
A new mini-moon has been found by NASA on the periphery of our solar system. Lucy initially discovered the tiny satellite in March of this year. Over the previous few months, the asteroid-study spacecraft Lucy of NASA has seen a number of asteroids. When an asteroid it was watching passed in front of a star, a tiny moon was detected.
NASA engineers install an attachment to Lucy, which recently discovered a mini-moon around an asteroid
The mini-moon was discovered by scientists while they were looking at the asteroid Polymele, which is located close to the edge of the solar system. According to NASA, the asteroid’s widest point is about 17 miles away. However, as it passed in front of a star, two research teams detected something peculiar.
The strange object, which was around 3 miles wide, looked to be orbiting the asteroid. They think this is a little satellite similar to our own lunar object, or a mini-moon. Astronomers also claim that due to its small size, it is highly unlikely that humans would ever be able to observe this tiny satellite from Earth.
This is due to the tiny moon’s too tight orbit of its parent asteroid. Furthermore, they assert that we would not have ever spotted the satellite if Lucy had not been observing Polymele at the time when it passed in front of the star.
Why manikins and Snoopy will make up the crew of NASA’s Artemis I mission
The Orion spacecraft on NASA’s Artemis I mission won’t be empty despite the absence of any passengers. When the mission launches on Monday, there will be thousands of souvenirs aboard, including Snoopy, Girl Scout badges, LEGO minifigures, and tree seeds.
The unmanned spacecraft will travel up to 280,000 miles from Earth over the 42-day, 1.3 million-mile journey, circle the moon, and then return to Earth using a variety of techniques.
The test mission will also serve as a trial run for the new rocket and spacecraft before a crewed flight because it has been almost 50 years since humans first set foot on the moon.
Mike Sarafin, the mission manager for Artemis I, said at a news briefing on Saturday that the team was aware that this was a deliberate stress test of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System rocket.
The Artemis I test flight will teach us a lot, and we’ll use this knowledge to adjust and adapt everything needed to get ready for a crewed flight on the very next mission.
In 2025, NASA intends to launch astronauts to the moon. Manikins will be traveling on this assignment as part of the training.
Krispy Kreme unveils out-of-this-world doughnut to honor NASA’s Artemis I mission
Space nerds and snack aficionados can both appreciate the special edition donut that Krispy Kreme is producing to celebrate NASA’s unmanned Artemis I mission launch on August 29.
The cookies ‘n creme icing will have chocolate chunks to resemble the moon and will be used to cover the cheesecake-filled donut.
The Artemis program aims to return people to the moon by 2025, including the first woman and person of color. Monday’s launch will be a significant step in that direction. In order to test mission-critical components, Artemis I will make a loop around the moon.
REFERENCES:
-
https://bgr.com/science/nasa-found-a-mini-moon-orbiting-an-asteroid-in-the-outer-solar-system/
-
https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/2022-08-27/why-manikins-and-snoopy-will-make-up-the-crew-of-nasas-artemis-i-mission
-
https://nypost.com/2022/08/27/krispy-kreme-unveils-doughnut-to-honor-nasas-artemis-i/
By: Miss Cherry May Timbol – Independent Reporter
You can support my work directly on Patreon or Paypal
http://patreon.com/cherrymtimbol
http://Paypal.Me/cherrymtimbol
Contact by mail: cherrymtimbol@newscats.org
Contact by mail: timbolcherrymay@gmail.com