Hayabusa heading home

Japan's Hayabusa-2 spacecraft has departed from the asteroid Ryugu with samples of its soil and begun its year-long journey back to Earth. 

Hayabusa-2 was launched in 2014. Three and a half years later, it reached the asteroid Ryugu, located about 300 million km (190 million miles) from Earth.  The spacecraft is expected to return to Earth in December 2020, dropping a capsule containing the rock samples in the South Australian desert.  

Following its arrival in June 2018, the spacecraft made touchdowns twice, collecting data and rock samples from the Ryugu - a primitive space rock leftover from the early days of the Solar System

Scientists believed these would be more pristine samples, since they would not have been exposed to the harsh environment of space. They were the first underground samples collected from an asteroid in space history.

While asteroids are some of the oldest objects in space, Ryugu belongs to a particularly primitive type of space rock, and may contain clues about the conditions and chemistry of the early days of the Solar System - some 4.5 billion years ago.

The last two races of 2019

Porto Rafti’s nautical club Ν.Α.Σ.Π.Ο.Ρ organizes several sailboat races during the summer every year with the last two crossing to the second largest of the Greek Islands, Eboia (Εὔβοια,) or Evia.  Eboea derives its name from the words εὖ "good", and βοῦς "ox", meaning "the land of the well-fed oxen.  An interesting vignette is that the philosopher Aristotle died on the island of Eboea in 322 BC. 

The race on September 29, 2019 was to the coastal town of Karystos in the south coast of Evia. In antiquity Karystos’ name was Chaeronea and was famous for its wealth.

The medieval Castello Roso overlooks Karystos.  The impressive Venetian castle was built in the 13^th century, and is offering a panoramic view of the town.  

The overall winner of the race to Karystos was the legendary Okyrhoe.  In the picture we see the boat maneuvering near the starting line with my brother Nikos at the helm. 

The last race was to little port of Marmari in the southeast coast of Evia.  The boats are jockeying at the starting line.  

In this picture we see the southwest coast of Evia and the nearby Petali islets.  These two races concluded the 2019 season.  It is time for the boats and the sailors to rest and prepare for the 2020 season.  I wish you all a good winter, stay healthy and get ready for 2020! 

Achilles Island

The dying Achilles (Αχιλλεας θνησκων), a marble statue in the grounds of Achillion Palace, in the island of Kerkyra, raises the question to where Achilles the bravest of all Greeks was buried after he was killed in the Trojan War.  

In this Attic lekythos c. 510 BC we see Ajax carrying the body of Achilles.  It is exhibited at Staatliche Antikensammlungen in Munich. 

Although there are many sites claiming to be Achilles’ tomb, we have a credible story by Captain Kritzikly, who in 1824 visited the island of Leuke and discovered the ruins of a temple in which a wooden statue of Achilles was found.  Captain Kritzikly drew a map of the temple and described his findings in detail. 

In 1840s the island was visited again.  Unfortunately a lighthouse was built in the same spot and resulted in the complete destruction of the temple and the surrounding structures. (Image from Wikiwands)

The experts agree that there were many temples dedicated to Achilles on Leuke in the 6^th century BC.  Did the construction many temples on Leuke meant to honor Achilles or was it because he was buried in one of them?  Nobody knows as Achilles and Ajax likely were buried near Troy as Nestor tells Telemachus “so many battles round King Pram’s walls we fought, so many gone, our bravest and best fell.  There Ajax lies, there Achilles too, the greatest man of war. (Homer’s Odyssey Book Three 119-122), and this is why the “seabirds dip their wings in the water to sweep the temples clean”.  

Epic Journeys

In Ernest Shackleton’s epic journey to the Antarctica after their boat Endurance was trapped, he and five of his crew set sail on a 22-foot boat from Elephant island to South Georgia 800 miles away. Alfred Lansing in his novel Endurance p 278 writes that the sea is a different kind of enemy.  Unlike the land, where courage and the simple will can often see a man, through, the struggle against the sea is an act of physical combat, and there is no escape.  It is a battle against a tireless enemy in which man never actually wins; the most he can hope for is not to be defeated.  Their struggle to survive became a testament of the human spirit and how much adversity humans can endure.

