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http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/
This prediction report was generated by NASA's
Science @ NASA web site.
http://science.nasa.gov/
______________Science News____________
Science @ NASA
Kepler Mission Rockets to Space in Search of Other Earths
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/06mar_keplerlaunch.htm
Pretty Sky Alert
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/26feb_prettysky.htm
__________Prediction Report__________
by Science @ NASA
Help for this report is available on the J-Pass web pages.
http://science.nasa.gov/RealTime/JPass/PassGenerator/help.html
Start Time : 3/13 Latitude : 34.1199989318
End Time : 3/16 Longitude: -117.30999755
UTC-0.00694444444444444 Not Daylight Savings.
*** Warning: Your longitude may not match your time zone. ***
According to our calculations, your time zone should be around
-8 but you have registered -0.00694444444444444.
If either your longitude or time zone are
in error, your viewing times will also be in error!
>> HST approx. vis. mag. 1.5
Date Dur. Lit Dur. Max.
mm/dd Rise Set mm:ss mm:ss Elev.
---------------------------------------------------
3/14 01:57:04am WSW E 13:00 11:44 36 S
3/14 03:38:38am W ESE 12:50 06:05 31 S
3/15 01:55:21am WSW ESE 12:59 11:58 37 S
3/15 03:37:00am W ESE 12:44 06:14 27 SSW
3/16 01:53:39am W ESE 12:59 12:13 36 S
3/16 03:35:23am W SE 12:24 06:24 23 SSW
>> UARS approx. vis. mag. 10
Date Dur. Lit Dur. Max.
mm/dd Rise Set mm:ss mm:ss Elev.
---------------------------------------------------
3/14 02:33:42am SW NNE 10:13 09:58 36 NW
This free report is sponsored by the Science
Directorate at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center.
Though we make every effort to provide accurate
information, these predictions are for educational
and entertainment purposes only.
STATUS REPORT: 2009-047 March 12, 2009
Cassini-Huygens Mission Status Report
Cassini Swaps Thrusters
PASADENA, Calif. – Early this morning the Cassini spacecraft relayed information that it had successfully swapped to a backup set of propulsion thrusters late Wednesday.
The swap was performed because of degradation in the performance of the primary thrusters, which had been in use since Cassini's launch in 1997. This is only the second time in Cassini's 11 years of flight that the engineering teams have gone to a backup system.
The thrusters are used for making small corrections to the spacecraft's course, for some attitude control functions, and for making angular momentum adjustments in the reaction wheels, which also are used for attitude control. The redundant set is an identical set of eight thrusters. Almost all Cassini engineering subsystems have redundant backup capability.
Cassini has successfully completed its original four-year planned tour of Saturn and is now in extended mission operations.
More information on the mission is available at: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and http://www.nasa.gov/cassini .
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL.
-end-
NEWS RELEASE: 2009-043 March 6, 2009
NASA's Kepler Mission Rockets to Space in Search of Other Earths
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Kepler mission successfully launched into space from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II at 10:49 p.m. EST (7:49 p.m. PST), Friday, March 6. Kepler is designed to find the first Earth-size planets orbiting stars at distances where water could pool on the planet's surface. Liquid water is believed to be essential for the formation of life.
"It was a stunning launch," said Kepler Project Manager James Fanson of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "Our team is thrilled to be a part of something so meaningful to the human race -- Kepler will help us understand if our Earth is unique or if others like it are out there."
Engineers acquired a signal from Kepler at 12:11 a.m. Saturday EST (9:11 p.m. Friday PST), after it separated from its spent third-stage rocket and entered its final sun-centered orbit, trailing about 1,529 kilometers (950 miles) behind Earth. The spacecraft is generating its own power from its solar panels.
"Kepler now has the perfect place to watch more than 100,000 stars for signs of planets," said William Borucki, the mission's science principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. Borucki has worked on the mission for 17 years. "Everyone is very excited as our dream becomes a reality. We are on the verge of learning if other Earths are ubiquitous in the galaxy."
