From MSNBC

"NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has begun using a special rasp tool to shave off bits of the hard icy material on the Martian ground.

The rasp is a motorized tool attached to the back of the lander's robotic arm scoop, which scientists hope will be able to grind enough ice off the ground to eventually use as a sample in Phoenix's Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) oven instrument."

Click here for more!

From Space.com

"A lot more Martian rocks were altered by water than scientists originally thought, suggesting that early Mars was a very wet place.

New observations made by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), currently circling the planet, have revealed evidence that vast regions of the southern highlands of Mars were altered by water in a variety of environments billions of years ago."

Click here for more!

Follow along as American, Canadian and Inuit teachers work side by side with NASA scientists studying remote and extreme environments in the Arctic July 25 through Aug. 2, 2008. Training slides and biographies of expedition participants are available online. Science plans are also available that outline the investigations that will be taking place to search for life in extreme environments. During the expedition, participants will post journal entries.

The mission of Spaceward Bound is to train the next generation of space explorers. The mission has students and teachers participate in the exploration of scientifically interesting but remote and extreme environments on Earth as analogs for human exploration of the Moon and Mars. Spaceward Bound Field Expeditions involve teachers in authentic fieldwork so that they can bring that experience back to their classrooms and assist in the development of curriculum related to human exploration of remote and extreme environments.

For more information, visit http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/projects/spacewardbound/arctic2008/index.html 

If you have any questions about this event, please e-mail Liza Coe at Lizabeth.K.Coe@nasa.gov

Take your own flyby of the giant Tycho crater on the Moon!

Thanks to Japan's Kaguya lunar orbiter - reaching its nominal observation orbit around the Moon mid-October of 2007 -- numbers of fascinating, up-close pics of the lunar landscape are being taken.

A new one that's up from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is of Tycho - and it can be viewed at:

http://wms.selene.jaxa.jp/data/jpn/tc/012/tc_012_a_l.jpg

Better yet...if you want to zoom over the site, just fly your Internet connection to:

http://wms.selene.jaxa.jp/data/jpn/tc/012/tycho_20mbps.html

And while you're doing your lunar swing-bys, also check out a new image snapped of the Apollo 17 landing site!

That mission took place in December 1972 - quite a long time ago. But get a fresh look at their exploration zone by going to:

http://wms.kaguya.jaxa.jp/data/en/tc/009/tc_009.jpg

Happy viewing!

-- Leonard David

 

If you want a front-row seat of how the Moon looks as it passes in front of the Earth...well, look no more.

NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft has relayed back to Earth a video of this space scenic event - a video that also helps scientists to develop techniques to study alien worlds.

The NASA Deep Impact spacecraft is the first to show a transit of Earth with enough detail to see large craters on the Moon, as well as oceans and continents on Earth.

Therefore, the video is a good primer on how to detect vegetated land masses on far-away, extrasolar planets. That is, the video sharpens our thinking about how to look for variations in the intensity of vegetated land masses in the near-infrared as an extrasolar planet rotates.

By the way, look for a "sun glint" in the movie, caused by light reflected from Earth's oceans. Similar glints gleaned in the future as spacecraft look for extrasolar planets orbiting their home star could indicate alien oceans!

It's important to remember that Deep Impact already made history: On July 4, 2005, the Ball Aerospace-built spacecraft unleashed an impactor that smashed into comet Tempel 1. Following that "worlds in collision" event, NASA decided to extend the mission to strive for a flyby of comet Hartley 2 in early November 2010.

That extended mission is called Epoxi - a name created from the melding of the two extended mission components - a search for extra-solar planets and the flyby of comet Hartley 2.

To get Epoxi, think Extrasolar Planet Observations and Characterization, or EPOCh and the comet flyby that's tagged as Deep Impact eXtended Investigation, or DIXI for short. Go figure!

This new video of Earth and the Moon was made by the Deep Impact spacecraft en route to its distant flyby of comet Hartley 2 - some two years from now.

So...long winded way for you to take a look yourself at the impressive video of the Moon transiting the Earth by going to:

http://www.nasa.gov/mov/260503main_red_green_blue2.mov

-- Leonard David

From Discovery News

"July 16, 2008 -- Have a business meeting in Houston next week? Be a good American and drop by for quick pee break at 2200 Space Park near the Johnson Space Center. Yes, you read that right: NASA needs your urine.

