Space Shuttle

There is considerable hype about the 'end of an era' and an uncertain space future for the American Space program. Several pundits are painting their usual 'doom and gloom' scenario reporting upon the apparent 'end of the space program.'

It is time to get serious. Didn't NASA recently sign a contract with Space X where the latter will be supplying the former with heavy launch capabilities and a design to confortably lauch 6 astronauts into outer space?

If Space X doesn't step up to the plate, there are another nine American companies that I've read about who are also experimenting with heavy launch capabilities. Didn't Canada have the Silver Dart program a couple of years ago capable of launching three astronauts into orbit? And what about the European Space Agency and the Japanese Space Agency? India is launching a polar satillite in a few days. They shouldn't be ignored in their quest to conquer outer space.

We live in a very exciting time. We will see someone on Mars in nine years,not 2035 as some would have us believe, and we will see cities in space capable of housing a quarter of a million people in 50 years. Of course, some will say I am dreaming. I've been known to be a dreamer from time-to-time.

When I was 8 years old and played with what I called my Martian spacecraft (a small three-wheeled plastic toy) and read comic books like Tom Corbit Space Cadet and others about missions to Mars, I dreamt of a time when people would be orbiting our planet. I was a dreamer. Never in my wildest dreams had I ever envisioned the technological marvel that we call the International Space Station. The reality of the ISS went beyond my dreams.

So I say "Nay" to the 'doomers' and 'gloomers' of this world. Dare to dream for you ain't seen nothing yet!

Mega Quarry

I did an interview about Melissa Battler, Planetary Geologist and currently working on her Ph.D. at UWO, June, 2007. I respect Melissa's opinion and when I saw her posting on Facebook about a week ago, I wondered about how I could get the word out.

Melissa said: "I recently learned about the proposed "Mega Quarry" in Melancthon, Ontario. I am concerned, because this potential massive open pit mine would be the largest open pit mine in Canada, and is scheduled to be blasted only ~120 km away from Toronto, not far from Orangeville/Shelburne area. If it is built, it will destroy prime agricultural land, and may have devastating effects on the ground water supplies to most of southern Ontario.

My very major concern is that they plan to blast 200 feet below the water table, into the aquifer that supplies the headwaters of many southern Ontario rivers, possibly including the Grand River. This will certainly have very adverse environmental effects on the immediate area around the mine, and on the drinking water of many parts of southern Ontario, and perhaps even on all ecosystems of all the rivers flowing south from that area, as contaminants from the mine will flow directly into our rivers."

See (http://www.ndact.com/NDACT/Water_Issues.html  for more information.

Replies are welcome.

Astronomy Websites Part 2

I came across this excellent website from the Canada Science and Technology Museum, entitled School Zone. It contains Virtual Programs on Astronomy (created for the International Year of Astronomy, 2009) and Classroom Resource for Teachers. It is loaded with information. There are five modules that can be downloaded free of charge by educators. Each module can be downloaded separately or all together as the website explains. Each module has links to specific astronomy websites that expand upon each module’s content. It is a great resource to assist educators from Kindergarten to Grade 12. It is not only science based — it is also cross-curricular.

http://www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/english/schoolzone/virtual_astronomy.cfm

The Canadian Space Resource Centre located at Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute just South of the Ontario Science Centre has one of the largest collections of space information, activities and resources for teachers and students.

Steve Lang is the Executive Director. Steve has spoken at STAO’s annual conference every year for as long as I can remember. His talks are never the same for Grades 6, 9 and 12 because new developments are happening so rapidly and Steve stays on top of them as he shares his expertise with educators at STAO and talks he gives in school classrooms.

http://www.spacenet.on.ca/

Astronomy Web Sites Part 1

Jeff Foust is the editor and publisher of The Space Review. Jeff offers his views and opinions on anything and everything relating to Space. The website states that it is "an online publication devoted to in-depth articles, commentary, and reviews regarding all aspects of space exploration: science, technology, policy, business, and more." His masthead exclaims that the site offers “essays and commentary about the final frontier.” Jeff also hosts and maintains the following websites:

 

http://www.spacetoday.net/

http://www.spacepolitics.com/

http://newspacejournal.com/

 

If you want to keep current with the latest developments from an American perspective, check out Jeff’s website (http://www.thespacereview.com/).and his three weblogs. There are dozens of articles on the home page of the main site, and a searchable archive accessible from the home page as well. It is an invaluable research and resource tool for any classroom learning about space and astronomy.

Balloon Hovercraft

I teach a science workshop with Scientists in School called, "Air and Flight." As part of my introduction, I demonstrate Newton's 3rd Law by pushing my Balloon Hovercraft across the students' desks, much to their delight.

