Counting Down

GETTING CLOSER:  It won't be long now until Christian wings away to the #NASASocial at Cape Canaveral in Florida to watch a SpaceX blast off for the International Space Station, on a resupply mission.

Today, SpaceX released their press kit for the mission. You can view it here:
http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/spacex_nasa_crs-6_presskit.pdf

There is a plethora of information in the kit, including details about the science payload the capsule will be carrying.  Supplies on board will include materials to support an investigation on the vision changes that more than half of American astronauts experience during and after long duration spaceflight. Per the press kit, "It is hypothesized that the headward fluid shift that occurs during space flight leads to increased pressure in the brain, which may push on the back of the eye, causing it to change shape. The study will measure how much fluid shifts from the lower body to the upper body, in or out of cells and blood vessels, and determine the impact these shifts have on fluid pressure in the head, changes in vision and eye structures."  

Super interesting stuff, isn't it?

After five weeks attached to the ISS, the Dragon capsule will return to Earth (via a splash down in the Pacific Ocean) with over 3,000 pounds of cargo and packaging, including crew supplies, hardware and computer resources, science experiments, space station hardware and trash.

Also in the press kit was a list detailing exactly what happens during countdown.  

28 hour before launch, Dragon is powered on. Ten hours before launch, Falcon 9 is powered on. Three hours pre-launch, they commence loading RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) . At the two-hour, 35 minute mark, liquid oxygen (LOX) loading is commenced. Ninety minutes before launch, LOX and RP-1 loading is complete. At T-minus 10 minutes, Falcon 9 terminal count autosequence is started and the Dragon terminal count autosequence is started. At 2 minutes before launch, SpaceX Launch Director verifies go for launch and Range Control Officer (USAF) verifies range is go for launch. At one minute before scheduled launch, the command flight computer begins final prelaunch checks. With 40 seconds to go, they pressurize propellant tanks, at three seconds, the engine controller commands engine ignition sequence to start. At 0:00 it's time for Falcon 9 liftoff!

And let's not forget, after launch, SpaceX will be attempting to safely land the first stage of the rocket on a barge in the Atlantic Ocean. Here's a great graphic from SpaceX explaining that procedure. (If you click on the photo, you will see a larger version.)

You can read more about the recovery attempt in an article on Space.Com:
 http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/203209-spacex-will-try-landing-its-falcon-9-rocket-on-a-drone-ship-again-on-monday

INTO THE WILD: The many, many zucchini starts we had going were taking over our kitchen, so we decided today was the day to get them out into the real world.  We planted a trio in the raised bed, and the rest in a strip of soil at the top of our rockery. Some cilantro babies also went outside, to a planter along our alley. 

Wish the fledglings luck, and may our weather stay mild. 

MATINEE: This afternoon, we watched a short, LEGO-animated movie. It was a fanciful tale about Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) finding love on the  Red Planet. 


The movie, 2015 Calmax Studio ©, was directed by Calixte Charles, with music by Kevin McLeod & DJ Pretentious. Per its YouTube info, it was inspired by Wall-E and NASA's Curiosity. 

BOW WOW:  Coming up this weekend is our annual visit to "Paws on Science" at Pacific Science Center.  There, we'll have a chance to meet some 50 University of Washington scientists and researchers, and check out fun, interactive explorations. 

Here's a short video the UW has put together about the event
.

I sure am hoping CJ is able to find a scientist or two to talk to about exoplanets and theoretical propulsion systems. 

Start Your Engines

    Image: SpaceX 
SNEAK PREVIEW:  Today, SpaceX shared some launch footage in Ultra HD 4K.  (If your connection is slow, toggle to 1080 HD for smoother playback.)


Hopefully, Monday afternoon, Christian will be watching a SpaceX launch from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40)  in person. Stay tuned for his reports from the field!

In the meantime, we're reading up on parts of the rocket that make it all possible, including the Merlin engine, which powers the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket. 

Manufactured in house by SpaceX, the Merlin engine burns liquid oxygen and rocket-grade kerosene propellant. Worth noting: Falcon 9 can lose up to two of its Merlin engines on the first stage and still complete its mission. Per the SpaceX Web site, "The nine-engine architecture on the first stage is an improved version of the design employed by the Saturn I and Saturn V rockets of the Apollo program, which had flawless flight records in spite of engine losses."  

The press kit for the last SpaceX resupply mission (CRS5) to the International Space Station outlines the launch sequence for Falcon 9 as follows. ...

