Mon-Jas Charan
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"Poena Vigoratus. Pullus cavo vix. Palma , est eternus"
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Post by Mon-Jas Charan on Aug 9, 2007 0:03:38 GMT -5
Shuttle launches with teacher aboard
By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer
Space shuttle Endeavour roared into orbit Wednesday carrying teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan, who was finally fulfilling the dream of Christa McAuliffe and the rest of the fallen Challenger crew.
Endeavour and its crew of seven rose from the seaside pad at 6:36 p.m., right on time, and pierced a solidly blue sky. They are expected to reach the international space station on Friday.
Once Endeavour was safely past the 73-second mark of the flight, the moment when Challenger exploded shortly after the call "Go at throttle up," Mission Control exclaimed that Morgan was "racing toward space on the wings of a legacy."
Immediately after the shuttle reached orbit, Mission Control announced: "For Barbara Morgan and her crewmates, class is in session."
Morgan, now 55, was McAuliffe's backup for Challenger's doomed launch in 1986. Even after two space shuttle disasters, she never swayed in her dedication to NASA and the agency's on-and-off quest to send a schoolteacher into space. She rocketed away in the center seat of the cabin's lower compartment, the same seat that had been occupied by McAuliffe.
McAuliffe's mother, Grace Corrigan, watched the launch on TV from her home in Massachusetts. "I'm very happy that it went up safely," she said. "We all send her our love," she added, her voice breaking.
More than half of NASA's 114 Teacher-in-Space nominees in 1985 gathered at the launch site, along with hundreds of other educators.
Also on hand was the widow of Challenger commander Dick Scobee. She said earlier in the day that she would be praying and pacing at liftoff and would not relax until Morgan was safely back on Earth in two weeks.
The Challenger crew "would be so happy with Barbara Morgan," June Scobee Rodgers said. "It's important that the lessons will be taught because there's a nation of people waiting, still, who remember where they were when we lost the Challenger and they remember a teacher was aboard."
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin met Tuesday night with several members of the Challenger astronaut families who were in town for the launch — although not with the McAuliffe family.
After liftoff, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings sent congratulations from Washington and called Morgan "an inspiring example for our next generation of teachers, scientists, engineers, innovators and entrepreneurs."
Midway through the flight, Morgan will speak with students in Idaho, where she taught elementary classes before moving to Houston in 1998 to train as a full-fledged astronaut, the first teacher to do so. If the mission is extended from 11 days to 14 days as planned, she will have a chance to answer questions from students in two other states.
But Morgan's main responsibility in orbit will be to her commander, Navy Cmdr. Scott Kelly. She will help operate Endeavour's robot arm and oversee the transfer of cargo from the shuttle to the station. The rest of the crew will be busy installing a huge square-shaped beam to the exterior of the station and replacing a broken gyroscope. Three and possibly four spacewalks are planned.
Late Wednesday, Morgan sounded all business from orbit, periodically updating Mission Control on the activation of the shuttle's cargo-carrying module.
"There's a lot of work, a lot of challenges in front of us, but I think this is a great way to start out," NASA's space operations chief, Bill Gerstenmaier, said after the shuttle reached orbit.
The space station is currently more than half finished. NASA plans to wrap up construction in 2010 when the shuttle program ends.
Endeavour's astronauts also will use a 50-foot laser boom on the end of the robot arm to inspect the shuttle's wings, nose and belly. The scan for damage from fuel-tank insulating foam and other debris from launch, or micrometeorites in space, has been standard procedure ever since Columbia's catastrophic re-entry in 2003.
A preliminary check of launch video showed four or five small pieces of debris falling off the external fuel tank, but it occurred too late in the launch to pose any threat to the shuttle, NASA officials said.
NASA is hoping a successful flight will draw some attention away from the rash of embarrassments it has faced this year, most recently a NASA-commissioned medical panel's report suggesting astronauts were intoxicated on launch day on at least two occasions.
Griffin said NASA is investigating the anonymous allegations. The space agency's top safety official has gone back 10 years through every shuttle flight and can find no flight surgeon, astronaut or document hinting at launch day drinking by a crew member, he said.
No evidence has been found yet for astronaut drinking right before a Russian Soyuz flight, either, he said.
"This is not a credible scenario. They're on TV. We just watched them having breakfast," Griffin said early Wednesday afternoon, referring to the Endeavour astronauts.
"The charges seem uncredible, and it also seems uncredible that somebody would just make it up. That's why it's so puzzling and that's why it's serious and that's why we will investigate."
