From Tim.Bailey at SpaceGeneration.org Mon Jul 2 09:57:44 2007 From: Tim.Bailey at SpaceGeneration.org (Tim Bailey) Date: Mon Jul 2 10:07:11 2007 Subject: [Seds-announce] Current and Future Teachers in the US: apply to get weightless! In-Reply-To: <1ab95c930707020956t7fd62797ufb1a40d410bd2425@mail.gmail.com> References: <1ab95c930707020956t7fd62797ufb1a40d410bd2425@mail.gmail.com> Message-ID: <1ab95c930707020957uc687038m6f76efa722e9628@mail.gmail.com> *Northrop Grumman Seeks Teacher Applications for Weightless Flights Program* (Source: Northrop Grumman) Northrop Grumman continues to accept applications from math and science teachers at accredited middle schools in the United States, **as well as college students studying to become teachers**, for its foundation-sponsored Weightless Flights of Discovery program. The program includes zero-gravity aircraft flights and hands-on workshops in eight locations around the United States: Baltimore; Bethpage, N.Y.; Colorado Springs; Dallas; Los Angeles; New Orleans; and Washington DC. Flights currently are planned for late summer and autumn this year. To obtain an application visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/community/weightless.html -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/pipermail/seds-announce/attachments/20070702/48bb4987/attachment.html From Kobrick at Colorado.edu Mon Jul 2 19:51:14 2007 From: Kobrick at Colorado.edu (Ryan L.Kobrick) Date: Mon Jul 2 20:15:46 2007 Subject: [Seds-announce] Mars Society Newsletter: Historic 4-Month Arctic Mars Mission Reaches Midpoint; Crew to Switch to Mars Time Message-ID: SEDS - Greetings from the Arctic! Check out the press release below for details of our ongoing simulated Mars mission. Space! Ryan -- ? Historic 4-Month Arctic Mars Mission Reaches Midpoint; Crew to Switch to Mars Time The Mars Society's four-month Mars exploration Arctic simulation mission, the first of its kind, reached its halfway point today, and will now begin a unique experiment by shifting its operational cycle to Mars time. The long-duration simulated Mars mission on Devon Island in the high Canadian Arctic has been operating successfully for two months. The seven-person crew of the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) has conducted a comprehensive program of geological and microbiological field exploration in the island's Mars-like polar desert, 900 miles from the North Pole, all while operating under many of the same constraints that human explorers would face on Mars. By doing so, they are learning from direct experience many lessons that will be of critical value when human explorers actually set foot on the red planet. At this writing, the crew has completed two months of mission simulation on the island, doubling the one-month duration record set by previous crews. The plan is for the crew to continue for two more months, quadrupling the previous record for an active Mars mission simulation. As Mars Society President Dr. Robert Zubrin explained, "This is an utterly unique experiment that goes far beyond anything that anyone has ever done before. In contrast to the isolation studies done by the Russian Space Agency, for example, our crews are not sitting in a room in the middle of a major city playing chess for weeks on end. Rather, they are being tasked to undertake a tough program of actual field exploration, doing real science under risky conditions hundreds of miles from the nearest human settlement in one of the most hostile environments on Earth. It is by taking on challenges like this that people are going to learn how to explore on Mars." Halfway into the mission, the crew is coping well, and making excellent progress on a range of field research. In particular, they are gathering data on microbial life in soil, snow and lakes, characterizing the changes as the Arctic season shifts from spring into summer. They are also comparing geological features seen on Mars, such as polygonal patterns and "weeping cliffs," with similar features found on Devon Island, in order to better understand conditions on the red planet. Chris McKay, of NASA Ames, the remote science principal investigator for this expedition, said, "This expedition is doing an in-depth study of the transition of permafrost ground from winter cold to summer warmth. This data will be relevant for Mars but also to understanding the response of the Arctic to global warming on Earth. There is a lot to learn up there in the land of the midnight sun." While sample collection is ongoing, the focus has shifted to analysis of the baseline data and lab analysis of the samples. According to crew biologist Kathryn Bywaters, "The fieldwork has been hard but very gratifying, and working in the Arctic, with its obvious parallels to what it would be like to work on Mars, has been inspiring." This expedition is unique in that the crewmembers have been able to maintain a rigorous simulation for an unprecedented period of time. The human factors data being collected is therefore invaluable. There are five human factors experiments currently