Thursday, August 30, 2012

Will Friday's 'Blue' Moon be Blue?

Watch Out for the Blue Moon




August 29, 2012: When someone says "Once in a Blue Moon," you know what they mean:  Rare, seldom, even absurd.
This year it means August 31st.
For the second time this month, the Moon is about to become full.  There was one full Moon on August 1st/2nd, and now a second is coming on August 31st.  According to modern folklore, whenever there are two full Moons in a calendar month, the second one is "blue."
Cue up the Elvis records! "Blue Moon…. You saw me standing alone, without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own." In song and literature, blue moons have long symbolized lost love and melancholy. Elvis set the standard for lunar heartbreak in his 1956 pop hit "Blue Moon."
Watch Out for the Blue Moon (splash)
A new ScienceCast video explores the facts and myths of Blue Moons. Play it
But will the moody Moon of August 31st actually turn blue?  Probably not.

More: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/29aug_bluemoon/

Source: NASA Science News.

Convoluted History Of The Blue Moon

Posted by under Science&Technology |
 
Convoluted History Of The Blue Moon, Friday’s lunar sky-watching opportunity is special, but not because of the color. Blue Moon Science: Friday’s Full Moon Explained, With a so-called “blue moon” set to rise in the night sky this Friday (Aug. 31), you may find yourself wondering: Just what is a blue moon, exactly? And where does the term come from?

More: http://usinform.com/2012/08/convoluted-history-of-the-blue-moon.html

Source: USInform.com .

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit

NASA Van Allen Belts, Jupiter, Asteroid Missions Busy


NASA twin satellites to probe mysteries of the Van Allen belts

In a mission 11 years in the making, NASA today launched a pair of Johns Hopkins University satellites into the Van Allen radiation belts to study their structure in unprecedented detail.




Van Allen radiation belts
Those aren't giant smoke rings around Earth -- they're the Van Allen radiation belts, and two NASA satellites will be setting up shop there to study how those belts behave.
(Credit: J. Carns ,NASA/T. Benesch)
 
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- An Atlas 5 rocket boosted a pair of satellites into the maelstrom of the Van Allen radiation belts early today, kicking off a $686 million mission to probe the structure of the belts and how they're buffeted by the sun and to improve forecasting to reduce the threat they pose to astronauts, power grids and increasingly critical satellite systems.
"Today, 11 years hard work was realized by the science team," said Nicola Fox, the deputy project scientist at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory. "They're now at home in the Van Allen belts where they belong. ... For the science team, the real work now begins. One big milestone was getting up there. The next big milestones are all of our scientific discoveries."

More: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57503194-76/nasa-twin-satellites-to-probe-mysteries-of-the-van-allen-belts/

Source: CNET.com .

Originally published Thursday, August 30, 2012 at 10:50 AM

Jupiter-bound spacecraft set for key maneuver

A Jupiter-bound spacecraft prepared to fire its engine Thursday for an important maneuver intended to bring it back toward Earth.
The Associated Press


PASADENA, Calif. — A Jupiter-bound spacecraft prepared to fire its engine Thursday for an important maneuver intended to bring it back toward Earth.
The engine burn was the first of two planned to set up NASA's Juno spacecraft to use Earth's gravity to accelerate it toward the outer solar system. The second engine firing will occur next week.
Launched last year, Juno is zooming toward an encounter with the giant gas planet in 2016.

More: http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2019027430_apusscijourneytojupiter.html

Sources: Associated Press, The Seattle Times.

Dawn Spacecraft Leaving Huge Asteroid Vesta Next Week

Date: 30 August 2012 Time: 01:36 PM ET


Dawn spacecraft set to leave protoplanet Vesta
NASA's Dawn spacecraft arrived at the giant asteroid Vesta in July 2011 and is set to depart on Sept. 4, 2012 PDT (Sept. 5 EDT).
CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech


NASA's Dawn probe is gearing up to depart the giant asteroid Vesta next week and begin the long trek to the dwarf planet Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt.
The Dawn spacecraft is slated to leave Vesta on the night of Sept. 4 (early morning Sept. 5 EDT), ending a 14-month stay at the 330-mile-wide (530 kilometers) body. The journey to Ceres should take roughly 2.5 years, with Dawn reaching the dwarf planet in early 2015, researchers said.

