Future Forum

Lori Garver, NASA Deputy Administrator, at NASA Future Forum, The Museum of Flight, Seattle

TALKING ROCKETS: This morning I had the absolute pleasure of attending a NASA event called "Future Forum." Hosted by The Museum of Flight at Boeing Field, the forum brought together NASA officials and business and commercial space leaders. On the agenda was talk of advancing innovation, technology, science, engineering and education, and spaceflight's benefit to the nation's economy.

Speakers included NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, Seattle’s Museum of Flight President and CEO Doug King, and stellar panelists from Aerojet, Blue Origin, Boeing, Sierra Nevada, SpaceX, the University of Washington, Virgin Galactic and more.

It was extraordinarily interesting. Fresh from my Tweetup experience during the Mars Science Laboratory launch, I made it my mission to make a mini-Tweetup out of it. I Tweeted several soundbytes during the four-plus hour discussion, and was re-Tweeted multiple times by people I don't even know, which is a good thing in the social media world.. :)

I also took lots of notes, none of which I am going to transcribe right here right now. Be watching for a bonus
edition in the next couple of days. In the meantime, you can watch the forum on NASA TV's Youtube chnnel: http://www.youtube.com/user/NASAtelevision

I will tell you that one of the big announcements made today by NASA's Lori Garver was that the next "demonstration" test-flight for the SpaceX Dragon cargo freighter will link up with the International Space Station. This means SpaceX will be combining its two previously-planned flyby and capture missions into one. It's all (supposedly) going down on February 7, with a launch from Cape Canaveral. I am eagerly awaiting a story that includes a Russian response to/acknowledgement of this development, as I have to imagine they will definitely have something to say about it. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, big brother Kennedy was entertaining his younger siblings. This included playing Mouse Trap and Jenga.

Ken told me he repeatedly tried to stress to the kids that you do NOT want to take the lower blocks out. What Ken (IMHO) failed to realize is that they, of course, know this, but they were more interested in having fun toppling the tower.

Speaking of CJ and Annabelle, here they are as the Wright brothers, I think. Ken took the photo at The Museum of Flight, when they all met me there after the forum.

Jingle Bell Rocked

IN REVIEW: Today we were all a bit tired from last night's major shenanigans - an enormous concert that began at 4 p.m. and got over around 11. The kids and I rode the bus to the concert venue, Key Arena, so we could all ride home in one car (Christian and the car came straight from his work).

On our walk to the arena, we found a storefront with a nutcracker and ballerina. I had to get a pic of the kids with it, as CJ loves nutcrackers and Bee has a few years of ballet under her tutu. I just wish I'd had my good camera with me instead of the crappy one built into my phone.

The concert was sold out - about 17,000 people - and crowded, of course. It was an all ages show and I was surprised at the lack of kids at the show. I didn't see anyone younger than CeeJ and Bee, and only saw one other kid their age. There were a few tweens, but it was mostly older teens and thousands of 20- and 30-somethings.

Above is some band playing something, photo compliments of my crappy camera phone.

There were seven bands sharing the bill, and the crews changing out equipment between the groups did a great job. It ran like a well oiled machine. Like any show, there were high points and low points. I'll let CJ and Annabelle be the critics. ...

Deck the Hall Ball review by CJ

I think that the consert was good. Especially Foster the People because of "Pumped up Kicks." I think the worst band was death cab for cutie. Also, the consert was 7 hours long. Personally I think the best part was the food. Overall: B-.

Deck the Hall Ball review by Annabelle

Wen we were at Deck the Hall Ball we listened to Grouplove. I listened to part of Death Cab for Cutie, Young the Giant, Cage the Elephant, Foster the People and finally, Mumford and Sons. The were all interesting (except for Death Cab for Cutie) so I'll give it an A.

I was surprised the kids were up rocking through Mumford and Sons' very last strain around 11 p.m. They'd both gotten up before 6 that morning. Annabelle did power nap during Death Cab for Cutie. (Their music has the same affect on me. Not that they're bad - it's just, well, not very invigorating, IMHO.)

Here's a video of Bee dancing around the concourse (to the tunes of Grouplove) while we were waiting for Christian to show up. It's the first time I've used my camera video recorder. Who knew I had to turn the phone sideways to record a video. So, tilt your head while you watch. ;)

BUNCHA BOOKS: We've been plowing through the pile of recently acquired library books. Today's titles included "Fletcher and the Falling Leaves" is about a fox named Fletcher who is concerned by the trees changing come autumn. His concern grows into an understanding about the changing of the seasons and a tree's lifecycle. "Punctuation Takes a Vacation" was a fun read, about the chaos that ensues if there is no punctuation. The kids really enjoyed the accompanying CD with fun sound effects for the punctuation marks (naturally it reminded me of the famous Victor Borge reading punctuation marks aloud). "One Tiny Turtle" told the story of a loggerhead turtle from egg through adulthood. "Surprising Sharks" covered different types of sharks and stressed the fact that most are NOT giant man-eating creatures.

BRICKYARD: This afternoon the kids enjoyed their LEGO building class. Here, CJ works on some sort of law enforcement vehicle, while Annabelle (in the background) works on the group build - the space shuttle on the launch pad. You can see the class has the big orange external tank completed.



