<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><font size="4" class="">hi all,</font><div class=""><font size="4" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class=""><font size="4" class="">I am back from such an amazing week in Australia…I have concluded kids are the same all over the world…it was so interesting as we were getting ready for the first presentation in Australia I was wondering how the kids would respond…I looked at the audience of around 200 8 & 9 year olds sitting on a gym floor…it struck me how the kids are all the same…they sit the same way, they interface with their friends the same way, they really could have been any 8 & 9 year olds from any country…it was almost surreal... the kids new allot about space and were such a wonderful audience…</font></div><div class=""><font size="4" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class=""><font size="4" class="">I’ve often shared with kids how the rovers get their names…we spoke about the Mars 2020 needs a name…now is theme to involve your students in a fun contest…I am sorry this is only open to kids in the US but there is also a contest for the European Rover…hopefully many of you will be able to participate in this...<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";" class="">wishing you a
wonderful day...we have to always remember to do our best, enjoy everything we
do, live in the present, be appreciative of the good in our lives, let those we
care about most know, make each day special, smile & have fun! hugs &
love ya, Gabe</span></font></div>
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<!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:19.0pt;
font-family:"Helvetica Neue";mso-bidi-font-family:Times" class=""> </span><b style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: 26px;" class="">A Schoolkid Will Name NASA's Next Mars Rover</b></p><div class=""><figure class=" article-hero figure" style="margin: 1em 0px 12px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: table; width: 553.28125px; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);"><div class="magnify-wrapper iZoom img-zoom-in" style="font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative;"><div id="1538055290649" tabindex="3" class="img-zoom-container" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;"><img class="pure-img z-loaded" big-src="https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcGFjZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA3OS82MDYvb3JpZ2luYWwvbWFycy0yMDIwLXJvdmVyLWFydC5qcGc=" alt="A Schoolkid Will Name NASA's Next Mars Rover" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 100%; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;" apple-inline="yes" id="423FEB43-93CE-4C79-82FC-2A686B6ADBB6" src="cid:D76AE4B4-9D4C-4A9D-A131-81A70237E797"><div id="1538055290649-3" class="img-zoom-sub" style="margin: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; height: 0px; width: 0px; position: fixed; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; transition: height 0.2s ease-in-out, width 0.2s ease-in-out; cursor: zoom-out;"><img class="img-zoom" style="margin: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: absolute; z-index: 10003; max-width: 98%; min-width: 30%; max-height: 98%; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px;" apple-inline="yes" id="3C03B03C-5BF9-4285-AD0B-12812229AEBD" src="cid:BCDCBC55-E817-43C0-AE57-D61ECACEA7C5"></div></div></div><figcaption class="fig-cap" id="nointelliTXT" style="margin: 0px; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(211, 211, 211); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><div class="fig-desc" style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: inherit;"><font face="HelveticaNeue" class="">This artist's illustration depicts NASA's Mars 2020 rover studying its surroundings. Mars 2020 is targeted for launch in July or August 2020 from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.</font></div><cite class="fig-credit" style="margin: 8px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block;"><font face="HelveticaNeue" class="">Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech</font></cite></figcaption></figure><div class="article-content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: auto; height: auto;"><p style="margin: 16px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><font face="HelveticaNeue" size="4" class=""><font color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">NASA's next Mars rover will be named by a schoolkid, just like the agency's previous wheeled Red Planet explorers. </span></font><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">The agency plans to run a naming competition for the vehicle, which is currently known as the</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class=""> </span><a href="https://www.space.com/26701-nasa-mars-2020-rover-explained-infographic.html" style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(51, 102, 204); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none;" class="">Mars 2020 rover</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">, during the 2019 school year, NASA officials announced today (Sept. 24). The contest will be open to U.S. students from kindergarten to 12th grade, who will be asked to write an essay explaining their choice. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">But the agency won't be running this operation by itself. NASA is asking "corporations, nonprofits and educational organizations involved in science and space exploration" to sponsor the contest. (If you work for one such group, you can read the proposal announcement</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class=""> </span><a href="https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=ca395f8321213396568a1cd9a2968dc3&tab=core&_cview=1" style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(51, 102, 204); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none;" class="">here</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">.) [</span><a href="https://www.space.com/21900-nasa-mars-rover-2020-images.html" style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(51, 102, 204); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none;" class="">NASA's Mars Rover 2020 Mission in Pictures (Gallery)</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">] </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">We’ve been doing naming contests since the very first Mars rover back in 1997," Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., </span><a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7242" style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(51, 102, 204); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none;" class="">said in a statement</a><font color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">. "Thousands of kids participate, and their enthusiasm for the contest and Mars is infectious.</span></font><font color="#5b5b5b" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">”</span></font><font color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class=""> </span></font><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">That first Mars rover, Sojourner, was named by Vallery Ambroise, a Connecticut 12-year-old who wanted to honor 19th-century abolitionist and activist Sojourner Truth. Arizona third-grader Sofi Collis won the contest to name the twin rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which landed on Mars three weeks apart in January 2004. And Kansas sixth-grader </span><a href="https://www.space.com/13735-nasa-mars-rover-curiosity-clara-ma.html" style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(51, 102, 204); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none;" class="">Clara Ma submitted the name "Curiosity"</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class=""> for the car-size rover that has been exploring Mars' huge Gale Crater since August 2012. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">The Mars 2020 rover is based heavily on Curiosity, sharing the same chassis and the sky-crane landing system. Like Curiosity, Mars 2020 will assess ancient Mars' ability to host life. But the new robot will go a step further as well and hunt for signs of past life. Mars 2020 also carries some fancy new gadgets, including a technology demonstration that will</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class=""> </span><a href="https://www.space.com/26705-nasa-2020-rover-mars-colony-tech.html" style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">generate oxygen from the Martian atmosphere</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class=""> and a mini-helicopter that will fly scouting sorties. A</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">s its name suggests, Mars 2020 is scheduled to launch in 2020 — specifically, in July or August of that year.</span></font></p><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><h1 class="h1" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 40px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><font face="HelveticaNeue" style="font-size: 26px;" class="">Europe's Life-Hunting Mars Rover Needs a Name</font></h1><div class=""><br class=""></div></div><div class=""><div class="magnify-wrapper iZoom img-zoom-in" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);"><div id="1538055748428" tabindex="3" class="img-zoom-container" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;"><img class="pure-img z-loaded" big-src="https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcGFjZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA3Ny85NjMvb3JpZ2luYWwvZXhvbWFycy1yb3Zlci5qcGc=" alt="Europe's Life-Hunting Mars Rover Needs a Name" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 100%; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;" apple-inline="yes" id="B58C9B74-4C4F-4146-A253-12B83A03D596" src="cid:AC575006-D2CF-481F-96EB-8FEA301AFB05"><div id="1538055748428-3" class="img-zoom-sub" style="margin: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; height: 0px; width: 0px; position: fixed; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; transition: height 0.2s ease-in-out, width 0.2s ease-in-out; cursor: zoom-out;"><img class="img-zoom" style="margin: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: absolute; z-index: 10003; max-width: 98%; min-width: 30%; max-height: 98%; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px;" apple-inline="yes" id="BD1B0D33-698D-4B5A-BF17-14FC40E01751" src="cid:F801097A-4FC3-4F01-B94A-D598C1F8EAAB"></div></div></div><figcaption class="fig-cap" id="nointelliTXT" style="margin: 0px; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(211, 211, 211); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="fig-desc" style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: inherit;">Artist’s illustration of the ExoMars rover, which is expected to launch in 2020.</div><cite class="fig-credit" style="margin: 8px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block;">Credit: ESA</cite></figcaption></div><p style="margin: 16px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(91, 91, 91); caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class=""><font face="HelveticaNeue" size="4" class="">You can help name Europe's life-hunting Mars rover, if geography smiles upon you. </font><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large;" class="">The UK Space Agency has launched a public competition to name the U.K.