Astrobiology-Scientific Ballooning 2011-13: Saturday, 12/31! GRAIL reaches the moon, hopefully!

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Saturday, 12/31! GRAIL reaches the moon, hopefully!

Happy New Year, all!

In case you didn't know, the GRAIL twin satellites are, hopefully inserting into orbit around the Moon, studying the gravitational field of Earth's moon. Aboard these 2 satellites are 8 cameras (4 on each) that students from around the world will be operating, taking photos from about 30-35 miles above! The program is called MoonKAM. If you are interested, email me! We will be participating!

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Scientific Ballooning Webqust

Answer the questions below after going to the given URL.

Go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/space/short-history-of-ballooning.html

In what year was the first balloon flight to lift a “payload?”

What was that payload?

Go to http://www.howstuffworks.com/transport/flight/modern/hot-air-balloon.htm

What is the mass of a cubic foot of air?

Go to http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/flight/modern/hot-air-balloon1.htm

Look at the diagram of the hot air balloon. Which part represents the “payload” you sent up in your balloon?

Go to http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/flight/modern/hot-air-balloon5.htm

What is the force of air pressure at sea level?

Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Scientific_Balloon_Facility

What is the record for a long-duration balloon flight?

Go to https://sites.google.com/site/ucsdnearspaceballoon/previous-launches/december-6-2008

What is the payload used in this balloon launch?

Go to https://sites.google.com/site/ucsdnearspaceballoon/previous-launches/november-7-2009

What did the students of Lincoln High School study with their project?

What about Helix Charter High School?

Go to https://sites.google.com/site/ucsdnearspaceballoon/previous-launches/november-13-2010 for some awesome ideas for science experiments!

Go to http://www.hotairballooning.com/howfly.php Go to the last paragraph.

What is important to remember about being on a chase team and public property?

Astrobiology Webquest #1

Astrobiology Webquest #1 - Extremophiles

Copy and paste into a Pages document and save to your desktop. When completed, print and hand in.

Go to http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/life/cellular-microscopic/extremophile.htm

1. What is the definition of an “extremophile” and where and when were they first discovered?

2. Scroll down and watch the video about extremophiles that “came from space.” What kinds of extreme conditions did these organisms experience?

Go to http://news.discovery.com/videos/tech-nano-storage.html

3. What kind of material do these extremophiles store?

Go to http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/extremophile.jsp

4. What does a “chemolithotroph” survive on?

5. Where are extremophiles older than planet Earth being found?

Go to http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/microbes/index.jsp

6. Where are some of the places these extremophiles are found? List at least 4.

Go to http://science.psu.edu/news-and-events/1997-news/iceworms.htm

7. Why are these organisms named “methane worms?”

8. What does it mean that it lives symbiotically with bacteria?

Go to http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/research/projects/euk-extreme/

9. Click on halophiles. What is osmotic pressure?

Go to http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=463

10. According to Dr. Lynn Rothschild, what is “life’s solvent?”

11. What is an “anaerobe?”

Go to http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2007/08/nasa-finds-unkn.html

12. Where were extremophiles found in this article?
13. How did they find them?

Go to http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2007/08/ancient-antarct.html

14. How old were the extremophiles that were “brought back to life?”

Go to http://www.astrobio.net/pressrelease/4632/cyborg-snails-produce-electricity

15. What do the snails in this article produce?

http://www.space.com/15045-mercury-water-ice-messenger-spacecraft.html Where has the Messenger spacecraft possibly found water?

Astrobiology-Scientific Ballooning 2011-13

Astrobiology Institute

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Saturday, 12/31! GRAIL reaches the moon, hopefully!

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