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But our increased ","_key":"a21f92d73e4a0","_type":"span","marks":[]},{"_type":"span","marks":["6dc1ed834a70"],"text":"reliance","_key":"a21f92d73e4a1"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" on these orbiting objects comes at a price.","_key":"a21f92d73e4a2"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"48f4da86e25f"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"text":"From bad to much worse","_key":"e414d3701f050","_type":"span","marks":["strong"]}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"7e9ac35b427b"},{"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"As recently as 2010, there were about 1,000 satellites in orbit. Now, that number is","_key":"a14048379c090"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" about 10 times higher","_key":"623e0c9f9ff2"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":". And over the course of the next decade, companies and governments around the world are planning to launch tens of thousands more.","_key":"47494f30169d"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"c577a13d3685","markDefs":[]},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Environmental advocates are worried about what we know (and what we don’t know) about the impact of all that space debris.","_key":"b00d1a04052c0"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"fb734fe94770"},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"bb9a60a4ff71","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Experts advise that the planned increase in satellite launches could result in up to ","_key":"3f45de3a1dbe0"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"21 times more aluminum oxides","_key":"7ddb2e8ffe77"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" being released into the atmosphere than the amount that is already there. Furthermore, potentially harmful metals could be released when aging satellites re-enter Earth’s atmosphere.","_key":"062e9cea9b1a"}]},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Worse yet, no one is quite sure what the long-term effects will be. That’s why dozens of scientists are pleading with the Federal Communications Commission to step in and curtail future launches until there’s enough research to address their concerns.","_key":"0918112d0d360"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"fd6b66c9da7e"},{"style":"normal","_key":"ca209ed99329","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“We should","_key":"50b4bfd333ea0"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" look before we leap","_key":"f20103379cc8"},{"text":",” they wrote in a letter to federal regulators. “The environmental harms of launching and burning up so many satellites aren’t clear.”","_key":"f3b03dbfd069","_type":"span","marks":[]}],"_type":"block"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Two sides to the story","_key":"1978405aae7a0"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"090156512a24"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"marks":[],"text":"Of course, those who support launching thousands of new satellites into 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But no matter how great your Facebook friends’ photos were, a trip to Hotel Ranga could’ve made them better.","_key":"4b02de52714a2","_type":"span","marks":[]}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"_key":"0eff87e05845","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"The Aurora Wake-Up","_key":"399eb0e58f890"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"text":"Iceland boasts unparalleled views of the northern lights due to its position on the globe, which means it","_key":"47fd38527ad90","_type":"span","marks":[]},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" tops the list of destinations","_key":"776621120c58"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" for many aurora-seeking tourists. 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will bring about plenty of treats and more than a few tricks — but if you really want a ","_key":"78a35cebe7180","_type":"span"},{"_type":"span","marks":["c284ffe8e8c2"],"text":"surprise","_key":"78a35cebe7181"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" this month, simply turn your eyes to the sky.","_key":"78a35cebe7182"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Two notable space rocks","_key":"35cba9be8ff90"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"61ff69e42002","markDefs":[]},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Between now and the end of October, astronomers say a pair of comets — known as Tsuchinshan-ATLAS and C/2024 S1 — will be","_key":"996f2f54e2150"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" visible in the skies","_key":"a46dc5f41cd7"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" above 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The latter will make its","_key":"e9e76b71c7df0"},{"_key":"64f7d6174007","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" closest pass by our planet "},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"on October 24 (though it could make a return visit days later) and should be visible just before sunrise in the eastern sky.","_key":"c03515bbfd00"}],"_type":"block"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Fortunately for all life on our planet, neither comet will get close enough to chart a potential collision course. At their closest, both of the rocks will be millions of miles away from Earth.","_key":"413bcf92af480"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"8d0df98b4223"},{"_key":"a04e758f42e2","markDefs":[],"children":[{"marks":["strong"],"text":"Where did they come from?","_key":"48a21b7781960","_type":"span"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"style":"normal","_key":"08d38247340f","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Comets can be found in all corners of our universe, but those nearest to our cosmic neighborhood are thought to have largely originated in a theoretical region known as the Oort Cloud. Though unproven, scientists have speculated for well over half a century about this icy area surrounding the solar system that supposedly stretches out trillions of miles and produces countless