EXPEDITION WEEK: Mars: Making the New Earth - Thursday, November 19 at 9PM ET/PT

Corrie Oberdin - Social Media & Digital PR Consultant, sent me a note about some upcoming shows on the National Geographic Channel. One of them has to do with making the environment on Mars more habitable should we ever get around to going there.

While I was at NASA Ames I attended one of the work shops that talked about terraforming Mars. It might be interesting to see what Dr. Chris McKay has to say about the subject.

- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-week/4588/Overview

The notion of bringing Mars to life -- transforming a cold, dry, uninhabitable desert into a living planet -- called terraforming, has been around for almost a century. Initially just a science fiction concept, it has become a subject of serious scientific investigation.

NASA astrobiologist Dr. Chris McKay has spent 30 years researching extreme environments to understand the potential of such planetary engineering. On the surface, the red planet's freeze-dried world of rocks, ice and dust looks like an unlikely place to plant a garden. But rocks and minerals found by the Mars rovers show it must once have had warmer, habitable living conditions. Now, using photorealistic CGI visualizations, we'll make a science fiction dream of Mars -- a world of trees, rivers and blue skies -- a plausible future, bringing it to life after three and a half billion years in a deep freeze.
snip

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/expedition-week/4588/Videos/07257_00#tab-Videos/07257_00
Video "Preview: Mars: Making the New Earth" - An 18,500 foot volcano in Mexico is a living laboratory for NASA scientist Chris McKay as he investigates how to transform Mars from a cold, dead planet into a living world like planet Earth.
-------------------------------------------

A bit about Dr. McKay.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
http://spacescience.arc.nasa.gov/people/mckay/
Principal Scientific Interests and Brief Background:

Dr. Christopher P. McKay, Planetary Scientist with the Space Science Division of NASA Ames. Chris received his Ph.D. in AstroGeophysics from the University of Colorado in 1982 and has been a research scientist with the NASA Ames Research Center since that time. His current research focuses on the evolution of the solar system and the origin of life. He is also actively involved in planning for future Mars missions including human exploration. Chris been involved in research in Mars-like environments on Earth, traveling to the Antarctic dry valleys, Siberia, the Canadian Arctic, and the Atacama desert to study life in these Mars-like environments. His was a co-I on the Titan Huygen's probe in 2005, the Mars Phoenix lander misson for 2007, and the Mars Science Lander mission for 2009.
snip
-------------------------------------------

Dr. McKay on YouTube.
Hmmm, I remember him with a beard, clean shaved here.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
Tiny URL for some YouTube clips found with Google search for Dr. Chris McKay NASA Ames
http://tinyurl.com/yc654sc
-------------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terraforming_of_Mars

The terraforming of Mars is the hypothetical process by which the climate, surface, and known properties of Mars would be deliberately changed with the goal of making it habitable by humans and other terrestrial life, thus providing the possibility of safe and sustainable colonization of large areas of the planet.

Based on experiences with Earth, the environment of a planet can be altered deliberately; however, the feasibility of creating an unconstrained planetary biosphere is undetermined. Several of the methods described below may fall within humanity's current technological capabilities, but at present the economic resources required to execute such methods are far beyond that which any government or society is willing to allocate.

snip
==============================================================
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy

The Mars trilogy is a series of award-winning science fiction novels by Kim Stanley Robinson that chronicle the settlement and terraforming of the planet Mars through the intensely personal and detailed viewpoints of a wide variety of characters spanning almost two centuries. Ultimately, more utopian than dystopian, the story focuses on egalitarian, sociological, and scientific advances made on Mars, while Earth suffers from overpopulation and ecological disaster.

