 6 SOLAR ACTIVITY ........................................................... 24 DEEP SPACE LIGHTHOUSES .............................................. 7 SUMMER WORKSHOP ..................................................... 17 SPACE BREAD ................................................................ 7 SECOND SATURDAY STARS ............................................... 18 NEW JOVIAN IMPACTS ..................................................... 8 JUNE GRAPHIC CALENDAR .............................................. 19 FIRST WHEELED VEHICLE ON MOON ................................ 8 SPACE SHUTTLE LEGACY ................................................ 14 LOST ORBITERS ............................................................ 14 SPACE SHUTTLE MEMORIAL ............................................ 14 PLANNING YOUR VISIT ................................................... 14 SUMMER ACTIVITIES ...................................................... 15 2 July-Aug 2017 JJMO http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org was not far from that of the failed After less than 24 hours on the “Out the Window on Luna 23 spacecraft. Images by Moon, the ascent stage, containing Your Left” NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Or- the lunar sample, lifted off from the T’S BEEN ALMOST 45 years since biter (LRO) found Luna 24 perched surface. Four days later, the sample we left the last footprint on the near the rim of a 200Mare foot Serenitatis(60 meter) returned to Earth, landing in west- Idusty lunar surface. Sadly, as a diameter crater. ern Siberia under parachute. The nation founded on exploration and Luna 24 was equipped with a age of the material collected by the conquest of new frontiers, we ap- re-designed drill. The rotary per- Luna 24 was determined to be pear to have lost our will to lead as a cussion drill had several new fea- around 300 million years. Russian space-faring nation. But, what if the tures including the ability to adjust scientists would later exchange a average citizen had the means to visit its drilling power with the density small portion of the material (3 our only natural satellite; what would of the regolith and rock. The angled grams) with material collected by they see out the window of their drill penetrated a little more than Apollo astronauts. spacecraft as they entered orbit seven feet (2.25 meters) into the Luna 24 was launched just six around the Moon? This column may surrounding regolith, collecting 6 months after the Soviet Union ounces (170.1 grams) of rock frag- cancelled their manned Moon ments and dust (three times the program after four unsuccessful amount collected by the two pre- launches of their N1 heavy-lift, vious successful missions). five stage booster. Mare Crisium and the Luna 23 and 24 Landing Sites Lunar seas of actually expansive low-lying plains formed by ancient lava flows provide some thoughts to ponder when planning your visit (if only in your imagination). The Soviet Union’s final mission to the Moon was launched on Au- gust 9, 1976. Luna 24 was the 11th (and third successful) attempt to col- lect and return a sample of lunar rock to the Earth with a robotic probe. The E8-5M spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur site in Kazakhstan aboard a Proton rocket. Nine days later, the space- craft’s main engine on the descent stage performed a braking maneu- ver, successfully touching down in the south-eastern region of Mare Crisium (Sea of Crises), approxi- mately 25 miles (40 km) from the shore and the impact basin’s moun- tainous rim. Luna 24’s landing site http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org JJMO July-Aug 2017 • 3 LRO image of Luna 24 sitting on the edge of a crater. Credit: NASA/ Luna 24 spacecraft - Credit: NPO Lavochkin Goddard/Arizona State University The All-American Solar Eclipse On August 21, residents of North America will be treated to a total so- lar eclipse as the Moon passes di- rectly between the Sun and the Earth. Within a narrow path (approximately 70 miles wide from the Oregon to South Carolina), the Moon will com- pletely cover the Sun for up to 2½ minutes (a phase called “Totality”). Outside that path, the Moon will only cover a portion of the Sun (Partial Eclipse) – how much will depend upon how far you are away from the Solar eclipses occur when the Since a