[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
(meteorobs) Excerpts from "CCNet 4/2001 - 9 January 2001"
------- Forwarded Message
From: Benny Peiser <B.J.Peiser@livjm.acdot uk>
To: cambridge-conference <cambridge-conference@livjm.acdot uk>
Subject: CCNet 9 January 2001
Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001 11:00:55 -0000
CCNet 4/2001 - 9 January 2001
-----------------------------
[...]
(2) ASTEROID SAMPLE RETURN MISSION PLANNED
SpaceDaily, 9 January
[...]
(4) QUADRANTIDS 2001
Rainer Arlt <rarlt@aipdot de>
[...]
================================================
(2) ASTEROID SAMPLE RETURN MISSION PLANNED
U.Arkansas Targets Asteroid Sample Return Mission
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/asteroid-01a.html
Fayetteville - Jan 8, 2001
In the wake of NASA's successful Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous space
mission, a University of Arkansas researcher is putting together a team of
scientists to take asteroid research to the next level -- bringing asteroid
samples back to Earth.
Derek Sears, professor of chemistry and director of the Arkansas- Oklahoma
Center for Space and Planetary Sciences, has proposed a mission called Hera
that will visit three near-Earth asteroids, obtain samples from them and
return the samples to Earth. The project is named for Hera, a Greek goddess
and mother of the three graces, joyfulness, bloom and brightness.
The Arkansas-Oklahoma center will provide the infrastructure and support
required to produce the mission.
Such a mission has only recently become possible, according to Sears. But
with the advent of new engines for driving interplanetary spacecraft, the
NEAR spacecraft completing a successful mission, and the discovery of 1,000
or more near-Earth asteroids in the past two years, the mission has become
feasible.
"We have the right engines, another space craft doing a dry run, and we have
plenty of targets," Sears said.
According to current plans, the spacecraft will feature a touch-and-go
sampler designed by Steven Gorevan and Shaheed Rafeek of Honeybee Robotics,
Inc. The sampler will hover above the asteroids and extend a high-speed
drill into the surface. The probe will capture fragments from the drilling
and store them in containers aboard the spacecraft.
The craft will also contain cameras, spectrometers and other scientific
equipment that will record information about the asteroids.
Sears and his colleagues recently gathered at the Lunar and Planetary
Institute in Houston to discuss various aspects of the mission. They talked
about the scientific case for sample return, spacecraft maneuvers in the
vicinity of small asteroids, sample collection devices and planetary
protection issues, and the implications for resource utilization, impact
hazard mitigation and human exploration and development of space.
The mission will address some of the most fundamental questions in science
as defined by NASA's Space Science Enterprise Plan in 1997. Hera addresses
seven of the 11 goals set by NASA in the plan, including:
Information on the formation of the solar system
Stellar evolution and the relationship between stars and planet formation
The origin of molecules necessary for life on Earth
The possibilities of life on other planets.
A record of solar activity
Prediction and possible deflection of Earth-bound objects
A precursor to human exploration and colonization of space
Researchers at NASA's Glenn Research Center determined the mission
trajectory. Hera would launch in January 2006, reaching the first asteroid,
1999 AO10, after eight months. It would spend about 99 days at the first two
asteroids, AO10 and 2000AG6, and 205 days at the third, 1989 UQ, returning
to earth in November 2010.
The current team of researchers planning project Hera includes: Sears, Don
Brownlee of the University of Washington, Carle Pieters of Brown University,
M. Lindstrom of the University of Tennessee, D. Britt of Johnson Space
Center, B.C. Clark of Lockheed Martin Astronautics, L. Gefert of Glenn
Research Center, S. Gorevan of Honeybee Robotics and J.C. Preble of
SpaceWorks, Inc.
Copyright 2001, SpaceDaily
================================================
(4) QUADRANTIDS 2001
>From Rainer Arlt <rarlt@aipdot de>
-------------------------------------
I M O S h o w e r C i r c u l a r
-------------------------------------
QUADRANTIDS 2001
Favorable lunar conditions accompanied the maximum of the
2001 Quadrantid meteor shower. Peak activity was expected
near 12h UT on January 3, corresponding to a solar longi-
tude of lambda=283.16 deg.
