To Boldly Go...

Status report, number one.

The museum continues to be only partially open after our major flood.  Work is beginning on restoring the lower level, and while that proceeds, we continue to offer discounted admission and free planetarium shows.

Set course for new topic, warp one...engage.

Sorry, I just love Star Trek: The Next Generation.  I love it even more than the original.  I got in the mood to talk about this when I stumbled upon this article (thanks gmail news snippets!).  They do have an interesting point - little of today's science fiction (and we won't even discuss the travesty of the stuff now running on Syfy) embodies such a positive and enthusiastic outlook on the future of humanity.

Certainly the state of our manned space program (at least here in the U.S.) doesn't bode well.  Since the retirement of the shuttle, we've now become completely dependent on the "kindess of strangers" if you will...or at least the kindness of our Russian partners, who are now our only means of getting astronauts into orbit.  I fear that the longer we go without sending humans into space, the more likely it is we will lose the skills that will allow to do so in the future.  The road to Mars, or indeed, even back to the Moon, is going to be a long and hard one at this point.  I continue to hope that our need to explore will reassert itself.  And more importantly, we need to reacquaint ourselves with the economic advantages for exploration.  Opening up "new worlds," be they terrestrial or in space, always opens up amazing economic opportunities as well as advancing our scientific understanding. 

But on to other aspects of Star Trek.  While manned spaceflight is a reality, many other things that Star Trek is famous for are not yet in the realm of possibility.  Warp drive, for instance.  Nothing yet can break the speed limit of light, and honestly, without that, our ability to range much beyond our solar system will be severely limited.  Even if we reach the point where we can travel at the speed of light, some 186,000 miles per second, it would take us four years plus to reach the nearest star after the Sun.  Everybody else is even further away, and the distances grow incredibly rapidly.  The nearest potentially habitable exoplanet thus far identified is 15 years away at the speed of light.  That's a long trip to just drop by and say hello.  Physics is by far not done with this one - we've been searching for ways to overcome this limitation for a long time, and there may yet be a way to do it.  We don't understand everything about the universe yet.

An artist's conception of exoplanet Gliese 876d, 15 light-years away from Earth.  Courtesy Wikipedia.

I always chuckle every time I hear Miles O'Brien complain about some kind of problem with the Heisenberg compensators in the transporter system.  It's the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle that makes the idea of matter transporters so untenable, so of course they'd have to have found some way to compensate for that.  The HUP tells us that we cannot know the exact position and momentum of any particle at the same time - if we know its position really precisely, then we can't have much information about where it is going or how fast, or vice versa.  Problem is, if you're going to break someone into atoms and send them whizzing across empty space, you're going to need to know exactly how to put them back together again at the other end...and that would require having very precise measurements of the exact state of all those atoms.  Or you might end up with some very unhappy (probably very dead) people at the other end.  Still, there are people working on such systems - most for non-living matter, at this point.  Maybe someday...

Finally, as someone involved in theater and acting, I am always so very impressed with the quality of the work of several of the actors on ST:TNG.  Patrick Stewart is phenomenal as Captain Picard, Brent Spiner as Data is quite probably my favorite character of all time.  Jonathan Frakes did an excellent job as William Riker.  My two favorite recurring characters have to be John de Lancie as Q (as a side note - he does voice overs for planetarium shows.  Listening to him read the phone book would be fascinating!  What a voice!) and Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan.

ST:TNG turns 25 this Saturday.  Like every incarnation of Star Trek, TNG has its good seasons and bad ones...its amazingly brilliant episodes...and its...well...turkeys.  But overall, it remains one of my all-time favorite science fiction television series.  If you've never seen it - I highly recommend it.  If you have - celebrate their silver anniversary by rewatching some of your favorite episodes.  I know I will.

The cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation.  Top row: Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Jonathan Frakes.  Second row: Marina Sirtis, Levar Burton, Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner

Shall we proceed to our next desitination, Captain?  ETA is two weeks.
Make it so, number one.
Carpe noctem,
Kelly

The Year in Review

It's that time of year, isn't it folks?  Everyone is doing a "Year in Review."  Well, who I am to miss that bandwagon!  So in this final installment of Cosmic Strings for 2011, I give you my personal five favorite astronomy stories of 2011.  Enjoy!


The Total Lunar Eclipse of June, 15, 2011
2011 was a banner year for eclipses...we had 4 solar and 2 lunar eclipses.  I wish we could have seen them.  Sadly, all 6 eclipses were basically not observable from the United States.  But many of our international friends got to see some amazing sights...and of the the eclipses this past year, the June 15th lunar eclipse was likely the most wonderful.  It was a rare lunar eclipse where Moon passed through virtually the exact center of the Earth's shadow, making it not only a very long eclipse (the total duration was almost 6 hours!), but also one where the Moon took on a fabulous color.

The lunar eclipse of June 15, 2011 by Javier Algarra.  Courtesy Astronomy Picture of the Day.

Atmospheric scientists can tell a great deal about the Earth's atmosphere from lunar eclipses.  The reddish color of the Moon during a lunar eclipse is caused by sunlight bending through the Earth's atmosphere and striking the lunar surface even when it is in the shadow of the Earth.  Usually only deep reddish light gets through, but depending on the various particulates found in the atmosphere of the Earth, the Moon may appear bright red, copper colored, and even a yellowish-orange.  If you got to see this wonderful eclipse, count yourself lucky!

The Launch of Curiosity
It might seem odd to include a spacecraft launch in my list, but I can't help it.  I'm excited!  Another plucky robot has successfully made it off the Earth and is on its way to Mars.  Launch is a dangerous time...second only in danger to landing.  So Curiosity still has a long way to go before it can get to work...and the greatest danger lies ahead.  Mars has been a tough planet to explore...about half of the missions headed there have ended badly.  And yet, Mars is well worth the effort, as it is the place in the solar system most like the Earth.  If life is, or ever was, present in the solar system beyond the Earth, Mars is the most likely place for it.  The Spirit and Opportunity rovers have shown us definitive proof that Mars was wet in the past and likely still has a fair amount of water.  Perhaps Curiosity will be able to provide definitive evidence of Martian life!  If so, that will certainly make the list in 2012!

The launch of the Mars Science Laboratory rover, called Curiosity.  Courtesy NASA.

The Uncookable Comet Lovejoy
A late entry - but an amazing one!  Kreutz sungrazer Comet Lovejoy was discovered by Australia's Terry Lovejoy a bit less than a month before its close encounter with the Sun.  No one expected the cosmic chunk of ice and rock to survive its passage a mere 87,000 miles above the solar surface (Earth is on average 93 million miles from the Sun and I can still get a sunburn in the winter!) on December 16.  But as I write this, Comet Lovejoy is still kicking, headed away from the Sun and sporting an enormous tail.  Sadly, we can't see it very well from here in the United States, but its discoverer is still getting a nice view!  Southern hemisphere dwellers - get outside before the sunrise and enjoy the view of Comet Lovejoy in the east.  It's well worth the effort!

Comet Lovejoy after its incredible solar encounter by Kosma Coronaios. Courtesy spaceweather.com

Pluto May Not Be a Planet...But it is a Moon Magnet!
First among dwarf planets Pluto was back in the news again this year - sporting a newly discovered moon.  The intrepid Hubble Space Telescope was searching for rings around the tiny body, but instead discovered a fourth moon circling this enigmatic little world.  Officially announced on July 20, 2011, little S/2011 P4 doesn't yet have a proper name.  But its discovery confirms that this world, though no longer considered a major planet, will remain a target for scientific curiosity and discovery for years to come.  New Horizons will arrive in 2015, increasing our understanding of the Plutonian system exponentially.  I can't wait!