More: http://www.space.com/17384-dawn-asteroid-spacecraft-leaving-vesta.html

Source: Space.com .





gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Centennial: New Allegheny Observatory Dedication

New 1912 Allegheny Observatory Building

The dedication of the new facility of the Allegheny Observatory in Pittsburgh occurred one hundred years ago on 1912 August 28. However, it took many years to reach the day when well-known astronomer and telescope-maker, and Chairman of the Observatory Committee, John Brashear made the address presenting the new Observatory building to the Trustees of the University of Pittsburgh.

The original Allegheny Observatory opened with first light in the 13-inch Fitz Refractor Telescope (then, the third largest telescope in the world !) on 1861 November 27. The small observatory building had been built on a hill overlooking the business districts of Allegheny City (annexed to Pittsburgh in 1907 and now Pittsburgh's North Side) and, just across the Allegheny River, Pittsburgh.

By the end of the nineteenth century, smoke from Pittsburgh's growing industries made the sky, at the original observatory site, difficult for astronomical research. John Brashear started the long campaign to build a new, larger observatory, further from the industrial smoke.

At that time, Allegheny City was converting farmland, a few miles north of the business district, into a large city park, Riverview Park. John Brashear received approval to build the new observatory on the highest hill in the new park (second highest site in Western Pennsylvania).

When Dr. Brashear's fundraising campaign began the nation was in a recession, caused by the financial panic of 1893. Andrew Carnegie advised him to wait until better financial times saying, "Wait, Brashear, until coke sells at a dollar a ton and we will build the Observatory." So, John Brashear and then-Allegheny Observatory Director James E. Keeler continued making plans and drawings, while waiting for the nation to recover from recession.

Further delay occurred in 1898, when Professor Keeler was offered the directorship of the Lick Observatory in California, and then the outbreak of the Spanish-American War.

The cornerstone for the new observatory building was finally laid Saturday Afternoon, October 20, 1900. It would take nearly twelve years to finish the three-dome building. In the meantime, John Brashear was very busy with other duties.

John Brashear became Acting Director of the Allegheny Observatory, and a little later, Acting Chancellor of the Western University of Pennsylvania (now known as the University of Pittsburgh). Andrew Carnegie also asked him to be a member of the three-person committee to begin planning for what would later become Carnegie Mellon University.

In 1899, Andrew Carnegie donated $20,000 for the observatory project, and Charles M. Schwab, the first President of the U.S. Steel Corporation, arranged for all of the steel for the new observatory building to be contributed by the now-U.S, Steel-owned Carnegie Steel Company. George Westinghouse, who shunned publicity, quietly donated the entire electrical installation for the observatory.

However, by 1905, it became clear that Dr. Brashear still did not have enough funds to complete the observatory. While attending a private dinner with industrialist Henry Clay Frick, Mr. Frick told Dr. Brashear, "Brashear, go and find out what it will cost to finish the building and equipment and I will give you half the amount if you will raise the balance by October 15th."

$65,000 was still needed to raise the nearly $300,000 for the complete project. Due to his wife's failing health, Dr. Brashear was committed to their annual visit to their summer home in Muskoka Lakes, Canada. It was from there that Dr. Brashear, through long-distance correspondence, raised $20,000 for the project. The remaining $12,500, with a few thousand dollars extra, was raised, by Mr. Frick's deadline, after Dr. Brashear returned to Pittsburgh.

With the Astronomical and Astrophysical Society of America holding their annual conference in Pittsburgh in August of 1912, it was decided to hold the dedication of the Allegheny Observatory on Wednesday Afternoon, August 28.