Engineers have begun to check Kepler to ensure it is working properly, a process called "commissioning" that will take about 60 days. In about a month or less, NASA will send up commands for Kepler to eject its dust cover and make its first measurements. After another month of calibrating Kepler's single instrument, a wide-field charge-couple device camera, the telescope will begin to search for planets.
The first planets to roll out on the Kepler "assembly line" are expected to be the portly "hot Jupiters" -- gas giants that circle close and fast around their stars. NASA's Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes will be able to follow up with these planets and learn more about their atmospheres. Neptune-size planets will most likely be found next, followed by rocky ones as small as Earth. The true Earth analogs -- Earth-sized planets orbiting stars like our sun at distances where surface water, and possibly life, could exist -- would take at least three years to discover and confirm. Ground-based telescopes also will contribute to the mission by verifying some of the finds.
In the end, Kepler will give us our first look at the frequency of Earth-size planets in our Milky Way galaxy, as well as the frequency of Earth-size planets that could theoretically be habitable.
"Even if we find no planets like Earth, that by itself would be profound. It would indicate that we are probably alone in the galaxy," said Borucki.
As the mission progresses, Kepler will drift farther and farther behind Earth in its orbit around the sun. NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, which was launched into the same orbit more than five years ago, is now more than about 100 million kilometers (62 million miles) behind Earth.
Kepler is a NASA Discovery mission. Ames is the home organization of the science principal investigator and is responsible for the ground system development, mission operations and science data analysis. JPL manages the Kepler mission development. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo., is responsible for developing the Kepler flight system and supporting mission operations. NASA's Launch Services Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., managed the launch service including payload integration and certifying the Delta II launch vehicle for NASA's use.
For more information about the Kepler mission, visit http://www.nasa.gov/kepler .
-end-
Feature March 5, 2009
Five Things About the Kepler Mission
Some quick facts about the Kepler mission, scheduled to launch March 6, 2009:
Kepler is the world's first mission with the ability to find true Earth analogs -- planets that orbit stars like our sun in the “habitable zone.” The habitable zone is the region around a star where the temperature is just right for water -- an essential ingredient for life as we know it -- to pool on a planet's surface.
By the end of Kepler's three-and-one-half-year mission, it will give us a good idea of how common or rare other Earths are in our Milky Way galaxy. This will be an important step in answering the age-old question: Are we alone?
Kepler detects planets by looking for periodic dips in the brightness of stars. Some planets pass in front of their stars as seen from our point of view on Earth; when they do, they cause their stars to dim slightly, an event Kepler can see.
Kepler has the largest camera ever launched into space, a 95-megapixel array of charge-coupled devices, or CCDs, like those in everyday digital cameras.
Kepler's telescope is so powerful that, from its view up in space, it could detect one person in a small town turning off a porch light at night.
Newfound Moon May Be Source of Outer Saturn Ring
NASA's Cassini spacecraft has found within Saturn's G ring an embedded moonlet that appears as a faint, moving pinprick of light. Scientists believe it is a main source of the G ring and its single ring arc.
Cassini imaging scientists analyzing images acquired over the course of about 600 days found the tiny moonlet, half a kilometer (about a third of a mile) across, embedded within a partial ring, or ring arc, previously found by Cassini in Saturn's tenuous G ring.
The finding is being announced today in an International Astronomical Union circular. Images can be found at http://www.nasa.gov/cassini, http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and http://ciclops.org .
"Before Cassini, the G ring was the only dusty ring that was not clearly associated with a known moon, which made it odd," said Matthew Hedman, a Cassini imaging team associate at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. "The discovery of this moonlet, together with other Cassini data, should help us make sense of this previously mysterious ring."
Saturn's rings were named in the order they were discovered. Working outward they are: D, C, B, A, F, G and E. The G ring is one of the outer diffuse rings. Within the faint G ring there is a relatively bright and narrow, 250-kilometer-wide (150-miles) arc of ring material, which extends 150,000 kilometers (90,000 miles), or one-sixth of the way around the ring's circumference. The moonlet moves within this ring arc. Previous Cassini plasma and dust measurements indicated that this partial ring may be produced from relatively large, icy particles embedded within the arc, such as this moonlet.
