Love Science?

Do you LOVE science? (If you answered yes, read on.)

Are you in grades 5-8, or do you know someone in those grades? (If you answered yes, read on.)

Discovery Education and 3M are looking for someone just like you to be America's Top Young Scientist! The 2013 Young Scientist Challenge is now open for all who meet the requirements to enter. The winner receives $25,000 and an awesome trip somewhere in the world! The 9 other finalists receive $1,000, trip to the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, MN and mentoring from one of 3M innovators! 

What do you have to do to win? Each person interested in competing needs to submit a 1-2 minute video highlighting their idea for a NEW invention intended to solve an everyday problem. The video entries must be related to how we live, how we work, or how we play. The video entries will not be judged on video production skills and may be filmed with a cell phone. All video entries are due on April 23, 2013.

Video entries will be presented to a panel of online judges after an initial screening. Judges will review the video submissions and choose 10 finalists and up to 51 merit winners: one from each state and the District of Columbia. 

To learn more check out the official website.

Check out a video from the 2011 finalists:

3..2..1..Launch & Eventual Success!

This has been a long time coming, but here is a recap of our Earth 360 Proof-of-concept flight.

Let us take you back to that Saturday morning. We got up early after a short night of sleep. Who could sleep much the night before such an exciting day? We roused the crew and began to make our way up to the famous Roscoe Diner off NY Route 17. This is where we would meet the rest of the crew and David (one of our Kickstarter backers) to nourish ourselves and discuss the procedures of launching the Earth 360 capsule.

Of course it didn't take long for the day's first hitch to arise; car trouble on the other half of the crew's end. It seems shortly after getting on NY Route 17 the power steering belt came off and the crew wisely got off the exit they were conveniently approaching. We called another crew member to head off to the rescue as Rhett and I continued towards Roscoe. Thankfully we all met up soon.

The morning was quite foggy and visibility not really in our favor. Considering this was a predominantly photographic mission it wasn't the best day to launch. The only reason we were even attempting to launch was the winds were very favorable and the clouds we low, meaning we would be over them relatively quickly. Due to the car trouble we were a good hour behind schedule, but kept pressing forward.

We made the short drive from the Roscoe Diner to the field we had scouted only using Google Earth/Maps. This field turned out to be Alan B. Sullivan Field adjoining the local school's fields. It was snow covered and shrouded in fog upon our arrival. We had already committed to launching so we began prepping the audio/video equipment and unloading the balloon, etc. Rhett organized the audio/video team members and reviewed last minute reminders and anticipated moments he wanted to capture. Rhett's dad and I took care of the actual launch preps. First on the list was get a tarp spread to protect the equipment from the snow covered ground. Next, we carried the all important helium tank to the tarp. Finally, we grabbed all the other components and tools we would need. 

Once everything was unloaded and at the "launch pad" we could begin the actual process of filling and launching the balloon and the Earth 360 capsule. We used one of our phones to stream video of the preps and eventually the launch. This allowed family, friends, students, backers and anyone else out there to be with us. I made sure to tell everyone what I was doing to get the lines tied, cameras and GPS tracker installed and balloon readied for filling. During this time the clouds and fog burned off and we had ourselves a whole in the sky. We were prepared to punch a whole in it regardless, but it was so nice to see blue sky and sunlight shine down upon us.

At last the moment came to fill the balloon. We had no idea how long it would take or exactly how to measure the amount of helium to use. It was all trial and error now. And what an error we made. After what seemed to all a long time of filling the balloon we determined very unscientifically that the balloon had enough lift. We shut off the flow of helium and tied off the balloon. All seemed good. We started the cameras and started to allow the balloon to head up to the skies. It lifted everything but the Earth 360 capsule, which served as an anchor. Failure. I actually said out loud, "I don't know what to do." It couldn't be any more disheartening.

The moment just after launch captured by David!