-built </span><a href="https://www.space.com/39299-exomars-rover-could-discover-life-on-mars.html" style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">ExoMars rover</a><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large;" class="">, which is scheduled to launch toward the Red Planet on a life-hunting mission in 2020. </span><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large;" class="">"Mars is a fascinating destination, a place where humans will one day work alongside robots to gather new knowledge and search for life in our solar system," European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Tim Peake, who announced the contest today (July 20) at the Farnborough International Airshow in England, said in a statement from ESA. [</span><a href="https://www.space.com/14564-exomars-missions-mars-exploration-images.html" style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">Photos: Europe's ExoMars Missions to Mars in Pictures</a><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large;" class="">] </span><font face="HelveticaNeue" size="4" class="">A European life-hunting rover will also launch toward the Red Planet in 2020, and that vehicle needs a name as well. The UK Space Agency is running a <a href="https://www.space.com/41242-europe-exomars-rover-naming-contest.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">naming competition for the ExoMars rover</a>; that contest, which runs through Oct. 10, is open to residents of European Space Agency (ESA) member states and "associate members." The European rover is the second phase of the two-part ExoMars program, which is led by ESA in partnership with Russia. Phase one delivered the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and a landing demonstrator called Schiaparelli to the Red Planet in 2016. Schiaparelli crashed, but TGO made it safely and is now hunting for methane and other potentially biologically interesting gases from Mars orbit. </font><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large;" class="">"The ExoMars rover is a vital part of this journey of exploration, and we are asking you to become part of this exciting mission and name the rover that will scout the Martian surface," </span><a href="http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Name_Europe_s_robot_to_roam_and_search_for_life_on_Mars" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204); font-family: HelveticaNeue; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none;" class="">Peake added</a><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large;" class="">. </span><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large;" class="">The contest is open only to residents of ESA member states and "associate members." So, you're eligible if you live in Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland or the U.K. </span><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large;" class="">The competition runs through Oct. 10. The person who submits the winning moniker (which, hopefully, won't be </span><a href="https://www.livescience.com/54112-boaty-mcboatface-poll-polar-research-vessel.html" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204); font-family: HelveticaNeue; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none;" class="">Rovey McRoverface</a><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large;" class="">) gets a tour of the Airbus facility in Stevenage, England, where the ExoMars rover is being built. </span><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large;" class="">To learn more or to enter, go to </span><a href="https://events.airbus.com/ereg/index.php?eventid=200179103&" style="color: rgb(51, 102, 204); font-family: HelveticaNeue; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none;" class="">the contest site</a><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large;" class="">. </span><font color="#5b5b5b" face="HelveticaNeue" size="4" class=""><a href="https://events.airbus.com/ereg/index.php?eventid=200179103&" class="">https://events.airbus.com/ereg/index.php?eventid=200179103&</a></font></p><div class=""><span style="font-size: 26px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><h1 class="h1" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Oswald, Arial, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 40px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-size: 26px;" class="">Commercial Crew Providers Believe They Now Meet NASA Safety Requirements</span></h1><div class=""><figure class=" article-hero figure" style="margin: 1em 0px 12px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: table; width: 553.28125px; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);"><div class="magnify-wrapper iZoom img-zoom-in" style="font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative;"><div id="1538059214403" tabindex="3" class="img-zoom-container" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;"><img class="pure-img z-loaded" big-src="https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcGFjZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA3OS81MjQvb3JpZ2luYWwvc3RhcmxpbmVyLWNyZXdkcmFnb24tQXVnMjAxOC04Nzl4NDg1LmpwZw==" alt="Commercial Crew Providers Believe They Now Meet NASA Safety Requirements" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 100%; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;" apple-inline="yes" id="C0560CB8-C963-4759-B05E-FDBEDC569FAE" src="cid:3B344B97-B40A-4613-A472-AB06EFF73A3C"><div