fully eclipsed Sun is path’s centerline. If you are planning New Moon passes in front of the Sun only visible along a narrow to travel to view Totality, NASA’s in its orbit around the Earth. Eclipses path, it may be a hundred years Eclipse Page has maps for each only occur every six months or so, or more before such an occur- state along the path at https:/ as the Moon’s orbit is inclined about rence is visible from the exact eclipse2017.nasa.gov/. It is only 5° from the plane of the Earth’s or- same location again. On April when the Sun is completely cov- bit around the Sun. With the inclina- 8, 2024, another Total Solar ered by the Moon that its ghostly tion, the New Moon passes either Eclipse with cross the conti- atmosphere, the corona, is visible above or below the Sun in Earth’s nental United States, this time to Earth-bound observers. sky during most monthly orbits. from Texas to Maine. If you are staying in the New Milford area, the McCarthy Observatory will be open and have special- purpose solar filters (eclipse glasses) available for safely watching the eclipse (do not look directly at the Sun without the appropriate eye protection). From Connecticut approximately 69% of the Moon will be covered at mid-eclipse. The Observatory will post additional information on the event on its website www.mccarthyobservatory.org as the date approaches. Start of the Partial Eclipse at the McCarthy Observatory(EDT): 1:24 pm Maximum Eclipse (68.5% Obscuration): 2:44 pm End of Partial Eclipse at the McCarthy Observatory: 3:59 pm 4 July-Aug 2017 JJMO http://www.mccarthyobservatory.org Weather Outlook for August 21st Viewing totality (those two plus minutes when the Moon completely covers the Sun) will require the observer to be in the right location and a bit of luck with the weather. Totality begins on the west coast of Oregon at 10:16 a.m. PDT. The eclipse track will cross through Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Ne- braska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina be- fore ending in South Carolina at 2:48 p.m. EDT. The maps (below) show the av- erage morning (top) and early af- ternoon (bottom) cloudiness in August based upon 17 years of sat- ellite data. Statistically, there is a greater chance of cloudy skies for the eastern half of the United Data: NASA GFSC/Reto Stockli. States, with the best weather pros- pects in the west. Enceladus Enceladus Revisited Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ Space Science Cassini researchers have found evidence that the spin axis of Institute Saturn’s ocean world Enceladus
Recommended publications
  • Ice& Stone 2020
    Ice & Stone 2020 WEEK 34: AUGUST 16-22 Presented by The Earthrise Institute # 34 Authored by Alan Hale This week in history AUGUST 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 AUGUST 16, 1898: DeLisle Stewart at Harvard College Observatory’s Boyden Station in Arequipa, Peru, takes photographs on which Saturn’s outer moon Phoebe is discovered, although the images of Phoebe were not noticed until the following March by William Pickering. Phoebe was the first planetary moon to be discovered via photography, and it and other small planetary moons are discussed in last week’s “Special Topics” presentation. AUGUST 16, 2009: A team of scientists led by Jamie Elsila of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland announces that they have detected the presence of the amino acid glycine in coma samples of Comet 81P/ Wild 2 that were returned to Earth by the Stardust mission 3½ years earlier. Glycine is utilized by life here on Earth, and the presence of it and other organic substances in the solar system’s “small bodies” is discussed in this week’s “Special Topics” presentation. AUGUST 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 AUGUST 17, 1877: Asaph Hall at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. discovers Mars’ larger, inner moon, Phobos. Mars’ two moons, and the various small moons of the outer planets, are the subject of last week’s “Special Topics” presentation. AUGUST 17, 1989: In its monthly batch of Minor Planet Circulars (MPCs), the IAU’s Minor Planet Center issues MPC 14938, which formally numbers asteroid (4151), later named “Alanhale.” I have used this asteroid as an illustrative example throughout “Ice and Stone 2020” “Special Topics” presentations.
