NASA

Sometimes, organizations and entities become so universally known by a nickname or abbreviation that people can easily forget what exactly a particular acronym stands for. For over fifty years, one particular American institution has been known to its constituents and citizens of other nations by a certain four-letter abbreviation, based on that group’s track record with stimulating curiosity about outer space, exploring the limits of human ability, physiology and will, and literally taking people to places they have never been before. This much-heralded organization is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, also known as NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration was established and officially made known to the public in 1958. Since its inception, NASA mission after NASA mission has been responsible for furthering the world’s knowledge of space. Of the highest interest and amount of publicity have been the various manned missions that NASA has authorized to keep the United States on the cutting edge of scientific innovation. The following are among the programs affiliated with NASA that have brought significant firsts to the public consciousness:

1. Project Mercury/Project Gemini – Before contemplating orbiting any other celestial objects, NASA researchers had to verify that man could survive in space for the duration of such a trip. Project Mercury served as America’s first attempt to put man in space, and helped to add Alan Shepard to the record books as the first American in space. (Earlier, and a primary source of fuel for the Space Race, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man outright in space with the launch of Sputnik.) Later in the project’s history, a NASA mission would involve John Glenn being the first American man to orbit the Earth in the vehicle Friendship 7. As for Project Gemini, this served as a predecessor to the first moon missions, and solidified the idea that humans could survive in space for long periods and acclimate to conditions of weightlessness brought about the reduced effects of gravity.

2. The Apollo program – This is the program that really put NASA on the map. Not merely content with the achievement of orbiting the Earth and getting to outer space, Americans pushed to be the first to push beyond the orbit of Earth and reach the next closest body, our moon. The appropriately-titled Apollo program would not only attain that goal, but would give Americans pride of being home to the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong. Apollo 8 was the NASA mission that let the Administration cross orbiting the moon off the checklist, and probably the most significant mission in its history, Apollo 11, would result in “one small step for a man” and “one giant leap for mankind.”

3. The Space Shuttle program – Set to end after 2010 but as of now still scheduling launches, NASA’s Space Shuttle program ushered in a new age of travel through space and made it possible for the transportation of satellites and space station modules to Earth’s orbit; since missions under the Apollo program, no American spacecraft have exceeded the planet’s orbit. More than one NASA mission within the Space Shuttle movement has ended in tragedy, notably the Challenger disaster of 1986 and the Columbia snafu in 2003, in which both crews were lost.

4. The International Space Station – A current enterprise between NASA and the space administrations of Europe and other foreign countries, the International Space Station is to Mars as Projects Mercury and Gemini were to the moon. The biggest man-made satellite in our solar system and the possibly the most expensive object ever produced, the International Space Station is home to experiments on microgravity and tests of the body’s responses to the ravages of space. We may not know the full extent of this research until colonization attempts of other celestial bodies are made.

Mission failures resulting in the loss of life and the program’s inherent expenses have meant criticism of NASA by some. Still, the Administration continues to be compensated handsomely for its efforts in understanding space travel, and in terms of public perception, is still seen as important to the national interests. Its successes have obviously earned it a strong place in today’s world.

Hubble Telescope

There has been a desire to explore the stars and the distant reaches of the galaxy ever since we were able to see the other planets of our solar system. Ever since Galileo invented and proved the power of the telescope, the quest for knowledge has put a greater and greater demand on the improvement of telescope technology and new conceptions of how to achieve photographic representations of space; it is not conceivable for astronomers and other scientists to continue to try to view heavenly bodies with starter telescopes. Many large optical telescopes have been established for use by research teams in locations amenable for astronomical viewings. Places like Hawaii, Chile and the Canary Islands are territories on which multiple high-powered telescopes reside and are used on a regular basis. However, while research stations on our planet are continuing to be improved and records for the size of the largest telescope ever created, even the tethering of a telescope to the Earth may be limiting. That is part of the allure and functionality of the Hubble Telescope, also known as the Hubble Space Telescope, and named after Edwin P. Hubble, a groundbreaking theorist in the field of astronomy whose work is commemorated by his namesake law and the Hubble constant.

Momentum for the creation of the Hubble Telescope first gathered with the observations of Mr. Hubble. Contradicting the belief that all that could be observed of our universe by man was the Milky Way Galaxy, Hubble used his telescope from a location in California to view other distant galaxies, noticing their behavior. He observed that these distant galaxies were constantly expanding, and thus, as the whole, the universe is expanding. Obviously, further theory and research on the laws and processes that defined the very universe itself were needed to be approached. However, various scientists saw limitations to the use of observatories from fixed positions on the Earth’s surface. Even in locations where interference from pollution and city lights was limited, the gases and dust present in the atmosphere that protect the entire planet also obscure our view of extraterrestrial space and, in some cases, block out types of energy completely.

