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7 Nov 2009
The Mariner series of spacecraft were interplanetary probes designed to investigate Mars, Venus, and Mercury. The program included a number of firsts, including the first planetary flyby (Mariner 2 - 1962), the first planetary orbiter, and the first gravity assist.
Astronomers estimate that in the entire visible universe, all the stars of all the galaxies, there are altogether roughly 10 to the power of 80 fundamental particles - protons, neurons and electrons. So it would take 10 to the power of 35 universes like our own to provide one such particle to represent every possible unique human being.
The nearest supernova observed in the twentieth century was detected in 1987: a bright object appeared in the sky on 24th February that had not been visible the previous night. After a few weeks, it started to fade, and its development is still being monitored using all the tools of modern astronomy.
It is suspected that 80 percent of Mercury's core is iron-nickel, as compared with Earth's 32 percent.
By 2100, in the absence of emissions control policies, carbon dioxide concentrations are projected to be 30-150% higher than today's levels.
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