In addition to the original 13-inch Fitz-Clark Refractor Telescope, the new Allegheny Observatory included a 30-inch Keeler Memorial Reflector Telescope, and the huge 30-inch Thaw Memorial Refractor Telescope, the third largest photographic refractor telescope in the world ! More on these historic telescopes:

>>> http://www.pitt.edu/~aobsvtry/telescopes.html

Previously, research observatories would, from time-to-time, allow the public to tour the facility and look through the research telescopes, particularly during special astronomical events such as a bright comet or a lunar eclipse. The idea of a "public observatory" did not begin to be somewhat common until the 1930s, with the advent of astronomical observatories built in conjunction with other public education facilities such as planetaria and science museums. Observatories built in conjunction with Philadelphia's Franklin Institute/Fels Planetarium (1933), Los Angeles' Griffith Observatory and Planetarium (1935), and Pittsburgh's Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science (1941) were the earliest such public observatories.

In his autobiography, John Brashear writes, "In my early struggles to gain a knowledge of the stars, I made a resolution that if ever an opportunity offered or I could make such an opportunity, I should have a place where all the people who loved the stars could enjoy them;...and the dear old thirteen-inch telescope, by the use of which so many discoveries were made, is also given up to the use of the citizens of Pittsburgh, or, for that matter, citizens of the world." With the new Allegheny Observatory containing two new, large research telescopes, there no longer was a major research purpose for the original, smaller telescope, or for that matter, for the construction of a third telescope dome.

However, Dr. Brashear felt so strongly that a telescope should be reserved for public use, he made sure that the original 13-inch telescope was mounted in a third dome designed for public use. Hence, the 1912 Allegheny Observatory building may truly be considered the first "public observatory," constructed in conjunction with a two-dome research observatory!

At John Brashear's insistence, the building also included a public lecture hall. Dr. Brashear took many steps to insure that the public would benefit from the new observatory. Henry Clay Frick agreed to subsidize free-to-the-public, evening tours of the Observatory several nights a week. John Brashear hosted hundreds of members of the public for telescope viewings, in the partially-completed observatory and on the observatory grounds, for viewings of Halley's Comet in 1910.

And, the observatory was located just one block from a major city streetcar line. Hence, today, with the large Thaw Refractor Telescope, the Allegheny Observatory is the largest astronomical observatory within the city limits of a major American city!

The building was built with a compact, three-level (includes two balconies) astronomy library, which is part of the university's library system. Just outside of the library, in the center of the building's marble-lined rotunda, a bronze statue of John Brashear watches over his creation. Urania, the muse of astronomy, displayed in a stained-glass window, keeps Dr. Brashear company. Also adjacent to the rotunda is the Clock Room, which houses the Observatory's official clock.

In the basement is stored the large collection of photographic plates, from decades of telescope observations. These observations have made the Allegheny Observatory a world leader in astrometry, helping determine the precise distances to many stars.

At the base of the Keeler Memorial Reflector Telescope is a crypt, which holds the cremated remains of John Brashear and his wife, along with those of James Keeler, his wife, and his son. The crypt marker for the Brashears includes an epitaph taken from the Sarah Williams poem, "The Old Astronomer to His Pupil," which both Brashears loved:

       "We have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night."

More information on --

Allegheny Observatory: http://www.pitt.edu/~aobsvtry/

John A. Brashear: http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/

Samuel Pierpont Langley: http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/bio/LangleySP.htm

James E. Keeler: http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/bio/KeelerJ.htm

 New Allegheny Observatory History DVD:

>>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/07/pittsburghs-allegheny-observatory.html

 Previous Blog Post --

Pittsburgh's Allegheny Observatory: New History Film:.

>>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/04/pittsburghs-allegheny-observatory-new.html

Source: Friends of the Zeiss.

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Neil Armstrong's Message for California Boy



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San Rafael boy gets letter from Neil Armstrong shortly before astronaut's death


Updated:   08/28/2012 09:42:58 AM PDT

Click photo to enlarge
11-year-old Max Boddington sits with his father Simon in their back yard on Monday, Aug. 27 
 ,...

