I was nine years old when I first wanted to be an astronaut, and my first hero was Sally Ride. I looked up to her as a woman, a scientist, and an astronaut. Sally Ride’s integrity never faltered, even as a woman in a male-dominated profession for much of her career.
Continue ReadingThe summer hasn’t even really started, but I’m already declaring it to be the best summer, ever. This year I was invited to attend a parent and child weekend at Space Camp. Yes, this is the same Space Camp that, if you were like me, you dreamed about attending when you were a kid. I’m happy to report it’s every bit as awesome as you’d imagined it would be as a child, except for the part where a series of mishaps mean campers must go on a real space mission to save the planet from impending doom.
Continue ReadingThe United States’ Landsat Earth observing program is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. This program has allowed scientists from all over the world to observe landscape changes on a massive scale through detailed photography of the Earth’s surface. To celebrate this historic anniversary, NASA is offering the chance for six lucky members of the American public to receive a chronicle of Landsat images from the past 40 years. Learn more about Landsat and enter NASA’s contest.
Continue ReadingI’m guessing when you think of the Nation’s Capital, it’s likely your thoughts steer more towards politics and government, rather than science and engineering. Living in the DC area has always proved to be full of interesting places to visit and sights to see. I will admit that I take for granted the attractions of the […]
Continue ReadingI recently got wind of a new mentoring program called NASA G.I.R.L.S., organized by Women@NASA. The program is so new that they are still building their website, but I knew I just had to contact them to find out more! I was able to reach the NASA official responsible for this new project, Mamta Patel Nagaraja, […]
Continue ReadingStudents are lucky if they can get one truly influential professor in their lives. I’ve had countless. I hold close to my heart the professors who taught me way more than the subject at hand. I remember so vividly those moments when I knew my life was forever changed by what I had learned: when Jeff Baker […]
Continue ReadingRovio debuted the latest Angry Birds game, Angry Birds Space, in the Samsung Bloggers Lounge at SXSW Friday. As an astronomy lover who comes from a family of Angry Birds lovers, this one has me doubly excited. Angry Birds Space takes place in a weightless environment where you have learn the physics of gravitational pull […]
Continue ReadingIf you only watch the news you might think that the astronauts are the only members of the NASA manned space program, but you would be wrong. I’m guessing that since you are reading this blog you are aware that there is a lot of science and engineering that goes on behind the scenes in […]
Continue ReadingEstablished in 2004, the last Thursday of January every year we remember all of the men and women who have given their lives as NASA astronauts as part of the NASA Day of Remembrance. Since Alan Shepard took his first flight into the blackness of space in 1961 during the Mercury program, 17 brave souls […]
Continue ReadingGeekMom Ariane shared with us this week that NASA has started their search for the 2013 class of astronauts! Want to get in on the action? Click here for the announcement on the NASA.gov website. You can learn more about what today’s astronauts will be doing, such as building and testing the next generation space […]
Continue ReadingThe Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission has launched and is on its way to the moon. This mission will use a pair of spacecraft to measure and map the gravity on the moon. Gravity changes can be caused by mountains, valleys and other structures hidden beneath the lunar surface. Scientists are hoping that […]
Continue ReadingToday might be a great day to watch the sky for more then just weather. You might just see a falling satellite this afternoon. NASA’s Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) is scheduled to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere sometime today or tonight. UARS finished its productive research life nearly six years ago and has been falling […]
Continue ReadingOne of my favorite memories of this summer is the day I sat with my daughter snuggled in my lap and watched the final space shuttle launch. As Atlantis took to the skies, I wiped away tears and tried to explain to her why Mommy was crying over a spaceship. This is a little girl […]
Continue ReadingRobots are cool. The first robot I remember was Gort from The Day The Earth Stood Still. I thought he was amazing. An alien robot who didn’t talk, he guarded his master’s spaceship with fierce devotion and shot a laser beam from his head that destroyed puny Earth weaponry without hurting anyone. I wanted a […]
Continue ReadingSpirit phone home! NASA waited to hear from its aptly named little Mars car for over a year before formally saying good-bye. On July 19, John Callas, Mars Exploration Rover Project Manager, eulogized the rover at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s “Spirit Celebration.” Callas praised Spirit’s durability and capacity, and its spirit, of course, saying, […]
Continue ReadingThis morning will mark the final launch of a NASA Space Shuttle into orbit around Earth on its way to the International Space Station. At approximately 11:26am EST Atlantis will reach the T-0 mark for the last time and roar into the sky completing a long tenure of scientific discovery for NASA. Atlantis was named after RV Atlantis, […]
Continue ReadingFor as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a mom or an astronaut when I grew-up. I think we can blame Star Trek for the astronaut bit. As a small child, I would look up at the stars and dream about what it would be like to explore the vast regions of […]
Continue ReadingAs we count the hours (perhaps only 24 hours, perhaps more because of a last minute problem) until the last shuttle launch, many of us are reflecting on memories we have of the shuttle, it’s missions, and the space program in general. From reflections on the Challenger disaster to a rollicking playlist for Atlantis we […]
Continue ReadingArt has been an important part of the NASA space program since close to its inception. In 1962, NASA Administrator James E. Webb invited artists to illustrate NASA many missions and projects. World renowned artists from all over the world have been granted special access to historical events, and in return have documented the progression […]
Continue ReadingSo who exactly owns the moon? It is a question that has vexed me for years. In light of the upcoming shuttle launch I found myself straying back to it more and more often. As a historian I have a pretty set definition of how a nation or country colonizes. Historically, the Finders-Keepers rule applies: […]
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