The NASA Equation

NASA gives a lot more than it gets. After working at Johnson Space Center for 13 years, I saw first hand the great engineering and technological advances developed there and then sent out to the business section. It is part of the NASA charter.

In fact, a recent NASA Agency report explains, "NASA generated more than $64.3 billion in total economic output during fiscal year 2019, supported more than 312,000 jobs nationwide, and generated an estimated $7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes throughout the United States."  This was all gained from NASA's budget of 1/2 of 1% of the federal budget. Awesome return on investment.

NASA has 10 centers operating across the U.S. and its economic impact is not just limited to states with NASA facilities. All 50 states receive economic gain from NASA’s research and space exploration missions.

It is one of the high points of this wildfire burning, Midwest flooding, hurricane spawning, 2020 pandemic "new normal." So, let's look to the stars for some positive relief and hope that next year we have a science data and aerospace driven outlook with less worries, better health, and a trustworthy COVID-19 vaccine that works. 

Stay healthy and remember to vote. Go science!

Comet Watching for One and All

If you have a desire to look up into the night sky and watch comets go by like I do, you won't want to miss the 46P/Wirtanen comet on December 17, 2018 (when it makes its closest approach). This brilliant cosmic tourist may also be seen by the naked eye or with binoculars (this year) so everyone can try to spot it.

Check out the NASA video and description of the best hours/days and ways to view this wonderful astronomical occurrence. The next visit of the Wirtanen comet is projected to be much less impressive. So get out your coats, chairs and various gear now. Go science!

International Observe the Moon night

Okay, vacations and summer heat behind us, it's time to get back to science. In this case, space science that anyone, any age, can do - moon observations.

The October 20, 2018 event is the International Observe the Moon Night. This worldwide focus on lunar science and exploration, held since 2010 takes place in Sept. or Oct. annually.

It's a chance to learn about our most observed neighbor and later allow you to offer up lunar factoids at everything from kids' birthday to cocktail parties (well ones where all your space science friends attend). 

This year also marks the 50th year anniversary of Apollo 8 visiting the moon and creates a chance to talk about past, present, and future lunar and planetary science and exploration. Plus, we can celebrate all the scientists/engineers who participated and shared in this tremendous human achievement.

Want to join the fun? Check out NASA's 2018 Moon Maps of how the Moon will appear on International Observe the Moon Night from the northern and southern hemispheres. Go science!

Citizen Science Blogs

Time is flying this summer! I can hardly keep up with the latest science happenings, but if you are wanting to add more science to your summer. Check out this list of citizen science blogs compiled by Scientific American. 

Or you can watch a NASA YouTube video on how the general public can do publishable research. Learn scientific protocols and find important answers. You don't need a ton of special skills, just lots of curiosity! 

Enjoy your summer and let me know what types of projects you are working on. Go science!

NASA Spinoffs

Some folks wonder if space exploration is "worth it." (Not me or anyone I know, but some.) I believe it's because for decades, NASA was not great at advertising its amazing technologies. Not exactly a strength (or even of interest) to most scientists and engineers.

When I worked at Johnson Space Center, I became aware of NASA accomplishments (besides launching rockets and building an international space station) through the annual NASA Spinoffs book that employees received.

You can read the online 2018 edition or download a copy here. It's amazing all the science and technology we take for granted that originated within the NASA space program. If you want a comprehensive look at NASA spinoffs, check out the NASA Spinoff Database which contains abstracts of all Spinoff articles published since 1976.

Next time you hear someone asking the question of what has NASA done for me, direct them to these resources. Go science!

NASA Remembers

Today NASA remembers the 17 daring and courageous  astronauts who lost their lives during America's space program. Several NASA centers including Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama and Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida are holding observances for employees, family, and the public. 

Strangely, the loss of NASA personnel all happened days apart in the winter of different years (e.g., Apollo 1 fire - Jan. 27, 1967; Challenger explosion after liftoff - Jan. 28, 1986; and Columbia breakup upon reentry - Feb. 1, 2003). 

I was working at Johnson Space Center during the Challenger explosion and knew well several of the crew. Ron McNair's children went to the same preschool as mine and we chatted often when dropping off and picking up. Others, I worked with on mission planning. As everyone involved in the space program can agree, these deaths were personal losses. We shopped with, went to church with, commuted with, and served with these NASA heroes. I was still living in Clear Lake, TX when the ill-fated Columbia spacecraft and crew were lost. Grief revisited - for me and the nation.

Unfortunately, we often forget how dangerous space exploration is, but the rewards are multiplied a hundred fold or more via NASA science, medical, materials, and engineering spin offs. To me, these lost colleagues lived extraordinary lives and deserve our thankful remembrance. Go science!

May the force of New Year resolutions be with you!

Happy New Year! May the Resolutions force be with You! 

I have been luxuriating on the Oregon coast in the rain as well as hiking through old growth forests and celebrating the holidays with family between raindrops. I even had time to engage my newly resurrected love of photography. You can check out some of my mostly science and nature images here. 

If you are a science educator, I'd love to connect on Pinterest (where I contribute frequently) or FB (I check in ~ weekly) or Twitter (occasionally). 

As a science geek and scifi nerd, I am always interested in the latest sites, movies, and news. Send those along as you find them. Here is what I came across lately. 

