Heavens Above! -International Asteroid Day 30th of June

Artist's impression of an Asteroid - Image credit - P. Carril, European Space Agency

I’m looking to the Heavens today – not because I’m expecting to see Superman, but because June 30^th was International Asteroid Day.

Did you know that according to NASA, there are no less than 16,000* objects in near earth orbit (NEOs) which could potentially fall on our collective heads? I discovered this while checking to see what International Asteroid Day was about since I hadn’t heard of it before.

*The European Space Agency, has identified 23,000 such objects in their latest clip below.

Fortunately, most of them will disintegrate on entering our atmosphere and we’ll see them as beautiful shooting stars to make a wish on. Occasionally however, things don’t turn out that well. The ones that get through and land on earth are called meteorites and there are literally thousands daily. Although most of these are small, there have been some quite significant ones.

The one which struck the Gulf of Mexico 66 million years ago for example, the Chicxulub Event, not only wiped out the dinosaurs, but created an ash cloud that lasted thousands of years and affected all life on earth. Only last month, two very large ones passed close by the earth - close by in astronomical terms that is - i.e. about half the distance to the moon, just in time for Asteroid Day.

International Asteroid Day has been observed since 2016 to alert people to the possibility of an asteroid striking the earth. The date itself marks the day in 1908 when a huge one fell in Tunguska, Siberia.

After another one exploded in a gigantic fireball at Chelyabinsk -just north of Kazakhstan in 2013, governments and scientists began to sit up and take notice in case there were more unpleasant surprises. The Movie “Don’t Look Up” is not entirely fictional.

In consequence, the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) established two new organisations in 2014. The first was the International Asteroid Warning Network which helps governments to analyse data and prepare for possible impacts.

The observations are gathered by amateur and professional astronomers all over the world and passed on to the Minor Planets Centre in the USA which does measurements and calculates likely trajectories.

The second one is the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group which looks at mitigation technologies and sends out warnings to civil authorities in possible impact zones. Learn more about Planetary Defence here.

How do you Stop an Asteroid?

One of the most promising ways and one which was tested in 2022, is Kinetic Impactor Technology. This explodes a spacecraft against an asteroid to bump it slightly off course. Do not try this at home. You can learn more about it here.

One of the things to celebrate about this day, is the spirit of international co -operation and scientific collaboration involved. There are eleven international treaties about the peaceful use of space. Some of the main ones are listed below:

1. The Outer Space Treaty (1967) “The Magna Carta of Outer Space “

This lays down the idea that space should only be used for peaceful purposes. It forbids the use of nuclear weapons in space and ensures that all countries have the right to explore it. No country may establish military bases or claim land on it either.

2. The Rescue Agreement (1968)

This is about co operation between countries to ensure the safe return of Astronauts and any objects which have been launched into space.

3. Liability Convention (1979)

This holds countries liable for compensation claims for damage caused by anything they launch into space such as rockets, satellites and space stations.

4. Registration Convention(1975)

This calls for all objects launched into space to be reported to the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).

5. The Moon Agreement (1979)

This extends the original Agreement regarding all countries having access to space, to the idea that the moon and other celestial bodies may only be exploited for the benefit of all of humanity.

6. No one may Contaminate Space

That means making sure even things like microbes don’t enter or leave which is an interesting one. Everything which goes into space must be scrubbed and sterilised. Many a good sci fi story begins with something accidentally brought back.

What a shame we can’t be as co -operative down here on earth. How quickly the world’s problems would be solved. I also think looking at space, thinking about space and reading about space with its vastness and impossibly long history we are less than moon dust or stardust, yet we exist and dare to dream of conquering it.

International Moon Day

There’s another opportunity to celebrate Space Exploration and to find out what’s happening on the 20^th of July which has been designated Moon Day in honour of the first manned lunar landing by Apollo 11 in 1969. Watch it here for a bit of nostalgia or for a glimpse in case you missed it.

Heavens Above! -International Asteroid Day 30^th of June

I’m looking to the Heavens today – not because I’m expecting to see Superman, but because June 30^th was International Asteroid Day.

