LOS ALAMOS, N.M. (KRQE) – Two asteroids have been named after two Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) scientists for their research on planetary defense.
The International Astronomical Union named them “Wendy Caldwell” and “Plesko.” The asteroids were found in the asteroid belt. One of them is around the size of Espanola.
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Cathy Plesko and Wendy Caldwell both used supercomputers at LANL to do physics simulations of scenarios in space before they were able to be tested. Both scientists said the naming was a completely unexpected honor.
