Near Two Harbors, 34 structures burned and Highway 61 closed; in Crow Wing County, a 1,600-acre fire sparked evacuations

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

We do not get many opportunities to pause and reflect on the abilities of the human mind, but today is providing the chance to consider the possibilities of genius, particularly when you consider the relatively short time since humans mastered flight.

NASA launched OSIRIS-REx a year ago, sending it on its way to the  asteroid 

, where it will take samples and return them to earth.

It doesn't have enough fuel to get there, which is OK because in the time since its launch, the earth has swung in its orbit to meet the spacecraft again.

will pass within 11,000 miles of us just before noon today

, and use the earth's gravitational pull to slingshot itself toward the asteroid.  It -- or rather someone's human mind -- accomplished this by factoring in the six degree difference between the earth's orbit around the sun and the asteroid's.

If all goes well, the slingshot will match the spacecraft's speed and trajectory to the asteroid's.

https://twitter.com/OSIRISREx/status/911090786090893326

The spacecraft's Twitter account is urging people to "wave" to it today, which is a pretty appropriate way to get people to stop and consider just how smart our species can be when we put out minds to it.

https://twitter.com/valegabo/status/911230111982211072

In today's process, giving the spacecraft some momentum takes some away from the earth's, the 

 says. Not to worry. We've got plenty and fall will still arrive  as scheduled later this afternoon.

How will the spacecraft bring its samples back to earth?  Gravity takes care of that, too.

All credit goes to whomever inspires us in math, science, and physics.

NewsCut

Bob Collins

Author

We do not get many opportunities to pause and reflect on the abilities of the human mind, but today is providing the chance to consider the possibilities of genius, particularly when you consider the relatively short time since humans mastered flight.


Overhead today, a triumph of brainpower

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox