December 1, 2004

NASA @ Your Library - Currently at the Natrona County Library
Interested in astronauts, robots and experiments in space? How about anti-shock trousers, fire in zero gravity and life on the space station MIR? Find out about these topics and more at the NASA @ your library exhibit at Natrona County Public Library through December 12, and the Laramie County Public Library December 13 - January 24. This traveling exhibit consists of six computers programmed with variety of short presentations on different aspects of NASA and space exploration. Free and open to the public during normal library hours. For more information, visit the Natrona County Public Library website.

December 3, 2004

Friday, December 3 at 7pm: TELESCOPES Astronomy Series.
Friday, December 17 at 7pm: ASTRONOMICAL MYTHOLOGY Astronomy Series
Join a Nature Center Amateur astronomer for a 60-90 minute indoor program and sky viewing every first and third Friday of the month through April 2005. Bring your own binoculars or telescopes to share. Due to space constraints, groups of 10 or more must call in advance to make arrangements for a class. For more information, visit the Eagle River Nature Center website.

December 11, 2004

Incorporating Astronomy Into Reading, Writing, Social Studies, Art and Music
Date: Saturday, December 11, 2004
Time: 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Julie Lutz, associate director of the NASA Washington Space Grant Consortium
Location: The Museum of Flight in Seattle
Program Length: Four hours
Astronomy, or any science, can be integrated into many other subject areas, with one aiding greater understanding and retention of the other. Using astronomy to teach reading, writing, social studies, art and music can enhance the study of these subjects and satisfy many of the level one and two benchmarks of the Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs). This workshop will focus on a variety of astronomy subjects including day and night, the seasons, stars and the solar system, and will offer techniques and activities to incorporate these subjects into other disciplines. Participants will receive the materials and skills needed to institute this unique approach to astronomy in their own classrooms.
Fee: No charge for Museum members; $25 for all others. The fee for Washington state clock-hours credit is $2 per hour, payable on arrival.
For more information, visit the Museum of Flight website.

December 13, 2004

NASA @ Your Library - Currently at the Laramie County Library
Interested in astronauts, robots and experiments in space? How about anti-shock trousers, fire in zero gravity and life on the space station MIR? Find out about these topics and more at the NASA @ your library exhibit at Natrona County Public Library through December 12, and the Laramie County Public Library December 13 - January 24. This traveling exhibit consists of six computers programmed with variety of short presentations on different aspects of NASA and space exploration. Free and open to the public during normal library hours. For more information, visit the Laramie County Public Library website.

December 21, 2004

Ancient Observatories: Chaco Canyon Webcast
Live from the Exploratorium
Join the Live@ crew and NASA scientists as we delve into the ancient knowledge of the Chacoans, daily sky watchers who amassed a great knowledge about the movements of the sun. Find out what they knew, and how they used this knowledge to create sophisticated monuments to the sun.

Today, astronomers and solar physicists continue to watch the sun using modern ground-based observatories and orbiting space telescopes. Learn why this work is important, and why solar research is still so vital.
For more information, please visit www.sunearthday.nasa.gov

December 21, 2004

Winter Solstice Special Event
Eplore the science behind the shortest day of the year. From noon to 3pm, you can discover a variety of sunshine activities that you can practice at home. For more information, visit the Imaginarium website.

December 22, 2004

Bits, Bytes, and Pieces Special Event
Have you ever wanted to take apart a computer? Here's your change to do it with the help from our Science Guides. You'll learn about computer guts while creating new gadgest, toys and works of art out of their insides. For more information, visit the Imaginarium website.

December 24, 2004

Cassini-Huygens Mission, Huygens Probe descends onto Titan
The Cassini spacecraft entered Saturn's orbit in July of 2004 and began mapping Saturn's largest moon Titan, with it's cloud-penetrating imaging system. Titan is the only moon in the solar system with its own atmosphere. On December 24, 2004, Cassini will eject the Huygens probe for a 22-day coast and descent into Titan's cloudy atmosphere. Instruments on board will collect information about the atmosphere's chemical composition and the clouds surrounding Titan. About two hours after entering Titan's atmosphere, the probe will land near the moon's equator on January 14, 2005. If Huygens probe survives the impact, it might be able to communicate with the spacecraft for a few minutes after landing on the frozen surface of Titan. Huygens will be the furthest human-made object ever to land on a celestial body. This is a joint European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA mission. For more information go to the NASA Cassini-Huygens Mission website or the ESA Huygens Mission website.

December 24, 2004, Saturn
Contact: NASA Cassini-Huygens Mission website