The three novels are Red Mars (1992), Green Mars (1993), and Blue Mars (1996). An additional collection of short stories and background information was published as The Martians (1999). The main trilogy won a number of prestigious awards.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.astrobiology.com/terraforming.html
The Astrobiology Web: Your Online Guide to the Living Universe TM Terraforming
[Some links broken but enough to give you some information. - LRK -]

http://www.astrobiology.com/
http://www.astrobiology.net/
snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

NGC presents ALIEN EARTHS and HAWKING'S UNIVERSE (8/23 at 9 and 10PM ET/PT)

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Overview
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/3898/Overview

Received some information from Minjae Ormes on upcoming space related National Geographic TV programs that she thought might be of interest.
If you don't have access to the programs, at least know that folks are interested in what is out there and trying to inform the public.
- LRK -

---------------------------------------------------------

Hi Larry –
I hope this email finds you well! I wanted to let you know about a couple of upcoming, space-related programs on National Geographic Channel. ALIEN EARTHS and NAKED SCIENCE: HAWKING’S UNIVERSE will air back-to-back on Sunday, August 23.

Below are respective program descriptions, links to the program Website, as well some images and embeddable videos:
[note - left the embedded code out of note - LRK -]

ALIEN EARTHS
Sunday, August 23 at 9PM ET/PT
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Overview
Join leading astronomers on a visual journey beyond our solar system in search of planets like Earth. Using CGI animation, we’ll explore bizarre worlds that stretch our imagination: planets with iron rain and hot ice, with diamonds everywhere, and endless oceans of gas. Planets with abnormal orbital patterns and planets with no pattern at all that drift alone in the Milky Way. Planets so strange we never could have predicted them before. Could life exist there?

Video #1 – Extreme conditions abound on planemos. But spring and fall are just right. Can life survive beyond the Goldilocks Zone?
Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Videos/07058_00

Video #2 – Adrift in space with no star to keep them warm, some planemos still manage to support life.
Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Videos/07059_00

Video #3 – “Planetary zombies” can orbit a pulsar, but radiation makes it impossible for life of any kind to survive on them.
Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Videos/07080_00

On our ALIEN EARTHS program Website, you can also:

Navigate the Planetary Investigation Lab and explore 3D life form rotations, videos, photos and high resolution concept art.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Overview#tab-interactive

Learn about current and future NASA missions, including the Keck Interferometer Telescopes, Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Kepler Mission.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Overview#tab-missions

Check out a photo gallery of the planets, and more.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/alien-earths-3637/Overview03#tab-search-for-earth


NAKED SCIENCE: HAWKING’S UNIVERSE
Sunday, August 23 at 10PM ET/PT
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/3898/Overview
Stephen Hawking is one of the world’s most famous scientists. But ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, has left him almost totally paralyzed and it is progressing. Unable to walk, talk, or write, his only way of communicating is through a computer program that turns a small movement of a finger or the blink of an eye, into words from a vocal synthesizer. But Hawking remains determined to discover a theory of everything, a complete set of rules for the Universe. Where did the Universe come from and where is it going? What is the nature of time?
Will it ever come to an end? This program will explore Hawking’s major contributions to the understanding of our Universe - from his revolutionary proof that our Universe originated in a Big Bang; to his ground breaking discovery that Black Holes are not completely black,
but rather emit radiation and eventually evaporate and disappear, to his insights on string theory. Will he unlock the secret of creation before his time runs out?

Video #1 – No one's found the Theory of Everything yet, but when Hawking discovers that black holes emit radiation, he gets very close.
Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/3898/Videos/07078_00

Video #2 – When Hawking loses his voice to a tracheotomy, new speech software technology keeps his research on track.
Link: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/3898/Videos/07079_00

Please let me know if I can provide you with any additional information. Thank you for your time and have a great week!

Best,
Minjae

snip
http://minjaeormes.com/
---------------------------------------------------------

I hope we continue to have TV programs that inform us about space and help generate an interest exploring the unknown.

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
Next mission to the ISS and NASA letting us know who is going. - LRK -
Stockton CA just up the road from me, maybe one of these Astronauts from your neighborhood.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-149

INDIANA ASTRONAUT TO FLY ON NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, who was born in Portland, Ind., and considers Montpelier, Ind., his hometown, will serve as the pilot on space shuttle Discovery's next mission to the International Space Station.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/aug/HQ_M09-150_Texas_astronaut.html
MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-150

TEXAS ASTRONAUT TO FLY ON NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA astronaut Patrick Forrester, who was born in El Paso, Texas, will make his third journey into orbit on space shuttle Discovery's next mission to the International Space Station.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/aug/HQ_M09-151_California_astronauts.html
MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-151

TWO CALIFORNIA ASTRONAUTS TO FLY ON NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.-- NASA's next space shuttle mission will carry two California- born astronauts into orbit.