This is Endeavour's first flight since 2002. The shuttle underwent a massive overhaul and was outfitted with complete satellite navigation, improved main engine monitoring equipment, and a new system for transferring power from the station to the shuttle. The extra power will allow the shuttle to remain docked at the space station longer than ever before.
Besides Morgan and commander Kelly, the crew also includes Marine Lt. Col. Charles Hobaugh, the copilot; Rick Mastracchio, Tracy Caldwell, Air Force Col. Alvin Drew and Canadian physician Dave Williams.
___
On the Net:
NASA: spaceflight.nasa.gov
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Post by Leda EmBorr on Aug 9, 2007 22:02:46 GMT -5
Andrew and I managed to watch the launch on TV yesterday. I actually did hold my breath while it went up... knowing the teacher was on board. I watched Challenger explode on live TV, so this was like "take 2".
One of these days I'll catch a launch in person, before the program ends.
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Mon-Jas Charan
Message Board Member
"Poena Vigoratus. Pullus cavo vix. Palma , est eternus"
Posts: 2,630
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Post by Mon-Jas Charan on Aug 23, 2007 18:43:51 GMT -5
GIGANTIC JETS: Think of them as sprites on steroids: Gigantic Jets are lightning-like discharges that spring from the top of thunderstorms, reaching all the way from the thunderhead to the ionosphere 50+ miles overhead. They're enormous and powerful.
Full Story Here
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Post by Leda EmBorr on Aug 23, 2007 21:29:06 GMT -5
Cool... like upside down lightning! It's neat that they were caught on tape given that they are so rare!
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Mon-Jas Charan
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"Poena Vigoratus. Pullus cavo vix. Palma , est eternus"
Posts: 2,630
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Post by Mon-Jas Charan on Aug 27, 2007 12:30:13 GMT -5
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Mon-Jas Charan
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"Poena Vigoratus. Pullus cavo vix. Palma , est eternus"
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Post by Mon-Jas Charan on Sept 19, 2007 15:22:04 GMT -5
Some good StuffNASA Science News for September 18, 2007 Last week in Boulder, Colorado, scientists converged on the "Living With A Star" workshop to share the latest research in solar physics. At one point, nearly 200 participants sat slack-jawed as they watched a new movie recorded by Japan's Hinode spacecraft showing a sunspot emerging from the depths of the sun. The newborn spot resembled nothing less than a swimming planet-sized trilobite. See for yourself--and find out what it means--in today's Science@NASA story.
FULL STORY at
science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/18sep_trilobite.htm?list92306
NASA MAPS THE MOON WITH GOOGLE
MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. - New higher-resolution lunar imagery and maps that include NASA multimedia content now are available on the Google Moon Web site.
Updates include new content from the Apollo missions, including dozens of embedded panoramic images, links to audio clips and videos, and descriptions of the astronauts' activities during the missions. The new content is overlaid on updated, higher-resolution lunar maps. Also added are detailed charts of different regions of the moon suitable for use by anyone simulating a lunar mission.
"NASA's objective is for Google Moon to become a more accurate and useful lunar mapping platform that will be a foundation for future web-based moon applications, much like the many applications that have been built on top of Google Maps," said Chris C. Kemp, director of strategic business development at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif. "This will make it easier for scientists everywhere to make lunar data more available and accessible."
Google Moon's visible imagery and topography are aligned with the recently updated lunar coordinate system and can be used for scientifically accurate mission planning and data analysis. The new site is designed to be user-friendly and encourage the exchange of data and ideas among scientists and amateur astronomers.
This announcement closely follows the release of new NASA content in Google Earth, including photographs taken by NASA astronauts and imagery from NASA's Earth observing satellite sensors, such as the Sea-viewing Wide Field of View Sensor, Landsat and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer.
Astronaut photography was developed in collaboration with the Crew Earth Observations team, part of the Image Science and Analysis Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston. Satellite imagery of Earth was developed in partnership with the Earth Observatory team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
The alliance was accomplished under a Space Act Agreement signed in December 2006 by Google and NASA's Ames Research Center. Google is headquartered near Ames in northern California's Silicon Valley.
For more information on Google Moon, visit:
moon.google.com
For more information on Google Earth, visit:
earth.google.com
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Post by Xana on Oct 4, 2007 0:22:11 GMT -5
No one's mentioning the Mars as big as the moon thing? I'm going outside to look now..............
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Mon-Jas Charan
Message Board Member
"Poena Vigoratus. Pullus cavo vix. Palma , est eternus"
Posts: 2,630
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Post by Mon-Jas Charan on Oct 4, 2007 16:14:26 GMT -5
Beware the Mars Hoax
7.07.2005
Earth and Mars are converging for a close encounter--but not as close as some people think.