    [Show full text]
  • China's Touch on the Moon
    commentary China’s touch on the Moon Long Xiao As well as being a milestone in technology, the Chang’e lunar exploration programme establishes China as a contributor to space science. With much still to learn about the Moon, fieldwork beyond Earth’s orbit must be an international effort. hen China’s Chang’e 3 spacecraft geological history of the landing site. touched down on the lunar High-resolution images have shown rocky Wsurface on 14 December 2013, terrain with outcrops of porphyritic basalt, it was the first soft landing on the Moon such as Loong Rock (Fig. 2). Analysis since the Soviet Union’s Luna 24 mission of data collected by the penetrating in 1976. Following on from the decades- Chang’e 3 radar should lead to identification of the old triumphs of the Luna missions and underlying layers of regolith, impact breccia NASA’s Apollo programme, the Chang’e and basalt. lunar exploration programme is leading the China’s robotic field geologist Yutu has charge of a new generation of exploration Basalt outcrop Yutu rover stalled in its traverse of the lunar surface, on the lunar surface. Much like the earlier but plans for the Chang’e 5 sample-return space programmes, the China National mission are moving forward. The primary Space Administration (CNSA) has been objective of the mission will be to return developing its capabilities and technologies 100 m 2 kg of samples from the surface and depths step by step in a series of Chang’e missions UNIVERSITY STATE © NASA/GSFC/ARIZONA of up to 2 m, probably also in the relatively of increasing ambition: orbiting and Figure 1 | The Chinese Chang’e 3 spacecraft and smooth northern Mare Imbrium.
    [Show full text]
  • The Surface Operations Framework – Transitioning from Early Analogue Experiments to Future Lunar Missions
    THE SURFACE OPERATIONS FRAMEWORK – TRANSITIONING FROM EARLY ANALOGUE EXPERIMENTS TO FUTURE LUNAR MISSIONS Sebastian Martin(1), Toril Bye Rinnan(2), Mehran Sarkarati(3), Kim Nergaard(4) (1) ESA/ESOC, Robert-Bosch-Straße 5, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany, Email: [email protected] (2) Solenix Deutschland GmbH, Spreestraße 3, 64295 Darmstadt, Germany, Email: [email protected] (3) ESA/ESOC, Robert-Bosch-Straße 5, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany, Email: [email protected] (4) ESA/ESOC, Robert-Bosch-Straße 5, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany, Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT to assess the financial and technical feasibility of new mission concepts, technologies and studies before This paper provides an overview of a family of possibly advancing them to the next phases of activities performed within the European Space implementation of a mission. Operations Centre (ESOC) to prepare for future robotic As the result of one such concurrent design study in missions on the lunar surface and beyond. 2009, the METERON concept was created. METERON – the Multi-purpose End-To-End Robotics Operations Over the course of nearly a decade, ESOC has been Network – was initiated to prepare for future human and gradually building up expertise for future surface robotic exploration scenarios. These future scenarios operations activities. foresee robotic assets controlled on the surface of Moon This paper describes or Mars, with humans operating those assets from an - the activities and corresponding systems prepared orbiting vehicle or by Earth ground control. The benefit from the ground up before concrete missions were of near real-time remote asset operations is to reduce defined, human risks and cost by not having to land humans and - how we are now covering a range of activities return them from the surface, while still being able to where we have requirements from missions in the control robotic assets with short transmission delays definition phases while continuing to build on from an orbiter.
    [Show full text]
  • UFO Mythology: the Escape to Oblivion
    SPECIAL REPORT: HEAVEN'S GATE UFO Mythology: The Escape to Oblivion PAUL KURTZ eaven's Gate has stunned the ranging in ages from twenty-one to sev- world. Why would thirty-nine enty-two, seemed like a cross section of Hseemingly gentle and earnest American citizens—though they people in Rancho Santa Fe, California, demonstrated some degree of technical voluntarily commit collective suicide? and engineering skills, and some even They left us eerie messages on video- described themselves as "computer tapes, conveying their motives: they nerds." They sought to convey their wished to leave their "containers" (phys- bizarre UFO theology on the Internet. ical bodies) in order to ascend to a new Were these people crazy, a fringe group, plane of existence, a Level Above overcome by paranoia? Or were there Human. other, deeper causes at work in their It was a celestial omen, Comet Hale- behavior? Bopp, that provoked their departure. Heaven's Gate was led by Marshall For they thought that it carried with it a Herff Applewhite and Bonnie Lu UFO spacecraft—an event already pro- Nettles (who died in 1985), who taught claimed on the nationally syndicated An their followers how to enter the I !• _i ^ ^ K 1 Bell radio show when Whitley Strieber Kingdom of God. They believed that Marshall Herff Applewhite, leader of Heaven's and Courtney Brown maintained that a some 2,000 years ago beings from an Gate, in his videotaped farewell message to the world. spaceship "extraterrestrial in origin" and Evolutionary Level Above Human sent under "intelligent control" was tracking Jesus to teach people how to reach the May 6, one of diem succeeding—did so the comet.
