[Spacetalk] https://www.nasa.gov/index.html; https://spaceflightnow.com

Gabe Gabrielle gabe at educatemotivate.com
Thu Aug 9 12:19:04 CDT 2018


Hi all,

 It seems hard to believe but I know many of you have and are preparing to return to the classroom after summer vacation…busy getting your classrooms ready by creating a learning environment that is both interesting and exciting for the kids…so few understand how much effort teachers put into their classrooms, most of it on their own time using with their own money…I will always be in awe of all teachers do and how much responsibility they have…having spent so much time in classrooms it really amazes me how you take 25 kids with different backgrounds, desires, and aptitude…teach them all the same thing at the same time while factoring in, parents, school administrators, state testing, and so many other variables most of us would never imagine…while I think it is the most challenging profession on the planet…I also think it must be the most rewarding as you influence kids for life and we all remember our favorite teacher…I want to say to you all... although it isn’t said often enough…thank you, thank you, thank you :-) :-) 

Arrived in Sao Paulo on my way to Rondonia, I hope there is time to get this to you, the next couple of weeks will be very busy… there will be many schools in 3 states and numerous cities in Brazil…I don’t think many of us in the US appreciate how large is the country of Brazil. I believe this is my 8th trip to Brazil, in 18 months…it has been amazing…I have been with kids of all ages and well as numerous adult groups, 2 with Science Days Brazil and the rest with Campus Party…the last 18 months has been filled with so much international travel, it is simply mind boggling to me but I never question good or bad…I enjoy it all…and I am so very appreciative...

Recently, the policy that permitted me being in NASA’s Speaker Bureau was cancelled, so, after 10 years, my position was terminated…thus eliminating access to speaker request from schools…this will be the biggest disappointment as that is what has given me so many speaking opportunities to speak with kids in Florida and Georgia…I know so many of you are on this group email from my school visits so I would like you to let me know if you would like a visit to talk with the kids….also any teachers from Denmark, if you could contact me…I am trying to come back to Denmark this year as it has been 3 years since my last visit…I am trying to go to Sweden too, if any of you can help with contacts...

there has been so much activity within the space program, as well as the Lunar eclipse, blood moon…and Mars being more visible over the next month…activities on the ISS continue with so many scientific experiments as well as training for missions to deep space…for any of you who signed up for the Parker Solar Probe, a  mission to “touch the sun”…I signed many of you up in March, you should have received a boarding pass that looks like mine below…it is now scheduled to launch on Aug 11th at 3:48 in the morning, Florida time (EDT) which should make it great timing for those of you in Europe, or time zones 6 hours ahead of Florida..you can see it live on NASA TV, nasa.gov/nasatv <http://nasa.gov/nasatv> this will be the first mission NASA has sent to a star and everything has been done to protect the ship and the delicate instruments used to monitor the sun…I am not sure how many schools will be back but I hope you can share the launch with the kids…then follow up with the mission as it approaches the sun…

 Today is Aug 9th…I have not had a spare second to complete and send this but I will get it off today as I want to make sure to remind you of the solar probe launch to the sun on Sat…it has been continually amazing in Brazil with allot of traveling to different cities and activities throughout the day…we are leaving the city of Diamantina, a beautiful old city on top of a mountainon on our way back to Montes Claros, about a 4 hour drive…2 presentations today, tomorrow, and on Sat…on Monday I leave for Sao Paulo, with Tuesday being a full day from 7am though 9 pm…then back to the US on Wed, and do presentation to Japanese students on Thursday….will get this to you as I have to leave shortly to visit a school…wishing you a wonderful day...we have to always remember to do our best, enjoy everything we do, live in the present, be appreciative of the good in our lives, let those we care about most know, make each day special, smile & have fun! hugs & love ya, Gabe
 

 How to See the Space Station From the Ground: http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/ <http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/>
 





Parker Solar Probe: Humanity’s First Visit to a Star
NASA's historic Parker Solar Probe mission will revolutionize our understanding of the Sun, where changing conditions can propagate out into the solar system, affecting Earth and other worlds. Parker Solar Probe will travel through the Sun’s atmosphere, closer to the surface than any spacecraft before it, facing brutal heat and radiation conditions — and ultimately providing humanity with the closest-ever observations of a star.

