NASA"s space shuttle program is coming to an end. At this time, only two more missions are scheduled, in November and Feburary. A reporter from the the Intelligencer talked with an expert from NASA to learn more about this important space program.
The shuttle and the space station
Even as men were flying to the moon in the 1960's and 70's, people were already planning the next stage of space exploration. Scientists belived building a station in space was the smart next step.
But if we were going to build a permanent station out in space, we had to have a way to get people and construction materials out there. We needed a vehicle that could fly into space and return safely to Earth again and again. We needed a shuttle.
Finishing the space station
During the last two shuttle missions, astronauts will complete the construction of the International Space Station, or ISS. The shuttles will bring as many spare parts to the ISS as possible.
There are several storage compartments on the outside of the ISS. Stored parts range from a gyroscope* to computer boxes.
*A gyroscope is an instrument used to help hold the station's position in space.
The storage areas are bolted to the ISS and protected from dangers such as cold. If the crew needs parts, they can do a space walk to the storage areas.
The shuttles share space station transportation duties with other countries, including Russia, Japan, Canada, and countries in the European Space Agency, or ESA.
After the shuttle program ends, ISS crews will depend on Russia's Soyuz spacecraft to transport astronauts and cosmonauts back and forth. Many countries in the partnership will help bring cargo to the ISS.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
DANGEROUS MISSIONS
Brave explorers
Going into space can be dangerous. There have been two tragic accidents in the shuttle program.
In 1986, the Challenger broke apart right after launch. It killed all seven people onboard, including the Teacher in Space, Sharon Christa McAuliffe.
In 2003, the Columbia was destroyed after re-entering Earth's atmosphere, just minutes from landing on Earth. All seven crew members were killed.
Astronauts know they could be in danger. But like other explorers, they think the gains are worth the risk.
Changing the mission
One of the first jobs of the shuttle was to carry satellites into space.
After the Challenger accident, NASA decided not to use the shuttle to launch satellites.
Private companies now launch satellites. Except for special satellites, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, that were designed to be launched by the shuttle, the shuttle was then used only for trips to the Russian Mir space station and the ISS.
The Hubble and the shuttle
One of the most important shuttle missions was to launch the Hubble Space Telescope. Shuttle crews also returned five times to service the Hubble and add new instruments.
Although the Hubble wasscheduled for launch in 1986, all shuttle missions were delayedafter the Challenger accident.
The space shuttle finally carried the Hubble into space in 1990.
Going into space can be dangerous. There have been two tragic accidents in the shuttle program.
In 1986, the Challenger broke apart right after launch. It killed all seven people onboard, including the Teacher in Space, Sharon Christa McAuliffe.
In 2003, the Columbia was destroyed after re-entering Earth's atmosphere, just minutes from landing on Earth. All seven crew members were killed.
Astronauts know they could be in danger. But like other explorers, they think the gains are worth the risk.
Changing the mission
One of the first jobs of the shuttle was to carry satellites into space.
After the Challenger accident, NASA decided not to use the shuttle to launch satellites.
Private companies now launch satellites. Except for special satellites, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, that were designed to be launched by the shuttle, the shuttle was then used only for trips to the Russian Mir space station and the ISS.
The Hubble and the shuttle
One of the most important shuttle missions was to launch the Hubble Space Telescope. Shuttle crews also returned five times to service the Hubble and add new instruments.
Although the Hubble wasscheduled for launch in 1986, all shuttle missions were delayedafter the Challenger accident.
The space shuttle finally carried the Hubble into space in 1990.
THE SHUTTLE AND BEYOND
Low Earth orbit
The space shuttle was designed to operate in low Earth orbit. Low Earth orbit ranges from right above the ground to about 1,000 miles above the Earth.
This is a region where vehicles carrying humans can operate. The space station, for example, orbits about 220 miles above the Earth. This is about the distance from Washington, D.C., to New York City.
In contrast, communications satellites orbit at about 22,000 miles above the Earth. The moon is about 239,000 miles above Earth.
The Hubble orbits about 320 miles above the Earth. The shuttle was not designed to fly much higher.
Some shuttle facts :
The future of human space flight is up in the air. Money is tight for space exploration. No one knows where in space humans might go next. NASA is developing a new capsule called Orion that could deliver astronauts to the space station.