Veteran space flier Rick Sturckow, from Lakeside, Calif., will command shuttle Discovery's mission to the International Space Station. Jose Hernandez, who considers Stockton, Calif., his hometown, will make his first trip to space.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/aug/HQ_M09-152_Florida_Astronaut.html
MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-152

FLORIDA NATIVE TO LIVE ABOARD INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Nicole Stott, a native of Clearwater, Fla., will make her first journey into orbit on space shuttle Discovery's upcoming mission to the International Space Station. She will live and work aboard the station for three months.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/aug/HQ_M09-153_Texas_Native_to_Fly_on_Shuttle.html
MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-153

TEXAS NATIVE TO FLY ON NEXT SHUTTLE MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA astronaut Danny Olivas, born and raised in El Paso, Texas, will conduct three spacewalks during the upcoming space shuttle mission to the International Space Station. This is the first shuttle flight to feature two Latino astronauts, Olivas and Jose Hernandez who are both of Mexican descent.

Discovery is targeted to launch at 1:36 a.m. EDT, Aug. 25, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. To cover the launch on-site, U.S. reporters must request Kennedy credentials online at: https://media.ksc.nasa.gov

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/aug/HQ_M09-154_Virginia_Astronaut.html
MEDIA ADVISORY: M09-154

VIRGINIA ASTRONAUT TO FLY ON NEXT SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA astronaut Patrick Forrester, whose hometown is Springfield, Va., will make his third journey into orbit on space shuttle Discovery's next mission to the International Space Station.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2009/aug/HQ_09-187_STS-134_crew.html
RELEASE: 09-187

NASA ASSIGNS CREW FOR STS-134 SHUTTLE MISSION, CHANGE TO STS-132

WASHINGTON -- NASA has assigned the crew for space shuttle mission STS-134 to the International Space Station. The flight will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, or AMS, to the station. The AMS is a state-of-the-art cosmic ray particle physics detector designed to examine fundamental issues about matter and the origin and structure of the universe.

Navy Capt. Mark Kelly will command the STS-134 mission. Retired Air Force Col. Gregory H. Johnson will serve as the pilot. Mission Specialists are Air Force Col. Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff and Andrew Feustel. European Space Agency astronaut and Italian Air Force Col. Roberto Vittori also will serve as a mission specialist.

The flight will include three spacewalks and the installation of the AMS to the exterior of the space station using both the shuttle and station arms. The AMS will be attached to the right side of the station's truss, or backbone.

NASA also has named Air Force Col. Michael Good to replace Karen Nyberg on shuttle Atlantis' STS-132 mission, targeted to launch in May 2010. Nyberg is being replaced due to a temporary medical condition. Nyberg will be assigned to a technical role while she awaits a future assignment.

Kelly previously served as the pilot of STS-108 in 2001 and STS-121 in 2006, and commander for STS-124 in 2008. He was born in Orange, N.J., and considers West Orange, N.J., to be his hometown. Kelly has a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, King's
Point, N.Y., and a master's degree from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.

Johnson previously flew as a pilot on STS-123 in 2008. He was born in South Ruislip, Middlesex, United Kingdom, but graduated from Park Hills High School in Fairborn, Ohio. Johnson has a bachelor's from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and master's degrees from Columbia University and the University of Texas, Austin.

Fincke is a veteran of two long-duration missions aboard the space station. He served as the NASA science officer and flight engineer on Expedition 9, and commander for Expedition 18. He was born in Pittsburgh and considers Emsworth, Pa., his hometown. He has an Associate Science degree from El Camino College in Torrance, Calif., two bachelor's degrees from the assachusetts Institute of Technology, and master's degrees from Stanford University and the University of Houston - Clear Lake.

