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“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” Albert Einstein ASTRONEWSLETTER Volume 12, Issue 8 May 31, 2019 CONTENTS • NASA Invites Public to Submit Names to Fly Aboard Next Mars Rover ...................1 • SpaceX Launched Its Starlink Satellites ..................1 • The ‘Forbidden’ Planet Has Been Found ................. 2 • Rare Meteorites Found in Costa Rica ....................2 • New Way to Make Breathable Oxygen on Mars .............3 • Strange Martian Mineral . 3 NASA Invites Public to Submit Names to Fly Aboard Next Mars Rover Although it will be years before the first humans set foot on Mars, NASA is giving the public an opportunity to send their names — stenciled on chips — to the Red SpaceX Launched Its Planet with NASA’s Mars 2020 rover, which represents the initial leg of humanity’s first round trip to another planet. The Starlink Satellites rover is scheduled to launch as early as July 2020, with the spacecraft expected After several delays, SpaceX has finally launched the first 60 satellites of its Starlink to touch down on Mars in February 2021. program. The California company hopes that the satellites, launched on a Falcon The opportunity to send your name to 9 rocket whose booster was making its third mission, will eventually be joined Mars comes with a souvenir boarding pass by 12,000 or so others as the company attempts to expand low-cost broadband and “frequent flyer” points. More than 2 million names flew on NASA’s InSight internet across the globe. mission to Mars, giving each “flyer” about 300 million frequent flyer miles (nearly 500 million frequent flyer kilometers). The Falcon 9 rocket’s booster successfully landed on the company’s “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. The landing marked From now until Sept. 30, you can add your name to the list and obtain a souvenir SpaceX’s 40th successful booster recovery. PopularMechanics.com boarding pass to Mars here: https://go.nasa.gov/Mars2020Pass Astro Newsletter 1 NASA.gov The ‘Forbidden’ Planet Has Been Found in the ‘Neptunian Desert’ The ‘Forbidden’ Planet Has Been Found in the Rare Meteorites Found in Costa Rica ‘Neptunian Desert’ Could Shed Light on Earth’s Water An exoplanet smaller than Neptune with its own atmosphere has been discovered in Meteorites are an astronomer’s carbonaceous chondrites can make the Neptunian Desert, by an international dream. In a field that by definition them surprisingly fragile once they collaboration of astronomers, with the studies objects and phenomena hit the ground. They’re basically University of Warwick taking a leading above and beyond Earth’s balls of clay, and dissolve rapidly atmosphere, many researchers when exposed to more water – role. New research, led by Dr. Richard West never get a chance to touch or see and May marks the beginning of including Professor Peter Wheatley, Dr. up close the things they study. the rainy season in Costa Rica. So Daniel Bayliss and Dr. James McCormac But then, sometimes, these items meteorite hunters knew there was from the Astronomy and Astrophysics simply rain down from the sky, in a clock ticking as soon as the fireball Group at the University of Warwick, the form of ancient space rocks streaked across the skies above has identified a rogue planet. NGTS called meteorites. Meteorites come Aguas Zarcas. is situated at the European Southern in many different types. But some Observatory’s Paranal Observatory in the of the most precious are called They ended up having five days to heart of the Atacama Desert, Chile. It is carbonaceous chondrites, valued search for and collect the meteorites a collaboration between UK Universities because they contain large amounts from the surrounding area before of water and organic compounds. the rain fell. About 55 pounds have Warwick, Leicester, Cambridge, and These meteorites contain a history been collected so far. Some of Queen’s University Belfast, together with of that water from the solar system’s them have made their way to ASU Observatoire de Genève, DLR Berlin and early days, and trace how the thanks to a meteorite hunter named Universidad de Chile. materials of life were distributed Michael Farmer. He collected some across the planets and space. of the space rocks or bought them Dr. Richard West, from the Department from locals and donated them to of Physics at the University of Warwick On April 23 of this year, one of ASU, which has a dedicated Center comments: these space rocks – roughly the size for Meteorite Studies. Researchers of a washing machine – streaked there are comparing the Aguas “This planet must be tough—it is right in through the skies over the Costa Zarcas fall to other, previously Rican town of Aguas Zarcas. As known meteorites so they can the zone where we expected Neptune- it fell, it broke into many smaller be more accurately