Evidence of Planetary Collision With Ancient Earth Found In Mantle

Scientists have found evidence of material that shows Earth may have collided with another object billions of years ago. They found that an unexplained isotopic ratio from deep in the Earth's mantle may come from material that existed prior to the collision.

This led the scientists to believe that they have identified a sign that only part of the Earth melted, and that an ancient part still exists within the Earth's mantle.

The Great Impact Theory hypothesized that the Earth collided with a heavily massed object which resulted in the formation of the moon.

The object, about the same mass as Mars, collided with the Earth around 4.5 billion years ago and the resulting debris coalesced and formed the moon. This planetary object was given the name Theia.

Gravity Field Mystery of the Moon Solved By NASA GRAIL Mission

Gravity Field Map of the Moon

The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission by NASA has solved one of the moon's mysteries, its ever changing gravitational field. Mass concentrations under the lunar surface changes the gravitational field in the area that can either push or pull approaching spacecraft.

The GRAIL mission has mapped the gravity field of the lunar surface (see image).

The image on the left, known as a Mercator projection (similar to Earth maps), represents the entire surface of the moon with the far side of the moon (the dark side) at the center of the map and the nearside (as seen from the Earth), on the left and right side. The red parts correspond to mass excesses which create areas of higher local gravity, and the blue parts correspond to mass deficits which create areas of lower local gravity.

NASA's GRAIL mission involves two washing machine sized satellites that are placed on the same lunar orbit. It mapped the gravity of the lunar surface as well as its interior and thermal history. It also has a set of cameras known as MoonKAM that are used for NASA's education and public outreach project.

Study Shows Water On The Moon Came From Same Source As That of the Earth

A study on moon rocks and samples from the Apollo mission show that water on the moon came from the same source as that of water found on Earth. This discovery raises questions on how the Moon is believed to be formed.

The Great Impact Theory of the formation of the moon involves a planet the size of Mars called Theia colliding with the Earth around 4.5 billion years ago. The debris from the two colliding objects is believed to coalesce and fuse together to form the moon.

The Great Impact Theory was first proposed by Reginald Daly of Harvard in 1946 but was not thoroughly discussed until 1974 when Dr. William K. Harmann and Dr. Donald R. Davis brought it up again as a valid explanation of the moon's formation. The theory also would explain the geological and geochemical properties of the moon.

With the current research showing that the water found on the moon is from the same source as the Earth's, it is theorized that during the great impact, water already existing on the Earth survived the impact and settled on the moon during its formation.

Study Shows Proof That Moon Was Formed From Early Earth Collision With Planetary Body

Scientists believe that the moon was formed when a Mars sized planet called Theia (in Greek mythology the mother of the moon Selene) collided with the Earth 4.5 billion years ago. The resulting debris from the impact coalesced and formed the moon. This hypothesis is called the Great Impact Theory.

Prior to the Great Impact Theory, the predominant explanation theorized by George Darwin in 1898 for the formation of the moon was that the moon spun off from the Earth because of centrifugal forces (known as the Fission Theory). In 1946, this was challenged by Canadian geologist Reginald Daly of Harvard. He proposed that it wasn't centrifugal force but an impact that formed the moon.

A Short Primer on The Science of The Chinese New Year

The Chinese Calendar is a combination of two calendars, the solar and the lunisolar calendar. The solar calendar starts on the December solstice and follows the 24 solar terms of which the solstice and equinoxes are a part. The lunisolar calendar starts on the Chinese New Year and consists of 12 or 13 months.

The Chinese Calendar based on traditional culture and beliefs has been in use for more than 5,000 years. The year beginning January 23, 2012 based on the chinese calendar system is the year 4710. It is the Year of the (Male) Black Water Dragon.

A lunisolar calendar is a calendar whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year. In the chinese calendar, the lunar months are typically simply numbered, following the standard practice with the solar months. The Chinese zodiac is only used in naming years—it is not used in the actual calculation of the calendar. The calendar is not as simple as the Gregorian calendar. Since it is based on moon phases and solar time, there is no exact or consistent tracking system for the calendar. All calculations are based on the exact time the moon has entered a phase.

The day on which the New Moon phase occurs is the first day of the month. A month is calculated from the start of the new moon up to the time of the end of the phase. Instead of leap years, the calendar adjusts based on a "leap month". This is done when the cycle of the moon phase starts to get ahead of how the calendar is calculated. This is remedied by adding a day to synchronize with the moon phase again.

NASA GRAIL Twin Satellites Named

As reported earlier this month, NASA's twin GRAIL satellites were inserted into its lunar orbit.

