I’ve just had the pleasure of reviewing National Geographic’s latest on the Kids list, 13 Planets by David A. Aguilar.

Image shamelessly lifted from National Geographic Kids website

Stuffed full of amazing, photo-realistic artwork, images, and up-to-the-minute facts, this book presents our solar system in an interesting, engaging manner that manages to completely escape patronization.  Including a look at the Sun, comets, and how the solar system formed (among other related topics), 13 Planets is a brilliantly balanced work.  Included in each planet’s information is the mythology behind its namesake, and there’s even a bit on fun astronomy-related activities you can enjoy with your children (without having to take out a loan or risk blowing up the house).

David Aguilar is the author of three other children’s astronomy books, including Superstars and Planets, Stars, and Galaxies.  His artwork has been featured on The History Channel and CNN along with magazines such as Time, USA Today, and our beloved National Geographic.

I have to admit, I have never been more impressed with a children’s book.

National Geographic is one of the world’s largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions.  Inspiring us since 1888, NatGeo is a leader in exploration, conservation, and discovery.

National Geographic Kids – great site for the kids.

This is so cool!  If you’re on NASA’s mailing list, you’ve already seen this:

From NASA's website - available from NASA as a wallpaper

Jupiter Spacecraft Nearing Completion

NASA’s fully assembled Juno spacecraft is currently undergoing testing at Lockheed Martin Space Systems near Denver. Technicians are inspecting some of the spacecraft’s components. All three solar array wings can be seen installed and stowed, and the spacecraft’s large high-gain antenna in place on top. Juno is scheduled to ship from Lockheed Martin’s facility to Kennedy Space Center in April, where it will undergo final preparations for launch in August 2011. The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter’s poles to find out more about the gas giant’s origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.

Here’s a link to NASA’s Juno information.  I’d highly recommend spending some time at the website.

UPDATE: Deorbit burn has been completed on time.  Discovery is on her way home.

Discovery is home safely and this puts an end to an amazing spacecraft. WELCOME HOME!

It is a pity the mission was marred by the comments from a high political figure but I guess we should be used to that by now.

Click here to view the embedded video.

STS-133 Landing (Discovery)

Current Status (1st opportunity): Orbit 202 11:57 EST @ KSC with a deorbit burn at about 10:52

Next Attempt if necessary: Orbit 203 (~Orbit 202 + 90 mins)

Landing on Runway 15 Note: winds are an issue but are within limits at this time.

View the ground tracks.

NASA TV Stills reload page to refresh image Webcam Image courtesy: NASA/Kennedy Space Center

NOAA’s Forecast:

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Windy, with a southeast wind between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

To keep current with the news about the landing, I recommend you go to NASA-TV.  The Landing Blog will be live at about 8:30 am EST.

Image Credits: NASA / NOAA

ISS and Shuttle paired up in the night sky. Click for larger. Image by Dr. Marco Langbroek Location: Leiden, Netherlands SatTrackCam Leiden station (b)log

Ok folks this is your last chance to see the ISS and Discovery fly through the night sky.

Discovery is scheduled to land tomorrow ending a magnificent run for science.  NASA  doesn’t even have to double-count the accomplishments to pretend they did a great stroke of business, because Discovery’s accomplishments are indeed real and outstanding.

I hope to have clear skies and hope you do as well to be able to see the pair pass over head, quite a sight.

To find out when a pass will occur at your location you have a few options (don’t forget to enter your location as necessary!):

Heavens Above

Spaceweather.com

NASA

Want to see more pictures from SatTrackCam Leiden station (b)log?  Click here.

When we think of space exploration, many of us think about interstellar travel.  That’s travel from one star to another.  The logical choice for a first try would be to send a manned probe to the Alpha Centauri system, or to Proxima Centauri, since these are the closest stars to ours.  After all, Proxima Centauri is only 4.24 light years from the sun, and when you’re used to dealing with distances in the millions of light years, 4.24 sounds doable.  It sounds easy.

NOAA image, Alpha Centauri

Let’s stop a minute and think about that.  We’re currently at the stage of sending unmanned probes into space for interplanetary exploration, and if we were to continue with it, we might be ready to send a manned probe to Mars in a few years.  We know that we are approaching the level where that will be possible, so why not interstellar travel?