"The launch sequence for Falcon 9 is a process of clockwork precision necessitated by the rocket’s instantaneous launch window—that is, everything is timed to the exact second of scheduled liftoff. Because an off-time liftoff would require Dragon to use extra propellant to reach the space station, the launch window must be hit precisely. If not, the mission will be attempted on another day. Twenty-eight hours before launch, Dragon is powered up in preparation for the NASA powered cargo delivery and loading. About three hours before launch, the fueling process begins—RP-1 kerosene propellant first, then liquid oxygen. The plume coming off the vehicle during countdown is gaseous oxygen being vented from the tanks, which is why the liquid oxygen is topped off throughout the countdown. Terminal countdown begins at T-10 minutes, at which point all systems are autonomous. After polling Mission Control in Hawthorne, California, and the launch team at Cape Canaveral, the Launch Director gives a final go for launch at T-2 minutes and 30 seconds. At T-2 minutes, the Air Force Range Control Officer confirms the physical safety of the launch area and provides the final range status. Just before liftoff, the launch pad’s water deluge system, dubbed “Niagara,” is activated. Seconds before launch, the nine Merlin engines of the first stage ignite. The rocket computer commands the launch mount to release the vehicle for flight, and at T-0, Falcon 9 lifts off, putting out just over 1.3 million pounds of thrust." 

MMM, BACON:  Here's a leftover shot from Monday, before the Mariners' home opener. We like to walk down Occidental toward the stadium, as there are always a number of vendors and product promoters there, making for a festive, colorful walk up to the game

During our opening day stroll, we met a slice of bacon. His friends were handing out free samples of bacon salt and bacon lip balm. Nice!

SUGARY:  Our Honda was a rolling cookie mobile today, as we took a few dozen Star Wars and Star Trek cookies to a potluck lunch today. 

They're always so much fun to make and share.

OVERHEARD:  This afternoon, while the kids were doing their (apparently way-too-easy) math assignment.  ...

CJ:  "That's rather obvious."
Annabelle:  "What, do they think we're stupid?" 

Time to find some more challenging math!

Educating Ourselves

       SpaceX Dragon capsule departs the International Space Station in May 2014. 

Image Credit: 

NASA

SPACEX UPDATE: Today, NASA shared a press release about the upcoming SpaceX cargo mission to the International Space Station.

The sixth SpaceX cargo mission to the ISS is scheduled to launch on Monday, April 13, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. NASA TV coverage of the launch begins at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time. The Falcon 9 is set to lift off at 1:33 p.m. Atop it will be a Dragon capsule filled with over 4,300 pounds of supplies and payloads, including materials to support about 40 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 43 and 44 aboard the ISS.

The press release says NASA will host a series of prelaunch news conferences on Sunday, April 12, at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Hopefully MPA's field reporter will get to attend those, at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., which will air live on NASA TV. During the conferences, scientists and researchers will discuss the onboard science and research studies. A brief, pre-launch news conference is scheduled for 2 p.m. Seattle time Sunday, and a post-launch briefing will be held approximately 90 minutes after liftoff Monday.

The science investigations included on this mission include "exploring new ways to possibly counteract the microgravity-induced cell damage seen during spaceflight; studying the effects of microgravity on the most common cells in bones; gathering new insight that could lead to treatments for osteoporosis and muscle wasting conditions; continuing studies into astronaut vision changes; and testing a new material that could one day be used as a synthetic muscle for robotic explorers of the future," per the press release.

Dragon is scheduled to reach the ISS on Wednesday, April 15.  Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency will use the station's 57.7-foot arm to reach out and capture Dragon at approximately 4 a.m. Pacific time on the 15th. NASA TV coverage of grapple will begin at 2 a.m. Pacific time.  

SCHOOLED:  Access to education is the next issue the kids' social issues club will be examining.  There are so many barriers to education, it's hard to know where to start, but we decided to look at the dollars and 'sense' of it all.

To that end, today we read a number of articles on the Global Education First Initiative (GEFI) Web site. GEFI was launched in September of 2012 by the United Nations Secretary-General, to accelerate progress towards the Education for All goals and the education-related Millennium Development Goals. The graphic below (from the UN's GEFI), outlines the organizations' three priority areas. 