Private companies are working to make space flight possible for private citizens.
No matter what programs are launched, space exploration will need all types of scientists and astronauts. The kids of today will be the explores of tomorrow, going on our next journeys into space.
The space shuttle was designed to operate in low Earth orbit. Low Earth orbit ranges from right above the ground to about 1,000 miles above the Earth.
This is a region where vehicles carrying humans can operate. The space station, for example, orbits about 220 miles above the Earth. This is about the distance from Washington, D.C., to New York City.
In contrast, communications satellites orbit at about 22,000 miles above the Earth. The moon is about 239,000 miles above Earth.
The Hubble orbits about 320 miles above the Earth. The shuttle was not designed to fly much higher.
Some shuttle facts :
- The space shuttle flies about 17,500 miles per hour. Because of the Earth's gravity, the shuttle is constantly falling toward Earth. But it is traveling so fast that it actually travels around the Earth instead.
- The shuttle's normal orbit ranges fromabout 190 miles to 330 miles above sea level.
- The first space shuttle was the Enterprise. It never flew above the Earth's atmosphere, but was used to test shuttle landings.
- The Enterprise was first named the Constitution, but after enthusiastic pleas from "Star Trek" fans, NASA changed the name.
- The Endeavour was the last shuttle to be built, in 1992. It was built to replace Challenger.
The future of human space flight is up in the air. Money is tight for space exploration. No one knows where in space humans might go next. NASA is developing a new capsule called Orion that could deliver astronauts to the space station.
Private companies are working to make space flight possible for private citizens.
No matter what programs are launched, space exploration will need all types of scientists and astronauts. The kids of today will be the explores of tomorrow, going on our next journeys into space.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
NOW YOU KNOW
- On Sept. 1,1985, a U.S. - French expedition located the wreckage of the Titanic on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean roughly 400 miles off Newfoundland.
- On Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War 2.
- On Sept. 3, 1609, English explorer Henry Hudson and his crew aboard the Half Moon entered present-day New York Harbor and began sailing up the river that now bears his name.
- On Sept. 5, 1972, Black September terrorists attacked the Israeli delegation at the Munich Olympic games; 11 Israelis, five guerrillas and a police officer were killed.
- On Sept. 7, 1940, Nazi Germany began its eight-month blitz of Britain during World War 2 with the first air attack on London.
- On Sept. 8, 1974, President Gerald R. Ford granted an unconditional pardon to former President Richard Nixon.
- On Sept. 9, 1776, the second Continental Congress made the term "United States" official, replacing "United Colonies".
- On Sept. 10, 1813, an American naval force commanded by Oliver H. Perry defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812.
- On Sept. 12, 1992, the space shuttle Endeavour blasted off, carring with it Mark Lee and Jan Davis, the first married couple in space; and Mamoru Mohri, the first Japanese citizen to fly on a U.S. spaceship.
- On Sept. 13, 1990, the combination police-courtroom drama "Law & Order" premiered on NBC.
- On Sept. 14, 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly actress Grace Kelly, died at age 52 of injuries from a car crash the day before.
- On Sept. 15,1959, Nikita Khrushchev became the first Soviet head of State to visit the United States as he arrived at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, where he was greeted by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
- On Sept.16, 1908, General Motors was founded in Flint, Mich., by William C. Durant.
- On Sept. 17, 1862, in the bloodiest battle day in U.S. history, Union forces fought Confederate invaders in the CivilWar Battle of Antietam in Maryland; more than 3,600men were killed.
- On Sept. 19, 1959, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, visiting Los Angeles, reacted angrily upon being told that, for security reasons, he wouldn't get to visit Disneyland.
- On Sept. 20, 1973, in their so-called "battle of the sexes", tennis star Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, at the Houston Astrodome.
- On Sept. 21, 1893, one of America's first horseless carriages was taken for a short test drive in Springfield, Mass., by Frank Duryea.
- On Sept. 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves in rebel states should be free as of Jan. 1, 1863.
- On Sept. 23, 1952, Richard M. Nixon salvaged his vice-presidential nomination by delivering the "Checkers" speech, in which he defended himself against allegations of improper campaign fundraising.