comets.","_key":"9b69732ca59a0"}],"_type":"block"},{"style":"normal","_key":"d3025fae3d39","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Even though there’s ","_key":"6538e55e35410"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"no real threat","_key":"65cd3833afdc"},{"marks":[],"text":" associated with Tsuchinshan-ATLAS and C/2024 S1, astronomers warn that a comet released from the Oort Cloud or anywhere else in the cosmos could feasibly strike our planet.","_key":"e90982e6a85e","_type":"span"}],"_type":"block"},{"style":"normal","_key":"a8aa3941e60a","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Such a scenario is particularly alarming to experts because the uncertain movement of these celestial bodies means we’d probably have very little warning before an imminent collision.","_key":"72a03346a82d0"}],"_type":"block"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"There have been roughly ","_key":"c5b12bea6ac60"},{"_key":"63150fc948c8","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"4,500 comets "},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"identified in this region, but the actual number is believed to be exponentially higher.","_key":"f6f4d6bed63b"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"8a5b4dfc971a"}],"summary":"Stargazers will have their own reason to look forward to Halloween.","_id":"2162d7be-8762-4f0d-a7d2-8aaa13574183","_type":"story","slug":"/story/2024/10/a-pair-of-comets-will-soon-be-battling-for-earths-attention","publishDate":"2024-10-15"},{"summary":"There's still a lot to learn about our nearest celestial neighbor.","_rev":"cTgAcamRKWSs05laibDftD","id":"JW2UdERZ","category":"space","visibility":"true","author":{"_ref":"phCNL32Gn","_type":"reference"},"title":"Scientists Struggle To Understand ‘Moon Goo’ Ahead Of Planned Lunar Missions","body":[{"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Government-affiliated and private-sector space exploration organizations alike have been working toward ","_key":"8d9aff19b3b70"},{"_type":"span","marks":["1bb07176fa76"],"text":"launching","_key":"8d9aff19b3b71"},{"marks":[],"text":" new missions to the moon in recent years, but it’s already clear that there’s a lot humans just don’t know about the rock orbiting our planet.","_key":"8d9aff19b3b72","_type":"span"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"532ea6c1263a","markDefs":[{"_key":"1bb07176fa76","_type":"link","href":"https://www.vice.com/en/article/moon-goo-lunar-geology/"}]},{"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"A mysterious component","_key":"b234d848c8970"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"92b66405617d","markDefs":[]},{"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Although it’s been decades since astronauts landed on the lunar surface, our knowledge about the moon has continued to increase — including the apparent discovery of an","_key":"998caed92e5d0"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" as-yet unidentified substance","_key":"a006bc834352"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":".","_key":"e97d96770c17"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"0fe727deda13","markDefs":[]},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"59007de00f92","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"For now, experts are referring to it as “moon goo,” speculating that it moves around based on the pull of gravity from the Earth and the sun. 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new study exposes potentially serious health risks.","author":{"_ref":"phCNL32Gn","_type":"reference"},"body":[{"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"With private space companies launching an increased number of flights these days, it’s not only trained astronauts who are getting away from our home planet these days.","_key":"c204343895320"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"90a9ec26d73c","markDefs":[]},{"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"As various businesses and governments set their sights on missions to Mars and beyond, this modern space race also brings up some nagging ","_key":"5f3aeb72a3a20"},{"_type":"span","marks":["d0b56c429fd1"],"text":"concerns","_key":"5f3aeb72a3a21"},{"marks":[],"text":" about what it might mean for the health of the humans 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Several startup companies that want to eventually conduct their own resource mining on the moon are also missing out on the data that Viper might have made available."}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"26a5204fa6e4"},{"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"But like many lofty space-exploration plans before it, this program","_key":"d47ae8c4f3590"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" quickly exceeded its budget","_key":"32fa2e8be064"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" and took a lot longer than expected to build due to frequent delays.","_key":"4a43751210e7"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"9517979539dc","markDefs":[]},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"$450 million later","_key":"7aa0dff5aa640"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"b2a261c7ae42"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Even as the agency began putting the final pieces in place, it became clear to NASA administrators that it was","_key":"b9a222b84f310"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" not in the agency’s best interest","_key":"17fb69b72aaa"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" to continue sinking money into the program.","_key":"a163d0353e5d"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"a9cccb376be5"},{"_key":"289db43b8dbe","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_key":"592776bb2ffe0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"After spending nearly half a billion dollars on Viper, NASA Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Joel Kearns said that all won’t be lost upon scrapping the mission. Many of the instruments and parts used on the robot and related systems can be repurposed for other projects."