Tag: nasa’

Astronauts Rock(et)

 - by KitchenPantryScientist

We waved and screamed as the Astrovan (carrying the astronaut crew to the shuttle Endeavour) drove past our NASA Tweetup group yesterday.  Moments later, our hearts fell when we witnessed the first-ever Astrovan turn-around as the launch was “scrubbed”, or delayed, and the astronauts headed back to quarantine to wait for the next launch attempt. Putting on brave smiles, we trudged back to our tent.  Everyone was sad, but one thing we learned at the tweetup is that NASA always puts safety first, and for good reason.

@Astro_Flow (Leland Melvin) being interviewed by Levar Burton

Astronaut Ricky Arnold

Astronauts.  Absolutely nothing comes before astronaut safety.  Not a presidential visit, not millions of viewers, not politics…nothing.  So, when an Auxiliary Power Unit heater didn’t seem to be working correctly, they delayed the launch. I was astonished at the overwhelming pride and sense of responsiblity that the NASA employees who spoke to us expressed for each mission and every human life that we send into space.

The astronauts who spoke to our group were amazing, accomplished individuals with a unified message: be curious, work hard in school, and follow your dreams.  Any kid who wants to be an astronaut has that potential. And parents…it’s our job to fan that creative, imaginative, curious spark in our kids, whether it’s by letting them bang on some pans (Astronaut Leland Melvin) to learn about sound, or simply to encourage them to do something that might seem out of reach. (NASA Astronaut Ricky Arnold is a teacher, not a military man.)

You’ll be hearing more about the astronauts soon, but I’m off to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor’s center for the afternoon for a final day of space immersion before I head home.  Next week, I’ll post video of the astrovan turning around and write a lot more about what I learned.  I’m even bringing home a sample of “aerogel” from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California!

Endeavour’s Name

 - by KitchenPantryScientist

I was thrilled to get my first question from a student named Ian yesterday! He asked how the space shuttle Endeavour got her name.

When NASA invited students to name the new shuttle they were building, over 70,000 kids replied to the challenge. You can read more about the contest on NASA’s website, but here’s why Endeavour was the winning name:

Endeavour was the most popular entry, accounting for almost one-third of the state-level winners. The Endeavour was a ship belonging to the British Royal Navy. In their entries, students focused on the vessel’s first voyage under the command of seaman and scientist James Cook in 1769-71. Cook steered Endeavour to Tahiti in the South Pacific to observe and record the rare event of the transit of Venus, a celestial event that allows observers on Earth to see Venus passing across the face of the sun.

Students drew parallels between astronomy on Cook’s Endeavour and on the space shuttle; the payloads of medicine, science and commerce that were on both the ship and shuttles; and the make-up of the crews, both of which included scientists.www.nasa.gov

A great name, don’t you agree?