Free Republic

Astronomers may have detected a previously undiscovered "mini-moon" in the solar system: a rocky object orbiting a small asteroid near Jupiter. If the rocky satellite, which is just a little wider than the width of Manhattan, is confirmed to be a proper moon, it would be one of the smallest moons ever spotted. The tiny satellite was discovered by scientists working on NASA's Lucy mission, which is sending a space probe to study some of the Trojan asteroids, two massive groups of space rocks that are located on each side of Jupiter on its orbit around the sun. The Lucy...

A unique “double asteroid” was photographed by a powerful telescope as it whizzed by Earth last month at over 43,000 mph. The asteroid, classified as 1999 KW4, is made up of two components — a larger body orbited by a smaller one separated by about 1.6 miles. It got as close as 3.2 million miles to Earth on May 25 — about 14 times the distance from Earth to the Moon, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) said in a news release Monday. The double asteroid, which has an orbit well known to scientists, is not an impact threat to Earth,...

Texas Tech will hold more focus groups and talk to more alumni before moving forward on planned changes to the school seal, regents decided Thursday. The system Board of Regents took no formal action endorsing the delay and expressed support for the program, but board Chairman Rick Francis and Regent Windy Sitton told marketing administrators to slow down a major re-branding campaign. (snip) "I feel that when more Tech family has had the opportunity to view this, it will clear up a lot of misinformation that is out there; it will clear up a lot of rumors that are out...

79R16773 KO-D By: Isett H.C.R. No. 192 CONCURRENT RESOLUTION WHEREAS, Founded in 1923, Texas Tech University has a rich heritage, and among its most cherished traditions are the Texas Tech Seal and the Double T symbol; and WHEREAS, Designed by the campus master planner, William Ward Watkin, in 1924, the Texas Tech Seal depicts a lamp, which represents school, a key for home, a book for church, and a star for the state; cotton bolls denote that industry's importance to the region, and the eagle represents this nation; and WHEREAS, The emblem first appeared on Tech diplomas in 1948,...