underway, including comprehensive sleep and exercise studies. Starting today, the crew will begin a unique experiment and advance the intensity of the simulation a dramatic step further by switching onto "Mars time." The crew will live according to the Martian day (or "sol"), which is 39 minutes longer than the 24 hour Earth day. This will cause the crew to drift out of synch with the rest of Earth, gradually returning to Earth time after 36 days. Because the FMARS station is at 75 degrees north, it has no night and very little light variation in the month of July, so the day-night operational cycle can be rescheduled to correspond to that on Mars. This will be the first time that a group, in realistic space exploration conditions, has lived and worked according to the longer Martian day, and researchers want to know how well crewmembers adapt, and if there are any negative effects. Recognizing and compensating for any such effects will be essential for future expeditions to Mars. To simulate the longer Martian daily cycle, the crew will move its own clock backward 39 minutes per day, black out the hab windows between their clock's 6 PM and 6 AM to simulate night, and schedule meals, sleep cycles, and outdoor work accordingly. The issues to be investigated include not merely determining if there are any physiological effects from switching to a Martian daily cycle for long durations, but also examining the operational effect of using different, and constantly shifting, clocks on the telescience collaboration between the crew (on Mars time) and the Science Advisory Group, Engineering Team, and Mission Support Teams (which will all remain on Earth time) supporting the mission. Such an experiment is unprecedented. The FMARS crew is a seven person joint Canadian-American team. It is commanded by Melissa Battler, a Canadian geologist, with Matt Bamsey, a Canadian engineer, as Executive Officer. The crew also includes Americans James Harris (chief engineer), Kathryn Bywaters (biologist), Canadian geologist Simon Auclair, and American-Canadian dual citizens Ryan Kobrick (engineer) and Kim Binsted (chief scientist). In conducting their field exploration, the crew is supported by a Science Advisory Group (SAG), an Engineering team, and a Mission Support team. The SAG includes exobiologists Chris McKay, Penelope Boston, Shannon Rupert, geologist Gordon Osinski, and human factors scientist Judith Lapierre. The Engineering Team is led by Paul Graham and Emily Colvin, and the Mission Support Team is led by Tony Muscatello, Robert Zubrin, and Julie Edwards. Daily reports and photos sent back by the crew are posted on the Mars Society's Arctic mission website . A complete report on the historic mission will be presented by the crew in person at the 10th International Mars Society Convention, which will be held August 30- Sept 2, 2007 at UCLA, Los Angeles. Registration for the convention is now open . For further information about the Mars Society, visit our website at www.marssociety.org . Your donations are welcome. This newsletter was sent because you subcribed at the Mars Society web site, or were subscribed as a Mars Society member, or had previously subscribed at the Yahoo Group. You can opt out or change your delivery format in your preferences (once you've logged in). If you have any difficulty unsubscribing, please contact webmaster@marssociety.org for assistance. This and other news can be found at The Mars Society Web site here . -------------- next part -------------- Skipped content of type multipart/related From mclinkor at MIT.EDU Sat Jul 7 17:59:13 2007 From: mclinkor at MIT.EDU (Ryan McLinko) Date: Sat Jul 7 18:00:25 2007 Subject: [Seds-announce] July NOVA Posted In-Reply-To: <460FBCCE.209@mit.edu> References: <45989D97.7070805@mit.edu> <460FBCCE.209@mit.edu> Message-ID: <469036E1.7050601@mit.edu> The July NOVA has been posted on http://seds.org/nova.php In this issue: -Suggested Space-related Reading from the Chair -US Astronaut Sunita Williams Sets Record -Letter to the Editor Regarding Space Exploration -Upcoming Conference Opportunities -- - Ryan McLinko SEDS-USA Vice Chair, Webmaster Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics Class of 2009 === EOF === From mclinkor at MIT.EDU Wed Jul 11 19:05:06 2007 From: mclinkor at MIT.EDU (Ryan McLinko) Date: Wed Jul 11 19:12:41 2007 Subject: [Seds-announce] SEDS-USA Awards Nominations Accepted Now Message-ID: <46958C52.5010407@mit.edu> A number of awards will be presented at the Awards Banquet at this coming Spacevision 2007 National Conference. Nominations are currently being accepted on http://seds.org/awards.php. The awards and a short description of each are presented below; happy nominating: ANNUAL AWARDS *SEDS Executive Member of the Year* /(1 award given)/ This executive board member made the most outstanding contributions to SEDS this year. This person made the most significantly impacted the organization as a whole and demonstrated excellent leadership ability, dedication, hard work, and persistence. *SEDS Local Executive Member of the Year* /(1)/ This