As the world mourns Neil Armstrong, the first astronaut to walk on the moon, an 11-year-old San Rafael boy has a special reason to miss him -- and a message from the astronaut he will always treasure.
"Sometimes when I look up at the moon, I wonder if my mom and dad are watching me," wrote Max Boddington, whose mother died in 2005 and his father in 2008. He ended his essay, written two years before Armstrong's death on Saturday: "My dream is to meet Neil Armstrong, the world's Number One space hero."
The boy's adoptive mother, Janet Boddington, kept the essay and submitted it to the 2012 Marin County Fair. After it won best of class in the junior creative writing/short essay category, Boddington tracked down
Armstrong online and sent him the essay. On Aug. 1 the astronaut, who commanded the Apollo 11 moon landing on July 20, 1969, emailed her back:"Thanks for sharing Max's essay with me," Armstrong wrote. "It is very poignant and surprisingly erudite for an 11-year-old. ... Tell Max I send him my very best wishes for good luck and success."

More: http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_21416796/san-rafael-boy-gets-letter-from-neil-armstrong

Sources: Marin Independent Journal, San Jose Mercury-News.

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Monday, August 27, 2012

CMU Aids Mars Rover Exploration

 Curiosity: The Next Mars Rover (Artist's Concept)

 

2012 August 27

 

Now that NASA's Curiosity Rover is off and moving along the Mars terrain, we'll talk to the Carnegie Mellon University grads and researchers involved with its development. Tony Stentz, director of the National Robotics Engineering Center at CMU developed the Curiosity's navigation software. Mark Maimone is a Navigation and Machine Vision researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Vandi Tompkins is a CMU graduate and driver for the Mars Exploration Rovers.

 

"Essential Pittsburgh" Radio Program Interview:

>>> http://wesa.fm/content/curiosity-rover-pittsburgh-connection

Source: FM 90.5 WESA Pittsburgh.

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Pioneering astronauts: Where are they now?

NASA's pioneering astronauts: Where are they now?

By The Associated Press
Updated:   08/26/2012 12:10:05 PM PDT


As space exploration has become more common and the number of astronauts has risen past 300, many names have faded into the background. But some will forever be associated with the golden age of space exploration. Some examples:

More: http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_21404146/nasas-pioneering-astronauts-where-are-they-now

Not Mentioned in News Article: James Irwin, Pittsburgh Native Who Walked on the Moon

>>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/bio/Pghastronauts.html#irwin

Sources: Associated Press, San Jose Mercury-News, Friends of the Zeiss.

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Should Politicians Debate Science?

Nonprofit Urges Politicians to Debate Science in 2012

 

sciencedebate.org 

Date: 23 August 2012 Time: 03:47 PM ET





A nonprofit organization is challenging political office hopefuls to debate 14 crucial science questions during the 2012 election.
ScienceDebate, sponsored in part by Scientific American, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Academy of Sciences, among other groups, is dedicated to promoting science and engineering policy. The group has collected thousands of suggested science questions for candidates and then worked with top science organizations to narrow them down to the most important issues facing the United States today.

More: http://www.livescience.com/22647-nonprofit-urges-politicians-debate-science.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Livesciencecom+%28LiveScience.com+Science+Headline+Feed%29

See Also: http://sciencedebate.org/

Sources: LiveScience.com , ScienceDebate.org .

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit

Family, Astronauts, NASA, Nation Mourn Neil Armstrong

FAMILY STATEMENT REGARDING THE DEATH OF NEIL ARMSTRONG

>>> http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/aug/HQ_12_600_armstrong_family.html

Source: NASA. 

 

John Glenn: Neil Armstrong's Skill And Dedication 'Was Just Exemplary'

By MARCIA DUNN 08/25/12 05:50 PM ET AP

John Glenn Neil Armstrong
In this Jan. 25, 2012 photo, Sen. John Glenn speaks during an interview at his office in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete) 
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, said Neil Armstrong dedicated himself to his country and will always be remembered for pioneering the way to the moon.
In a phone interview Saturday with The Associated Press, Glenn said he will miss Armstrong and noted that he was a close friend. The two astronauts – arguably NASA's most famous – both hailed from Ohio.

More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/25/john-glenn-neil-armstrong_n_1830545.html

Sources: Associated Press, Huffington Post.

August 25, 2012 5:07 PM 

Obama, Buzz Aldrin remember Armstrong

 

Updated 5:54 PM ET

(CBS/AP) President Obama and former astronauts Buzz Aldrin, John Glenn and Michael Collins are among those remembering Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, who died Saturday at the age of 82.

