Astronomy Science ~ main asteroid belt lies in the region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, and is home to most of the asteroids in t...
Astronomy Science ~ main asteroid belt lies in the region between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, and is home to most of the asteroids in the Solar System. In recent years, the asteroid belt objects received much attention as a potential site for future space mining operation that seeks to harvest water for space missions remotely (water can be broken down into hydrogen and oxygen to make rocket fuel).
One potential source is Ceres (the largest object in the asteroid belt). Once labeled an asteroid, Ceres is now classified as a "dwarf planet", an object that is under the planet. Ceres may contain more water ice below the surface that is more than all the fresh water on Earth and gravity are high compared with other objects in the region making it one of the most suitable location for a permanent base in the asteroid belt.
But you probably will not start mining there, first because it is so far away, "said Chris Lewicki, president and chief engineer of the asteroid mining company Planetary Resources." From the standpoint of resources and mining, many other objects that are closer. "
NASA's Dawn is expected to be the first spacecraft to visit Ceres when it arrived in orbit around the dwarf planet in March. This vehicle has sent some amazing pictures of Ceres. Thus, the surface of Ceres mostly mash mystery - images from ground and space telescopes shows he has a mix of bright spots and dark, but it's not clear what structure (some possibilities crater).
ESA Herschel Telescope found that the gush of water vapor into space from Ceres, probably from ice geyser-like eruptions of volcanoes or ice patches on the surface of the dwarf planet. However, the steam jet is too weak to pose any danger to you if you walk near them. They are so weak that "they may be difficult even for us to see," said Lewicki.
Although Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt, gravity is only 3 percent of the Earth's gravity. However, Ceres is "one of the few asteroids that might make us walk at as," Lewicki said. And across its surface will not take long - Ceres has a diameter about the size of Texas and surface area such as India. It remains unclear effects on health if we stay long in a place that has it's weak gravity.
In addition to the low gravity, Ceres also has almost no atmosphere, so there is no change in the weather or see the color of the sky when staying there. You will see the dark sky, but you also can not see many other asteroids through your space helmet because the object in the asteroid belt is generally within about a million miles apart from other objects.
When staying in Ceres, you will feel the extreme temperature shifts. Daytime temperatures are usually around minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 73 degrees Celsius), and the night temperature of minus 225 F (minus 143 C). But throughout the year Ceres (lasting about 4.6 years on Earth), you will not see a lot of seasonal temperature changes due to the tilt axis of the object is low (3 percent).
Ceres is almost three times farther from the sun than the Earth is to the sun. At noon (Ceres has long 9 hour day), the sun illuminates only about 15% of light than sunlight that illuminates the Earth.
If you live in Ceres, you takes about 15 minutes or more than 30 minutes to call Earth, depending on the distance Ceres and Earth.
One potential source is Ceres (the largest object in the asteroid belt). Once labeled an asteroid, Ceres is now classified as a "dwarf planet", an object that is under the planet. Ceres may contain more water ice below the surface that is more than all the fresh water on Earth and gravity are high compared with other objects in the region making it one of the most suitable location for a permanent base in the asteroid belt.
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| The best Ceres image taken by NASA's Dawn |
NASA's Dawn is expected to be the first spacecraft to visit Ceres when it arrived in orbit around the dwarf planet in March. This vehicle has sent some amazing pictures of Ceres. Thus, the surface of Ceres mostly mash mystery - images from ground and space telescopes shows he has a mix of bright spots and dark, but it's not clear what structure (some possibilities crater).
ESA Herschel Telescope found that the gush of water vapor into space from Ceres, probably from ice geyser-like eruptions of volcanoes or ice patches on the surface of the dwarf planet. However, the steam jet is too weak to pose any danger to you if you walk near them. They are so weak that "they may be difficult even for us to see," said Lewicki.
Although Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt, gravity is only 3 percent of the Earth's gravity. However, Ceres is "one of the few asteroids that might make us walk at as," Lewicki said. And across its surface will not take long - Ceres has a diameter about the size of Texas and surface area such as India. It remains unclear effects on health if we stay long in a place that has it's weak gravity.
In addition to the low gravity, Ceres also has almost no atmosphere, so there is no change in the weather or see the color of the sky when staying there. You will see the dark sky, but you also can not see many other asteroids through your space helmet because the object in the asteroid belt is generally within about a million miles apart from other objects.
When staying in Ceres, you will feel the extreme temperature shifts. Daytime temperatures are usually around minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 73 degrees Celsius), and the night temperature of minus 225 F (minus 143 C). But throughout the year Ceres (lasting about 4.6 years on Earth), you will not see a lot of seasonal temperature changes due to the tilt axis of the object is low (3 percent).
Ceres is almost three times farther from the sun than the Earth is to the sun. At noon (Ceres has long 9 hour day), the sun illuminates only about 15% of light than sunlight that illuminates the Earth.
If you live in Ceres, you takes about 15 minutes or more than 30 minutes to call Earth, depending on the distance Ceres and Earth.
