If you need assistance, please send an email to forum at 4hv dot org. To ensure your email is not marked as spam, please include the phrase "4hv help" in the subject line. You can also find assistance via IRC, at irc.shadowworld.net, room #hvcomm.
Support 4hv.org!
Donate:
4hv.org is hosted on a dedicated server. Unfortunately, this server costs and we rely on the help of site members to keep 4hv.org running. Please consider donating. We will place your name on the thanks list and you'll be helping to keep 4hv.org alive and free for everyone. Members whose names appear in red bold have donated recently. Green bold denotes those who have recently donated to keep the server carbon neutral.
Special Thanks To:
Aaron Holmes
Aaron Wheeler
Adam Horden
Alan Scrimgeour
Andre
Andrew Haynes
Anonymous000
asabase
Austin Weil
barney
Barry
Bert Hickman
Bill Kukowski
Blitzorn
Brandon Paradelas
Bruce Bowling
BubeeMike
Byong Park
Cesiumsponge
Chris F.
Chris Hooper
Corey Worthington
Derek Woodroffe
Dalus
Dan Strother
Daniel Davis
Daniel Uhrenholt
datasheetarchive
Dave Billington
Dave Marshall
David F.
Dennis Rogers
drelectrix
Dr. John Gudenas
Dr. Spark
E.TexasTesla
eastvoltresearch
Eirik Taylor
Erik Dyakov
Erlend^SE
Finn Hammer
Firebug24k
GalliumMan
Gary Peterson
George Slade
GhostNull
Gordon Mcknight
Graham Armitage
Grant
GreySoul
Henry H
IamSmooth
In memory of Leo Powning
Jacob Cash
James Howells
James Pawson
Jeff Greenfield
Jeff Thomas
Jesse Frost
Jim Mitchell
jlr134
Joe Mastroianni
John Forcina
John Oberg
John Willcutt
Jon Newcomb
klugesmith
Leslie Wright
Lutz Hoffman
Mads Barnkob
Martin King
Mats Karlsson
Matt Gibson
Matthew Guidry
mbd
Michael D'Angelo
Mikkel
mileswaldron
mister_rf
Neil Foster
Nick de Smith
Nick Soroka
nicklenorp
Nik
Norman Stanley
Patrick Coleman
Paul Brodie
Paul Jordan
Paul Montgomery
Ped
Peter Krogen
Peter Terren
PhilGood
Richard Feldman
Robert Bush
Royce Bailey
Scott Fusare
Scott Newman
smiffy
Stella
Steven Busic
Steve Conner
Steve Jones
Steve Ward
Sulaiman
Thomas Coyle
Thomas A. Wallace
Thomas W
Timo
Torch
Ulf Jonsson
vasil
Vaxian
vladi mazzilli
wastehl
Weston
William Kim
William N.
William Stehl
Wesley Venis
The aforementioned have contributed financially to the continuing triumph of 4hv.org. They are deserving of my most heartfelt thanks.
Registered Member #543
Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992
Newly discovered Trojan asteroid shares Earth's orbit
CTV Edmonton Fri Jul. 29 2011
A Canadian astronomer's 20-year search has finally been rewarded with the discovery of a so-called Trojan asteroid -- a rock the size of several football fields that is effectively riding in tandem with Earth as it orbits the sun.
Dr. Martin Connors, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Space Science at Athabasca University, led the team that discovered the asteroid using an orbiting NASA telescope.
While there are many types of asteroids orbiting the sun, most are travelling at their own speeds.
"This one is going at the same speed as the Earth and it stays pretty equidistant from the Earth although it's moving in our own orbit, so that's what makes it special," Connors told CTV's Canada AM.
The rock, dubbed 2010 TK7, is estimated to be between 200 and 300 metres in diameter, and sits in a gravitational sweet spot just ahead of Earth -- effectively locked in a gravitational balancing act between the planet and the sun.
As a result, it poses no danger to Earth, he said.
Astronomers are excited about Trojans because they represent one of the best opportunities to land an astronaut on an asteroid -- one of NASA's stated future goals now that the shuttle program has been mothballed.
Unlike other asteroids, Trojans are stable and predictable, and in relatively close proximity to Earth. Other Trojans have been discovered near Jupiter, Neptune and Mars.
Connors said 2010 TK7 is tilted, and therefore isn't likely a candidate for a visit from an astronaut. But its discovery makes it highly likely there are other Trojans also sharing Earth's orbit, which could make better candidates for a landing.
"If the U.S. economy doesn't collapse, potentially we'll have space travel in the future and it is a stated goal to send astronauts to an asteroid and this type of asteroid would actually be a pretty good type to go to," he said.
A successful landing, he said, could help solve mysteries about the Earth's origin and answer questions about whether asteroids could be used as a source of important minerals.
Because Trojans are caught between their host planet and the sun, they are only visible for a brief window each evening, and in the early morning hours. As a result, a space-based telescope such as NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer is typically needed to spot them.
