Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - Houston, we are go for launch!

[rebs]

On October 16th of 2023 NASA's Juno probe made its closest approach yet to Io, and look at that stunning image above!  Juno has lasted well beyond mission life, and has been extended.  It's orbit has been altered to no longer pass above the Jovian clouds, and is now in the perfect range to make observations like this.

The extended mission will end in September of 2025.  It has already flown by Io, Europa and Ganymede.  I hope Calisto gets a call as well. 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/stunning-photo-of-jupiter-s-volcanic-moon-io-is-our-best-in-decades/ar-AA1ilQUZ?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=63883acbe30b4ad0a2f8d79d71151b45&ei=10

[Wrangler]

Very nice!   That must be ocean of lava on the surface.

[rebs]

Yes, the black spots are molten sulfur.

[truetanker]

Looks pus-like, scabby, ready to pick at...

Like a scrapped knee or elbow joint.

TT

[rebs]

Ever since the Voyager missions, I thought Io looked like a moldy, rotten orange. 

[rebs]

The massive star Eta Carinae in its dying phases.  This link below details the ongoing stages of explosive destruction that have been observed since the 1840's to present.

https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/astrophysics/eta-carinae/

[Prospernia]

Eta Carinae was one of my favorite stars to check on in Celestia.

[Daryk]

That's one heck of a picture! :)

[rebs]

Eta Carinae is only 3 million years old approximately.  It goes to show how incredibly high-mass stars like these (it's actually a multiple star system) burn through their hydrogen at exponential rates as compared to our own sun. 

[Wrangler]

Blows my mind this been going visual for centuries.  Simply amazing.

[elf25s]

https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/23/nasa_voyager_upgrades/
50 years almost they are both still kicking

[Daryk]

That's an excellent example of risk management, even if the headline was less than clear on that point! :)

[rebs]

Scientists are theorizing that previously unobserved "super heavy elements" that exceed Osmium in mass can possibly be found in small but ultra-dense asteroids such as one called 33 Polyhymnia orbiting in the main asteroid belt.

This suggests additions to the traditional Periodic Table.  That's IF it's proved true.

https://www.space.com/asteroid-may-contain-element-beyond-periodic-table-new-study

[ANS Kamas P81]

I wonder how they calculated the mass of the asteroid in the first place, and whether or not they're simply wrong about that (and with that its density).

[Daryk]

Sounds like a very good reason to send a probe to the asteroid belt! :)

[rebs]

Right - both of you.

These "super heavy elements" are predicted to decay so rapidly that their existence is little more than trivial curiosity. 

[Daryk]

Schlock Mercenary has a pretty good take on PTU elements, if you like that kind of science fiction... ;)

[rebs]

Even bad literature is good.  Everyone should read and decide for their selves.  It's better than not reading at all and letting the world spoon feed your brain what somebody else thinks you should know.

[Daryk]

The author of Schlock recommends starting with Book 10: https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2008-02-29

[rebs]

Interesting read, there, Daryk.

Well, I just stumbled across this...


ESA's Gaia mission has pinpointed over half a million stars, and also has now tracked the orbits of around 156,000 asteroids in our solar system.  Above is a map displaying the asteroids, and below is a link to an article for further details.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/gaia-mission-discovers-half-a-million-new-stars-and-150-000-asteroids/ar-AA1hZRmS#:~:text=T%20he%20latest%20data%20release%20from%20the%20European,lenses%2C%20and%20the%20orbits%20of%20some%20156%2C000-odd%20asteroids.

[Daryk]

That's a LOT of asteroids, but it's still mostly empty space... ;D

[Wrangler]

In a way its disappointing, makes me think there limited supply of the rocks that would be useful for human exploration / development in space. 

I keep thinking what Asteroid field was like in such films as Star Wars, that amount of debris would be useful or worthwhile to harvest.

[rebs]

That's a LOT of asteroids, but it's still mostly empty space... ;D

Atoms are mostly empty space with electrons orbiting a center of protons and neutrons.  (In theory)

Solar systems are mostly empty spaces with objects orbiting a star or two (or more) at the center.

Galaxies are mostly empty spaces with stars, nebulae and debris orbiting a center of gravity or a massive black hole.

The universe is mostly empty...

Spot the pattern yet?

In a way its disappointing, makes me think there limited supply of the rocks that would be useful for human exploration / development in space. 

I keep thinking what Asteroid field was like in such films as Star Wars, that amount of debris would be useful or worthwhile to harvest.

All we need are a few dense metallic asteroids a safe distance from the sun to safely mine and construct with.  I have read since I was little that the asteroid belt was nothing like what we see in Star Wars and the like.  You can be right next to an asteroid in the main belt and not see another one in any direction, and the exception to that would be extremely rare.

[Sabelkatten]

IIRC the Trojan clusters (which aren't, admittedly, in the "belt") might be pretty dense. At least if you get a few collisions. Of course they're so small and out of the way you really have to work to find yourself in them!

As a side note, "Star Wars asteroid belts" gets a bit more realistic if you assume that industrial and military activity has been involved. Blow Ceres to pieces after towing it to L5 and Earth will get a pretty dense belt for a while! Might make everyone not working in asteroid mining a bit unhappy, thought...

[Daryk]

 Ceres isn't THAT big... ;)

*snip*
Spot the pattern yet?
*snip*

From the start, good sir... :D

[Wrangler]

Ceres isn't THAT big... ;)

You can't not be Ceres-ous.

[rebs]

IIRC the Trojan clusters (which aren't, admittedly, in the "belt") might be pretty dense. At least if you get a few collisions. Of course they're so small and out of the way you really have to work to find yourself in them!

As a side note, "Star Wars asteroid belts" gets a bit more realistic if you assume that industrial and military activity has been involved. Blow Ceres to pieces after towing it to L5 and Earth will get a pretty dense belt for a while! Might make everyone not working in asteroid mining a bit unhappy, thought...

Indeed.  The Trojan clouds are a different thing entirely.  But they might be even better!  We can have metallic asteroids for solid frame constructions, wiring, and technical parts.  We can have silicon and other rock or aggregate for insulation, filler, and the like.   And ice asteroids for a water, oxygen and hydrogen source.  And all of it is right there perhaps a week or a few days or even hours apart from where it would be needed.

NASA's Lucy mission will be surveying them.  It's on its way, and from what I gather the one solar array that is only 90% unfurled is not likely to cause any issues.

[Prospernia]

. . . 

I keep thinking what Asteroid field was like in such films as Star Wars, that amount of debris would be useful or worthwhile to harvest.

Nope: giant space-worms.

[Sabelkatten]

Nope: giant space-worms.

Funny lore detail: Space slugs are usually not giant, and often illegal to hunt as they eat Mynocks - a real pest!

A bit more seriously; The Trojan asteroids - assuming they are as plentiful as we think - would be a really great place to extract resources to use elsewhere if I remember correctly. The delta-v to get something from there to pretty much anywhere is really low if you don't mind a slow transit.

[rebs]

Above is asteroid Gaspra.  It has the distinction of being the first asteroid visited by a spacecraft.  The Galileo mission flew by it on its way to Jupiter on this day in October of 1991. 

Read more in the link below.

https://www.space.com/39251-on-this-day-in-space.html