Observers were satisfied by good Quadrantid rates in the UT
afternoon and evening hours of January 3, 2001. Radio forward-
scatter observations as reported by Hiroshi Ogawa, Japan,
showed increased Quadratid activity until 20h UT on January 3,
compared with the background activity of December 30-January 1.
Geometrical effects of radiant direction changes will play
a significant role though.
The highest ZHR value is found for 13h30m UT on January 3
or a solar longitude of lambda=283.24 deg (J2000.0). The
ZHR of about 130 is a typical value for the Quadrantids,
but the number of reports for the peak period is very small
whence conclusions are tentative. The peak time may easily
shift by one hour to either side once a more comprehensive
dataset is available.
We are very grateful to the following 23 observers who sent
their reports to the Visual Commission or to the various
mailing lists in time for this first activity overview:
ANDBI Birger Andresen (Norway) MEIMA Marcel Meima (UK)
BIVNI Nicolas Biver(USA) NICTE Ted A. Nichols II (USA)
BURWI Wlliam Burton (USA) PUNNI Nilesh Puntambekar (India)
DAVMA Mark Davis (USA) RENJU Jurgen Rendtel (Germany)
GLIGE George W. Gliba (USA) SPAGE George Spalding(UK)
GODSH Shelagh Godwin (UK) STOWE Wes Stone (USA)
HALWA Wayne T. Hally (USA) TAIRI Richard Taibi (USA)
HASTA Takema Hashimoto (Japan) TUKAR Arnold Tukkers (the Netherlands)
HOSDA Dave Hostetter (USA) UCHSH Shigeo Uchiyama (Japan)
JOHCA Carl Johannink (Germany) YOUKI Kim S. Youmans (USA)
LINMI Mike Linnolt (USA) ZHUJI Jin Zhu (China)
MCBAL Alastair McBeath (UK)
- ---------------------------------------------------
Date Time (UT) Sollong nObs nIND nQUA ZHR
- ---------------------------------------------------
Jan 02 2300 282.63 2 2 17 13 +- 9
Jan 03 0230 282.78 5 3 40 26 +- 4
Jan 03 0510 282.89 13 5 109 17 +- 3
Jan 03 0740 283.00 9 5 98 56 +- 6
Jan 03 0940 283.08 10 8 192 61 +- 4
Jan 03 1120 283.15 6 4 90 68 +- 7
Jan 03 1330 283.24 3 2 33 131 +-23
Jan 03 1500 283.31 4 3 53 118 +-16
Jan 03 1720 283.41 5 3 76 82 +- 9
Jan 03 1910 283.48 10 5 217 95 +- 6
Jan 03 2110 283.57 5 4 98 79 +- 8
Jan 04 0400 283.86 2 1 19 16 +- 4
- ---------------------------------------------------
Solar longitudes refer to equinox J2000.0. nObs is the number
of individual observing periods, nIND is the number of individ-
ual observers providing them, nQUA is the number of Quadrantids
seen. The radiant position was assumed at alpha=230, delta=+49,
the population index used was r=2.1. The expectation value of the
ZHR,
ZHR = (1 + sum nQUA) / sum(Teff/C),
was used for the averages here, where Teff is the effective
observing time and C is the total correction composed of limiting
magnitude, clouds, and zenith correction. Times are rounded to
the nearest 10 minutes.
Rainer Arlt & Vladimir Krumov,
2001 January 4
--------------------------------------------------------------------
THE CAMBRIDGE-CONFERENCE NETWORK (CCNet)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The CCNet is a scholarly electronic network. To subscribe/unsubscribe,
please contact the moderator Benny J Peiser <b.j.peiser@livjm.acdot uk>.
Information circulated on this network is for scholarly and educational use
only. The attached information may not be copied or reproduced for
any other purposes without prior permission of the copyright holders. The
fully indexed archive of the CCNet, from February 1997 on, can be found at:
http://abob.libs.ugadot edu/bobk/cccmenu.html
DISCLAIMER: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed in the articlesand
texts and in other CCNet contributions do not necessarily reflect the
opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the moderator of this network.
------- End of Forwarded Message
To UNSUBSCRIBE from the 'meteorobs' email list, use the Web form at:
http://www.tiacdot net/users/lewkaren/meteorobs/subscribe.html