Journey to the Sun
Launch Period: July 31 – Aug. 23, 2018
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Launch Vehicle:Delta IV-Heavy with Upper Stage
In order to unlock the mysteries of the Sun's atmosphere, Parker Solar Probe will use Venus’ gravity during seven flybys over nearly seven years to gradually bring its orbit closer to the Sun. The spacecraft will fly through the Sun’s atmosphere as close as 3.8 million miles to our star’s surface, well within the orbit of Mercury and more than seven times closer than any spacecraft has come before. (Earth’s average distance to the Sun is 93 million miles.)

Flying into the outermost part of the Sun's atmosphere, known as the corona, for the first time, Parker Solar Probe will employ a combination of in situ measurements and imaging to revolutionize our understanding of the corona and expand our knowledge of the origin and evolution of the solar wind. It will also make critical contributions to our ability to forecast changes in Earth's space environment that affect life and technology on Earth.

Extreme Exploration 
At closest approach, Parker Solar Probe hurtles around the Sun at approximately 430,000 mph (700,000 kph). That's fast enough to get from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., in one second.

At closest approach to the Sun, the front of Parker Solar Probe's solar shield faces temperatures approaching 2,500 F (1,377 C). The spacecraft's payload will be near room temperature.

On the final three orbits, Parker Solar Probe flies to within 3.8 million miles of the Sun's surface — more than seven times closer than the current record-holder for a close solar pass, the Helios 2 spacecraft, which came within 27 million miles in 1976, and about a tenth as close as Mercury, which is, on average, about 36 million miles from the Sun.
Parker Solar Probe will perform its scientific investigations in a hazardous region of intense heat and solar radiation. The spacecraft will fly close enough to the Sun to watch the solar wind speed up from subsonic to supersonic, and it will fly though the birthplace of the highest-energy solar particles.

To perform these unprecedented investigations, the spacecraft and instruments will be protected from the Sun’s heat by a 4.5-inch-thick (11.43 cm) carbon-composite shield, which will need to withstand temperatures outside the spacecraft that reach nearly 2,500 F (1,377 C).

The Science of the Sun
The primary science goals for the mission are to trace how energy and heat move through the solar corona and to explore what accelerates the solar wind as well as solar energetic particles. Scientists have sought these answers for more than 60 years, but the investigation requires sending a probe right through the 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit heat of the corona. Today, this is finally possible with cutting-edge thermal engineering advances that can protect the mission on its dangerous journey. Parker Solar Probe will carry four instrument suites designed to study magnetic fields, plasma and energetic particles, and image the solar wind.


The Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Dust Storm Wanes, Opportunity Sleeps, Team Prepares Recovery Strategy

Sols 5133–5162

Opportunity may be seeing the light again, a little sunlight that is. 

As the veteran Mars Exploration Rover (MER) slept in Endeavour Crater’s Perseverance Valley under the thick cloud of dust that has blanketed the Red Planet for the last six weeks, scientists who are studying the monster storm that forced the robot field geologist into its hibernation mode are now reporting the tempest has peaked.

 <http://planetary.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/images/mer_updates/2018-07/20180802_1-Mars-shot-by-Hubble-July-18-2018.png>
NASA, ESA, and STScI



NASA Assigns Crews to First Test Flights, Missions on Commercial Spacecraft
 <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/group_photo.png>
NASA introduced to the world on Aug. 3, 2018, the first U.S. astronauts who will fly on American-made, commercial spacecraft to and from the International Space Station – an endeavor that will return astronaut launches to U.S. soil for the first time since the space shuttle’s retirement in 2011. The agency assigned nine astronauts to crew the first test flight and mission of both Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon. The astronauts are, from left to right: Sunita Williams, Josh Cassada, Eric Boe, Nicole Mann, Christopher Ferguson, Douglas Hurley, Robert Behnken, Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover.
Credits: NASA
NASA introduced to the world on Friday the first U.S. astronauts who will fly on American-made, commercial spacecraft to and from the International Space Station <http://www.nasa.gov/station> – an endeavor that will return astronaut launches to U.S. soil for the first time since the space shuttle’s retirement in 2011. “Today, our country’s dreams of greater achievements in space are within our grasp,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “This accomplished group of American astronauts, flying on new spacecraft developed by our commercial partners Boeing and SpaceX, will launch a new era of human spaceflight. Today’s announcement advances our great American vision and strengthens the nation’s leadership in space.” The agency assigned nine astronauts to crew the first test flight and mission of both Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/boeing_starliner_dock_to_iss_co.jpg> and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/edu_sos_ll-dragon.jpg>. NASA has worked closely with the companies throughout design, development and testing to ensure the systems meet NASA’s safety and performance requirements.  “The men and women we assign to these first flights are at the forefront of this exciting new time for human spaceflight,” said Mark Geyer, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “It will be thrilling to see our astronauts lift off from American soil, and we can’t wait to see them aboard the International Space Station.” 