However, I did know what to do. We lowered the balloon back down and carefully removed the ties and tape which sealed it and began to add more helium. This time we figured if we hung the capsule from a safety string and the balloon could lift that we would be in better shape. Once the balloon comfortably pulled upward on the capsule, it's filling fitting and hose, we knew we were good. Again we tied off the balloon and started the cameras. At last we were ready to launch. It was 12:38 PM and we were anxious to start our countdown. We counted out loud (hopefully you did too) and after we all hit "one" I let go. The balloon and capsule zoomed up towards the heavens. I am not sure I have ever been so scared letting go, but no reward is possible without some risk. 

We watched the balloon rise for a few moments, began cleaning up our site and gear and put a call into Stewart International Airport Operations. This is where we had our first scare during flight. I had called earlier to let them know we were launching a weather balloon and all seemed fine. Nothing could be further from the truth as I spoke to a different voice and was told no one had given me permission to launch anything! A pit immediately formed in my stomach and I calmly spoke to the official on the other end. He took down our information and said he would call back shortly.

With our joy sapped, we packed up and began the chase. The GPS was steadily pinging every ten minutes and after three pings we lost contact. This we had expected and we continued driving towards Connecticut and our eventual landing zone. An hour passed and suddenly we had a GPS ping. This was not expected. It was too early and not far enough away. Had we overfilled the balloon? Had it burst already? Our minds covered every possible scenario, good and bad. We weren't too far from the GPS ping's location and decided to head there and investigate. At this point, Rhett, Isaiah and I were ahead of his dad and the other crew members (who had stopped to get the car experiencing issues). We informed them of our plans. We also checked in with our forward recovery team in Connecticut. As we headed up the country roads to the last known location, another GPS ping was reported. This time it was way off course near North Canaan on the Connecticut/Massachusetts border! Now our minds went only to bad scenarios. We called our forward recovery team and requested they head to that location to investigate. We were only a few miles from the last "on course" GPS location so we continued to it. Nothing was there, which was good. The balloon hadn't come down early, but that didn't help us explain the "off course" GPS ping. We now searched for the best route to northern Connecticut.

As we proceeded towards Connecticut, my phone rang. It was the Stewart International Airport Operations number. Gulp. I answered and was greeted by the same official who was in a better state than when I had last talked to him. He explained the confusion on their end. Apparently, more than one balloon launch was happening that day. He was super professional and helped us understand the proper procedures for the next time we attempt a launch. A huge wave of relief came over us and we could now focus on the chase and recovery with the proper emotions.

The next GPS ping had us reverting course back to our projected landing zone in central Connecticut. We were now the furthest group as Rhett's dad and the crew had made it back into the area. Since it was fast approaching when we anticipated the capsule to be safely descending by parachute to the earth, we dispatched Rhett's dad and crew to the now apparent landing zone. We had finally traversed the country roads back into western Connecticut ourselves. We stopped at the nearest Starbucks for the wifi so as to coordinate the recovery process. The day and any brightness which had penetrated the clouds and dense fog was quickly vanishing with nightfall approaching. The crews managed to meet in the neighborhood where the GPS was now steadily pinging from signaling it had landed. After a short time searching it was located some eighty feet in a tall oak tree. The chase had ended. The capsule was safely back, but out of reach. It would remain there the night at the minimum.  

We had done it. What exactly we had done we didn't quite know. We assumed given the data we had that we had in fact climbed to at least one hundred thousand feet. Little did we know the last eighty feet would be the hardest.

We descended upon the landing the next day. This was the first Rhett and I had seen of the capsule with our own eyes. The precarious position the capsule was now caught in had been described as attainable. Seeing it with daylight and fresh set of eyes we realized it would be much harder than anticipated to recover. We plotted and even attempted some interesting methods of freeing the capsule, but all to no avail. The capsule would spend another night in the tree. The weather kept us from the capsule until Tuesday when we finally brought in some professional help. I immediately drove the capsule back to the studio and we began to assess the photos. We had indeed been successful!

Much more to come soon...

We are GO for Launch!

Good news! We plan on launching the project tomorrow. The weather doesn't look as clear as we would like, but we want to take advantage of the good winds. You will be able to follow along with live video and a tracking map from the GPS on the mission control page found at http://almostspace.com . We plan on launching around 10AM, but check our twitter feed for the most current information. Below is a map which shows the projected track. Flight time is estimated at 2 hours 36 minutes currently. Thanks for all your support and we hope to share lots of photos, etc. with you in the coming days!

