Archives for March 2006
Posted by Davin Flateau on 14 Mar 2006 at 1:13 pm.
Make a Comment. Filed under Astronomy.
In yesterday’s post, I meant to write a followup and mention that Google used Lowell’s birthday to launch Google Mars, a way cool way to learn about Mars. Go there now and start clicking and zooming on stuff!
One really great feature is “Stories” which links geographic features on the red planet to […]
Posted by Davin Flateau on 15 Mar 2006 at 11:03 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under General, Astronomy.
Even though I produce astronomy documentaries for the really big screen, I’m generally not a huge fan of ones produced for the small screen. Some TV astronomy documentaries go out of their way to bore the viewer, playing right into that stereotype that astronomy is an abstract and meaningless topic best left to the […]
Posted by Davin Flateau on 16 Mar 2006 at 11:50 am.
1 Comment. Filed under General.
The 36th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference is currently being held in Houston, and is slated to wrap up on Friday. It’s a gathering of scientists, students, NASA, and educators sharing the latest discoveries about solar system. Topics about Jupiter’s moons, asteroids, comets, our moon, Saturnian moons, current missions, future missions, Mars, more […]
Posted by Davin Flateau on 17 Mar 2006 at 12:31 pm.
1 Comment. Filed under Astronomy.
Right on the heels of my previous post about NASA’s termination of the asteroid-orbiting mission DAWN, CNN reports that NASA is taking a second look at the mission.
NASA’s unusual step to review Dawn’s termination came after the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, which manages the mission, presented new evidence in support of it, the space […]
Posted by Davin Flateau on 20 Mar 2006 at 12:21 pm.
Make a Comment. Filed under Astronomy.
Happy vernal equinox! Time to break out the Nox Nog, and raise a glass to the first day of spring. Just in time for a snow storm to dump feet of snow here in Kansas. I can smell the snowblower exhaust and road salt wafting through the fragrant spring air already.
The term […]
Posted by Davin Flateau on 20 Mar 2006 at 5:51 pm.
Make a Comment. Filed under Astronomy.
In between dodging trucks in the morning highway traffic, and somewhere between a left turn signal and a stop sign, I was briefly thrown out of my car, transported to the clear, cold dark sky of the Utah night. On NPR’s Morning Edition today, author Craig Childs shared with listeners the lost beauty of […]
Posted by Davin Flateau on 21 Mar 2006 at 10:43 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under Astronomy.
I was just watching NASA TV, and caught a nice summary of Discovery class missions to asteroids and comets. The dual asteroid orbiting mission DAWN was still in there. Take that as either a good sign or someone at NASA TV didn’t realize that their agency had cancelled the program. Hmm!
Posted by Davin Flateau on 22 Mar 2006 at 5:04 pm.
Make a Comment. Filed under Astronomy.
Yes, astronomy and space fans, here’s a list of recent articles worthy of your unwavering attention. It’s the return of our Astronomy News Roundup!
Phil Plait “The Bad Astronomer” gets into a spin about Sirius.
British astronomers use a computer simulation to show how solar systems can form big rocky planets, like have been observed around other […]
Read ‘Astro News Roundup March 22’
Posted by Davin Flateau on 24 Mar 2006 at 11:32 am.
Make a Comment. Filed under General, Astronomy, Exploration Place.
I recently saw a full page ad in the Sunday New York Times placed by the Ad Council for the Girl Scouts of America. That’s probably the largest printed public service message you can get on the planet. Click on the ad for a larger view:
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (resung by science)
Twinkle, twinkle […]
Posted by Davin Flateau on 24 Mar 2006 at 12:34 pm.
3 Comments. Filed under Astronomy.
Being a big hub for observational astronomy, this can probably be said for most nights in Tuscon, Arizona: there are a lot of tired astronomers down there today. Mars’ newest artificial satellite, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, sent back its first images from its high powered camera last night and early this morning. Engineers […]
