NASA Administrator Statement on the Death of Robert Seamans
From NASA
WASHINGTON -- The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Michael Griffin regarding the death Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr., NASA deputy administrator from 1965 to 1968:
"Robert Seamans was one of the early leaders in launching NASA's efforts to explore the new frontier of space. As NASA's associate administrator and then deputy administrator, Bob, as a top manager and consummate engineer, was instrumental in the decision making, planning and program execution that enabled the United States to meet President Kennedy's goal of landing men on the moon. He will be remembered as one of the great pioneers and leaders of America's space program."
Full Article here
Diggin' the Moon - Regolith Roundup
Back in the Apollo days, digging in your heels on the Moon was one giant leap for humankind.
Now jump to today and the 21st century and there's a new type of lunar digging that's groundbreaking.
Over two dozen teams are vying for the upcoming 2008 Regolith Excavation Challenge involving a NASA prize of $750,000!
The cosmic competition is being held on August 2 at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, California. The contest pits teams that have built individual roving lunar excavator that can autonomously navigate, excavate, and transfer some 330 pounds of simulated lunar regolith into a collector bin within 30 minutes.
The majority of the teams represent the private sector, while four of them are affiliated with universities. Several of the teams have backgrounds that are not traditionally associated with the aerospace industry, such as toy and information technology enterprises - while several of the teams do have an aerospace background.
The California Space Education Workforce Institute (CSEWI) administers the Regolith Excavation Challenge and is co-hosted by the California Space Authority (CSA) and the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo College of Engineering. The event is sponsored by Diani Building Corporation, Empirical Systems Aerospace, and the California Business Transportation and Housing Agency.
Prize funding is provided by the NASA Centennial Challenges Program.
This upcoming August 2 competition underscores a key fact: Excavation will be an important first step towards lunar resource utilization - to live off the land. Advances in lunar regolith excavation have the potential to advance space exploration operations beyond the Earth as NASA moves forward on its Constellation agenda in the years to come.
To learn more about the teams and the rules of the contest, go to:
http://regolith.csewi.org/
-- Leonard David
Be an Alien and Listen in on Earth
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Cluster mission is snooping in on the sounds of Earth - and is getting an ear-full.
In fact, the first thing a distant extraterrestrial civilization might pick up from our blue planet is the buzz of chirps and whistles. The ESA Cluster mission is showing scientists how to understand the sounds of Earth, valuable clues as to what we should be listening for in future searches for alien worlds.
The data used in the ESA study was collected by the NASA Wide Band instrument flying onboard the four Cluster spacecraft.
To give a listen to your own planet - as heard by the Cluster spacecraft - check out:
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMLX5SHKHF_index_0.html
-- Leonard David
Phoenix Returns Treasure Trove for Science
from NASA.gov
Phoenix Mars Lander performed its first wet chemistry experiment on Martian soil flawlessly yesterday, returning a wealth of data that for Phoenix scientists was like winning the lottery.
"We are awash in chemistry data," said Michael Hecht of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, lead scientist for the Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer, or MECA, instrument on Phoenix. "We're trying to understand what is the chemistry of wet soil on Mars, what's dissolved in it, how acidic or alkaline it is. With the results we received from Phoenix yesterday, we could begin to tell what aspects of the soil might support life."
"This is the first wet-chemical analysis ever done on Mars or any planet, other than Earth," said Phoenix co-investigator Sam Kounaves of Tufts University, science lead for the wet chemistry investigation.
About 80 percent of Phoenix's first, two-day wet chemistry experiment is now complete. Phoenix has three more wet-chemistry cells for use later in the mission.
"This soil appears to be a close analog to surface soils found in the upper dry valleys in Antarctica," Kouvanes said. "The alkalinity of the soil at this location is definitely striking. At this specific location, one-inch into the surface layer, the soil is very basic, with a pH of between eight and nine. We also found a variety of components of salts that we haven't had time to analyze and identify yet, but that include magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride."