More: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57500400/obama-nasa-head-remember-armstrong/

Sources: Associated Press, CBS.

Aug 25, 2012

Obama, Romney hail Neil Armstrong's 'small step' 

 

By Catalina Camia, USA TODAY
Updated 37m ago
NASA
President Obama and Mitt Romney mourned the passing of Neil Armstrong, hailing the first man to walk on the moon as a great American hero.

More: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/08/neil-armstrong-dead-barack-obama-mitt-romney/1#.UDp5CaNgvSM

Source: USA Today.




Colleagues and Stargazers Hail Armstrong After Death

Word of the death of Neil Armstrong on Saturday afternoon triggered a torrent of responses on social media, many of them praising the first man to walk on the moon for his inspirational courage enveloped in a humble demeanor.
Other astronauts, entrepreneurs and stargazers from around the world went online to salute Mr. Armstrong, who died at 82 after heart bypass surgery. NASA posted its condolences on Facebook and Twitter, along with a statement from Charles Bolden, the administrator of the agency, that said in part: “Besides being one of America’s greatest explorers, Neil carried himself with a grace and humility that was an example to us all. When President Kennedy challenged the nation to send a human to the moon, Neil Armstrong accepted without reservation.”

More: http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/25/twitter-reacton-to-neil-armstrong-death/

Source: The New York Times.

NASA Administrator Statement on Neil Armstrong's Death

>>> http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/aug/HQ_12-601_Bolden_Statement.html

Source: NASA.

Previous Blog Posts --

2012 August 25:

1st Man on Moon Dies at 82

>>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/08/1st-man-on-moon-dies-at-82.html

 

2012 August 12:

1st Man on Moon Recovering from Cardiac Bypass Surgery

>>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/08/1st-man-on-moon-recovering-from-cardiac.html

 

2009 July 20:

Glenn A. Walsh's Personal Remembrance of Apollo 11 Mission
>>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/bio/Apolloremembrance.htm

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit

Saturday, August 25, 2012

1st Man on Moon Dies at 82

Neil Armstrong, First Man on the Moon, Is Dead at 82


NASA/Associated Press

Neil Armstrong, photographed inside the lander after the moonwalk on July 20, 1969.
Mr. Armstrong died after complications from cardiovascular procedures, according to a statement from his family. The statement did not say where he died. He lived in Cincinnati.
Mr. Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, capping the most daring of the 20th century’s scientific expeditions. His first words after setting foot on the surface are etched in history books and the memories of those who heard them in a live broadcast.

MORE: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/science/space/neil-armstrong-dies-first-man-on-moon.html?pagewanted=all

Sources: Associated Press, The New York Times.

Related Blog Postings --

2012 August 26:

Family, Astronauts, NASA, Nation Mourn Neil Armstrong

 >>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/08/family-astronauts-nasa-mourn-neil.html

2012 August 12:

1st Man on Moon Recovering from Cardiac Bypass Surgery

>>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/08/1st-man-on-moon-recovering-from-cardiac.html

2009 July 20:
Glenn Walsh's Personal Remembrance of Apollo 11 Mission
>>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/bio/Apolloremembrance.htm 

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit

Friday, August 24, 2012

Free Showing of New Allegheny Observatory Film Sat. Night



There will be a special, free-of-charge showing of the new historical film, "Undaunted, The Forgotten Giants of the Allegheny Observatory,"  on Saturday evening (2012 August 25) at 8:00 p.m. EDT, in Riverview Park, just outside of the Allegheny Observatory, on Pittsburgh's North Side. This is part of Dollar Bank's Cinema in the Park summer film series.

SPECIAL NOTE: Parking  in the vicinity of the Allegheny Observatory will be reserved Saturday evening, for a special event in the Observatory building. People coming by automobile will have to park elsewhere in Riverview Park. Port Authority bus route 8 Perrysville serves a bus stop on Perrysville Avenue at Riverview Avenue, a block from the park entrance and the hillside where the film will be shown.

Following the hour-long historical film, the film "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," will also be shown, beginning at 10:00 p.m EDT. This is the first double-feature for Dollar Bank's Cinema in the Park summer film series.