id="1538059214403-3" class="img-zoom-sub" style="margin: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; height: 0px; width: 0px; position: fixed; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; transition: height 0.2s ease-in-out, width 0.2s ease-in-out; cursor: zoom-out;"><img class="img-zoom" style="margin: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: absolute; z-index: 10003; max-width: 98%; min-width: 30%; max-height: 98%; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px;" apple-inline="yes" id="000B9B26-ED5E-4D0A-8D96-E2527E518F8C" src="cid:9C7E06DB-3B08-4417-AC34-E59159C5262C"></div></div></div><figcaption class="fig-cap" id="nointelliTXT" style="margin: 0px; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(211, 211, 211); font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><div class="fig-desc" style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: inherit;">Officials with both Boeing and SpaceX believe their CST-100 Starliner (left) and Crew Dragon vehicles meet NASA safety thresholds they have been struggling to achieve for years.</div><cite class="fig-credit" style="margin: 8px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block;">Credit: Boeing/Space</cite></figcaption></figure></div></div><div class=""><p style="margin: 16px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(91, 91, 91); caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class=""><font face="HelveticaNeue" size="4" class="">ORLANDO — Boeing and SpaceX, who have been struggling to meet safety thresholds established by NASA for commercial crew vehicles, <a href="https://spacenews.com/commercial-crew-providers-believe-they-now-meet-nasa-safety-requirements/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">now believe</a> their vehicles can meet those requirements as they prepare for test flights scheduled in the next several months. A key issue in the development of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon has been their ability to meet a <a href="https://www.space.com/37041-commercial-crew-vehicles-may-fall-short-of-" safety-threshold.html="" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">"loss-of-crew" requirement</a> — a measure of the probability of death or permanent disability of one or more people on a spacecraft during a mission — of 1 in 270. The companies have faced problems meeting that requirement, significantly more stringent than that of the space shuttle. "The number one safety-related concern for the program is the current situation with respect to the estimate of loss of crew," Donald McErlean, a member of NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, said at a meeting of the panel last year. The U.S. Government Accountability Office has also warned in reports that the companies were having problems meeting that loss-of-crew requirement. [<a href="https://www.space.com/13309-cst-100-photos-boeing-private-space-capsule.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">Boeing's CST-100 Starliner: A 21st </a></font><a href="https://www.space.com/13309-cst-100-photos-boeing-private-space-capsule.html" style="font-size: 16px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">Century Space Capsule in Photos</a><font face="FreeSans, Arimo, Droid Sans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 16px;" class="">]</font></p></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><b style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 26px;" class="">Here Comes the Sun! Parker Solar Probe Instruments See 'First Light</b></div></div></div><div class=""><div class=""><figure class=" article-hero figure" style="margin: 1em 0px 12px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: table; width: 553.28125px; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);"><div class="magnify-wrapper iZoom img-zoom-in" style="font-size: 12px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative;"><div id="1538054977378" tabindex="3" class="img-zoom-container" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;"><img class="pure-img z-loaded" big-src="https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcGFjZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA3OS82MDIvb3JpZ2luYWwvMDFfV0lTUFItY3JvcC5qcGVn" alt="Here Comes the Sun! Parker Solar Probe Instruments See 'First Light'" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 100%; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;" apple-inline="yes" id="B05FC9DD-898C-4E9D-9AC8-D8AE162DA518" src="cid:EB6374B7-9F8F-4711-8066-D6927CAEE1E3"><div id="1538054977378-3" class="img-zoom-sub" style="margin: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; height: 0px; width: 0px; position: fixed; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; transition: height 0.2s ease-in-out, width 0.2s ease-in-out; cursor: zoom-out;"><img class="img-zoom" style="margin: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: absolute; z-index: 10003; max-width: 98%; min-width: 30%; max-height: 98%; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px;" apple-inline="yes" id="7F457CA0-DAFD-4206-BB52-F1AAC0BCD84B" src="cid:A7CE6DDB-7BD5-4BE0-AC14-F90683F583ED"></div></div></div><figcaption class="fig-cap" id="nointelliTXT" style="margin: 0px; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(211, 211, 211); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><div class="fig-desc" style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: inherit;"><font face="HelveticaNeue" class="">These images, taken with Parker Solar Probe's WISPER inner and outer telescopes, show a view of the universe about 13 degrees off of that seen from Earth.