Naming Contest Extended...

Just to give you a quick update about the Earth 360 Naming contest. We have decided to push the deadline back until the final day of the year, 31 December. We had originally intended on launching on 15 December 2012, but due to the tragic events in Sandy Hook we postponed. (We are based out of the area and wanted to help our neighbors get through this difficult time.) This gives more people a chance to enter. We have seen some great ideas submitted already and can't wait to see what the extra time produces. And don't forget the one and only, Clara Ma (she named NASA's Curiosity rover) will still be helping us select a winning name. We are so excited about this fact! Enjoy and keep the cool ideas coming!

Name Our Capsule!

The Earth 360 project will ascend to an altitude of 100,000 feet with 6 cameras photographing the earth. The result: an interactive 360º panoramic like never before seen. We have engineered a capsule, which we simply call "the rig" for lack of a better name. We decided a few weeks back to hold a naming contest as a way to come up with a cool name and engage more of the public.

The tradition of naming seagoing and seafaring vessels of exploration goes back untold aeons. In recent years NASA has held contests to name everything from spacecraft to planetary rovers and now asteroids. These contests are usually open to students 18 and under from around the globe. For example, Kansas student Clara Ma named the Mars rover Curiosity (MSL) in 2009. The rover captivated the world this past summer as it landed on the red planet. 

So we here at Almost Rocket Science are excited to announce our naming contest for the Earth 360 capsule or rig. We have some neat prizes for the winner and runner-up! And best of all Clara Ma is going to help judge the winner!

The contest will be open to all, but we will have a category for students (18 and under) and those who are a little older. To enter, entrants must fill out an online entry form with the proposed name and a short explanation of why that name is a good choice. (Parents/Guardians/Teachers must submit on behalf of those under 18).

Learn more at the Earth 360 Naming Contest Page!

**Entries must be submitted by December 14, 2012 11:59 p.m. EST.

Fantastic First!

We are super excited and proud of our first 360º panoramic photo created using our rig! It would seem our next stop would be none other than the stratosphere! We created it in Harriman State Park, one of our potential launch sites. Hope you enjoy and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Delayed...Not Scrubbed...

We just wanted to give you an update after our area was affected by Superstorm Sandy. We experienced high winds and heavy rain, but fortunately we are inland enough to avoid the historic storm surge. We certainly feel for our neighbors just to the south who were impacted by this epic storm. However, Rhett lives in an area which experienced a nearly total loss of electrical power. Due to this fact we will be delaying the release of our podcast episode with Dr. Anita Sengupta. Hopefully, you and your family are all well. We will keep you posted on our Twitter feed about when you can expect this awesome episode.

Thanks, Geoff

Next Up...

Joy and jubilation erupted from NASA’s mission control center as they read out, “Touchdown confirmed. We are safe on the surface of Mars!” Photo by Brian van der Brug/NY Times

 

Our next podcast guest was one of the stars of this past summer's blockbuster events. The world was tuned to NASA TV and other media outlets as NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab waited for word to see if they had successfully pulled off one of the most daring stunts ever attempted. The entire world stood silently, waiting on pins and needles as the "seven minutes of terror" passed. Then the words "Touchdown confirmed. We are safe on the surface of Mars!" sparked a celebration, not unlike that of a packed stadium erupting after a game winning touchdown is scored.

We are packing up the studio and taking it mobile to Boston to interview Dr. Anita Sengupta (@Doctor_Astro on Twitter). We are really excited to meet her and discuss her awesome work/career. We can't wait to discuss the "seven minutes of terror" and Curiosity's Entry-Descent-Landing (EDL). 

This is where you come in; we need your questions. We want to ask Anita your questions. After all you're the audience and we appreciate your support. Submit your questions using the comments below or on our Facebook or via Twitter. Then watch the podcast after we get it edited and posted (next week sometime) and see if we asked your question.

Winner!

Today, after using some total random winner picking website, we came up with a winner for our contest. First, we want to thank everyone who entered. We hope you like our little production and stick around. We hope to have plenty of giveaways in the near future! Hint, hint.

