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CuriousG
Half-elven
Aug 12 2020, 2:34am
Post #1 of 26
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Astronomy News: There's water in them thar asteroids
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This came as a small surprise from the Dawn probe: Dwarf planet Ceres is an 'ocean world' with sea water beneath surface, mission finds. Ceres is in the middle of the asteroid belt (hey, The Expanse fans!), and I would have thought it was too far from anything big enough to cause tidal forces that would warm its interior. For a cool photo comparing Ceres to our Moon, see here.
Way back when the Voyager craft gave us our first taste of outer moons, Io was supposed to be the only one that was geologically active and warm. Now we know more: "Jupiter’s Europa, and Saturn’s Enceladus, and Neptune’s Triton" likely have buried oceans, so maybe we should be less Mars-focused and chase the water worlds to discover their secrets and potential pockets of life?
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Lissuin
Valinor
Aug 12 2020, 10:39am
Post #2 of 26
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Inyalowda na kang leta owkwa Beltalowda!
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Rallying cry heard this week on Ceres:
"They (Inners) can’t take our (Belters) water!"
https://www.memrise.com/...reole-phrasebook/10/ - a helpful phrase book, just in case anyone is now planning a trip.
Buried oceans in the asteroid belt. What else will we find out there? I've been re-re-re...reading KSR's Mars Trilogy. I love this planet, but wouldn't it be fun to go out and have a look around?
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Aug 12 2020, 1:48pm
Post #3 of 26
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Yeah, I want to have my Mars and eat it too
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OK, that didn't work. Trying again: I want to explore Mars and other places too. We keep finding things we didn't expect when we visit a new celestial body. I was probably the biggest critic ever of exploring Pluto, certain that it was a waste of money to visit a dumb rock, but it yielded all sorts of surprises. And now Ceres does too.
Well, Beltalowda, sorry, this is how it starts--we are coming for you with our ice freighters! Or maybe we'll appreciate the message of The Expanse and not be so exploitative and self-centered. One can hope.
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Ataahua
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Aug 12 2020, 8:54pm
Post #4 of 26
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that a large find of ice had been found at one of Mars's poles, there was commentary left, right and centre about how it could be used for rocket fuel.
I, meanwhile, wondered if we'd ever learn to not plunder a planet's resources for short-term gain (even though I'd love to stand on Mars and look back at the sun).
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."
"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.
Fantasy novel - The Arcanist's Tattoo
My LOTR fan-fiction
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Aug 13 2020, 9:36am
Post #6 of 26
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ROFL! Wonderful. Let the candy bar consumption begin. //
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Aug 13 2020, 9:44am
Post #7 of 26
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Mars: an off-limits nature sanctuary, or the next strip mine?
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I had the same reaction to the lust for exploiting Mars' very limited ice reserves. Though I don't have any compunction about exploiting anything we find on the Moon. Mars seems worth preserving as an ecosystem, and we don't know what fragile forms of life we could destroy there through ignorance and greed, whereas the Moon, attractive as it is as a sky ornament, is dead and useless, so why not construct Belch-o-matic Industrial Extractors on its surface to further our colonization and exploration of space?
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N.E. Brigand
Half-elven
Aug 13 2020, 5:23pm
Post #8 of 26
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"Praxis is their key energy production facility."
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Though I don't have any compunction about exploiting anything we find on the Moon. ... the Moon, attractive as it is as a sky ornament, is dead and useless, so why not construct Belch-o-matic Industrial Extractors on its surface to further our colonization and exploration of space?
I think I know how that movie ends.
Treachery, treachery I fear; treachery of that miserable creature.
But so it must be. Let us remember that a traitor may betray himself and do good that he does not intend.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Discuss Tolkien's life and works in the Reading Room!
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=
How to find old Reading Room discussions.
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Lissuin
Valinor
Aug 15 2020, 1:56am
Post #10 of 26
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Hey, I think CuriousG 's original post was meant to be a serious observation on a fascinating mini-planet in our very own solar system, concerning which some posters here are displaying an appalling lack of gravity.
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Ethel Duath
Half-elven
Aug 15 2020, 2:11am
Post #11 of 26
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As an Astronomy nut, I take umbra--ge
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at that.
And I've been described as thin, but hardly weightless. 
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Lissuin
Valinor
Aug 15 2020, 5:52am
Post #12 of 26
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Astronomy: Nut, Egyptian Goddess of the Sky and the Heavens, yes!
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Will you be the first to sign my petition to rename one of the 7 daddy-god-named planets after Her? (Hey, Pluto totally counts for this.) She needs Her own planet. There's an appalling gender imbalance in planet names out there! All we've got is Venus and a bunch of satellites and asteroids. Seriously?! One planet?!
At least somewhere out there we've got Varda, Queen of the Valar and Creator of the Stars, and Her handmaiden, Ilmarë. That's pretty special. 
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Aug 15 2020, 4:55pm
Post #14 of 26
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If you're gonna protest, make sure you planet right to get media attention, or you'll be eclipsed by some movie star's love life.
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Aug 16 2020, 1:53pm
Post #17 of 26
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"Nobody better lay a finger on - wait..." //
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Aug 16 2020, 4:32pm
Post #18 of 26
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And you eclipsed that with mentioning "Snickers" (which are made by Mars)! //
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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SirDennisC
Half-elven
Aug 16 2020, 5:14pm
Post #19 of 26
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A pun be-Twixt a reference? Almond Joy-ing this! //
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Aug 18 2020, 3:14pm
Post #21 of 26
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It just Dawned on me with a Big Bang that you're not being Ceres-us and
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have cratered this thread with a meteoric rise in humor, including many nebulous references. I am left mooning over your stellar wit.
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Ethel Duath
Half-elven
Aug 18 2020, 4:50pm
Post #24 of 26
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Yes, my dog *is* a star. And--Do I take the bait? Do I not
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take the bait. Do I take the bait? Do I not take the bait. Do I . . .
(This post was edited by Ethel Duath on Aug 18 2020, 4:51pm)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Aug 18 2020, 11:53pm
Post #25 of 26
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Even unbaited... these Stell ar bunches of pun :D //
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We have been there and back again.
“Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." – Theodore Roosevelt
TIME Google Calendar
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Pfffff!
[
But not Pluto. I'm still mad he got deposed. 
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