- On Sept. 24, 1869, thousands of businessmen were ruined in a Wall Street panic known as "Black Friday" after financiers Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the gold market.
- On Sept.26, 1960, the firsteverdebate between presidential nominees took place as Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard M. Nixon faced off before a national TV audience.
- On Sept. 27, 1939, Warsaw, Poland, surrendered after weeks of resistance to invading forces from Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union during World War 2.
- On Sept. 28, 1920, eight members of the Chicago White Sox were indicted for allegedly throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in what became known as the "Black Sox" scandal. (Despite initial confessions by several of the players, all were acquitted at trial; still, all eight were banned from baseball for life.)
- On Sept. 29, 1982, Extra-Strenght Tylenol capsules laced with cyanide claimed the first of seven victims in the Chicago area. To date, the case remains unsolved.
- On Sept. 30, 1777, the Continental Congress -- forced to flee in the face of advancing British forces -- movedto York, Pa.
SAYING GOODBYE TO SUMMER MEANS SAYING HELLO TO HOLIDAYS
September brings school lunch boxes and backpacks. September is quite a different month from August. This year, the heat spells from the summer have continued just to fool the thermometer which doesn't realize autumn is coming. Wenever thought we'd still be deciding whether to go to the pool, the beach or to just stay in an air-conditioned room.
Despite unusual weather, the kids are back in school and summer vacations are fading memories. For two months since the Fourth of July, holidays have taken a vacation but September restarts them with federal holidays, religious holidays and some sentimental holidays.
This past Monday was Labor Day, a federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. Next year, Labor Day comes a day earlier on Sept. 5th. In 2014 it will return on the first of September, something that hasn't happened since 2008.
We probably wouldn't have a Labor Day in this country if it weren't for an economic depression in the 1890's. George Pullman, the maker of railroad cars, reduced the wages of workers because of the bad economic times. A workers' strike resulted and President Grover Cleveland sent 12,000 troops to Chicago in 1894 to break the strike. Many of the Pullman workers were members of the American Railway Union. The strike was settled within a month and Labor Day was one of the outcomes. Pullman died and was buried in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. Pullman was so unpopular, he was buried at night in a reinforced casket to avoid plundering by angry workers.
Concerns over worker-rights had already been brewing and the first Labor Day parade was held in New York City in 1882. Ten years later, union workers took an unpaid day off and marched in protest around Union Square in New York City.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2009, 15.3 million were members of unions which equates to 12.3 percent of the entire workforce. Membership in unions has been on the decline from its high in the 1940's when 36 percent of American workers belonged to unions in 1945.
On Wedensday at sunset, Sept. 8, the Jewish New Year holiday Rosh Hashanah begins. Next year, it will come almost a month later, starting at sunset on Sept. 28. In contrast, in 2013 it begins in the evening of Sept. 4 and Labor Day is on Monday Sept. 2.
This coming Sunday, Sept. 12, is National Grandparents Day. It became a holiday in 1978 after President Jimmy Carter signed a proclamation making the day official each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. We wonder if the holiday will ever get the recognition enjoyed by Mother's Day and Father's Day?
In history, the United States had many important events in September. On Sept. 3, 1783, the signing of the Treaty of Paris by the United States and Great Britain ended the Revolutionary War. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay signed for the United States.
In 1789, President George Washington appointed Alexander Hamilton to be the first United States Secertary of the Treasury and Samuel Osgood to be the first Postmaster General under the United States Constitution. On Sept. 26th, under Washington, John Jay became the first United States Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
On Sept. 14, 1814, 36-year-old Francis Scott Key wrote a poem that was renamed The Star Spankled Banner. He had witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British. The fort had protected Baltimore during the War of 1812. His poem became the national anthem of this country in 1931.
On Sept. 8, 1921, Margaret Gorman of Washington,D.C., was crowned the first Miss America in Atlantic City. The Miss America Pageant was held each September from 1921 through 2004 in Atlantic City but was moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2006. In a terrible racist aspect of the pageant, no African-American woman was included in the event until 1970 when Cheryl Brown, Miss Iowa, became the first African-American to win a state title and enter the Miss American Pageant.