So our winner of the meteorite slice and autographed Meteorite Hunting book by our good friend Geoff Notkin is none other than @XxPhoenixLynnxX . You can find her on Twitter (https://twitter.com/XxPhoenixLynnxX). We are excited as she is a high school student and future author. Hopefully this helps her! Congrats!!!

Pressed Again...

Over the long weekend our project Earth 360 received some recognition from the media. A story featuring this project and adding some interesting insight was published on the website RedOrbit.com. We are quite excited by the coverage and hope it helps lead to an successful funding of the the project. To see the entire article click on the image below or Read Article.

The RedOrbit.com homepage as it appeared 2 September 2012.

Contest: Win a Meteorite and More!

First, we want to thank you all for your interest and support of our ongoing efforts to inspire tomorrow’s dreamers. From our podcast to our latest project Earth 360, you have been wonderful and we can’t thank you enough. Second, to kick off the new school year and our 3rd year of the project we wanted to do something cool as a sort of thank you for the support. We also want to spread the word to others and continue to expand our audience. We decided to launch a contest via Twitter. We aren’t far off from 1,000 followers and we would love to cross that mark before the end of this calendar year. We put our thinking caps on and we came up with an out-of-this-world idea (literally). Our 6th episode featured famed author and TV star Geoff Notkin. He kindly gave us an autographed copy of his award-winning book, “Meteorite Hunting: How to Find Treasures from Space” to giveaway at some point for just such a contest. While that may be cool enough, we wanted to kick it up a notch. “How about we give away a real meteorite with it!” came up in our brainstorming session. And we’ve done just that; paired the book with a genuine meteorite slice! You will now have your own piece of something that came from outer space! How cool is that? Starting today we will begin contest in which the winner will take home this awesome prize pack.

(PLEASE READ THIS PAGE CAREFULLY – IT ANSWERS ALL YOUR LEGITIMATE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONTEST!)

Enter To Win A Genuine Meteorite Slice and Autographed copy of “Meteorite Hunting” by Geoff Notkin!!!
This contest starts today and ends on September 30, 2012. The winner gets a genuine 17.5 gram etched Seymchan meteorite slice* (with olivine) and a copy of the award winning book “Meteorite Hunting: How to Find Treasures from Space” autographed by the author, Geoff Notkin.

Here’s how to enter:

1) Follow Almost Rocket Science on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/almostrocketsci

If you are already following no need to unfollow and refollow – doing so repeatedly will get you blocked and banned from the contest.

2) Tweet the message you see highlighted below once!

There is no advantage to tweeting more than once. There is also no penalty for tweeting more than once, but you won’t have any better chance of winning and you may anger your own Twitter followers if you do so. Please keep track of your own entry. We can’t (and won’t) respond to requests asking about entry status.

Here is the Tweet:

Enter to win a genuine meteorite and autographed “Meteorite Hunting” book from @almostrocketsci. Please RT. Info at: http://almostrocketscience.com

We realize Twitter clients often shorten URLs at their own discretion. As long the link points to our website that is fine. 

Official Rules:

No purchase necessary to enter or win.
1. You must be 10 years or older to enter. If under 18 parent should claim.
2. You must be following Almost Rocket Science on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/almostrocketsci).
3. You must send out the above tweet EXACTLY as it appears. A failure to do so will disqualify you.
4. The prize will be awarded on October 1, 2012 by Almost Rocket Science via Twitter and on almostrocketscience.com.
5. US residents responsible for any taxes (if any) incurred as winner. If you live outside the US you are responsible for any taxes, custom duties and shipping in the event you win. We will only ship the prize to a US address. Foreign winners must be able to retrieve the prize from a US address to be eligible to win.
6. If users make lots of Twitter accounts in order to enter a contest more than once, they’re liable to get all of their accounts suspended. Anyone found to use multiple Twitter accounts to enter will be ineligible.
Almost Rocket Science will keep a record of each tweet in a database and then a random number generator picks the winner.

*The meteorite slice is not from or connected with Geoff Notkin or his company Aerolite Meteorites. It does come with a identification card from the original procurer.

