What We Have.

Hello Troops,
Sometimes it is good to step back and see how nice we have it in this country. These photographs make an excellent example.

Here we have a very nice, modern bus in Japan. It may be a school bus. It may be for a special school or high school. What matters is what these students have compared to others.




And now, this picture from India. Really makes you appreciate what you have.



Mr. Williamson

New Galileo Test Mission. Also, A few bits of cool space news.

Hello Troops,
What a great Tuesday it is! We are hosting the Astronomy Class from Lone Peak High School at the moment. Bracken is flying the Voyager. Christine is flying the Odyssey. They are doing Intolerance. We are back into the swing of things. I'm happy to be running missions again. I like the routine.

We are getting close to opening the new Galileo. There are a few bugs that are still bothering us. They are being addressed one at a time. We have someone working on the ship every day until it is ready to fly.

I know some of you are frustrated. You've been waiting to book a mission on the new Galileo and I keep postponing the opening. Remember, we have a very limited budget and this new simulator cost a lot of money. I need to rely on volunteer labor and the work of our less experienced maintenance personnel to finish the ship. We can't afford professionals. It is just the way things work around here. I'll open the Galileo once I'm sure its crews will have a good experience. I'll let you know through this blog.

Here are a items of interest:

• Kyle would like to run a Galileo Test Mission on Thursday from 5:00 - 7:30 P.M. We need 6 people to sign up. We are still working out the bugs so their may be errors. If you're interested send an email. I'll take the first 6.
• This is a cool video showing our place in the universe. If you have 3 minutes please watch. It is cool. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U&feature=player_embedded

NASA NEWS: From Sheila Powell.

The Mar's Rover Spirit is Reaching its 6th Anniversary With an Uncertain Future 12.31.09.
On Jan. 3, NASA's Mars rover Spirit marks six years of unprecedented science exploration and inspiration for the American public. However, the upcoming Martian winter could end the roving career of the beloved, scrappy robot. Click the following to access the link:
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mer/news/mer20091231.html

Thanks Troops,
Mr. Williamson

New Year 2010 starts off Right with WISE

Artist rendering of WISE satellite

The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, Is beginning its observational studies after having popped off its lens cap on Dec. 29th. WISE will study thousands of objects in the infrared spectrum of light. It is expected to find many interesting objects beyond our solar system such as failed stars and distant small galaxies. What interest me more at this time is its ability to find "dark asteroids" which don't show up in normal telescopic surveys.

This will give us a greater opportunity to map additional orbital debris from the creation of our solar system, as well as potential Near Earth Orbit Asteroids that could pose an impact danger to Earth. The mission to map these dark objects is only expected to last about nine months. The camera is using a special coolant which will evaporate after that time, rendering the camera useless. WISE will take about 7500 images every day!

Mark Daymont
Space Center Flight Director / Educator
From his blog: Spacerubble.blogspot.com