This month’s Acta Astronautica (vol. 227, February) is propulsion-relevant: Deng, H. Sun, Y. Cheng, L. et al Study on the current stability and performances of electrospray thruster by coaxial capillary emitters of hybrid highly conductive ionic liquids P 1 .2024.11.049Moriai, I.… Read More »Note, Paper: Acta Thrustronautica
Today is, I gather, the holiday of something love-related? It sure is. Asteroid “Eros” (named for the Greek god of love) had, twenty-five years ago today, been the site of a space “first”- the first orbiting of an asteroid (or… Read More »25th Anniversary of a First: NEAR
This month’s Astronomical Journal (vol. 169 Number 2) is all about the (quasi-) comets: Kasuga, T. Comet 289P/Blanpain: Near perihelion Activity and the Phoenicids 54 ad95fdKurlander, J. A. Holman, M. J. Bernardinelli, P. H. et al. A Well-Characterized Survey for… Read More »Note, Paper: Activity Journal
Just added: Workshop on Bennu and Ryugu: Samples from the Early Solar System The Workshop on Bennu and Ryugu: Samples from the Early Solar System is scheduled for October 7–9, 2025, at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) in Houston,… Read More »Bennu/Ryugu: Samples from Early Solar System
One (significant) paper in the current Astrophysical Journal (Feb 10, Vol 980 #1): Angrisani, M. Palomba, E. Longobardo, et al. Spectral Variations across Latitudes on Asteroid (3200) Phaethon art. 127 ada60d If you aren’t already familiar with the object (3200) Phaethon, it’s… Read More »Note, Paper: Pre-Destiny
…and speaking of negative, overhyped asteroids: the object 2024 YR4 will likely NOT cause a catastrophe. Firstly, the odds were never good to begin with: as of this past week, December 2032 impact odds were ~1.5-2 percent. Which is to… Read More »No, 2024 YR4 will NOT kill you
Quick link to the current (5 Feb) Science Advances (vol. 11, issue 6). I don’t like to dwell on the one negative, overhyped aspect of asteroid studies, but Bennu publicity is Bennu publicity, oh well: Dai, L. Timmermann, A. Climatic… Read More »Note, Paper: Sci Advances… into the ground
Nothing for January (and February, so far) from Cometary Science Newsletter. Yes, comets aren’t very cooperative for human schedules.
In the Jan-Feb issue of MIT Technology Review (vol 128 #1), bit of ‘popular’ press coverage: Nordrum, Amy Vera C. Rubin Observatory p. 23Mann, Adam The Vera C. Rubin Observatory is ready to transform our understanding of the cosmos p.50… Read More »Tech Rev. Prev.
Oops, forgot there was a mid-month Advances in Space Research. For Jan 15 (vol. 75 #2): de Almeida, A. K. Vaillant, T. Santos, L. B. T. et al. Low-thrust transfer with Theory of Functional Connections: Application to 243 Ida with… Read More »Note, Paper: Advances in Sail Res