Orbital Perspective

Astronaut Ron Garan and myself, after his amazing talk at Iona College.

Last night we were privileged enough to be able to attend a presentation by Ron Garan at Iona College. I have heard Ron speak before, but last night was something different. He opened and closed with the same statement: "You don't have to be in orbit to have the Orbital Perspective." His goal was to impart the gift of the Orbital Perspective to all in attendance. I say, Mission Accomplished!

What is the orbital perspective? I will let Ron's own words sum it up best.

“When we look at the Earth from space, we are faced with a sobering contradiction. On one hand, we can clearly see the indescribable beauty of the planet we have been given; on the other hand is the unfortunate reality of life for a significant number of our beautiful planet’s inhabitants. As we look down at any part of the Earth, we can feel empathy for the struggles that all people face. We look down and realize that we are all riding through the Universe together on this spaceship we call Earth, that we are all interconnected, that we are all in this together, that we are all family. This is what we call the “Orbital Perspective.”
We live in a world where the possibilities are limited only by our imagination — and our will to act...We have the resources and technology to overcome almost all of the challenges facing our planet.”

Want the orbital perspective? This video will help.

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

Now share this with all your friends. And visit Fragile Oasis and see how you can help.

@Astro_Ron Tweetup - Pt. 1

Here is part one of my visit to NASA Headquarters to meet Astronaut Ron Garan (@Astro_Ron) with some other spacetweeps. Check back soon for more about this amazing experience. - Geoff

Today, I am heading to Washington, DC to another great event put on by NASA. My day starts with an early wake up in the greatest city, New York, to board a train. I find the train most relaxing and stress free. The Top Gear fan in me screams “Rubbish!”, but the highways don’t exactly allow you to drive a supercar properly in this country. If only the wifi would work today it would be absolutely perfect.

I am really excited about the event today. It is a Tweetup with Astronaut Ron Garan, who most recently spent 6 months living aboard the International Space Station. I had the opportunity to say a few quick words to him while he was up there during the Final Space Shuttle Launch Tweetup. It will be great to finally meet him in person. 

I have attended a similar program with Astronaut Doug Wheelock. He may be the nicest guy alive. It was truly amazing to spend time listening to an intrepid explorer discuss his out-of-this-world experiences, ask questions and connect with other space/NASA aficionados. Doug’s passion for space and our home planet were clearly evident. I expect nothing less from Ron. He is the founder of Fragile Oasis, a website dedicated to the cause of engaging everyone to help improve our amazing planet in some small way or another. 

NASA Tweetups are a way for NASA to connect with its supporters and show unprecedented behind the scenes access to its operations. Their popularity has really skyrocketed and what’s not to love about them. Just hop onto your Twitter feed and follow the hashtag #NASATweetup to see what I mean. It’s been great for the supporters and especially NASA. While participants agree to pay their way, NASA rolls out the red carpet for them. I have been in the Vehicle Assembly Building, watched the RSS retract to expose the beloved Space Shuttle from 1000 feet away, met Elmo, stood next to Bob Crippen and many other great experiences.

While the skies are grey today, it’s guaranteed to be sunny inside NASA Headquarters today, when a small group of NASA fans gather in an intimate setting to speak to awe-inspiring explorer. 

We're Going to Mars! via Washington...

We aren't personally going to our red neighbor, but we are heading to Washington, DC next week to talk about Mars with an expert. Our next podcast will feature Dr. John Grant of the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum. We are very excited to get our first podcast since May put together and even more excited to be visiting the NASM and being allowed to talk to one of their experts.

Dr. John Grant, Credit: Smithsonian

If you're a curious person and have questions about Mars, we would love to hear from you. Some topics we may cover with Dr. Grant are: 

• Mars exploration (landers and rovers)
• Planetary science
• His sources of inspiration

If you have questions you would like to ask Dr. Grant use the contact us page or tweet them to @almostrocketsci . We will do our best to get you the answers from an expert.

Check out some cool resources from Scientific American about Mars exploration:

Interactive Timeline of Mars Exploration, from 1960-2011

Exploring the Red Planet

History in the Making!

