{"id":271962,"date":"2021-06-11T13:00:30","date_gmt":"2021-06-11T10:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/dont-be-dull-nasa-let-us-explore-some-strange-space-moons\/"},"modified":"2021-06-11T13:00:30","modified_gmt":"2021-06-11T10:00:30","slug":"dont-be-dull-nasa-let-us-explore-some-strange-space-moons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/dont-be-dull-nasa-let-us-explore-some-strange-space-moons\/","title":{"rendered":"#Don\u2019t be dull, NASA \u2014 let us explore some strange space moons"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2d7c36b0e64\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2d7c36b0e64\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/dont-be-dull-nasa-let-us-explore-some-strange-space-moons\/#Exploring_Jupiters_bizarre_moon\" >Exploring Jupiter\u2019s bizarre moon<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/dont-be-dull-nasa-let-us-explore-some-strange-space-moons\/#The_ice_giants\" >The ice giants<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Don\u2019t be dull, NASA \u2014 let us explore some strange space moons<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div><span>It\u2019s been 30 years since Nasa last visited Venus, with\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/astronomers-spot-strange-bow-like-structure-in-venus-atmosphere-71347\"><span>the Magellan orbiter<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0in 1990. Now,\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-selects-2-missions-to-study-lost-habitable-world-of-venus\/\"><span>two new missions<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0have been selected to explore the deadly atmosphere, crushing pressures, and volcanic landscape.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The process dates back to February 2020, when Nasa announced that four missions were to undergo a nine-month peer-review process for feasibility. They were all part of the\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/planetarymissions\/discovery.html\"><span>Discovery program<\/span><\/a><span>, started by Nasa in 1992 to bring together scientists and engineers to create exciting, groundbreaking missions. Set aside from the flagship missions \u2013 such as\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/curiosity-catches-a-whiff-of-methane-on-mars-and-a-possibility-of-past-life-35595\"><span>Curiosity<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/uk\/search?q=perseverance\"><span>Perseverance<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0\u2013 the missions operating under Discovery have taken unique and innovative <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roaches to exploring the solar system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The two winning Venus missions,\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/nasa-has-announced-two-missions-to-venus-by-2030-heres-why-thats-exciting-162133\"><span>Davinci and Veritas<\/span><\/a><span>, have been awarded US$500 million (\u00a3354 million) and will be launched some time between 2028 and 2030. But the competition was tough from the two losing missions, which would have gone to\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/planetarymissions\/io-volcano-observer\"><span>Io<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/jpl\/proposed-nasa-mission-would-visit-neptunes-curious-moon-triton\"><span>Triton<\/span><\/a><span>, respectively moons of Jupiter and Neptune. So what are we missing out on as a result?<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Exploring_Jupiters_bizarre_moon\"><\/span><span>Exploring Jupiter\u2019s bizarre moon<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>Io is a strange moon \u2013 even among moons, which are strange, to begin with. As Jupiter\u2019s innermost moon, orbiting a mere 350,000 km above the cloud tops, it gives Io an extreme\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9qHrzs6Mbp4\"><span>heating mechanism<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0that makes it the\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/ui.adsabs.harvard.edu\/abs\/2004Icar..169..140L\/abstract\"><span>most volcanically active<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0object in the solar system, sporting over four hundred volcanoes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>You might think, given we live on a planet with a fair share of volcanoes, that we\u2019d have a good idea of where all this heat is coming from. In fact, according to Alfred McEwen, principal investigator on the proposed Io Volcanic Explorer or IVO mission, we\u2019re still profoundly ignorant of how it actually works.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>IVO was designed to perform multiple fly-bys of the moon and use a suite of instruments to map the activity on and below the surface. By collecting information on Io\u2019s magnetic and gravitational fields, taking videos of the enormous lava eruptions and analyzing the gas and dust escaping from the moon, IVO would help scientists learn how Io\u2019s heat is generated and lost.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>All of this information is crucial \u2013 not just for awesome videos of space volcanoes \u2013 because this kind of extreme activity is believed to be an\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/planetarymissions\/io-volcano-observer\"><span>important aspect<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0of planetary formation and evolution. By understanding the processes that drive change on Io, we can ultimately learn more about how planets and moons came to be.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_ice_giants\"><\/span><span>The ice giants<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>The least explored and understood planets are Uranus and Neptune, and they are home to some of the most bizarre things in the solar system. Uranus has an axial tilt \u2013 the angle of its axis of rotation compared to the plane it orbits the Sun \u2013 so extreme that it spins on its side. This is thought to be the result of a\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"http:\/\/icc.dur.ac.uk\/giant_impacts\/\"><span>giant collision<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0in the solar system\u2019s past.