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Mars, the Cosmos, and Beyond!

For those of us in the US, Mother’s Day is coming up on May 8th, which is just around the corner. My mom (along with my late father) always encouraged me in my interest in space (although I think she might have wondered a little about how intent I was on it). In return, I always mention how much they did support me (and all of us kids). This year, I’m going to find something really unique to send her — it’s been a rough time for her since my dad died.

What about you? If your mom’s still around, what can you get for her? If you’re a space fan, why not a unique gift that reflects your interest that will also intrigue her at the same time? I’ve heard of people taking their moms to see space-related movies, or visiting the science center or local planetarium. One friend of mine planned a very unique science-themed menu for her special day. They ended the day stargazing from a dark-sky site, and he said his Mom couldn’t stop talking about what a great time they had!

A Mars Map for your Mom, with her name on it!

My friends over at Uwingu.com have a special Mother’s Day campaign going on that will supply you a great gift for your Mom. Uwingu, in case you haven’t heard of it before, is a group of scientists and researchers that raises money for science education and research. Over the past couple of years the group has endowed a number of projects, benefitting both scientists and students as they seek to do the work of understanding the cosmos. Uwingu does this in a couple of ways:

they’ll sell you the chance to name a crater for Mom on their exclusive Mars map;

you can sign Mom up for a daily emailed space image.

The Mars map idea is really cool because you can actually get a certificate showing where her crater is on the map. (I have one for myself, and it pleases me to know that my funds are helping people explore the universe.) The daily email service is really great and the gift that keeps on giving. Not only does she get a great image every day, but the folks at Uwingu explain what the image is and where it was taken. It’s like a little science update, right in her email box.

Today through Mother’s Day on May 8th, Uwingu is offering decorative Mother’s Day certificates for anyone choosing to honor a mom with a named crater on our Mars map. Two certificate options are available: an electronic downloadable version and a beautifully printed and framed keepsake version. Uwingu’s Mars Map will be carried to Mars aboard both the first Mars One robotic lander and also on the Time Capsule to Mars Project. Orders for framed certificates must be made by May 2nd to ensure arrival by Mother’s Day.

Shop the Cosmos

I’ve got a whole bunch of other gift ideas available through an astronomy, science, and science-fiction themed gift shop I set up on Amazon.com. It’s called Shop the Cosmos, and you can find books, some astronomy equipment, apparel, music, and jewelry there. In particular, I’ve added a science fiction section because SF is also part of what got me interested in astronomy and space exploration back when I was a kid. I’ll be adding cool products as I find them, so keep checking back! And, I’m happy to take recommendations!

Lovin’ Mom Doesn’t Have to Cost Money

As always, the best gifts don’t always have be things you buy, particularly if your budget is a bit tight. Spend time with Mom…give her call, drop her an email, send her a text, or whatever you can do to let her know you’re thinking of her. For that, you don’t even need to wait until Mother’s Day.

Hi Mom!!

Exploring the Deeps of the Solar System

I gotta say: we live in a time of fascinating scientific discoveries in our solar system. We’ve been in a “golden age” of in situ planetary exploration that began in the 1960s. Now, well into the 21st century, space agencies around the world continue to dish out juicy findings. Every week I see news from the outer solar system in the form of Pluto and Charon system results from the New Horizons mission. We’re also getting frequent updates from the Dawn mission currently circling Ceres, a dwarf planet out beyond the orbit of Mars in the Asteroid Belt. I find it amazing that we can know so much about these distant places, all through the efforts of a two small spacecraft and the science teams that built and continue to manage them.

Visiting Ceres

For example, Dawn has been in “deep orbit” around Ceres. Since 2015, it has been snapping up high-resolution images and data of the surface. The team just released an image of Haulani crater, a 21 mile-wide impact feature that seems to show evidence of landslides from its crater walls. This enhanced-color image shows the younger features in blue and older ones in gray. The rays extending out around the crater (and colored blue) are made of material ejected as something slammed into the Cerean surface. It also looks like whatever smacked Ceres hit this world right in a region that was already stressed and fractured. Hence the odd shape of the crater.

The Dawn mission is continuing to explore Ceres in minute detail, giving us new insight into this frozen, cracked, and cratered world.

Pluto’s Latest and Greatest

This image of Pluto's spider terrain was obtained by New Horizons’ Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC). It was obtained at a range of approximately 21,100 miles (33,900 kilometers) from Pluto, about 45 minutes before New Horizons’ closest approach on July 14, 2015. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute — This image of Pluto’s spider terrain was obtained by *New Horizons*’ Ralph/Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC). It was obtained at a range of approximately 21,100 miles (33,900 kilometers) from Pluto, about 45 minutes before New Horizons’ closest approach on July 14, 2015. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute

While New Horizons is no longer at Pluto, it continues to radio back data across the solar system from its momentous 2015 encounter. Pluto continues to amaze everybody with a wide range of interesting features in its icy crust. The latest up-close image shows a region of cracked terrain nicknamed the “Ice Spider” of Pluto. Nothing quite like it has been seen on other bodies in the outer solar system.

This crack in the crust is a set of fractures. The longest one is about 580 km (360 miles) long and appears to lie roughly north-south. The shorter cracks run east-west. They’re only about 100 km (60 miles) long. There’s also a hint of some kind of reddish material in some of the spider’s legs.

The fractures that make up the spider are probablye due to a global extension and shrinking of Pluto’s water-ice crust. However, they could also be telling us there’s some local activity occurring, too.

Award-Winning Science

Both the New Horizons and Dawn Mission teams have been winning prestigious awards for their work exploring these distant worlds. On March 8, the Dawn project team was chosen for the prestigious National Aeronautic Association Robert J. Collier Trophy “for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year.” Established in 1911, the 8-foot tall trophy resides at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington and is engraved with the names of recipients. Dawn competed with a field of nine finalists to win this year’s award. The award will be presented on June 9.

On March 11, the team was also honored with the National Space Club and Foundation’s Nelson P. Jackson Award, presented annually for “a significant contribution to the missile, aircraft or space field.” The Dawn team accepted the award at the organization’s 59th Annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner in Washington.

New Horizons team members are also basking in the glory of their achievements. PI Alan Stern, who was just named one of Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in the world, accepted the Carl Sagan award earlier this year, and gave a Kavli Prize Lecture at the American Astronomical Society meeting about his team’s exploration of the outer solar system. The team itself has earned the John L. “Jack” Swigert, Jr. Award for Space Exploration from the Space Foundation, the National Space Society Space Pioneer Award, and many others. The Smithsonian Institution also gave the New Horizons team a Current Achievement award.

As these two missions continue on their voyages of discovery, I’m sure we’ll ALL be awarded with more great views and data of distant worlds.

The Spacewriter's Ramblings

Category Archives: astronomy

Honor Mom With a Unique Space Gift