By: Haris Ahmad[1]
2019 was a great year, though it ended very quickly. This
year, humans made great discoveries and took a picture that rewrote history.
Humans accomplished as well as failed in a lot of their missions but the thing
that matters is that they tried. We should never give up on anything, even if
you fail, you have to try over and over again because one day you’re going to
accomplish your dreams. A lot of events happened this year but I will highlight
the main ones. Firstly, Beresheet, a technology demonstration mission was
launched and operated by Space IL and IAI (Israel Aerospace Industries) failed
because of a problem in its gyroscopes that prevented its main engine to start.
It destructively landed on the Moon. This is not what I want to highlight. The
main thing is that it contained thousands of Tardigrades. Tardigrades are
microscopic animals that are almost indestructible. Thus, they can even survive
in space. All these Tardigrades likely spilled over after the crash landing.
Secondly, a mission named Hayabusa 2 was launched by the
Japanese space agency (JAXA) on 3 Dec 2013, which is an asteroid sample return
mission. It took samples from 162173 Ryugu asteroids.
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Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hayabusa2 |
Moreover, this year another event happened that we all should
know and should take actions concerning. This year, the UN released a statement
warning us. UN said that we have 12 years to stop climate change. We should
stop the climate while we can. Therefore, if we don’t take action, we will
undergo destruction that would be very bad for the future of planet Earth as
the continuity of the human race. I have explained all about climate change in two
of my previous blogs. If global warming and pollution will remain at the
current rate is that by 2100 the temperatures will rise by 4 degrees Celsius.
This number might seem mathematically small but it can cause the loss of
millions of lives. Climate change will affect the
environment very badly. It will bring a lot of problems. The temperatures will
significantly rise causing a lot of heatwaves and drought. There will be
changes in precipitation patterns, which will cause a change in rain patterns.
The hurricanes will become stronger and intense. The sea levels will rise 1-4
feet by 2100 causing a lot of floods. The Arctic will likely become ice-free.
We have to take
action or will have to face the destruction of this beloved planet.
Last but not least,
as I mentioned earlier, we took a picture that rewrote history and the books of
astronomy. It was the picture of the black hole present in the center of the
galaxy known as Messier 87 that exists 55 million light-years away from us.
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| Image source: Veritasium |
”Four scientists affiliated with the Event Horizon
Telescope project, which released the image of the black hole earlier this
year, testified at the hearing about how the image was created, the importance
of scientific research and education, and the future of the project itself.
Throughout the hearing, the scientists' enthusiasm for black holes and the image was clear”, said Meghan Bartels from Space.com.
This year was the best for many people but it passed too
quick. I hope that 2020 brings happiness to all of you. I hope it will be a
good year for space scientists as well.
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