Planetary Society accomplishing a lot



What did the Planetary Society — the world’s largest nonprofit civilian space organization — do for us in 2011? I’m glad you asked.

Planetary Society members helped in solving the crucial mystery called the “Pioneer Anomaly”: Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft were (and still are) slowing down much sooner than expected. A “new physics,” some speculated, would be needed to explain this occurrence. But more data was recovered — once thought lost — and now it is thought the likely cause is due to heat generated which creates a recoil force. Thus, members solved a mystery and pushed back the boundaries of the unknown.

The Society was selected to provide public outreach activities for NASA’s next New Frontiers mission, the Osiris-Rex asteroid sample return, which is scheduled for launch in 2016. This would be the USA’s first asteroid sample return (60 grams expected).

Membership sponsored FINDS Exo-Earths (Fiber-optic Improved Next Generation Doppler Search for Exo-planets) at a telescope at California’s Lick Observatory. Numerous candidates were found, and more are expected in the next few years.

The first revolutionary Light-Sail-1 solar sail spacecraft was completed and is ready for launch. We hope to make possible a new class of low-cost, low-mass craft to explore our solar system — and perhaps later move on to the stars.

Thanks to tracking near-Earth objects (NEOs), our project discovered 10 NEOs, including two that are potentially hazardous to Earth.

Space Shuttle Endeavour’s final launch carried the Shuttle LIFE (Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment) into orbit. It tested, in part, the transpermia hypothesis — the idea that living organisms might survive a journey through space inside a meteorite.

We did this and more. Not bad for mere space enthusiasts. And in 2012 we hope to accomplish a lot more. See ya. We just keep rolling on — despite naysayers.



Lonnie Bailey

Pineville



Don’t stand in way of 1st-class restaurants



I noticed in Monday’s paper that a hearing is scheduled today for public comment or input to the building of an Olive Garden in Beckley at the Raleigh Mall.

My question is: Why the public input?

There has never in my knowledge been a hearing before any other restaurant was given a permit to open for business. Why and who is it that is trying to stop the Olive Garden and Red Lobster from coming to Beckley? Are they afraid it will put them out of business or take away from them?

It seems that someone is trying very hard to keep a first-class restaurant from coming to Beckley.

Beckley is in need of restaurants of this caliber where you can get a good meal without music so loud you can’t hear someone across the table from you talking.

Want my input? Let them start construction ASAP.



James Bostic

Beckley