The drive is to benefit NASA's fledgling Orion Program, which aims to put astronauts back on the moon by 2020. The pee drive is to help engineers working on designing the new spaceship's toilet."

Click here to read more!

July 12, 2008 – HOUSTON, TX – The Coalition for Space Exploration, a collaboration of space industry businesses and advocacy groups whose mission is to educate and inform the public on the value and benefits of space exploration, issued the following statement regarding the death of Dr. Michael Ellis DeBakey, world-famous cardiovascular surgeon and member of the Coalition’s Board of Advisors.

“We at the coalition are saddened by the loss of Dr. DeBakey,” stated Mary Engola, Chairwoman of the Coalition’s Public Affairs Team. “His service to humankind and his pioneering accomplishments in using NASA-derived technology in the development of life-saving medical devices is truly extraordinary.”

Throughout his esteemed career, DeBakey established famous medical-care procedures, such as the military’s Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) unit, and invented myriad medical devices, some resultant from NASA technology that significantly enhanced the care and treatment of heart patients worldwide. For example, a fuel pump used on the Space Shuttle eventually led to the development and use of the MicroMed-DeBakey ventricular assist device, a tiny heart-assist pump used to help patients awaiting transplants.

NASA, in keeping with its mission of transferring space-based technology to the private sector, wanted to license its pump to a company that could further develop and test it, bringing it into public use. The result was DeBakey’s remarkable battery-operated pump – two inches long, one inch in diameter and weighing less than four ounces – used as a long-term "bridge" to transplant, or as a permanent device to help patients toward recovery and a more normal life.

Dr. DeBakey, who died at age 99 of natural causes, was a heart surgeon, innovator, medical educator and international medical statesman. He was the chancellor emeritus of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas and director of The DeBakey Heart Center of Baylor and the Methodist Hospital. “We laud his vast accomplishments and the decades of dedicated service to the medical community and the health and well-being of all,” added Engola.

China is readying a Shenzhou spacecraft for liftoff in October - a mission that will involve three "Taikonauts" orbiting the Earth, one of which will conduct that country's first spacewalk.

Chinese news outlets are reporting today that the Shenzhou-7 spaceship has reached the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province. Technicians there will carry out a series of final checks on the vehicle, all in preparation for  the Shenzhou launch on a Long March booster in October.

Some 5,000 pieces of equipment involved in the upcoming mission have already undergone testing.

A team of six space travelers are in training for the mission - with a down-select to the three that will actually fly expected shortly. 

The October flight marks the third time China has lofted people into Earth orbit. A single pilot was flown in 2003; a second mission carrying two people flew in 2005. Several flight tests of unpiloted Shenzhou spacecraft were conducted prior to the first passenger-carrying sojourns.

Meanwhile, reports from China indicate progress is being made on building a more-powerful Long March rocket.

Engines for the Long March 5 booster are to be first tested by year's end. Current projections by China's rocket designers are that the launcher is to be in operation by 2014.

Capable of tossing far heavier payloads into space -- including Shenzhou-series spacecraft -- the Long March 5 is viewed as an important step in China's space station effort, as well as bolstering its ability to carry out lunar exploration objectives.

This October's Shenzhou mission is manifested to have a spacewalker test construction techniques that would permit the building of an outpost in Earth orbit. 

-- Leonard David

As a teacher, summer is looked upon as a time of renewal, reflection, and relaxation.  Thus far, I have had time for each, as well as continuing my involvement in teaching.  Late in June I was on staff at the Delaware AeroSpace Education Foundation’s (www.dasef.org) Space Academy at the University of Delaware.  This program is headed up by a remarkable person - Dr. Stephanie Wright.  She was part of the original ‘Teacher in Space’ program, and has dedicated her time and energy to creating opportunities for children (and educators) to learn about aviation and aerospace.  The Space Academy programs started by Dr. Wright nineteen years ago, offer learning experiences for children of all ages.  If you live in the Delaware area, be sure to check out the website.