"This is more evidence for water because salts are there. We also found a reasonable number of nutrients, or chemicals needed by life as we know it," Kounaves said. "Over time, I've come to the conclusion that the amazing thing about Mars is not that it's an alien world, but that in many aspects, like mineralogy, it's very much like Earth."
Another analytical Phoenix instrument, the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA), has baked its first soil sample to 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,800 degrees Fahrenheit). Never before has a soil sample from another world been baked to such high heat.
TEGA scientists have begun analyzing the gases released at a range of temperatures to identify the chemical make-up of soil and ice. Analysis is a complicated, weeks-long process.
But "the scientific data coming out of the instrument have been just spectacular," said Phoenix co-investigator William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead TEGA scientist.
"At this point, we can say that the soil has clearly interacted with water in the past. We don't know whether that interaction occurred in this particular area in the northern polar region, or whether it might have happened elsewhere and blown up to this area as dust."
Leslie Tamppari, the Phoenix project scientist from JPL, tallied what Phoenix has accomplished during the first 30 Martian days of its mission, and outlined future plans.
The Stereo Surface Imager has by now completed about 55 percent of its three-color, 360-degree panorama of the Phoenix landing site, Tamppari said. Phoenix has analyzed two samples in its optical microscope as well as first samples in both TEGA and the wet chemistry laboratory. Phoenix has been collecting information daily on clouds, dust, winds, temperatures and pressures in the atmosphere, as well as taking first nighttime atmospheric measurements.
Lander cameras confirmed that white chunks exposed during trench digging were frozen water ice because they sublimated, or vaporized, over a few days. The Phoenix robotic arm dug and sampled, and will continue to dig and sample, at the 'Snow White' trench in the center of a polygon in the polygonal terrain.
"We believe this is the best place for creating a profile of the surface from the top down to the anticipated icy layer," Tamppari said. "This is the plan we wanted to do when we proposed the mission many years ago. We wanted a place just like this where we could sample the soil down to the possible ice layer."
The Phoenix mission is led by Peter Smith of The University of Arizona with project management at JPL and development partnership at Lockheed Martin, located in Denver. International contributions come from the Canadian Space Agency; the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland; the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark; Max Planck Institute, Germany; and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. For more information on the Phoenix mission, link to http://www.nasa.gov/phoenix and http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu.
Join NASA's Return to the Moon!
Sign up to send your name to the moon. Names will be collected and placed onboard the LRO spacecraft for its historic mission bringing NASA back to the moon. The deadline is June 27th so sign up today!
Poll Shows Support for U.S. Space Program Among Young Adults
BECKY IANNOTTA, WASHINGTON
Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 were most supportive of increasing NASA’s budget and more often than any other age group said the benefits of space exploration outweigh the risks, according to a Gallup poll commissioned by the Coalition for Space Exploration and released June 17. At a time when aerospace industry leaders are holding workshops and focus groups to meet the challenges of recruiting college graduates, the Gallup poll showed the youngest of the 1,002 people surveyed expressing more favorable opinions of the U.S. space program than their older counterparts. For example, 62 percent of the 18- to 34-year-olds supported or strongly supported increasing NASA’s budget to 1 percent of the U.S. federal budget— an amount the Gallup poll noted would cost about $58 per average citizen per year. Support decreased as the ages of respondents went up. Those who supported or strongly supported a NASA budget increase dropped among 35- to 49-year-olds to 53 percent, and to 46 percent among respondents aged 50 or older.
Mary Engola, chairwoman of the Coalition for Space Exploration’s public affairs team, said a highlight of the poll was the young respondents’ answers.
"I think it’s very encouraging, especially since that’s our future work force," she said. "It goes against some of the popular belief in the industry."
