Category Archives: Events

Events, History, Spaceflight & Parabolic Flight

Marking 45 years since the Apollo 11 landing

It was 45 years ago today that humans first walked on the Moon. I hope, and expect, it will be a lot less time than that before humans are on the Moon again.

Some resource sites

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On The Space Show today at 12 PM PDT, (3 PM EDT, 2 PM CDT), Rand Simberg and Bill Simon will return to “celebrate this special day with us and the Evoloterra ceremony. You can download Evoloterra [pdf] at www.evoloterra.com.”

Last year my wife and I and some friends celebrated July 20th with the Evoloterra ceremony and really enjoyed it: Our Evoloterra evening. Recommend you give it a try.

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Check out Buzz Aldrin‘s  #Apollo45 social media project in which people post a message or a video about where they were on July 20, 1969. Contributed videos can be found at Apollo45 – YouTube

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There are lots of Apollo 11 documentaries available at Youtube. Here is one from NASA:

 

Activism, Events, The Moon

MOON DAY at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas on July 19th

Ken Murphy, president of the Moon Society, informs me that the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, Texas will host the MOON DAY event this Saturday, July 19th: “Moon Day”, July 19, 2014 – the Biggest Annual Space Event in the DFW Metroplex! – NSSofNT.org

Apollo11.BuzzOnMoon1[1]

In cooperation with the National Space Society of North Texas, the Museum once again celebrates space exploration with MOON DAY, July 19, 2014.  Come and experience a full day of family-oriented activities, demonstrations, and programs, marking the 45th anniversary of the first manned Moon landing (the actual landing was on July 20).

THE FIRST 250 CHILDREN to arrive will receive a free “Lunar Sample Bag” courtesy of Moonlite Printing & Graphics of Carrollton, full of magazines, stickers, activity books, posters and other materials of interest to space flight enthusiasts of all ages.

OVER 25 EXHIBITORS will offer fascinating displays and activities such as a close-up look at a meteorite, robotics demonstrations, space art, re-creating Moon craters, and a SAFE look directly at the sun through specially-equipped telescopes.

THREE PORTABLE PLANETARIUMS will be featured this year, all with different programs, to give visitors a glimpse of the night sky throughout the day!

FASCINATING PROGRAMS for all ages will include a look at life on Mars, “Cosmic Chemistry,” and the story of how Dr. James Carter of the University of Texas at Dallas developed simulated moon soil—presented by Dr. Carter himself!

BUILD AND LAUNCH A MODEL ROCKET!—Our younger visitors can attend a model rocket-building class courtesy of the Dallas Area Rocket Society from 1:30-3:15 p.m.  A $25.00 fee includes all materials including a beginner’s level model rocket and engine, a one-year membership to the Dallas Area Rocket Society, and an opportunity to launch the model rocket at a supervised Dallas Area Rocket Society launch event.  Students can enroll in advance or sign up at the door.  Call (214) 350-4215 for details.

GIRL SCOUTS, BOY SCOUTS, AND CUB SCOUTS can meet various badge and pin requirements through participation in specific Moon Day activities.  No registration is required, and the qualifying activities are presented throughout the entire day.

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION (CPE) CREDITS  can be earned by DISD teachers attending any one of several presentations throughout the day—get a head start on your 2014-2015 requirements!

P.S. If you are not living near Dallas, you might check to see if a museum in your area is hosting a Moon Day event of their own.

Astronomy, Events

Blast marks start of construction of the European Extremely Large Telescope

The European Southern Observatory (ESO), which already has several major telescopes in Chile, has begun construction of a new one whose name says it all: European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). With a 39 meter primary mirror, it should be called the European Monster Telescope. It will take 10 years to build the observatory. The E-ELT will reside on top of the 3000-meter high peak of Cerro Armazones and it will eventually look something like this artist’s creation:

eso1139e[1]

However, to get that nice plateau on which to build it, they had to blow away the peak. Yesterday there was a special event held to mark the first big blast to cut off the peak. Here is a video of the event (jump to 53 seconds to see the blast):

And here is an ESO press release about the event:

Groundbreaking for the E-ELT

Today a groundbreaking ceremony took place to mark the next major milestone towards ESO’s European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). Part of the 3000-metre peak of Cerro Armazones was blasted away as a step towards levelling the summit in preparation for the construction of the largest optical/infrared telescope in the world.

The groundbreaking ceremony at Paranal Observatory, 20 kilometres away from the blasting, was attended by distinguished guests from both Chile and the ESO Member States, as well as representatives of the local communities, senior officials from the project and ESO staff. The event was also streamed live online and a recording of the event can now be viewed.

The order to proceed with the blasting was given by the Chilean Vice Minister of National Assets, Jorge Maldonado.

During the groundbreaking ceremony the Chilean company ICAFAL Ingeniería y Construcción S.A. blasted part of the top of Cerro Armazones and loosened about 5000 cubic metres of rock. This is just one part of an elaborate levelling process which will help landscape the mountain, so that it can accommodate the 39-metre telescope and its huge dome. A grand total of 220 000 cubic metres will need to be removed to make room for the 150 metre by 300 metre E-ELT platform.

The Cerro Armazones civil works started in March 2014 and are expected to take 16 months. These include the laying and maintenance of a paved road, the construction of the summit platform and the construction of a service trench to the summit [1].

