Syed Nazif Ishrak
Grade: 11
School: Sunnydale
City: Dhaka
Topic: Miranda
"A lot of facts about the heavenly body Miranda is yet to be uncovered from the darkness in which it lies. Unlike all other moons which have been named after Greek and Roman mythological figures, Miranda derives its name from the Shakespearean characters in his play “The Tempest”. As prying literarians still ponder about origins of the name Miranda, ardent astrophiles like me seek to explore the cosmic terrain. In the frosty aphotic dominion of the solar system, prowls a mysterious and a bizarre moon Miranda, orbiting Uranus. Kuiper’s discovery of Miranda did not divulge anything significant about itself until the Voyager zipped past the planet in 1986.
As the Voyager 2 was the only spacecraft to reach the Uranian system, there lies the huge potential of discoveries that could enlighten the human race. If someday, space explorers tried reaching Miranda, they might see the Verona Rupes, the largest known cliff in the solar system; which is substantially bigger than the Grand Canyon of the Earth. The northern hemisphere which is yet untouched by us may reveal more intriguing aspects of the moon. We might be able to analyse the land texture and might find reserves of unique rocks; we might understand why it has a tilted orbit or the evidence of its geological activities. There remain endless possible endings to the mystery of the Miranda, but only exploring this cryptic innate satellite can guide us to the last piece of the puzzle. Finally, I believe if NASA contemplates future expedition to explore this little-known celestial-orb, we might be lucky enough to unwind the most profound riddles of the wonderful body - Miranda."