The Gallup poll was the fourth conducted for the coalition, and Engola said the plan is for at least one each year. In the latest poll, conducted in April by telephone, 71 percent of respondents said the nation is doing a good or very good job maintaining leadership in space exploration, far better than responses to the nation’s handling of the war on terrorism, national disasters and health care needs. Thirty-two percent were concerned or somewhat concerned that China may become the new leader in space exploration, up from 28 percent in the last poll conducted in August 2006.
While the 18- to 34-year-old respondents supported raising NASA’s budget, they were less likely to agree with raising taxes to close a five-year gap between the space shuttle’s planned 2010 retirement and the scheduled completion of a replacement vehicle. Fifty-five percent said they were not too willing or not willing at all to support a tax increase to close the gap, a figure that matches the 35- to 49-year-old age group. The percentage of those opposed increased among the 50 and older group.
When it comes to inspiring youth, 70 percent of the 18- to 34-year-olds said NASA inspires people to consider an education in science, technology, math and engineering fields either somewhat or a great deal. That percentage was about the same among the 35- to 49-year-old and 50- to 64-year-old groups, and dropped to 67 percent among the 65 and older group.
The oldest age group is most concerned about the gap in human space transportation between 2010 and 2015, with 58 percent either very or somewhat concerned, the poll found. The number decreased among the younger groups, with 64 percent of the 18- to 34-year-olds responding that they were not very or not at all concerned about the gap.
Jeremiah Gertler, acting vice president of national security for Aerospace Industries Association, a trade group here, said he was not surprised that the poll found support for space exploration among young people, but added that the challenge is to maintain their interest by offering opportunities.
"What we’ve found as we talk to kids across the country is that if there’s something going on in aerospace, it is inspiring," he said. "The bigger question is how many programs are there going to be that they can get inspired about."
Another challenge, Gertler said, is to help young students make the connection between aerospace and math and science; that studying those subjects is the "price of admission into the aerospace field."
Studies such as the Gallup poll can be helpful to presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain as they formulate their positions on the U.S. space program, Gertler said, noting that respondents across the board said NASA does a good job of inspiring youth.
"It can help inform candidates who have different views," he said. "Yes, Americans still care about these things and there isn’t the kind of generation gap that we’ve been led to believe … There’s still a hunger to do more."
Former NFL Player Ken Harvey Teams Up With Challenger Center and Richard Garriott
From Spaceref.com
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Can you play sports in space? Challenger Center and Richard Garriott, the next civilian to fly into space, teams up with former NFL player and four time pro bowler, Ken Harvey and his company JAKA Consulting group to promote a series of fitness activities that students can do here on earth. Students can then send in a YouTube video with a prediction about what will happen when Richard Garriott performs them in space. Richard, son of Dr. Owen Garriott, a NASA astronaut who flew on the Skylab in the 1970's, plans to record a series of educational videos for students while on orbit to help demonstrate some of the basic physics that help astronauts live and work in the weightlessness of space. Ken Harvey has recorded a series of video clips for the Challenger Center's national website to show kids some basic moves like throwing, catching, blocking, jumping and kicking that Richard will replicate on orbit this October aboard the International Space Station...
Click here to read the rest of the article
Click here for videos and to submit your prediction
Students and Teachers Excited about Their Interview with ISS Astronaut Garrett Reisman
Photos from their Interview in Space
International Space Station (ISS) astronaut Garrett Reisman recently hitched a ride on the Space Shuttle and returned to Earth after his stay in space as a member of the ISS Expedition 17 crew. While on the ISS, he was interviewed by very enthusiastic students from the Los Angeles area and Queens, New York on May 12, 2008 - during NASA's first coast-to-coast downlink . (See earlier blogs about this ISS Downlink after May 12th.)
Below are the photos of that wonderful day that they and their teachers - Pam Leestma of Valley Christian Elementary School in Bellflower, California, and Neme Alperstein of One Stop Richmond Hill Community Center in Queens - had been anticipating for years.
