[FPSPACE] FW: UCF: Japanese Asteroid Mission a Success; Next Up, NASA

[Anatoly Zak]

³Next Up, NASA²

Obviously completely ignores the fact that Russia plans to launch a mission
this year to return samples from Phobos. :)

Anatoly Zak
http://www.RussianSpaceWeb.com

 


On 8/27/11 2:02 AM, "LARRY KLAES" <ljk4 at msn.com> wrote:

> 
>  
>> Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2011 15:05:28 -0400
>> Subject: UCF: Japanese Asteroid Mission a Success; Next Up, NASA
>> From: rick.fienberg at aas.org
>> To: Rick.Fienberg at aas.org
>> 
>> THE FOLLOWING RELEASE WAS RECEIVED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL
>> FLORIDA IN ORLANDO AND IS FORWARDED FOR YOUR INFORMATION. (FORWARDING
>> DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT BY THE AMERICAN ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY.) Rick
>> Fienberg, AAS Press Officer: rick.fienberg at aas.org, +1 202-328-2010
>> x116.
>> 
>> August 25, 2011
>> 
>> Contact:
>> Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala
>> Senior Communications Coordinator
>> +1 407-823-6120
>> zenaida.kotala at ucf.edu
>> 
>> Text & Image:
>> http://today.ucf.edu/japanese-asteroid-mission-a-success-next-up-nasa/
>> 
>> JAPANESE ASTEROID MISSION
>> A SUCCESS; NEXT UP, NASA
>> 
>> A space mission to a nearby asteroid launched in 2005 has yielded some
>> interesting clues about Earth¹s early formation.
>> 
>> Japanese scientists on that mission report today in the journal
>> Science that despite retrieving a very small sample from the nearby
>> Itokawa asteroid, the knowledge gained is huge.
>> 
>> ³This is a great achievement for the Japan Aerospace Exploration
>> Agency,² said Humberto Campins, a professor at the University of
>> Central Florida and international expert on asteroids and comets. ³The
>> analysis of the Itokawa asteroid sample illustrates the wealth of
>> information that can be obtained even from very small samples and sets
>> the stage nicely for NASA¹s OSIRIS REx mission, which is to sample a
>> more primitive asteroid. That asteroid should help us understand the
>> role asteroids played in the origin of Earth¹s oceans and life.²
>> 
>> What scientists found in the Itokawa sample is unequivocal evidence
>> that this type of asteroid is the parent of ordinary chondrites -- the
>> most common type of meteorites found on Earth. Space weather morphs
>> asteroid fragments and when they enter Earth¹s atmosphere they burn up
>> as meteors, changing their chemical nature a bit. That¹s why they are
>> referred to as meteorites. The Japanese¹s pristine sample has helped
>> distinguish the original material on the rock and how it changed when
>> it entered Earth¹s atmosphere. That is helpful to understanding the
>> origin and evolution of the planet and the solar system.
>> 
>> Although technical glitches caused the Japanese space mission to
>> collect a smaller sample size than had been intended, Campins said the
>> knowledge gained offers great insight and only makes him more eager to
>> see NASA¹s own asteroid mission take place.
>> 
>> The OSIRIS-REx mission, which targets an older and more primitive
>> asteroid, is scheduled to launch in 2016. Campins is part of that
>> scientific team and believes the sample collected may hold important
>> clues to understanding the illusive question of how the Earth got its
>> oceans.
>> 
>> He has reason to believe water on Earth may have originally come from
>> a primitive asteroid. Campins made international headlines
>> (http://www.space.com/9292-water-ice-common-asteroids-discovery-suggests.html
>> ) in 2010 when he discovered evidence of water ice on two other
>> primitive asteroids based on long-range observations. OSIRIS REx is an
>> opportunity to potentially confirm those findings through a hands-on
>> sample.
>> 
>> ³It¹s very exciting,² Campins said. ³I just can¹t wait to see what we
>> find and what surprises Mother Nature has in store for us.²
>> 
>>                            # # #
>> 
>> The University of Central Florida is a metropolitan research
>> university that ranks as the second largest in the nation with more
>> than 56,000 students. UCF¹s first classes were offered in 1968. The
>> university offers impressive academic and research environments that
>> power the region¹s economic development. UCF¹s culture of opportunity
>> is driven by our diversity, Orlando environment, history of
>> entrepreneurship and our youth, relevance and energy.
>> 
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>        
> 
> 
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