</font></div><cite class="fig-credit" style="margin: 8px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block;"><font face="HelveticaNeue" class="">Credit: NASA/Naval Research Laboratory/Parker Solar Probe</font></cite></figcaption></figure></div><div class=""><div class="article-content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91);"><p style="color: inherit; margin: 16px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline;" class=""><font face="HelveticaNeue" size="4" class="">As Parker Solar Probe prepares for an unprecedented close-up of the sun, the new spacecraft sent data home showing that all is well in the mission. The probe's instruments showed the band of the Milky Way and picked up evidence of the solar wind, the constant stream of particles emanating from the sun. </font><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large; color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">The spacecraft will swoop close to the sun in November of 2018 and, over the course of seven years and many orbits, will</span><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large; color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class=""> </span><a href="https://www.space.com/40437-parker-solar-probe.html" style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">take periodic close-ups of the sun</a> <span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large; color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">and zoom by Venus several times. Parker will come within 4 million miles (6.4 million kilometers) of the sun on its closest orbit; that's more than eight times closer than the planet Mercury gets to the sun. </span><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large; color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">One big mystery that Parker may help shed light on, so to speak, is why the sun's corona (or upper atmosphere) is</span><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large; color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class=""> </span><a href="https://www.space.com/41398-how-hot-is-sun-corona.html" style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">so much hotter</a><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large; color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class=""> </span><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large; color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">than the layers below. The corona's temperature ranges from 1.7 million degrees Fahrenheit (1 million degrees Celsius) to more than 17 million degrees F (10 million degrees C),</span><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large; color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class=""> </span><a href="https://eclipse2017.nso.edu/corona/" style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">according to the National Solar Observatory</a><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large; color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">. By contrast, the</span><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large; color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class=""> </span><a href="https://www.space.com/17137-how-hot-is-the-sun.html" style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">photosphere or "surface" of the sun</a><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large; color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class=""> </span><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large; color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">reaches roughly 10,000 degrees F (5,500 degrees C). [</span><a href="https://www.space.com/40189-parker-solar-probe-photos.html" style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">In Photos: NASA's Parker Solar Probe in the Clean Room</a><span style="font-family: HelveticaNeue; font-size: large; color: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;" class="">]</span></p><div class=""><h1 class="h1" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: "Open Sans", Arial, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 40px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 26px;" class="">Astronauts Going to Mars Will Absorb Crazy Amounts of Radiation. Now We Know How Much</span></h1></div><div style="color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class=""><div class="magnify-wrapper iZoom img-zoom-in" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative;"><div id="1538057891143" tabindex="3" class="img-zoom-container" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;"><img class="lazy z-loaded loaded pure-img" big-src="https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5saXZlc2NpZW5jZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzEwMS84NDYvb3JpZ2luYWwvZXNhLXRyYWNlLWdhcy1vcmJpdGVyLmpwZz8xNTM3NTMwMTg0" data-src="https://img.purch.com/w/640/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5saXZlc2NpZW5jZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzEwMS84NDYvaTAyL2VzYS10cmFjZS1nYXMtb3JiaXRlci5qcGc/MTUzNzUzMDE4NA==" alt="An artist's depiction of ESA's Trace Gas Orbiter at work around Mars." style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 100%; display: block; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 0.3s; cursor: zoom-in;" apple-inline="yes" id="3F3BB35C-54ED-4870-A513-FAB92850C407" src="cid:6B717895-3EE1-4A3A-A642-9EB2F0A0A10D"><div id="1538057891143-3" class="img-zoom-sub" style="margin: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; height: 0px; width: 0px; position: fixed; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; transition: height 0.2s ease-in-out, width 0.2s ease-in-out; cursor: zoom-out;"><img class="img-zoom" style="margin: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: absolute; z-index: 10003; max-width: 98%; min-width: 30%; max-height: 98%; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px;" apple-inline="yes" id="65FC0C9B-CC7A-41AB-B7AF-1FCFA654BF48" src="cid:93411D66-7C5A-4D45-A84A-90CF7EC5F201"></div></div></div><figcaption class="fig-cap" id="nointelliTXT" style="margin: 0px; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(211, 211, 211); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><div class="fig-desc" style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: inherit;">An artist's depiction of ESA's Trace Gas Orbiter at work around Mars.