NASA just schooled actor Milo Ventimiglia about space because Twitter
时间:2024-09-22 04:33:20 出处:新闻中心阅读(143)
Who knew that teaching actors about space science was part of NASA's mandate?
Milo Ventimiglia -- who plays Jack in This is Usand Jess on Gilmore Girls-- begged NASA via Twitter on Monday to keep the Cassini spacecraft "alive" in orbit around Saturn. And, because Twitter is the great equalizer, of course the space agency replied.
SEE ALSO:The sound of a spacecraft passing between Saturn and its rings is straight out of 'Alien'NASA's official Cassini account explained that the agency has no way to keep Cassini functioning after September, when the spacecraft is scheduled to make a planned death dive into the huge world's atmosphere, burning up in the process.
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
It's not that NASA doesn't want to keep Cassini alive at the ringed planet, you see. I promise you, Milo, no one will be sadder to see that spacecraft go than the scientists who have devoted their careers to it. It's just that Cassini is running out of fuel.
Plus, Cassini is plunging into Saturn's atmosphere in September for a very specific -- and not to mention altruistic -- reason.
If scientists were to just allow Cassini to totally run out of fuel and free-fall somewhere in the Saturnian system of moons, it could actually contaminate a world that might harbor alien life.
Tweet may have been deleted
It's possible that Enceladus and Titan -- two moons circling Saturn -- both have subsurface oceans that may actually be habitable. Who knows what microbes lurk there?
If Cassini were to slam into one of those moons, it could bring Earthly organisms to the surface of the world, possibly harming native life. By burning up in Saturn's atmosphere, Cassini avoids that possible issue.
The spacecraft has been studying Saturn and its dozens of moons since it arrived in 2004 after launching in 1997. In other words, this is a longmission.
Saturn as seen by Cassini.Credit: nasa/jpl-caltechIt's actually rare for spacecraft to live as long as Cassini has. In fact, it was never expected to survive so long in the first place. Cassini's initial mission was only set for four years, but NASA extended it twice.
Cassini's long life has transformed the way we understand Saturn and its place in the solar system, revealing new information about the planet's moons and rings.
So, Milo, please, let's just thank Cassini for its service and send it on its way to the great space robot heaven in the sky.
Cassini has done enough.
Featured Video For You
Watch clouds move above Saturn's largest moon in new NASA video
上一篇: AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4 may get revealed at the Apple September event
下一篇: Bernie Sanders’ DNC speech sounded like everyone else’s. That’s astonishing.
猜你喜欢
- What Ever Happened to Winamp?
- Facebook has a modular phone patent, but who knows if we'll see one
- 热烈祝贺!2024全国猪蓝耳病防控及匠心种猪评选榜单正式公布
- U.S. vows to use 'all the tools at our disposal' to pressure N. Korea
- Pope says England are not 'one
- See Mark Zuckerberg's entire virtual reality demo from Oculus Connect
- 朴实农业:要将南疆刀郎羊打造为城市名片|疆企风采②
- 把握时“机”!广东省现代农业装备研究院加速科研成果转化落地
- 实干担当抓落实 多措并举促发展