classified. All sized planets could not survive. It is truly pieces, and astronomers scrambled meteorites began as part of larger remarkable that we found a transiting to collect and study them. They are asteroids. These building blocks of planet via a star dimming by less than the first large fall of carbonaceous the solar system are the same as the 0.2% - this has never been done before chondrites in half a century, and long-ago space rocks that collided by telescopes on the ground, and it was should provide ample data on the to form Earth and the other planets, great to find after working on this project history of water in the solar system, and could be the source of Earth’s for a year. according to a press release from water and other materials vital for Arizona State University, which is the formation of life. By analyzing studying the meteorites. the detailed chemistry of the water “We are now scouring out data to see if we contained in meteorites, researchers can see any more planets in the Neptune Mud balls can learn when and how Earth Desert—perhaps the desert is greener Even though meteoroids have obtained its water, which had a big than was once thought.” survived in space for billions of impact on Earth’s early history. Phys.org years, all the water contained in 2 Astro Newsletter Astronomy.com Scientists Cook Up a New Way to Make Breathable Oxygen on Mars Strange Martian Mineral Scientists Cook Up a New Way to Deposit Likely Sourced From Volcanic Explosions Make Breathable Oxygen on Mars Ashfall from ancient volcanic explosions Scientists have found a new way Molecular oxygen can also be is the likely source of a strange mineral that future Mars explorers could produced through carbon dioxide deposit near the landing site for NASA’s potentially generate their own reactions, the team found. (Carbon next Mars rover, a new study finds. The oxygen. Mars is a long way from dioxide contains a single carbon research, published in the journal Geology, Earth, so being able to create atom and two oxygen atoms.) could help scientists assemble a timeline breathable air on-site would save Former Caltech postdoctoral fellow of volcanic activity and environmental money and effort in having to haul Yunxi Yao and current Caltech conditions on early Mars. oxygen all the way from our own chemical engineering professor planet. A research team discovered Konstantinos Giapis simulated “This is one of the most tangible pieces of this new oxygen-generating this reaction by crashing carbon evidence yet for the idea that explosive reaction by studying comets. Most dioxide into gold foil. Since gold volcanism was more common on early of these small icy worlds originate foil cannot be oxidized, by itself it Mars,” said Christopher Kremer, a graduate in a distant area of the solar system should not produce any molecular student at Brown University who led the known as the Oort Cloud, far oxygen. But when carbon dioxide work. beyond the orbit of Neptune. If a careens into the foil at high speed, comet’s orbit brings it close to the the gold surface emits molecular “Understanding how important explosive sun, heat begins pushing cometary oxygen. ”This meant that both volcanism was on early Mars is ultimately ice off into space. This reaction atoms of oxygen come from important for understand the water produces long tails that can stretch the same CO2 [carbon dioxide] budget in Martian magma, groundwater for thousands of miles. molecule, effectively splitting it in abundance and the thickness of the an extraordinary manner,” Caltech atmosphere.” Volcanic explosions happen A team of researchers from the representatives said in a statement. when gases like water vapor are dissolved California Institute of Technology in underground magma. (Caltech) in Pasadena found a To better understand how new way to explain how comets carbon dioxide can break down When the pressure of that dissolved gas generate molecular oxygen, the into molecular oxygen, Caltech is more than the rock above can hold, it two atoms of oxygen that come chemistry professor Tom Miller and explodes, sending a fiery cloud of ash and together to form breathable air. One postdoctoral fellow Philip Shushkov lava into the air. Scientists think that these already-known method is through created a computer simulation. One kinds of eruptions should have happened kinetic energy. A sublimating challenge in modeling the reaction very early in Martian history, when there comet is a busy environment, is that the reacting molecules are was more water available to get mixed where the solar wind (the constant very “excited,” meaning they vibrate with magma. As the planet dried out, stream of particles emanating from and rotate in a complex way, the the volcanic explosions would have died the sun) can push floating water researchers said.

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