Thus, the necessity for a mechanism outside of Earth’s atmospheric levels was apparent. It would be a process of innovation before the Hubble Telescope would finally be realized. The workings of the Space Race certainly paved the way for the creation of the Hubble Telescope, as Sputnik proved to be the forerunner for all forays of manned and unmanned space exploration in the decades to come, and future developments such as the space shuttle would provide the capability for transporting materials for construction and repairs of a space telescope where previous methods would have proved insufficient. With the cooperation of NASA, a national institute for the creation of a space telescope was founder. Their creation was renamed at a point in time to capture the spirit of innovation that Edwin Hubble promoted. The Hubble Telescope was launched in 1990, and to this day, is responsible for the capture of long-range telescopic images and the study of new worlds and forms of energy.

Astronomy for Kids

In the wake of federal No Child Left Behind legislation, it is incumbent upon today’s educators to be well trained and meet certain educational standards. The increased reliance of testing as part of these changes to the educational landscape has placed a greater demand on schools to provide results by hitting minimum scores and percentages. However, these figures don’t really mean much to the individual student and, worse yet, may be an even stronger influence on some kids to drop out of school. Already, school is a hard sell to children, as memorization drills and teaching to the test cause many children to regard school, learning and fun as separate concepts. In terms of a specific subject, astronomy, taught right, is a tremendously interesting and informative field with tons to explore. Of course, even the most dry information on astronomy and things like stellar evolution can be intriguing to someone who loves astronomy. For kids, there need to be some bells and whistles, so to speak, for a scientific concept to catch and hold their attention. In other words, the presentation should be exciting without sacrificing information. The following are suggestions for enlivening astronomy for kids:

1. Use fun projects to illustrate concepts – The long-term comprehension and recall of students of a particular lesson is greatly aided by a sense of emotional attachment and/or visual associations with that lesson. When approaching astronomy for younger audiences, you cannot hope to simply read from a book and expect the children who listen to eat it up. Instead, make the lesson fun and memorable by pairing any readings or lectures on the material with an artistic project to be completed at home. Say the topic is the order of the planets. Amidst getting across this information on an important concept in astronomy for kids, you can encourage them to make their own representations of the solar system. To create an even greater atmosphere of fun, you can suggest that the children use some sort of food product or candy to represent each of the planets. For teachers, this can be a good way of connecting with kids who may not be avid fans of science but are creatively inclined.

2. Show videos from TV science personalities – There are a seemingly endless number of videos out there by people who strive to make learning more exciting for children. While it may be hard to find a teacher or program that deals with astronomy alone, stars of science-oriented television programs like Bill Nye are pretty well-rounded when it comes to knowledge across the sciences. Thus, when it comes to astronomy for kids, while individual episodes of shows may have to be isolated, there is bound to be a kids’ program with a special on file or published video/DVD series.

3. Take a trip to a science museum – The most fun that can usually be had with astronomy for kids is hands-on applications of the subject matter. A science museum such as the Liberty Science Center in New York is a rich source of information on astronomy and other sciences, and features terrific exhibits that will make abstract concepts come alive. For instance, a scale might weigh the child user and convert their weight on Earth to their weight on the moon based on disparities of gravity. If possible, see if this museum will offer an IMAX movie or other large-scale movie presentation on a subject related to astronomy and space exploration.

Astronomy News

Usually, it takes an event of cataclysmic proportions for a bit of astronomy news to make national news. From time to time, the word that an asteroid or meteorite is passing close to the Earth makes a blip on our radar, as people undoubtedly think back to the disaster movies perpetuated by Hollywood where impending doom lies in the form of an intergalactic rock hurtling towards our planet. A few years back, though, it was a simple decision of the International Astronomical Union that turned astronomy news into fodder for water-cooler discussion. At the 2006 assembly in Prague, the IAU decided to make Pluto, previously considered as the final planetary representative of our solar system, a dwarf planet, effectively downgrading its status. For people who had grown up thinking there are nine planets in our solar system and fans of mnemonic devices that perpetuated this belief, the news came as an unwelcome surprise, and to this day, is still argued and bantered about.