Scientists imaged the moonlet on Aug. 15, 2008, and then they confirmed its presence by finding it in two earlier images. They have since seen the moonlet on multiple occasions, most recently on Feb. 20, 2009. The moonlet is too small to be resolved by Cassini's cameras, so its size cannot be measured directly. However, Cassini scientists estimated the moonlet's size by comparing its brightness to another small Saturnian moon, Pallene.
Hedman and his collaborators also have found that the moonlet's orbit is being disturbed by the larger, nearby moon Mimas, which is responsible for keeping the ring arc together.
This brings the number of Saturnian ring arcs with embedded moonlets found by Cassini to three. The new moonlet may not be alone in the G ring arc. Previous measurements with other Cassini instruments implied the existence of a population of particles, possibly ranging in size from 1 to 100 meters (about three to several hundred feet) across. "Meteoroid impacts into, and collisions among, these bodies and the moonlet could liberate dust to form the arc," said Hedman.
Carl Murray, a Cassini imaging team member and professor at Queen Mary, University of London, said, "The moon's discovery and the disturbance of its trajectory by the neighboring moon Mimas highlight the close association between moons and rings that we see throughout the Saturn system. Hopefully, we will learn in the future more about how such arcs form and interact with their parent bodies."
Early next year, Cassini's camera will take a closer look at the arc and the moonlet. The Cassini Equinox mission, an extension of the original four-year mission, is expected to continue until fall of 2010.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo.
-end-
New Science On a Sphere Movie "Return to the Moon" Opens Nationwide on Feb. 27, 2009
From: NASA Education (education@nasa.gov)
Sent: Thu 2/26/09 10:03 AM
With the upcoming Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, NASA takes the first step toward returning humans to the moon. To commemorate the mission and champion the value of future planned lunar expeditions, NASA is set to release a new short film called "Return to the Moon." Designed expressly for the Science On a Sphere platform, a striking spherical projection system now playing in nearly thirty theaters around the world, "Return to the Moon" shows off Earth's silver sibling like a jewel of the night.
Starting with a brief historical look back at the legacy of human achievement in lunar exploration, the movie presses audiences to take stock of their own relationship to the moon. Then the movie takes them on a journey. While traveling along with the LRO spacecraft, viewers will discover some of the essential scientific subjects that scientists plan to study. Viewers will follow LRO as it makes orbits around the moon, gathering data about the surface and what may lie beneath. And then, in a dramatic demonstration of a daring mission goal, moviegoers will witness an inventive and powerful moment when NASA engineers intentionally crash a research probe into the surface of the moon to dig beneath the top layer. The space agency calls that impact probe LCROSS, and as both a research tool and a cinematic experience, it promises to deliver something exciting.
"Return to the Moon" opens around the U.S. and in several locations around the world on Feb. 27, 2009.
For more information about the film and a partial list of Science On a Sphere theaters, visit www.nasa.gov/lunarsphere.
| From: | NASA Education (education@nasa.gov) |
| Sent: | Wed 2/18/09 6:58 AM |
| To: |
NASA's Digital Learning Network presents a series of videoconferences to assist educators in staying current on NASA education resources and related products.
During each event, product producers, authors and experts will demonstrate their materials designed to optimize awareness and understanding of science concepts. Instructional objectives, accessing the materials and primary contacts for the materials will also be discussed. During the videoconferences, participants will be able to submit questions to the presenter that will be addressed during the presentation.
The following topics will be covered:
Chemistry: What Is Your Cosmic Connection to the Elements?: Feb. 25, 2009, 4-5 p.m. EST
The elements that make up life itself reflect events that take place in the universe. Humankind's very existence is linked to these elements and their cosmic origin. Join in for discussions of the big bang theory, stars, supernovae, cosmic rays and other topics as participants learn more about the cosmic origin of the elements.
Kepler Mission: March 25, 2009, 4-5 p.m. EST
The Kepler mission will seek evidence for Earth-size planets in orbit around sun-like stars. For the first time NASA will be able to search the galaxy for Earth-size or smaller planets. With this cutting-edge capability, Kepler may help to answer one of the most enduring questions humans have asked throughout history: Are there others like us in the universe?