Did you know that according to NASA, there are no less than 16,000 objects in near earth orbit (NEOs) which could potentially fall on our collective heads? https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/stats/totals.html I discovered this while looking up to see what International Asteroid Day was about since I hadn’t heard of it before. Fortunately, most of them will disintegrate on entering our atmosphere and we’ll see them as beautiful shooting stars to make a wish on. Occasionally however, things don’t turn out that well. The ones that get through and land on earth are called meteorites and there are literally thousands daily, but most of them are small.

Here’s a bit about Near Earth Objects from the European Space Station. You can read more here. https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/About_asteroids_and_Planetary_Defence

Not so, the one which hit near the Gulf of Mexico 66 million years ago which not only killed the dinosaurs but created an ash cloud that lasted several thousand years and affected almost every living thing on earth. Only last month, two very large ones passed close by the earth https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/techandscience/an-asteroid-larger-than-99-of-near-earth-asteroids-will-pass-earth-this-week/ar-BB1oONf3 just in time for Asteroid Day.

The Chicxulub Event

https://youtu.be/JMb6e3g3diM?si=kfEnJmpQvLVJRna-

The International Asteroid Day has been observed since 2016 to alert people to the possibility of an asteroid landing on earth, while the date itself marks the day in 1908 when a mighty asteroid that fell to earth at In 1908 in Tunguska, Siberia. In 2013 another extraterrestrial visitor exploded in a giant fireball at Chelyabinsk -just north of Kazakhstan, which made scientists and governments more anxious to learn more about them in case there were more unpleasant surprises. The Movie “Don’t Look Up” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL9aJcqrtnw is not entirely fictional. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelyabinsk_meteor

In consequence, the UN Office of Outer Space Affairs established two new bodies in 2014. The first was the International Asteroid Warning Network which helps governments to analyse data and prepare for possible impacts. The second organisation is the Space Mission Planning Advisory Group which looks at technologies which could be used to deflect incoming meteorites.

How to Stop an Asteroid

One of the most promising ways, which was tested in 2022 is Kinetic Impactor Technology which uses a space craft to slightly change Asteroid’s trajectory. You can see more about this here Can We Prevent an Asteroid From Hitting Earth? - YouTube

One of the things to celebrate about this day, is the spirit of international co -operation and scientific collaboration involved. What’s more, it is but one of eleven such agreements about the peaceful use of space. Some of the main ones are listed below

1. The Outer Space Treaty (1967) “The Magna Carta of Outer Space “

https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/introouterspacetreaty.html

It lays down the idea that space should only be used for peaceful purposes. It forbids the use of nuclear weapons in space and ensures that all countries may be allowed to explore it. No country may establish military bases or claim land on it either These 11 Laws Are What Keep Space From Becoming the Wild West - Business Insider

2. Rescue Agreement (1968)

This is about co operation between countries to ensure the safe return of Astronauts and objects which have been launched into space international agreements peaceful use of space - Search (bing.com) *

3. Liability Convention (1979)

This holds countries liable for compensation claims for damage caused by objects launched into space

http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/introregistration-convention.html

4. Registration Convention (1975)

This calls for objects launched into space to be reported to the United Nations office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA)

international agreements peaceful use of space - Search (bing.com)

5. The Moon Agreement (1979)

This extends the original Agreement regarding all countries having access to space to the idea that the moon and other bodies may only be exploited for the benefit of all of humanity

international agreements peaceful use of space - Search (bing.com)

6. No one may Contaminate Space

That means making sure things like microbes don’t enter or leave which is an interesting one. Everything which goes into space must be scrubbed and sterilised These 11 Laws Are What Keep Space From Becoming the Wild West - Business Insider

What a shame we can’t be as co -operative down here on earth. How quickly the world’s problems would be solved.

International Moon Day

There’s another opportunity to find out what’s happening in Space on the 20^th of July which has been designated Moon Day in Honour of the first landing on the moon by Appollo 11. Watch it here for a bit of nostalgia.
https://youtu.be/cwZb2mqId0A?si=KLWyjKrCe6kMLsoa

https://www.nasa.gov/history/july-20-1969-one-giant-leap-for-mankind/https://www.un.org/en/observances/moon-day

Veronika Wild

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