-- Premieres Wednesday, August 27 at 9PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel -
In July 1969 the world watched, wondered and worried as three brave astronauts headed for the moon. The extraordinary moment when Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the moon filled earthbound audiences with pride and confidence in scientific endeavor -- but did we really leap into the future, or did NASA pull off the greatest cover-up in human history?
On Wednesday, August 27 at 9PM ET/PT,MYTHBUSTERS takes on one of their biggest, most controversial myths ever: Could the moon landing have been an elaborate hoax?
First, Adam and Jamie focus on photos, testing the theory that two of NASA's most famous images were shot in a studio. Then, they investigate the myth about walking on the moon, including how the government shot the footage in a studio and then simply slowed it down for that famous "low-lunar gravity look." Grant, Tory and Kari take on hoax theories involving a vacuum chamber - specifically, the claims that footage of astronaut footprints and the American flag were physically impossible and had to have been faked. Without water in a vacuum, how could the moon footprints have been so defined? In the absence of wind, can a flag flutter as if caught in a breeze? Finally, Adam and Jamie travel to a New Mexico observatory to see if they can catch a reflection of a man-made object using a laser aimed at the moon.
Currently in its sixth season and airing Wednesdays at 9PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel, MYTHBUSTERS uses science to determine the truth behind urban legends. New MYTHBUSTERS episodes continue on Wednesday, September 3 (Viral Hour), September 10 (Phone Book Friction) and September 17 (Water Stun Gun).
Pictured above (from left): Andy Aldrin, son of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin; Gwen Griffin, daughter of Apollo flight director Gerry Griffin; and Jeannie Kranz, daughter of Apollo flight director Gene Kranz, participate in an Apollo Kids panel during the 42nd Annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
In honor of NASA’s 50th anniversary, the festival is showcasing the role that the men and women of NASA have played in broadening the horizons of American science and culture, as well as the role that they will continue to play in helping to shape the future. In addition to “NASA: Fifty Years and Beyond,” the festival also highlights the Himalayan nation of Bhutan and the music, food and wine of Texas.
To view more photos or watch videos from last weekend’s festivities, click hereWhile you’re there, check out the plans for this weekend’s (July 2-6) activities.
William sent in a question to the Coalition for Space Exploration asking about NASA's plans to deal with large spare parts for the International Space Station once the Space Shuttle is retired in 2010. He was particulary concerned about the Station's gyroscopes, or CMGs, and if future problems with the devices could send the ISS back to Earth like Skylab.
I talked with NASA spokesman Rob Navias from the Johnson Space Center and learned the agency's intention is that two spare gyros will be brought up to the station and stored at the outpost in case they are needed.
Extra batteries, a Ku-band antenna, an S-band antenna, ammonia tank assemblies a robot arm component, and a pair of high-pressure gas tanks are some of the other bulky spare items intended to be packed on the station before the Space Shuttle's retirement in 2010.
After then it will be several years before NASA can send bigger replacement parts up to the station so the idea is to plan ahead and load up the ISS with supplies. Most of that cargo will be launched on the final two shuttle missions planned by NASA .
William's question specifically referred to the CMGs. Four CMGs are installed outside the station, each spinning 6,600 times per minute. At least two need to be working to do their job, which is to keep the space station pointed in a specific direction as it orbits the Earth.
If the station loses its pointing ability a number of unwanted things could happen to the station, but it won't just suddenly tumble out of orbit and crash to Earth, which was the ultimate fate of SkyLab and the Russian space station Mir.
Fortunately there is a second way to control the station's attitude and that is by using the outpost's thrusters, or steering jets on visiting docked spacecraft. This method is often employed when the CMGs need maintenance, or "desaturation."
The CMGs have been troublesome in the past and two have required replacement by spacewalking astronauts.
Todd sent the Coalition a message regarding a moving object in the sky, wondering what he and a co-worker might have seen.
Satellite, UFO...or ?
Hard to say what they saw...but a little detective work might help find an answer.
Since a lot of our readers are sky and space watchers, here's my recommendation to help bracket what Todd and his colleague might/might not have eyed. And if you've also seen something cruise by, here are some websites that may prove helpful.
Carlos-Luis...thanks for your question regarding NASA and its meteorological work.
Daily weather prediction is key to NASA operations, be it looking at weather patterns for an upcoming rocket launch...or forecasting what the weather will be like when a space shuttle orbiter is ready to head back home from orbit and make a landing.
But there's a lot more to weather watching than meets the meteorological eye!
Making use of Earth-orbiting spacecraft, NASA scientists study weather patterns around the entire world - all to help glue together an accurate picture about Earth's climate. Meteorologists draw conclusions and make predictions about how our climate will translate into local weather every day. They also create computer models that predict how climate and weather may vary in the future as a result of human activity.
Also, there's an even bigger picture to weather - space weather! Given Earth's dynamic Sun, our neighboring star tosses out huge amounts of energy that impacts this planet's environment. More and more attention is being paid to space weather, to help unravel what role space weather has on planet Earth, as well as its impact on satellites and human spacecraft orbiting the Earth or heading out to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Lastly, don't forget about the weather on other planets.
To investigate what meteorological jobs at NASA are available, check out:
You'll be tapping into the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU), a tri-agency cooperative effort for transitioning new techniques from the research arena to improve operational weather forecasting and analysis in support of the space shuttle and the national space program.
Other web sites you might find useful - and to give you an idea of the rich variety of weather and Earth-watching research activities, try out:
Jay asked the Coalition for Space Exploration: " Why haven't I heard of NASA or another organization building a large solar reflector for bouncing rays on to the Moon's darkside for energy needed for the long lunar night?"
Answer from Jim Banke at Cape Canaveral:
Jay, you're on to something thoughtful and potentially very cool, but first we have to dispel a commonly held belief that is perpetuated everytime someone picks up a certain Pink Floyd recording, and that is there is no such thing as the Dark Side of the Moon. There is, however, a far side to the Moon, but it gets light just as much as the side that faces the Earth. The Moon's phases should offer proof enough. Remember that the Moon rotates once every 27.3 days, the same amount of time it takes to orbit the Earth. The result is we see basically the same half of the Moon all the time.
So no matter what side of the Moon you're on, the long lunar night is still just shy of 14 days. The sun will come up again, negating the need for solar reflectors. But think about being on the far side of the Moon and needing to communicate with Earth. In that case you will need some kind of satellite in orbit over the Moon to bounce the signals from the far side of the Moon to the Earth and back again. Radio reflectors, not solar reflectors.
Finally, don't lose interest in your solar reflector idea. There are many people who would like to see the idea of a Solar Power Satellite become a reality. In this case, large solar reflectors would concentrate the sun's energy and then the satellite would beam that energy down to Earth in the form of microwaves. Giant receivers on the ground would gather the energy from space and turn it into electricity we all could use. It's a pretty wild idea but has a better chance of becoming a reality every day as new space entrepreneurs seek to drive down the costs of flying into space.
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