}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"4df28b687d6b","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"But in the end, the agency determined that continuing the Viper project “would result in an increased cost that","_key":"ae2443fd21550"},{"_key":"60c2e6e705d7","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" threatens cancellation or disruption"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" to other [Commercial Lunar Payload Services] missions.”","_key":"4ab108dc2346"}]}],"_createdAt":"2024-07-18T21:37:21Z"},{"summary":"It took 20 years' worth of evidence to pinpoint its location.","_updatedAt":"2024-07-10T20:31:50Z","category":"space","_type":"story","body":[{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"8d35058e25b9","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"By their very nature, black holes are incredibly difficult to locate in the expanse of the cosmos. 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But astronomer Maximilian Haberle and his team weren’t deterred by the long odds when they began looking at evidence that ultimately led to their conclusion.","_key":"f30defc3e38a0","_type":"span"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"0a0366de57c7"},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"76c6179824fa","markDefs":[],"children":[{"marks":[],"text":"Here are some highlights from the report:","_key":"69fed10509980","_type":"span"}]},{"listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The black hole was found among","_key":"d8907a8dbf340"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" millions of stars","_key":"2b0da5f18eb5"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" in the cluster Omega Centauri","_key":"4bab6a81f376"}],"level":1,"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"2cd69b6c7754"},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"ac5989bcd953","listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_key":"58a60d7bb4c10","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"It is estimated to be about"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" 8,000 times","_key":"f126ddcfd610"},{"marks":[],"text":" more massive than the sun we orbit around","_key":"9f5ff9300d50","_type":"span"}],"level":1},{"style":"normal","_key":"5509746319cb","listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[],"children":[{"marks":[],"text":"That is","_key":"630c6089735b0","_type":"span"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" much smaller","_key":"5a32db976975"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" than supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies","_key":"993bd3bab033"}],"level":1,"_type":"block"},{"_key":"d45cef2523bb","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Until now, the existence of this class of black hole has been merely speculative.","_key":"7929043511ef0"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"1898c24349af","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“So people have wondered, is it difficult to find them because they are just not there, or because it’s difficult to detect them?” Haberle explained.","_key":"5aac797f93b80"}]},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"How it was identified","_key":"cbf3de910fc40"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"5f6e8a74f6eb"},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"cd44e92122cd","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Instead of actually capturing images of the black hole itself, astronomers must instead rely on evidence of its gravitational pull. And that was found by tracking the movement of roughly 1.4 million stars tracked by the Hubble Space Telescope over the course of about 20 years.","_key":"49d412f2b7d20"}]},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"marks":[],"text":"In the end, it all came down to","_key":"c2528a5b696b0","_type":"span"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" the movement of seven stars","_key":"c8babbedd531"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":", which were moving so much faster than the others that the only explanation was “there must be something that is pulling on them gravitationally such that they don’t escape,” Haberle explained.","_key":"2b0e9b8b277c"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"62775473cf98"},{"style":"normal","_key":"550ab12e9aee","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The only object that would fit that bill? 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It has provided a home away from home for astronauts from around the world, but the program is starting to show its age and its ","_key":"04c0d6f90ad20"},{"_key":"04c0d6f90ad21","_type":"span","marks":["10515bc7613a"],"text":"replacement"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" might not come from the minds at NASA or any other country’s official space agency.","_key":"04c0d6f90ad22"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"5b0ac8a1f610","markDefs":[{"_type":"link","href":"https://spectrum.ieee.org/space-station-orbital-reef","_key":"10515bc7613a"}]},{"style":"normal","_key":"b3f40889bb12","markDefs":[],"children":[{"text":"The rise of private exploration","_key":"14d5282eac590","_type":"span","marks":["strong"]}],"_type":"block"},{"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"If you’ve been paying attention to the shuttle launches from private companies lately, it might not come as much of a surprise that such names are setting their sights on even more ambitious space-related projects.","_key":"94342e7130ad0"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"8fd6605940ad","markDefs":[]},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_key":"f8f5fd1a72890","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"And such goals include establishing space stations to be used for tourism, research, or other purposes."}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"3dd7847f4bf3"},{"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The Orbital Reef project has emerged as one of the most notable undertakings. 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just opened this week after 26 years of planning.","_type":"story","body":[{"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"When it comes to peering out into the expanse of the cosmos, there are a few important components to consider. 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