Category Archives: BLOG

First Successful Nonstop Balloon Flight around the World 3/20/99

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The first successful nonstop balloon flight around the world was completed TODAY March 20 in 1999.

Piloted by Brian Jones and Bertrand Piccard, the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon became the first balloon flight to complete it’s mission to fly nonstop around the world on Saturday, March 20, 1999.

Todays information was found at this terrific EXPLORING EARTH sitearrow down   https://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/navigation/home.cfm

Check out the details of this historic flight by clicking on the balloon picture below.

© Breitling
© Breitling

© Breitling

“Around-the-world ballooning is a sophisticated enterprise. It uses specially designed balloons that are nearly ten stories tall, high-tech gondolas for the crew and flight equipment, and numerous experts on the ground at mission control.”

This is very interesting Stuff! HOW do you think the pilots steer these huge balloons?

“Balloons are carried by the wind, so pilots have no direct control over their speed and direction. To steer, the pilot moves the balloon up or down in altitude to catch winds with the desired speed and direction.”  Click on the picture below to see how 

ballooning map NOAA
South America ballooning map NOAA

“An understanding of global wind patterns, particularly the jet stream, is critical for around-the-world balloon flight.”

If you really want to understand and learn more about how winds determine flight patterns and so much more check out :
SALTY, NOAA’s bird on the links to the right or click on his picture here:

Salty NOAA Bird
Salty

NOAA stands for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Imagine flying your own Balloon Nonstop around the world…

What does George Washington and St Patrick’s Day have in Common?

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Can you guess what does George Washington and St Patrick’s Day have in Common?

George_Washington_dollar

George Washington’s  General Order of March 16, 1780, granting Saint Patrick’s Day as a holiday to the troops

In 1780 during the Revolutionary War, George Washington signed a General Order of March 16, 1780, granting Saint Patrick’s Day as a holiday to the troops.   Irish_clover

CLICK on George Washington’s picture to see the actual Saint Patrick’s Day Order he wrote in his own handwriting.  The document you will see is from the National Archives…a really cool place to check out all kinds of interesting history. 

 

 

http://docsteach.org/documents/300356/print

 

 

Go Fly a Kite? At the Smithsonian? Sure!

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Smithsonianhttp://www.si.edu/

The gang is checking out cool places to explore this year. One of the Best is the Smithsonian in Washington DC and New York City.   So what does flying a kite have to do with a museum…a little bit about that in a minute.

Smithsonian

The Smithsonian is 19 world-class museums and a zoo—plus 9 research centers!  What better place to have an Adventure.  Imagine satisfying your Curiosity by Exploring fascinating diverse museums. So many new mind blowing Discoveries to be made!  The hard part will be deciding what to do and see in the time available during your visit.

If you and your family are looking for a terrific vacation that everyone can enjoy then do what the CAE Discovery Club gang is doing.  Add the Smithsonian as a possible destination for your trip.  Planning is half the fun and there is even a special website with great Kid/Family suggestions:  http://www.si.edu/Visit/Kids

Blossom Kite Festival

kitefestcropped

While the gang was researching the trip, Billy found out that this spring, during the National Cherry Blossom Festival, there is a Kite Flying Festival.  This festival has been going on for 50 years.

 “The National Cherry Blossom Festival is kicking off kite season and celebrating 50 years of kite flying on the National Mall! Carrying the legacy of the Smithsonian Kite Festival which first took place in 1967, the sixth annual Blossom Kite Festival showcases the creativity of kite makers and skill of fliers from across the US and other countries through a variety of competitions and demonstrations.” 

Blossom Kite Festival Apr 2, 2016  Time: 10 AM – 4:30 PM
Location: Grounds of the Washington Monument near 17th Street NW and Constitution Avenue Cost: FREE        

http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/blossom-kite-festival/

Check out all of the museums listed below and each of their special focuses;

Torben is already planning his visit to the Air and Space Museum !planes at air and space museum

D.C. Metro Area

New York City

Start Exploring all the topics the Smithsonian covers Now http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia

After you check out all that the Smithsonian has to offer, come back here and share all the places You want to go during your visit.   

Topics

Star Tool Box at NASA

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Hi Gang!   Just had to share this site I just found – Star Tool Box at NASA:  http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/StarToolBox   It’s Solar System Exploration and beyond!

This site is AWESOME!  You could spend hours exploring this site; it is filled with fun and fascinating information.

The following is a post from Jane Houston Jones at NASA:

Find NASA tools and resources for armchair astronomers as well as for solar system and deep sky observers. Check back often as different members of our team populate the toolbox with their favorite tried and true resources!

