Out There Somewhere

Image: NASA JHUAPLSWRI
YOU GOTTA HAVE HEART: We here at MPA have been busy Busy BUSY with stuff. Mostly helping neighbors stuff. It seems like everyone we know is moving rightnow!!! and they all need help, of course. We're happy to help, it just takes chunks of time and energy. But I digress. Let's talk about more important things like the newly released, somewhat blurry-looking image above!! It was taken on July 7 by New Horizons, the spacecraft rapidly approaching Pluto!

This photo when it was about 5 million miles from the dwarf planet, but you can see the heart on its hindquarters! 

Excitement is building as New Horizons closes in on Pluto, with July 14 set as its rendezvous date. Check out this promotional video, made to help hype it up.

https://youtu.be/_BgfYvwMoro

You can check out a countdown clock to New Horizon's closest Pluto pass, see all the latest images, and read up on the mission here: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/main/index.html

FIRSTS: Today, NASA announced the first group of astronauts who will be hitching rides on commercial space carriers (SpaceX and Boeing capsules to the International Space Station).  All spaceflight veterans, they are Robert Behnken, Eric Boe, Douglas Hurley and Sunita Williams. 

Image: NASA

Williams is one of my personal favorite astronauts. She's wicked smart, funny and ran a marathon on the ISS!

Here's a video about "Launching for America."

https://youtu.be/kPSk23XOGuk

VIRTUAL SUMMER CAMP: Happily, a couple of days ago, I stumbled across a link letting me know about "Camp Google."

It's a cool collaboration between Khan Academy, National Geographic, National Parks, and NASA in the form of a free, four-week online 'camp' for kids (targeted at those ages 7 to 10). Here's the promo video https://youtu.be/m8oMm_q1bpk

Starting on July 13, every Monday for the next four weeks, camp will kick off, accessible from the Camp Google site. The first adventure is Ocean Week. Campers will head deep into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean to explore. Future weeks include a live hike up an active volcano with a Park Ranger and a jam session with a music star.

You don't have to start camp on Mondays each week. Everyone and anyone is welcome to jump on in anytime. .