Nexus - 1705 - New Times Magazine-pages

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GLOBAL NEWS ARTIFICIAL OBJECT APPROACHING THE EARTH NASe reports that an unknown object approaching the Earth tom deep space is almost certainly artificial in origin, rather than being an asteroid. Object 2010 KOQ was detected by he Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona in early May, and was subsequently racked by NASA's asteroid-watching service, the Near Earth Objec Program headquartered at the Je Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. Observations by astronomer S. J. Bus et al., using the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, indicate that 2010 KQ's spectral characteristics do no match any of the known asteroid ypes, and the object's absolute magnitude (28.9) suggests it is only a few metres in size. The mysterious artificial objec as apparently made a close pass by he Earth, coming in almost to the distance of the Moon's orbit, and is now headed away into the interplanetary void. The object has used no propulsion during the time NASA has had it under observation. However, the spacewatch boffins believe that it must have moved under its own power at some point, given its position and velocity. "The orbit of this object is very similar to that of the Earth, and one would not expect a [naturally occurring] object to remain in this type of orbit for very long,” said Pau Chodas from JPL. The experts believe that the objec must be a spacecraft or, more accurately, part of one. It's likely to be a booster stage from a pas interplanetary mission, now drifting back in to Earth and out again. The next visit will probably be in 2036, at which time there's a smal chance that 2010 KQ will crash into the atmosphere and burn up. (Source: TheRegister.co.uk, 28 May 2o10, tinyurl.com/33qarkv) However, one of its potential uses appears to be to launch a surge of small satellites—during periods of igh international tension. This would enable America to have eyes and ears orbiting above any potential troublespot in the world. The X-37B can stay in orbit for up ‘0 270 days, whereas the Shuttle can ast only 16 days. This capability will allow the US to carry out long- erm experiments, including the esting of new laser weapon systems. This development will draw accusations that the launch of X-37B, and a second vehicle planned or later this year, could lead to the militarisation of space. With all the focus on the secret X- 37B, another space launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California received less attention. A Minotaur IV rocket was carrying the prototype of a new weapon that can hit any target around the world in less than an hour. The Prompt Global Strike system is designed as the conventional weapon of the future. It could hit Osama bin Laden's cave, an Iranian nuclear site or a North Korean missile with a huge conventional warhead. (Source: The Times, 24 April 2010, http://tinyurl.com/2639nda) periodic (oscillatory) motion, which can be thought of as someone plucking a guitar string (transversal oscillations) or blowing a wind-pipe instrument (longitudinal oscillations). With the length and thickness of the string fixed, the pitch of the note is determined by the tension of the string; the tone is made up of the harmonics of the modes of oscillation. In this sense, the solar atmosphere is constantly pervaded by the music of the coronal loops. A video of the solar music is available on YouTube at http://tinyurl.com/260d6mb. (Source: ScienceDaily.com, 22 June 2010, http://tinyurl.com/2g2chcu) In at SECRET US SPACESHIP LAUNCHED omewhere above Earth is America's latest spaceship: a 30- foot [~9.2-metre] craft so classified that the Pentagon will not divulge its mission nor how much it cost to build. The mysterious [Boeing] X-37B, launched successfully by the US Air Force from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 22 April using an Atlas V rocket, looks like a miniature Space Shuttle—but its mission is top secret. It is officially described as an Orbital Test Vehicle. 8 * NEXUS AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2010 www.nexusmagazine.com