This new NASA-led study estimates that tropical forests absorb 1.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide out of a total global absorption of 2.5 billion -- more than boreal forests in Canada, Siberia and other northern regions.

More science news updates as they happen. Until then Go Science!

CIBER Spots Outcast Stars

Data from the Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment, or CIBER, provided support that background infrared light in the universe (seen by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope), comes from distant stars ejected from parent galaxies. 

"We think stars are being scattered out into space during galaxy collisions," said Michael Zemcov, Ph.D., experimental astrophysicist at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.

Using smaller suborbital NASA rockets, CIBER spotted two cosmic infrared (IR) wavelengths shorter than those measured by Spitzer. The light appears to come from a previously undetected population of stars between galaxies and CIBER measurements suggest the IR glow between distant galaxies is caused by orphan stars.

To test whether stray stars have been spun off from parent galaxies, future CIBER experiments will check to see if the stars are still located in roughly the same neighborhood. Go science!

Arkansas Science Festival

Since I love science and technology, some of you have probably heard me say, "All science, all the time" when asked about my interests and this blog. Well, here is another chance to share science research and discoveries. On October 6th, 2014, I will be hosting a Science Cafe at Godfrey's in Jonesboro, AR, starting at 6:30 p.m. as part of the Arkansas Science Festival.

The topic is: Rocket Science - Motors, Models, and Microorganisms in Space Exploration. My panelists will be David Thomas, Ph.D., Prof. of Biology, Lyon College, Ed Wilson, Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry, Harding University, and Tillman Kennon, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Science Education, Arkansas State University. Each of these folks do research in various aspects of space exploration. It will be a fun and relaxed evening with each panelist speaking for a few minutes about his work and then the event opened up for Q&A.

I may also be persuaded to provide a few stories from my 13 years at NASA- Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX and will have a some of my science books available for purchase afterwards. I look forward to seeing you there! Go science!

Gravity

As you can imagine, I like science movies, science fiction, and other assorted real and imagined technology (even Steampunk).

So when I heard from more than one person that the new movie, Gravity, with George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, got a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, (has it ever happened before?) I made plans to see it this weekend.

Mark Uhran, a 28-year NASA veteran with the International Space Station, said it was extremely realistic. I worked at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX for thirteen years and the movie trailer made my stomach lurch. I can hardly wait to see the movie. To avoid spoliers, let's comment next week when a lot of us have seen it. Go Science!

Twinkling Lights

In many countries, December is a time of twinkling lights, holiday decorations, and good cheer. Some city displays seem to challenge the night sky.

I have to admit, I love holiday lights especially the white ones. Even knowing about wavelengths, the way light travels, and all the rest of the science doesn't dim the magical feeling that a light display offers after dark.

Ever wonder how those lights would look on a large scale? A NASA-NOAA satellite gives us a much broader view of the Earth at night. Check it out.  

Earth at night

In The Pilot's Seat - Space Shuttle Discovery

The retired U.S. Space Shuttle fleet is being sent to museums around the country, but you can still have the feeling of sitting in the flight deck from home. In fact, you can pan 360 degrees in Discovery's flight deck for a bird's eye view of what astronauts had to check and re-check prior to and upon landing the space shuttle. Think you can handle it? Try zooming in and panning in every direction. Awesome! 
For more information about NASA Space Shuttles' final destinations go to the NASA website. 

Mars as Art

Curiosity has landed on Mars and we are getting images back from the landing site. 
 Looks like the tires have plenty of tread so now the interplanetary field trip can begin. What do you want to do first? Take more pictures? Buy postcards? I spotted these Mars as Art images taken by other vehicles (and from space) and thought you might like them too.  This infrared image taken from the NASA Mars Odessey orbiter shows a large deposit of the mineral olivine/peridot (Magnesium iron silicate) in colored in magenta. One of olivine's properties is its ability to withstand high temperatures. Sounds perfect for Mars! 

7 Minutes of Terror

Remember, the Mars rover Curiosity is scheduled to land in the wee hours tonight/tomorrow morning after a 36 week journey from Earth. You can join millions of other science fans holding their breath during the 7 minutes of terror when the landing process takes place. Will all the steps happen as planned? Tune in! http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/index.html

Recycling Game

Want to recycle more? You can practice with “Recycle THIS!” on NASA’s Climate Kids website, http://climate.nasa.gov/kids/games/recycleThis. Recyclables are thrown out a window at the top, and, using an “airburst” tool, you can deflect an object’s path into the correct recycling bin. Glass? Metal? Paper? Plastic? Or trash to decompose in a landfill? Sound (on/off) adds to the fun. Be the best recycler in your family or group of friend. The Earth will thank you! 

NASA Spinoffs 2011

It's that time again. NASA has published it's spinoff book for 2011. Read all about the latest technologies/applications to spring from NASA's science and engineering. http://spinoff.nasa.gov

Mars Science Laboratory

The launch of the Mars Science Laboratory was one of the best ever as far as precision. They planned the trajectory so well that it turned out the 15 day post launch course correction will not be needed. Get the full NASA details here! Go Science!

Getting Started

If you know me, you know I am "All Science, All the Time!" And blogging! What a great way to share cutting edge science! Got science/technology news? Let's here from you. 


For lots of great science, check out my Cool Science Links page, http://ldwilliams.com/Science_Links.html


Talk to you soon!