Space Odyssey Volunteer Update January 30, 2009
What's Happening in Space Odyssey
Kudos to You All!
This is from Lynn Heffernan, one of our Outreach Education Coordinators here at the Museum. "I just wanted to pass along a great conversation I just had with a guest. She stopped me (in all places…) in the bathroom to tell me what a great experience she has had at DMNS. She was in Space Odyssey as well as in other places around the museum, and was delighted by the knowledge and passion that our volunteers have. She asked whether we had this many great volunteers everyday or was this special because of the school day. I explained that we were lucky to have this passion and knowledge everyday! She was amazed that the volunteers were just as great with young kids as well as with adults. She was in town for a long layover and luckily visited us. She said she was thrilled to have taken the time to be here today."
FREE DAY Monday, February 2, 2009
The 2nd free day of 2009 will take place this Monday. This is also the first time we have had a free day on Monday in a very long time. If you work on another day and have the time or inclination to swing by and help out, please do! Should be a busy day and thanks much in advance.
Kepler Mission and Space Odyssey from Eddie Goldstein, Senior Space Science Educator
Hi Museum Galaxy Guides, On March 5th, NASA plans to launch the Kepler mission into space. The goal of this mission is to look for extrasolar planets using the transit method. This is where the light from a distant star gets dimmer when one of its planets gets between the star and the earth as the planet orbits the star.
As you know, we have an activity in Space Odyssey which simulates this at the orbits table. In March, I would like us to be sure to use this activity on a regular basis with our visitors and I wanted to give you plenty of advanced notice. It will mean that during that period of time we will need to cut back on using Uniview and use this instead for part of your shift. If you have any questions about how to use that activity, please ask Dave B, Dave C, or me, and we'll be happy to show you. And, it does not mean that Uniview will be going away. Just that you should balance Uniview and the Transit Activity at the orbits table during March. Thanks, Eddie Here's the link to the Kepler Mission website for more info: Kepler Mission Overview
Dr. David Grinspoon Shares His Thoughts on Pluto
Listen to this 11 minute podcast in which I am interviewed about planet definition and the status of Pluto, and learn why you should not Neil down before the IAU. http://www.skyandtelescope.com/skytel/beyondthepage/38235059.html
Space Odyssey Educational Philosophy A Training
The February 12 date has been cancelled. Please stay tuned for the new date.
Uniview Update
Uniview is back in action. Greg Mancari with Eddie Goldstein and Eric Ross's help, has ironed out the major bugs and it appears to be working well. If you have major problems while using it, try closing the program and reopening it, that should reset things. If you have other questions please let me know.
Uniview Trainings
Thursday February 5 9:30 to 10:30 Space Odyssey Briefing Room Monday February 11 11 am to 12 pm Space Odyssey Briefing Room Greg Mancari, who works in the Museum's Outreach Department, will be conducting these trainings. You may come to one or both, your choice.
Space is limited due to the size of the room so please RSVP if you can make it. Tilt Table Update Many have asked about adding more labels for things like Mt. Everest et al and we're investigating how to get that done. Also, we are continuing to investigate the various and sundry bugs that pop up and working to rectify those as well. Furthermore, many of you have asked about the varying degree of resolution from place to place, this is due to the varying quality in the data for these places. Basically, there is not one source for the original data, ergo some of it is more detailed than others. So we're also working on getting pics with better resolution. Cassini and LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) Models At some point in the near future, the Cassini model will be moving out of its case to make way for the LRO model. The reason? The LRO is due to launch in 2009 and we have the LAMP cart that is also associated with this mission. The LRO model was supposed to originally go with the LAMP cart, but is too fragile to be on the cart itself. Ergo, it will now be installed in the Cassini case. Please send me any queries/comments, thanks. Space Screen Projector Update It's now installed! It is running in a format similar to the old screen, and at some point in the future we will be changing the screen itself to a 16:9 aspect ratio to match this projectors capabilities. This may not happen until 2010 at the earliest. Superchill Balls Dave Cuomo has located said glow-in-the-dark balls and has purchased at least half a shipload so we're in good shape for awhile. Fuel Cell Update We're looking into getting a new lamp for the fuel cell. Hopefully it will not only look better but also help the fuel cell work more efficiently as well. Thanks for helping to keep the fuel cell water fresh too, that will go a long way to ensuring its longevity. Spiders in Space Update Paula Cushing has selected some new images as of January 6, from the ISS spider and they're on the Portal now. The spiders are still alive (we think) up on the ISS. One is definitely still going strong. But so are the fruit flies so it is getting pretty messy up there. It is harder and harder for Paula to find decent pics to share with you all so she is being more selective. Click here for the Spiders In Space link.