The objectives of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) satellites are to map the lunar gravity and use that information to increase understanding of the Moon's interior and thermal history.

It was also mentioned that the two satellites initially named GRAIL A and GRAIL B will have proper names and that a competition will be held to choose what the name would be. The competition just finished and a class of fourth graders from the Emily Dickinson School in Bozeman, Montana was given the privilege by NASA to name the twin GRAIL satellites.

NASA Twin Satellites to Orbit the Moon

Last September 10, 2011, NASA launched a Delta II rocket carrying two satellites to the moon.

The objectives of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) satellites are to map the lunar gravity and use that information to increase understanding of the Moon's interior and thermal history. The satellites have been inserted into the lunar orbit just hours ago.

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The Grail Satellites previously named Grail-A and Grail-B were given proper names last Jan 2012. Article can be found here: NASA GRAIL Twin Satellites Named
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The insertion maneuvers placed each orbiter into a near-polar, elliptical orbit with an orbital period of  around 11.5 hours. Over the course of the  following weeks, the GRAIL team will execute a series of burns with each spacecraft to reduce their period down to just under two hours. By March 2012, the two GRAILs will be in a near-polar, near-circular orbit with an altitude of about 34 miles (55 kilometers) from the moon's surface.

Super-Sized Lunar Eclipse on December 10

Spread the word! On December 10, 2011 at around 4:45am PST (12:45pm GMT) a total eclipse of the Moon will be visible in the early morning skies of the Pacific side of North America, across the entire Pacific Ocean to Asia and Eastern Europe. By 6:05 am PST (2:00pm GMT, the Moon will be fully engulfed in red light.

The posted video from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) explains this phenomenon.

For those on the western side of the U.S., the eclipse is deepest just before local dawn. NASA notes, "Face west to see the red Moon sinking into the horizon as the sun rises behind your back. It’s a rare way to begin the day."

NASA video explains the supersized lunar eclipse

"Not only will the Moon be beautifully red, it will also be inflated by the Moon illusion.  For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. In fact, a low Moon is no wider than any other Moon (cameras prove it) but the human brain insists otherwise. To observers in the western USA, therefore, the eclipse will appear super-sized.", the space administration explains.

The moon appears red because of the layer of dusty air surrounding the Earth turns red and redirects the sunlight. It fills the dark behind Earth with a sunset-red glow. The exact hue (anything from bright orange to blood red is possible) depends on the unpredictable state of the atmosphere at the time of the eclipse.

Helium 3 to be Mined in the Moon

We're almost close to be going back to the moon again.

And this time, it's not for scientific purposes. It's more industrial. We are going to be mining the moon! Check the video below on the benefits on mining on the moon.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has partnered with Astrobotic Technology, a spinoff of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. The purpose of the partnership is to mine the moon for water and fuel. With the recent budget cuts NASA received due to a slowing US economy, the space agency has been going to private companies to augment its funding and even research. Aside from Astrobotic, NASA has also partnered up with the Sierra Nevada Corporation to produce a Space Taxi (The Dream Chaser) that would ferry passengers to space and back.

Reports say they have negotiated 7 contracts with Astrobotic, including one that will develop an excavator and also others to give NASA info on how they will help achieve its mission and conduct mining operations at a low cost. Aside from water, their mining operation will also target minerals such as methane and ammonia. Researchers are sure that these exist beneath the moon's surface. They just have to study how much and what form these minerals take in the lunar landscape.

David Gump, president of Astrobotic says, "We'll have a field-tested robot that will be able to go to the poles... The readings ... indicate there’s pretty substantial water at the poles, but we won’t know more until you go and take samples. So we’ll both confirm the readings taken from orbit and discover how the resource is spread out."

Video: Helium 3 and why its best to mine it on the moon

They also have secured corporate sponsorship in exchange for bringing cargo of around 240 pounds to the moon. These include scientific instruments needed to test the lunar surface. Also, if successful, they will also win Google's Lunar X Prize of US$20 Million for returning to the moon.

Another thing the company wants to focus in is the mysterious Helium 3. A rare element on the moon deposited by the solar winds. Many believe that is going to be a major element for fusion reactors. Current reactors use fission. This involves radioactive fuel and creates huge quantities of heat. Mining this mineral would certainly benefit energy production here on Earth if research holds true.

Gump says, "If we can convert to a fusion fuel cycle, it’s carbon free and radiation free... It could really improve things on Earth and be the basis for a very benign and cost-effective way to stabilize our civilization."

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