“Science is Real” by They Might Be Giants
My new favorite-est song.
Perseid Meteor Shower for 2009
August 10-12 will probably be the best viewing opportunities for this year’s Perseid meteor shower. Universe Today has a good article on this year’s light show.
Additional information can be found at the American Meteor Society website. I recommend spending some time at this site. You can even log your meteor sightings here, and see the record of sightings in various areas.
NASA maintains a listing of After School Astronomy Clubs if you are interested.
XCOR Aerospace Releases Video of 2008 X-Racer Prototype
The XCOR Aerospace X-Racer Prototype was built for the Rocket Racing League and was flown at AirVenture 2008. Universe Today released this article which includes two videos of the plane.
The first video is an on-board camera split screen. The second video is a music video of a typical operational day.
Texas Education Agency has posted final version of Science TEKS
The final version of Texas’ new Science TEKS have been posted on the TEA website. These TEKS take effect in the 2010-2011 school year. Click here to go to the TEA Science TEKS Website.
Texas Education Agency has posted draft TEKS for Social Studies
I know what you’re thinking. “Isn’t Unklar a science teacher?” I’m still interested in the other disciplines, though, and the social studies curriculum in Texas has been a hot topic lately. Here is the link to the draft TEKS.
Plain on Saturn’s moon Titan to be Named “Chusuk Planitia” from Frank Herbert’s “Dune”
Photo Credit: USGS
Scientists have agreed to name the plains (called planitia) on Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, after planets from Frank Herbert’s literary series “Dune.” More information here.
Launch Your Own Personal Satellite!
Picture credit: InterOrbital.com
Be the first on your block to own your own personal satellite. For only $8000 (PayPal accepted), you can put your own satellite into a self-decaying orbit. More information can be found here. This opportunity is brought to you by the folks at Interorbital Systems in Mojave CA.
Video: Can a Vortex Cannon Blow Over a House of Straw? a House of Sticks? a House of Bricks?
I use a smaller, hand-held vortex cannon in my physics instruction, but the students are always wanting to build a bigger one. This YouTube video might just inspire me to do just that this year.
Famous Tool Bag From Space to Reenter the Atmosphere on 8-3-2009
Image from NASA TV
The most famous tool bag in history will reenter the Earth’s atmosphere on 8-3-2009. More information here.
US Army eCybermission
Four student teams earned national titles in the U.S. Army’s eCYBERMISSION program July 2, 2009 in a ceremony that showcased the students’ science, math and technology skills while earning those on the winning teams $5,000 in Savings Bonds. eCYBERMISSION is a free, web-based, science, math and technology competition managed from the Research, Development and Engineering Command on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. The program awarded a total of $1.2 million to 6th through 9th grade students on 96 teams that won at some level of the competition. National winners for eCYBERMISSION won $5,000 in U.S. EE Savings Bonds, in addition to the $3,000 in U.S. EE Savings Bonds they won for being among the 16 regional first-place winners. Members of the other 12 finalist teams received $3,500 in U.S. EE Savings Bonds for competing at the eCYBERMISSION National Judging and Educational Event, which is a free series of educational enrichment activities and events for national finalists held in Washington, D.C. For more information visit the eCYBERMISSION web site, https://ecybermission.apgea.army.mil/.
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