LRO-LCROSS Webcast

George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer:

The moon, our nearest celestial neighbor, has intrigued and inspired us since the dawn of humanity.

During the Apollo Program, 12 astronauts landed on its cold and cratered surface. But they couldn't stay.

Now, NASA's Constellation Program begins a new journey: to live and work on the moon, setting the stage for future, long-duration human exploration.

Today, two spacecraft scouts are poised to lift off together aboard a powerful Atlas V rocket on the first launch of this new era.

They are the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LRO and LCROSS.

One rocket. One destination. Two critical missions.

Together, they're helping us pave the way back to the moon.

(Music)

Welcome to the show. I'm your host, George Diller.

I'm here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, inside the Apollo Saturn V Center. Behind me is an actual, massive, 363-foot-long Saturn V rocket just like those that boosted the Apollo astronauts on America's first human missions to the moon.

Today, NASA is preparing to return to the moon, beginning with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. This upcoming launch aboard an Atlas V rocket is the critical first step in the new Constellation Program.

On today's show, we're going to take you inside both of these exciting missions, and find out what it takes to launch two spacecraft at once.

Our first guest is Cathy Peddie, deputy project manager for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. She stopped by the NASA Direct studio to give us the inside story on this moon-mapping mission.

Cathy Peddie/LRO Deputy Project Manager:
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter project, or LRO's main goal, is we're really the first mission, the first step that NASA is taking back to exploring our universe. And so what we really need to do is have a reconnaissance mission, you know, get more data. Now one of the things that we want to do is go back to the moon.

You know, we've been there before. We have really awesome data sets from our previous missions, from the Apollo era to the other spacecraft that have gone. So we want to build upon those data sets that we already have. And most of those data sets really focused on the equatorial region of the moon. So now we want to go back and say, 'Hey, let's map the entire moon.' So have more of a global perspective, or a comprehensive atlas of the moon. And help whoever wants to join us in exploring our universe, or taking that next step back they need to have a more comprehensive atlas of the moon so that they know where to go, what to do, what to expect, that kind of thing. Help them out. We're like a scout mission for the exploration.

Roughly a couple days after we launch, we will begin what we call the lunar orbit insertion burn. And that burn will help us, or help the moon and us, get captured by the moon. And so, what happens during that burn is LRO starts to get closer to the moon and the moon will capture LRO. And once we have that confirmation that the moon has captured us, we call that lunar acquisition. And after we have lunar acquisition for, and we’re sure that we have a stable orbit, then we will begin a series of burns that are roughly a day apart from each other. A series of four or five burns that begin to lower LRO into her final orbit, which is roughly 50 kilometers above the moon, or 31 miles. And that's LRO's polar orbiting orbit where we lower the spacecraft low enough so that the instruments can focus on the surface of the moon and begin the data collection that is what our mission is all about to create that comprehensive atlas of the moon.

Now, an interesting offshoot to our data is that our data will also be made available to Google Moon so that anyone that has access to the Web or Google will be able to punch in, I don’t know, like Shackleton crater, and be able to see all the cool data from LRO pop up right on their own personal computers at home.

At NASA we're all about exploring and pushing our knowledge across the boundaries. And LRO, even though taking us back to the moon where we've been before there's a lot about our moon that we don’t know, and a lot about our moon that we want to use as we begin to look out into the universe and decide, you know, where we want to go next. So having a reconnaissance, or a scout mission, that begins to take us out is a perfect fit into what NASA's all about. And what people like me, who've dreamed about working for NASA have always wanted to do. You know, explore, look out beyond who and what we are today. And LRO is the perfect fit for that type of vision for all of us.

George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer:
Now that we know what to expect from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, we turn our attention to its sister payload the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. Its goal is to hunt for evidence of water ice using a hard-hitting method. Dr. Kimberly Ennico, LCROSS payload specialist, explains.

Dr. Kimberly Ennico/LCROSS Payload Specialist:
LCROSS mission has two impact events. The first is the upper stage of the launch vehicle that we take with us on our four-month mission into space. And we separate from it, and its traveling to hit the moon at 5,600 mph.It's going to impact one of these lunar, permanently-shadowed basins of a crater on the lunar poles. And it's going to hit a particular place. It's going to hit a place on the moon where we think there's water. Scientists who believe that there is water on the moon don't know if it's smooth or chunky-peanut butter type. So where you hit is important. The secondary impact is the LCROSS payload, which will impact somewhere between 3 to 5 kilometers away from the first impact. So we're going to hit another part of that crater. We've targeted this crater because it's got a strong hydrogen concentration. We're going to sample two parts of this crater. And so the two impact events will tell us something about the distribution of this hydrogen concentration or perhaps the distribution of water, if the hydrogen is in water.

The live images of our, what we're taking with our science payload as we're going into the surface during the last four minutes of the mission, which is 600 kilometers down to the surface, will be streamed live on a public channel.

LCROSS is important because it provides us a way to confirm the presence or absence of water ice at a particular location on the lunar pole. If there's water ice there, or water in some form, it means that for future missions to the moon and perhaps beyond, there's an in situ, a resource that's there. Resources on the surface of that planet, you don't need to bring it with you. So for the human species, in terms of exploring the rest of the solar system, so getting out of low Earth orbit and we need water with us if we can find a resource of water on the moon, that will be an amazing step forward and a great resource to take advantage of in a very resource-limited place.

George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer:
Both LRO and LCROSS need a successful launch in order to begin their missions. Our next guest is an integral part in getting these spacecraft and many others off the ground. Chuck Tatro is a mission manager in NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center. He's going to tell us about the unique challenges of this two-for-one launch.

Chuck Tatro/Launch Services Program Mission Manager: Hello, my name is Chuck Tatro and I'm a mission manager for NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center.

We're at the Vertical Integration Facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This is where we will assemble the Atlas V rocket that will send the LRO and LCROSS spacecraft on their journey to the moon.

As a mission manager, my job is to lead the effort to bring a new spacecraft and launch vehicle together to where they're ready to launch. About three months before launch, the spacecraft and launch vehicle components arrive at the launch site for final testing. About two months before launch, the rocket components are erected on the launch platform and filled with cryogenic fluids for a wet dress rehearsal. About two weeks before launch, the spacecraft is brought out here to the Vertical Integration Facility and stacked on the rocket. At about one week before launch we do a launch countdown rehearsal, so the team can practice for countdown.

In a dual payload flow, both spacecraft have their own intricate and intimate requirements that are separate, and may not play together nicely with the other spacecraft. For example, contamination, orbital requirements. Because LCROSS is going to impact the moon and LRO is going to go in orbit around the moon, we need to make sure that one doesn't adversely impact the other.

The first challenge on this mission is the fact that the Centaur second stage will remain attached to the LCROSS spacecraft after it does its normal job of delivering LRO and LCROSS on their journey to the moon. LCROSS then will command the Centaur stage for an impact into the lunar surface. The second challenge is that the orbit requirements for each spacecraft are complex. This narrows the daily launch window that we have to launch this mission. The third challenge is that this is NASA's first step in our return to the moon, so there's a lot of public awareness and increased interest in this mission. We want to make sure that this mission is launched safely and successfully.

George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer:
That's our show. To our guests Cathy Peddie, Kim Ennico and Chuck Tatro thanks for giving us an insider's view of these two missions.

We also thank all of you for joining us for today's webcast.

Be sure to join us on launch day for the liftoff of the Atlas V rocket carrying the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. You can follow the countdown on NASA TV and on each mission's Web site, at www.nasa.gov/lro and www.nasa.gov/lcross.

From Kennedy Space Center in Florida, I'm George Diller.

LRO-LCROSS Webcast

George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer:

The moon, our nearest celestial neighbor, has intrigued and inspired us since the dawn of humanity.

During the Apollo Program, 12 astronauts landed on its cold and cratered surface. But they couldn't stay.

Now, NASA's Constellation Program begins a new journey: to live and work on the moon, setting the stage for future, long-duration human exploration.

Today, two spacecraft scouts are poised to lift off together aboard a powerful Atlas V rocket on the first launch of this new era.

They are the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LRO and LCROSS.

One rocket. One destination. Two critical missions.

Together, they're helping us pave the way back to the moon.

(Music)

Welcome to the show. I'm your host, George Diller.

I'm here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, inside the Apollo Saturn V Center. Behind me is an actual, massive, 363-foot-long Saturn V rocket just like those that boosted the Apollo astronauts on America's first human missions to the moon.

Today, NASA is preparing to return to the moon, beginning with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. This upcoming launch aboard an Atlas V rocket is the critical first step in the new Constellation Program.

On today's show, we're going to take you inside both of these exciting missions, and find out what it takes to launch two spacecraft at once.

Our first guest is Cathy Peddie, deputy project manager for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. She stopped by the NASA Direct studio to give us the inside story on this moon-mapping mission.

Cathy Peddie/LRO Deputy Project Manager:
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter project, or LRO's main goal, is we're really the first mission, the first step that NASA is taking back to exploring our universe. And so what we really need to do is have a reconnaissance mission, you know, get more data. Now one of the things that we want to do is go back to the moon.

You know, we've been there before. We have really awesome data sets from our previous missions, from the Apollo era to the other spacecraft that have gone. So we want to build upon those data sets that we already have. And most of those data sets really focused on the equatorial region of the moon. So now we want to go back and say, 'Hey, let's map the entire moon.' So have more of a global perspective, or a comprehensive atlas of the moon. And help whoever wants to join us in exploring our universe, or taking that next step back they need to have a more comprehensive atlas of the moon so that they know where to go, what to do, what to expect, that kind of thing. Help them out. We're like a scout mission for the exploration.

Roughly a couple days after we launch, we will begin what we call the lunar orbit insertion burn. And that burn will help us, or help the moon and us, get captured by the moon. And so, what happens during that burn is LRO starts to get closer to the moon and the moon will capture LRO. And once we have that confirmation that the moon has captured us, we call that lunar acquisition. And after we have lunar acquisition for, and we’re sure that we have a stable orbit, then we will begin a series of burns that are roughly a day apart from each other. A series of four or five burns that begin to lower LRO into her final orbit, which is roughly 50 kilometers above the moon, or 31 miles. And that's LRO's polar orbiting orbit where we lower the spacecraft low enough so that the instruments can focus on the surface of the moon and begin the data collection that is what our mission is all about to create that comprehensive atlas of the moon.

Now, an interesting offshoot to our data is that our data will also be made available to Google Moon so that anyone that has access to the Web or Google will be able to punch in, I don’t know, like Shackleton crater, and be able to see all the cool data from LRO pop up right on their own personal computers at home.

At NASA we're all about exploring and pushing our knowledge across the boundaries. And LRO, even though taking us back to the moon where we've been before there's a lot about our moon that we don’t know, and a lot about our moon that we want to use as we begin to look out into the universe and decide, you know, where we want to go next. So having a reconnaissance, or a scout mission, that begins to take us out is a perfect fit into what NASA's all about. And what people like me, who've dreamed about working for NASA have always wanted to do. You know, explore, look out beyond who and what we are today. And LRO is the perfect fit for that type of vision for all of us.

George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer:
Now that we know what to expect from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, we turn our attention to its sister payload the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. Its goal is to hunt for evidence of water ice using a hard-hitting method. Dr. Kimberly Ennico, LCROSS payload specialist, explains.

Dr. Kimberly Ennico/LCROSS Payload Specialist:
LCROSS mission has two impact events. The first is the upper stage of the launch vehicle that we take with us on our four-month mission into space. And we separate from it, and its traveling to hit the moon at 5,600 mph.It's going to impact one of these lunar, permanently-shadowed basins of a crater on the lunar poles. And it's going to hit a particular place. It's going to hit a place on the moon where we think there's water. Scientists who believe that there is water on the moon don't know if it's smooth or chunky-peanut butter type. So where you hit is important. The secondary impact is the LCROSS payload, which will impact somewhere between 3 to 5 kilometers away from the first impact. So we're going to hit another part of that crater. We've targeted this crater because it's got a strong hydrogen concentration. We're going to sample two parts of this crater. And so the two impact events will tell us something about the distribution of this hydrogen concentration or perhaps the distribution of water, if the hydrogen is in water.

The live images of our, what we're taking with our science payload as we're going into the surface during the last four minutes of the mission, which is 600 kilometers down to the surface, will be streamed live on a public channel.

LCROSS is important because it provides us a way to confirm the presence or absence of water ice at a particular location on the lunar pole. If there's water ice there, or water in some form, it means that for future missions to the moon and perhaps beyond, there's an in situ, a resource that's there. Resources on the surface of that planet, you don't need to bring it with you. So for the human species, in terms of exploring the rest of the solar system, so getting out of low Earth orbit and we need water with us if we can find a resource of water on the moon, that will be an amazing step forward and a great resource to take advantage of in a very resource-limited place.

George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer:
Both LRO and LCROSS need a successful launch in order to begin their missions. Our next guest is an integral part in getting these spacecraft and many others off the ground. Chuck Tatro is a mission manager in NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center. He's going to tell us about the unique challenges of this two-for-one launch.

Chuck Tatro/Launch Services Program Mission Manager: Hello, my name is Chuck Tatro and I'm a mission manager for NASA's Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center.

We're at the Vertical Integration Facility on Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. This is where we will assemble the Atlas V rocket that will send the LRO and LCROSS spacecraft on their journey to the moon.

As a mission manager, my job is to lead the effort to bring a new spacecraft and launch vehicle together to where they're ready to launch. About three months before launch, the spacecraft and launch vehicle components arrive at the launch site for final testing. About two months before launch, the rocket components are erected on the launch platform and filled with cryogenic fluids for a wet dress rehearsal. About two weeks before launch, the spacecraft is brought out here to the Vertical Integration Facility and stacked on the rocket. At about one week before launch we do a launch countdown rehearsal, so the team can practice for countdown.

In a dual payload flow, both spacecraft have their own intricate and intimate requirements that are separate, and may not play together nicely with the other spacecraft. For example, contamination, orbital requirements. Because LCROSS is going to impact the moon and LRO is going to go in orbit around the moon, we need to make sure that one doesn't adversely impact the other.

The first challenge on this mission is the fact that the Centaur second stage will remain attached to the LCROSS spacecraft after it does its normal job of delivering LRO and LCROSS on their journey to the moon. LCROSS then will command the Centaur stage for an impact into the lunar surface. The second challenge is that the orbit requirements for each spacecraft are complex. This narrows the daily launch window that we have to launch this mission. The third challenge is that this is NASA's first step in our return to the moon, so there's a lot of public awareness and increased interest in this mission. We want to make sure that this mission is launched safely and successfully.

George Diller/NASA Public Affairs Officer:
That's our show. To our guests Cathy Peddie, Kim Ennico and Chuck Tatro thanks for giving us an insider's view of these two missions.

We also thank all of you for joining us for today's webcast.

Be sure to join us on launch day for the liftoff of the Atlas V rocket carrying the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite. You can follow the countdown on NASA TV and on each mission's Web site, at www.nasa.gov/lro and www.nasa.gov/lcross.

From Kennedy Space Center in Florida, I'm George Diller.

El Impactor de la Luna de la NASA, exitosamente realizó las Maniobras Lunares

NASA Moon Impactor Successfully Completes Lunar Maneuver
Mon, 22 Jun 2009 23:00:00 -0500


The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, successfully completed its most significant early mission milestone Tuesday with a lunar swingby and calibration of its science instruments.

NASA Luna impactadores éxito maniobras Lunar
Lunes, 22 Jun 2009 23:00:00 -0500


El cráter lunar de observación y detección por satélite, o LCROSS, completó con éxito su misión más importante hito temprano martes con un lunar swingby y la calibración de sus instrumentos científicos.

El Impactor de la Luna de la NASA, exitosamente realizó las Maniobras Lunares

El Satélite de Sondeo y Observación de Cráteres Lunares-(The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite), or LCROSS,completó con éxito su misión más importante en la primera parte de la misma este martes 23 de junio con un sobrepaso lunar y la calibración de sus instrumentos científicos.

Prueba de Atenuación de Impacto de la Tripulación

Una prueba exitosa del concepto riostra de absorción de energía del módulo de la tripulación del Orión, se realizó 9 de junio de 2009, en las Instalaciones de Investigación de Aterrizaje e Impacto(the Landing and Impact Research Facility), también conocida como el portal. El aparato de mas 20000 libras (9072 kg), llamado el Equipo de Prueba del Sistemas de Atenuación de Impacto de la Tripulación-(Crew Impact Attenuation System Test Article), representan los asientos del módulo de la tripulación del Orión que acomodará de 4 a 6 astronautas.

El equipo de prueba se dejó caer desde una altura de 18-pies (5,5 m) dentro de un material en forma de nido de abeja aplastable , el cual está escala para representar las diversas condiciones de aterrizaje que el Orion podría enfrentar. Las riostras de absorción de energía reducirán las cargas percibidas por la tripulación durante el aterrizaje.

Image Credit: NASA / Sean Smith

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1393.html

Conferencia en el Planetario: Inteligencia Artificial

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2008/05/real-world-iron.html

El Planetario de Medellín se complace en invitarlos a la conferencia "Inteligencia artificial en el mundo real" , a ser ofrecido por el Ingeniero y candidato a MSc. Juan Sebastian Botero, miembro del centro de investigaciones del ITM



Resumen



La Inteligencia Artificial (IA) es una rama de las ciencias de la información que busca el desarrollo de agentes inteligentes para intervenir un proceso y maximizar una medida de rendimiento; La ciencia ficción a profundizado en la distorsión de esta realidad práctica, y es necesario llevar al público una nueva visión en la que la IA aparece para mejorar nuestra calidad de vida. En la conferencia se trataran las bases de la IA, su vinculación a la cotidianidad, el impacto en los sistemas de producción y la relación con los fundamentos de inteligencia Humana.





Lugar: auditorio Planetario de Medellín

Fecha y hora: 25 de junio, 6:30 p.m.

Entrada libre

Los esperamos





--
Carlos Augusto Molina.
-----------------------------------------
MSc. em Astronomia
Observatorio Valongo, UFRJ.
-----------------------------------------
Físico.
Universidad de Antioquia.
-----------------------------------------
Pós-graduação em Astronomia.
Observatório Nacional. MCT
Rua General José Cristino, 77
CEP 20921-400.
Rio de janeiro-RJ Brasil
-----------------------------------------
Tel (55)+21+2263 0685 Ext.235
Cel. (55)+21+9627 6395

LRO y LCROSS se lanzan en Viaje Lunar

Image Credit: Pat Corkery, United Launch Alliance

El Orbitador de Reconocimiento Lunar-Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter(LRO) y el Satélite de Observación y Sondeo de Cráteres Lunares - Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS)fueron lanzados en un Cohete Atlas V de la United Alliance United desde el Complejo 41 de Lanzamiento Espacial, en la Estación de la Fuerza Aérea de Cabo Cañaveral, la Florida a las 5.32 p.m. EDT el 18 de Junio. Se espera que la misión revele mas información sobre el medio ambiente lunar mas que cualquier otra misión previa a la Luuna

INVITACIÓN A LA CONFERENCIA: “CARTOGRAFÍA Y NÁUTICA EN EL IMPERIO ESPAÑOL”

http://valdeperrillos.com/book/export/html/1146


Apreciados Amigos de la Astronomía y de las Ciencias Espaciales Reciban un cordial saludo!!!!!


Este sábado 20 de Junio de 2009, tendremos la Conferencia de la Sociedad Julio Garavito para el Estudio de la Astronomía Titulada : "CARTOGRAFÍA Y NÁUTICA EN EL IMPERIO ESPAÑOL"
>
Por: CARLOS EDUARDO SIERRA; PROFESOR ASOCIADO UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL-SECCIONAL MEDELLÍN

Día: Sábado 20 de Junio de 2009

Hora: 10 AM
Lugar: Planetario de Medellín - Campus Planetario-ITM. Auditorio Auxiliar
Invita:



Entrada Libre, sin ningún costo.


Nos vemos el Sábado.

Un cordial saludo:

Campo Elías Roldán.
Director Sociedad Julio Garavito para el Estudio de la Astronomía
Medellín-Antioquia
COLOMBIA.

Fuga de combustible aplaza de nuevo el lanzamiento de transbordador espacial Endeavour

Cabo Cañaveral, Florida - La NASA aplazó el lanzamiento del transbordador espacial Endeavour de la misión STS-127 este Miércoles, debido a una fuga asociados con el sistema de ventilación de hidrógeno gaseoso fuera del tanque externo de combustible del transbordador.

La próxima oportunidad de lanzamiento del Endeavour es el 11 de julio. Esta fecha viene después del final de un ángulo solar orbital condición llamada ángulo de corte beta, que se produce entre el 22 de junio y el 10 de julio. El ángulo de corte crea una condición térmica que le prohibe al Transbordador Espacial y a la Estación Espacial las operaciónes de acople.

El sistema de ventilación de hidrógeno gaseoso se utiliza para transportar con seguridad el exceso de hidrógeno afuera de la plataforma de lanzamiento. La fuga de este miércoles es similar a la que impidió el lanzamiento del Endeavour el 13 de junio.

La misión de 16 días a la Estación Espacial Internacional contará con cinco caminatas espaciales y la construcción completa del laboratorio Kibo de la Agencia de Exploración Aeroespacial del Japón. Los astronautas unirán una plataforma al exterior del módulo Japonés que permitirá que los experimentos sean expuestos al espacio.

Preparando el Endeavour

En esta imagen, tomada el 14 de junio,los trabajadores en la Plataforma de Lanzamiento 39A del Centro Espacial Kennedy se preparan para remover el sello de vuelo y de desconexión rápida de 7 pulgadas de la Lamina del Transportador Umbilical de Tierra - Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate o GUCP, en el tanque de combustible externo del transbordador espacial Endeavour. El equipo está removiendo el hardware para cambiar los sellos en los puntos de conexión interna. El GUCP es la abertura por la borda de la plataforma dónde el hidrógeno purgado es quemado.

El 12 de junio, una fuga de hidrógeno causó que la misión STS-127 fuese postergada. El lanzamiento del Endeavour en su misión STS-127 esta previsto para el 17 de junio de 2009, a las 5:40 am EDT.

Image Credit: NASA / Tim Jacobs

NASA establece nuevas fechas de lanzamiento para el Transbordador Espacial y el LRO y LCROSS

Image above: Space shuttle Endeavour is revealed on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida following rollback of the rotating service structure. Image credit: NASA TV
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html




La NASA ha programado el próximo intento de lanzamiento de la misión del transbordador espacial,el 17 de junio.

El Orbitador de Reconocimiento Lunar-Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter(LRO) y el Satélite de Observación y Sondeo de Cráteres Lunares - Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS)serán lanzados juntos el 18 de Junio.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2009/09-60AR.html

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jun/HQ_09-136_STS-127_LRO_LCROSS_launch_dates.html

EL BOOM DE LA ASTRONOMÍA: REALIDADES DE AYER Y DE HOY

La Colección de Ciencias Naturales del Museo Universitario de la Universidad
de Antioquia te invita a compartir, el próximo miércoles 17 de junio, a las
4:00 p.m., una agradable conversación con el Dr. Jorge Iván Zuluaga
Callejas, sobre la Astronomía en Colombia, el naciente pregrado de
Astronomía en la Universidad de Antioquia, la posible vida en otros lugares
del universo, el cielo como un libro abierto, entre otros interesantes
tópicos.

Oficina de Comunicaciones
Museo Universitario
Universidad de Antioquia
Teléfono (4)219 5185 / fax 233 4406
comunicacionesmuseo @quimbaya. udea.edu. co
http://museo. udea.edu. co/sitio/
Museo Universitario, Punto de Encuentro para los sentidos y el conocimiento

La NASA pospone el lanzamiento del Transbordador Endeavour

Image above: Space shuttle Endeavour is revealed on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida following rollback of the rotating service structure. Image credit: NASA TV


La NASA aplazó el lanzamiento del transbordador espacial Endeavour a la Estación Espacial Internacional este sábado debido a una fuga asociada con el sistema de ventilación de hidrógeno gaseoso del tanque externo de combustible.

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jun/HQ_09_135_Endeavour_scrub.html

El SOFÍA hace la Calificación

http://today.ucla.edu/portal/ut/viewing-the-galaxy-from-the-earthly-71016.aspx?link_page_rss=71016




En el interior oscurecido del observatorio Volante SOFIA, NASA y científicos Alemanes estudian los resultados de las pruebas de los sistemas en el montaje del telescopio, incluyendo los giróscopos, el software del sistema y las cámaras de campo amplio y de campo fino.

Image Credit: USRA/Phil Watts

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1387.html

Mars Exploration Rover Update

Ashley Stroupe: I'm Ashley Stroupe...

Title: Ashley Stroupe, Mars Rover Driver

Stroupe: ...one of the drivers for the Mars Rovers Spirit and Opportunity and I'm here with the latest rover update.

Spirit has been having some real challenges lately. After making some good progress towards her science targets, von Braun Hill and Goddard Depression...

Titles: Von Braun Hill, Goddard Depression

Stroupe: ...she experienced a two week period with some problems. She missed some wakeups, rebooted unexpectedly several times, and had some difficulties accessing her FLASH memory. Then, just as she got back on the road, she slipped into some loose, soft soil and is now partly embedded. This embedding is made even more complicated by the fact that the rover is at a sharp tilt to the side and there're some rocks underneath the rover. One of these rocks may be contacting the belly of the rover, and causing us some additional friction. Another one may be wedged against the left middle wheel, and be the cause of a recent stall we saw on that wheel.

The team is doing a lot of analysis and ground-based testing to try to understand Spirit's situation and figure out how best to get her out of it. This process has also been a little bit difficult because we've been having some technical problems with the test system.

The public has been giving us tremendous support. Many of you have even sent us ideas on how to get Spirit out, including this idea sent to us by 7-year-old Julian, to use the robotic arm to help lift us out. While the robotic arm isn't strong enough to lift the rover, even on Mars, we are putting it to good use.
Titles: Underside of Spirit rover. Focus is soft because microscopic camera is designed to focus on items very close to its lens.

Stroupe: We recently used the microscopic camera on the arm to take pictures underneath the rover. We're seeing parts of the vehicle that haven't been seen since she left Earth six years ago. But most importantly, we're now able to have a much better understanding of Spirit's situation...

Titles: Wheel rock? Wheel

Stroupe: ...and we're going to put that to really good use when we figure out how to get her out.

Happily, Spirit has also had some really great surprises recently. She's had several dust-cleaning events of her solar panels, courtesy of the Martian winds. Her solar panels, which were 75 per cent dust covered only 2 months ago, are now less than 20 per cent covered. Her power levels have increased to more than four times the minimum we saw during winter! This gives her a much better chance of reaching her next science target and of surviving yet a fourth winter on Mars.

Title: Landing Site

Stroupe: Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, Opportunity is doing quite well...

Title: Victoria Crater

Stroupe: ...and making great progress towards Endeavour crater in the southeast.

Title: 10 mile mark

Stroupe: She's even reached some major milestones. On sol 1899, she passed the 10-mile mark.

Title: Endeavour Crater

Stroupe: Now we are seeing some slightly elevated electrical currents on the right front wheel, but we've developed some strategies that seem to keep those currents low. We're driving sometimes forward and sometimes backwards. We also are taking shorter drives and taking more extended rests between drives. In the next couple of weeks, we have a big decision to make. This decision involves whether to take a shorter path that goes through some very tall sand ripples or a longer path that takes us more safely around those ripples. We could be reaching Endeavour crater as early as the fall of 2010 and we really look forward to seeing what we discover there.

I'm Ashley Stroupe and this is your rover report.

Title: NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology

http://marsrovers.nasa.gov/home/index.html

Coloquio: "El Eclipse de Sol de 1919 y el Impacto del Experimento en la Ciencia Contemporánea"

El Planetario de Medellín tiene el placer de invitarlos al coloquio "El eclipse de sol de 1919 y el impacto del experimento en la ciencia contemporanea".

Con motivo de los 90 años del eclipse de sol de 1919 (29 de mayo), el cual sirvió como primera prueba experimental directa de la teoría general del a relatividad, el Planetario de Medellín ha invitado a cuatro reconocidos académicos de nustra ciudad: Prof. Lorenzo de la Torre, Prof. Guillermo Pineda, Prof Jorge Zuluaga y el Prof. Álvaro Monterroza, para debatir acerca de lo que significó el mencionado evento astronómico y el papel que hoy por hoy juega la experimentcaión en la validación de las teorías científicas.

Lugar: Auditorio Planetario de Medellín
Fecha y hora: sábado 13 de junio, 3:00 p.m.
Entrada libre
Los esperamos,


--
Carlos Augusto Molina.
-----------------------------------------
MSc. em Astronomia
Observatorio Valongo, UFRJ.
-----------------------------------------
Físico.
Universidad de Antioquia.
-----------------------------------------
Pós-graduação em Astronomia.
Observatório Nacional. MCT
Rua General José Cristino, 77
CEP 20921-400.
Rio de janeiro-RJ Brasil
-----------------------------------------
Tel (55)+21+2263 0685 Ext.235
Cel. (55)+21+9627 6395




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVZ31Yzfo1k




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGGsWe3DKZg&feature=related

Apollo 9

Esta imagen de la lente ojo de pezcado del interior del Simulador de la Misión del Módulo Lunar en el Centro Espacial Kennedy es una de las varias seleccionadas por la tripulación del Apolo 9 para que aparezca en Apolo: A través de los ojos de los astronautas. El libro ofrece las imágenes del programa Apolo que fueron seleccionadas por la tripulación de cada misión. En primer plano está el comandante de la misión James McDivitt; en el fondo está Russell Schweickart, piloto del módulo lunar.

Image Credit: NASA

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1383.html

Apollo 9: March 3, 1969

El Vuelo del X-15

Un técnico ajustas las correas al legendario piloto de pruebas Scott Crossfield en la cabina del avión cohete X-15 antes del primer vuelo de prueba. El vuelo inaugural del X-15 tuvo lugar el 8 de junio de 1959, durante el cual Crossfield fue llevado a una altura en su elegante vión cohete negro bajo el ala de un B-52 del Centro de Investigación de vuelo de la NASA (ahora conocido como el Centro Dryden de la NASA). Este fue el comienzo de casi una década de investigación de vuelo que probaba el reino de la velocidad hipersónica y alturas en el borde del espacio.

Image Credit: NASA/North American Aviation

Educación y Ciencias Espaciales

Gracias por visitar este blog. En él podrá encontrar la reseña de las actividades que adelanto como parte del Grupo de Investigación en lenguaje y Comunicación (GRILEC), en su Línea de comunicación y Pedagogía-didáctica y nuevas tecnologías, en el marco del proyecto de investigación “La Realidad Virtual como Mediadora en el Aprendizaje de las Ciencias Espaciales”, para optar al título de Magister en Educación de la Universidad de San Buenaventura, sede Medellín.

Por otro lado encontrará lo referente a las actividades que en la Red de Astronomía de Colombia desarrollamos, relacionadas con los temas de interés de quien suscribe.

Agradezco sus comentarios, sugerencias y paciencia.

Con mis mejores deseos,

León J. Restrepo Quirós





Los invito a visitar mi blog Educación y Ciencias Espaciales: mediaciones pedagógicas en épocas de conectivismo en el vínculo

http://leonrestrepo.wordpress.com/

Agradezco sus comentarios y ayuda, para volverlo un buen medio de expresión.


Cordial saludo de paz y bien,


--
León J. Restrepo Quirós, Ing.
Grupo de Investigación en Lenguaje y Comunicación -GRILEC-
Maestría en Educación
Línea de Investigación en Comunicación y Pedagogía: didáctica y nuevas tecnologías
Universidad de San Buenaventura, Medellín, República de Colombia
Coordinador GTTP, Nodo Colombia IYA2009

e-mail: leon.restrepo@computer.org

Space Adeventures anuncia al Fundador del Circo del Sol como el Primer Explarador privado Canadiense

Space Adventures, Ltd., la única empresa que ofrece Misiones Espaciales al mercado mundial, anunció que Guy Laliberté, fundador del Circo du Soleil y la Fundación ONE DROP, ha comenzado el entranamiento en el Centro de Entranamiento de Cosmonautas Yuri Gagarin en la Ciudad de las Estrellas en la preparación pora su poética misión social a la Estación Espacial Internacional (ISS).

Para más información visite:
www.spaceadventures.com

What’s Up for June?

What’s Up for June?

Hello and welcome. I'm Jane Houston Jones at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California

2009 is International Year of Astronomy. And each month this year we’re showcasing a great celestial object. This month it’s the Hercules Globular Cluster, which is also called M-13.

It’s called M-13 because this object is the 13th of Charles Messier’s 1764 catalog of celestial objects.

But Charles Messier wasn’t the discoverer of this cluster! M-13 was discovered half a century earlier by Edmund Halley.

A globular cluster is a collection of hundreds of thousands of ancient stars held together by gravity.

You can easily find M-13 in the "Keystone"of the constellation Hercules, about a third of the way along a line drawn between Eta and Zeta Herculis.

M-13 will look like a round hazy glow in binoculars.

Through a telescope, you’ll see individual stars at the edge of the cluster, and a dense core of stars closer to the center.

The Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (or “WFPC2” for short) and the Advanced Camera for Surveys combined data from 1999 through 2006 to create a glittering image of this Herculean star city.

A spiral galaxy like our Milky Way is made up of three visible parts: the nucleus, the disk and the halo.

The nucleus contains the highest density of stars in the galaxy.

Most of the gas and dust is contained in the disk.

The halo, or outer shell, is spherical and contains little gas, dust, or star formation.

The globular clusters found in the halo are the oldest parts of the galaxy.

M13 is one of 150 globular clusters in the halo of our Milky Way Galaxy.

This is the last month to get a good look at Saturn in the evening sky. So, don’t miss it! The rings are narrowing to nearly edge on, and look dimmer than they did last month!

You can read about the Hercules globular cluster on NASA's International Year of Astronomy website: astronomy2009.nasa.gov

And you can learn all about NASA's missions at www.nasa.gov

That's all for this month. I'm Jane Houston Jones.

And you can learn all about NASA's missions at:
www.nasa.gov

That's all for this month. I'm Jane Houston Jones.

INVITACIÓN AL CONVERSATORIO: "SOBRE EL GRUPO DE GEOLOGÍA PLANETARIA DE LA SOCIEDAD COLOMBIANA DE GEOLOGÍA"

Apreciados Amigos de la Astronomía y de las Ciencias Espaciales; reciban un cordial saludo!!!!!


Este sábado 6 de Junio de 2009, tendremos el Conversatorio de la Sociedad Julio Garavito para el Estudio de la Astronomía Titulado : "CONVERSATORIO SOBRE EL GRUPO DE GEOLOGÍA PLANETARIA DE LA SOCIEDAD COLOMBIANA DE GEOLOGÍA"
>
Por: ISABEL CRISTINA RESTREPO; INGENIERA GEÓLOGA; MSC CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA.


Día: Sábado 06 de Junio de 2009

Hora: 10 AM
Lugar: Planetario de Medellín - Campus Planetario-ITM. Sala de Juntas Planetario de Medellín
Invita:



Entrada Libre, sin ningún costo.


Nos vemos el Sábado.

Un cordial saludo:

Campo Elías Roldán.
Director Sociedad Julio Garavito para el Estudio de la Astronomía
Medellín-Antioquia
COLOMBIA.

La NASA aprueba el Lanzamiento del Transbordador Espacial Endeavour el 13 de Junio

Image above: STS-127 crew members get a close look at space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay. Here Mission Specialists Christopher Cassidy and Tim Kopra and Commander Mark Polansky look at the docking adapter. Image credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

Administradores de la NASA completaron una revisión el miércoles de la disposición de transbordador espacial Endeavour para el vuelo y seleccionaron el 13 de junio como la fecha oficial del lanzamiento de la misión STS-127 a la Estación Espacial Internacional.
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/jun/HQ_09-128_STS-127_Launch_date.html

Volando a Casa

Esta vista de planta es la parte superior del Atlantis sobre un 747 modificado volando sobre el desierto de California. El Atlantis y la tripulación de la misión STS-125 aterrizó en la Base Aérea de Edwards el 24 de mayo de 2009, y partió de Edwards de regreso a casa a través de ferry al Centro Espacial Kennedy en Florida el lunes, 1 de junio de 2009. El transbordador aterrizó con seguridad el día siguiente a las 6:53 pm EDT.

Image Credit: NASA / Jim Ross
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1379.html

En Mercurio

¿Por qué están los grandes cráteres de Mercurio relativamente suavizados por dentro? Imágenes de la nave espacial MESSENGER que voló hacia mercurio en octubre de 2008 muestran previamente regiones inexploradas del planeta que tienen grandes cráteres con una suavidad interna similar a la de la propia luna de la Tierra, y se cree que han sido inundados por flujos de lava que son viejos pero no tan antigua como los del entorno de la superficie que es más craterizada.

Image Credit: NASA, JHU APL, CIW
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1378.html

Transpaso de la Plataforma 39B de Lanzamiento al Programa Constellation

El 31 de mayo se tranfirió la plataforma de lanzamiento 39B del Centro Espacial Kennedy de la NASA en la Florida perteneciente al Programa de Transbordador Espacial al Programa Constelación que es el siguiente paso en la preparación del primer vuelo de prueba de la nueva generación de naves espaciales y sistemas de lanzamiento de la Agencia.


object width="425" height="344">


CONSTELLATION Program.
On Launch Pad 39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane completes construction of the third and final tower in the new lightning protection system for the Constellation Program and Ares/Orion launches.
Each of the three new lightning towers will be 500 feet tall with an additional 100-foot fiberglass mast atop supporting a wire catenary system.
This improved lightning protection system allows for the taller height of the Ares I rocket compared to the space shuttle.
Pad 39B will be the site of the first Ares vehicle launch, including the Ares I-X test flight that is targeted for July 2009.





http://www.justin.tv/quintano_media

La NASA anunció el Comite para la Revisión del Vuelo Espacial Humano

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=28315


La NASA anunció el lunes los miembros de la Revisión del Comité para los Planes de Vuelo Espacial con Humanos de EE.UU.

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/353935main_RUSHSFPC_charter.pdf

Programación Planetario de Medellín-Junio

Buenas tardes muchachos, les envío la programación del planetario para el mes de Julio, espero que nos acompañen y lo difundan entre sus contactos,

Un abrazo,

Carlos Molina

Carlos Augusto Molina.
MSc. en Astronomía
Contacto: carlosmolina@itm.edu.co
Tel. (57)+4+440 52 70
(57)+4+527 37 05 Ext. 101
(57)+300 439 02 20

Cronología de la Cohetería y el Vuelo Espacial- Septiembre 5 de 1958: Lanzamiento desde el aire de un ALBM a Mach1

Por: Campo Elías RoldáN (CERN)
E-mail: campoelias.roldan@gmail.com
Ingeniero Mecánico
Universidad de Antioquia
Coordinador Científico y Técnico
Inges Aerospace-Incaes Aerospace
Número de teléfono celular:(+574)3158094336

.

A una altitud de 40500 pies (12,34 Km. ) sobre Cabo Cañaveral, un bombardero supersónico Convair B-58 Hustler liberaba un misil balístico Lockheed (ALBM) lanzado desde el aire en prueba, a una velocidad de Mach 1. Impulsado por un cohete Thiokol XM-20 de propulsante sólido de 50000 lb. de empuje; similar al utilizado en el X-17. El ALBM tenía una longitud de 30 pies (9,14 m ) y diámetro de 2 pies (0,61m ) 7 pulgadas (17,78 cm. ).
Se esperaba que el motor se encendiera por 29 segundos; pero después de la ignición el misil se comportó erráticamente y 33 segundos más tarde cayó en el océano atlántico.

Desarrollado bajo el proyecto 199C ( High Virgo) empezó como un intento de la Convair para encontrar tareas extras para el B-58.




http://images.google.com.co/imgres?imgurl=http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/ws-199c-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app4/ws-199.html&usg=__PTICDDasZ7-2D-WtllnZTeGo3iA=&h=216&w=600&sz=18&hl=es&start=1&um=1&tbnid=JpoMjSXF2hjUyM:&tbnh=49&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3D199C%2B(High%2BVirgo)%2Bproject%26hl%3Des%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1








Solamente cuatro vuelos del ALBM tomaron lugar; el último, el 22 de septiembre de 1959, fue un apoyo para la inspección y destrucción de un satélite.
Apodado “King Loftus IV” fue planeado como un interceptor del satélite Explorer IV, pero cuando los parámetros orbitales fueron declarados como sospechosos , el blanco se trasladó al Discoverer V. Lanzado a 37500 pies (11,43 Km.) y a Mach 2, todas las comunicaciones se perdieron a los 30 segundos y el pesado misil con instrumentos y transportando 13 cámaras, nunca fue encontrado.

Tan Grande como el Sol

Este concepto artístico nuestra la estrella más pequeña conocida que alberga un planeta. El planeta, llamado VB 10b, se descubrió mediante astrometría, un método en el que tambaleo inducido por un planeta sobre su estrella se mide precisamente en el cielo.

La tenue, estrella roja, llamada VB 10, es una Enana M así nombrada, ubicado a 20 años luz de distancia en la constelación del Aguila. Tiene sólo una doceava parte de la masa, y una décima parte del tamaño de nuestro sol. El planeta es un gigante gaseso similar en tamaño a Júpiter, pero con seis veces la masa. A pesar de que el planeta es menos masivo que su estrella, los dos cuerpos tendría un diámetro similar.

VB 10b orbita alrededor de su estrella cada 9 meses, a una distancia de 30 millones de millas.

Image Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1377.html