From science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/07jul_marshoax.htm
July 7, 2005: Just when you thought it was safe to read your email....
There's a rumor about Mars going around the internet. Here are some snippets from a widely-circulated email message:
"The Red Planet is about to be spectacular."
"Earth is catching up with Mars [for] the closest approach between the two planets in recorded history."
"On August 27th … Mars will look as large as the full moon."
And finally, "NO ONE ALIVE TODAY WILL EVER SEE THIS AGAIN."
Only the first sentence is true. The Red Planet is about to be spectacular. The rest is a hoax.
Here are the facts: Earth and Mars are converging for a close encounter this year on October 30th at 0319 Universal Time. Distance: 69 million kilometers. To the unaided eye, Mars will look like a bright red star, a pinprick of light, certainly not as wide as the full Moon.
Disappointed? Don't be. If Mars did come close enough to rival the Moon, its gravity would alter Earth's orbit and raise terrible tides.
Sixty-nine million km is good. At that distance, Mars shines brighter than anything else in the sky except the Sun, the Moon and Venus. The visual magnitude of Mars on Oct. 30, 2005, will be -2.3. Even inattentive sky watchers will notice it, rising at sundown and soaring overhead at midnight.
You might remember another encounter with Mars, about two years ago, on August 27, 2003. That was the closest in recorded history, by a whisker, and millions of people watched as the distance between Mars and Earth shrunk to 56 million km. This October's encounter, at 69 million km, is similar. To casual observers, Mars will seem about as bright and beautiful in 2005 as it was in 2003.
Although closest approach is still months away, Mars is already conspicuous in the early morning. Before the sun comes up, it's the brightest object in the eastern sky, really eye-catching. If you have a telescope, even a small one, point it at Mars. You can see the bright icy South Polar Cap and strange dark markings on the planet's surface.
One day people will walk among those dark markings, exploring and prospecting, possibly mining ice from the polar caps to supply their settlements. It's a key goal of NASA's Vision for Space Exploration: to return to the Moon, to visit Mars and to go beyond.
Every day the view improves. Mars is coming--and that's no hoax.
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Post by Xana on Oct 4, 2007 19:16:24 GMT -5
Oh. Ok. Thank you.
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Post by Leda EmBorr on Oct 5, 2007 1:18:47 GMT -5
[glow=Orange,2,300]MARS or BUST!!!!![/glow]
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Post by J'aii-Gun Jiinn on Oct 5, 2007 14:49:57 GMT -5
So is that Venus rising in the eastern sky,or Mars? I thought Mars was closer to Orion and Taurus,and the Pledies
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Mon-Jas Charan
Message Board Member
"Poena Vigoratus. Pullus cavo vix. Palma , est eternus"
Posts: 2,630
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Post by Mon-Jas Charan on Oct 10, 2007 11:09:09 GMT -5
GO to S&T and click o the interactive sky chart. you can see "What's Up" for an time of day.
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Mon-Jas Charan
Message Board Member
"Poena Vigoratus. Pullus cavo vix. Palma , est eternus"
Posts: 2,630
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Post by Mon-Jas Charan on Oct 24, 2007 12:29:36 GMT -5
BIG FULL MOON
This week's full Moon is the biggest full Moon of 2007. It's no illusion. Some full Moons are genuinely larger than others and Thursday night's will be a whopper. Why? Read the answer below.
The Moon's orbit is an ellipse with one side 30,000 miles closer to Earth than the other. The full Moon of Oct. 25-26 is located on the near side, making it appear as much as 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser full Moons we've seen earlier in 2007.
In the language of astronomy, the two ends of the Moon's orbit are called "apogee" and "perigee." Apogee is the farthest point, perigee the nearest: diagram. This week's full Moon is a "perigee Moon" with extra-high "perigean tides."
The Moon is 14% bigger, but can you actually tell the difference? It's not so easy. There are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters. A fun experiment: Take a friend outside Thursday night and ask if they notice anything unusual about the Moon. Explain perigee after they answer.
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Post by J'aii-Gun Jiinn on Oct 24, 2007 15:00:39 GMT -5
It's going to be cloudy the rest of the week! It figures!
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Post by Leda EmBorr on Oct 24, 2007 16:29:51 GMT -5
Discovery is off... and I can't believe I missed the launch... I didn't even know... I'm RIGHT HERE!!!!!!!!!
UUUUUHG!!!!
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