Chamitoff, also a veteran of a long-duration spaceflight, served as NASA science officer and a flight engineer on Expeditions 17 and 18. He was born in Montreal and grew up in San Jose, Calif. He holds a bachelor's degree from California Polytechnic State University, a master's degree from the California Institute of Technology, a second master's degree from UHCL and a doctorate from MIT.

STS-134 is the second mission for Feustel, who flew as a mission specialist on STS-125 in May. He has an Associate Science degree from Oakland Community College, Mich., a bachelor's and a master's degree from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., and a doctorate from Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Feustel considers Lake Orion, Mich., his hometown.

Vittori is a veteran of two prior spaceflights to the space station aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. He was born in Viterbo, Italy. He received his bachelor's degree from the Italian Air Force Academy and earned master's degrees from the University of Naples and University of Perugia.

This will be the second mission for Good, who flew on STS-125. He was born in Parma, Ohio, and considers Broadview Heights, Ohio to be his hometown. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Notre Dame.

For complete astronaut biographical information, visit:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/bios

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

"Living On The Moon" a National Geographic Naked-Science series TV program

Minjae Ormes sent me some information on a National Geographic Naked-Science series TV program that she thought might be of interest. There is an 'EPISODES' pull down tab to view upcoming episodes.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/all/Overview

The one she thought we might be interested to us is, "Living On The Moon"
which is set to view on 19 July 2009, at 9 PM.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/4253/Overview

The day before the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11, NGC presents Living on the Moon. Man has always dreamed of living on the moon, and now a team of NASA scientists is proving that dream could be achieved in our lifetime. We take viewers inside Constellation, the space program's plan to establish a human outpost on the moon by 2020. Take a closer look at the plans under
way, from upgraded space suits to housing modules and moon vehicles, and examine the challenges ahead, such as finding water, making oxygen, growing food and protecting residents from deadly radiation. Then, using 3-D animation, we'll visualize how the remarkable outpost will take shape.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Video clips can be seen here. - LRK -
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/4253/Videos/06893_00#tab-Videos/06893_00.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/4253/Videos/06892_00#tab-Videos/06892_00

and a series of photos can be viewed here.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/naked-science/4253/Overview#tab-Photos/0

If you have a Twitter account you can follow what is happening at the National Geographic Channel here.
http://twitter.com/natgeochannel

Even if you can't watch the TV program, you may enjoy the links above.

I will probably miss the program as we will be driving up to Washington State to seem my mom whose 99th birthday is July 20. If you see the program, feel free to let me know what you think of it and I can pass that back to Minjae Ormes.

Just think, in 1910 you might not have had indoor plumbing. Halley's Comet went by the Sun, and again in 1986 but the view wasn't so good as the closest point was behind the Sun from Earth's viewpoint. Mom had hoped to see it then. We did have Pioneer Venus going around Venus and it too was on the other side of the Sun from us. It used its UV spectrometer to view Halley's Comet in UV.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/multimedia/images/2005/comets1.html

Next viewing will be in mid 2061 and I will miss it. (unless I can live to be 124, well mom is still doing well, so maybe) :-)

I have been reminded that Lunar Prospector ended its mission around the moon, 10 years ago, on July 31, 1999.

That was a lot of fun and now we have LRO going around again.
I hope we do more than just go around, and around.

Would like to see some hotels.
http://aerospacescholars.jsc.nasa.gov/HAS/Modules/Earth-to-Mars/6/7.cfm

Are your kids working on it?
http://aerospacescholars.jsc.nasa.gov/HAS/Modules/Earth-to-Mars/

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lrkellogg
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html
Hardware for the Ares I-X Flight Test Rocket Preps for Stacking
Hardware for the Ares I-X flight test rocket is prepared for stacking in NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Rocket pieces that were once at various manufacturing sites spread across the country in a 2,000 mile circle are now within a quarter mile of the NASA processing facilities. Next month, the pieces will be moved within an 18 foot circle as the I-X team prepares to stack the vehicle.


