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goodnight moon. goodnight Milky Way. goodnight Ursa Major (UMa I dSph). goodnight 24IC 1613 (UGC 662.350[8].

Ep. 22 African-American Astrophiles - HD and the Void

As Black History Month 2018 wraps up, learn about some of the African-American men and women who have contributed to space research and exploration! 7 astronomers and 9 astronauts shine in this episode, which spans from the 1700s to modern-day folks.

February is Black History Month, and it’s been the perfect excuse to research all of the African-American people who have contributed to space research and exploration! I talk about seven astronomers and nine astronauts who have delved into outer space because it was just so dang amazing, nothing could stop them from learning about it; astrophiles, if you will. Space-lovers.

Below the cut, I have the transcript, sources, music credits, and timeline of people I talked about! Maybe you have something you want to hear me talk about that’s related to space. I’m kind of set for topics for the next few months but I’ll take suggestions here or you can tweet at me on Twitter at @HDandtheVoid, or you can ask me to my face if you know me. Please subscribe on iTunes, rate my humble podcast and maybe review it, and tell friends if you think they’d like to hear it!

(My thoughts on the next episode are the SOFIA observatory, Chuck Yaeger, the transit of Venus, or quasars and blasars. The next episode will go up March 19th, unfortunately; I have a work retreat the day I’d usually post and I don’t trust the wifi out there. See you then!)

Script/Transcript

Timeline

Benjamin Banneker, American (1731-1806)

Dorothy Vaughan, American (1910-2008)

Katherine Johnson, American (1918- )

Mary Jackson, American (1921-2005)

Ed Dwight, American (1933- )

Robert Henry Lawrence, American (1935-1967)

Doctor Arthur Bertram Cuthbert Walker II, American (1936-2001)

Frederick Gregory, American (1941- )

Guion "Guy" Bluford, American (1942- )

Doctor Ronald E. McNair, American (1950-1986)

Ilan Ramon, Israeli, American (1954-2003)

Doctor Bernard Harris, Jr., American (1956- )

Doctor Mae Jemison, American (1956- )

Neil DeGrasse Tyson, American (1958- )

Michael P. Anderson, American (1959-2003)

Leland Melvin, American (1964- )

Doctor Beth A. Brown, American (1969-2008)

Sources

African Americans in Astronomy and Space via ThoughtCo (Mar 2017)

Benjamin Banneker via Encyclopedia Britannica

Benjamin Banneker via PBS

Benjamin Banneker via America’s Library

Benjamin Banneker via Brookhaven National Laboratory

Hidden Figures (2016)

Katherine Johnson via NASA

Mary Jackson via NASA

Dorothy Vaughan via NASA

Doctor Arthur Bertram Cuthbert Walker II via Encyclopedia Britannica

Doctor Arthur Bertram Cuthbert Walker II obituary via the American Astronomical Society

Ed Dwight via The History Makers

Robert Henry Lawrence via Black Past

Robert Henry Lawrence via PBS

Robert Henry Lawrence via Hill Air Force Base

Guion "Guy" Bluford via Space.com (Feb 2017)

Guion Bluford: “I mean, I laughed and giggled all the way up. It was such a fun ride.” 

Guion "Guy" Bluford via NASA

Guion "Guy" Bluford via Encyclopedia Britannica

Doctor Ronald E. McNair via NASA

Doctor Ronald E. McNair via Black Past

Doctor Ronald E. McNair via New Jersey Institute of Technology

Frederick “Fred” Gregory via NASA

Frederick “Fred” Gregory via Black Past

The Harris Foundation website

“empower individuals, in particular minorities and others who are economically and/or socially disadvantaged, to recognize their potential and pursue their dreams.”

Doctor Mae Jemison via NASA

Doctor Mae Jemison via NASA

Doctor Mae Jemison via the U.S. National Library of Medicine

Mae Jemison: “I followed the Gemini, the Mercury, and the Apollo programs, I had books about them and I always assumed I would go into space. Not necessarily as an astronaut; I thought because we were on the moon when I was 11 or 12 years old, that we would be going to Mars—I'd be going to work on Mars as a scientist. And that's despite the fact that there were no women, and it was all white males—and in fact, I thought that was one of the dumbest things in the world, because I used to always worry, believe it or not as a little girl, I was like: What would aliens think of humans? You know, these are the only humans?”

Michael P. Anderson via NASA

Michael P. Anderson via Black Past

Ilan Ramon via NASA

Leland Melvin via Space.com (Nov 2017)

Leland Melvin as Makers Men via Space.com (May 2017)

Leland Melvin via NASA

Leland Melvin via Pioneer Works

Doctor Beth A. Brown via the American Physical Society

Doctor Beth A. Brown via the American Astronomical Society

Doctor Beth A. Brown via NASA

Neil DeGrasse Tyson via Hayden Planetarium

Neil DeGrasse Tyson via the New Yorker

StarTalk Radio via Apple Podcasts

Intro Music: ‘Better Times Will Come’ by No Luck Club off their album Prosperity

Filler Music: ‘Dorothy Dandridge Eyes (feat. Esperanza Spalding)’ by Janelle Monáe off her album The Electric Lady.

Outro Music: ‘Fields of Russia’ by Mutefish off their album On Draught

What are the most important skills an astronaut should have m?

