Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Weather



Hurricane Kyle...from space. Yet another service provided by the amazing, pragmatic and utile satellites which circle our planet. Of course Kyle was just the little brother to Ike.





The destruction left by Ike was devastating. However, it could have been much worse in human costs if not for the ability of meteorologists to model and observe them, and issue warnings so that people can evacuate the path of destruction. Of course this involves more than NASA, more than a few photos from space. However, that is one part of the equation. From the simple and small Explorer I launched in January, 1958 to today's sophisticated weather satellites, the men and women "rocket scientists" helped blaze the trial to space which reaps so many sublime benefits.


There are so many technologies developed for NASA which have made great contributions to every day life. Ironically the ones that many people name first are not in this category...like Teflon and Velcro. But you can find out for yourself just what NASA has done for you lately by having a look at NASA Spinoff, the stories of successfully commercialized NASA technology.

Monday, September 29, 2008

The NASA Art Program

Here is a link. A very interesting link.
http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/NASAart_book/

What many...most people don't know is that NASA administrator James Webb instituted the NASA art program in the very early day of the nascent space agency. Mr. Webb had the foresight to see not only how significant the space program would be to the country's science and defense, but also how much it would and could influence our society and culture. Professional artists were invited to NASA facilities and to launches, and they produced magnificent art work, which the majority of the public has never seen or is even aware of the existence. This link takes you to a site that has a very, very small sampling of this wonderful and resplendent treasure. As evocative and beautiful as these selections are, it is only a peek at the rich heritage that art has left NASA, giving the artist's unique interpretation of that which is reported so precisely and mundanely in the news media. In October 2008 a book will hit the stands which is entitled, "NASA/Art: 50 Years of Exploration". It's a 176 page presentation of the history of the NASA art program accompanied by a larger look at the collection. No, this is not a commercial for the book, or even for NASA. This is a desire to share the unseen human soul of NASA and of the men and women who have plumbed the depths of it and of their own souls to find the place where humanity, art and science meet.

Friday, September 26, 2008

But you don't look like one

I guess you were expecting the stereotypical dweeb nerd sort?

I'm here to break all those stereotypes. I love classical music...oh, you expected that? Well, I love rock too. I paint and draw and write fiction and poetry and edit for an online journal. I just finished an illustration job for a science text. I read voraciously, and not a bit of science fiction, not in a very long time. Mostly I read non-fiction in a wide variety of areas--history, current events, biography, religion, sports... Well, you get the idea. I have a Labrador mix and an Australian Cattle Dog, and neither of them are named after any scientist, engineer, sci-fi writer or astronaut. And I dress up in a bear costume for the kids at church. Not exactly the stereotypical nerdy NASA type.

I work at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama in the Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate. I perform system safety analysis and vehicle integration for the new Ares launch vehicle which will return the US back to the moon. How exciting to get in at the beginning of a new program like this one. Learn all about that at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/ares/

So I want to help bring forward things that aren't well known about NASA, or even those that are well known. I'd like to talk about my job. No, no, not as a self-publicizing thing. I work with some interesting people; people who definitely break the stereotypes and the molds. Let's explore inner and outer space. Wonder as we wander. Entering terminal countdown...