    [Show full text]
  • ESA Strategy for Science at the Moon
    ESA UNCLASSIFIED - Releasable to the Public ESA Strategy for Science at the Moon ESA UNCLASSIFIED - Releasable to the Public EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A new era of space exploration is beginning, with multiple international and private sector actors engaged and with the Moon as its cornerstone. This renaissance in lunar exploration will offer new opportunities for science across a multitude of disciplines from planetary geology to astronomy and astrobiology whilst preparing the knowledge humanity will need to explore further into the Solar System. Recent missions and new analyses of samples retrieved during Apollo have transformed our understanding of the Moon and the science that can be performed there. We now understand the scientific importance of further exploration of the Moon to understand the origins and evolution of Earth and the cosmic context of life’s emergence on Earth and our future in space. ESA’s priorities for scientific activities at the Moon in the next ten years are: • Analysis of new and diverse samples from the Moon. • Detection and characterisation of polar water ice and other lunar volatiles. • Deployment of geophysical instruments and the build up a global geophysical network. • Identification and characterisation of potential resources for future exploration. • Deployment long wavelength radio astronomy receivers on the lunar far side. • Characterisation of the dynamic dust, charge and plasma environment. • Characterisation of biological sensitivity to the lunar environment. ESA UNCLASSIFIED - Releasable to the Public
    [Show full text]
  • Some Observations on Avoiding Pitfalls in Developing Future Flight Systems
    AIAA 97-3209 Some Observations on Avoiding Pitfalls in Developing Future Flight Systems Gary L. Bennett Metaspace Enterprises Emmett, Idaho; U.S.A. 33rd AIAA/ASME/SAEIASEEJoint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit July 6 - 9, 1997 I Seattle, WA For permission to copy or republish, contact the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Suite 500, Reston, VA 22091 SOME OBSERVATIONS ON AVOIDING PITFALLS IN DEVELOPING FUTURE FLIGHT SYSTEMS Gary L. Bennett* 5000 Butte Road Emmett, Idaho 83617-9500 Abstract Given the speculative proposals and the interest in A number of programs and concepts have been developing breakthrough propulsion systems it seems proposed 10 achieve breakthrough propulsion. As an prudent and appropriate to review some of the pitfalls cautionary aid 10 researchers in breakthrough that have befallen other programs in "speculative propulsion or other fields of advanced endeavor, case science" so that similar pitfalls can be avoided in the histories of potential pitfalls in scientific research are future. And, given the interest in UFO propulsion, described. From these case histories some general some guidelines to use in assessing the reality of UFOs characteristics of erroneous science are presented. will also be presented. Guidelines for assessing exotic propulsion systems are suggested. The scientific method is discussed and some This paper will summarize some of the principal tools for skeptical thinking are presented. Lessons areas of "speculative science" in which researchers learned from a recent case of erroneous science are were led astray and it will then provide an overview of listed. guidelines which, if implemented, can greatly reduce Introduction the occurrence of errors in research.
    [Show full text]
  • Journal Pre-Proof
    Journal Pre-proof A statistical review of light curves and the prevalence of contact binaries in the Kuiper Belt Mark R. Showalter, Susan D. Benecchi, Marc W. Buie, William M. Grundy, James T. Keane, Carey M. Lisse, Cathy B. Olkin, Simon B. Porter, Stuart J. Robbins, Kelsi N. Singer, Anne J. Verbiscer, Harold A. Weaver, Amanda M. Zangari, Douglas P. Hamilton, David E. Kaufmann, Tod R. Lauer, D.S. Mehoke, T.S. Mehoke, J.R. Spencer, H.B. Throop, J.W. Parker, S. Alan Stern, the New Horizons Geology, Geophysics, and Imaging Team PII: S0019-1035(20)30444-9 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2020.114098 Reference: YICAR 114098 To appear in: Icarus Received date: 25 November 2019 Revised date: 30 August 2020 Accepted date: 1 September 2020 Please cite this article as: M.R. Showalter, S.D. Benecchi, M.W. Buie, et al., A statistical review of light curves and the prevalence of contact binaries in the Kuiper Belt, Icarus (2020), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2020.114098 This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.