The discovery of Pluto's newest moon, S2011/P4.  Courtesy STSci.

The End of an Era: NASA Retires the Space Shuttle
For 30 years, manned spaceflight was synonymous with the Space Shuttle.  NASA's fleet of launch-like-a-rocket-land-like-a-glider spacecraft were amazing machines, completing 135 missions to space, launching innumerable satellites and spacecraft, conducting thousands of experiments, and performing 37 construction and service visits to the International Space Station.  Groundbreaking mission like those of the Galileo spacecraft and the Hubble Space Telescope started with a launch from the cargo bay of a space shuttle.  While we mourn the loss of the 14 astronauts who died in the Challenger and Columbia tragedies, we must also acknowledge that the shuttle's work record of 30 years is nothing short of extraordinary.

Space Shuttle Discovery.  Courtesy NASA.

Now the United States has no manned spaceflight capability,. and the future of human exploration of space has never looked more bleak.  No other space agency has the same level of experience which NASA has in manned spaceflight.  But we will lose those skills rapidly if we can no longer send people into space to use them.  While NASA is actively seeking new astronauts, I wonder what they will do, since they must rely on the faltering Russian space agency to successfully carry them into space.  Human space exploration fires the imagination like few other things can, and the technological spinoffs from such efforts are too numerous to detail.  I hope that our government will be willing to make an investment in a future they can't imagine now, and not let the problems of today kill the dreams of tomorrow.

I wish you all a wonderful holiday season full of family, friends, love and joy.  And may 2012 be a truly stellar year for us all.
Carpe annum!
Kelly

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Since I'll be off tomorrow, preparing to enjoy the holiday with my family, I figured I'd post a day early, and keep it all on the Thanksgiving theme.

As you've likely come to expect from this blog, there also needs to be a generous dollop of humor, so in honor of Thanksgiving and with apologies to David Letterman...

From the home office in Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe, here's my Top Five List of spacey things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving.

5. The Abbitt Planetarium
Yep, I'm thankful for my job!  And not just for the usual it-pays-the-bills reasons either.  I'm one of those lucky people who truly has their dream job.  I get to work with people of all ages and share with them my love of the universe.  I get to exercise my creative drives and make shows in the planetarium on numerous different topics.  It's like being a Hollywood director without the pressures of Hollywood.  What more could I ask for?  And thank you to all of you who come to visit us and make it possible for me to continue to do what I love.

4. The Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble is truly one of the most remarkable spacecraft ever launched.  It's the telescope with 9 lives (at least!) and has provided us with innumerable stunning images of the cosmos.  It has survived not only the rigors of being launched into space aboard the space shuttle, but also numerous servicing missions designed to repair and upgrade its instruments.  When the initial flaw in the primary mirror was discovered shortly after launch, many people figured the Hubble was a loss.  Thanks to some amazing work by both engineers and astronauts, Hubble's flaw was repaired and for over 20 years this school-bus-sized scope has continually made our jaws drop with its incredible images.

Dying star V838 Mon.  Courtesy STScI/NASA.

Jupiter and its moon, Ganymede.  Courtesy STScI/NASA

Supernova 1987A.  Courtesy STScI/NASA.

Hubble is in decline now, since NASA has retired the space shuttle - the only vehicle which could be used to service the telescope.  Over the coming years, Hubble's systems will slowly degrade, until a final critical failure of some kind renders it useless.  Its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope, is mired in funding problems as NASA struggles to maintain itself in these fiscally trying times.  Whether JWST makes it up or not, when Hubble images its last, I for one, will shed quite a few tears.  No other instrument, before or since, has done what Hubble can - inspire us all with wonder at the visions of the universe it provides.

3. The Apollo Missions to the Moon
We've been to the Moon.  Men from Earth have stood on the surface of the Moon and looked up at the fragile blue planet we call home.  It was real, we went there.  It was not, as so many people believe, an elaborate hoax.  And it is one of the most inspiring stories of human exploration ever.