Global Education First Iniative has published a booklet about its goals. It is a *wonderful* resource, covering the myriad of problems and obstacles facing education today. It also outlines solutions to these problems. It's definitely worth a look: http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/files/GEFI_Brochure_ENG.pdf

In addition to reading the booklet, we watched a video about GETI on YouTube: 

Obviously, funding for education is a problem that spans the globe. We read the book, "Listen to the Wind," about Greg Mortenson (of "Three Cups of Tea" fame) helping start a school in the mountains of Pakistan after villagers there showed him kindness after his failed attempt to climb K2. Mortenson went on to help build other schools in remote villages in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

However, I knew that if we were going to use anything by or about Mortenson as a resource, unfortunately, we had to also talk about how the philanthropist's story went rather sideways as donations to the charity he co-founded poured in, so we watched an NBC news video interview from 2014 with him, where he talks about his failures. (Mortenson was eventually ordered to pay $1 million back to Central Asia Institute, the non-profit he co-founded, and step down from its board.)  

Educational funding problems also strike close to home. We read parts of the Washington State Supreme Court's decision from September of 2014, holding the state legislature in contempt of court for its continued failures to adequately fund state K-12 schools. In its decision, the court gave the legislature "the opportunity to purge the contempt" during the 2015 legislative session. If it's not resolved, "the court will reconvene and impose sanctions or other remedial measures."  

The clock is ticking.

DRAWN IN:  This afternoon, Annabelle was working on our never ending book project, and was having trouble drawing her main character wrapped in a blanket. CJ was conscripted to be an artist's model, and then it was done in a snap!

ART ALERT:  When we were at the Magnolia branch of Seattle Public Libraries today, we spied news of a weekly art session for students grades 4 and up. It starts this coming Wednesday. We will be sure to check it out at some point (tomorrow, if Annabelle has her way!).

Also worth noting: Seattle Public Libraries has a full slate of school break activities lined up for local spring breakers. Check out their calendar here: http://www.spl.org/audiences/all-ages/school-break-activities/school-break-activities-calendar

Opening Day

AND AWAY WE GO:  Today was a day we've been waiting for since last October. Today it was back to Seattle Mariners' baseball, which makes us very happy. :)

The home opener is always full of pomp and circumstance ... and fireworks (although daytime fireworks aren't as impressive as post sunset fireworks).

They rolled out the red carpet for the Mariners' starting lineup.

Former Mariners' second baseman Joey Cora threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Of course, the REAL first pitch of 2015 was thrown by ace Felix Hernandez. Can you see the ball?!

There's only one day a year when you're going to see all the players batting .000.

At the end of the day, last year's American League MVP was batting .250 after his four at bats - one homer and three strike outs.

The Mariners were up 4-1 when reliever Fernando Rodney came in and closed the deal. Like a whole lot of other fans in the stadium, Annabelle turned her hat to 2 o'clock, as Rodney wears his crooked (as a hat tip to his deceased father).

It was a lovely day at the ballpark. The Mariners won 4-1 and they're in first place, undefeated! :)  Hope springs eternal. 

Here's the field crew, working the green after the game. 

We can't wait to get back there. 

ONE WEEK:  One week from today, a Falcon 9 rocket topped by a Dragon capsule is set to blast off from our planet.  MPA can't wait to have a field reporter on site for the event!

Follow this link to find out about Falcon 9's capabilities and services - and its price tag: 
http://www.spacex.com/about/capabilities

Check out this lovely photo of SpaceX's Dragon capsule during its last International Space Station run, CRS5.

Image: SpaceX

EARTH DAY EVENT:  Speaking of our planet, NASA has announced an Earth Day event, #NoPlaceLikeHome.

                              Image: NASA
Per their press release, "There are (so far) 1,800 known planets beyond our solar system, but among all of them, there's no place like Earth. This Earth Day, April 22, NASA is asking you to share pictures and video of your favorite places on Earth using social media – and tag them #NoPlaceLikeHome."  Specifically,  participants are invited to post photos and videos that answer a simple question: What is your favorite place on Earth?

Sounds like fun! I'm sure we'll have some photos to share.

Friday Update

           Image: SpaceX
GETTING READY:  Today, SpaceX shared this lovely photo on social media of their Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule undergoing prep in Florida in advance of a planned April 13 launch to the International Space Station. 

Look at that shiny rocket. Its engine bells are absolutely sparkling!  Falcon 9 has nine Merlin engines on its first stage.  We sure hope they are able to land the first stage on the barge after the launch - that would be a remarkable accomplishment and a big step forward in making launches more affordable.