Just over a week ago, I received a really stunning email. It read:

“Congratulations, you have been selected to attend the NASA Tweetup on July 7-8 for space shuttle Atlantis' targeted launch at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida!”

Space Shuttle Atlantis sits poised on LC-39A awaiting it’s launch date. Just three weeks from now I will have this same view! Credit: NASA

I was in total shock, considering the sheer number of applicants (estimated 5,500+) to attend this amazing and historic event. Imagine not only being able to experience the launch from the press site (in the shadow of the VAB with the famous countdown clock front and center), but receiving a behind the scenes tour of the Kennedy Space Center and the opportunity to speak with shuttle technicians, engineers, astronauts and managers. In fact, I am still trying to process I will have one of the best seats for the final launch. It is just unbelievable no matter how many times I re-read the email.

A little less than 3 weeks from now, I will be representing “almost rocket science” and all human spaceflight supporters at this amazing event. I will be able to meet the 149 other spacetweeps selected to share in this wonderful opportunity. I am also excited to hopefully meet some of our podcast guests, personally; Jen Scheer and Dr. Lucy Rogers. I can’t wait to hear from the people have worked so hard these 30+ years to make the Space Shuttle program a reality. 

It will be a dream come true. I have always loved space and for all my memorable life the space shuttle has been in existence. I grew up watching launches in elementary school and beyond. It won’t be my first launch (attended STS-131 as NASA Education guest), but being at the historic last launch and flight it is a humbling privilege. It will no doubt be a bittersweet moment as it will mark the end of an era. It has been said there may be as many as a million people present on the space coast to watch the launch from nearby viewpoints.

Since it is a tweetup, I will be tweeting a LOT on our @almostrocketsci account leading up to and during the event itself. I will also try and record some of the sights and sounds to include a recap podcast. We will be releasing a podcast to help those who have never seen a launch or attended a tweetup in the days ahead. Keep checking back here to keep up with details and the NASA homepage for mission updates.

Thanks for joining me throughout this wonderful experience.

Geoff of Almost Rocket Science

It's Party Time!

This month we celebrate the 50th anniversary of human space flight. It is truly hard to believe just how far humankind has come in such a short period of time. Here is a quick history lesson:

The Official logo of Yuri’s Night 2011 World Space Party. Yuri’s Night is a worldwide celebration of human space flight.

1903 - The Wright brothers are credited with the first powered flight. Their craft flies 120 feet in 12 seconds. 

1927 - Charles Lindbergh makes the first solo nonstop transatlantic flight.

1947 - Chuck Yeager breaks the sound barrier in the Bell X-1.

1957 - Sputnik becomes the first artificial satellite to be put into orbit.

1959 - The X-15 flies faster and higher than any other plane. It’s pilots begin to experience weightlessness as they near the edge of the atmosphere.

April 12, 1961 - Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space and first to orbit the Earth.

July 20, 1969 - Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to set foot on the moon’s surface.

1975 - The Apollo-Soyuz project is the first international cooperation in space.

April 12, 1981 - The Space Shuttle Columbia becomes the first reusable spacecraft when it launches from the Kennedy Space Center.

1998 - The first two modules of the International Space Station are launched and joined together in orbit.

2000 - The first crew of the International Space Station arrives and kicks off a 10+ year permanent human presence in space.

October 4, 2004 - SpaceShipOne wins the Ansari X Prize by becoming the first commercial spacecraft to fly into space not once, but twice in two weeks.

We could continue and even add more detail, but you see just how far we have come in such a short period of time.   

Why do we bring all this up? 

Well, this being the 50th anniversary of human space flight, we encourage you to attend a Yuri’s Night event in your area.  

What is Yuri’s Night? 

Yuri’s Night is a celebration made up of many different events around the world.  (At the time of writing this post 329 events in 61 countries on 6 continents on 2 worlds are scheduled. There is an event on the ISS this year, hence the 2 worlds.) It is a celebration of human space flight and of course of human achievements. It celebrates the past, present and looks to the future of human space flight/exploration.

Where is the nearest event to me?

Check the map on the official Yuri’s Night webpage...It lists all parties and gives details.

