Science Buddies Blog

Countdown to LCROSS Impact

September 28, 2009 11:21 AM

10 Days and Counting! The countdown is on! LCROSS' projected lunar impact will occur on October 9, 2009 at 11:30 UT (7:30 a.m. EDT, 4:30 a.m. PDT), +/- 30 minutes. If you've been tracking the LCROSS Mission, you know that the craft entered its third and final orbit of the Earth several weeks ago. Despite an unexpected fuel consumption problem in August that resulted in round-the-clock monitoring by the LCROSS Earth-based team, LCROSS has remained on track and… Read more

Near-Space Photos on Shoestring Budget

September 25, 2009 10:58 AM

"Earth" as photographed by Project Icarus' weather-balloon-toted camera at 93000 feet. (Photo used with permission. http://space.1337arts.com/) A recent CNN story highlights the spirit of ingenuity and determination that pushes the envelope of science and, in this case, the financial realities of space photography. Oliver Yeh, an MIT student, has a reputation among friends for being a "free thinker," but as Project Icarus proved, he's also got the science to put… Read more

From Science Teacher to Astronaut

September 21, 2009 9:25 AM

Last spring, Science Buddies announced in a teacher newsletter that applications were being accepted for Northrop Grumman Foundation's Weightless Flights of Discovery Program. Last week, the 30 teachers selected for the "zero-gravity" flight, a flight that normally runs around 5K per person, were announced. We were excited to see Erin Moore among the teachers listed. Erin, an eighth grade teacher at Lincoln Avenue School in Illinois, says she applied after hearing about the program from… Read more

Our First Science Fair

September 16, 2009 9:29 AM

Hi everyone my name is Brian Hayes. I am going to be a guest teacher blogger here at Science Buddies sharing my experiences as I attempt to start up and run a science fair at my school this fall. Here is a little about me so you know who you're dealing with: I teach at a charter school in the Rodgers Park neighborhood of Chicago. It is a school of about 550 and serves kids in grades 6-12. I teach AP Biology for mostly seniors and Earth and Space Science for freshmen. The Earth and… Read more

Cleaner Coasts

September 15, 2009 12:46 PM

The 25th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day is this Saturday, September 19, 2009. Part of the California Coastal Commission's Adopt-a-Beach initiative, California Coastal Cleanup Day encourages volunteers of all ages to head to the beach to help protect the marine environment. Last year, more than 70,000 people joined together on Coastal Cleanup Day to gather more than 1,600,000 pounds of trash and recyclable materials strewn along beaches and waterways throughout California. Group efforts… Read more

Courtney "Shakes" Things Up on TV

September 14, 2009 8:37 AM

Courtney was live as resident "Science Mom" on ABC's "View from the Bay" last week. Tune in as she talks about science literacy, the basics of earthquakes, tectonic plates, P-waves, and the importance of putting real-world science into concrete and hands-on form in front of (and with) your students and kids. Her on-air demonstration of the "shake table" created as part of the Set Your Table for a Sweet and Sticky Earthquake Shake science fair project idea (Science Buddies' difficulty level:… Read more

The Pull of Ancient Egypt

September 8, 2009 12:17 PM

Photo of Tuthankamen's burial mask. Source: Wikipedia Commons Without a doubt, King Tut, the boy who became a Pharaoh at age nine, is one of the most familiar icons of Ancient Egypt. From a young age, students are regaled with stories of mummies and Egyptian pyramids from Ten Little Mummies to Skippyjon Jones to The Magic Treehouse to Disney's animated… Read more

The Golden State Star Party

September 2, 2009 10:09 AM

Photo: Kenneth Hess, 2009. Specs: Nikon D2x, 10.5mm f/2.8 fisheye lens, 60 second unguided exposure at ISO 1600. I recently spent a new moon weekend with 350 amateur astronomers camped in a field near Adin, California, one of the darkest spots in the continental United States. Light pollution from outdoor lighting spoils the view from urban areas, and most of us are lucky to see anything but the brightest stars from where we live. I was expecting something special from this… Read more

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