The showing of "Undaunted, The Forgotten Giants of the Allegheny Observatory" coincides with the centennial of the 1912 August 28 dedication of the new Allegheny Observatory building.

MORE: http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/parks/cinema_in_the_park.htm

Sources: City of Pittsburgh, Friends of the Zeiss.

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit

Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy Launched by UN

Launch of UNESCO-IAU Astronomical Heritage Web Portal

image
A new UNESCO-IAU online Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy has been launched today at the IAU's 28th General Assembly in Beijing, China. The site, which resides at http://www.astronomicalheritage.net, is a dynamic, publicly accessible database, discussion forum and document repository on astronomical heritage sites throughout the world, even if they are not on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

Buildings and monuments relating to astronomy throughout the ages stand as a tribute to the diverse and often complex ways in which people have rationalized the cosmos and framed their actions in accordance with their understanding of it. This includes, but is by no means restricted to, the development of modern science.
MORE: http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=38273

Portal to the Heritage of Astronomy: http://www2.astronomicalheritage.net/

Sources: International Astronomical Union, SpaceRef.com

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Mars Landing Site Named For Ray Bradbury; Test Drive

Curiosity Begins Driving at Bradbury Landing

August 22, 2012:  NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has begun driving from its landing site, which scientists announced today they have named for the late author Ray Bradbury.
Making its first movement on the Martian surface, Curiosity's drive combined forward, turn and reverse segments. This placed the rover roughly 20 feet (6 meters) from the spot where it landed 16 days ago.

Bradbury Landing (splash)
This panorama shows the tire tracks from Curiosity's first test drive. On Aug. 22, 2012, the rover made its first move, going forward about 15 feet (4.5 meters), rotating 120 degrees and then reversing about 8 feet (2.5 meters). Curiosity is about 20 feet (6 meters) from its landing site, now named Bradbury Landing. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech [Full image and caption] [Latest images]

MORE: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/22aug_bradbury/

Source: NASA Science News

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Monday, August 20, 2012

Curiosity Laser Zaps 1st Martian Rock

August 19, 2012:  NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has fired its laser for the first time on Mars. On Aug. 19th the mission's ChemCam instrument hit a fist-sized rock named "Coronation" with 30 pulses of its laser during a 10-second period. Each pulse delivers more than a million watts of power for about five one-billionths of a second.

The energy from the laser creates a puff of ionized, glowing plasma. ChemCam catches the light with a telescope and analyzes it with three spectrometers for information about what elements are in the rock. The spectrometers record 6,144 different wavelengths of ultraviolet, visible and infrared light.
"We got a great spectrum of Coronation -- lots of signal," said ChemCam Principal Investigator Roger Wiens of Los Alamos National Laboratory, N.M. "Our team is both thrilled and working hard, looking at the results. After eight years building the instrument, it's payoff time!"

Curiosity Zaps a Rock (splash)
This composite image, with magnified insets, depicts the first laser test by the ChemCam, instrument aboard NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL/CNES/IRAP [Full image and caption] [Latest images]

MORE: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/19aug_curiosity3/

Source: NASA Science News

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >

Saturday, August 18, 2012

NASA Strategic Direction Study: Glenn Walsh's Public Comments

2012 August 17

Public comments submitted, 2012 August 17, by Glenn A. Walsh for the National Research Council's independent study of NASA's Strategic Direction:

1. Name and identity

Glenn Walsh

Former Astronomical Observatory Coordinator and Planetarium Lecturer, Original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, Pittsburgh

I explained astronomy and the space sciences to the general public and to school groups, at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium.

2. Contact information

E-mail: gaw@planetarium.cc

Telephone: 412-561-7876

3. NASA's Vision, Mission and Strategic Direction.
QUESTION: What is your understanding and opinion of NASA's current vision, mission and strategic direction? If you think NASA's vision, mission and strategic direction should be different from the above, please state what they should be and why.

ANSWER:
As a publicly-funded agency, I regret that NASA's vision, mission, and strategic direction often fluctuates with the desires of the Federal Administration, Congress, and the American People. Yet, in a democracy it is certainly understandable, and I would even say desirable, that the people have proper oversight and direction over any publicly-funded agency, and certainly an agency as important as NASA.