This week I was involved in running a workshop for teachers.  It was a great group from my district, with an interest in and enthusiasm for space exploration.  Several of the teachers who attended had been involved in celebrating Mars back in the springtime, with a special focus on Phoenix.  They found that students were very excited about the red planet, and we are hoping that each year more of our teachers come on board to learn more about Mars.








Today’s workshop, Motivating Students through Space Exploration Activities, included making kites, learning about the culture of NASA mission patches, ‘astronaut training’ activities (working with gloves), and finding out more about extravehicular activities (EVA) or space walks.  We also talked about the upcoming Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, STS-125/SM4, LRO, and returning to the moon.  Working with my colleagues is a very rewarding experience.  We are all learners together, and as I share my knowledge and activities, the ‘participants’ build on ideas presented with their own thoughts for variations on the theme, and how to integrate what I share into their own curriculum.  They came away with new enthusiasm, lessons and activities, and I came away with additional ideas for use in my classroom as well.

 

NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have fleshed out possible programs and technologies that if done together might support a human outpost on the Moon.

That assessment has been underway over the last six months. Teams of experts from NASA and ESA weighed in on various lunar exploration concepts that could complement, augment, or enhance the exploration plans of one another.

Both ESA capabilities as well as NASA's Ares I and Ares V -- the set of Constellation boosters now under development -- were reviewed in the joint assessment.

ESA program officials included in their study potential future use of an automated, Ariane 5-based lunar cargo landing system, as well as ESA-developed lunar surface hardware, such as habitation and mobility systems.

In an ESA-released statement today, Geoff Yoder, Directorate Integration Office Director of NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate said: "As future exploration plans mature around the world, it is becoming increasingly important that we seek compatibilities between NASA's plans and those of its potential future partners."

Bruno Gardini, ESA Exploration Program Manager added that ESA is preparing itself to make decisions that will "mark Europe's role in human spaceflight and exploration for the decades to come."

Gardini said that the Moon serves as an important case study and a useful test bed to ready plans and technology for more distant destinations.

-- Leonard David

 

SPACE EDUCATION-RELATED CONTESTS & COMPETITIONS

PETE CONRAD SPIRIT OF INNOVATION AWARD
Competition to create a concept that will benefit
the personal spaceflight industry or lunar exploration
for high school students
http://www.conradfoundation.org
(click on Pete Conrad Award)

INTERNATIONAL SPACE SETTLEMENT DESIGN COMPETITION
For high school students worldwide
www.spaceset.org

JOINT NASA/NSS STUDENT DESIGN CONTEST
For 6-12 grade students
http://www.nss.org/settlement/nasa/Contest/index.html

NASA CENTENNIAL CHALLENGES
For university students & adults,
with some high school involvement
centennialchallenges.nasa.gov

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ROCKETRY
Model rocket competition for all ages
www.nar.org

NATIONAL ENGINEERING DESIGN CHALLENGE
and TEAMS Competition
JETS: Junior Engineering Technical Society
For U.S. high school students
www.jets.org

SPACE DAY
International events for all grade levels
www.spaceday.org

TEAM AMERICA ROCKET CHALLENGE
Model rocketry for middle & high school students
http://www.aia-aerospace.org/tarc
 
THE GREAT MOONBUGGY RACE
International competition for high school & college students
moonbuggy.msfc.nasa.gov

 TOY CHALLENGE
Sally Ride Science
For 5-8 grade students
www.toychallenge.com
 
_______________________

ROBOTIC COMPETITIONS 

BEST ROBOTICS COMPETITION
For U.S. middle & high school students
www.bestinc.org

BOTBALL EDUCATION ROBOTICS PROGRAM
International competitions for middle & high school students
www.botball.org
 
FIRST ROBOTICS COMPETITION
International competitions for all ages
www.usfirst.org

                                                                          -  Barbara David

 

A unique event is slated during NASA's upcoming Lunar Science Conference being held at NASA's Ames Research Center later this month.

On July 20, members from the younger generation from four NASA Centers will discuss the future of space exploration. The panel is entitled "This is Your Future - Why the Moon?" - and is open to a variety of space topics.

The invitation is out for participants to submit questions to the panel online. The format is modeled after the CNN YouTube Debates. And if your video is selected, it will be aired at the event and discussed by the panel.

