SFA
Physics, Astronomy and Engineering News

November 12, 2003

NASA Seminar

Title: "Space Shuttle Columbia Debris Ballistics and Impact Predictions"

Speaker: Paul Hill, Flight Director, NASA

Time: 4:00 PM on Thursday, November 13th

Place: Math Room 101

After sending some of the images that SFA students, faculty, and friends had taken of the shuttle debris to NASA-JSC, we received a message from Paul Hill who is a flight director at NASA. In March he wrote: "I am responsible for the team of folks who are attempting to squeeze engineering data out of the public imagery. It may surprise you and your students to learn just how much we have gleaned from handheld camcorders and still photography. We have various tests in work to eke out even more." We are fortunate to have him speak at our seminar this week. He writes: "If there's time and interest, I'll have some photos to show about how we will detect and repair similar damage on future flights and can talk about where we are in our preparations to fly again." Here's more information about our speaker: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/people/bios/space/hill.html

Thanks to Ed Michaels, Chris Dahl, Heather Dalton, Jonathan Currey, Ron Coryell and others for making their images and observations available on the internet in February. http://www.physics.sfasu.edu/astro/shuttle/shuttle.html

A Meteor Shower and Observatory Tours

On Tuesday, November 18th at 8:00pm we will have a free viewing session for the Leonid Meteor Shower. http://www.spaceweather.com/delights/ms/leonids2003.html The Society of Physics Students at SFA will sponsor this event. For a map to the observatory, star charts, or more information see http://www.observatory.sfasu.edu

If you are little familiar with the SFA telescopes or are a member of SPS, then we could use your help on November 12th. There will be busses carrying SFA 101 students to the observatory on these nights at 7, 8, 9 and 10PM. SFA 101 is a freshman orientation course that has hundreds of students. There may be food available for SPS members before the tours begin.

Meeting The Solar System's Final Frontier

NASA's farthest-ranging spacecraft has begun encountering the first physical boundary between our solar system and the interstellar space beyond. Voyager 1, which is now about three times farther from the Sun than Neptune and Pluto are, has sent back evidence that it may have reached the "termination shock" in the solar wind. This is the first sign of the thin solar wind piling up against the even thinner interstellar gas beyond. "Voyager is beginning to explore the final frontier of the solar system," said Edward Stone, project scientist for Voyager....
http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/article_1095_1.asp

Contributors Links

Wow! Two comets slam into the sun, which burps! (Kamikaze Comet Animation)
http://www.cnn.com/TECH/space/9806/04/kamikaze.comets/

Here is a picture of engineers testing techniques for repairing shuttle tiles in microgravity.
http://www.space.com/imageoftheday/image_of_day_031106.html

World's largest mirror cast by UA scientists
http://wildcat.arizona.edu/papers/91/15/01_3_m.html
http://SkyandTelescope.com/news/article_1097_1.asp

Leonid Meteors Return! Three Separate Showers Due in November
http://www.space.com/spacewatch/leonids_2003_news_031017.html
http://www.spaceweather.com/delights/ms/leonids2003.html - Cool animation

Sun Shoots 10th Major Flare Tuesday, Possibly Strongest Yet (Shouldn't I have put this at the top of this message?)
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solar_flare_031104.html

Planetary Nebulae
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/97/pn/

Refining The Cosmic Recipe
http://Skyandtelescope.Com/News/Article_1094_1.Asp

Summer School in Nuclear and Radiochemistry
http://www.cofc.edu/~nuclear/nukess.html

Boston University Graduate Physics Program
http://physics.bu.edu

File Sharing at SFA
"The administration is alerting students, faculty, and staff of potential risks concerning file sharing and copyright infringement. For a notice about this important issue, please go to www.sfasu.edu/upp/filesharing.html."