Astronaut Garrett Reisman (on the screen) floats in the microgravity of ISS while answering the questions of teacher Pam Leestma's 2nd grade students and their 6th grade "buddies" from Valley Christian Elementary School in Bellflower, CA. Although their teacher Pam appears to be standing at the podium, she was so excited about her class and Neme's students in New York being selected by NASA for the downlink - that she is actually floating a few inches off the ground!
Photo credit: Robert Kline
Pam Leestma and her 2nd graders and their 6th grade "buddies" from Valley Christian Elementary School in Bellflower, CA await the opportunity to ask questions of astronaut Garrett Reisman on the International Space Station. Garrett compliment the students in California and New York on their excellent questions.
Photo credit: Robert Kline
Neme Alperstein's 5th graders from the One Stop Richmond Hill Community Center in Queens, New York, pose with their inflatable Space Shuttle after the thrill of interviewing ISS astronaut Garrett Reisman.
Ice On Mars
From NASA...
"Bright Chunks at Phoenix Lander's Mars Site Must Have Been Ice 06.19.08
TUCSON, Ariz. – Dice-size crumbs of bright material have vanished from inside a trench where they were photographed by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander four days ago, convincing scientists that the material was frozen water that vaporized after digging exposed it.
"It must be ice," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson. "These little clumps completely disappearing over the course of a few days, that is perfect evidence that it's ice. There had been some question whether the bright material was salt. Salt can't do that."
The chunks were left at the bottom of a trench informally called "Dodo-Goldilocks" when Phoenix's Robotic Arm enlarged that trench on June 15, during the 20th Martian day, or sol, since landing. Several were gone when Phoenix looked at the trench early today, on Sol 24.
Also early today, digging in a different trench, the Robotic Arm connected with a hard surface that has scientists excited about the prospect of next uncovering an icy layer. "
To read the full article click here
THE MOON: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL TREASURE TROVE
By Leonard David
 Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 moonwalker at Tranquility Base during the first human voyage to the Moon in July 1969.
Credit: NASA Protecting leftover equipment used on the Moon during the Apollo program is part an archaeological campaign to preserve humankind’s outreach to the lunar surface.
Credit: NASA
There is archaeological history on the Moon – items that document humankind’s outreach to the lunar surface. Moreover, those landing zones – particularly Tranquility Base, the touchdown site of Apollo 11’s Eagle lander carrying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in July 1969 – should be preserved as the first celestial anthropological sites.
Take Your Own Moonwalk - Apollo Style!
If you want to take your own stroll on the Moon...you can't do much better right now than visiting a new "boots-on-the-ground" resource provided by the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) in Houston, Texas.
This is an incredible collection of Hasselblad camera panoramas stitched together using imagery taken by the Apollo expeditionary crews on the lunar surface between 1969-1972.
According to David Kring, a visiting scientist for the Lunar Exploration Initiative at LPI, these panoramas were not easy to produce.
"The astronauts' movements on the lunar surface were encumbered by spacesuits. The astronauts were also unable to align the cameras with a view-finder," Kring explains. Because the moonwalkers were wearing helmets, the cameras were mounted on the chests of the spacesuits. So without a view finder, crews walking on the Moon had to learn how to point, shoot, turn slightly, point and shoot again...until a panorama of overlapping photographs was generated, he notes.
Kring adds: "This required a lot of training on Earth, before they traveled to the Moon. Fortunately, this task will be much easier with modern digital imaging systems when we return to the Moon."
The digitized and re-rendered panoramas were produced by Warren Harold at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
So go ride the Internet surf and visit the Apollo Surface Panoramas - a digital library of photographic panoramas that the Apollo astronauts took while exploring the Moon's surface.
Go to:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/resources/apollopanoramas/
-- Leonard David
Invitation to "Meet the Astronauts"
Here's your chance to "meet the astronauts" - and from two space agencies at that! It is a free public event at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in Washington, D.C.