    [Show full text]
  • The Soviet Space Program
    C05500088 TOP eEGRET iuf 3EEA~ NIE 11-1-71 THE SOVIET SPACE PROGRAM Declassified Under Authority of the lnteragency Security Classification Appeals Panel, E.O. 13526, sec. 5.3(b)(3) ISCAP Appeal No. 2011 -003, document 2 Declassification date: November 23, 2020 ifOP GEEAE:r C05500088 1'9P SloGRET CONTENTS Page THE PROBLEM ... 1 SUMMARY OF KEY JUDGMENTS l DISCUSSION 5 I. SOV.IET SPACE ACTIVITY DURING TfIE PAST TWO YEARS . 5 II. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS AFFECTING FUTURE PROSPECTS . 6 A. General ............................................. 6 B. Organization and Management . ............... 6 C. Economics .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ...... .. 8 III. SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL FACTORS ... 9 A. General .. .. .. .. .. 9 B. Launch Vehicles . 9 C. High-Energy Propellants .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 11 D. Manned Spacecraft . 12 E. Life Support Systems . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 15 F. Non-Nuclear Power Sources for Spacecraft . 16 G. Nuclear Power and Propulsion ..... 16 Te>P M:EW TCS 2032-71 IOP SECl<ET" C05500088 TOP SECRGJ:. IOP SECREI Page H. Communications Systems for Space Operations . 16 I. Command and Control for Space Operations . 17 IV. FUTURE PROSPECTS ....................................... 18 A. General ............... ... ···•· ................. ····· ... 18 B. Manned Space Station . 19 C. Planetary Exploration . ........ 19 D. Unmanned Lunar Exploration ..... 21 E. Manned Lunar Landfog ... 21 F. Applied Satellites ......... 22 G. Scientific Satellites ........................................ 24 V. INTERNATIONAL SPACE COOPERATION ............. 24 A. USSR-European Nations .................................... 24 B. USSR-United States 25 ANNEX A. SOVIET SPACE ACTIVITY ANNEX B. SOVIET SPACE LAUNCH VEHICLES ANNEX C. SOVIET CHRONOLOGICAL SPACE LOG FOR THE PERIOD 24 June 1969 Through 27 June 1971 TCS 2032-71 IOP SLClt~ 70P SECRE1- C05500088 TOP SEGR:R THE SOVIET SPACE PROGRAM THE PROBLEM To estimate Soviet capabilities and probable accomplishments in space over the next 5 to 10 years.' SUMMARY OF KEY JUDGMENTS A.
    [Show full text]
  • Apollo Over the Moon: a View from Orbit (Nasa Sp-362)
    chl APOLLO OVER THE MOON: A VIEW FROM ORBIT (NASA SP-362) Chapter 1 - Introduction Harold Masursky, Farouk El-Baz, Frederick J. Doyle, and Leon J. Kosofsky [For a high resolution picture- click here] Objectives [1] Photography of the lunar surface was considered an important goal of the Apollo program by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The important objectives of Apollo photography were (1) to gather data pertaining to the topography and specific landmarks along the approach paths to the early Apollo landing sites; (2) to obtain high-resolution photographs of the landing sites and surrounding areas to plan lunar surface exploration, and to provide a basis for extrapolating the concentrated observations at the landing sites to nearby areas; and (3) to obtain photographs suitable for regional studies of the lunar geologic environment and the processes that act upon it. Through study of the photographs and all other arrays of information gathered by the Apollo and earlier lunar programs, we may develop an understanding of the evolution of the lunar crust. In this introductory chapter we describe how the Apollo photographic systems were selected and used; how the photographic mission plans were formulated and conducted; how part of the great mass of data is being analyzed and published; and, finally, we describe some of the scientific results. Historically most lunar atlases have used photointerpretive techniques to discuss the possible origins of the Moon's crust and its surface features. The ideas presented in this volume also rely on photointerpretation. However, many ideas are substantiated or expanded by information obtained from the huge arrays of supporting data gathered by Earth-based and orbital sensors, from experiments deployed on the lunar surface, and from studies made of the returned samples.
