Category Archives: Class

Plutonium: Not Just a Power Source in “Back to the Future”

Posted on April 17, 2021 by connorrobbwilcox

Did you ever wonder how spaceships and shuttles have the power to take off and travel through that big black expanse we call space? Or ever thought about how these rockets survived with the limited technology we had in the 1950s, 60s and 70s during the Space Race? Well the answer has to do withContinue reading “Plutonium: Not Just a Power Source in “Back to the Future”” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Space Travel | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Plutonium: Not Just a Power Source in “Back to the Future”

Blog 6: Huygens’s Descent to Titan

Posted on April 17, 2021 by mattj3

The Cassini orbiter, initially launched on October 15, 1997, traveled seven years with the objective to relay observations of Saturn and its satellites. Attached to this spacecraft was also the Huygens probe, designed to enter the atmosphere and land on the surface of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. On January 14, 2005, Huygens executed its mission;Continue reading “Blog 6: Huygens’s Descent to Titan” Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Blog 6: Huygens’s Descent to Titan

The New Space-Based Instrument of American Imperialism– The Space Force

Posted on April 17, 2021 by wslopes

At first glance, I thought the newest branch of the US Military, Donald Trump’s “Space Force”, was going to be tasked with things such as dealing with more existential threats from Space, such as a life ending asteroid or something. While I was confused as to why this would warrant a 6th branch of theContinue reading “The New Space-Based Instrument of American Imperialism– The Space Force” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Public Policy | Tagged , , | Comments Off on The New Space-Based Instrument of American Imperialism– The Space Force

Radiant Rings

Posted on April 17, 2021 by brynicdew

The rings of the Jovian planets are absolutely stunning, almost making you wish Earth had a few of its own! Every Jovian planet has its own group of rings to stare at. Saturn is quite famous for its bright, illustrious seven rings. These rings are named A-G in the order they were discovered. Surprisingly, dataContinue reading “Radiant Rings” Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Radiant Rings

Who Owns Space?

Posted on April 17, 2021 by weatherbysofferings

One of my foremost interests in life is politics, and whenever we’re engaged in astronomy, I can’t help but to view it through that lens. As such, one question has been nagging me – how is ownership and control of certain places defined in space? One of the foundational pieces of legislation on the matterContinue reading “Who Owns Space?” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Space Travel | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Who Owns Space?

Shepherd Moons

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Mykayla

Saturn is known for its rings. For years, astronomers wondered what they were. Now we know that the rings of Saturn are made up of lots of icy particles ranging from the size of a grain of sand to a boulder. These particles comprise many different individual rings. The rings are flat, and appear toContinue reading “Shepherd Moons” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Observables | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Shepherd Moons

Blog 5: Is there life on Europa?

Posted on April 17, 2021 by mattj3

The moon Europa orbits Jupiter alongside three other unique satellites described as “Jupiter’s Galilean moons”; these moons although similar in size to our moon (especially Io and Europa) display geological activity very different from what is observed on our own. Europa in particular, after telescope observation and satellite missions such as Voyager 1 and 2,Continue reading “Blog 5: Is there life on Europa?” Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Blog 5: Is there life on Europa?

Halley in History

Posted on April 17, 2021 by wslopes

Halley’s comet is one thought to have been noted in history millennia before it was ever realized that it was the same comet passing Earth every 75 years. The first official record of the comet’s passing was 239 BCE by Chinese astronomers, but it’s thought that it might have been recorded by the Ancient GreeksContinue reading “Halley in History” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical | Tagged , | Comments Off on Halley in History

Living on Titan

Posted on April 17, 2021 by connorrobbwilcox

Titan is the largest moon of Saturn. It is an icy world with an atmosphere thicker and denser than Earth’s (1.5 times the atmospheric pressure of Earth) that has clouds of smog that coat it in a large, cloudy golden haze. So how could scientists think it could be a habitable substitute for Earth forContinue reading “Living on Titan” Continue reading →

Posted in Class | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Living on Titan

What’s in a name?: Gonggong & Xiangliu

Posted on April 17, 2021 by wendyyb

Much like many of their small world counterparts, Gonggong and Xianglu are a dwarf planet and moon (respectively) named after characters in mythology. Gonggong, a dwarf planet residing in the scattered disc beyond Neptune, is named after a Chinese water god. Gonggong is depicted as having a copper human head, read hair, and a dragon-likeContinue reading “What’s in a name?: Gonggong & Xiangliu” Continue reading →

Posted in Class, Historical | Tagged , , | Comments Off on What’s in a name?: Gonggong & Xiangliu