Meteorology: An Educators Resource Guide for Inquiry-Based Learning: April 29, 2009, 4-5 p.m. EST
Meteorology is one of the oldest observational sciences in human history and perhaps the most relevant to a broad segment of society. Learn how the first early meteorologists used this knowledge for their success and survival. This educator guide covers weather patterns, climate and measurement tools.
NASA Explores Virtual Worlds: May 27, 2009, 4-5 p.m. EST
Virtual immersive environments are increasing in popularity in modern America. Explore the virtual world that NASA education is building in Second Life and learn how to become an active citizen of this world.
For more information about these videoconferences and to sign up online, visit http://dln.nasa.gov/dln/content/webcast/. Questions about these events should be directed to Caryn Long at caryn.long@nasa.gov .
| From: | NASA Education (education@nasa.gov) |
| Sent: | Thu 2/19/09 10:57 AM |
| To: |
NASA Quest -- LCROSS: Exploration Through Navigation Challenge Part II
NASA Quest and the LCROSS mission invite educators to register for Part II of the "Exploration through Navigation Challenge: Charting a Course to the Moon." In this challenge, students are required to chart a course from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla., to one of the lunar poles by using navigation skills appropriate for outer space.
The Exploration Through Navigation Challenge has two parts. Part I, “Charting a Course at Sea,” was held in fall 2008. Though participation in Part I is helpful, it is not required for participation in Part II. The two parts of the challenge complement each other but ultimately stand alone.
For Part II of this challenge, students submit a navigation plan (as a class) to NASA experts for review. Other activities include weekly challenge questions (with prizes), an opening and closing webcast, and a chat with the author of "A Man on the Moon." At the end of the challenge, students are invited to compare and contrast methods of navigating on Earth (at sea) and in space.
Background materials are available to help prepare for the challenge. An educator's guide aligned to national education standards is available for those who register.
Registration is open now, and student projects are due April 30, 2009.
Join NASA QUEST on Feb. 25, 2009, for an informative webcast that will help participants design their navigation plans. Participants will learn more about navigation in space from astronomer Brian Day and science journalist and space historian Andrew Chaikin.
For more information about the challenge and to register online, visit http://quest.nasa.gov/challenges/lcross3/.
This challenge is part of the educational programming for the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission, also known as LCROSS. The mission will be navigating an impactor to look for water ice in the polar region of the moon.
To learn more about the LCROSS mission and read news as it breaks, visit the LCROSS Web site at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/index.html.
NSTI Faculty Fellowship Program
The NASA Science and Technology Institute announces a new summer faculty fellowship program. This fellowship program targets full-time, early career, STEM faculty from minority institutions in the United States.
Faculty Fellows will engage in a ten-week research experience with scientists and engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif. Additionally, the fellowship recipients will receive professional development training and a stipend to cover housing, travel and living expenses.
A primary goal of the fellowship program is to strengthen the relationship between NASA and the minority higher education community. Applicants must be U.S. citizens and must return to their home institutions in a teaching/research capacity for at least one year after the fellowship.
Applications are due March 2, 2009.
For more information, visit http://www.uncfsp.org/NSTI-FFP. Please direct any questions about this opportunity to program manager Natalie Gore at natalie.gore@uncfsp.org.
U.S. Department of Education Teaching Ambassador Fellowship
Teachers with successful strategies for increasing student achievement are encouraged to apply for Teaching Ambassador Fellowship positions with the U.S. Department of Education for the 2009-2010 school year. Teachers will be chosen based upon their record of leadership, impact on student achievement and potential for contribution to the Department and the field.
The program offers two tracks: Classroom and Washington Fellows.
Classroom Fellows will serve their regular teaching contracts with their districts and will be paid to perform additional fellowship duties for the Department of Education. As practicing classroom teachers, these Fellows will share an important perspective for -- and will gain more knowledge about -- education policy and program development. They will share their experiences with other Fellows and with the Department of Education at designated times throughout the year.
