HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: It's hard to believe it has already been three years, but sure enough, three years ago tonight we were all holding our breath, watching and waiting for Mars Science Laboratory to land on the Red Planet.
We cheered like crazy when it landed intact and ever since then, it has been doing amazing things on Mars.
Since it landed in 2012, "the Curiosity Rover has been seeking to determine if the Red Planet ever had conditions to support life," notes a NASA news release today. One of MSL's nifty tools is a Canadian-made geology instrument called Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS). It allows the rover to determine the chemical composition of the rocks and soil on Mars, "and has contributed significantly to some of the mission's top science breakthroughs, including the discovery that ancient Mars could have had the right chemistry for microbial life," shares NASA. Fortunately, the Canadian Space Agency invested to support the operations of APXS and its science team for two more years, which means we can look forward to more research and discoveries!
To celebrate the three year mark, we enjoyed playing around with "Experience Curiosity," NASA’s new program, which simulates Mars in 3-D, based on real Curiosity data! You can check it out here: http://eyes.nasa.gov/curiosity/ . You really should give it a go!
MEANWHILE, HURTLING TOWARD THE SUN: Another important anniversary today - the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission celebrates one year at Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. An astoundingly ambitious mission - imagine sending a spacecraft and lander off to rendezvous with a moving target! It was the first mission ever to orbit a comet and the first to soft land a probe (Philae) on a comet's surface. Amazing!
About a week from now, Rosetta will make its closest approach to the Sun.
Things we've learned from Rosetta so far include the discovery that the comet’s water vapor "has a different ‘flavour’ to Earth’s oceans, fueling the debate on the possible role of comets and asteroids in delivering water to our planet in its early history," per the ESA. Also, the first detection of molecular nitrogen in a comet has provided important clues about the temperature environment in which the comet was born.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: Every year, the Smithsonian headlines "Museum Day Live," an event allowing people all across the U.S. access to museums for free! This year's event is on Saturday, Sept. 26. If you f
A list of participating museums can be viewed here: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/venues/
The Museum Day Live! ticket provides free admission for two people. (If you're a family of four, Mom and Dad can each get a two-fer ticket, allowing everyone in for free!)
Check it out early, as space is limited at many venues.
Check it out early, as space is limited at many venues.
TRASHY: On our morning walk yesterday, we strolled up Thorndyke Avenue, the west border to our neighborhood.
That route took us past a non profit's receptacle for used clothes and shoes. Without fail, there are ALWAYS items dumped around the area.
We weren't surprised to see a ditched mattress and box springs there. There's almost always those strewn around there. However, what's that? To the right of the receptacle?
Oh, look. It's a PIANO. Guess they couldn't fit it in the clothes slot. Good gravy. :/
We have been keeping our eyes on it, with a mind to go pick it up if it weren't gone by tonight. I was ready to re-purpose it into a "piano bar." However, when we drove by tonight, a couple was dismantling it. Hopefully they have good intentions and will turn it into an art piece and keep it out of a landfill for the foreseeable future.
Thanks for the info on the 3-d Mars site.
ReplyDeletePiano looks like the one you learned on K.