By Jane Houston Jones

Welcome to NASA’s Star Toolkit! Each month we’ll provide content related to significant astronomical happenings and useful links.

Here are informational links for the targets mentioned in NASA’s October What’s Up Astronomy Podcast. This monthI’m listing my Top Ten favorite observing targets (in reverse order). Most can be seen without a telescope!

Here’s a little more information on each object:

10-Tease_sun_TenAs the sun sets, watch its color. At sunset and sunrise, NASA’s Sun-Earth Page

9-Tease_nine1This is called Earth Shadow, or the Belt of Venus.

8-Tease_8Also just after sunset (or before dawn) you may see rays of sunlight spread like a fan. These are crepuscular rays, formed when sunlight streams through gaps in clouds or mountains.

7-Tease_7The bright flowing lights of the aurora borealis, or northern lights, are the result of collisions between gaseous particles in Earth’s atmosphere with charged particles released from the sun. Check the Space Weather

6-Tease_6The Andromeda Galaxy is one of the few galaxies you can actually see with your naked eye. In October, look nearly overhead after sunset. The galaxy is more than twice the apparent width of the moon – so big that it barely fits in the field of view of a telescope at medium magnification. Check out Hubble’s View

5-Tease_51Monday October 19 is Astronomy Night at the White House, and the days around the 19th are excellent nights to view features on the moon such as the Sea of Tranquility and the site of the 1969 Apollo 11 landing. Moon Landing Sites

4-Tease_4This month the European Space Agency’s Rosetta MissionEuropean Space Agency’s Rosetta Mission target, comet 67P Churyumov-Gerasimenko, is still bright enough for experienced astronomers to pick out in a dark sky. You will definitely need a telescope to see this faint comet.

3-Tease_3There are meteor showers galore this month – The faint, slow moving Draconids on the 9th, the slow, super-bright Taurids on the 10th, and the swift and bright Orionids from the dust of Comet Halley on the 21st. More: NASA’s All-Sky Fireball Network and Meteoroid Environment Office

2-Tease_2On October 28th, you’ll find a tight pairing of Jupiter, Venus and Mars in the Eastern sky before sunrise.

1-Tease_1I’ll end this list with my very favorite astronomical sight — the Zodiacal Light. It’s a faint triangular glow seen from dark skies after sunset or before sunrise. What we’re seeing is sunlight reflecting off dust grains that circle the sun in the inner solar system! These dust grains travel the same pathway — called the ecliptic — as the moon and planets as they journey across our sky.

Be sure to check out this site for yourself: http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/StarToolBox

Let your Curiosity be satisfied – go Explore the site and Discover our solar system and deep space. Can Adventure by far behind?

After all that is what being a CAE Discovery club member is all about: Curiosity, Adventure, Exploration and Discovery!

Tonight watch a DRAGON chase after CATS

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Tonight watch a DRAGON chase after CATS

 NASA’s Cloud-Aerosol Transport System, or CATS 57_dragon no firelaunched Jan 6, 2015 for International Space Station (ISS) from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. 

 TONIGHT (actually early tomorrow morning)                                            Saturday, Jan. 10 at approximately 4:47 a.m. Eastern time, the Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to send the unpiloted DRAGON cargo ship to the International Space Station.

 “SpaceX will make its next attempt to launch the Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida to send the unpiloted DRAGON cargo ship to the International Space Station on Saturday, Jan. 10. Launch time is approximately 4:47 a.m. Eastern time. NASA TV coverage will begin at 3:30 a.m. Eastern time.

A launch on Saturday would result in Dragon arriving at the station for its grapple on Monday, Jan. 12 at approximately 6 a.m. Eastern time.” …

posted in Cargo Resupply (CRS) on January 7, 2015 by NASA.                            [https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacex/2015/01/07/next-spacex-launch-attempt-saturday-jan-10/  ]                                                                                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“CATS – Mission Overview

NASA’s Cloud-Aerosol Transport System, or CATS, is a lidar remote-sensing instrument that will extend profile measurements of atmospheric aerosols and clouds from the International Space Station (ISS). The CATS payload will improve our understanding of aerosol and cloud properties and interactions, as well as improve climate change models. CATS is specifically intended to demonstrate a low-cost, streamlined approach to developing ISS science payloads. “                                   from www.nasa.gov

To learn more about CATS check out:

http://www.nasa.gov/content/cloud-aerosol-transport-system/#.VLCvvivF-Sr

 While there poke around the NASA site for more info on the DRAGON cargo ship and other terrific NASA programs. 