Washington Fellows will serve as full-time federal employees in Washington, D.C., from the summer of 2009 through June 2010. They will be placed in appropriate positions within the Department of Education to work on education program development and implementation. They will focus on using their previous classroom experience to contribute knowledge and insight to various Department of Education projects. They will spend the majority of their time working in program offices, increasing their knowledge of and contributing to federal education policies and programs, and collaborating with other Fellows.
Applications for both tracks are due March 16, 2009.
For more information about this fellowship opportunity and activities of the current group of Teaching Ambassador Fellows, visit http://www.ed.gov/programs/teacherfellowship/index.html.
If you have questions about the fellowship, please e-mail your inquiries to TeacherFellowship@ed.gov or call 1-800-USA-Learn.
Lunar and Planetary Institute 2009 Field-Based Workshop
" The Heat from Within Earthly Insights into Planetary Volcanism," a NASA-sponsored workshop for educators, will be held July 12-19, 2009. Spend the week investigating different types of volcanoes in the Bend and Crater Lake regions of Oregon. Contrast these Earth-based analogs with volcanic features on Mars, the moon, Venus, and even the moons of Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune! From these field experiences and classroom exercises, participants will build an understanding of the planetary processes that produce volcanoes and of the patterns of volcanism on planets in our solar system.
The experience will be divided between the field and lab, where participants work with classroom-tested, hands-on, inquiry-based activities and resources that can be used to enhance Earth and space science teaching in the classroom. Participants receive lesson plans, supporting resources and presentations. A limited number of grants are available to cover registration.
Applications are due April 7, 2009. Participants will be notified of their acceptance by April 14, 2009.
For more information about the workshop and to submit an application online, visit http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/fieldtrips/2009/ . Questions about the workshop may be sent to Katie Buckaloo at buckaloo@lpi.usra.edu .
| From: | NASA Education (education@nasa.gov) |
| Sent: | Thu 2/19/09 2:12 PM |
| To: |
On the mission's fourth day, Channel One News Anchor Steven Fabian will interview Acaba, Arnold, shuttle Commander Lee Archambault and International Space Station Commander Mike Fincke. The questions will be selected from written and videotaped submissions made on the Web at:
http://www.channelone.com/news/space-station-q-a
NASA Television and the agency's Web site will broadcast the interview
live. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and scheduling information,
visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
"This is a great opportunity to recognize the important contribution of
teachers inspiring the next generation of explorers," said Joyce
Winterton, NASA's assistant administrator for Education at NASA
Headquarters in Washington.
"We are thrilled for this special opportunity to connect Channel One
students directly to the space shuttle crew," commented Angela Hunter,
senior vice president and executive producer for Channel One News.
"Providing teens with this type of access to an important journey
allows students to share in a unique experience and offers them tools
to further explore a fascinating area of science."
The STS-119 mission will deliver the station's final set of giant solar
arrays, which will provide the electricity to fully power science
experiments and support the station's expanded crew of six in May. The
flight also will replace a failed unit for a system that converts urine
to potable water.
During the 14-day flight, Acaba will conduct two spacewalks and Arnold will conduct three.
As a complement to the spacewalks, NASA has developed an educational
Web site focused on spacesuits and spacewalks. The site includes
activity guides for kindergarten through 12th grade teachers; a
clickable spacesuit to learn about the parts and functions of the
astronauts' personal spacecraft; and a career corner that features
profiles on spacesuit designers and technicians. To access the
resources designed to enhance classroom discussions and excite
students, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/education/spacesuits
For Acaba and Arnold's complete biographies, visit:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/acaba-jm.html
and
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/arnold-rr.html
For the latest information about the STS-119 mission and crew, visit:
For more information about the International Space Station, visit:
| From: | NASA Education (education@nasa.gov) |
| Sent: | Fri 2/20/09 7:27 AM |
| To: |
Eight refrigerator-sized racks in the Node 3 module will provide room for many of the station's life support systems. Attached to the node is the cupola, a one-of-a-kind work station with six windows around the sides and one on top. The cupola will offer astronauts a spectacular view of their home planet and their home in space. In addition to providing a perfect location to observe and photograph Earth, the cupola also will contain a robotics workstation from which astronauts will be able to control the station's 57-foot robotic arm.
