PEACE: The theme for the 2017 International Day of Peace is “Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All.”
Established in 1981 by the United Nations, the International Day of Peace happens every year on Sept. 21.
“Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace,” according to organizers.
Here are a few ways people have celebrated the day worldwide:
• one minute of silence at noon
• intercultural and interfaith dialogues
• holding concerts, festivals or soccer matches
• engaging youth in peace-building activities
• planting peace poles
According to www.peacepoleproject.org, “A Peace Pole is a handcrafted monument that displays the message and prayer “May Peace Prevail on Earth” on each of its four or six sides, usually in different languages.”
HI FROM EARTH: When a NASA spacecraft soars near Earth on Friday, the agency is asking us Earthlings to greet it.
OSIRIS-REx left Earth just over a year ago on a mission to learn about an asteroid.
On Friday, the craft “will fly by Earth and use the planet’s gravitational force to slingshot itself out into space,” according to a website dedicated to the mission.
“This maneuver, known as an Earth Gravity assist, will put OSIRIS-REx on course to visit asteroid Bennu, where it will collect a sample of some of the oldest material in the solar system.”
It will be closest to Earth at 12:52 p.m. this Friday.
To say hi to the vessel, take a photograph of yourself or your group waving. Then share it with the hashtag #HelloOSIRISREx and tagging the mission account on Twitter (@OSIRISREx) or Instagram (@OSIRIS_REx).
By the way, OSIRIS-REx stands for “Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer” — the major concepts and goals of the mission.
Learn more at www.asteroidmission.org/hello-osirisrex/
