Final Report: Mining Water on the Moon Over the past few months, I was part of a study funded by the United Launch Alliance and supported by a large group of technologists to determine if we can mine water on the Moon and turn it into rocket fuel, and to…
Debunking an Urban Legend of Asteroidal Proportions
There’s an urban legend going around since 2006 that says “asteroids used to be planets, but astronomers discovered they exist in a belt so way back in the mid 1800s the astronomers reclassified them as non-planets. For the same reason, Kuiper Belt objects like Pluto should be non-planets because they,…
Uncategorized
How Big Is a Planet?
I’m sure this is not interesting to most people, but I wanted to get it onto the Internet for those who become interested in Pluto’s planethood during the flyby and want more details. Determining the definition of a planet is really a scientific question. The first step in science is…
Kuiper Belt
Icy Worlds and Stars with Long Hair
When people say Pluto isn’t a planet, they often say it is an icy body and therefore it must be a comet, not a planet. But are icy worlds simply comets? Or can real planets be made of ice? And what is the difference between ice and rock, anyway? Let’s…
Planet Tossing and the Kuiper Belt
To get ready for the New Horizons flyby of Pluto (this July!), I’m writing a series on the science of Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. Here is the next installment. There are some very strong hints that the planets haven’t stayed in their original orbits and the giant planets tossed…
Citizen Space
The Challenge of Mars Mining
We just completed the 6th annual NASA Robotics Mining Competition, and like always it was awesome! This year, 46 universities from around the United States brought robots to mine the simulated Martian soil and win the coveted Joe Kosmo Award. Every year it has been an amazing success. We…
The Dance of the Kuiper Belt
The Pluto flyby is a once-in-a-lifetime event, so to get ready I’m writing a series on the Kuiper Belt. This time we’ll look at how solar system bodies are classified by the way they dance. Orbital Resonance The planets’ orbits are affected by something called resonance. When you were a child…
Citizen Space
Time for a Sand Safari
I collect sand as a hobby and for science. One of the things I love doing is going on a sand safari, a trip especially to collect sand. These trips helped my development as a scientist and they are fun. I haven’t been on a sand safari in a long…
Planetary Science
Measuring Planets Like Sand
About 2300 years ago, a human being measured the world. It was Eratosthenes, the Greek scholar. Imagine how he felt when he first realized what he had done. “Wow, I am the only person who has ever known the size of the world.” It must have been amazing. And humbling….
Kuiper Belt
The Kuiper Belt Awards
Note: this post (with the previous one) is intended to illustrate how BIG our solar system is by reviewing all the named bodies beyond Neptune. When Pluto was reclassified as ‘not-a-planet’ then people interpreted it to mean the important stuff ends at Neptune. Sadly, most people don’t know about all…