Individuals can vote for the module's name online, choosing one of four NASA suggestions -- Earthrise, Legacy, Serenity or Venture -- or writing in a name. Submissions will be accepted Feb. 19 through March 20. The name should reflect the spirit of exploration and cooperation embodied by the space station and follow in the tradition set by Node 1, named "Unity," and Node 2, named "Harmony."
The winning name will be announced at the Node 3 unveiling April 28 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The node is scheduled to arrive at Kennedy April 20 and is targeted for launch in late 2009.
For more information, to submit a name and to view pictures of the node and cupola, visit:
| From: | NASA Education (education@nasa.gov) |
| Sent: | Tue 2/24/09 12:20 PM |
| To: |
The Kennedy Space Center RehabWorks Program offers athletic training internships to undergraduate students preparing to take the NATABOC . Graduate students may be considered. This opportunity is a 40-hour-a-week internship that focuses on physical medicine and musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Each student will be challenged with hands-on evaluations, rehabilitation design, educational outreach and injury prevention. The internships are part of the KSC Volunteer Services Program. Participants are not compensated.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens because of heightened security and extended requirements for security clearances. The application deadline for the summer 2009 semester is March 13, 2009.
For more information, visit http://rehabworks.ksc.nasa.gov/about/internships/. If you have questions about this opportunity, please e-mail Erik Nason at erik.t.nason@nasa.gov.
| From: | NASA Education (education@nasa.gov) |
| Sent: | Wed 2/25/09 7:19 AM |
| To: |
John Ensworth at the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and the NASA Science Mission Directorate invite you to attend an upcoming online professional development workshop.
Topic: Enrichment Problems in Space Science XI
In the eleventh bi-monthly installment of these mission- and inquiry-oriented mathematics problems, Dr. Sten Odenwald will supply background for and lead participants through problems from his "Problems in Space Science" series. The goal of these problems is to teach students about space weather by using mathematics. Each problem begins with real world questions, missions and situations, and applies the necessary mathematics for a solution. Participants may ask questions and work along in this fully interactive Webinar environment. http://spacemath.gsfc.nasa.gov
Date: Friday, Feb. 27, 2009
Time: 3:00 p.m., EST (Greenwich Mean Time -05:00, New York)
Participants must first register for this meeting. There is no cost for this event.
Note: Only the first 120 registrants will be accepted. Register ASAP!
If this meeting is full, you will receive an e-mail that reads:
"Your registration for this meeting is denied."
In that case, we ask you to please join us in the next workshop!
If you do miss this event, we will send you the link to a video archive of the workshop so you will still be able to benefit from the exercises.
Please join the meeting 10-15 minutes before start to make sure your computer is prepared to run the Webex software. You may also pre-install the Webex plug-in following the instructions at the bottom of this e-mail.
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Where to register for this meeting
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1. Go to https://nasa.webex.com/nasa/j.php?ED=115009272&RG=1&UID=1098227572.
2. Register for the meeting.
Once the host approves your request, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with instructions for joining the meeting.
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Closed Captioning is available during the Webinar at:
At the start time of the event, please login to your event by clicking on the link below: http://www.fedrcc.us//Enter.aspx?EventID=1264592&CustomerID=321
Alternately, you can visit http://www.fedrcc.us/ and input your event confirmation number, 1264592.
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For assistance
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1. Go to https://nasa.webex.com/nasa/mc
