Author: Lee Trampleasure

Lee Trampleasure has been teaching for 25 years, and teaches Physics and Biology at Menlo-Atherton High School.
Posted on

Jupiter pummeled, leaving bruise the size of the Pacific Ocean

By Robert Sanders, UCB Media Relations | 21 July 2009

Complete article here: http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2009/07/21_bruise.shtml

infrared image of Jupiter taken with Keck IIThe scar from the probable impact appeared July 19 in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere, and has grown to a size greater than the extent of the Pacific Ocean. This infrared image taken with Keck II on July 20 shows the new feature observed on Jupiter and its relative size compared to Earth. (Paul Kalas ,UCB; Michael Fitzgerald, LLNL/UCLA; Franck Marchis, SETI Institute/UCB; James Graham, UCB)

BERKELEY — Something slammed into Jupiter in the last few days, creating a dark bruise about the size of the Pacific Ocean.

The bruise was noticed by an amateur astronomer on Sunday, July 19. University of California, Berkeley, astronomer Paul Kalas took advantage of previously scheduled observing time on the Keck II telescope in Hawaii to image the blemish in the early morning hours of Monday, July 20. The near infrared image showed a bright spot in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere, where the impact had propelled reflective particles high into the relatively clear stratosphere.

In visible light, the bruise appears dark against the bright surface of Jupiter.

The observation made with the Keck II telescope marks only the second time astronomers have seen the results of an impact on the planet. The first collision occurred exactly 15 years ago, between July 16 and 22, 1994, when more than 20 fragments of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collided with Jupiter.

Complete article here: http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2009/07/21_bruise.shtml


http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2009/07/21_bruise.shtml

Posted on

NASA Releases Restored Apollo 11 Moonwalk Video

NASA moon logoWASHINGTON, July 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — NASA released Thursday newly restored video from the July 20, 1969, live television broadcast of the Apollo 11 moonwalk. The release commemorates the 40th anniversary of the first mission to land astronauts on the moon.

The initial video release, part of a larger Apollo 11 moonwalk restoration project, features 15 key moments from the historic lunar excursion of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

A team of Apollo-era engineers who helped produce the 1969 live broadcast of the moonwalk acquired the best of the broadcast-format video from a variety of sources for the restoration effort. These included a copy of a tape recorded at NASA’s Sydney, Australia, video switching center, where down-linked television from Parkes and Honeysuckle Creek was received for transmission to the U.S.; original broadcast tapes from the CBS News Archive recorded via direct microwave and landline feeds from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston; and kinescopes found in film vaults at Johnson that had not been viewed for 36 years.

NASA Television will provide an HD video feed of the Apollo footage hourly from 12 – 7 p.m. on July 16 and 17. Each feed is one hour. For NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

A copy of the newly restored scenes from the Apollo 11 restoration effort can be found at:

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/hd/apollo11.html

NASA’s Apollo 40th anniversary Web sites provide easy access to various agency resources and multimedia about the program and the history of human spaceflight, including a gallery of Apollo multimedia features. Visit the site at:

http://www.nasa.gov/apollo40th

Other Apollo 11 resources

  • JFK Library Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the First Moon Landing
  • WeChooseTheMoon.org “The site will plug you into the current state of the mission and has many tangents to keep you occupied during quiet times (especially the “loss of signal” intervals). Keep the site running in the background while you work away at the tasks of the day.” [Thanks, Dean Baird, for the quote]


Posted on

Using Google Maps to show wave refraction in water

Physics educators have used photos of natural and man-made breakwaters to show refraction for probably as long as we’ve had photography. But now online mapping web sites (Google, Yahoo. etc.) allow you to find locations near you to make the images more tangible to your students. Oceans and bays are full of images of refraction, but you may also find diffraction patterns in a large lake.

Below is an example from a breakwater in Berkeley, CA, in the San Francisco Bay


View Larger Map
Check water bodies around your institution to find examples you can use with your students. Most mapping sites allow you to save landmarks in a “My maps” section, so once you find a good location, you can save it, then pull it up from a list when you need to show it in class.

One warning: Map sites update their satellite photographs every so often (as the USGS releases newer ones), so check your location before your lecture to make sure your pattern is still there!

Posted on

Teachers In Space Workshop / California 2009

Dear Educator,

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to be part of history and shape the future of education! Join us for the Teachers In Space luncheon and workshop / California 2009!

Teachers In Space . . . then back to class

The Space Frontier Foundation and Teachers In Space invite you to join us at NASA Ames Research Center as we make history! Fifty years after the Mercury Seven, on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, we are rebooting the American space program. This July 20th we will introduce the next generation of space explorers who will boldly go where no astronaut has gone before . . . back into the classroom!

Teachers In Space wants to put a thousand astronaut teachers into American classrooms within the next decade. Teachers In Space will provide these educator astronauts with professional development classes in STEM academics, followed by a sub-orbital flight. These Pathfinders will be the first astronaut teachers to fly in space and then return to the classroom to inspire the next generation.

Currently, Teachers In Space is working with educators across the country to design the ideal professional development component for this cutting edge program. Over 100 educators have participated in workshops conducted in Massachusetts, Texas and Arizona. Teacher-generated ideas compiled from these sessions will fuel this program for success in schools across America and we want the input of enthusiastic, experienced Californiateachers added to the tank.

If you appreciate the value of space education and have a passion to motivate and encourage students in pursuing STEM academics please join Teachers In Space on this incredible adventure. Help write a new chapter in American history!

Teachers In Space Workshop / California 2009

  • Monday, July 20, 2009
  • NewSpace 2009 Conference / http://newspace2009.spacefrontier.org
  • NASA Ames Research Center / Mountain View, California
  • 11:00 AM / Pathfinders Introduction Ceremony
  • 12:00 PM / luncheon / catered by Maverick’s Barbeque
  • 1:00 to 3:00 PM / workshop / participants will receive two recertification hours
  • Registration Fee of $45 / includes Pathfinders Intro, lunch and workshop

REGISTER ONLINE: http://newspace2009.spacefrontier.org/registration.php

  • Enter your information
  • Go to Meal Events
  • Select Teachers In Space Event and Lunch and submit
  • Registration deadline is July 17, 2009

If you are planning to attend or have any questions, please contact:

Colleen Howard
SIM Coordinator / Mesa Public Schools
Education Coordinator / Teachers In Space
choward@mpsaz.org