2010 TK7 currently sits about 80 million kilometres from Earth.
Registered Member #2431
Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639
This could be an easy place to go with an unmanned lander to capture samples at the surface, then return them to the earth. This would be useful in quantitfying, categorizing and proportioning the metals and minerals that are rare on earth but common in space rocks.
Since China has attempted to secure as much of the rare elements on earth as possible since 1980 to the present (many are useful for semiconductor manufacture), no doubt they see these materials as "strategic" in importance both for martial and civil purposes. Much as we Americans once had the national Helium supply, and still do have the SPOR in case we had to be self supporting while massacring an enemy.
Many wars have been fought for access to or possesion of key materials, in this case we Americans are in a position to take what we need right out of the sky... no bullets needed, just rockets and huevos. Provided we push NASA out of the way and replace them with somebody effective, like the airforce and private sector.
Registered Member #3989
Joined: Thu Jul 07 2011, 05:10PM
Location: In a van down by the river.
Posts: 52
"If the U.S. economy doesn't collapse, potentially we'll have space travel in the future and it is a stated goal to send astronauts to an asteroid and this type of asteroid would actually be a pretty good type to go to,
by that I gather he doesn't feel very optimistic about the status of our economy. bummer
Registered Member #2431
Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639
Austin the Ozone wrote ...
"If the U.S. economy doesn't collapse, potentially we'll have space travel in the future and it is a stated goal to send astronauts to an asteroid and this type of asteroid would actually be a pretty good type to go to,
by that I gather he doesn't feel very optimistic about the status of our economy. bummer
Double bummer. Our national unemployment number is a scam anyway, 9.2% its more like 18% - 22%. Thats not a recession, but a depression. Not a "Great" depression (30% or greater) just a "normal" one.
Registered Member #3989
Joined: Thu Jul 07 2011, 05:10PM
Location: In a van down by the river.
Posts: 52
Patrick wrote ...
Austin the Ozone wrote ...
"If the U.S. economy doesn't collapse, potentially we'll have space travel in the future and it is a stated goal to send astronauts to an asteroid and this type of asteroid would actually be a pretty good type to go to,
by that I gather he doesn't feel very optimistic about the status of our economy. bummer
Double bummer. Our national unemployment number is a scam anyway, 9.2% its more like 18% - 22%. Thats not a recession, but a depression. Not a "Great" depression (30% or greater) just a normal one.
Well on the bright side it won't be much of a collapse then if theres not much left. Like a bleeder resistor on a capacitor.. Not really a bright side, I dunno what it is. Makes me a little sad. What will happen to us?
Registered Member #543
Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992
Its not easy to understand the benefits of a crewed flight to such a tiny asteroid, compared with a robot.
There would be almost zero gravity on the asteroid, so a cosmonaut wouldn't be able to strut her stuff doing a funding-friendly 'moonwalk' stunt for TV audiences, and everything not tethered or immobilised in some way would drift off into the Great Beyond.
Without all the complexity, payload debit, and cost of human life-support systems, many more automated experiments could be transported to the asteroid once the need for a return ticket has been removed from the logistics.
Registered Member #2431
Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639
Proud Mary wrote ...
Its not easy to understand the benefits of a crewed flight to such a tiny asteroid, compared with a robot.
There would be almost zero gravity on the asteroid, so a cosmonaut wouldn't be able to strut her stuff doing a funding-friendly 'moonwalk' stunt for TV audiences, and everything not tethered or immobilised in some way would drift off into the Great Beyond.
Without all the complexity, payload debit, and cost of human life-support systems, many more automated experiments could be transported to the asteroid once the need for a return ticket has been removed from the logistics.
Registered Member #2099
Joined: Wed Apr 29 2009, 12:22AM
Location: Los Altos, California
Posts: 1716
Fraggle wrote ... Something that size could probably be brought back and parked in orbit for less than the cost of sending a crew there.
Don't think so. Energy-wise, I think the big part would be braking it into Earth orbit (maybe a lunar gravity assist would help). I bet it would be easier to make it hit the earth. (what country should be the target?) But we're still talking about thousands of times more propulsive impulse than all the rockets ever fired by man. And is there any reason to expect it to be richer in minerals than the moon we already have? Doesn't transport of moon rocks to Earth (raw ore or smelted metal) cost more than their weight in gold or diamonds?
Registered Member #2431
Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639
Klugesmith wrote ...
... And is there any reason to expect it to be richer in minerals than the moon we already have? Doesn't transport of moon rocks to Earth (raw ore or smelted metal) cost more than their weight in gold or diamonds?
Your absolutely right, I was asuming it would be like an Iron-Nickel cosmic body, not a worthless planetary left-over like the moon.
This site is powered by e107, which is released under the GNU GPL License. All work on this site, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 License. By submitting any information to this site, you agree that anything submitted will be so licensed. Please read our Disclaimer and Policies page for information on your rights and responsibilities regarding this site.
Newly discovered Trojan asteroid shares Earth's orbit