More about the mission on this NASA page: http://blogs.nasa.gov/spacex/, and check out an awesome graphic of Falcon 9 on SpaceX's Web site: http://www.spacex.com/falcon9

ECLIPSED: A Facebook post by NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (Little SDO) alerted us to the fact that very early tomorrow (Saturday, April 4) morning, we'll have an opportunity to see the shortest lunar eclipse of the century. 

At 4:58 Pacific Daylight Time, the eclipse will start, and 4.5 minutes later it will be over. Per NASA, portions of the eclipse will be visible from much of North America, observers in the western third of the continent have the best view. The moon will be low, on the western horizon during the event. 

During the eclipse,the moon will turn red, because Earth’s atmosphere acts as a filter and a prism of the sunlight. There's a good article about the event on the Sun's Web site: http://bit.ly/1asRmE9

And here's a short video about it. 


PONYPALOOZA: Tomorrow morning is a Big Darn Deal in the household, as it marks the premiere of Season 5 of "My Little Pony Friendship is Magic." CJ and Annabelle spent a little time today getting the television room ready. :)

Foolin' Around

TRICKSTERS:  April 1 only rolls around once a year, and we were ready right out of the gate this morning. Annabelle beat CJ out of bed, which meant she had time to cover the bottom of his computer mouse with a piece of paper, so that it wouldn't work properly. 

I got their little hopes up when I told them they were going to get brownies for breakfast.

They were more than a little disappointed when they wound up being letters made from brown construction paper. Ha ha!

Together, CJ and Annabelle flipped the display on Christian's computer screen with just a few clicks of the mouse. They also changed his Internet Browser homepage to that of a Havanese puppy breeder, ha ha. With two Havanese in the home, another one of those is about the *last* thing we need. 

I told the kids about a great hoax a newspaper pulled way back in 1825. (I learned about it from a Library of Congress education resources email I received a couple of days ago.)

Called "The Great Moon Hoax," in August of 1825, the New York newspaper The Sun published a six-part series (!) all about how life was found on the moon.. The author was supposedly Dr. Andrew Grant, who was purportedly a protege of renowned astronomer John Herschel. 

According to the Library of Congress account, the articles told "about goat-like creatures with horns and beards frolicking about on green turf," the moon's many water birds and animals, and even "a spherical amphibious creature that rolled along the moon beach."

But it didn't stop there! There was also news of upright, humanoid beings about four-feet tall, covered in short, glossy copper hair, except for on their faces. They also had wings "composed of a thin membrane, without hair, lying snugly upon their backs, from the top of the shoulders to the calves of the legs.” 

Here is an artist's rendition that ran in the paper. Pretty far out!

The stories captured the fancy of an untold number of readers. However, when it was revealed that the "author" Grant was actually journalist Richard Adams Locke, the hoax was over (and I bet a whole lot of people were disappointed). 

We talked about how it would be virtually impossible to perpetuate such a hoax today, because there are so many other avenues for information beyond the daily newspaper these days.

A LITTLE SLIP:  Last night, via a NASA post on Facebook, we learned the launch date for the SpaceX resupply mission to the International Space Station has been pushed forward a couple of days. Ruh roh! That meant some scrambling (and extra expense) today, to rebook Christian's flights, lodging, etc. so that he can attend the NASA Social and launch.  The new launch date is Monday, April 13, with the NASA Social set to take place on Sunday the 12th through Monday the 13th.

Launches 'slip' all the time, for any number of reasons (weather, technical difficulties, people violating the safe range, you name it). 

EDITH'S HOUSE: Part of our scenery on a near daily basis is a squatty, tiny, unremarkable looking residence just north of the Ballard Bridge.

The humble abode, however, became famous a few years back when its resident, Edith Macefield, refused to sell out to developers, even for $1 million.

             photo via Wikipedia, from Ben Tesch
And so, the developers built around her. 

Never married and with no children, Edith lived much of her life alone, though she did spend years taking care of her mother, who died in the home. It was Edith's wish that she, too, would get to live out her life in the place.

During the construction, the project manager, Barry Martin, befriended Edith. He began taking her to appointments, making her meals, and paying visits on weekends. Their friendship seemed genuine, not opportunistic. 

When Edith died at age 86 in 2008, she left Martin the home. 

Check out the short story by CBS news at the following link. It gives you a glimpse of Edit, and inside the home, as she left it:. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-homeowner-who-wouldnt-sell-part-ii/

In 2009, Martin sold the home to Greg Pinneo, a guy who was going to use the structure to run a real estate "coaching firm" called Reach Returns. Rather ironically, the house is now in foreclosure, and set to be auctioned off. This has put the home back in the news, and that has prompted some to begin a balloon wall memorial to Macefield (a nod to the fact that the promoters of the movie "Up" hoisted a huge cloud of helium filled balloons over the place as a promotional stunt).  