I would suggest that it might improve the effectiveness of NASA if the Federal Administration and Congress would agree on a ten-year plan for NASA. Such a plan would satisfy the very legitimate need for proper public oversight and direction of NASA, while allowing NASA to better plan its projects and activities.

4. Budget
QUESTION: In your opinion, should NASA's annual budget (currently about $18 billion) be substantially increased, be substantially decreased, or remain at about the current level – and why? [In responding to this question, assume that an increase in NASA's budget would require reduction(s) elsewhere in the federal budget and, conversely, that a decrease in NASA's budget would enable increased funding elsewhere in the federal budget.]

ANSWER:
Along with my suggestion in item number 3, the NASA budget should be agreed-to as part of a ten-year plan. Hence, NASA would be assured of how much money they have to plan their projects and activities.

With the shift to the promotion of a more robust commercial space program, which I completely agree with and strongly support, NASA's resources should shift to projects that would not likely be supported by a commercial space program. Primarily, this would be planetary space research and public education.

NASA should now concentrate on basic scientific research, which would provide the scientific knowledge needed for future expansion into the solar system. Most applied research should be left to the commercial space entities.

Hence, future NASA budgets (and the ten-year plan budget that I propose and support) should be based on NASA's needs for such a basic research thrust, as well as on their needs to effectively educate the public on the importance of our future in outer space.

5. Human Component of Space Exploration.
QUESTION: In your opinion, what is the relative value of a space exploration program (to low-Earth orbit and beyond) that includes humans as compared to a space exploration program that is conducted exclusively with robotic, uncrewed spacecraft and rovers? That is, to what extent does a human presence add value to a space exploration program, and is it worth the cost and risk?

ANSWER:
Human exploration of outer space is extremely important to the future of our civilization. This is the reason I strongly support a robust, manned commercial space program. A government-only manned space program will not have the resources to move people into outer space as rapidly as I believe needs to happen. I wrote a short commentary on these views for the 2005 June issue of The Planetarian, the quarterly journal of the International Planetarium Society:

>>> http://buhlplanetarium2.tripod.com/IPS/Planetarian2.htm

First, NASA should use its resources to maintain major space infrastructure investments already made by the United States of America. This would include the International Space Station and, possibly, the Hubble Space Telescope. The resources needed to access and use the International Space Station must be expended, to be sure these infrastructure investments will not be wasted.

NASA should consider contracting-out these duties to private vendors. A private vendor may be able to bring down the price to a more reasonable level, including another maintenance visit to Hubble.

Finally, NASA needs to spend more resources on determining how men and women can safely work and travel in space. Determining the facilities and strategies needed to ensure that the human body can safely work and travel in the space environment is extremely important for the future of mankind in space.

For instance, until "Star Trek"-type spaceship gravity can be invented, it may be wise to have people living on large space stations orbiting the Moon or Mars, which rotate to provide the needed gravity. These people would commute to the planet's surface for exploration, mining, and other scientific or commercial purposes and commute back to the space station at the end of their work day.

In addition to gravity, protection from cosmic rays is another major challenge to human use of space that NASA should spend resources to work on.

6. NASA Communications
QUESTION: Do you feel that NASA is very good, moderately good or not very good at communicating its vision, mission and strategic direction to its stakeholders, including the public? Why? How do you obtain information about NASA (TV news, websites, Twitter or other social media, etc.). If you think NASA's communication strategy needs improvement, what specifically do you recommend? Why?

ANSWER:
I have been receiving news releases and other information from NASA since the 1970s, when I was General Manager of a very small, educational radio station near White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia:

>>> http://johnbrashear.tripod.com/wlcr.html

In addition to news releases, NASA sent us phonograph records which included the weekly radio program, "The Space Story," which was hosted by Willard Scott.

Additionally, they sent us a news release informing us that they would provide a toll-free telephone number for updated news reports regarding the Viking missions to Mars in 1976. So, we were able to inexpensively broadcast these NASA news reports to the summer campers of Camp Shaw-Mi-Del-Eca, the owner of this educational radio station.

