Astronomy.com blog : Karri Ferron

NASA technology in your world

Karri Ferron — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:58:00 GMT

NASA recently released its 2009 edition of Spinoff, an annual publication that chronicles successfully commercialized NASA technology. It’s easy to get lost in the magazine or its Web counterpart.

The 2009 issue features 49 “spinoffs” in the areas of health and medicine; public safety; consumer, home, and recreation; environmental and agricultural resources; and more. I enjoyed many of them, but my favorites are the life rafts that use water to prevent the them from capsizing, the star-mapping tools used to track whale sharks, and the “anti-gravity” treadmill that now helps patients relearn to walk or run.

Also, in honor of the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s lunar landing, the creators of the publication have also recapped how Apollo continues to provide tangible benefits to the lives of people in the United States and around the world.

Do you appreciate how NASA has given the technology it develops back to the public? Or do you think these commercialized products aren’t anything to write home about? Which 2009 spinoffs are your favorites?

Kids: Learn about Apollo 11 from the experts

Karri Ferron — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:25:00 GMT

Next week (November 16–20), NASA’s Digital Learning Network will host a series of videoconferences with NASA employees who had a special connection with Apollo 11 to let students hear firsthand accounts from people who made the lunar landing possible. The 1-hour programs will be held each day at 1 p.m. EST from a different NASA location and will be webcast to the public. The schedule will run as follows:

Monday: (from NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virgina) Explore the work of aerospace pioneer John Houbolt, and learn how a young engineer convinced his boss that lunar exploration would be possible only if something called “Lunar Orbit Rendezvous” was used as the passageway to the Moon.

Tuesday: (from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama) Learn how a rocket taller than the Statue of Liberty was constructed and why it tipped the scale of the space race in favor of the United States.

Wednesday: (from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida) Discover America’s spaceport, where the Apollo 11 astronauts made their final preparations before counting down to launch on the fastest rocket in the world, the Saturn V.

Thursday: (from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston) Learn more about the home of the astronaut corps and take a peek inside NASA's Mission Control Center, the setting of communication with Apollo 11 astronauts.

Friday: (from NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California) Discover how NASA may one day return to the Moon and explore the universe beyond with the Constellation Program.

SmartBean encourages kids’ interest in astronomy

Karri Ferron — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:19:00 GMT

Smartbean lists images from the Hubble Space Telescope like this one of the Bug Nebula (NGC 6302) as a reason kids will love astronomy. NASA photo

Cultivating children’s interest in astronomy is a goal for professional scientists, planetarium directors, schoolteachers, and astronomy clubs alike. So it’s nice to see when parents are encouraged to get involved in astronomy with their kids. In a recently published article, SmartBean is doing just that.

SmartBean is a web site dedicated to providing parents with excellent K-12 academic resources and news. In honor of the International Year of Astronomy’s Galilean Nights, it published “10 Reasons Your Child Will Love Astronomy.” The article highlights things like the breathtaking views a kid can see through a telescope, the educational but fun way astronomy activities can be incorporated into a child’s life, and the fact that astronomy is constantly changing with new discoveries and research.

I thought the article was a nice jump-start for parents. What do you think? What resources would you recommend for young kids interested in astronomy?

Get ready for some Galilean Nights

Karri Ferron — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:27:00 GMT

Official Galilean Nights poster

Another International Year of Astronomy 2009 Cornerstone Project kicks off tomorrow night around the globe. The goal of Galilean Nights, October 22-24, is to allow hundreds of thousands of people all around the world to experience their own “Galileo moment” when they look up at the sky through a telescope for the first time. Currently there are more than 1,000 public observing events in more than 70 countries to help achieve such a goal. The Galilean Nights web site lists them all.

Plenty of astronomy clubs, universities, and professional observatories in the United States are participating, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find an event to attend. But even if there isn’t one near you, it’s never too late to plan your own observing party. Invite friends and neighbors over one night for their first view of Jupiter. While they’re there, have them do some star counts to learn the visibility in your area. Start Stephen James O’Meara’s Ghost Hunt challenge, and see how many spooky objects on his list you can find.

The Galilean Nights organizers are also encouraging participants to photograph what they see and share the sights with the wider world through the Galilean Nights astrophotography competition. Astrophotographers of all levels are encouraged to participate.

In addition to these great activities, observatories are making their facilities available to the world for remote observing sessions. As well as attending local Galilean Nights observing events, anybody with access to the internet will be able to control telescopes on the other side of the world. Those taking part in remote observing sessions will be able to take photographs of astronomical objects from their own personal computers.

