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Oort cloud Could Be Smaller than Previously Thought.
February 1, 2001
NEAR Prepares to "Land" on Eros
Oort cloud Could Be Smaller than Previously Thought
Hubble Finds an Ant in Space
Surveyor Completes its Primary Mapping Mission
NEAR PREPARES TO "LAND" ON EROS
NASA has released more information about how it intends to land the NEAR-Shoemaker probe onto asteroid Eros on February 12th. Currently orbiting the asteroid at an altitude of 35 kilometres, it will maneuver itself slowly towards the surface. If all goes well, it will land gently on the asteroid, and then fall over to rest on its side, with its antenna still pointed towards the Earth. If the probe doesn't slow itself properly, it will smash against the surface - even hitting at 30 kph would destroy it.
OORT CLOUD COULD BE SMALLER THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT
A new study published in the latest edition of nature indicates that the Oort cloud - a giant ring of icy objects beyond the orbit of Pluto - might be half as large as previously thought. By studying various comets, scientists have predicted that collisions between the icy objects would erode them significantly. The early solar system was a demolition derby, with objects colliding all the time. Previous estimates hadn't taken into account the erosion of the objects in the Oort cloud from all these collisions.
HUBBLE FINDS AN ANT IN SPACE
New images from the Hubble Space Telescope provide the best view yet of Mz3, also known as the "ant nebula". This planetary nebula's bizarre shape is a puzzle to astronomers; the dying star's emissions are symmetrical, and not the chaotic shape expected from such an explosion. One possibility is that the star has a companion shaping the outflowing gas. Another theory is that the expelled matter is just following the star's magnetic field. No other observed planetary nebula resembles Mz3.
SURVEYOR COMPLETES ITS PRIMARY MAPPING MISSION
The Mars Global Surveyor completed its primary mission yesterday, including studying Mars climate, surface topography, subsurface resources and mapping the entire planet, taking over 58,000 images. That's finished, what next? NASA now plans to use Surveyor for additional science work and to research potential landing locations for future missions. They will also use the spacecraft to relay communications to two rovers expected to reach the planet in 2004.
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