The Olb City Announcer
Volume 2, Issue 4
November 8-November 14, 2020
APAIS-2 reaches asteroid
by Tony Yuan
Derlass Space Facility-The revolutionary satellite APAIS-2 (All-Purpose Asteroid Imaging System) reached the asteroid Vesta on Tuesday after a journey of more than three years. It will orbit the asteroid for four Earth years collecting data about Vesta. This will help astronomers assess if Vesta will be suitable for a future mission. “We are eyeing the Asteroid Belt as a potential destination for intergalactic explorers after stopping at Mars, which could become a ‘gas station’ for future missions,” the director of the APAIS team, Fred Nelson, said. APAIS-2 is the second satellite in the APAIS series. Its predecessor, APAIS-1, launched in 2008 and studied another asteroid, Pallas, until 2014.
Sports
by Sam-Louis Alrocaet
Calvin Hedmerr, the head coach of the New Rome Bulldogs, who tested positive for COVID last week (See Issue 13, Sports section) died at New Rome Hospital on Monday following an extremely rapid decline.
Arts
by Owen Miyazoi
On Tuesday, local photographer Thomas Gessbegere (See Issue 3, Arts section) released a new seiries of photos of the descendants of Arenztopian Incans. The powerful and moving pictures are slated to go on display at OCAM in February.
Weather
by Mezoir Logan
Next week should have an extremely low temperature of just 2 degrees celsius, with temperatures rising up to 6 degrees celsius. Additionally, snow and hail are expected on Tuesday and Wednesday, but temperatures may rise up to as high as 8 degrees on Friday.
The Political Politician: the weekly politics column
by Tony Yuan
According to polls by Olb University, many people in Olb City favor Tony Yuan for Vice President, but Ellidy J. for Mayor. In overall polls of Arenztopia in general, Tony is favored for both positions that he is running for; but for the position of Mayor, he only has a .5% lead over Ellidy.
Coronavirus Report
by Owen Miyazoi
Cases and deaths are still steadily declining, with 831 cases so far. Deaths are lower, with 45 deaths.
Feature: Fred Nelson
by Tony Yuan
We interviewed Fred Nelson, a famous astronomer who heads the team that manages the APAIS satellite program (See cover story).
Olb City Announcer: So could you explain, just briefly, what the goals and implications are for the APAIS program?
Fred Nelson: Well, so the APAIS program is to survey the major asteroids of the Asteroid Belt, mostly because we want future people to literally refuel their spaceships and/or rest for a bit at refuelling centers on asteroids before going out to explore the outer solar system. This program is the first step in building a crucial link for interstellar travel.
OCA: Could you explain the satellites in more detail?
FN: Sure! So these satellites, they were launched back in 2017. Each one of the APAIS satellites is about the size of a small van, and they contain many different types of cameras and scientific instruments. The APAIS satellites, once they reach the asteroid, they attempt to orbit it. After that, they orbit the asteroid for three or four Earth years, taking precise measurements, taking pictures, and hopefully with APAIS-3, getting samples.
OCA: Why did you select Vesta and Pallas as the go-to asteroids?
FN: Well, Vesta is the second-biggest thing, and the biggest asteroid, in the Asteroid Belt. So it has a lot of building space. It also may have precious metals that we can mine. As for Pallas, it's also pretty big, and is confirmed to be chock-full of minerals and precious metals.
OCA: Thank you! That's all for today. Thanks for coming!
FN: Thanks for inviting me!
This interview was edited for length and clarity.
Elephant arrives at Olb City Zoo
by Sam-Louis Alrocaet
An elephant named Keesha was transported to the Olb City Zoo on Tuesday. She had been rescued from some poachers in 2015 and spent 5 years at an elephant rehabilitation center in Kenya.
New Movie?
By Owen Miyazoi
A new movie may be coming out in 2021, according to a leaked picture on Twitter. It includes zombie sharks, but nobody knows anything else about it.
Poetry
by Tony Yuan
Spaceship
Space vessel
Space explorer
Carrying humanity's hopes
into space.
Obituary
by Owen Miyazoi
Famous mathematician Sakar Gourbouise died at the age of 102 on Tuesday. He pioneered many theorems that revolutionized mathematics in the 1960s and 70s. Call his son, Darber Gourbouise, at 680-998-6334 to show sympathy.