Yesterday, I was at the Malvern Town Plaza in Scarborough teaching children who passed by my table how to build balsawood gliders and hovercrafts.

Using the materials listed, make a hovercraft and try to make it travel as far as possible.

Materials:
1 old CD
1 wooden spool (or plastic..the type that once had thread on it)
1 12" party balloon
20 cm x 2 cm piece of duct tape
Thin card (if needed)

Construction:
1. Tear the duct tape into 4 pieces about the same length.
2. Take 1 piece of tape and attach half of it lengthwise to the base of the spool.
3. Centre the spool over the hole of the CD and tape the spool to the CD.
4. Inflate the balloon to stretch it somewhat. Let the air out. Attach it over the wooden spool.

Testing:
1. Inflate the balloon by blowing through the hole at the base of the CD.
2. Gently push the hovercraft along a smooth surface.

How far did it go in cm (m)?

Extension:
1. How can you make the balloon cover a greater distance? (Possible Answers: Use larger balloons, use smoother surfaces, cut a straw the length of the spool and put it inside to make the hole narrower and possibly increase the thrust).
2. How can you prevent the balloon from dragging behind once its air is expended? (Possible Answer: Place a thin card around the neck of the balloon to prevent it from dragging).

Osmotic Power

Alternate forms of energy have been a hot topic for the past four decades. There is a new kid on the block: Osmotic Power. Osmotic power works by putting sea water next to fresh water separated by a membrane thin enough to allow small fresh-water molecules through but not the larger sea-water molecules laden with salt. If a concentrated solution is in close proximity to a less concentrated solution the liquids will naturally mingle to reach the same level of dilution. The pressure of the fresh water driving through the membrane to dilute the sea water drives a turbine that generates electricity.

A Norwegian renewable energy company, Statkraft, has built a prototype osmotic power plant. It is located on the Oslo fiord. At first it will produce about 4 kw of power, enough to heat an electric kettle. By 2015 the target is 25 Mw.

As I read an article about osmotic power by Mark Gregory of the BBC (Nov. 24/09), Mr. Gregory states that to produce this kind of power would simply require a coastal location. See http://www.google.ca/search?q=Osmotic+power&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-US&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=YKa4TYbhPIShtweh2dneBA&ved=0CD4QsAQ&biw=762&bih=376 for pictures explaining this kind of power.

In a related article by Kate Galbraith of the New York Times (Nov. 24, 2009), she contends that the theory for this kind of power has been around since the 1970s. She goes on to say that studies for this type of power are currently underway at the University of Kentucky, Virginia Tech and the University of Texas. I researched the science departments of all three of these institutions and found no evidence of studies being done there.

Is osmotic power the new energy alternative for the future, or is it just a hoax?

Great Achievement

The National Geographic Society was founded in January 1888 in Washington, D.C. Among its charter members were Alexander Graham Bell and Bell's father-in-law, lawyer Gardiner Greene Hubbard. Gardiner Hubbard, a lawyer, financier, and philanthropist became the first president of the National Geographic Society. Mabel Hubbard, his daughter, became the wife of Alexander Graham Bell. Mabel had become deaf at the age of four as a result of having scarlet fever. Bell’s father taught deaf people how

to speak. He invented "Visible Speech". This was a code which showed how the tongue, lips, and throat were positioned to make speech sounds. Mabel’s father founded a school for the deaf and promoted the experiments of his son-in-law, Alexander Graham. Bell also spent most of his life devoted to helping the deaf.

When Bell invented the telephone he gave Mabel a 30% share in his new company. Mr. Hubbard was appointed as the first president of Bell Telephone and was also elected as National Geographic’s first president. Mr. Hubbard also promoted Bell’s experiments and helped to finance them.

The Aerial Experiment Association (AEA) was a Canadian aeronautical research group (with the exception of Dr. Bell; he was born in Scotland). The other members of the group were John Alexander Douglas McCurdy (a Canadian aviation pioneer and later became Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia from 1947 to 1952); Frederick Walker Baldwin also known as Casey Baldwin (an engineer and a hydrofoil and aviation pioneer who was also the first Canadian to pilot an aircraft, which he did in the USA); Glenn Hammond Curtiss, an American aviation pioneer and founder of the Curtiss Aerop

lane and Motor Company (now part of Curtiss-Wright Corporation); and Thomas Etholen Selfridge, a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. The group was formed on 30 September 1907, under the tutelage of Dr. Bell. The purpose of the group was to build a flying machine.

John McCurdy flew the Silver Dart at Baddeck Nova Scotia on February 23, 1909. Dr. Bell’s work was great achievement indeed.

For more information, see:
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/National-Geographic-Society-Company-History.html
(http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~dav4is/people/HUBB316.htm
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/birth/nfor5at.html.