local executive board member served his or her chapter in the best way possible. This member stood out from the rest in terms of accomplishment and achievement for his or her chapter. *SEDS Member of the Year* /(1)/ This member of SEDS was not necessarily on an executive board, but nonetheless has made an outstanding contribution to SEDS either locally or nationally. *SEDS Alumni of the Year* /(1)/ This SEDS alumni has mentored and advised SEDS in the most helpful and useful way. This alumni was in constant contact with SEDS members and has never ceased to offer suggestions and advice. *SEDS Chapter of the Year* /(1)/ This chapter was the highest achieving chapter and displayed the SEDS vision at every opportunity. This chapter worked on a variety of projects and made a great effort to interact with other members nationally. This chapter should serve as a model for other chapters. *SEDS High School Member of the Year* /(1)/ This high school member did the most in terms of developing the SEDS vision among his or her peers. This member made great contributions in developing SEDS for the high school age group. EXTERNAL AWARDS *Spectrum Award for Best Supporting Organization* /(1-3)/ This organization made the most influential contributions to SEDS this year. This is an organization that SEDS admires and appreciates for their continued support and effort. *Andromeda Award for Professor of the Year* /(1-2)/ This professor inspires students through his or her teaching, research and contributions to the space community. SEDS members have been inspired by this professor to continue their quest for knowledge both inside and outside the classroom. *Sirius Award for Most Inspiring Professional* /(1-3)/ This professional is held in the highest regard in terms of personal achievement and impact on the space community. SEDS members aspire to have the characteristics of this professional: enthusiasm, dedication, leadership, a refined skill set, and big dreams. *Draco Award for Most Influential Company* /(1-2)/ This company shares SEDS` vision for opening up space and making it accessible to everyone. This company is highly sought after by members for employment. INTERNAL/SPONSORED AWARDS *Todd B. Hawley Award for Student Leadership* /(1)/ *Award for Student Technical Project of the Year* /(1)/ *Award for Space Outreach* /(1)/ *Award for Greatest Influence on the Space Community* /(1)/ // -- - Ryan McLinko SEDS-USA Vice Chair, Webmaster Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics Class of 2009 === EOF === -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/pipermail/seds-announce/attachments/20070711/fcc87b40/attachment.html From mclinkor at MIT.EDU Wed Jul 11 19:09:46 2007 From: mclinkor at MIT.EDU (Ryan McLinko) Date: Wed Jul 11 19:12:42 2007 Subject: [Seds-announce] New email list: seds-members@seds.org Message-ID: <46958D6A.6020007@mit.edu> I will be starting a new email list exclusively for current SEDS students. The purpose of this list is to provide announcements for things such as internship/jobs opportunities and other things that would be of interest to members of SEDS. If you are currently a student in an active (dues paying) chapter and would like to be on this list, then please let me know and I will add you. This is an old list, but has been recently purged as we are using it for a different purpose now. -- - Ryan McLinko SEDS-USA Vice Chair, Webmaster Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics Class of 2009 === EOF === From kirk.kittell at gmail.com Wed Jul 25 17:06:32 2007 From: kirk.kittell at gmail.com (Kirk Kittell) Date: Wed Jul 25 17:06:40 2007 Subject: [Seds-announce] Fwd: [urgent] Launch Space Available for Piggy Back Satellite - Launch 1st Quarter 2008 Message-ID: <46A7E588.1050903@gmail.com> Hi all. I received this in the mail today from an ISU alumna, thought it might be useful to one of you. -Kirk -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [urgent] Launch Space Available for Piggy Back Satellite - Launch 1st Quarter 2008 Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2007 12:59:56 -0700 From: Susmita Mohanty I have information about the availability of a piggy back launch opportunity on a reliable international launcher. I am not allowed to divulge all of the information related to the launch in this group email, but here are some hints. Launch = 1st Quarter 2008 Auxiliary payload weight = 100-120 kg. Orbit = Sun synchronous I have marked this posting as URGENT, because we only have 7 to 8 months prior to launch. Usually one needs an advance notice of 12 to 15 months for auxiliary payloads. In this particular case, the launch provider is willing to make an exception and facilitate expedited processing by greatly accelerating the process. Any of you out there, who are looking to launch an auxiliary payload, or know anybody who might, please email me or call me ASAP. I am based in San Francisco. Phone: +1-415-254-5812 susmita.mohanty@moonfront.com Cheers, Susmita -- ________________________________ Kirk Kittell kirk.kittell@gmail.com Mobile: +1 703-475-9212