    [Show full text]
  • Asteroid Regolith Weathering: a Large-Scale Observational Investigation
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 5-2019 Asteroid Regolith Weathering: A Large-Scale Observational Investigation Eric Michael MacLennan University of Tennessee, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Recommended Citation MacLennan, Eric Michael, "Asteroid Regolith Weathering: A Large-Scale Observational Investigation. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2019. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/5467 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Eric Michael MacLennan entitled "Asteroid Regolith Weathering: A Large-Scale Observational Investigation." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Geology. Joshua P. Emery, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Jeffrey E. Moersch, Harry Y. McSween Jr., Liem T. Tran Accepted for the Council: Dixie L. Thompson Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) Asteroid Regolith Weathering: A Large-Scale Observational Investigation A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Eric Michael MacLennan May 2019 © by Eric Michael MacLennan, 2019 All Rights Reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Detecting the Yarkovsky Effect Among Near-Earth Asteroids From
    Detecting the Yarkovsky effect among near-Earth asteroids from astrometric data Alessio Del Vignaa,b, Laura Faggiolid, Andrea Milania, Federica Spotoc, Davide Farnocchiae, Benoit Carryf aDipartimento di Matematica, Universit`adi Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 5, Pisa, Italy bSpace Dynamics Services s.r.l., via Mario Giuntini, Navacchio di Cascina, Pisa, Italy cIMCCE, Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University, CNRS, Sorbonne Universits, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Univ. Lille, 77 av. Denfert-Rochereau F-75014 Paris, France dESA SSA-NEO Coordination Centre, Largo Galileo Galilei, 1, 00044 Frascati (RM), Italy eJet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, 91109 CA, USA fUniversit´eCˆote d’Azur, Observatoire de la Cˆote d’Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, Boulevard de l’Observatoire, Nice, France Abstract We present an updated set of near-Earth asteroids with a Yarkovsky-related semi- major axis drift detected from the orbital fit to the astrometry. We find 87 reliable detections after filtering for the signal-to-noise ratio of the Yarkovsky drift esti- mate and making sure the estimate is compatible with the physical properties of the analyzed object. Furthermore, we find a list of 24 marginally significant detec- tions, for which future astrometry could result in a Yarkovsky detection. A further outcome of the filtering procedure is a list of detections that we consider spurious because unrealistic or not explicable with the Yarkovsky effect. Among the smallest asteroids of our sample, we determined four detections of solar radiation pressure, in addition to the Yarkovsky effect. As the data volume increases in the near fu- ture, our goal is to develop methods to generate very long lists of asteroids with reliably detected Yarkovsky effect, with limited amounts of case by case specific adjustments.
    [Show full text]
  • University of Hawai'i Library
    UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I LIBRARY A Physical Survey of Centaurs A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ASTRONOMY MAY 2003 By James M. Bauer Dissertation Committee: Karen J. Meech, Chairperson Tom Dinell Alan Stockton David J. Tholen Alan Tokunaga © Copyright 2003 by James M. Bauer All Rights Reserved iii To my wife, Chija "Oh, night that was my guide, Oh, night more lovely than the rising Sun... " IV Acknowledgements I wish to thank my dissertation committee, especially the chair, my graduate adviser and exceptionally generous and tolerant mentor, Karen J. Meech, but also Alan 'Ibkunaga, Dave Tholen, Alan Stockton and Tom Dinel!. Much needed advice and direction was contributed by all the members ofmy committee, and I will ever feel an abundance of respect, friendship, and gratitude toward each member. Yan Fernandez generously provided much additional guidance which was indispensable, to say the least. Likewise, Tobias Owen very graciously contributed many hours and imparted much wisdom to this work. I'd like to thank Ted Roush, for his instruction on the use and administration of his Hapke scattering code, and his advice in the interpretation of spectra, and above all his patience with a slow, but determined student. Though not officially committee members, Drs. Fernandez, Roush, and Owen were as integral a part of the writing of this dissertation as the committee members. John Kormendy and Mike Delisio, who were originally part of the committee, but later left for positions out of state also deserve and have my gratitude.
    [Show full text]