The kids each blew up a balloon at home, wrote a message on it, and affixed it to Edith's fence (during a wild thunder and lightning storm, might I add).

However, it was neat to see that someone has put balloons, scissors, a marker and ribbon in the fence so that anyone who is so moved can add to the tribute.

There's an interesting twist to the sale of Macefield's former home. Broker Paul Thomas has told the local media that there's no set asking price, and that the highest offer isn't guarantee he keys. Rather, potential buyers have to guarantee that either the home or something will remain to honor Macefield.  It will be interesting to see what becomes of the place.  Stripped down to the studs, siding peeled off, and subject to weathering, it sure isn't a fitting memorial to Macefield in its present state.

ALIEN PLANETS REVEALED: This evening, we gathered 'round the telly and watched an episode of NOVA all about the hunt for and discovery of 'alien' planets. The hour-long program focused largely on NASA's Kepler mission, which has identified over 3,500 potential planets orbiting stars beyond our sun.

A fair amount of time was spent talking about Kepler-22b, which might have the right combination of elements to harbor life. 

You can watch the whole show on the NOVA Web site, here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/alien-planets-revealed.html

Marching Out

TRANSFERRED:  The zucchini are growing like gangbusters. We absolutely had to re-pot them today, and we hope they like their new, larger, temporary homes.

SPIN TEST:  Midday, we watched a live broadcast from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory having to do with the Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project.  Today, the LDSD vehicle underwent a spin table test, which involved rotating the 15-foot wide, 7,000 pound test vehicle was spun at speeds up to 30 RPM to check its balance.  

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Soon, it will be packed up and shipped over to Hawaii, and come June, during an experimental flight test, a balloon will carry it to an altitude of about 120,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean. It will be dropped, and then a booster rocket is supposed to kick in, which will carry it an additional 60,000 feet aloft. There, an 'inflatable' doughnut device will deploy, increasing the vehicle's drag, slowing it to Mach 2.5, when a supersonic parachute will deploy. After about a 45 minute descent, the saucer is supposed to make a controlled landing in the Pacific. 

All of this is to simulate landing on Mars, where the atmosphere is thinner than here on Earth, making controlled landings a challenge. 

An archived copy of today's LDSD Ustream telecast is available at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/60585512.

EGGSTATIC:  While driving to a class this morning, we got to talking about how we'd like to make some sort of decorative eggs (tis the season), but we are bored with the dyed, hard-boiled variety.  Enter Pinterest. 

It didn't take me but a few minutes of poking around before I found an 'easy' project: Stuffing balloons with a candy, wrapping the balloon with glue-infused yarn, which should dry and then assume the shape of the balloon, which you then pop and, Presto! a candy in a yarn 'egg.' 

Everything was going fine until the first step - trying to stuff chocolates into tiny, tight balloon necks. 

Let's just say MANY a chocolate bunny was harmed in the making. 

We finally switched to chocolate eggs (after a run to the store), but frankly that wasn't easy, either.  Then came time to immerse yarn in watered down glue and wrap the egg. If you have any tactile sensitive types in the mix, (like, say, me and CJ), they will *not* like doing this, ha ha. 

We managed to get the 'eggs' wrapped, somehow. Stay tuned for what they look like if/when/after they dry... For some reason, I'm skeptical that they'll set up properly. 

FRIENDLY:  The kids keep plugging away at guitar. Today's new-to-them song was "We're Going to be Friends," a sweet little ditty by Jack White of the White Stripes. 
We found a great tutorial on YouTube by MartyZSongs, and the kids can already mostly make their way through it.


GAME ON:  Good news from Google Maps today. Now, you can play Pac Man in your neighborhood. Seriously. 

You can read the Google tutorial about how to make it happen (on your computer or even mobile device), but the short take is, go to Google Maps and click on the PacMan button in the lower lefthand corner. 

I gave it a go in a map of our neighborhood. It was fun chasing the ghosts down our street!

LIGHTS OUT:  We forgot to post this, from Saturday night, during Earth Hour, an annual event to raise awareness about the need for action on the climate change front. After turning off all the electronics in our house, we went to nearby Ursula Judkins Park to get a view of the Space Needle, which was set to go dark at 8:30, when Earth Hour commenced.