Physics education research, electronic materials, and the musings of Christopher Moore, Ph.D.
Feb 11th, 2011
So it turns out there is an asteroid coming our way in 2029. No worries, though. There is practically zero chance that the asteroid will actually hit Earth. That should be comforting. The problem is, these things eventually come back around, and in 2036 …
Jun 12th, 2007
Epsori Space Systems announced today that its Free Seeds Experiment will be flying aboard the Up Aerospace SL-2 launch, scheduled for Saturday, April 28 th 2007 . Epsori Space Systems will distribute the experiment to 2500 classrooms in the fall of 2007. The payload contains 22 ounces of mixed vegetable seeds. Teachers in grades 3-5 [...]
Sep 21st, 2006
NASA scrubbed its “Teachers in Space” program after the tragic Challenger accident that led to the death of Christa McAuliffe. The program was reintroduced nearly a decade later, only to be slowed to a near halt along with the entire shuttle program with the break-up of Columbia over Texas. I was teaching high-school right before [...]
Aug 31st, 2006
Here is a funny article about one man and his grassroots campaign to re-elect Pluto to the family of planets. “Take a look at the campaign signs in Erik’s yard,” a friend advised Bill Brent. “Is it a local issue,” Brent asked, “or national?” Actually, he was told, it’s kind of universal. Erik Kilk is [...]
Aug 24th, 2006
Only a few days ago I wrote about how Pluto’s status as a planet was not only solidified, but that three other planets were added to the solar system. Well … Capping years of intense debate, astronomers resolved Thursday to demote Pluto in a wholesale redefinition of planethood that is being billed as a victory [...]
Aug 16th, 2006
Millions of textbooks across the globe currently report the existence of 9 planets. But it appears that the International Astronomical Union has decided that actually defining the term “planet” is a good idea and plan on doing it at their annual general assembly later this month. The problem? The (as of now) popular proposal of [...]
Apr 12th, 2006
Previously I pointed out that NASA confirmed the existence of a 10th planet in our solar system. But although slightly bigger than Pluto, it’s still no heavy-weight. CNN International reports: Previous estimates by ground-based telescopes suggested the object known as 2003 UB313 was 30 percent bigger than Pluto. But the latest measurement by the Hubble [...]
The longest drive of a golf ball ever in the history of mankind could happen sometime in the near future. Cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov, who now commands the International Space Station has plans to hit a gold-plated golf ball into orbit. MSNBC.com has the story: Because of zero gravity, Vinogradov’s drive will make golf’s long-distance hitters [...]