Instructions for submitting a video question:

1) Record your question. Include your name, location, and do keep your video under one minute.

2) Go to http://www.youtube.com/group/nasacolab

3) Join the group and click "add videos"

4) NOTE: videos are due by July 15, 2008 (so get going!)

5) Rate the posted submitted questions on youtube to help determine which videos will be selected for the conference

6) Check back during the end of July for answers to questions. Selected videos and the discussion will be posted at: http://www.youtube.com/user/LunarSciConference08

To learn more, Internet yourself over to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlX5sbqEpqM

 -- Leonard David

 

 

When a group at Ohio University in Athens created a video tour of the school’s virtual Second Life campus, Christopher Keesey expected that it would be, by and large, for the OU community. Yet while browsing YouTube, he found a copy of that same video tour translated into what he thinks was a Nordic language, possibly Danish.

“We didn’t know the person. The person, as far as we know, wasn’t even here, they were in Europe,” recounts Mr. Keesey, project manager of Ohio University Without Boundaries. Now the OU virtual campus receives visitors from around the world who regularly interact with student avatars on the virtual campus commons.

Around the world, universities, and even the US Department of State, are turning to online virtual worlds to create cultural exchanges. In these immersive, 3-D environments, users from around the globe can collaborate in ways that were previously impossible.

“If you learn about a culture … and your behavior changes in Second Life while you’re interacting with another culture, when you leave the virtual world these processes stay with you,” says Jeremy Bailenson, director of Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab in Palo Alto, Calif.

Although virtual-reality advocates say this digital realm is no match for real life experiences, most argue that in the absence of traveling overseas, it is one of the best available means of cultural exchange.

At the Dubai Women’s College, professors saw an opportunity to use Second Life to connect students with the world outside their tiny Arabian Gulf state. As a virtual orientation, the group visited a Second Life re-creation of Darfur and made an online pilgrimage to Mecca. Most notably, they met regularly with a group of Korean students in computer renditions of each other’s campuses to practice English and learn about one another’s culture.

“You couldn’t find two groups of students who are so different, and they were just fascinated by each other,” says Nicole Shammas, an English language teacher at Dubai Women’s College who helped coordinate the exchange.

During discussions, Mrs. Shammas says that, among other things, her students learned to respond respectfully when asked questions deemed inappropriate by their cultural standards, such as how they found boyfriends. Dealing professionally with such faux pas is an important skill for those going into international business.

“Back in the early days of the Web, we all knew that this was powerful stuff and it was going to affect learning. But I don’t think anyone could predict how profoundly it was going to change things,” says Claudia L’Amoreaux, educational programs manager at Linden Lab, the creator of Second Life, based in San Francisco. “We’re at the same point with the 3-D Internet and the immersive world experience of Second Life.”

The US State Department has begun exploring Second Life as a means to introduce people to American culture. Last year, it organized an eight-hour jazz concert that stretched across time zones. Next year, officials may work with Ohio University to coordinate tours of a virtual art exhibit led by the artist’s avatar. Already, several other countries, including Sweden and Estonia, have built cultural embassies in the online world.

“We need to be where the people are as we engage in public diplomacy, and virtual worlds are one of the mediums out there,” says William May, senior IT adviser for the State Department in public diplomacy.

WASHINGTON -- NASA is developing new spacecraft, the Ares rockets and Orion crew capsule, to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station and send them on their way to the moon. The first test flight of the spacecraft, known as Ares I-X, is scheduled to launch in spring 2009. The latest information about this launch is now available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/ares/flighttests/aresIx/index.html

The Web site was created to offer key information about the details and objectives of the Ares I-X test flight. The site features articles, images and videos that outline the objectives of the Ares
I-X test flight and explain how these objectives will influence the design and flight of the Ares I rocket and Orion crew capsule.

The Ares I-X flight will test hardware, facilities and ground operations associated with the Ares I rocket. It also will provide critical data during ascent of the integrated Orion crew exploration vehicle and the Ares I launch vehicle stack -- data that will be used to design a vehicle system that is safe and fully operational before astronauts begin traveling into orbit.

The Ares I-X test flight will bring America one step closer to a return to the moon by 2020 and eventual trips to Mars and destinations beyond. For more information about NASA's exploration plans, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/constellation