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Meanwhile, Neptune is home to the\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/jpl\/proposed-nasa-mission-would-visit-neptunes-curious-moon-triton\"><span>only large moon<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0that orbits backward around its parent planet, the curious Triton. The peculiar orbital arrangement isn\u2019t where the oddities end. The plane in which Triton orbits is offset by an extreme 23 degrees compared to Neptune\u2019s, and it is believed to have moved to\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/ui.adsabs.harvard.edu\/abs\/2006Natur.441..192A\/abstract\"><span>Neptune from the Kuiper Belt<\/span><\/a><span>, the region beyond Neptune\u2019s orbit filled with icy leftovers from the solar system\u2019s formation.r, consider how safe they really are<\/span><\/p>\n<figure class=\"align-center \">\n<p><figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A diagram showing the surface of Triton and what the Trident mission was aiming to do.\" width=\"600\" height=\"628\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/404488\/original\/file-20210604-25-vy73f1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\"\/><figcaption><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/#\" data-url=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Feditorial.thenextweb.com%2Fspace%2F2021%2F06%2F11%2Fnasa-let-us-explore-some-strange-space-moons-syndication%2F&amp;via=thenextweb&amp;related=thenextweb&amp;text=Check out this picture on: What the Trident mission would\u2019ve done. NASA\/JPL-Caltech\" data-title=\"Share What the Trident mission would\u2019ve done. NASA\/JPL-Caltech on Twitter\" data-width=\"685\" data-height=\"500\" class=\"post-image-share popitup\" title=\"Share What the Trident mission would\u2019ve done. NASA\/JPL-Caltech on Twitter\"><i class=\"icon icon--inline icon--twitter--dark\"\/><\/a>What the Trident mission would\u2019ve done. NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/figcaption><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/404488\/original\/file-20210604-25-vy73f1.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"A diagram showing the surface of Triton and what the Trident mission was aiming to do.\" width=\"600\" height=\"628\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/figure><figcaption\/><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Triton also has an <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ui.adsabs.harvard.edu\/abs\/1992AdSpR..12k.113L\/abstract\">active ionosphere<\/a> \u2013 a layer of charged particles in its atmosphere ten times more active than any other moon, which isn\u2019t powered by the Sun \u2013 as well as a constantly changing and dynamic surface, coated in what might be nitrogen snow. When <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/solarsystem.nasa.gov\/moons\/neptune-moons\/triton\/in-depth\/\">Voyager 2 photographed the moon<\/a>, it discovered cryovolcanoes \u2013 geysers erupting ice and gas up to 8km high, which might indicate a subsurface ocean.<\/p>\n<p>The proposed Trident mission would have explored these many strange things about the moon. It proposed a three-pronged approach using instruments to measure the magnetic field of Triton. It would have identified the presence and structure of a subsurface ocean. High-resolution infrared cameras would have allowed the spacecraft to image the entire surface, using the sunlight reflected from Neptune, showing scientists what had changed since the last visit in 1989. Finally, the spacecraft would have tried to discover how Triton\u2019s surface remains so dynamic and young.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, Trident and IVO lost out to the Venus missions. It would have been fascinating to once again explore the outer reaches of the solar system, or see the colossal volcanoes of Io. But Venus is a fascinating planet, with mysteries and potential all of its own.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important;margin: 0 !important;max-height: 1px !important;max-width: 1px !important;min-height: 1px !important;min-width: 1px !important;padding: 0 !important\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/162192\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important;margin: 0 !important;max-height: 1px !important;max-width: 1px !important;min-height: 1px !important;min-width: 1px !important;padding: 0 !important\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/162192\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p><em>Article by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/ashley-spindler-1238720\">Ashley Spindler<\/a>, STFC Innovation Fellow, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-hertfordshire-799\">University of Hertfordshire<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/nasa-has-just-rejected-missions-to-moons-of-jupiter-and-neptune-heres-what-we-would-have-found-out-162192\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/nasa-let-us-explore-some-strange-space-moons-syndication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Don\u2019t be dull, NASA \u2014 let us explore some strange space moons&#8221; It\u2019s been 30 years since Nasa last visited Venus, with\u00a0the Magellan orbiter\u00a0in 1990. Now,\u00a0two new missions\u00a0have been selected to explore the deadly atmosphere, crushing pressures, and volcanic landscape. The process dates back to February 2020, when Nasa announced that four missions were to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":271963,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/06\/NasaJup.jpg&signature=f86e22a5beff446893ef878291e2e7d6","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-271962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=271962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/271963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=271962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=271962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=271962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}