First off, because of the distance to be covered, a manned interstellar craft would have to be generational.  That means that YOU won’t make it to the next star, but your descendants (born on the trip) might get there.  We’re no where near capable of traveling at, or close to, the speed of light.  Just the fuel needed to make the trip is unbelievable.  In fact, at our current technology (even projecting a bit into the future), it would take 100 times the energy output of the entire planet to fuel a voyage to Proxima Centauri.  We just don’t have the resources available on this planet.  But let’s pretend we’ve discovered a great, new source of energy which allows us to make the trip, plus maintain life on the ship, plus lets us slow down as we reach our target.  Are we getting there?

No.  Look at Voyager I for a minute; it’s currently traveling the fastest of any space craft out there, and it wouldn’t even reach Proxima Centauri for another 72,000 years.  Granted, we could do better than Voyager now, with our current technology; but not so you would really notice a difference.  If we could build a generational ship capable of making the trip (and manage to solve the other myriad physical, social, and psychological problems), think of how many generations it would take to make the trip.  With that much time in space, and the unfortunately restricted gene pool, would we even recognize what would eventually crawl off that ship?  Let’s face it; that would cause some definite speciation… and speciation is the process by which new species are formed.  You can’t argue with that; it’s just the way it works.

Many scientists now believe that we will be forever restricted to our own solar system.  That interstellar travel will be forever beyond our reach.  Somehow, I don’t think so.  The entire history of our species has been spent beating our heads aggressively against brick walls.  I think we’ll get there some day.  Our species never has known when to quit.  If we stopped picking at a problem just because it was “impossible”, we’d still be floating around in the primordial ooze.

We’ll get there.

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. This reminds me so much of Homo sapiens

One more video from TEDxCaltech. Danny Hillis is the founder of Thinking Machines, the Long Now Foundation, and Applied Minds. Touching and inspirational.

See also Lenny Susskind’s reminiscences.

Effects of Solicitor Sex and Attractiveness on Receptivity to Sexual Offers: A Field Study.

“Gender differences in receptivity to sexual offers have been found in previous studies conducted in the United States. However, this effect has never been replicated in another culture, and the impact of the attractiveness of the solicitor remains in question. An experiment was conducted in France in which male and female confederates of average versus high attractiveness approached potential partners of the opposite sex (120 males and 120 females) and asked them: “Will you come to my apartment to have a drink?” or “Would you go to bed with me?” The great majority of the men were willing to have a sexual liaison with a woman, especially when she was physically attractive. Women were more disinclined to have a drink, and none but one accepted the male’s sexual request. Such results confirm that men are apparently more eager for sexual activity than women are.”

Photo: flickr/jbcurio

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Oil refineries aflame. Train tracks twisted like string. Buildings ripped from their foundations. Japan’s 8.9-magnitude earthquake has left its mark, especially in the expected death toll of over 1,000 people. This video roundup shows the science behind what happened today in Japan.

Why (Most) Buildings Didn’t Crumble

The death toll is estimated around 1,000, which is bad enough, but it would have been much higher without good engineering, mandated by strict building codes. But these codes haven’t been strict for long. In the 7.3-magnitude Kobe earthquake in 1995, 6,500 Japanese people died, and engineers looked on in horror as many buildings came crashing down; the most deadly ones were built before 1981, when building standards were still lower.

The Kobe tragedy, says The Telegraph‘s Peter Foster, compelled Japanese officials to tighten building regulations for residential offices and transportation infrastructure. Engineers made buildings “earthquake proof” by outfitting them with “deep foundation and massive shock absorbers that dampen seismic energy,” and by enabling the bases of buildings to move “semi-independently to its superstructure, reducing the shaking caused by a quake.” Skyscrapers now sway during an earthquake but don’t collapse, Foster says, ...

The magnitude 8.9 earthquake that hit Japan last night has done a vast amount of damage. I’m seeing lots of information scattered around the web, and figured a post listing them might help.

First, if you need info about the quake, CNET has a long list of links for finding lost loved ones, information on the quake in general, and more.

Second, our own Discover Magazine has an excellent article with the science behind what happened. The article notes that science and engineering prevented this disaster from being a lot worse.

There are many charitable, non-profit organizations that may or will be providing aid and relief. I asked on Twitter which ones people liked, and here are a few. I do not necessarily endorse these groups, but provide this for your information.

Oxfam
The Red Cross has info, and also a page where you can contribute directly to quake relief
Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders)
Red Cross through WePay
Global Giving
ShelterBox

Before you donate, please watch this video of the tsunami crashing through Japan:

Yes, those are buildings on fire as they are being swept ...