The event takes place on Tuesday, June 24th at 2:00 p.m. eastern time. Join Hans Schlegel and Leopold Eyharts from the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA's Carl Walz as they share their memories of life onboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Schlegel of Germany and Eyharts of France were critical to the installation and activation of ESA's Columbus space laboratory - a key facility now attached to the space station.
Former NASA astronaut, Carl Walz, spent over 230 days in space, including his record-breaking flight endurance of 196 days aboard the orbiting outpost, the ISS.
So if you're hungry to know about space travel -- from three individuals that have orbited the Earth -- this is your chance. A question-and-answer session will follow their talks and visitors will have the opportunity to meet the astronauts during an autograph signing session at the conclusion of the program.
So set your personal trajectory on a course to visit the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum's Space Hall...to rendezvous with the space travelers.
-- Leonard David
This Week on NASA TV for Educators
Students Chosen as Cassini Scientists for a Day
Next Contest Opportunity in September
Here is the press release about the Cassini Scientist for a Day Contest winners and link to the opportunity to participate in September:
MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA)
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE 818-354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Carolina Martinez 818-354-9382/ Diya Chacko 818-393-5464
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Carolina.Martinez@jpl.nasa.gov
Diya.S.Chacko@jpl.nasa.gov
NEWS RELEASE: 2008-111 June 16, 2008
STUDENTS CHOSEN AS CASSINI SCIENTISTS FOR A DAY
Four students have won the Cassini Scientist for a Day contest, with most choosing Rhea, Saturn's second-largest moon, as the best place for scientists to study using NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
Contest participants had to choose one of three target areas for Cassini's camera: Saturn's moon Enceladus, Rhea, or a section of Saturn's rings that includes the tiny moon Pan. The students had to write an essay explaining why their chosen snapshot would yield the most scientific rewards, and the winners were invited to discuss their essays with Cassini scientists via teleconference.
The essays were judged by a panel of Cassini scientists, mission planners, and the education and outreach team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
This year's winners are located in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Michigan. Their essays were chosen from 197 essays written by fifth-to-twelfth-grade students across the United States.
Michael Keefe, an eighth-grader from Scituate, Mass., and the winner in the 7th-to-8th-grade category, chose Rhea.
"A photograph of Rhea would not just give us clues about what forces are at work upon it, but also what forces have worked on other satellites," Keefe wrote in his essay.
Matt Pleatman and Noah Van Valkenburg, 11th-grade students from Bloomfield Hills, Mich., and the winners in the 9th-to-12th-grade division, also chose Rhea for their joint essay, writing "What better moon to study than the one discovered by Cassini himself?"
Ben Basalik, a 6th-grade student from Collegeville, Penn., and the winner in the 5th-to-6th-grade category, chose Enceladus, Saturn's geologically active moon. Cassini has discovered Yellowstone-like geysers spewing from its surface.
"This moon is unusual because it reflects almost 100 percent of the sunlight that strikes it and although it is cold, it has many features that suggest that it is generating heat," Basalik wrote in his essay.
The next opportunity to participate in the Cassini Scientist-for-a-Day contest will be in September. More information is online at http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/scientist.
More information on the Cassini-Huygens mission is at http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and http://www.nasa.gov/cassini.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL.
THE SPACE SHOW
Live and Archived Audio Interviews with Space and Astronomy Experts
THE SPACE SHOW
If you don't already know about The Space Show, you're in for a new treat. Dr. David Livingston, The Space Show host, brings to life the facts and issues of space exploration, astronomy and Earth sciences through live radio and online programs each week, and hundreds of archived interviews with experts.
Here's this week's program - including an interview on Monday, June 16th from 2 to 3:30 PM (Pacific time) with the Coalition for Space Exploration - Education Station's own Barbara David discussing her and her co-author's newly released Kids to Space Mission Plans: An Educator's Guide. Lesson plans and resources from this guide will soon be featured monthly on Education Station, and kids' questions and answers about space exploration and astronomy from Barbara's co-author's book Kids to Space: A Space Traveler's Guide will also soon be viewable on the Space Coalition's KidsSpace site.