Again, though, the Pluto story and asteroid warnings are deviations from the norm. Astronomy articles in the newspaper are likely to be relegated to the back pages of a particular section. If you are keen on finding windows to the latest information on what is going on in our galaxy, there are better sources from which to draw. Two ways of staying abreast of current trends:

Astronomy magazines – There are several high-profile publications worldwide that deliver the latest astronomy articles and insights on the world of astronomy. Probably the foremost authority when it comes to periodical publications is Astronomy magazine, which includes feature articles and astronomical events to look for in the month of publication. Sky and Telescope is also renowned for being a source of astronomy news and advice for a range of audiences. In addition, while it may require you to do a bit of extra searching, many prominent science magazines contain astronomy articles from time to time. As cosmological events are often accompanied by great visuals, it might be easy to find astronomy news just by flipping through a publication.

Science-oriented television programs – While it won’t be a great source of astronomy articles in print form, along the similar concept of photogenics, television is a way to get potent, newsworthy images of outer space into your living room. After all, the television medium is a business, and to stay relevant, a particular network or program must be sensitive to what is happening in the world (or rather, universe) today. The Discovery Channel and National Geographic Channel (along with the parent magazine) are great sources of information on matters of scientific and social import. Even public television may have something to offer to the astronomy news train, with programs like “NOVA” offering stimulating discourse on the science of today.

As for official organizations that deal with the topic of space, you might also check press releases and the Websites of the IAU and NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration) for astronomy articles and news. While their updates may be more sporadic, especially with the IAU, through the Internet, you can program updates to automatically be sent to your E-mail account. The list of ways to get a hold of astronomy news is literally endless.

look for in a telescope

Astronomy is a difficult field to get into without the right conditions. For the amateur astronomer, of course, you will want to make sure you have a good location above all from which to view any stars, moons, planets or constellations. If you live in, say, an urban area where visibility is often obscured by cloud cover/pollution and there are a number of bright lights being shone that might interfere with the natural illumination of stellar bodies, the prospect of stargazing might be a lost endeavor from the start. Likewise, if you are trying to orient yourself to the stretches of the Milky Way Galaxy and you are trying to accomplish this with a starter set of binoculars, you might have quite a task on your hands. The proverbial weapon of choice for the starting stargazer and serious astronomy enthusiast is the telescope. Telescopes are common fixtures in many people’s mountain homes, and a starter telescope might be a fun solution for what gift to get a child, especially if they are really interested in the sciences. Who knows, you may be starting off the next great astronomer on the way to a prize-winning discovery! If you are serious contemplating astronomy as a hobby, though, you will want to do some comparison shopping as it regards telescopes. While a telescope often has the look of being a toy or a weapon, you should understand it is a finely-tuned instrument and a complex bit of machinery. Some general recommendations for how to go about purchasing telescopes:

1. Don’t expect to compare with the “big boys” – Before you begin with your stab at astronomy, keep some things in perspective. The telescopic images that you see in scientific magazines and syndicated news reports are products of telescopes that are of the highest quality and the biggest and newest on the market, especially if they involve the discovery of some far-flung planet or interstellar structure. Essentially, these are very expensive images to produce and capture! From a telescope you buy on the public marketplace, you can’t expect to see the same distances and of the same quality that high-grade devices are privy to. In fact, you shouldn’t even be expected to see a lot farther than our solar system. This may still be quite rewarding to you as an amateur viewer, but if this does not match up with your romantic views of astronomy, you might want to reassess how serious you are about the hobby.

2. Keep in mind price and availability – Another test of how serious your commitment to the field of astronomy may be the dent it makes in your wallet. For a good quality telescope, you can expect to pay over $200 American. In tight economic times, this may not be financially prudent, so you may want to put off your pursuit of this hobby until you can afford the necessary materials. While you should expect to spend a significant chunk of money on a telescope, you should also be aware of good avenues for acquiring one. While you may be able to go to a high-end shop or find a store in a shopping center that deals with telescopes, you would be well served to check for suppliers in a trade magazine and appeal to them directly.

3. Note the different types of telescopes out there – Telescopes vary on a number of important specifications specific to the way they work. One thing that you will want to research is the magnification power of the telescope’s lens. In particular, if you are using your telescope on a casual, infrequent basis, or are only using it for a short-term period of study, make sure you are not paying for more magnifying power than you need. In addition, be aware of the difference between refractive and reflective telescopes, which have different production costs and can be used to see dimmer or lighter objects.