We did our sailboat crossing from Spain to Greece, one hundred years after Shackleton's epic voyage.  Although we use the word Epic when we refer to our journey it was in the Mediterranean a benign Sea comparing to South Atlantic.  We battled storms after we left the strait of Bonifacio heading south in the Tyrrhenian Sea and later in the Ionian Sea. Because of my fellow mariners' skill and tenacity against the elements we were able to complete our crossing in the summer of 2015. 

The Ultimate Journey

Although black holes have been studied for decades, all the images you’ve ever seen of them have been computer simulations or artist’s conceptions, until now.

On April 10, 2019, astronomers unveiled the first photo of a black hole, which is 6.5 billion times more massive than our sun. It is located in the center of the galaxy M87, 55 million light-years from Earth. The image shows a bright ring caused by superheated gas falling into the hole as the light bends in the intense gravity around the hole.

To obtain the image, astronomers used the Event Horizon Telescope, an idea that first Prof Falcke suggested, that links eight ground based telescopes around the globe to form an Earth-sized virtual telescope. Its Earth-sized scale gives it sensitivity and resolution that’s truly unparalleled. 

Black holes have raised complex questions about the nature of space and time and therefore "their existence is making astronomers ecstatic, as they were able to see the unseeable and the one-way portal to eternity", Dr. Doeleman, a lead scientist said.  This is a remarkable accomplishment of the human species thus the term Homo Sapiens is well deserved.

It is my hope that future generations continue channeling their energies and intelligence in projects like this for the good of all species on our planet and out of respect for the cosmos.

We are in awe by the progress in science illustrated here and seen in many other scientific endeavors. When I posted this, I learned about the passing of George Paulson, a highly respected physician and renowned researcher, historian and devoted family man. A man of good will who was always helpful to his patients and fellow men. We all share his dream that progress in the sciences and medicine will reduce the suffering from disease. We also hope that the advances in science will be accompanied by progress in our society to provide for the ill and disadvantaged. I consider this as Dr. Paulson’s legacy.

Paulet island

A friend on a visit to Antarctica ended in Paulet island, a remote island inhabited by penguins only. At that point she wondered to either cross the Antarctica like Ernest Shackleton or attempt a return to civilization as the shipwrecked crew of the Endurance originally planned.  And while she sat pondering what to do she recalled the last lines of T. S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land. 

I sat upon the shore

Fishing, with the arid plain behind me

Shall I at least set my lands in order?

London Bridge is falling down falling down falling down

Next month’s post will deal with an ultimate journey. A journey no human has ever attempted or ever will!

The Hurricane Season Starts

The Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1 and ends November 30.  NOAA's National Hurricane Center predicts and tracks these massive storm systems, which occur, on average, 12 times a year in the Atlantic basin.  One of the most destructive hurricanes was Katrina that made landfall in the Gulf States in 2005.  Picture by NASA

Tropical cyclones are called either Typhoons or Hurricanes and are rotating rotating low-pressure weather systems that form over tropical waters. “Cyclone" refers to their winds moving in a circle,whirling round their central clear eye with their winds blowing counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.  Tropical cyclones with maximum sustained surface winds of less than 39 mph are called tropical depressions. Those with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph or higher are called tropical storms. When a storm's maximum sustained winds reach 74 mph, it is called a Hurricane or Typhoon or Medicanes based on its location. Picture by NASA on BBC

Tropical cyclones out at sea cause large waves and high winds, disrupting international shipping and, at times, causing shipwrecks.

On land, strong winds can damage vehicles, buildings, bridges, and other outside objects, turning loose debris into deadly projectiles. The storm surge,or the increase in sea level due to the cyclone, is typically the worst effect from its land fall and historically resulting in 90% of tropical cyclone deaths. Over the past two centuries, tropical cyclones have been responsible for the deaths of about 2 million people worldwide. 

The word typhoon, is likely derived from the Greek Typhon (Τυφών) a feared monster in Greek mythology that had the head of a man and a lower body of thousands serpents and was associated with storms. 

The word Hurricane, is likely derived from huracán, the Spanish word for storm god, Juracan. This god is likely the Mayan creator god Huracan  who the Mayans believed created dry land out of the turbulent waters. The god was also credited with later destroying the "wooden people", the precursors to the “maize people”, with an immense storm and flood. 

Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame is a medieval Catholic cathedral that was built in 1163 on the ground where a temple to the Jupiter pre-existed. The cathedral is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture. Its sculptures, the rib vault and its huge rose windows make it unique.   Photo by Eduard Valdus exhibited at The Met 

Notre Dame de Paris is the Eclisethat as the name implies it is the place where people come together.  It is not only a widely recognized symbol of Paris but it is also part of the French national identity and the place where Victor Hugo’s novel the Hunchback of Notre Dame evolves.  It is the place where the French kings got married and where De Gaulle went to when he entered Paris after its liberation on August 24, 1944, while the bells of the churches around the city rang.

The April 15, 2019 fire started at the vault and the spire during work of restoration and renovation.  The cause of the fire is unknown and the event is currently under investigation.

The iconic spire also caught fire and fell making it the French equivalent of 9/11.  The major damage to such a unique religious and cultural monument is of enormous significance and has psychological repercussions not only in France, but Europe and the Christendom at large. 

The Notre Dame cathedral had been damaged several times in the past with a major damage in 1793 during the French Revolution when subsequently was used as a warehouse.   

In 1801 restoration work was started and in 1804 it was used for Napoleon’s coronation as an Emperor.  

On 26 August 1944 a special mass was held in the cathedral to celebrate the liberation of Paris; the Generals De Gaulle and Leclerc and other dignitaries attended it. Just as General de Gaulle was about to enter the Cathedral of Notre Dame, firing started all over the place. 

General de Gaulle walked straight ahead in what appeared to me to be a hail of fire from somewhere inside the cathedral. But he went straight ahead and walked right down the central aisle, even while the bullets were pouring around him. It was the most extraordinary example of courage that I’ve ever seen Bob Reid from the BBC reported. Photo from the Mussee de la Resistance en ligne. 

Artwork, relics, and other antiques stored at the cathedral include the crown of thorns which Jesus wore prior to his crucifixion and a piece of the cross on which he was crucified, a 13th-century organ, stained-glass windows, and bronze statues of the 12 apostles. 

Notre Dame as seen from the Quai de la Tournelle, by Jean-Francois Raffaelli (1897-1902).  In 1963, to mark the 800th anniversary of the Cathedral, the facade was cleaned to its original off-white color.  President Macron vowed to rebuilt Notre Dame in the next five years hopefully to coincide with the summer Olympics in Paris in 2024 and make it more beautiful than any time in the past.

The Boeing 737 MAX

The Boeing 737 MAX is a narrow-body aircraft series made by Boeing as the fourth generation of its most popular airplane the Boeing 737. The new 737 series was launched on August 30, 2011 and performed its first flight on January 29, 2016. 

On October 29, 2018, Lion Air flight 610, a 737 MAX 8 nose-dived and crashed into the Java Sea 13 minutes after take off from Jakarta’s International Airport. All 189 onboard died. The accident is under investigationwith the final report expected in the summer 2019.   

Many experts believe that the Indonesian pilots lost their battle because they had only 40 seconds to deactivate the automated anti-stall system called MACS - Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System - which is designed to Stake readings from two devices called angle of attack sensors that determine how much the plane’s nose is pointing up relative to the horizontal and it pushes the plane down in an effort to prevent it from stalling thus inadvertently caused the crash.

On March 10, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 a 737 MAX 8, crashed six minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa on a scheduled flight to Nairobi killing all 157 on board. The cause of the crash is unclear as of April 1, 2019, though the aircraft's vertical speed after takeoff was reported to be erratic and the pilot had requested clearance for an emergency landing.  There are eerie similarities in the behavior of the aircrafts in these two crashes.

All commercial airplanes are flown by the pilots manually and also by on board computers for the majority of the flight. 

In addition to the accidents in which MACS is suspected that played a role two US pilots have reported that their MACS caused their Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes to tilt down suddenly at mid flight but quickly corrected.  

According to ATAG a total of approximately 100,000 scheduled flights are in the air every day globally.  Although these are similarities between the two accidents, a disconcerting fact, their rarity makes air travel exceedingly safe with the most dangerous part of every trip being the car travel from the house to the airport on the day of the trip. 

In nearly 100 million flights by United States airlines over the past decade, there has not been a single fatality, while about 100 Americans die every day in car crashes, and a similar number from gunshots, and a larger number from opioids and other drugs. 

The culture of safety within commercial air travel is real, and it is a credit to all components: the aircraft companies, the airlines, the air-traffic controllers, the weather forecasters, the pilots and flight crews and ground-maintenance operators, and even the regulators.