FIVE SPECIAL PROGRAMS THIS WEEK
Note: Please visit www.thespaceshow.com/newsletterfinal.htm for complete information for this week's Space Show programs, contact information, listener participation instructions, future Space Show programs, archived interviews, special events, announcements and more.
The Monday Space Show is live 2-3:30:30 PM Pacific. The Tuesday program is 7-8:30 PM Pacific, the Friday program is always 9:30-11:30 AM Pacific Time and the Sunday Space Show is live 12-1:30 PM Pacific Time.
Programming For The Week OF JUNE 16, 2008:
1. Monday, June 16, 2008, 2-3:30 PM Pacific: We welcome Barbara Sprungman David to the show. Barbara is a noted space education specialist and space science writer as well as a credentialed teacher. She is the co-author with Lonnie Schorer of the new Apogee book - "Kids To Space Mission Plans: An Educator's Guide." This is a follow up to the earlier Apogee book - "Kids To Space: A Space Traveler's Guide."
2. Tuesday, June 17, 2008, 2-3:30 PM Pacific: We welcome Homer Hickam to the show. Homer is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller "Rocket Boys," which was made into the acclaimed movie "October Sky." "Rocket Boys" is studied in many schools and is one of the most selected Community/Library reads in the USA.
3. Tuesday, June 17, 2008, 7-8:30 PM Pacific: William Watson is the Executive Director of The Space Frontier Foundation (SFF). He is also serving as Chair of their annual NewSpace conference that takes place in Washington DC, from July 17-19.
4. Friday, June 20, 2008, 9:30-11:30 AM Pacific: Greg Zsidisn returns to tell us more about the YouTube award program for the best space video.
5. Sunday, June 22, 12-1:30 PM Pacific: Gene Meyers of the Space Islands Group returns to update us on Space Islands programs, Space Solar Power, and much more.
For instructions on accessing the live programs, go to - http://www.thespaceshow.com/live.htm
Listeners can talk to the guests and the host by using toll free 1 (866) 687-7223, by sending e-mail during the program using dmlivings@yahoo.com, drspace@thespaceshow.com, thespaceshow@gmail.com or chatting on AOL/ICQ/CompuServe Chat using the screen name "spaceshowchat."
The Space Show is now podcasting. Subscribe your pod casters to: http://www.gigadial.net/public/station/11253/rss.xml
For questions or additional information, send e-mail to Dr. David Livingston dmlivings@yahoo.com, drspace@thespaceshow.com, or thespaceshow@gmail.com.
URL: http://www.thespaceshow.com
The End of the School Year
by Penny Glackman
My school year has come to a close, and it was a wonderful one in so many ways. My students are truly connected to the world of aviation and space exploration. Through books, on-line resources, and hands-on experiences, they traveled from Earth, to the ISS, to Mars and back home again. They made one-straw kites, paper airplanes, Mars aero-boxes ( http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/kids/pdfs/M01_AeroBox.pdf), and model rockets...
Mars Has the Twitters
If you'd like to join in on the latest news from the Phoenix Mars lander, you can twitter your way to the red planet by going to:
http://twitter.com/MarsPhoenix
Things are going extremely well on Mars for the new arrival - NASA's Phoenix Mars lander. The craft landed some 19 days ago now - and has been busy at work carrying out a scientific to-do checklist.
Phoenix has successfully delivered its first soil specimen to special gear onboard the lander that will analyze that sample.
If you want to look at the Phoenix robotic arm in motion, check out:
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/248081main_13779-browse.gif
-- Leonard David
Take a Ride Onboard A Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster
If you have been eager to feel like a space shuttle solid rocket booster...look no more!
Jump onboard one of Discovery's solid rocket boosters as it sails to Earth after separation from the orbiter following its liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center on May 31, 2008.
This eye-catching footage from mission STS-124 drops you through space and into the ocean via a set of parachutes.