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the lunar surface.  Courtesy NASA.

Exploration is always challenging.  But in reaching for the Moon, we had to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  There is no water or air on the Moon.  Gravity is dramatically less, so machines behave in different and unexpected ways.  We had no idea what the surface of the Moon was like, or how men would react - physically and psychologically - to being in space or on the lunar surface.  And yet, in the space of a decade, we went from dreaming about it to being there.  I hope one day, NASA will be able to have that kind of drive and vision again.  If you don't know the story of our journey to the Moon - check it out.  It's worth it.

2. The Night Sky
There's something entirely captivating about a dark night sky.  Looking up at the stars is a wonderful, peaceful thing to do in a world that sometimes overwhelms us with activity.  And sharing it with someone you love, or even someone you're never met, makes the experience all the more special.  My daughter and I have looked at the sky since she was a tiny baby.  If you've never enjoyed a dark night sky - here's a goal for the new year.  Attend a star party.  Look through a telescope for the first time.  Just go outside one night and look up for a while.  And when you do, remember that all of humanity shares that sky with you.  No matter how far away, no matter how long ago they lived, everyone everywhere has seen the same stars that you can see just by looking up. (I miss you, Dad.)

The arc of the Milky Way in California photographed by Tony Hallas.  Courtesy Astronomy Picture of the Day.

We're in danger of losing our night skies forever as we turn on more and more nighttime lights.  Losing the sky means losing a powerful part of our heritage.  Don't wait too long to see it - or it might not be there for you to enjoy.

And the Number One spacey thing I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving...

1. The Mars Curiosity Rover
We're headed back to Mars!  Mars is a simply fascinating planet, and our exploration of it has only made it seem more intriguing.  While we've found no canals or war-like Martians, we have found tantalizing evidence of massive amounts of water having once covered the Martian surface...and even indications that there once may have been...and even yet may still be...life on our rusty red neighbor.  The Curiosity rover is due to launch on November 25th, with a eye to landing on the Red Planet this fall.  I can't wait to see what amazing new discoveries it will show us.  Stay tuned!

The Curiosity Rover.  Courtesy NASA/JPL.

I wish you all a safe, happy, and joyful Thanksgiving!
Carpe Noctem!
Kelly

So, What Do You Think?

Hello all!

Third post, and already I'm asking for your help.

I'm writing this tonight from a conference I attend every year for planetaria who own a system like the one we have at the Abbitt Planetarium.  We all get together and share techniques, ideas, and learn new ways to make our shows better.  We also watch a lot of trailers for new shows, and sometimes get to watch an entire show, so we can make informed decisions about what programs we'd like to bring to our theaters.

So my question for you, my readers, is this:

What topic would you like to see in a new planetarium show?

At the conference so far I've seen shows on the history of the universe, the history of life on Earth, the history of the Earth for kids, the history of the Earth for adults, the lifecycles of stars, black holes, and Charles Darwin and his theories.  Keep in mind that this list is a tiny portion of the shows available, so feel free to go off the board and suggest any topic that interests you, even if it has only a very loose connection to astronomy or space science.  I'd really love to know what you think, so please leave your ideas in the comments section.  I tried to make it a poll, but the system is fighting me and making the thing unreadable.  So please, comment away!

I'll write a longer post when I get home again and digest all the new information I've learned - and believe me I'll need two weeks for that!  But my tip for you this week - wake up early Thursday morning and watch the final landing of a Space Shuttle.  Atlantis is scheduled to return to Earth at 5:56am on Thursday morning, July 21st.  It's your last chance to watch one, so be sure to tune in.  American human spaceflight is coming to an end, and I for one will sorely miss it. 

The crew of Apollo 1.  NASA

The last crew of Challenger.  NASA

The last crew of Columbia.  NASA

In memory of those who gave their lives in pursuit of knowledge of the universe...

Carpe Noctem,

Kelly