The E-ELT first light is planned for 2024, when it will begin to tackle the biggest astronomical challenges of our time. The giant telescope is expected to allow the exploration of completely unknown realms of the Universe — it will be: “the world’s biggest eye on the sky”.

Activism, Events, Mars

“Time Capsule to Mars” – $25M student-led mission to the Red Planet

Here is an announcement from the project, Time Capsule To Mars “The bold student mission to land a “time capsule of humanity” on the surface of Mars”

Time Capsule to Mars™ – a $25 Million Student-Led Mission to the Red Planet –
to Announce World’s Largest Crowdfunding Initiative and Industry Partnerships

Project to be the First Privately-Funded Mission to Mars, a CubeSat-based
Spacecraft with Custom Propulsion Technology

WASHINGTON – June 17, 2014 – Time Capsule to Mars™ (TC2M), the world’s first student-led interplanetary mission, will host a press conference on Monday, June 23, 2014 at 1:30 p.m. ET at the National Press Club to announce the official launch of the project’s crowdfunding website, alongside leading space industry organizations, academia and renowned astronauts and space veterans.

Who:

  • Emily Briere, founder, mission director and Duke University senior student
  • Jon Tidd, business-team lead and Fuqua School of Business and Duke University graduate student

Also joining in support of this initiative are representatives from NASA, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, ATK, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Draper Laboratory, Deep Space Industries, Explore Mars, Remarkable Technologies Inc., MIT, Stanford University, Duke University, UConn, NASA chief astronaut and vice president of ATK Kent Rominger, astronaut and ATK vice president and general manager of Space Launch division Charlie Precourt, and more.

What:

Emily Briere and Jon Tidd will present the project’s mission, fundraising goals, and official crowdfunding website for Time Capsule to Mars™ (TC2M), as well as details on how people from all over the globe can begin purchasing digital space on the “time capsule of humanity.” Speakers will also make special announcements of new strategic industry partnerships, advisers and university involvement.

When:

Monday, June 23, 2014, 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. E.T.
(Media reception to follow, 2:15 p.m.-3:00 p.m. ET)

Where:

National Press Club
13th Floor (Main Level)
First Amendment Room
529 14th Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20045

Why:

Time Capsule to Mars™ (TC2M) will make history by connecting humanity’s shared history with our shared destiny. Carrying digital messages from tens of millions of people from all corners of Earth in the form of text, images, audio and video clips, the state-of-the-art “time capsule” will remain a crucible of today’s human race – to be rediscovered by future colonists of the Red Planet. Time Capsule to Mars™ intends to become the:

– First private mission to Mars
– First interplanetary CubeSat mission
– First interplanetary test of ion-electrospray propulsion
– Largest crowdfunded project in history

Both Ms. Briere and Mr. Tidd will be available for interviews at a media reception following the press conference. Reception will feature hors d’oeuvres and refreshments and networking opportunities with others in attendance.

About Time Capsule To Mars

The world’s first student-led interplanetary mission, Time Capsule to Mars™ (TC2M), has a goal to design, launch and land intact a time capsule on Mars containing data that memorializes the digital keepsakes of the human race on Earth in the current decade as we set out to colonize the first off world planet in humanity’s history. Time Capsule to Mars™ (TC2M) intends to be the largest-ever crowdfunded science endeavor, aiming to raise an estimated $25 million to accomplish the mission. A particular educational focus will include K-12-aged students from all over the world; the students will be able to access their own personalized “Mission Control” to play a virtual role in the mission, while tracking the vehicle’s (and their data) progression through our Solar System – right up to the landing on Mars. TC2M is a project of the non-profit Explore Mars (www.exploremars.org). Read more about our mission here, follow us @TimeCapsuleMars or #TC2M, and on Google+.

About Explore Mars
Explore Mars was created to advance the goal of sending humans to Mars within the next two decades. To further that goal, Explore Mars conducts programs and technical challenges to stimulate the development and/or improvement of technologies that will make human Mars missions more efficient and feasible. In addition, to embed the idea of Mars as a habitable planet, Explore Mars challenges educators to use Mars in the classroom as a tool to teach standard STEM curricula. Explore Mars, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation organized in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Astronomy, Events, Meteors

Meteor shower expected to light up the sky tonight over North America

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There’s a good chance, but no guarantee, of a strong meteor shower tonight over North America. The May Camelopardalids come from the dust debris trail of the periodic comet 209P/LINEAR, a little known and not very bright comet discovered in 2004 that orbits the sun every 5.1 years. According to Sky & Telescope:

What’s got dynamicists excited, however, is that Earth might might plow right through relatively dense strands of debris shed by the comet long ago. This should create a strong burst of “shooting stars” on May 24th.

Several predictions suggest you might see anywhere from 100 to 200 meteors per hour from a dark location free of light pollution. That means you could perhaps see one or two meteors per minute. Some (but not all) dynamicists think there’s even an outside chance that the celestial spectacle could briefly become a meteor “storm,” with more than 1,000 arriving per hour! (But it’s also possible that the display might be weak, with just a few dozen meteors visible per hour even in a dark sky.)

The meteor shower should peak around 3 am EDT. If you don’t have a clear sky, you can watch online at Slooh.

More at:

Map showing where the expected May Camelopardalid meteor shower will be visible during the peak time on May 24, 2014, 6:00-8:00 UTC.
Map showing where the expected May Camelopardalid
meteor shower will be visible during the peak time
on May 24, 6:00-8:00 UTC.
Image Credit: NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center