Friday January 17 & week of January 21, 2014

Friday-  1. Homework due.
article
http://www.ibtimes.com/nasa-discusses-gravity-dangers-space-life-aboard-iss-1412368
Click here to go on A COMET'S TALE-
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/SegwayEd/lessons/CometsTale/com.html
2. Stardust mission
http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html
Stardust was the first space mission dedicated to studying a comet and the first solid sample return mission in over 30 years. Stardust captured thousands of particles of comet dust during a daring close encounter with comet Wild 2. It also brought back samples of interstellar dust that may consist of ancient presolar grains that are older than our solar system. Analysis of these fascinating celestial specks will yield important insights into the nature and origin of comets, the evolution of our solar system, and possibly even the origin of life itself.  
Fact sheet:
http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/cool.html
3. DEEP IMPACT
On July 4, 2005, the Deep Impact spacecraft arrives at Comet Tempel 1 to impact it with a 370-kg (~820-lbs) mass. On impact, a crater is produced expected to range in size from that of a house to that of a football stadium, and two to fourteen stories deep. Ice and dust debris is ejected from the crater revealing fresh material beneath. Sunlight reflecting off the ejected material provides a dramatic brightening that fades slowly as the debris dissipates into space or falls back onto the comet. Images from cameras and a spectrometer are sent to Earth covering the approach, the impact and its aftermath. The effects of the collision with the comet will also be observable from certain locations on Earth and in some cases with smaller telescopes. The data is analyzed and combined with that of other NASA and international comet missions. Results from these missions will lead to a better understanding of both the solar system's formation and implications of comets colliding with Earth.
The Mission
The Deep Impact mission lasts six years from start to finish. Planning and design for the mission took place from November 1999 through May 2001. The mission team is proceeding with the building and testing of the two-part spacecraft. The larger "flyby" spacecraft carries a smaller "impactor" spacecraft to Tempel 1 and releases it into the comet's path for a planned collision.

http://deepimpact.umd.edu/results/index.html




Tuesday- A Comet's Tale.- finish!


Wednesday- Info for field trip- puzzle.
Spectroscopes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_KyYFYNvpI

Thursday-
1. Job application and descriptions.
2. Communication exercise.


Friday-
1. Review field trip rules and details.
2. Job applications due.
3.Go over assignment that is assigned while I'm on field trip.

Mission Patch.  Research online and create.
Mission patches were first seen at NASA in 1965. But early manned NASA missions lacked such patches and instead, the astronauts gave their spacecraft names. Alan Shepard's capsule for Mercury 3 was named Freedom 7. When Gus Grissom proposed to name his Gemini 3 capsule Molly Brown (which was a reference to The Unsinkable Molly Brown, referring in turn to Grissom's Mercury 4 capsule, which sank in the ocean shortly after splashdown, NASA officials abolished the practice of naming capsules.

Astronaut Gordon Cooper then proposed to develop a mission patch for his and Pete Conrad's Gemini 5 flight. The original design had the names of the 2 crew members, a covered wagon and the title "8 Days or Bust", which referred to the duration of the expected mission. NASA administrator Webb approved the design but wanted the slogan to be removed.  Since Gemini 5 patches have been created for all NASA manned missions and many unmanned missions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/04/05/nasa-mission-patches-pitches-slideshow-gallery_n_3019838.html

One of the key features of the mission patch is that members of the mission design it themselves. Rather than commissioning a graphic designer or artist, the crew works together on a patch that sums up their involvement with the mission. It usually features the name of the mission and the astronauts involved in the case of manned space flights. Decorations like rockets, representations of Earth from space, and flags are all common ornamental elements.

Usually a mission patch has bold colors and simple lines and visual elements to make it easy to see and read. Small details may be more visible on close inspection of the patch. The patch may reference the purpose of the mission, including elements like a beaker to represent scientific research. People may also make inside jokes on their mission patches, as long as the content of the joke is appropriate for public consumption. Iconic elements like bald eagles or other symbols of the United States are common on NASA patches.