Category Archives: Space participation

Astronomy, Space participation, Space Science

Radio Galaxy Zoo – search for supermassive black holes in your spare time

Zooniverse announces a new spinoff of the citizen science program Galaxy Zoo called Radio Galaxy Zoo –

Earlier this year, Galaxy Zoo expanded to include the infrared. Now Radio Galaxy Zoo involves looking at galaxies in yet another light. This time we are asking you to match huge jets – seen in radio emission – to the supermassive black holes at the centre of the galaxy that produced them. This requires looking at the galaxies in infrared and radio wavelengths. These galaxies are nothing like our own, and your classifications will allow scientists to understand the causes of these erupting black holes and how they affect the galaxy surrounding them.

Get involved now at http://radio.galaxyzoo.org – and have fun discovering black holes in our Universe.

More at Welcome to Radio Galaxy Zoo! – Galaxy Zoo

This is a matching & recognition problem that humans are still best at,especially in cases where there are radio jets or multiple sources. And it’s an important task, one that will only become more important as the next generation of radio surveys and instruments come online and start producing enormous amounts of data. So if you’re willing to help, please try out the new Radio Galaxy Zoo and help find some growing black holes — and thank you!

Example image with radio jets and infrared galaxies
Can you see the infrared galaxy between the radio jets?

Space participation, Space Radio, Space Systems

Amateur radio operators reached Juno during its fly-by

When the Juno spacecraft recently did a fly-by of earth on its way to Jupiter, amateur radio enthusiasts were urged to try to contact Juno. This brief documentary video describes the successful project:

http://youtu.be/_yqHy_MpNiQ

Caption:

During its close flyby of Earth, NASA’s Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft listened for a communication from amateur radio operators transmitting from locations around the world. This video clip depicts results, the “dits” and the “dahs,” of this high-flying social experiment.

And this short video displays the signals : Juno Detects a Ham Radio “HI” from Earth – NASA JPL Photojournal

Exoplanets, Space participation

Planet Hunters – 3 years of citizen scientist exoplanet searches & discoveries

The citizen science Planet Hunters program celebrates three years of searching and (occasionally) finding exoplanets: 3 Years of Hunting Planets – Planet Hunters

Three years ago we weren’t sure if would even find planets, today we have lots of candidates and even some confirmed planets of our very own. Here’s a poster to celebrate: the Planet Hunters avatar made up of the almost-200,000 names of our registered users. Happy Birthday everyone!

ph-3-year-poster-1000

Download Fullsize [46 MB] or Half-size [11 MB].

Space Arts, Space participation

Prints now available for my NewSpace artwork

Last summer I mentioned here my artwork to which I’ve devoted a separate website at C. Sergent Lindsey. The works are primarily done with graphite, charcoal and color pencils and include topics such as Space, Still Lifes and Portraits.

Some readers had asked about buying reproductions and so I’ve made a selection of  pieces available as prints from Fine Art America. I had professional scans made of the originals and Fine Art America uses these to make the prints. They offer mat and frame options. They also have greeting cards. I  currently have two galleries there: NewSpace and Color Still Lives.

I plan to keep expanding the series of NewSpace works to highlight the accomplishments of this exciting age of entrepreneurial spaceflight. Start your collection now! 

For Christmas gifts for those not so focused on space, please consider my still life drawings:

C Sergent Lindsey - Tomato with Stem
Tomato with Stem

The originals of the works posted on Fine Art America are also priced for sale. Contact me directly if you are interested.

Education, Space participation

SFF sponsored student experiment going to ISS on Antares Rocket

An announcement from the Space Frontier Foundation:

When Amy McCormick’s class developed their science experiment studying Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), they could only dream of flying it to space. Their experiment won the Teachers In Space annual spaceflight contest and later this month, their dream will become a reality when it launches to the International Space Station (ISS). Tucked into a storage rack aboard the Cygnus (along with 22 other experiments flying as part of Mission 4 of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program), these experiments will blast off to the ISS on top of an Antares rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (M.A.R.S.). This will be the first commercial flight to the ISS provided by Orbital Sciences. SpaceX is the only other commercial company providing ISS resupply.

“This is an exciting moment for these students,” said James Pura, President of the Space Frontier Foundation. “They are learning how to conduct cutting edge science in a space laboratory. Short of going to space yourself, there is no better way to experience the wonder of spaceflight.”

On Wednesday,December 18th, representatives from Teachers in Space, a project of the Space Frontier Foundation and coordinator of the contest, will be at Wallops Island, VA to witness the launch into space. Liftoff is scheduled for 9:42 pm Eastern Time. Many on the Eastern seaboard of the United States should be able to witness this spectacular launch as well.

The experiments are scheduled to return to Earth on a later flight. From there the students will gather their data and present the results of their experiments.

About SSEP

The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (http://ssep.ncesse.org) is undertaken by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE; http://ncesse.org) in partnership with Nanoracks, LLC.

This on-orbit educational research opportunity is enabled through NanoRacks, LLC, which is working in partnership with NASA under a Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a National Laboratory.

About Teachers in Space

A project of the Space Frontier Foundation (SFF), Teachers in Space stimulates student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by giving teachers authentic astronaut training and real space science experiences combined with information and resources they can take back with them to their classrooms.

Teachers in Space improves science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education in America through summer workshops that give teachers authentic astronaut training and real space science experiences combined with information and resources they can take back to their classrooms. The goal is to inspire large numbers of young people to study STEM while spreading understanding of the opportunities offered by the emergent private space industry. Visit http://TIS.spacefrontier.org.