The Planets and Solar System
Memorie Yasuda


An accompaniment to the presentation. Please note that some of the information and comments within these notes are not necessarily the views of science experts.


Why Study the Planets and Solar System
The big picture
  • It gives us ideas about how our own planet, including life, operates.
  • There may be useful resources out there.
  • It is a source of new ideas and inventions to be translated into new and unexpected technologies for use back on Earth.
  • Some people want to go there just because it is there.
  • The objects in the solar system can be aesthetically captivating.



Web-based Resources

The Space Race
Sputnik and the Dawn of the Space Age
NASA

John F. Kennedy Moon Speech - Rice Stadium - September 12, 1962
Video and entire text of the historic speech.
Johnson Space Center, NASA

The Apollo Program
Video and entire text of the historic speech.
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Apollo
NASA

The Apollo Program
NASA


Major Space Disasters
Apollo 1 (204)
NASA

Astronomy magazine podcast: Remembering Apollo 1
Audio podcast - "On January 27, 1967, a fire raced through the Apollo 1 capsule, killing the crew: Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee. In this week's show, NASA historian Glen Asner discusses what caused this fire and how it influenced future Apollo missions."
Astronomy.com - February 1, 2007

On this Day: January 28, 1986
Historic article describing the Challenger accident.
BBC News

Challenger STS 51-L Accident
NASA

7 myths about the Challenger shuttle disaster
NSNBC.com


Plans for Space Tourism
Space Race: Mojave Companies Vying for Ridership
Investors enticed by suborbital space rides by Interorbital Systems, a startup competing for space tourism dollars.
The Bakersfield Californian online - March 19, 2007

Poway Exec Steps Down to Focus on Selling Rides in Space
"The founder of Poway rocket-maker SpaceDev has stepped down as chief technology officer and chairman of the board to start a business that will sell 20-minute spaceship rides 60 miles above the Earth." - exceprt from the San Diego Union Tribume.
Benson Space Company - September 29, 2006


The New Space Race: Gold Rush on the Final Frontier
MSNBC.com - Ongoing


Resources on Other Planetary Bodies
Mining the Moon
An essay by Apollo astronaut, Harrison Schmitt, presenting why he thinks that the Earth's moon might be a source of non-polluting energy for our future.
Popular Meachnics

Seeking El Dorado in Space
CNN.com - May 16, 2001


Recent Inventions Related to Space Exploration
Shake, Rattle and Zoom: VISAR, the newest NASA spin-off, steadies our vision.
Check out the differences between the processed and unprocessed images.
NASA

Featured Invention: Langley Soluble Imide
"One of the invention's many benefits is in its use as a flexible coating for electronic circuits."
NASA

NASA Invention of the Year Competition Winners
MASA


Going Back to the Moon
The Vision for Space Exploration
The Constellation Program - "Ares rockets and the Orion capsule will send future astronauts to the moon, Mars and beyond."
NASA




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©2007 by Memorie Yasuda
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