What to do next?

Attend your nearest Yuri’s Night event and then spread the word about Yuri’s Night and all that humankind has accomplished in space. Get other people excited. Enthusiasm is definitely contagious. Consider hosting your own event next year!  (If you’re a teacher or work in a school, here are tips for hosting your own Yuri’s Night party.)

Beyond Yuri’s Night

Get connected with astronauts in space and back on Earth, by using Twitter. More and more astronauts are using Twitter these days and it is surprisingly easy to contact them. Check the NASA site for more details including their handles. 

Check out Fragile Oasis - The Space Blog Focused on Planet Earth, a blog founded by Astronaut Ron Garan and written by fellow astronauts. Ron is currently heading to the International Space Station as part of the Expedition 27 crew. He will be tweeting and blogging from space.

Check out astronaut Paolo Nespoli’s Flickr page where he shares great photos of our lovely planet from the ISS.

"Oh, The Places You'll Go..."

Stealing a line straight from Dr. Seuss, we introduce our little LEGO rocket logo.  We really don’t have a better name for it, sad to say.  We probably should given its recent travels.  All of this is thanks to Doug Ellison (guest for episode 3).

Our little LEGO rocket logo faithfully oversees the work done here at Almost Rocket Science. Check out where else it’s been.

When we started the podcast, we thought it would be cool to give our guests some little token of thanks for giving their time and expertise.  The ideas poured forth of what to get made up.  Would we give out mugs like the late night shows have or a t-shirt, etc.  We settled on designing our own LEGO kit resembling our logo.  We were stoked with what we saw on the screens of our laptops when all was said and done.  The day the box containing our first 10 kits arrived, we couldn’t have imagined how much better they were in person.  So we put one together for each of us and then starting doling them out to our guests.  We figured at some point our little LEGO mascot might get a name, but we weren’t prepared for what happened next.

One day we received an awesome tweet from Doug Ellison.  The tweet and attached picture say it all: 

“Took my @almostrocketsci Lego Logo to see a rocket headed for Mars - the MSL descent stage (so shiny!)” 

Needless to say, we were astonished.  Out humble little LEGO rocket had made it to somewhere we never would have dreamed of.  It was that picture which sparked an idea to see just where our guests could take our little rocket to.

Well our most recent guest, Dr. Lucy Rogers (also an Englander) has answered our challenge.  She took our little rocket to the Isle of Wight Star Party!  We can only assume our little rocket has since seen the Milky Way and other celestial wonders the dark skies there make possible. 

Now we need to challenge our other guests (Danny Forster, Jen Scheer and Colin Ake) to get our little LEGO rocket to some other great places.  We would also like to challenge our followers and listeners to an open contest where we think of a name for our little rocket mascot.  The person who suggests the best name for our little LEGO rocket will end up winning a LEGO rocket of their own.  The contest won’t have a set deadline, but we will pick our favorite suggestion, the one that truly fits, nearly as soon as we receive it.  Also feel free to tell us where our guests can take their LEGO rocket to in the future in the comments.

Thanks for your continued support of our podcast, blog and more!

Who or What Inspires You?

This week in a lull of interviews for the podcast I started thinking about inspiration.  I found myself wanting to know who or what inspires people?  

Seeing that one of the goals of the podcast is to inspire young people to investigate and hopefully pursue STEM careers, this is an important question to have answered.  I am not sure we can pinpoint the source of our inspiration to one unique source, but there must be at least one source which is superior.

My sources of inspiration can be linked to my family members and some of my teachers.  If I had to narrow it down to one, it gets a lot harder for sure.  I am not sure that any one of them influenced more than the others.  The exception would be my parents.  I am certain, because of the way they raised me, they have had the most influence on my life.  

Again, I am not sure that others will be able to simply pick one source of inspiration, but I would like to try and get a better idea of who or what inspires us.  I decided to put together a very short (and I do mean short) survey to get a better picture of inspiration.  I would like to get as many people as possible to take the survey to really help guide our understanding of this topic.  Once enough information is gathered, I would like to compile the data and extract some really nice stories of inspiration and put it all into a podcast episode.  It turns out that students who submit questions for our guests always ask about inspirations and role models.  This should be quite interesting.

