The Changing of the Season and Will We Get Hit?

Hello Troops,
We've just sped into the first day of Autumn on our blue spacecraft called Earth.  NASA has a video showing the changing of the seasons from space.  The video is labeled from the Northern Hemisphere's perspective.  You'll notice the reduced amount of sunlight during Winter and vice verse in the Summer.   

http://www.space.com/13068-seasons-change-space.html

It's 11:56 P.M. on Friday.  Once again you find me at the Space Center for an Overnight Camp. This evening's group is fantastic.  Groups like this make 21 years of running Overnight Camps bearable.

To be honest, I'm a bit weary about going to bed with that satellite circling overhead looking for a place to crash land.  I'm considering sleeping under my desk (just for added protection).  I know the odds of the Space Center getting hit by the falling debris are astronomical, but only you regular readers of The Troubadour know how Fortuna, the Mischievous Goddess of Fortune, likes to toy with us.  I can see her up there riding that satellite like a cowgirl on a disagreeable bull.  With a few correctly placed jabs she could maneuver that satellite into perfect position to put Pleasant Grove on the map. 

The age of the school works in my favor.  This part of the school was built in 1956.  It is designated a Fallout Shelter, able to provide protection in the unlikely event the United States and some other nation decided to toss a few of those nuclear forget me nots at each other.  I'm thinking, if the school can weather a nuclear blast reasonably well, then why wouldn't it hold up during a space debris party?

I think I'll be fine.  And on that note, its off to bed.

Mr. W. 

UARS Satellite Coming Down!

HEADS DOWN!

It's Duck-and-Cover time, folks, as a big piece of space junk is headed our way and just may hit someone! Sure, the chances of it hitting YOU in particular are about 1 in a trillion, but hey, you're on the planet, aintcha?

UARS in orbit.

NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) is expected now to re-enter the atmosphere sometime late Friday the 23rd or early Saturday the 24th. As the trajectory becomes more clear, it seems that we Americans may be in it's probable fall zone. That zone could be an estimated 500 miles long.

UARS has had a good life, performing its research since 1991 in orbit of the Earth. It's a big boy, though, about 6.5 tons and the size of a school bus (why are things always related to the size of a bus or Rhode Island?) and it won't all burn up during re-entry. Scientists have estimated that about 26 pieces will survive to land on the ground. The fall through the atmosphere will cool the pieces so it shouldn't be hot when it lands. However, there are some coolants and reactants that could be harmful to human flesh so if you should find a piece, don't touch it(!) but rather notify local police and take lots of awesome pictures.

Mr. Daymont
Space Center Educator

A Diet Dew did the Trick.

Hello Troops,
I fired everyone including myself yesterday. Afterwords, I went to Harts, bought a Bill Chill, 32 ounces of Diet Dew with one squirt of cherry for extra flavoring, returned to the Center and rehired everyone - including myself. The Dew, did the trick and made things better.

I remember a verse from a Primary song, "If I had a wish then it would be.....". It goes on wishing the listener a Happy Birthday. IF I had a wish then it would be..... schools that give me accurate student counts!

An example, we had a school arrive with two classes of 27 and 28. They sent an email saying their classes were both 26. We use the Voyager and Odyssey for classes of 26. We open the Phoenix if for classes over 26. We had to scramble to get the Phoenix up and running and staffed for two missions. Of course, the school arrived late making thing more difficult.

So, if you're a teacher coming to visit the Space Center, I urge you to give us accurate student counts before you arrive so we can be prepared. We want to deliver the best possible field trip. That's only possible with accurate numbers and students well briefed on their missions before they arrive.

Thanks teachers in advance for helping!

How about a few Wonders of the Imagination from our favorite place, the Imaginarium....

Just in case you needed to

My favorite of the day

Again, we take care of our Dr. Who / Space Center fans.

Have a great day troops.

Mr. W.