I received similar support from NASA in the 1980s and early 1990s, when I was Astronomical Observatory Coordinator and a Planetarium Lecturer at Pittsburgh's original Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science.

During the latter half of the 1990s, when I served as a Life Trustee on the Board of Trustees of the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, I was able to obtain for the Library a free subscription to the monthly "NASA Tech Briefs" magazine.

So, I have been very pleased with NASA's commitment, over the years, to public education.

Today, I receive NASA news releases, including NASA Science News reports, through my e-mail subscriptions. I also visit NASA web sites frequently.

While I understand the limited resources available, I urge NASA to continue the public outreach I have experienced over the last 40 years. The future of our civilization is in outer space, and it is essential that the public understands that this is where, potentially, thousands of new jobs, both scientific and commercial, will be created.

7. International Collaboration
QUESTION: Should the United States conduct future human space exploration efforts on its own, like the Apollo program, or should the United States conduct such efforts as collaborative international efforts, like the International Space Station? If you recommend the latter approach, should the United States insist on taking the lead role? Why?

ANSWER:
International collaboration in space and scientific exploration and research is always preferable, where possible. The International Space Station is an excellent example of how well such collaborations can work.

There may be some areas of space and science exploration and research where the United States of America should go it alone. National security would probably be the primary example of this. However, such national security space and science exploration and research should be conducted through DARPA, while NASA continues such research in non-national security areas.

At this point in time, I do think that the United States of America should take the lead in most international collaborations. As future use in outer space will result in, potentially, thousands of new jobs. I, certainly, would like to see a lot of those jobs going to Americans.

Further, as commercial and real estate developments begin to proliferate in outer space, I strongly believe that most of these developments should promulgate American values of democracy and free enterprise. Without American leadership, other political and economic systems could become predominant in outer space, such as China's system of authoritarianism and "state capitalism." This would be a tragedy for both the United States of America and for the future of mankind in outer space.

8. Commercial Space Ventures
QUESTION: Should NASA and the federal government continue current efforts to encourage the development of a commercial space industry as is, or should it either curtail or expand these efforts? What specific actions would you recommend? Why?

ANSWER:
NASA and the Federal Government should absolutely expand efforts to encourage the development of a major commercial space industry. Outer space is our future, and the United States of America needs a major commercial space industry to successfully bring the benefits of space exploration and research to the American people.

Government space programs will never have the resources to truly exploit the opportunities of outer space. As with all other areas of society, it is important that government make the infrastructure and other investments necessary to allow commercial enterprises to blossom. Such a collaboration between government and industry will make a very promising future for mankind in space, as well as for the United States of America.

Source: Friends of the Zeiss

MORE INFORMATION ON NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL INDEPENDENT STUDY OF THE NASA STRATEGIC DIRECTION:

>>> http://sites.nationalacademies.org/DEPS/ASEB/DEPS_067029?ssSourceSiteId=SSB

ALSO SEE FIRST BLOG POSTING:

Your Chance to Tell NASA What It Should Do

>>> http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/2012/08/your-chance-to-tell-nasa-what-it-should.html

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh, Project Director,
Friends of the Zeiss < http://friendsofthezeiss.org >
Electronic Mail - < gawalsh@planetarium.cc >
SPACE & SCIENCE NEWS, ASTRONOMICAL CALENDAR:
  < http://buhlplanetarium.tripod.com/#news >
Twitter: < http://twitter.com/spacewatchtower >
Facebook: < http://www.facebook.com/pages/SpaceWatchtower/238017839577841?sk=wall >
Blog: < http://spacewatchtower.blogspot.com/ >
Author of History Web Sites on the Internet --
* Buhl Planetarium, Pittsburgh:
  < http://www.planetarium.cc >
* Adler Planetarium, Chicago:
  < http://adlerplanetarium.tripod.com >
* Astronomer, Educator, Optician John A. Brashear:
  < http://johnbrashear.tripod.com >
* Andrew Carnegie & Carnegie Libraries:
  < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc >
* Civil War Museum of Andrew Carnegie Free Library:
  < http://garespypost.tripod.com >
* Duquesne Incline cable-car railway, Pittsburgh:
  < http://inclinedplane.tripod.com >
* Public Transit:
  < http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit >