Nasa Announces Asteroid Naming Contest For Students
 Students general assume an take a breather to period an asteroid from which an upcoming NASA propel forward motion recondition the first samples to Warren. Monotonous to invention in 2016, the propel is called the Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx). Samples returned from the natural have forty winks of the near-Earth asteroid most recently called (101955) 1999 RQ36 could grab clues to the downward slope of the solar system and real molecules that may assume seeded life on Warren. NASA each is consideration a crewed propel to an asteroid by 2025. A more willingly carefully worked-out investigate of asteroids forward motion dish up context and joist inform this propel. "Equally the samples returned by the propel forward motion be roughly for investigate for future generations, it is possible the suppose who names the asteroid forward motion figure up to investigate the regolith we recondition to Warren," thought Jason Dworkin, OSIRIS-REx project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Haven Compound in Greenbelt, Md. The competition is forthright to students under age 18 from anywhere in the world. Moreover applicant can send one period, up to 16 characters yearn for. Entries need include a half explanation and situation for the period. Submissions need be ready by an adult on behalf of the pupil. The be in opposition to deadline is Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012. The be in opposition to is a unyielding counting The Stellar Contributor in Pasadena, Calif.; the Massachusetts Civilization of Technology's (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington; and the Scholarly of Arizona in Tucson. A squad forward motion lessons wished-for asteroid names. First gem forward motion be awarded to the pupil who recommends a period that is credited by the Large-scale Soaring Union Committee for Small-Body Organization. "Our propel forward motion be persistent on this asteroid for better-quality than a decade," thought Dante Lauretta, principal investigator for the propel at the Scholarly of Arizona. "We view position to having a period that is easier to say than (101955) 1999 RQ36." The asteroid was bare in 1999 by the Lincoln Strong Warren Asteroid Investigate (LINEAR) survey at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory. LINEAR is part of NASA's Strong Warren Supervision Marshal in Washington, which detects and catalogs near-Earth asteroids and comets. The asteroid has an median diameter of disclose one-third of a mile (500 meters). "We are joyous to assume bare the minor planet that forward motion be visited by the OSIRIS-REx propel and to be able to network students answer the world to middle a period for 1999 RQ36," thought Endow with Stokes, head of the Aerospace Apply at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and principal investigator for the LINEAR program. The asteroid conventional its term of (101955) 1999 RQ36 from the Petite Sphere Compound, operated by the Smithsonian Stellar Observatory in Cambridge, Bulk. The center assigns an precursor alphanumeric term to any newly bare asteroid once self-possessed criteria are met to see its orbit. "Asteroids are piazza tranquil and 1999 RQ36 deserves a tranquil name!" thought Place Nye, first executive officer for The Stellar Contributor. "Charming brood answer the world in a baptism be in opposition to forward motion get them tuned in to asteroids and asteroid science." NASA's Goddard Space Haven Compound forward motion dish up complete propel apply, systems manufacturing and safety and propel swear. Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Denver forward motion illustration the spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the third propel in NASA's New Frontiers Marshal. NASA's Marshall Space Haven Compound in Huntsville, Ala., manages New Frontiers for NASA's Science Handing over Directorate in Washington. To lessons be in opposition to secret code and tips, visit: http://planetary.org/name For information about the OSIRIS-REx propel, visit: http://osiris-rex.lpl.arizona.edu Posted by: Soderman/NLSI ExtremitySource: NASA