To add some melancholy to the end of summer, "September Song" was written in 1938. The thought-provoking somewhat sad song became a hit and was recorded by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Jimmy Durante and Ella Fitzgerald. In these modern times, video music has becomes famous with the MTV Awards, a yearly event since 1984. This Sunday, Sept. 12, the MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast from Los Angeles. Ranging from that the young to the old, pop-culture shares Sunday with Grandparents Day.
Despite unusual weather, the kids are back in school and summer vacations are fading memories. For two months since the Fourth of July, holidays have taken a vacation but September restarts them with federal holidays, religious holidays and some sentimental holidays.
This past Monday was Labor Day, a federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. Next year, Labor Day comes a day earlier on Sept. 5th. In 2014 it will return on the first of September, something that hasn't happened since 2008.
We probably wouldn't have a Labor Day in this country if it weren't for an economic depression in the 1890's. George Pullman, the maker of railroad cars, reduced the wages of workers because of the bad economic times. A workers' strike resulted and President Grover Cleveland sent 12,000 troops to Chicago in 1894 to break the strike. Many of the Pullman workers were members of the American Railway Union. The strike was settled within a month and Labor Day was one of the outcomes. Pullman died and was buried in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. Pullman was so unpopular, he was buried at night in a reinforced casket to avoid plundering by angry workers.
Concerns over worker-rights had already been brewing and the first Labor Day parade was held in New York City in 1882. Ten years later, union workers took an unpaid day off and marched in protest around Union Square in New York City.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2009, 15.3 million were members of unions which equates to 12.3 percent of the entire workforce. Membership in unions has been on the decline from its high in the 1940's when 36 percent of American workers belonged to unions in 1945.
On Wedensday at sunset, Sept. 8, the Jewish New Year holiday Rosh Hashanah begins. Next year, it will come almost a month later, starting at sunset on Sept. 28. In contrast, in 2013 it begins in the evening of Sept. 4 and Labor Day is on Monday Sept. 2.
This coming Sunday, Sept. 12, is National Grandparents Day. It became a holiday in 1978 after President Jimmy Carter signed a proclamation making the day official each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. We wonder if the holiday will ever get the recognition enjoyed by Mother's Day and Father's Day?
In history, the United States had many important events in September. On Sept. 3, 1783, the signing of the Treaty of Paris by the United States and Great Britain ended the Revolutionary War. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay signed for the United States.
In 1789, President George Washington appointed Alexander Hamilton to be the first United States Secertary of the Treasury and Samuel Osgood to be the first Postmaster General under the United States Constitution. On Sept. 26th, under Washington, John Jay became the first United States Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
On Sept. 14, 1814, 36-year-old Francis Scott Key wrote a poem that was renamed The Star Spankled Banner. He had witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British. The fort had protected Baltimore during the War of 1812. His poem became the national anthem of this country in 1931.
On Sept. 8, 1921, Margaret Gorman of Washington,D.C., was crowned the first Miss America in Atlantic City. The Miss America Pageant was held each September from 1921 through 2004 in Atlantic City but was moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2006. In a terrible racist aspect of the pageant, no African-American woman was included in the event until 1970 when Cheryl Brown, Miss Iowa, became the first African-American to win a state title and enter the Miss American Pageant.
To add some melancholy to the end of summer, "September Song" was written in 1938. The thought-provoking somewhat sad song became a hit and was recorded by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Jimmy Durante and Ella Fitzgerald. In these modern times, video music has becomes famous with the MTV Awards, a yearly event since 1984. This Sunday, Sept. 12, the MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast from Los Angeles. Ranging from that the young to the old, pop-culture shares Sunday with Grandparents Day.
DE-GERM YOUR SPONGE ?
Even if you wash your kitchen sponge regularly, it's still filled with bacteria. And, when you use that sponge, those germs are spread all over your dishes, your floor, wherever you use the sponge.
The best way to kill those pesky germs, for good, is to microwave your sponge for 30 - 60 seconds. Just rinse the sponge, wring it out and ZAP!% You've got a germ-free sponge. Whew!
The best way to kill those pesky germs, for good, is to microwave your sponge for 30 - 60 seconds. Just rinse the sponge, wring it out and ZAP!% You've got a germ-free sponge. Whew!
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