Honoring a Teacher: Christa McAuliffe’s Lost Lessons

 <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/s86-25196orig.jpeg>
At some point in life, everyone has had a teacher. Teachers are a special group of individuals who nurture minds and ensure that we are equipped to be successful in our personal and professional lives. One such teacher was Christa McAuliffe <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/mcauliffe.pdf>, who made history when she became the first teacher selected to go to space as part of NASA’s Teacher in Space project. Announced by Ronald Reagan <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan> in 1984, the pilot program was designed to inspire students, honor teachers and spur interest in mathematics, science and space exploration. These pioneering educators, who would go into space as p <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payload_Specialist>ayload specialists (non-astronaut civilians), would then return to their classrooms and share their experiences with students. McAuliffe’s plans included filming several demonstrations to be used in educational packages for students and teachers across the globe. However, as part of the Space Shuttle Challenger crew, she died tragically on the morning of January 28, 1986, when the orbiter broke apart just 73 seconds after launch. NASA cancelled the Teacher in Space project in 1990. McAuliffe’s lessons were lost for a moment, but not forgotten. Challenger Center <http://www.challenger.org/>, a leading science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education organization, worked in partnership with NASA to complete some of the lessons she had planned to perform aboard Challenger. Not only would these learning modules be a fitting tribute to McAuliffe, but the entire Challenger crew. As former teachers themselves, astronauts Ricky Arnold <https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/richard-r-arnold> and Joe Acaba <https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/joseph-m-acaba> wanted to honor McAuliffe by sharing her space curriculum. In 2017, prior to Acaba’s launch, both he and Arnold agreed that these lessons would honor McAuliffe’s legacy—and, teachers’ contributions around the world—during their missions aboard the International Space Station. The idea was also a great addition to NASA’s Year of Education on Station <https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stem-on-station/year-of-education.html>. “To me it’s for our nation; it’s really important it wasn’t lost,” said Arnold.  “I’m hoping we can package up some nice stuff teachers can use as a resource long after we’re home, long after the mission is over.” These timeless STEM topics, targeted for students in fifth through eighth grade, include effervescence, chromatography, liquids in microgravity and Newton’s law, but they can be adapted for younger or older students as well. Instead of McAuliffe’s planned tour of the space shuttle, this version includes a tour of the space station. Most of the lessons will be completed as originally planned, but some elements have been reimagined based on materials available aboard the orbiting laboratory. NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement <https://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/about/index.html> aims to encourage, involve, educate and employ those who dream of a career in STEM by providing resources and experiences to help open doors for young students. NASA creates unique STEM learning opportunities for students and teachers, helping to inspire the workforce of the future to continue the agency’s legacy through an unprecedented array of missions. Learning is a lifelong process and, even in the face of tragedy, we come together and learn from these moments as well. By sharing McAuliffe’s lesson plans we hope to keep her memory alive in the classroom and also inspire the next generation into future STEM careers. Find the lessons here: www.challenger.org/christa   <http://www.challenger.org/christa>
 




-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20180809/5a366184/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: fullsizeoutput_e816.jpeg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 101038 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20180809/5a366184/attachment.jpeg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: parker_solar_probe.jpeg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 48341 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20180809/5a366184/attachment-0001.jpeg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: group_photo.png
Type: image/png
Size: 558826 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20180809/5a366184/attachment.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: s86-25196orig.jpeg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 61524 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20180809/5a366184/attachment-0002.jpeg>


More information about the Spacetalk mailing list