The Weekly Feed: Experimentation Edition
Morning Roundup: Change Edition
Former Blade Staffers Launch 'DC Agenda'
D.C. Unemployment Rate Reaches 11.9 Percent
D.C. Insurance Dept. Denies Birth Control Coverage Meddling
We've mentioned the International Year of Astronomy in passing, but not in great detail because Washington, D.C., disappointingly, doesn't seem to be hosting too many events. The IYA is a celebration of the 400th anniversary of the year Galileo Galilei first gazed through a telescope to look at the universe. Organized by the International Astronomical Union, IYA events have been planned all over the world all year, including tonight, the last night of Galilean Nights: three evenings encouraging the public to look up and get a closer look at our Moon and Jupiter and its moons (all of which will be close together in the sky this week) -- the objects Galileo first studied. If you're outside of D.C., see if there's a Galilean Night event near you, or follow other people's observations online through various webcasts and Twitter feeds (many with photos), or just head outside tonight and wait for a break in the clouds. You might consider buying a Galileoscope for just twenty bucks, which should give you a nice view of the Moon's craters, or participate in the last night of the Great World Wide Star Count.
Tuesday is a big day for space program enthusiasts. At 8 a.m. EST, the Ares I-X test rocket is slated to launch from the Kennedy Space Center. At 327 feet, the five-stage Ares I-X is the tallest rocket in the world, though still shorter than the massive, retired Saturn V rocket that sent the Apollo missions to the Moon. The four mile rollout to Launchpad 38B began last Tuesday, and its arrival marked the first time a non-Shuttle vehicle has sat on 38B since Apollo 10 launched in 1969. Ares I-X is the test model for the eventual Ares I, which is proposed to send humans back into space after the Space Shuttle is retired, followed by the Ares V, the unmanned heavy-lift vehicle that will carry the lunar rovers and other equipment, as part of the Constellation Program. Of course, the test launch is unmanned while engineers look for any issues in the Ares design, including a worrisome oscillation issue in the first stage that delayed the original launch date of August 30. Catch it on all the usual spots, NASA TV, Spaceflightnow.com, or SpaceVidCast. (The rescheduling of the Ares I-X launch has bumped back the Atlantis STS-129 launch, which has already been rolled out to Launchpad 39A, to November 16.)
Other Space Bits:
- The full Augustine Committee report was released this week. Read their recommendations -- which boil down to "fund NASA properly or make commercial partnerships, or the Constellation Program is probably dead" -- in the report here.
- Think the space program is just full of impractical romanticism for space and exploration? Think again: 10 NASA Inventions You Might Use Everyday. (And that's just ten.)
- I've gotten about 30 emails in the last day and a half about the new NASA iPhone App. Sadly, I'm handcuffed to a Blackberry, so download this baby, with mission countdown clocks, ISS trackers and more, and enjoy it for me.
- As always, check out Sky and Telescopes "Week at a Glance" for more information about what's visible this week.
Tonight's Events:
>> The Owens Science Center and the Astronomical Society of Greenbelt are hosting an Astronomy Day Open House from 12 to 5:30 p.m. Head over to Northway Field (directions on the downloadable flier) at 6:45 p.m. to continue the event with some (again, weather permitting) star gazing. Use the scopes provided by the event or bring your own.
>> The Howard Astronomy League will have their monthly star party open to the public at Alpha Ridge Park. The scopes are ready to roll right after sunset and the party usually runs til around 11 p.m.
>> As if the kids don't already love the Air & Space Museum, bring them to the Udvar-Hazy Center for the Halloween event "Air & Scare" from 2 to 8 p.m. Come in costume to trick-or-treat, get face paintings, and meet some space characters walking around the place. Free, but parking is $15.
Tomorrow:
>> Join the Astronomical Society of Greenbelt for "Sidewalk Astronomy" in Roosevelt Square at 7 p.m.
Next Saturday:
>> If you're been looking to invest in a telescope but want to get your hands on one and get advice in person first, head to Damascus, Md. next Saturday for the 6th Annual Eastern Telescope Show. Reps from tons of astronomical equipment manufacturers will be there, as well as telescope and mirror making demonstrators, speakers from NASA, and lots of free goodies. Free, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; downloadable flyer here.
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The moon and Jupiter will be close together on Monday evening!
Why is NASA really seeking water on the Moon?
Look here.