Hello again Science Fans!
On this date, back in 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on another celestial body when he touched the surface of the moon. Most everyone who was watching (including 63% of the US population) remembers where they were at that moment. I was home from college for the summer and watched on our color TV in the living room. Only, I fell asleep and missed the big moment. Fortunately, there were many replays.
For those readers too young to remember (or even be alive), here’s a quick recap of the world political environment at the time and how, in just 9 short year from conception of the US space program, we reached the moon. Not only that, but we beat the Soviets there, “winning” the space race after starting well behind them.
Pause for a minute and reflect on the words of president John F. Kennedy in that video as he set the ambitious course for the nation that would define the space age. Now compare that with our current political times, especially with respect to science and space.
Fifty years ago, on July 17, 1975, three astronauts and two cosmonauts joined their Apollo and Soyuz capsules together using a docking module, opened their respective hatches, and shook hands. This week’s picture shows both crews and a mock up of the docked capsules. The actual Apollo capsule that flew to meet the Soyuz module is currently on display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Originally built for Apollo mission #18 which was the victim of funding cuts, it was repurposed for this mission, and was the last Apollo module to fly.
At the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC, an unflown Apollo module, #105 that was used for vibration testing, and an unflown Soyuz spacecraft are on display, docked with the backup Docking Module that was also never flown. Having seen these at the museum myself, I was struck by how small the modules were, especially compared to the size of future vehicles like the Space Shuttles.
Fast forward to today and there’s a lot more news from space and astronomy.
The Parker Solar Probe flew closer to the sun than we’ve ever flown before and has returned some spectacular images, providing new data on space weather and solar eruptions. Here’s a video on the mission and results from NASA.
Another solar mission, the Solar Orbiter, has provided us with the very first images of our Sun’s south pole. Since Earth’s orbit is almost over the Sun’s equator, we’ve never seen the Sun’s poles before. Here’s more from Phil Plait.
Do you remember the DART mission? This was the one that attempted to crash into the asteroid Dimorphos with the objective of altering its trajectory. While it succeeded, new analysis of data from the mission shows huge boulders came flying off the asteroid, complicating the new trajectory predictions.
A month ago, Perseverance rover on Mars set a record for the longest single drive by any rover, anywhere. Perseverance is currently searching for clay-bearing rocks just outside the Jezero crater rim, having climbed out of the crater itself. Since landing on Mars, Perseverance has driven nearly 36 km, or roughly 22.4 miles.
Images of and from space are certainly beautiful, and awe inspiring. The Royal Observatory Greenwich sponsors the ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest. Here are the 15 images on this year’s shortlist.
Earth’s Climate
The deadly flooding in Texas and elsewhere has raised a significant question…did Federal funding cuts contribute to the deaths and destruction? While we may never know for sure, we do know that a lot of the information related to the climate has disappeared since the new administration returned to office. The National Climate Assessments, a series of congressionally mandated reports, are no longer available. A science historian has coined the term “denial by erasure” to describe this phenomenon.
Climate disinformation is rampant, as this study shows. Powerful economic and political interests are fooling the public, and the consequences are severe. Not only are we on the verge of exceeding the 1.5C threshold identified by the Paris Accord, but we’re going to reach it much sooner than anticipated.
While there is overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change, the Energy Department has fired hundreds of scientists and experts while hiring at least three scientists well known for rejecting this consensus. This is similar to R. F. Kennedy’s replacement of medical experts with vaccine deniers and skeptics on the Federal payroll (see below).
As part of the Big Beautiful Bill, energy tax credits for housing developers and homeowners will be phased out, meaning a turn away from renewable energy source development and installation. This may directly affect you, and soon!
Climate forecasting relies on data from many sources around the world. One set of data measures the amount of sea ice, and the US military has cut off access to this data. A Japanese satellite is being redirected as an alternate source of this information, but months of data will be lost. Once again, if you can’t see it, there must not be a problem.
A Seismic First
A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck Myanmar on March 28, causing a rupture at the surface. For the first time ever, a security camera captured the movement of the earth. The slip was 8.2 feet long (2.5 meters), taking only 1.3 seconds. As you watch this video, keep your eye on the right, outside the fence.
Vaccines
A large study in Denmark of over 1.2 million children has found no evidence that early childhood vaccines increase neurological, autoimmune, or allergic disorders. None.
Have a great week in Science!
Bob Siederer
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