Saturday Space Reads
Because we all need a little space on Saturday.
Celestial spelunkers rejoice! There is, finally, a confirmed cave on the Moon. The researchers who discovered the lava-formed tunnels beneath a “lunar pit” believe they could be possible human habitats. After all, being cavemen is in our blood. We love a full circle moment.
Now, all we need is to locate similar caves on Mars, for future martians to shelter from the Red Planet’s seismic meteorite strikes.
With as much power as SpaceX and Elon Musk yield in the American space economy, the birds of South Texas don’t stand much of a chance. If you find yourself wondering why the
chickengreat blue heron crossed the road – it was probably to get away from Starship debris.Like wrangling the dregs out of a tube of toothpaste (just us?), planetary scientists are still squeezing discoveries out of the late Cassini spacecraft’s Saturnian system data. The latest study found oceans of liquid hydrocarbon on Titan, the second largest moon in our solar system.
If a 1-gigawatt space-based power plant could generate the same amount of energy as Earth’s top five solar farms, then transitioning to celestial solar power seems like a no brainer. The catch? That plant would not only have to withstand intense radiation and unpredictable debris, but it’d also need to be “100 times the size of the International Space Station,” according to Nature.
Did you know there is a group of people responsible for naming things in space? While we go hunt for that job application, check out the hottest tea in astronomical naming.
Long summer days throwing off your dinner schedule? If the days are feeling longer than ever, that’s because they are – thanks to a new, climate change-fueled rotation.
Saturday Space Jam:
This edition of Saturday Space Reads is brought to you by the Space Resources program at the Colorado School of Mines.
