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ST14: Asteroids Mystery Cache

Hidden : 10/10/2018
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


Cache seekers assume all risks involved in seeking this cache, so be sure to check road/trail conditions and be properly prepared. The cache and route may be under snow during winter and a Northwest Forest Pass might be required.

Star Trek first aired over 50 years ago. Created by Gene Roddenberry in 1964, the franchise has spawned numerous television series, films, comics, novels, games, and fan fiction...and now there's a Trek-themed GeoArt series in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.


Asteroids aren't just a video game from the 1980's. Neither are they the same as comets or meteoroids. Asteroids are mainly composed of mineral and rock, while comets are primarily dust and ice. The differentiation between asteroids and meteoroids is based on size, rather than composition, with meteoroids being much smaller. The ability to detect asteroids has advanced considerably since the first asteroid was discovered in 1801. It took more than 50 years for the next 30 asteroids to be discovered, while in recent years there are 30 asteroids being discovered each week!

These large objects traveling through space could pose a risk to those of us living on Earth. Some instances from the 20th Century include the 2002 Eastern Mediterranean event, the 1930 Curuca River event, and the 1908 Siberian Tunguska event. The latter is commemorated annually on June 30th, when Asteroid Day occurs to raise public awareness about asteroid impact hazards.

All of these asteroids need names, and The International Astronomical Union is relatively lenient with naming them. There is an asteroid named after Gene Roddenberry (4659 Roddenberry) and another after Nichelle Nichols (68410 Nichols). Other asteroids have Star Trek references as well, although not enough to form exact coordinates for this cache:

N 47
Mr Spock
Ceres

W 121
Enterprise - Takei + Ginevra
Metis



You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Uvqr: Jnvfg-uvtu.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)