NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft captured the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean with Australia in the lower left and the southwestern United States and Baja California in the upper right 106,000 miles away. The spacecraft was launched in September 8, 2016 to collect samples from the asteroid, Bennu, and bring them back to Earth. To get the right trajectory for traveling toward the asteroid, Osiris-Rex needed to fling past Earth. This image was taken as the spacecraft flew past the planet.
Osiris-Rex is on a seven year mission to gather samples from the asteroid that was a building block of our earlier solar system, four and a half billion years ago. Bennu has a fourteen month orbit, that swings close to Earth every six years. Sunlight warms the surface of the asteroid causing a shift in its orbit that could eventually threaten our Earth. The spacecraft will take two years to reach Bennu and then will spend one year to map its surface. During July of 2020, the spacecraft will land on Bennu's surface gathering samples. If all goes as planned, the samples should land on Earth on September 24, 2023. This exposition helps us understand the birth of our solar system as well as learning how to protect Earth from Bennu, who may one day vear too close to home.
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NASA's robotic spacecraft, Cassini, just ended a journey of 20 years exploring the physical structure and what makes up Saturn and its moons. Cassini was launched on October 15, 1997 to take advantage of the gravitational boost from a flyby of Jupiter. Seven years after the launch, the robotic spacecraft was in orbit around Saturn. The mission of Cassini stretched beyond the original four-year plan, sending back multitudes of striking photographs, solving some mysteries and upending prevailing notions about the solar system with completely unexpected discoveries. The lander was equipped with instruments to identify molecules in the air, measure the winds and haze, and take pictures on the way down. On Friday, September 15, 2017 the probe vanished into Saturn's atmosphere.
Expanding what we know about alien planets as well as the universe helps create conclusions on what happens on Earth. Scientist have been constructing space travels to live on new planets. Cassini landed on one of Saturn's moons, Titan and recorded that it is a world shaped by active geological processes with rivers, lakes and rain, revealing a similar Earthlike world. Thomas H. Zurbuchen, NASA's associate administrator for science explains "It hasn't just changed what we know about Saturn, but how we think about the world." Learning about the similar structures about Saturn's moon may be a possibility traveling to. The four hundred and fifty two year old "Ancient City" of St. Augustine has been affected by many weather changes. last October Hurricane Matthew caused destruction and flooding in St. Augustine causing residents to replace and rebuild. The city is now cleaning up after the resent hit of Hurricane Irma, which poured more water causing flooding and more damage to homes and businesses rebuilding and recovering from last years attack. The destruction of Hurricane Irma has left neighborhoods in a sense of deja vu. People struggled to recover across Florida from Hurricane Irma. There has been eight deaths and dozens of people and boats remain unaccounted for. Since last years struggle against Hurricane Matthew, St. Augustine was more prepared with more taping, caulking, foams, and making doors watertight. St. Augustine is building new ways to help with new threats. They have started installing valves to keep seawater from flowing up into storm water drains, which helps prevent sunny day flooding. The importance of learning more about Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Irma can help improve and protect buildings as well as people in the future.
Hurricane Irma, a category five hurricane, has up to one hundred and eighty five miles per hour winds. It has already hit Puerto Rico and is heading for the Caribbean islands of Barbuda, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands as well as the United States Virgin Islands. It is expected to downgrade to a category four hurricane before it hits Miami, Florida; however it remains as one of the most powerful hurricanes. Irma formed just a few days after the tropical Hurricane Harvey hit the state of Texas. A category one hurricane, Jose, is traveling behind Irma, with Katia forming in the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Irma has kept winds of one hundred and eighty five miles per hour for twenty four hours. The people of Florida have been directed to evacuate.
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March 2018
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