All in all, there are tons of ways to participate and enjoy some observing and outreach. So how will you be spending your Galilean Nights?

A Moon resource guide

Karri Ferron — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:07:00 GMT

A waxing gibbous Moon. Astronomy.com member "LATiger" photo

I have a love-hate relationship with the Internet. It makes getting information easier than ever, but it also can make getting the CORRECT information more difficult than ever. Sometimes, it takes a lot of sifting through less-than-reputable sites to find goods ones you can trust. So it’s a bonus when someone else does it for you.

The Astronomy Society of the Pacific has been working to collect series of resources on different astronomy topics for its “Family ASTRO” education program. Among them is one about our nearest celestial neighbor, the Moon.

If you’re looking for complementary online resources to go with Astronomy.com’s “Intro to the sky: The Moon and planets” or the “Observe the Moon with a small telescope” how-to video, this resource is a great place to go. It has links for information about scientific understanding of the Moon as a world, the appearance of the Moon in our skies, and the Moon in popular culture and historical events. Andrew Fraknoi, chair of the astronomy department at Foothill College in California and the person behind this collection, admits that this resource guide is by no means complete, but it is a good place to start as it suggests some resources that may be useful for beginners.

What do you think of this collection of links? Is it a good start for beginners, or do you have other suggestions for sites? Where do you send people who want more information about the Moon?

November 2009 web extras for subscribers

Karri Ferron — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:43:00 GMT

The November 2009 issue of Astronomy should be in your mailbox any day now (if it’s not already in your hands), and we’ve updated Astronomy.com with our newest web extras to give subscribers exclusive information complementary to the issue.

Take a sneak peek inside the November 2009 Astronomy magazine. Or watch Editor David J. Eicher's video preview of the issue.

If you subscribe to Astronomy, make sure you’re registered with Astronomy.com so you can access these great extras.

Here are this issue's web extras for magazine subscribers:

Senior Editor Michael E. Bakich explores a key technology that will help the Altair Lunar Lander set down successfully on the Moon in “Leading Altair to the Moon.”

Associate Editor Daniel Pendick provides an animation depicting the small gas cloud Jay McNeil discovered while imaging M78 in “Zoom in on McNeil's Nebula.”

Author Alan Goldstein suggests more galactic train wrecks to observe in “The ‘second 10’ interacting galaxies.”

Senior Editor Michael E. Bakich shares five videos from his trip to view the July 22, 2009, total solar eclipse in “Michael Bakich goes to China.”

Associate Editor Daniel Pendick answers the “Ask Astro” question: “What would the Sun's rays do to Earth if the ozone layer were no longer present?”

Mario Livio, Kim Weaver, and Chuck Steidel provide more insight into their lives as astronomers in “Astro Confidential: Extending the conversations.”

Of course, we’ve also posted “Bob Berman’s Strange Universe,” “Glenn Chaple’s Observing Basics,” “Stephen James O’Meara’s Secret Sky,” and “David Levy’s Evening Stars.” There are also November’s “The Sky this Month” and five “Ask Astro” questions.

Learn about the International Space Station with Buzz Lightyear

Karri Ferron — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:57:00 GMT

Last Friday, NASA and Disney Parks officially welcomed space ranger Buzz Lightyear back to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) with a ticker-tape parade at Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando (and, no, I’m not joking). The 12-inch action figure spent more than 15 months aboard the ISS, returning to Earth September 11. In addition to that celebration, NASA and Disney Parks are collaborating again to launch new efforts to help young students develop an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

One effort is the Mission Patch Design Challenge. Students ages 6-12 can design a patch to commemorate Lightyear's mission and his accomplishment of being the longest-serving space ranger. They can download different patch patterns, pick their favorite, use a variety of real mission patches for inspiration, and submit their own creation by November 6. The student with the most creative mission patch and 100-word essay will win a tour of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and a trip to Walt Disney World Resort. NASA will fly the winning patch into space then present it to the contest winner.

Upon the conclusion of the Mission Patch Design Challenge, NASA will bring the Kids in Micro-g Experiment Challenge. In this challenge, students in the fifth through eighth grades get a "hands-on" opportunity to design an experiment or simple demonstration that could be performed both in the classroom and onboard the ISS. The winning experiments will have observably different results from when the experiment is performed in the "1-gravity" or "1-g" nominal environment on the Earth's surface compared to when it will be performed in "Micro-g" environment (one-millionth of 1-g) environment of the International Space Station (ISS). The 12 winning experiments will be performed by the end of the school year and videotaped for the winning schools.

