Vesta was first discovered by German astronomer Heinrich Olbers in 1807 , the second largest asteroid in the main asteroid belt.
The name of Vesta comes from the god of agriculture in Roman mythology, Vesta. It has many impact craters and mountains on its surface, and there is a possibility of groundwater ice. Vesta is the most massive main-belt asteroid after the dwarf planet Ceres, accounting for 9% of the total mass of the main asteroid belt. Although it has more mass than Zhishen , it is relatively small and is the second largest asteroid. Vesta forms the remaining protoplanets of rocky planets. One or two hundred million years ago, Vesta was impacted, producing a lot of debris and leaving two huge impact craters, and the southern hemisphere has a high density. Some of the debris from this event has fallen to Earth and become a HED meteorite, providing a rich source of information about Vesta.
In 1912, British explorer Robert Scott and the last two members of the Novaya Zemlya expedition were killed on their way back from the South Pole.
At that time, Scott and his companions had already walked nearly a thousand miles, but due to bad weather, shortages of supplies, etc., their physical condition deteriorated sharply and eventually stalled only 160 kilometers from their destination. It wasn't until November that Scott and two other members of the team (Henry Bloom and Edward Wilson) disappeared in a snowstorm, marking the disastrous end of the entire expedition. The rest of the team died over the next few months, with only one member alive. Although Scott's expedition failed, his courage and perseverance still inspired future generations to explore unknown frontiers.
In 1974, NASA's space probe Mariner 10 flew by Mercury, taking and returning the first pictures of Mercury.
Mariner 10 was launched on March 3, 1972, and after two years of flight, completed all scientific missions and successfully concluded its mission in August 1974. This is the first direct observation of Mercury in human history and has collected a large amount of data and images. Its scientific instruments include electrons, magnetometers, ultraviolet and visible light spectrometers, etc., which can accurately observe and analyze the surface, atmosphere, magnetic field, etc. of Mercury. Mariner 10's findings provide important insights into Mercury. It revealed information about Mercury's surface structure, geological features, magnetic field and environmental conditions, laying the foundation for subsequent Mercury exploration.
In 2004, seven former Warsaw Pact member countries, including Bulgaria, Estonia and Latvia, joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
This expansion is considered to be an important change in the post-Cold War European security system, marking the beginning of a new phase of NATO's eastward expansion. For these countries, joining NATO is both a security guarantee and means closer ties and cooperation with Western countries. At the same time, it also makes NATO play a more important role in geopolitics and international affairs, becoming one of the most influential security alliances in the world.