Show Time

PROJECTS APLENTY: Our campus kitchen looks like a color bomb went off right about now. We've got two projects going. One involves making some Christmas cookies. And because we like a challenge, there are about six different designs going on. Annabelle helped with my new favorite recipe - one I concocted yesterday. I wanted a tiny chocolate cookie that tastes a bit like those Girl Scouts' thin mints, because I wanted to frost them like peppermints. I don't even LIKE chocolate mint, but I have to say, these cookies are delicious.

Annabelle helped decorate them. First, they have to be flooded with white, then a colored asterisk is applied, then a toothpick is used to swirl the color to help create the peppermint candy look.

The other project occupying our kitchen is big brother Rick's book about chess that he's writing as part of his master's in teaching program. We've been helping him sculpt his pieces out of Sculpey - a media Annabelle and CJ have some experience in thanks to their Yoshi sculptures from last year.

BATTY: On the way to class this a.m., the kids read along with a CD narrating "Bat Loves the Night." It jammed a lot of batty info into a short picture book. After finishing the book Annabelle said to CJ, "So, what kind of bat would you like to be?"

CJ didn't hesitate in replying, "A vampire bat!" No doubt his choice was swayed by the magic and the myths associated with that type of bat.

Annabelle said, "I'd like to be a Bulldog bat," a species we'd learned about in the book. When I asked her why that type she said, "Because I like fish." I had to admit I'd never herd of a fish-eating bat before today. I told her it made me picture a bat trying to swim. Naturally, Annabelle then took it upon herself to explain to me that Bulldog bats swoop down and snatch fish out of the water, using their talons. That makes more sense, but I still like the image of a bat flapping around in the water ...

CHEEZY MATH: One of the last exercises in the kids' now complete Singapore 2B math books was about edges, faces and vertices of shapes. Here's a pic of CJ counting corners and such before consuming some dairy geometry.

CJ's KIND OF CRAFT: Not sure it would count as a continuation of his recently completed textiles unit in science class, but lately CJ has enjoyed an online game called "Sewing Super Mario." Last night he kept imploring Christian to take photos of the Marios he'd cross-stitched via computer.

MUSIC MARATHON: Today's entry is short because this afternoon and evening we have a really big show to go to. It's called the "Deck the Hall Ball," and it features a bunch of bands, including Foster the People, Young the Giant, Death Cab for Cutie, and Mumford and Sons. We'll hop the bus to Key Arena and meet Christian there (he'll be coming straight from work). Should be a long night - 4 p.m. until around 11 or later, I'd guess. I was hoping the kids would sleep in a bit today so they'd have more steam for tonight but nooo - they actually got up before 6 a.m. Oh well, we'll take earplugs and neck pillows with us!

Camels and Capsules

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS: Everywhere we go, holiday decorations are hanging. The baubles above are from a tree in the lobby of the community center where CJ takes his Theater of Possibility acting class.

This was his second-to-last class. Next week, it's on with the show! I can't wait to see what the group has come up with. The class has been a wonderful experience for CJ. I hope we're able to find another outlet for his wacky thespian tendencies in the not too distant future.

CAMEL-LOT: Yesterday we got to see a real live camel. Today, we read up on 'em. We started with the flyer provided by Swanson's Nursery, temporary home of Curley the Camel. A dromedary or Arabian camel, Curley has just one hump. Turns out dromedaries make up 90 percent of the global camel population (with the balance being the two-humped Asian or Bactrian camel).  

We read about camels' long history as helpful beasts of burden. Annabelle was relieved to read that camels don't spit on people. But then she was horrified to read it's more like projectile vomit - as what comes out is regurgitated. Ewwwwww. 

A camel was also a central character in a "Reading Rainbow" video we watched today. The DVD featured two RR episodes, both books by Aliki, with "Mummies Made in Egypt," being the one featuring a camel.

"Reading Rainbow" reminds me of Rick and Kennedy's childhood - it aired from 1983 until 2006, so it definitely spanned them growing up - and then some. LeVar Burton definitely looked '80s-riffic, but content wise the show held up wonderfully. Case in point, when the DVD concluded, Bee turned to CJ and said, I "I love 'Reading Rainbow,' don't you?"  Nice!

In addition to the "Mummies ..." book, the show had segments about camels and fascinating info about mummification, of not just humans, but other animals, too. "I never knew they mummified animals," CeeJ said as the video showed a mummified cat, lamb and crocodile.

The other episode was "Digging Up Dinosaurs," also by Aliki. In addition to the book being presented, the video showed a gigantic dinosaur dig and shared lots of information about archaeology paleontology. (Thanks for the reminder, Undine!)

ENCAPSULATED: Mummification and dinosaur digs both involve artifacts from the past, and one of the "Reading Rainbow" episodes we watched made mention of a time capsule.

Given that, I asked the kids to list five things they'd put in a time capsule and explain why they chose those items.