http://www.nasa.gov/externalflash/CxEMM_SITE/index.html
In this interactive feature, NASA Astronaut Pam Melroy guides you through Constellation's missions to Low Earth Orbit, the moon and ultimately Mars.
snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/missions/mlas.html
Mission Information
The NASA Constellation Program is developing an astronaut escape system for its Orion spacecraft, designed to carry humans to the International Space Station by 2015 and to the lunar surface by 2020. In a parallel effort, another NASA team, led by the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC), is preparing to demonstrate an alternate escape system to explore different technological approaches to the same task.
snip
==============================================================
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_space_thewritestuff/2009/07/what-are-the-real-costs-of-nasas-constellation-program.html
Tiny UL for above - LRK - http://tinyurl.com/no2yjs
What are the real costs of NASA's Constellation program?
At the end of the day, space travel now is all about money - or lack of it.

Getting astronauts back to the moon affordably is the key in these tight times. And making sure that a human exploration program fits within Obama White House budget constraints is a central guideline for the presidentially-appointed U.S. Human Space Flight Review Committee headed by former Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine.

Senior NASA officials told the committee during its public hearing in Washington on June 17, that the cost of the Constellation program by the first flight of the Ares I rocket and Orion crew capsule in 2015 would be $35 billion. But that is a new number and it clashes with other numbers that have been released by top NASA officials in recent
snip
==============================================================
http://www.newscientist.com/special/apollo-11?DCMP=NLC
On 20 July 1969, the Apollo 11 mission landed two men on the moon.

Just three years and five more crewed missions later, our visits came to an end. Yet the scientific legacy of the Apollo programm has been profound.

Here we report on how it gave us a new understanding of the universe and how Neil Armstrong's "small step" opened a new chapter in history that continues to unfold today.
snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Direct From The Moon

I received another e-mail from Minjae Ormes (see below) with info on
an upcoming National Geographic Channel program, "Direct From The
Moon", which will air Monday, November 17, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

I looked at the video trailer and found it entertaining, even the
GEICO ad with the Gecko. :-)
Also available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp3sc6OBv38
(less the Gecko)
- LRK -

Gunjan Gupta and Larry Klaes have kept me posted on Chandrayann-1.
Here is a link to the announcement that Chandrayaan-1 is now in orbit
around the Moon.
- LRK -
--------------------------------------------

Chandrayaan-1, the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO)
lunar orbiter, was captured into orbit around the Moon on 8 November.
One day later, the spacecraft performed a manoeuvre that lowered the
closest point of its orbit down to 200 km from the Moon.

More at:
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMJD85KXMF_index_0.html

snip
--------------------------------------------

On Mars the Phoenix Lander mission comes to a close.
Bob passed this link.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7721032.stm

And here is a NASA link.
- LRK -
---------------------------------------------
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/main/index.html
Mars Phoenix Lander Finishes Successful Work on Red Planet

11.10.08 -- NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has ceased communications
after operating for more than five months. As anticipated, seasonal
decline in sunshine at the robot's arctic landing site is not
providing enough sunlight for the solar arrays to collect the power
necessary to charge batteries that operate the lander's instruments.

snip
---------------------------------------------

I have had my head buried in books about the brain and not the best in
multitasking.
Thanks to all that have alerted me to what is happening up and out there.
- LRK -

"The Cerebral Code - Thinking A Thought In The Mosaics Of The Mind" by
William H. Calvin
http://williamcalvin.com/bk9/index.htm

Also, "How Brains Think - Evolving Intelligence, Then and Now" by
William H. Calvin
http://williamcalvin.com/bk8/

Also close to home, the Army daughter and her husband are back from
Iraq and getting situated back on base in New York.
Expect them out in December to pick up the kids and dogs.
That should relieve be of my chauffeur job and let me return to just
being retired. :-)

Thanks for looking up with me. [and for me]

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
Minjae Ormes to me - LRK -

Hi Larry –

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I wanted to send you a video from
Direct From The Moon, which is coming up next week as part of our
first annual Expedition Week (http://natgeotv.com/expedition). I have
also included the program description again, just so that you have
them together in one email:

Direct From the Moon – Monday, November 17, at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Apollo astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin enthralled the nation
when they became the first men to land on the moon. Nearly 40 years
later, lunar exploration has returned to the headlines as scientists
are uncovering a treasure trove of information from the moon about the
birth of our solar system. Now, high-definition video of the moon's
surface is being beamed directly back from just above the moon,
unveiling the astonishing lunar terrain in spectacular detail thanks
to Kaguya, a Japanese lunar orbiter launched in September 2007.
Custom-built to map the lunar surface and measure the moon's magnetic
and gravitational fields, Kaguya will also allow scientists to perform
pioneering analysis, setting the groundwork for future missions to the
moon and a prolonged lunar base. We also hear directly from Aldrin as
he watches breathtaking images of the moon's craters, haunting plains
and an actual "full Earth-rise." Then, NASA scientists discuss the
challenges involved and innovations under way for establishing a lunar
outpost. Direct from the Moon features images so powerful, some
scientists claim they will inspire the next generation of lunar
exploration.

Direct From the Moon Video: Humankind's first steps on the surface of the moon.
(http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/player.html?channel=1806&category=5569&title=06061_00)

Also available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp3sc6OBv38
Please let me know if you have any questions. Have a wonderful week!

Best,
Minjae

snip
==============================================================
http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEMJD85KXMF_index_0.html
Chandrayaan-1 now in lunar orbit

10 November 2008
Chandrayaan-1, the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) lunar
orbiter, was captured into orbit around the Moon on 8 November. One
day later, the spacecraft performed a manoeuvre that lowered the
closest point of its orbit down to 200 km from the Moon.

The spacecraft's liquid-fuel propelled engine was fired at 12:21 CET
(16:51 Indian Standard Time) when it was at a distance of about 500 km
from the Moon. This reduced the spacecraft's velocity, enabling the
Moon's gravitational field to capture Chandrayaan-1 into lunar orbit.
In this configuration, the orbit's point closest to the lunar surface
was at 504 km and the spacecraft circled the Moon in 11 hours.

This lunar orbit insertion manoeuvre was executed from the
Chandrayaan-1 Spacecraft Control Centre at ISRO's Telemetry, Tracking
and Command Network at Bangalore. The performance of all the systems
on board Chandrayaan-1 was registered as normal.

snip
==============================================================
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/main/index.html
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/news/phoenix-20081110.html
Mars Phoenix Lander Finishes Successful Work on Red Planet - 11.10.08

WASHINGTON -- NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has ceased communications
after operating for more than five months. As anticipated, seasonal
decline in sunshine at the robot's arctic landing site is not
providing enough sunlight for the solar arrays to collect the power
necessary to charge batteries that operate the lander's instruments.

Mission engineers last received a signal from the lander on Nov. 2.
Phoenix, in addition to shorter daylight, has encountered a dustier
sky, more clouds and colder temperatures as the northern Mars summer
approaches autumn. The mission exceeded its planned operational life
of three months to conduct and return science data.

The project team will be listening carefully during the next few weeks
to hear if Phoenix revives and phones home. However, engineers now
believe that is unlikely because of the worsening weather conditions
on Mars. While the spacecraft's work has ended, the analysis of data
from the instruments is in its earliest stages.

"Phoenix has given us some surprises, and I'm confident we will be
pulling more gems from this trove of data for years to come," said
Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of
Arizona in Tucson.

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

FIVE YEARS ON MARS Sunday, November 2 @8PM ET/PT

Received an e-mail from Minjae Ormes (see below) with info on upcoming National Geographic Channel programs she thought you folks might be interested in.

Nice to see the Lunar programs starting to be mentioned as well as the very successful Mars missions.

If you watch the programs, let me know what you think.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================

Hello Mr. Kellogg -

My name is Minjae Ormes and I am working with National Geographic Channel to promote their programs and interactive features online. I came upon your writings on To the Moon, Mars, and Beyond while researching folks in the science community who might be interested in some of our upcoming programs, and wanted to reach out to you.

The following are three programs that I thought might be of interest to you and your readers. I would be happy to send you additional information if you are interested, including some photos/videos:

*FIVE YEARS ON MARS
Sunday, November 2 @8PM ET/PT*

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/five-years-on-mars-3963/Overview

National Geographic Channel talks to the scientists behind NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, about the legendary feats and obstacles the Rovers have overcome.

*CALLING ALL ALIENS
Sunday, November 2 @10PM ET/PT*

National Geographic Channel takes you behind-the-scenes at the California-based Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, where new techniques and remarkable technologies are being put in place to find the real E.T.

*DIRECT FROM THE MOON (Part of the Expedition Week, November 16 – 23)
*Monday, November 17 @9PM ET/PT

Apollo astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin enthralled the nation when they became the first men to land on the moon. Nearly 40 years later, lunar exploration has returned to the headlines as scientists are uncovering a treasure trove of information from the moon about the birth of our solar system. Now, high-definition video of the moon's surface is being beamed directly back from just above the moon, unveiling the astonishing lunar terrain in spectacular detail thanks to Kaguya, a Japanese lunar orbiter launched in September 2007. Custom-built to map the lunar surface and measure the moon's magnetic and gravitational fields, Kaguya will also allow scientists to perform pioneering analysis, setting the groundwork for future missions to the moon and a prolonged lunar base. We also hear directly from Aldrin as he watches breathtaking images of the moon's craters, haunting plains and an actual "full Earth-rise." Then, NASA scientists discuss the challenges involved and innovations under way for establishing a lunar outpost. *Direct from the Moon* features images so powerful, some scientists claim they will inspire the next generation of lunar exploration.

Also, below is the full press release for *Five Years on Mars* and *Calling All Aliens*. Please let me know if you would like more information on any or all of these programs.

Thank you in advance for your time and I look forward to hearing from you!

Best,

Minjae

--
Minjae Ormes l Digital Consultant
http://www.minjaeormes.com
[e] minjae.ormes@gmail.com [c] 917.539.7646

snip
==============================================================

*NEWS* *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*


*NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL TAKES YOU ON REAL-LIFE ADVENTURES TO THE RED PLANET AND THE SEARCH FOR EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE! *

*Like Pixar's /Wall-E/, Join the Adventures of Spirit & Opportunity*

*Two Robotic Rovers Making History While Exploring the Surface of Mars, *

*And Then Join the Out-of-This-World Quest to Make Contact with ET*

* *

Five Years on Mars * Premieres Sunday, November 2, 2008 at 8 PM ET/PT*

Calling All Aliens * Premieres Sunday, November 2, 2008 at 10 PM ET/PT***

(*WASHINGTON, D.C. – OCTOBER 22, 2008*) This November, let the National Geographic Channel take you on two real Space Age adventures — to the Red Planet and beyond!

It could be the basis for a sequel to the Pixar sci-fi movie Wall-E, except this is the real-life odyssey of two robots. On Sunday, November 2, 2008, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, NGC brings the adventures of solar-powered robotic rovers Spirit and Opportunity to the screen in *Five Years on Mars*, a vivid high-definition visualization of their parallel missions on either side of the Red Planet. Using photo-realistic animation based on the actual landscape as captured by the rovers' cameras, the one-hour special dramatizes the trials and tribulations of these intrepid explorers while highlighting new scientific information on the planet's geology and water history.

Launched in 2003, Spirit and Opportunity were originally expected to collect data over 90 Martian days, called "sols." What began as a short-term science mission looking for evidence of ancient water has turned into one of the greatest adventures of the Space Age. After almost five years in operation, they have astonishingly survived, proving more resilient and luckier than anyone could have predicted. They've trekked miles across hostile plains, climbed mountains, ventured in and out of deep craters, gotten stuck in sand dunes, survived dust storms and mechanical failures, and cheated death so often no one will venture a guess as to how much longer they might last.

*Five Years on Mars* captures the emotional highs and lows experienced by the scientists and engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., who spend their days seeing through the rovers' eyes and now think of Spirit and Opportunity in almost human terms. Spirit is the hard luck rover who trekked for months across a barren desert, scaled a mountain and lost a wheel before finding anything of scientific interest. Opportunity is the lucky one for whom everything has gone right from the moment it landed right on top of abundant evidence of early Martian water.

"It was like being inside this bizarre Martian mystery novel," says Steve Squyres, lead scientist, JPL. "Every sol or two you'd get a new clue handed to you, and it really improved our understanding of what we were dealing with here."

Later that same night, on November 2, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, venture even further into space and see the remarkable ways scientists are searching for extraterrestrial life in *Calling All Aliens*. From building the most sensitive "ear" of all time — the massive Allen Telescope Array — to sending interstellar CD and text messages, there are myriad ways to try to make contact.

The one-hour special takes viewers to the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute in Mountain View, Calif., where scientists have activated 42 out of the planned 350 giant radio dishes that make up the Allen Telescope Array. SETI never had a dedicated instrument like this to use in the search for ET 24/7 — until now. Funded in part by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, the dishes collect datastreams from outer space that are then analyzed to determine if they carry any unusual frequencies. Monitoring computers alert the scientific team when a particularly strong signal comes through … but so far nothing has led them to believe that ET is trying to phone Earth.

Jodie Foster's character in the movie Contact was based on Jill Tarter, director of the Allen Telescope Array project and considered the "Grande Dame" of SETI research. SETI lost funding from NASA and Congress back in 1993, and they are now a nonprofit organization counting on donations like Paul Allen's … and anyone who wants to buy a telescope in the array.

"You can buy a telescope and have your name on it," says Tarter. "The price tag is $100,000. That's a big number in some sense, but a very small number for a radio telescope!"

SETI astronomer Seth Shostak, who hosts a weekly radio show called "Are We Alone?," is very optimistic about his colleagues' ingenuity in undertaking the search and about the advancements in technology.

"Our galaxy has a few hundred billion star systems, so it doesn't surprise that me we haven't found other intelligent life yet," says Shostak. "But the search is speeding up, and I think everybody deep down inside wishes that the experiment would succeed while they're still around to see that happen."

In Florida, one company claims it can make that happen for just $299. For that price, anyone can send a CD, text or music message out into space using a radio transmission device. Across the globe in Moscow, radio engineer Alexander Zaitsev, in conjunction with METI (Messaging to Extraterrestrial Intelligence), has sent several messages into space on a directive from the Russian Academy of Sciences. Also in Russia, they are planning to take it a step further by sending samples of human DNA into space to show what we're made of to any highly intelligent life forms out there.

But not everyone is eager to make contact. Author David Brin thinks it is dangerous to try to communicate to a life form that we have no real knowledge of. He fears ET will come to annihilate the human race.

"I'm not claiming that there are a million deadly horrible probes out there," says Brin. "But there is no proof that there are not."

Also on November 2, in between *Five Years on Mars* and *Calling All Aliens*, catch an encore presentation of *Naked Science: Life on Mars *at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Join NASA's Phoenix Mission to determine if life could have existed — or can exist — on our closest planetary neighbor.

*Five Years on Mars* is produced by Mark Davis Productions for the National Geographic Channel. For Mark Davis Productions, producer, writer and director is Mark Davis. For the National Geographic Channel executive producer is Howard Swartz, senior vice president of special programming is Michael Cascio and executive vice president of content is Steve Burns.

*Calling All **Aliens* is produced by VIDICOM in association with ARTE/ZDF, Channel 5 Russia, SBS TV Australia and co-produced with SPIEGEL TV and Corona Films St. Petersburg. Executive producer is Peter Bardehle and director is Christian Schidlowski. For the National Geographic Channel, producer is Lauren Cardillo, senior vice president of special programming is Michael Cascio and executive vice president of content is Steve Burns.

# # #


Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channel (NGC) is a joint venture between National Geographic Ventures (NGV) and Fox Cable Networks (FCN). Since launching in January 2001, NGC initially earned some of the fastest distribution growth in the history of cable and more recently the fastest ratings growth in television. The network celebrated its fifth anniversary in January 2006 with the launch of NGC HD, which provides the spectacular imagery that National Geographic is known for in stunning high-definition. NGC has carriage with all of the nation's major cable and satellite television providers, making it currently available to more than 68 million homes. For more information, please visit www.natgeotv.com .


NGC-472-102208

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================