The Lucy spacecraft and its target asteroids show that the way that we name discoveries matters. | Perspective by BadAstronomer
Once, long ago, a creature not quite human walked the Earth. She was tiny in stature, the size of a child, with a much smaller brain. She probably communicated with grunts, hoots, and laughs, like chimps, but didn’t speak. And that’s why she didn’t have a name, at least not one we’d think was a name, today.
Billions of years ago, similar asteroids collided and grew until they became planets. Examining Jupiter’s asteroid fossils up close will enlarge our understanding of the origins of our own planet, a chapter of our ancient cosmic past difficult for us to otherwise unearth.A fitting tribute. But this homage to our past was just the first for this astronomical anthropological mission.
The spacecraft must pass through the main asteroid belt every time as well. Its first encounter was planned to be a four-kilometer-wide main belt asteroid designated 1981 EQ5. In 2015, however, not long after Lucy was approved and funded by NASA, the asteroid was given a proper name: Donaldjohanson, which honors the anthropologist who first discovered the fossilized bones of the A. afarensis Lucy in 1974.
Along the way our nature also compels us to bestow names upon these things we study. It’s a lovely tradition, a way to memorialize events and people who have contributed to our history. This act has deep meaning to us. Just as we are driven to explore, these names help us as we seek connection with what we study. The way we create these relationships is more than a gesture; it reflects what we hold dear, an acknowledgement of what and whom we honor.
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Lucy Dacus Revisits 'Night Shift' Heartbreak Five Years Later in Official Music Video.lucydacus revisits that palpable heartache in the official music video for “Night Shift.”
Weiterlesen »
7 Space Concepts That Were Too Wild for NASAThe space agency has toyed with some big ideas over the years, but some things are even too NASA for NASA.
Weiterlesen »
How NASA is updating its Space Launch System hardware ahead of the Artemis 2 missionThe mobile launcher is the first area that needs work.
Weiterlesen »
SpaceX Crew-5 astronauts hope to leave space station March 9 as NASA watches weather'The universe started throwing curveballs our way, and then it got really crazy.'
Weiterlesen »
NASA Surprised When School Children Discover That EpiPens Become Toxic in SpaceElementary school students have discovered that EpiPens can turn poisonous after being launched into space due to space radiation.
Weiterlesen »
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Views First Dazzling “Sun Rays” on MarsThe veteran Martian rover captured a dazzling sunset at the start of a new cloud-imaging campaign. Although Martian sunsets are uniquely moody, NASA’s Curiosity rover captured one last month that really stands out. As the Sun descended over the horizon on February 2, rays of light illuminated a b
Weiterlesen »