</div><cite class="fig-credit" style="margin: 8px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block;">Credit: D. Ducros/ESA</cite></figcaption></div></div></div><div class=""><font size="4" class=""><br class=""></font></div></div><div class=""><font face="HelveticaNeue" size="4" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">There are </span><a href="https://www.space.com/28557-how-to-live-on-mars.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 153, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">plenty of challenges</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class=""> to putting people on Mars, whether you look at the rocket, the astronaut or the planet itself. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">New data from one of the many spacecraft at work around Mars confirm just </span><a href="https://www.space.com/21353-space-radiation-mars-mission-threat.html" style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 153, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">how dangerous a round-trip human journey</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class=""> would be by measuring the amount of radiation </span><a href="https://www.space.com/40006-space-radiation-worse-than-expected.html" style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 153, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">an astronaut would experience</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">. C</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">osmic radiation is made up of incredibly tiny particles moving incredibly fast, nearly at the speed of light — the sort of phenomenon a human body </span><a href="https://www.space.com/34361-cosmic-radiation-may-damage-brains.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 153, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">isn't very well equipped to withstand</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">. That radiation travels across all of space, but Earth's atmosphere buffers us from the worst of its impacts. That means the farther away from Earth's surface you go, the more cosmic radiation your body absorbs. [</span><a href="https://www.space.com/21353-space-radiation-mars-mission-threat.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 153, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">Space Radiation Threat to Astronauts Explained (Infographic)</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">]. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">By the time you're traveling to and from Mars, that gets to be a very big problem. "Radiation doses accumulated by astronauts in interplanetary space would be several hundred times larger than the doses accumulated by humans over the same time period on Earth, and several times larger than the doses of astronauts and cosmonauts working on the International Space Station," Jordanka Semkova, a physicist at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and lead scientist on the new research, </span><a href="http://www.europlanet-eu.org/epsc-2018-exomars-highlights-radiation-risk-for-mars-astronauts-and-watches-as-dust-storm-subsides/" style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 153, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">said in a statement</a><font color="#5b5b5b" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">. "Our results show that the journey itself would provide very significant exposure for the astronauts to radiation.” </span></font><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">Those results are based on data from the European Space Agency's Trace Gas Orbiter, a spacecraft that has been circling the Red Planet since 2016. One of the instruments it carries is a dosimeter, which has been taking measurements throughout the orbiter's journey. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">According to the team behind the new research, those measurements show that just getting to and from Mars would expose astronauts to at least 60 percent of the current recommended maximum career exposure. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">What precisely that recommended maximum is </span><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/284273main_Radiation_HS_Mod1.pdf" style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 153, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">varies with sex and age</a><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">, but it ranges from 1 sievert for a 25-year-old woman to 4 sieverts for a 55-year-old man. (The measurement of sieverts already accounts for differences in weight.) </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">But 60 percent just for the round-trip is particularly concerning, since presumably the point of going to Mars is to spend at least a little time on the planet's surface — ideally, without overdosing on radiation. </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: inherit; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">Email Meghan Bartels at </span><a href="mailto:mbartels@space.com" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 153, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">mbartels@space.com</a><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: inherit; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class=""> or follow her </span><a href="https://twitter.com/meghanbartels" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 153, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">@meghanbartels</a><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: inherit; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">. Follow us </span><a href="http://twitter.com/spacedotcom" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 153, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">@Spacedotcom</a><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: inherit; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">, </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Spacecom/17610706465" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 153, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">Facebook</a><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: inherit; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class=""> and </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/b/109556515093730290049/109556515093730290049" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 153, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">Google+</a><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: inherit; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">. Original article on </span><a href="https://www.space.com/41887-mars-radiation-too-much-for-astronauts.html" style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 153, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">Space.com</a><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: inherit; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class="">.</span></font></div><div class=""><font face="HelveticaNeue" class=""><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-caps: inherit; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91); font-size: 26px;" class=""><b class=""><br class=""></b></span></font></div><div class=""><h1 class="h1" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 40px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"><font face="HelveticaNeue" style="font-size: 26px;" class="">Planet Earth Wobbles As It Spins, and Now Scientists Know Why</font></h1></div><div class=""><div class="magnify-wrapper iZoom img-zoom-in" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);"><div id="1538058348829" tabindex="3" class="img-zoom-container" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;"><img class="pure-img z-loaded" big-src="https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5saXZlc2NpZW5jZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzEwMS84NjUvb3JpZ2luYWwvcGxhbmV0LWVhcnRoLmpwZw==" alt="Planet Earth Wobbles As It Spins, and Now Scientists Know Why" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 100%; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;" apple-inline="yes" id="86DB6728-67A3-4D58-8B2C-582BEF1FB3B2" src="cid:D69EE6C2-AF7D-4E91-85EF-DB06F72DE5E4"><div id="1538058348829-3" class="img-zoom-sub" style="margin: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; height: 0px; width: 0px; position: fixed; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; transition: height 0.2s ease-in-out, width 0.2s ease-in-out; cursor: zoom-out;"><img class="img-zoom" style="margin: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: absolute; z-index: 10003; max-width: 98%; min-width: 30%; max-height: 98%; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px;" apple-inline="yes" id="84290D40-3BE6-4623-AF44-742D225E15F0" src="cid:023522F0-605D-4611-ACBD-AA7479C02368"></div></div></div><figcaption class="fig-cap" id="nointelliTXT" style="margin: 0px; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(211, 211, 211); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="fig-desc" style="font-size: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: inherit;"></div><cite class="fig-credit" style="margin: 8px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block;">Credit: Volodymyr Goinyk/Shutterstock</cite></figcaption></div><div class=""><p style="margin: 16px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(91, 91, 91); caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class=""><font size="4" face="HelveticaNeue" class="">Humans are responsible for some of the wobble in Earth's spin. Since 1899, the Earth's axis of spin has shifted about 34 feet (10.5 meters). Now, research quantifies the reasons why and finds that a third is due to melting ice and rising sea levels, particularly in Greenland — placing the blame on the doorstep of <a href="https://www.livescience.com/37003-global-warming.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 153, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">anthropogenic climate change</a>. Another third of the wobble is due to land masses expanding upward as the glaciers retreat and lighten their load. The final portion is the fault of the slow churn of the mantle, the viscous middle layer of the planet.