Global Climate Change Lecture Anyone? Thanks as well for all the interest in this too! I'm working on putting together a talk to take place either in late February or early March. Would you like a more in-depth discussion about this "hot" topic? Then call or email me and let me know and I'll see about setting up a lecture or talk about this important and much debated subject. Also, if you have suggestions for what kind of forum we should have, send that to me as well. Thanks! NASA INVITES PUBLIC TO CHOOSE HUBBLE'S NEXT DISCOVERY WASHINGTON -- NASA is giving everyone the opportunity to use the world's most celebrated telescope to explore the heavens and boldly look where the Hubble Space Telescope has never looked before. NASA is inviting the public to vote for one of six candidate astronomical objects for Hubble to observe in honor of the International Year of Astronomy. The options, which Hubble has not previously photographed, range from far-flung galaxies to dying stars. Votes can be cast until March 1. Hubble's camera will make a high resolution image revealing new details about the object that receives the most votes. The image will be released during the International Year of Astronomy's "100 Hours of Astronomy" from April 2 to 5. Space enthusiasts can cast their vote at: http://YouDecide.Hubblesite.org Everyone who votes also will be entered into a random drawing to receive one of 100 copies of the Hubble photograph made of the winning celestial body. NASA also invites teachers and students to participate in an accompanying Hubble Space Telescope classroom collage activity that integrates art, science and language arts. Students in participating classes will select their favorite Hubble images and assemble them in a collage. Students in each class also will choose their favorite object from the image voting contest and write essays about why they made their selections. The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, was designed so that it can be repaired in space by astronauts. The next servicing mission to the telescope is targeted to launch on space shuttle Atlantis May 12, 2009. Mission objectives include extending Hubble's operational life by five years, repairing its out-of-commission instruments and enhancing its scientific
power. To do so, astronauts will replace gyroscopes and batteries on the telescope, repair the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph and the Advanced Camera for Surveys and install two new instruments -- the Wide Field Camera 3 and the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph. For more information about the servicing mission, visit: http://hubble.nasa.gov/missions/sm4.php For more information about the Hubble Space Telescope, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/hubble
Space Science Lectures
Is God a Mathematician? Mario Livio, author and senior astrophysicist, Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute
How is it that mathematics, a creation of the human mind, so perfectly explains and predicts the physical world? Livio examines the lives of great mathematicians whose impractical discoveries eventually substantially advanced various fields of scientific study. From Pythagoras to Plato, whose views bordered on the mystical, through Archimedes, Galileo, Descartes, Newton, to our modern-day mathematicians, Livio offers fresh and original discussions of physics, cosmology, religion, and cognitive science. Thursday, February 5 7:00 p.m. Ricketson Auditorium; use Ricketson Evening Entrance $12 member, $15 nonmember Book sale + signing7:00 p.m. Reservations Reservations are encouraged for all lectures. Please call our reservations department at 303.322.7009 or toll free at 1.800.925.2250.
60 Minutes in Space Space scientists Steven Lee, Dimitri Klebe, David Grinspoon, and Ka Chun Yu, PhDs Join an in-depth discussion on the latest stories in the world of space science. Go "behind the stories" using the best images and animations available to help understand new developments. Wednesday, February 25 7:00 p.m.
Gates Planetarium; use the Ricketson/Evening Entrance Free This program often fills up, so reservations are strongly recommended. Please call 303.322.7009 to reserve a seat.
