Here is a concise summary of the provided text, focusing on the main topics and key points:
**Summary**
The text explores various space-related topics, including:
1. **The Search for Planet X**:
* Historically, predictions of a 9th planet were made to explain Uranus' orbit, leading to the discovery of Neptune and later, Pluto.
* New evidence (circa recent months) suggests a possible 9th planet, roughly Neptune's size, with an extremely long orbit (15,000 years).
2. **Space Exploration Challenges**:
* The inefficiency of rockets for space travel, with most of a spacecraft's mass being fuel.
* Alternative launch methods have been proposed (e.g., space elevators, nuclear pulse propulsion).
3. **Astronomical Discoveries and Trivia**:
* Images of exoplanets and stars (e.g., Altair, with its flattened shape due to high rotation velocity).
* Facts about Uranus (e.g., naming controversy, size comparison to Earth).
4. **Animal Spaceflight and Human Space Exploration**:
* Various animals (e.g., fruit flies, dogs, monkeys) have been launched into space for research.
* Early human spaceflight concerns, including the impact of weightlessness on swallowing.
5. **Historical Space Race Context**:
* The competitive drive behind early space exploration (US vs. Soviet Union).
* A lesser-known speech by President John F. Kennedy proposing a US-Soviet collaborative mission to the Moon, which was ultimately abandoned after his assassination.
**Key Takeaway**: The text weaves together historical, scientific, and trivia aspects of space exploration, highlighting both the challenges and fascinating discoveries in the field.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text, without opinions, with each fact numbered and in short sentences:
**Astronomy and Space Exploration**
1. Urbain Le Verrier predicted the existence of Neptune in a letter to the Berlin Observatory on September 18, 1846.
2. Neptune was discovered a few days later, within 1° of its predicted location.
3. Initial predictions suggested a 9th planet (Planet X) due to Uranus' orbit irregularities.
4. Pluto was discovered in 1930 but was too small to account for Uranus' orbital irregularities.
5. Voyager 2's flyby of Neptune in 1989 revealed that Uranus' orbit was normal, eliminating the need for Planet X.
6. Recent studies (as of the text's date) suggest a possible 9th planet, roughly Neptune's size, with a highly eccentric orbit.
7. This potential Planet X would take approximately 15,000 years to orbit the Sun.
8. The existence of exoplanets with rings is rare, with J1407b being an exception, discovered in 2012.
9. J1407b's ring system has an estimated radius of 90,000,000 km, significantly larger than Saturn's.
**Space Exploration History**
10. The first animal in space was fruit flies, launched in 1947.
11. Laika, a dog, became the first animal to orbit the Earth in 1957.
12. The first monkey in space was launched in 1949, followed by the first mouse in 1950.
13. Many animals, including hamsters, turtles, and rabbits, have been launched into space for research.
14. The Soviet Union and the United States drove early space exploration with their Cold War rivalry.
15. John F. Kennedy proposed a joint US-USSR mission to the Moon on September 20, 1963.
16. Initially rejected, Kennedy's proposal was later considered by Soviet Premiere Nikita S. Khrushchev.
17. Plans for a joint mission were abandoned after Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963.
**Miscellaneous**
18. The International Space Station is estimated to have cost around $150 billion.
19. Over 85% of the Space Shuttle's mass at launch was fuel.
20. The Curiosity rover landed on Mars on August 5, 2012, and has analyzed Martian soil.
21. A 2008 study found that cockroaches conceived in space became faster and stronger than their Earth-dwelling counterparts.
22. Neil Armstrong's famous quote might have been misquoted; he intended to say "one small step for A man."