</font></p><div class=""><span style="font-size: 26px;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div class=""><h1 class="h1" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Oswald, Arial, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 40px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);"><span style="font-size: 26px;" class="">NASA's New Planet-Hunting Telescope Spots Its Second Possible World Already</span></h1></div></div><div class=""><div class="magnify-wrapper iZoom img-zoom-in" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);"><div id="1538058755143" tabindex="3" class="img-zoom-container" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: relative; outline: 0px; max-width: 100%;"><img class="pure-img z-loaded" big-src="https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcGFjZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA3OS81NTYvb3JpZ2luYWwvdGVzcy5qcGc=" alt="NASA's New Planet-Hunting Telescope Spots Its Second Possible World Already" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: 100%; display: block; cursor: zoom-in;" apple-inline="yes" id="2578D0CA-BE51-4884-BE2F-F15038AE6696" src="cid:CC292461-71F9-47AB-826F-5B2777082EB9"><div id="1538058755143-3" class="img-zoom-sub" style="margin: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; height: 0px; width: 0px; position: fixed; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px; transition: height 0.2s ease-in-out, width 0.2s ease-in-out; cursor: zoom-out;"><img class="img-zoom" style="margin: auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; position: absolute; z-index: 10003; max-width: 98%; min-width: 30%; max-height: 98%; left: 0px; right: 0px; top: 0px; bottom: 0px;" apple-inline="yes" id="A37A66A4-347B-4916-BEBF-426268521576" src="cid:79B8A812-E9A6-452F-B0C3-0BE1BA5779BE"></div></div></div><figcaption class="fig-cap" id="nointelliTXT" style="margin: 0px; padding: 10px; border: 1px solid rgb(211, 211, 211); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; font-size: 12px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="fig-desc" style="margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: inherit;">An artist's depiction of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite at work spotting exoplanets.</div><cite class="fig-credit" style="margin: 8px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block;">Credit: NASA</cite></figcaption></div><div class=""><p style="margin: 16px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(91, 91, 91); caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91);" class=""><font size="4" face="HelveticaNeue" class="">Scientists poring over data from NASA's newest planet-hunting telescope have announced that they've spotted a second possible planet, <a href="https://www.space.com/41882-nasa-tess-first-exoplanet-evaporating-super-earth.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">just three days after</a> many of the same team members announced their first find. The two potential planets are the beginning of a discovery bonanza that scientists have calculated <a href="https://www.space.com/41414-how-many-exoplanets-will-tess-discover.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">may hit 10,000 worlds</a> within just two years. Both come from the first month of observation time from the instrument — called the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) — which changes position each month to better survey the sky. "A second @NASA_TESS candidate planet has been discovered!" scientists with the mission <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA_TESS/status/1042773553777664000" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">announced on Twitter Thursday</a> (Sept. 20). Slightly bigger than Earth, this planet orbits LHS 3844, a M dwarf star 49 light-years away, every 11 hours. This find is being reviewed by other scientists, and we're looking forward to studying this cool "hot Earth." [<a href="https://www.space.com/40182-nasa-tess-exoplanet-mission-images.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">NASA's TESS Exoplanet-Hunting Mission in Pictures</a>]. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" class="">TESS works by staring at a field of stars to monitor their brightness. If those stars host planets that line up in just the right way to slip between the telescope and a star, the instrument registers a slight dip in brightness as the planet blocks the star. By watching several of those events, called transits, scientists can calculate the size of the planet and the length of its year. </span>The newly spotted planet candidate is orbiting a star called LHS 3844, a small, faint star called a red dwarf. That makes the new world one of the closest known exoplanets to Earth, as LHS 3844 is 49 light-years away, the scientists reported in a new study. <a href="https://www.space.com/40357-nasa-tess-mission-habitable-exoplanets-kavli-roundtable.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;" class="">On this strange world</a>, which is about a third again as large as Earth, a year lasts just 11 hours. That short year means the planet is uncomfortably close to its star, so it likely experiences too much radiation and solar flares for the planet to be habitable, the authors wrote.</font></p></div><div class=""><font size="4" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div class="mod top-mod partner-banner" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 18px; border: 0px; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91);"></div><div class="article-content" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: rgb(91, 91, 91); color: rgb(91, 91, 91); width: auto; height: auto;"><p style="margin: 16px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-size: 1.6rem; vertical-align: baseline; color: inherit;" class=""><br class=""></p></div></body></html>