Einstein's Telescope: The Hunt for Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe Evalyn Gates, PhD, assistant director, Institute for Cosmological Physics; senior research associate, University of Chicago; former director of astronomy and vice president of science and education at Adler Planetarium
Space remains a changing, elusive enigma, and in this lecture, Gates will explore one of i mysteries: the rapid and accelerated expansion of our universe, fueled perhaps by dark matter and dark energy. These strange and invisible substances have turned our neat, ordered picture of the universe on its head. Gates will explain how using gravitational lenses, or "Einstein's telescope," based on Einstein's theory of general relativity, is generating new theories and discoveries. She will use easy-to-understand diagrams and breathtaking photos of cosmic phenomena. Gates is the author of the new book Einstein's Telescope. Wednesday, March 4 7:00 p.m. Gates Planetarium; use Ricketson Evening Entrance $12 member, $15 nonmember Book sale + signing Reservations Reservations are encouraged for all lectures. Please call our reservations department at 303.322.7009 or toll free at 1.800.925.2250. For more info on Adult Programs and Lectures, CLICK HERE.
Museum Events
Expedition Health Update Have you applied to become an Expedition Health Volunteer but have not heard from anyone recently? If you have applied to Expedition Health, you can expect to be contacted by a staff member or team leader by the end of January. If you simply can't wait that long, please direct your questions regarding Expedition Health to Shelley Knepley, either by email, Shelley.Knepley@dmns.org, or by phone, 303.370.6419.
Are you interested in volunteering for Expedition Health or learning more about the project? Please come to one of the following Information Sessions: Saturday, January 10 from 10 a.m. - noon Saturday, February 7 from 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. Saturday, February 28 from 2:30 - 4:30 p.m. To make a reservation to attend one of the Information Sessions, please contact Shelley Knepley, either by email, Shelley.Knepley@dmns.org, or by phone, 303.370.6419. In Expedition Health volunteers are needed to: • Explain health science information to visitors • Facilitate carts with specimens and activities • Assist in the Expedition Health Lab • Help visitors explore the Expedition Health exhibits In Expedition Health, visitors will be immersed in a world where they can literally see their own bodies at work and learn how even small lifestyle changes can optimize their health. Thirty interactive stations and experiments will offer a variety of learning experiences for visitors as they watch their incredible bodies respond to various environments, measure their bodies' performance and strength, and participate in real lab tests that will contribute to health science research. Maintaining this high level of activity will not be possible without the participation of well-trained volunteers. The Museum greatly values the contributions of all its volunteers, who participate in every aspect of the Museum's day-to-day operations. Volunteers greet and serve visitors, contribute to science research, work behind the scenes offering clerical support, and enhance science content for visitors in the exhibit halls. The Museum provides free, in-depth training to all its volunteers, as well as benefits such as special discounts and opportunities to attend lectures and programs. If you'd like to learn more about Expedition Health here's a link to the website as well: http://dmns.org/expeditionhealth/ Phipps Gallery Renovation: May 1-October 15 Beginning May 1, the Phipps Gallery (where Temporary Exhibits are installed) will be closed and construction/renovation will begin on the gallery itself plus work will begin on a new floor between the gallery and the west side atrium walkway that lies across the bridge. This whole area will be infilled to allow for better crowd control for the temporary exhibits. Ergo, we
will have to endure some access inconveniences to the Volunteer Lounge, the Southeast elevator and atrium and also the south side escalators as a result. Please stay tuned for more details and particulars as they're made available and please ask if you have questions. YOGA CLASSES $12 / session Botswana Hall Tuesdays: 6:00-7:00 p.m. For more information about upcoming Museum Lectures & Events, please click here!
Volunteer Enrichment Committee Events
For more information or to sign up for any of these events, please see the VEC bulletin board in the Staff and Volunteer Lounge. Dave Blumenstock 303.370.8344 Become a Facebook fan of DMNS! Why are things as they are and not otherwise? Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) German astronomer.