2. Click "Assistance".
3. Click "Support".
For more information, contact John Ensworth by e-mail at john_ensworth@strategies.org
or by telephone at 703-312-0563.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: This WebEx service includes a feature that allows audio and any documents and other materials exchanged or viewed during the session to be recorded. By joining this session, you automatically consent to such recordings. If you do not consent to the recording, do not join the session. This video and earlier product videos will be available via a Web-based archive tool will soon be located at: http://www.strategies.org/education/index.aspx?sub=education&sub2=professional
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To check the setup of your computer and pre-install the plug-in software, use the following links:
Downloads
WebEx will automatically setup Meeting Manager for Windows the first time you join a meeting. To save time, you can setup prior to the meeting by clicking this link:
https://nasa.webex.com/nasa/meetingcenter/mcsetup.php
The host requests that you check for compatibility of rich media players for Universal Communications Format (UCF) before you join the session. UCF allows you to view multimedia during the session. To check now, click the following link:
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Meeting Manager for Microsoft® Windows® - MSI Installer
- Meeting Center automatically downloads, installs and configures Meeting Manager for Windows the first time you start or join a meeting. However, you may choose to download and run the Meeting Manager Installer before starting or joining a meeting. You must have administrator privileges on your computer to use this installer.
- Download Meeting Manager Installer for Internet Explorer https://nasa.webex.com/client/T25L/atmcie.msi
- Download Meeting Manager Installer for Mozilla Firefox/Netscape Navigator https://nasa.webex.com/client/T25L/atmcns.msi
Meeting Manager for Mac® OS X (PowerPC)
- Meeting Manager for Mac OS X (PowerPC) is set up automatically the first time you start or join a meeting. The Installer for Mac OS X (PowerPC) can be used to manually install or uninstall Meeting Manager for Mac OS X (PowerPC).
- Download Meeting Manager Installer for Mac OS X (PowerPC) https://nasa.webex.com/client/T25L/mac/powerpc/webexinstaller.hqx.
Tags: moon outer saturn ring kepler five things about mission cassini space station shuttle return moon
What's Up for February?
Jupiter’s moons.
Jupiter’s largest moons were first seen 400 years ago in early 1610.
Hello, and welcome. I’m Jane Houston Jones at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
On the seventh of January, 1610 in Padua, Italy, Galileo looked up above the constellation Orion. He aimed his telescope at the well-known starry wanderer, the planet Jupiter, which was near Orion that night.
What he saw through his telescope startled him and marked the beginning of modern astronomy.Jupiter was not just one object, as he wrote and drew in his journal. “There are three stars in the heavens moving about Jupiter, as Venus and Mercury around the sun,” he wrote.
Galileo’s January 7 observation showed three stars. The one star to the west was Ganymede. And to the east there were two objects.One was the moon Callisto. And the other was a tight pairing of Io and Europa.
Io and Europa appeared so close together they looked like one object in Galileo’s modest telescopic view.
On January 8 he saw a different lineup altogether. There were three stars on one side of the planet.Io was the moon closest to the planet, followed by Europa and Ganymede.
Two cloudy nights and two additional observations later, on January 13 Galileo identified a fourth object orbiting Jupiter. The arrangement this night turned out to be Europa on the east and Ganymede, Io and Callisto on the west.
On January 15 all four stars were seen on one side of the planet.
Everyone who aims a modest telescope, or even binoculars, at Jupiter will see the same view that Galileo did.
The views of tiny moons orbiting the king of the planets will surprise and delight all who look up.
[ Jupiter is hard to see in the evening sky this month. But northern hemisphere observers may see Jupiter and Venus close together, low on the southwestern horizon, on Valentine’s Day.
Then it will be a few months’ wait until Jupiter becomes visible in the morning sky.
By August you can once again view Jupiter and the four Galilean moons after dinner or as soon as the sun sets and the stars come out.
NASA’s Galileo Mission, which ended in 2003, changed the way we look at our solar system. It found evidence of subsurface saltwater on Europa, Ganymede and Callisto and intense volcanic activity on Io.
NASA’s JUNO Mission will launch in 2011 on a mission to study Jupiter. And the Europa-Jupiter System Mission, a joint mission of the European Space Agency and NASA, is slated to launch in 2020. It will primarily study Jupiter’s moons Europa and Ganymede and Jupiter’s magnetosphere.
You can learn all about NASA’s missions at www.nasa.gov.
That’s all for this month. I’m Jane Houston Jones.
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Tags: moon outer saturn ring kepler five things about mission cassini space station shuttle return moon jupiter constellation orion nasa’s jet propulsion laboratory moon callisto galileo’s modest telescopic
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