Click to take the survey...

I would like to thank all of you in advance who take our short, painless survey on inspiration.  We at Almost Rocket Science and those who listen will benefit from this, especially our future explorers, scientists, etc.

Thanks, Geoff

Podcast Giveaway

We are requesting your help in getting questions for our next guest on the podcast.  The guest is Dr. Lucy Rogers!  She is so accomplished and an inspiration to all!

    Dr. Lucy Rogers website - for inspiration of course

We want your questions for Dr. Rogers! We cooked up this idea to encourage your participation.  Every one who submits a question for our interview will be entered to win some “spacey” prizes.  Check out the picture above for some ideas of just what they may be.  Each question earns you a chance so send as many questions as you can think up! 

Here’s the Rules.

1. All questions must have some relevance to Dr. Rogers’ experience, expertise or STEM in general.
2. Each question must be submitted in one of two ways:
   1. via Twitter - Send your questions to @almostrocketsci and include the hashtag #STEMQs
   2. via website - Use the contact us form found on the Contact page with the subject “STEMQs”
3. All questions must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) Saturday, 19 February 2011 to be eligible for the giveaway.
4. Each question you submit counts as an entry so submit as many times as you like.
5. The Almost Rocket Science crew will pick the winners on or before Saturday, 26 February 2011.

Help us out. Ask away. Win something.  Not bad for a few minutes work. 

Thanks!

Challenger Remembered @ 25 Years

Every generation seems to have a moment in history that will forever live on with them.  Those who witnessed the event remember that moment in time, where they were, etc. Twenty five years ago, this morning, my generation had one of those moments.

I was sitting in my third grade classroom, Mrs. Tremblay's room to be exact, awaiting the launch of the space shuttle Challenger.  We were excited to see the launch.  This flight was special because it was carrying a teacher.  To us, it was somebody we could really relate to.  We watched the launch with great anticipation and excitement.  Sadly, a few moments later the unthinkable happened.  Challenger and her crew were lost.  We sat in silence, some crying, some praying, but it would not change anything.  As young children we struggled to make sense of what had just happened.

The Challenger Seven: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Judith Resnick, Gregory Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe, Ellison Onizuka. Credit: NASA Images

Now 25 years later, I think of the impact the Challenger and her crew had on my life.  I continued to be enamored with flight and space exploration.  I read books, memorized aircraft and the shuttle, and looked to the night sky in dreams that I might explore space myself someday.  I never really gave up on that dream, but realized my life might be of more value in another career, teaching.  I try to inspire a new generation to explore and stretch to reach their dreams.  My love for all things space is stronger now than it was then.

The Challenger Seven: Michael Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Judith Resnick, Gregory Jarvis, Christa McAuliffe, Ellison Onizuka. Credit: NASA Images

A few years ago, I applied for NASA's Educator Astronaut position.  I had the bare minimum requirements, but didn't let it stop me.  I thought about those intrepid explorers, including the Challenger crew, that had opened up space to mankind and poured my heart into that application.  I dreamed I would be selected and get to live out my childhood dreams.  However, I wasn't accepted.  I still have the letter thanking me for my interest and share it with my students down to this day.  I had a great job then and I still have a great job today!  I love what I do!

Because of my interest in space and education, I was invited last April to view the launch of a space shuttle in person.  It was the launch of Discovery on STS-131.  It was an pre-dawn launch and it was truly an amazing experience.  Words cannot really describe it.  It was impossible not to think about the Challenger crew during the launch.  They reminded us that we are merely pioneers in space exploration.

Challenger and her crew may be gone, but they are certainly not forgotten.  Their legacy continues on today and hopefully far into the future.  Today, we have an International Space Station, numerous Challenger Learning Centers around the world inspiring and educating tomorrow's youth, and a new appreciation for what it takes to explore space and push back the boundaries of what is possible.  We owe this all to the Challenger Seven, those who came before (Apollo 1), those who have come after (Columbia), and all those who helped make it possible.  Thank you.

"The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them." - Ronald Reagan

We are still following you!