First of all, the basic requirement is a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field, and 3 years of experience (which can also be substituted for by an advanced degree). Other than that, operational experience (things with a technical/active/hands on nature like flying airplanes, SCUBA diving, taking things apart and putting them back together, basic fix-it skills, etc. etc.) is very important, as this is an integral aspect of every day of a space mission.  What we call “expeditionary skills” are also essential, basically the types of things you try to instill in your children, like how to play nicely with others, self care, team care, etc.  I like to think about this on the lines of a camping trip and who you would like to have along with you …someone that is competent and can take good care of themselves and their equipment, someone that contributes to the team and helps with group tasks, someone that is good natured and pleasant to be around, etc., someone fun!  These things are increasingly important now that we are regularly doing long duration missions (typical International Space Station mission is 6 months).  Experience living in extreme/remote/isolated environments with small teams is also useful, as it is similar to what we experience as astronauts.     

China's First Lunar Rover Live-Blogged Its Own Death

The Yutu rover suffered a mysterious “abnormality” over the weekend. And the robot’s microblogged death note may make you cry.

oh gosh!

Eagle Nebula

via reddit

Inner corona and prominences during Monday’s total solar eclipse

via reddit

In Conversation with the Sun: Parker Solar Probe Communications

Our Sun powers life on Earth. It defines our days, nourishes our crops and even fuels our electrical grids. In our pursuit of knowledge about the universe, we’ve learned so much about the Sun, but in many ways we’re still in conversation with it, curious about its mysteries.

Parker Solar Probe will advance this conversation, flying through the Sun’s atmosphere as close as 3.8 million miles from our star’s surface, more than seven times closer to it than any previous spacecraft. If space were a football field, with Earth at one end and the Sun at the other, Parker would be at the four-yard line, just steps away from the Sun! This journey will revolutionize our understanding of the Sun, its surface and solar winds.

Supporting Parker on its journey to the Sun are our communications networks. Three networks, the Near Earth Network, the Space Network and the Deep Space Network, provide our spacecraft with their communications, delivering their data to mission operations centers. Their services ensure that missions like Parker have communications support from launch through the mission.

For Parker’s launch on Aug. 12, the Delta IV Heavy rocket that sent Parker skyward relied on the Space Network. A team at Goddard Space Flight Center’s Networks Integration Center monitored the launch, ensuring that we maintained tracking and communications data between the rocket and the ground. This data is vital, allowing engineers to make certain that Parker stays on the right path towards its orbit around the Sun.

The Space Network’s constellation of Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS) enabled constant communications coverage for the rocket as Parker made its way out of Earth’s atmosphere. These satellites fly in geosynchronous orbit, circling Earth in step with its rotation, relaying data from spacecraft at lower altitudes to the ground. The network’s three collections of TDRS over the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans provide enough coverage for continuous communications for satellites in low-Earth orbit.

The Near Earth Network’s Launch Communications Segment tracked early stages of Parker’s launch, testing our brand new ground stations’ ability to provide crucial information about the rocket’s initial velocity (speed) and trajectory (path). When fully operational, it will support launches from the Kennedy spaceport, including upcoming Orion missions. The Launch Communications Segment’s three ground stations are located at Kennedy Space Center; Ponce De Leon, Florida; and Bermuda. 

When Parker separated from the Delta IV Heavy, the Deep Space Network took over. Antennas up to 230 feet in diameter at ground stations in California, Australia and Spain are supporting Parker for its 24 orbits around the Sun and the seven Venus flybys that gradually shrink its orbit, bringing it closer and closer to the Sun. The Deep Space Network is delivering data to mission operations centers and will continue to do so as long as Parker is operational.

Near the Sun, radio interference and the heat load on the spacecraft’s antenna makes communicating with Parker a challenge that we must plan for. Parker has three distinct communications phases, each corresponding to a different part of its orbit.

When Parker comes closest to the Sun, the spacecraft will emit a beacon tone that tells engineers on the ground about its health and status, but there will be very little opportunity to command the spacecraft and downlink data. High data rate transmission will only occur during a portion of Parker’s orbit, far from the Sun. The rest of the time, Parker will be in cruise mode, taking measurements and being commanded through a low data rate connection with Earth.

Communications infrastructure is vital to any mission. As Parker journeys ever closer to the center of our solar system, each byte of downlinked data will provide new insight into our Sun. It’s a mission that continues a conversation between us and our star that has lasted many millions of years and will continue for many millions more.

For more information about NASA’s mission to touch the Sun: https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/parker-solar-probe

For more information about our satellite communications check out: http://nasa.gov/SCaN

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.

A New Angle on Two Spiral Galaxies for Hubble’s 27th Birthday

In celebration of the 27th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope on April 24, 1990, astronomers used the legendary telescope to take a portrait of a stunning pair of spiral galaxies. This starry pair offers a glimpse of what our Milky Way galaxy would look like to an outside observer. The edge-on galaxy is called NGC 4302, and the tilted galaxy is NGC 4298. These galaxies look quite different because we see them angled at different positions on the sky. They are actually very similar in terms of their structure and contents. Image credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Mutchler (STScI) Read more NASA Media Usage Guidelines

30 Doradus, located in the heart of the Tarantula nebula, is the brightest star-forming region in our galactic neighborhood. The nebula resides 170,000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Links to very large images in comments.

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Solar System by Jian Guo