Look out below!
Check it out at:
http://www.nasa.gov/mp4/242597main_ksc_060908_sts124_srb_camera.mp4
-- Leonard David
This Week on NASA TV for Educators
Great Summer Space Education Workshops!
The Space Foundation's Space Discovery Institute
Space Discovery Summer Institute - Five Educator Workshops in Colorado Springs
Through graduate courses, the Space Foundation will conduct a new model integrating literacy with science, technology, engineering and math. All courses will remain experiential, hands-on, and immediately transferable to the classroom. New innovative master’s degrees are on the forefront.
Rocketry and the Biology of Living in Space: Living Aboard the International Space Station
June 16 – 20
Rockets are an effective way to teach students the fundamental processes of propulsion. The building and construction of a variety of rockets including 3-2-1 pop rockets, water, and solid fueled, enable educators an experiential approach to teaching an overview of various rocket propulsion concepts. Educators will experiment with various activities while discussing topics that include the laws of space, the history of space stations, and the vast dimensions of building, maintaining, and living on the International Space Station.
Biological and Physical Research: Long-Term Space Travel
June 23 – 27
Search with experts for the answers to how humans can expand beyond home to maximize the benefits from space exploration. Discover how the fundamental laws of nature shape the evolution of life. Study the effects of space on the human body by delving into immunology, brain research, cardiovascular, and skeletal impacts. During this study of human physiology, students will become familiar with adaptations to space flight, the immunological systems, and astrobiology. An introduction to space biology and farming in space will also be covered. Students will have the unique opportunity to experience the effects of disorientation during space flight using a Barany Chair and the effects of micro-gravity through pool simulations and experiments.
Astronomy Principles for the Classroom: Kinesthetic Astronomy
July 7 – 11
From pre-history to today, humans have attempted to connect there world with that of the heavens. Understanding the physical processes and observational experiences within the world around them facilitates a bridge of learning for those who wish to learn about the universe in which they live. This course will focus on the exciting ways to bring the universe into your classroom. Topics will include motions of the heavens, astronomical research tools, stars and constellations, 3D exploration of comets, auroras, and planets. Educators will learn the fascinating aspects of a Kinesthetic Astronomy approach to our galaxy. Teachers will experience a week of excitement, challenges, and practical teaching ideas. This course also includes a night of planet and stargazing.
Space Technologies in the Classroom: Imagery and High-Tech Science
July 14 – 18
This course will examine the numerous uses of space technologies in our society for the benefit of humankind. Educators will discover the practical applications of orbital mechanics as they explore the everyday uses of satellites. Through field trips and hands-on demonstrations, educators will receive an introduction to space transportation and design, robotics, communications, space power, and space structures. Participants will build and explore a variety of space technologies, including the construction of their own programmable robot.
Earth Systems Science: Our Earth Revealed
July 21 – 25
Humans conquest for knowledge has brought them to the four corners of the Earth in search of answers. As our quest leads us from Earth to the stars, we must understand what shapes and creates the world around us if we are to find life outside our Earth. This course enables educators to discover the fascinating processes that form and shape our Earth. Teachers will learn the complex geological history as they study weathering, erosion, natural disasters, and global climatic change. Field trips and in-field studies at local geological locations will offer educators a hands-on approach to witnessing the awe inspiring geological history and formation of our planet. Though guided hikes, participants will view the geology and ecology of local areas. A vast array of lessons, activities, and experiences will be shared with teachers to implement in the classroom.
Accredited master’s degree in Space Studies Available
The Space Foundation reserves the right to alter the program, dates, or speakers at any time.
Registration
Summer Institute registration form (45 kb Acrobat PDF) is available at - http://www.spacefoundation.org/education/docs/RegistrationForm_08.pdf
For more information or to register, contact the Space Foundation education department at 719.576.8000 or e-mail education@spacefoundation.org
Note: For a general description of these workshops, see the entry that preceeds this one - "From SpaceWatch: Education Programs News".
