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Thursday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting on space related activities from around the globe. The Earth has a previously unnoticed traveling companion; the Trojan asteroid poses no threat of collision. Observations by astronomers suggest a potential new means of treating cancer with fewer harmful side effects. NASA readies the Juno probe for a launch to Jupiter next week. Proponents suggest an abundance of a helium isotope on the moon could help to solve the Earth’s energy ills — someday. NASA and its partners are looking at the International Space Station in a new light as shuttle operations cease, including how they would respond to a Soyuz issue. The station is likely to find new work as a test bed for exploration as well. The U. S. Air Force delves into a recent unexpected shutdown of the X-51A hypersonic scram jet test bed. At a Cape Canaveral, Florida job fair this week, the departments of Energy and Interior join other federal agencies in looking to former NASA contract shuttle workers to fill vacancies.
1. From the Los Angeles Times: The Earth has a previously hidden companion in its yearly journey around the sun. It’s a Trojan asteroid. Small rocky bodies of this type could be candidates for a future visit from astronauts. NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer made the discovery. http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-trojan-asteroid-20110728,0,284121.story
A. From Florida Today: Trojan asteroid 2010 TK7 is about 1,000 feet in diameter. It’s now flying about 50 million miles ahead of the Earth. 2010 TK7 is not expected to come closer to Earth than 15 million miles in the next 100 years. http://space.flatoday.net/2011/07/nasa-planet-earth-chasing-trojan.html
B. From Sky and Telescope: The presence of Trojan asteroids was first proposed by Joseph-Louis Lagrange in 1772. The first discovery was announced in 1906. Trojans now lead or follow Mars and Neptune as well as the Earth. In all, there have been more than 4,800 in this asteroid class.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/news/126298103.html
2. From Space.com: Ever wonder whether studies of space hold benefits for Earthlings? Studies of black holes reveal a possible new method of treating cancer, while exposing health tissues to much less radiation that is currently possible. http://www.exploredeepspace.com/12428-black-hole-cancer-treatment-radiation.html
A. From the Huntsville Times: Where does the influence of a black hole become treacherous? Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray telescope, scientists at the University of Alabama find the “Bondi” point at 700 light years from NGC 3115, a super massive black hole about 32 million light years from the Earth. At that point, gases rushing into the black hole began to heat up dramatically.
http://blog.al.com/space-news/2011/07/when_does_a_black_hole_begin_t.html
3. From Reuters: NASA hoists the Juno probe atop an Atlas 5 rocket for launching to giant Jupiter on Aug. 5. When it reaches Jupiter, Juno will orbit for at least a year, searching for the origins of the planet’s magnetic field and the presence of a solid core. The spacecraft will also size up the amount of water Jupiter holds. Findings from Juno will help to explain how the solar system formed.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/27/us-space-jupiter-idUSTRE76Q6G020110727
4. From The Huffington Post: The moon has a relatively abundant supply of the isotope Helium 3, a prospective fuel source for a fusion reactor. Will the promise of He-3 lure the private sector to the Earth’s nearest neighbor? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/27/moon-mining-private-spaceflight_n_910212.html
5. From the Los Angeles Times: Without the shuttle for transportation, what could happen to the International Space Station if Russia’s venerable Soyuz spacecraft faced a long standing problem? In a worst case, the station’s astronauts would return to Earth. Ground control teams would look after the outpost. Studies by NASA in the aftermath of the 2003 shuttle Columbia tragedy suggest the risk of a problem that would cause the station to plummet to Earth increase 10-fold after six months of ground control.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-nasa-station-20110728,0,2884861.story
A. From Space.com: NASA and its International Space Station partners will attempt to use the orbiting science laboratory for new projects, including the testing of exploration technologies. The broader focus was an outcome of a meeting of the station’s Multilateral Coordination Board this week.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/12445-nasa-international-space-station-partner-future-options.html
B. From the Associated Press via Yahoo.com: Once the space station reaches the end of its usefulness, it will be guided into the Pacific Ocean, say Russian space officials. NASA and its partners plan to operate the orbiting science laboratory through 2020, perhaps longer.
http://news.yahoo.com/space-station-plunge-ocean-end-2020-230959922.html;_ylt=ArNRtFdslPQeSrLt.BZWpsS3scB_;_ylu=X3oDMTNhNXBoNjgwBHBrZwNjMzM3OGY4Yi00OTQxLTNhZWQtOTJiYy05YzYwMjE4MWYzYTkEcG9zAzEEc2VjA01lZGlhU3RvcnlMaXN0BHZlcgNlZmQ4NjNhMC1iOGE3LTExZTAtYWRmNi0
6. From Space.com: The Air Force delves into a surprising premature shutdown of the X-51A hypersonic scram jet test bed. The test was flown last month. The test was the second for the futuristic project, which first took flight in 2010. Researchers are hopeful scaled up versions would lead to point to point transportation around the globe. http://www.exploredeepspace.com/12441-hypersonic-x51a-waverider-scramjet-failure.html
7. From the New York Times: The Interior and Energy departments are among more than 30 federal agencies interested in former NASA shuttle program workers. They made their pitch at a Cape Canaveral, Florida area job fair earlier this week. http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/07/27/27greenwire-doe-interior-eye-employees-jettisoned-by-space-34054.html?scp=3&sq=NASA&st=cse
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