The decision of the U.S. and Canada the last countries to ground the Boeing 737 MAX, came after satellite-tracking data point to similarities between the two crashes and have raised questions about the downside of automation.

And while automation has contributed to the airlines stellar safety record it may have played a role to accidents as pilots lose their skill of manually flying the aircraft and complicated automation systems may confuse them and potentially cause them to take wrong actions.  In the Ethiopian Airlines crash, one of the pilots had just 200 hours of flight time, less than a seventh of the time the FAA generally requires for a pilot to fly a passenger plane in the US.

It is not yet known what caused the crashes of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610, both after erratic takeoffs. Investigators are looking at whether the MACS software system may have been partly to blame.

Boeing has identified ways to improve MACS and is working on a software patch to submit to theFAA for approval.  In the meantime all American airlines and Boeing are providing additional training to the pilots so that they recognize and take corrective actions if MACS provide abnormal information.  Although it is understandable that the flying public wants assurances about the safety of the aircrafts we fly on it is axiomatic we allow Boeing and the regulatory agencies to complete their investigations and if deficiencies are found to correct them.  In the meantime we should all accept the fact that air-travel is an exceedingly safe way of transportation.   

Oumuamua

On October 19, 2017, astronomers at Hawaii’s PanSTARRS telescope detected an object in the sky that was moving unusually fast and likely had originated from another solar system. As it was the first interstellar object to be detected within our solar system, they named it Oumuamua, the Hawaiian word for a scout or messenger. (Artist depiction in Wikipedia)

An article at Scientific American describes six unusual facts about Oumuamua. The first one being that astronomers didn’t expect such an object to exist but the most unusual fact about it is that it deviates from an orbit that is shaped by the gravitational force of our sun. As the object is moving, in a hyperbolic trajectory, the question arises what gives it the extra acceleration.  As Oumuamua’s acceleration has not been seen with asteroids astronomers wandered whether the object may be an Unidentified Foreign Object sent to our solar system by an alien civilization.

It is known that there are conditions similar to those on Earth in a quarter of all planetary systems around other stars and there are 100 billion stellar systems in our galaxy the Milky Way.  Also 100 billion galaxies exist in the known universe making the existence of other intelligent beings elsewhere likely.  Could other intelligent beings send a scout to observe our solar system?  Future discoveries about the Cosmos will unravel mysteries such as Oumuamua, fast radio bursts, or what happens to space-time inside a black hole.

A Trilogy

Temples in the shape of the sky

and beautiful girls too 

with grapes in their teeth, you should have!

birds that nil the weight off our hearts 

and the blue we loved is everywhere!

The temple of Poseidon in Sounion

with its deep sky blue

and the vastness of the pelagic sea

it is the temple in the shape of the sky

that symbolizes our love too!

And the statue at the apex of the island

at the entrance of the blue bay’s too  

was photographed by my love 

and her father too 

they are as beautiful as our love too! 

by Odysseas Elytis, Nobel laureate 1979 and two more

Dawn of a New Day and a New Year

The games were over now. The gathered armies scattered,
each man to his fast ship, and fighters turned their minds
to thoughts of food and the sweet warm grip of sleep.

But Achilles kept on grieving for his friend,
the memory burning on . . .
and all-subduing sleep could not take him,
not now, he turned and twisted, side to side,
he longed for Patroclus' manhood, his gallant heart.

What rough campaigns they'd fought to an end together,
what hardships they had suffered, cleaving their way
through wars of men and pounding waves at sea.

The memories flooded over him, live tears flowing,
and now he'd lie on his side, now flat on his back,
now facedown again. At last he'd leap to his feet,
wander in anguish, aimless along the surf, 

until dawn appeared with her rosy finger flaming over the sea and shore 

would find him pacing.

 from Homer’s Iliad Book XXIV 

Parker Solar Probe acquired the first ever photo taken from inside the sun’s corona. The bright streak is a coronal streamer. Up to now, all photos of the sun have been taken from a great distance, either from ground or from telescopes in space given the sun’s extreme heat. The sun is a magnificent, hot, glowing ball of gas with its enormous hot plasma and bright coronal streamers streaking out into the surrounding blackness that matches Homer’s magnificent descriptions of sun’s rays at Dawn in both the Iliad and Odyssey. 

Today, at the dawn of the New Year, my favorite description of Dawn by Homer is… Dawn appeared with her rosy fingers.  I wish you all a Happy New Year.