 And if you want to play games while waiting for the spaceship lift off, check out the NASA for KIDS link on the left.

 

Tonight April 15 2014 – Total Eclipse of the Moon!

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http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/watchtheskies/lunar-eclipse-2014.html

Check out the link above to explore and learn all about lunar eclipses.

NASA has exciting information. If you can stay up on April 15 till 1 a.m. EDT you will see the beginning of the lunar eclipse of the moon which takes about 4 hours to reach the end of the  eclipse (approximately 5 a.m. EDT).

Approximately 3:00 am should show our beautiful white moon all red when it is fully eclipsed…the color comes from the moon reflecting all the sunsets all across our planet earth all at the same time…WOW!

According to NASA’s website “A live Ustream view of the lunar eclipse will be streamed on this page on the night of the event, courtesy of Marshall Space Flight Center. The feed will feature a variety of lunar eclipse views from telescopes around the United States.” 

Go out and look up or check out these links to NASA’s terrific website.  Check out the videos to learn more or watch the live stream to see this unusual event live in the comfort of your home.

Can’t wait to hear about your April 15th total eclipse of the moon experience.

“A live Ustream view of the lunar eclipse will be streamed on this page on the night of the event, courtesy of Marshall Space Flight Center. The feed will feature a variety of lunar eclipse views from telescopes around the United States.”

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-msfc

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/6539981

 

No Soap Shower: Perseid meteor shower

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According to NASA (www.nasa.gov)the Annual Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight Aug. 11-12 2013.
Rates can get as high as 100 per hour, with many fireballs visible in the night sky.
Early in the evening, a waxing crescent moon will interfere slightly with this year’s show, but it will have set by the time of the best viewing, just before dawn.
The best opportunity to see Perseids is during the dark, pre-dawn hours of Aug. 12. Check out www.nasa.gov for more detailed info on Perseid meteor shower and other “out of this world” cool NASA stuff!

SO COOL…join the C.A.E.Discovery Club Gang outside TONIGHT Aug 11, 2013 from 11 p.m. EDT and running through 3 a.m., lay down and look up for one of natures amazing shows
Or you can watch live stream and forget the bug spray.

Star Snacks

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Zippy Turtle strongly suggested yummy Snacks be a part of the gangs’ GLOBE at Night citizen scientist project and Gertrude Duck chimed in “I know just the thing, STAR SNACKS!”. Friday night the gang and their parents are all going to meet in the meadow to star gaze again and see what they can see.   The rest of the gang enthusiastically agreed that STAR SNACKS are just the thing to eat on a star gazing night, of course since it’s going to be dark they all agreed that this time they’d dip them in white chocolate to make them easier to find in the dark and look like stars at night. Gertrude’s mother offered to have the gang over early Friday night  so everyone could have fun making the STAR SNACKS for their big night tomorrow.  Get in on the fun and make STAR SNACKS for your Globe at Night event!

Would you like to make them too for your own family’s GLOBE at Night citizen scientist project?  Check out the recipe below and join in on the fun and yummyiness:

TONIGHT! “GLOBE at Night” citizen scientists are reporting all over the globe

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Wow, what a clear beautiful night observing Venus and Jupiter so close together and BRILLIANT in the dark sky.  Even with all the street lights around the stars were so bright in the clear sky.  After logging in our “citizen scientists” observations we were able to see the vast loggins of sky observations from all around the world.  By just clicking on the list you are brought right to the location on the map of the observation logged.  How cool to realize so many people are participating all around the world with the same objective and in this little way to be able to touch one another so far away.

Ready to be a Globe at Night citizen scientist?

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The gang is excited and getting ready to be GLOBE at Night citizen scientists!

The whole neighborhood is interested and it is turning into a real family event. Tuesday March 13 through – Thursday March 22   2012, at night when it is dark, the gang and their families are planning to observe and record at http://www.globeatnight.org/webapp/  the magnitude of visible stars as a means of measuring light pollution in the very spot where they are standing.  And since it only really takes about 15-30 minutes to complete, it leaves more time for star gazing.

Do YOU and you family want to get in on the fun and be Night citizen scientists too?  Check out this link http://www.globeatnight.org/pdf/GaNActivityPacket_Family_2012_Orion.pdf                                              to download your free “Family Activity Packet: Observation Guide” and get ready to be a part of a Global Event!

Then come back here to the clubhouse and share what you observed.  Think how cool it will be to read what different members of the gang from around the world saw from where they stood.