Finally, NASA and Disney Parks are launching a new online game as part of the Space Ranger Education Series, which brings the series to a total of 6 educational games for young students and materials for educators to download and integrate into classroom curricula. In the newest game, "Putting It All Together," players can build the entire station using all of the real modules. As they find each piece, they learn its use on the ISS. It’s a neat addition to the series and might rival “Toys in Space” for my favorite game for young people.

What do you think of NASA’s efforts to bring fun science activities to young people? Two thumbs up, or not worth the effort? What activities do you help your kids, grandkids, nieces, or nephews participate in to encourage their scientific curiosity and improve their analytical skills?

Image credit: NASA

Catch the Desert RATS

Karri Ferron — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:35:00 GMT

NASA’s Desert RATS — or Research and Technology Studies — has concluded two weeks of technology development tests on two of the agency's prototype lunar rovers from the Black Point Lava Flow in Arizona. The studies allow NASA to analyze and refine technologies and procedures in extreme environments on Earth.

The annual studies featured a simulated 14-day mission. Two crew members, an astronaut and a geologist, lived for more than 300 hours inside NASA's prototype Lunar Electric Rover (LER). The explorers scouted the area for features of geological interest, then donned space suits and conducted simulated moonwalks to collect samples. The crew also docked to a simulated habitat, drove the rover across difficult terrain, performed a rescue mission and made a four-day traverse across the lava.

Now that the mission is over, NASA is sharing photos and videos of the LER tests at NASA.gov. The technology advancements required for space exploration fascinate me, so Desert RATS is right up my alley. Check it out, and let me know what you think. Are you as crazy about space engineering as I am?

LRO snaps Apollo sites

Karri Ferron — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:52:00 GMT

Now, I know the main science objectives of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) — currently in orbit around the Moon — are to help NASA identify safe landing sites for future explorers, locate potential resources, describe the Moon's radiation environment, and demonstrate new technologies. Still, I admit I was most excited about seeing the LRO's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) images of the Apollo landing sites.

And I wasn’t disappointed.

This image to the right shows the spacecraft's first look at the Apollo 12 landing site. The Intrepid lunar module descent stage, experiment package (ALSEP) and Surveyor 3 spacecraft are all visible. Astronaut footpaths are marked with unlabeled arrows. The image is about 900 yards (825 meters) wide, with the top of the image facing north.

I think it’s great that as LRO is helping NASA prepare for a return to the Moon, it’s also helping us all look back at the amazing accomplishments of the Apollo program (and maybe squelching some of those conspiracy theories about humans never being on the Moon — but I doubt it). And this is just a first-round image (images of the other sites can be found here). Future LROC images from the Apollo sites will have two to three times greater resolution.

Do you find these images as cool as do? Or are you waiting for even greater resolution? What are you most looking forward to about the LRO mission?

Image credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University

NASA Aeronautics Scholarship Program begins

Karri Ferron — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:44:00 GMT

Although the fall season doesn’t officially start for another few weeks, it is time to head back to school (for those who didn’t already start last week). College students probably have just spent an arm and a leg on books, room and board, and tuition. And some might now be thinking, “I could really use some scholarship help right now.”

Well, for those studying aeronautics or related fields, NASA offers a great opportunity: the NASA Aeronautics Scholarship Program. Starting tomorrow, September 1, through January 11, 2010, NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate will begin accepting scholarship applications.

Twenty scholarships will be awarded to undergraduate students with at least 2 years of full-time study left to complete at an accredited U.S. college or university as of the Fall 2010 semester. They will receive $15,000 for each school year to use for tuition and other education related expenses and a $10,000 stipend for a summer internship at a NASA research center.

Five scholarships will be awarded to future graduate students who have received or are on track to receive their bachelor's degrees by Fall 2009, or are currently enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program but will not receive their degree until Spring 2012 or after. They will receive a $35,000 stipend, up to $11,000 to use for tuition and other education related costs, and the opportunity for two summer internships at a NASA research center (each with a $10,000 stipend).

This scholarship program is a great opportunity for students involved in engineering, mathematical sciences, computer science, or physics not only to receive help getting through college but also to become associated with and involved in NASA and its research. Good luck to all those who apply.