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NASA plans to conduct a historic planetary defense test by intentionally crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid
by Joshua Vidal | published 15 September 2022
DART is scheduled to collide with an asteroid on September 26.
An artist's depiction of the DART spacecraft approaching the asteroid Dimorphos. (Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben)
NASA plans to usher in the solar system's next age in only two weeks' time.
This major accomplishment is due to the recent DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) mission launch. On September 26th, DART will crash with a tiny asteroid in a deliberately destructive act. The goal of the mission is to defend Earth from any potential asteroid impacts in the name of planetary defense, and scientists have high hopes that missions like DART will be able to prevent such catastrophes in the future should a dangerous asteroid threaten the planet.
"These objects hurtle through space and have damaged the moon and, over time, also on Earth have had huge repercussions," said NASA's assistant administrator for science, Thomas Zurbuchen (Sept. 12).
Read more: https://www.space.com/dart-asteroid-mission-1st-planetary-defense-test
Why you're not only the product of your genes and environment?
Why you're not only the product of your genes and environment?
by Joshua Vidal | published 22 September 2022
You are the sum of your genetics, environment, and luck. Personality and character can be shaped by prenatal experiences or even more than genetics or environment.
photo lifted from: https://babyplus.com/nurture-your-childs-language-development/
To what extent do your parenting practices and environment shape your child's personality? Both scenarios call for a large financial outlay. For example, in the book "The Temperamental Thread: How Genes, Culture, Time, and Luck Make Us Who We Are," psychologist and author Jerome Kagan, Ph.D., uses the analogy of humidity and cold to illustrate the difference between nature and nurture. For exhausted new parents, this is terrific news. If your child has trouble keeping her emotions in check or is exceedingly shy, you can usually do things to help her mood—gain expert insight on how to help your child become more peaceful and at ease through continued reading here
Asteroid Dimorphos was successfully crushed by NASA's DART spacecraft.
Asteroid Dimorphos was successfully crushed by NASA's DART spacecraft.
by Joshua Vidal | published 28 September 2022
LICIACube sends back its first photographs of NASA's DART asteroid impact.
(c) Plumes of debris erupting out of the asteroid Dimorphos
ASI Italian Space Agency
The NASA spacecraft hit the asteroid, and a satellite saw it. On September 26, DART ran into Dimorphos. LICIACube's close-up camera catches the impact. DART crashed into Dimorphos, a spacecraft that orbits Didymos, to test how to steer away from an asteroid. The approach of the spacecraft was recorded, but it crashed.
In this case, LICIACube proves to be quite helpful. The 14-kilogram satellite was launched into space on September 11 by DART from a spring-loaded container that was located outside of Dimorphos' path. Therefore, we could ascertain whether or not the asteroid's orbit altered following the collision. The impact caused Dimorphos to explode, as shown in photos captured by the LICIACube. These images, which scientists have yet to analyze, will show them how the asteroid was constructed and how much damage its impact caused.
Katarina Miljkovic of Curtin University exclaimed, "Science can begin!" Large-scale research was needed. This mission prepares for a future asteroid strike. It will take days to analyze if Didymos' surface was broken up on impact and how forceful it was. If you hit something with a baseball bat, a rock that doesn't break apart will go farther than a piece of fruit that splits into many pieces. This information will help figure out how to plan future missions to protect Earth from asteroids that could be dangerous.
Read more here
An opportunity to rethink academia this year: After a long sleep, the world awakes to a drastically altered state of affairs.
by greencolumn of science department | published 09 January 2023
The science education team argues and thinks that education may not be a planetary tipping point in the strictest sense. Nevertheless, there is an urgent call for EDUCATION on PLANETARY CONCERNS.
Photo credit to Bullit Marquez
In an impassioned Facebook post, Vidal et al. (2023) assert that education is a global issue and encourage all educators and academics to become involved.
In this context, education is not typically viewed as having the potential to act as a "tipping point," in contrast to the physical and biological systems of the planet. On the other hand, education is one of the most effective ways to significantly mitigate or eliminate environmental problems such as climate change and other environmental concerns. Therefore, although education might not be a planetary tipping point in the most literal sense, it can be essential in addressing and mitigating the challenges faced by the planet [see thought and conclusion below].
When exactly does the planet reach its tipping point? Team added.
The term "planetary tipping point" describes a critical threshold or point of no return in the Earth's systems that, once crossed, can cause abrupt and potentially catastrophic shifts in the planet's climate and ecosystems.
As a result, Vidal and team argued that education might not be a planetary tipping point in the traditional sense. However, education about planetary concerns is desperately needed.
Inter- and trans-disciplinary curriculum alignment is a primary area of concern (given that the world woke up in different environments right after the pandemic and robust emphasis on Industrial Revolution)
In light of the imperative to RElens the competencies as the demand of the world shifts, it is essential that curricula be resilient. Literacy in Climate Change Education (Independent, Government, and NGO Initiatives)
Science education research team:
Joshua Vidal, Mary Joy Llosa Redulla, Kai Sarabusab, Grace Manalo, Meryl Grace Alimpago, Lemuel Ramos, Jay Bergonia, Aston Martin Panganiban Queliza, Lotte Dela Cruz, Mary Dequito, Roan Francisco, Emil John Nazareno, Kevin Pica, Shaira Lyn B. Cumilang. Keir Nathaniel Nasis, Creziel Mercado, Twinkle Tobias (2023) Facebook post. Educator and Academicians Call.
Scientists on the interior of the Earth and the direction of its transverse rotation
Vidale, the scientist, does not seem too worried about the current disagreement and says that it will not affect life on Earth's surface.
credit: https://www.geologyin.com/
The Earth's inner core is a solid ball about 1220 km in diameter at the planet's center. It is thought to be mainly iron and nickel and spins slightly faster than the rest of the Earth. Scientists are still researching and arguing about the exact nature of the inner core's rotation and whether or not it has stopped or changed in any way.
Contrary to Scientists have recently noticed that the inner core's rotation has either slowed down or stopped. They found this out by looking at how seismic waves move through the Earth and noticing that the waves were not acting as they thought they would. This [the study] suggests that the inner core has stopped spinning for a while. Scientists discovered that the Earth's rotation pause occurs in a pattern that repeats every 70 years and is linked to changes in the length of the day and the Earth's magnetic field. This could mean that the different layers of the Earth are interacting in ways that scientists do not fully understand.
Moreover, In 2022, a scientist, geophysicist John Vidale of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and a colleague said that seismic waves caused by nuclear tests showed that the Earth's inner core might rotate in the opposite direction every three years. However, some other researchers have a different idea. They think that the inner core is not rotating but that changes in the shape of the surface of the inner core could explain why the times that seismic waves take to travel could be different.
Furthermore, more observations and research will likely help show how these different studies and theories differ. Vidale, who is quoted, does not seem too worried about the current disagreement and says that it will not affect life on Earth's surface. Nevertheless, he also says that scientists need to understand the situation right now fully and that they need to keep studying and trying to figure it out.
References
[1] Y. Yang and X. Song. Multidecadal variation of the Earth’s inner-core rotation. Nature Geoscience. January 23, 2023. doi: 10.1038/s41561-022-01112-z.
[2] W. Wang and J.E. Vidale. Seismological observation of Earth’s oscillating inner core. Science Advances. Vol. 8, June 10, 2022. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abm9916.
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