"My Time Capsule by Annabelle" - In my time capsule, I could put: A watch so they could know how we tracked time on the go, and I would also9 put a bucket so that they could see how we carried water, and a newspaper, so they could see how we read the news. I would also put in a bead neckless so they could see what fashion was like back then, and I would also put in a toothbrush so they could see how we would brush our teeth."

"My time capsule by: CJ
My first item in my time capsule is a VHS with 4 tapes. I would put it in so that they could see how we watch videos back then. My next item is a TV and some cables. I would put it in so they could see how we would watch things back then. My next item is a chess board and figres. I would put it in so they see how we would entertain ourselves back then. My next item is a cereal box. I would put it in so that they could see how we would pack cereal back then. My next item is a toy. I would put it in so they could see how we would play back then."

OUT AND ABOUT: We have a baking project going on this week, so we hit up Jo-Ann for some supplies and stopped at the Ballard Library just across the street. The kids love that place. Every time we visit, there's an intriguing display right up front. The theme of the one we saw today was maps. The kids loved checking out the maps on the wall and spinning the globe.

We came home with a TON of books and DVDs. Love the library, yes we do.

STARRY EYED: We received an update from Curiosity today. In its 10 days since launch, the Mars Science Laboratory has traveled over 18 million miles from Earth (!!!)

On the other end of the Mars expedition spectrum, poor Phobos-Grunt is going nowhere fast. Despite efforts by the Russians, the European Space Agency and, of course NASA offered to help, the doomed spacecraft is still stuck in orbit. It's projected to become a potentially toxic, Earthbound missile in January. Keep your helmet handy ...

Funday

WATCH YOUR BACK: As I approached him from the flank this morning, holding a little-something knit in red, green and white CJ cast a sideways glance and asked, suspiciously, "Is that an UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER?!"

"Why yes, yes it is," I replied in all honesty. I knew we were going out this afternoon for a Christmasy photo-opp and of course CJ had to be wearing a horrific, bold, seasonal sweater for the occasion.

And so, he donned the cotton acrylic blend and buttoned up the peppermint candy swirl buttons. And - I think he rather liked it. I think his favorite part was hearing himself jingle as he spazzed about the house.

This afternoon, CJ, his ugly sweater, and the rest of us headed to Swanson's Nursery. It's a holiday tradition for us, since moving to Seattle, as evidenced here - a (photoshopped) pic of the kids when they were much younger in Swanson's sleigh.

As you can see in the lead-in photo in today's blog, Swanson's upgraded their sleigh this year - the new one is bigger and better. But we HAD to wedge both the kids into the old one for, well, old time's sake.

Other attractions at Swanson's include Curly and Moe, a camel and a donkey. We were happy that they were awake when we arrived. Seems like the last couple of years they've been snoozing when we showed up.

Curly the camel was busy eating. The kids tried to feed her/him some hay, but it wasn't interested, and so we just watched it chomp.



The nursery also has some reindeer (Donner and Blitzen, in case you were wondering).

The reindeer were, shall we say, rather low energy. Annabelle and CJ theorize that they're conserving their resources for their around-the-world trip on Christmas Eve.

The nursery also has a sweet model train setup.

One of the scenes depicted in their railroad world had a gold prospecting/Yukon theme, which the kids loved.

Another vignette had a Northwest Native theme, which fit nicely into a book we read together this morning...

LIVE AND LEARN: This morning we read a library book, "Secret of the Dance," a story by Andrea Spalding and Alfred Scow, with illustrations by Darlene Gait. It's about a Native American boy and his family who spirit away by boat to a clandestine location in order to hold a Potlatch ceremony. They did this at great risk as these ceremonies were outlawed by the Canadian government at the time. According to this book, during this period of prohibition, Aboriginal people were forced to hold their ceremonials in secrecy, and risked prison and the removal of their cultural artifacts - and even their children - if they were discovered.

Enacted in 1885, Canada's Potlach law wasn't repealed until 1951. This was the first time I'd heard of it.

We loved the book's bold, colorful illustrations. They inspired our morning art project. The kids each designed a Native-inspired mask.

CJ decided to do a bear mask. I love it. :)

Annabelle opted for a raven mask, tho I must say, it reminds me more of a parrot. :)

She wore it quite a bit today.

HAPPY HOURS: Early this afternoon, we watched a video, "Pulleys and Levers," part of the great The Science of Disney Imagineering series. We absolutely LOVE these videos - they feature great science lessons and are presented in a completely engaging way.

The kids were absolutely rapt during the entire program. They learned lots about simple machines, and how  levers and pulleys make work easier by either multiplying or redirecting effort. We learned the formulas for

calculating mechanical advantage given effort and resistance.

In a "bonus" test along with the video, the kids did really well, which is great, considering the subject matter is rated grades 5-8.

Late this afternoon, while visiting a new-to-us Mexican restaurant, we used a margarita glass to experiment with levers.

When the glass was put far away from the fulcrum and they didn't have much lever to use, the kids found the glass was relatively heavy and hard to lift using a short lever.

However, if they had a long stretch over which to apply their effort/energy, it was a breeze to lift the glass using the lever.

Nothing like happy hour engineering. ;) Consider it science AND social studies. After all, today marks the anniversary of the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment (December 5, 1933).