From the Coalition's Barbara David: I participated in one of these five-day summer workshops several years ago - and it was an excellent experience! I highly recommend them.
SPACE TRIP REPORT: CITIZEN TAXPAYERS TREK TO CAPITOL HILL
By Leonard David
It was the 17th year in a row that Citizens for Space Exploration (CSE) have descended on Congress, singular in purpose to show support for a vibrant U.S. space exploration agenda. This year, from May 19-22, nearly 150 CSE citizen taxpayers from 29 states visited over 330 congressional offices, meeting members of Congress or their staffs. Discussion was keyed to the importance of boosting the funding increase for NASA to one percent of the federal budget – an increase from the current level of 0.6 of one percent of the federal budget. CSE participants in this year’s march to Washington, D.C. made it clear that, historically, this level of funding is not unprecedented. During the years of the Apollo lunar landing program, NASA funding reached 5 percent of the federal budget. As a Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership (BAHEP) committee in Houston, Texas, CSE is comprised of a diverse group of small and large business representatives, students and teachers, and county/municipal officials and employees.
Space Travelers Wanted: New Exhibit Looks Into the Future
The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. is about to open a new exhibit: "Space - A Journey to Our Future".
The exhibit uses the most advanced interactive displays and state-of-the-art projection and audio technology. Not only does the exhibition spotlight current projects in space exploration -- satellites, space telescopes, etc. -- it also provides a glimpse into future human space travel.
This traveling exhibit has been developed by Evergreen Exhibitions and is presented at the National Air and Space Museum courtesy of NASA as it celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. A press review of the exhibition is slated for June 12th.
One highlight of the exhibit includes a Lunar Base Camp. Visitors can experience what it would be like to live on the Moon. Also, there's an up-close look at NASA's Constellation program; a model of the Orion spacecraft that will take humans back to the Moon; as well as an illustrated timeline of NASA's 50 years of space exploration.
Lastly, check out the multimedia 360-degree "Future Theatre" .
On your next visit to Washington, D.C., stop by the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum and take your own space walk into the future.
-- Leonard David
Buzz Lightyear to Soar with Discovery
Steven Siceloff, NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center
Fictional spaceman Buzz Lightyear will make a real-life trip into space aboard space shuttle Discovery during STS-124. The toy astronaut will mark an educational partnership between NASA and Disney. Credit: NASA/Steven Siceloff
Seven astronauts who will fly into orbit aboard space shuttle Discovery will have comfortable seats for the climb into space. An eighth space ranger won't have a seat at all. In fact, he will be packed tight inside a box and won't even get to enjoy the ride up. But it's nothing veteran spaceman Buzz Lightyear can't overcome.
From SpaceWatch: Education Program News
Space Discovery Institute - Teaching Teachers to Inspire
The Space Foundation's 2008 Space Discovery Institute graduate courses are set to begin June 16. These courses utilize proven teaching strategies to enable, excite, and inspire teachers to integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) principles into their classrooms using the medium of space to capture the interest and imagination of their students. All courses are experiential, hands-on, and immediately transferable to the classroom. In addition to gaining invaluable experience and increasing their knowledge base, participating teachers can earn continuing education credits, graduate credits, or work toward a master's degree with a space studies science emphasis. The 2008 Space Foundation Space Discovery Institute is comprised of five separate week-long graduate-level courses held in Colorado Springs and four courses in Charles County, Md. More than 250 educators from across the country are expected to take part in the 2008 Space Discovery Institute. Participating educators have the option to participate in one, some, or all of the courses. This year's classes include Biological and Physical Research: Long-term Space Travel; Astronomy Principles for the Classroom: Kinesthetic Astronomy; Space Technologies in the Classroom: Imagery and High-tech Science; Earth Systems Science: Our Earth Revealed; and Rocketry and the Biology of Living in Space: Living Aboard the International Space Station.
This Week on NASA TV for Educators
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