Another Successful Landing by SpaceX's Dragon

Dragon spacecraft landing. ​Photo via SpaceX Twitter

The Dragon spacecraft, by private company SpaceX, has successfully left the International Space Station and splashed down for landing in the ocean!  These missions will continue for the next few years and eventually manned space flight will return to US soil. Check out this panorama of the inside of the craft!

NASA indicates that the following experiments were returned to earth: ​

• Investigations included among the returned cargo could aid in food production during future long-duration space missions and enhance crop production on Earth. Others could help in the development of more efficient solar cells, detergents and semiconductor-based electronics. 
• Among the returned investigations was the Coarsening in Solid-Liquid Mixtures (CSLM-3) experiment, which also launched to space aboard this Dragon. CLSM-3 studies how crystals known as dendrites form as a metal alloy becomes solid. The research could help engineers develop stronger materials for use in automobile, aircraft and spacecraft parts. 
• Dragon also is returning several human research samples that will help scientists continue to examine how the human body reacts to long-term spaceflight. The results will have implications for future space exploration and direct benefits here on Earth. 

Houston: Johnson Space Center & Expedition 36

This week, I visited Johnson Space Center in Houston to meet the astronauts that will be heading up to the International Space Station (ISS) in late May. ​ They would have allowed me to join the crew of Expedition 36, but I didn't wear a blue shirt.  

From L to R: Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Karen Nyberg of NASA, me, and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency. 

​In addition, I got a behind the scenes look at the Johnson Space Center facilities.  Check out a few pics below!

​Here I am in the Apollo era mission control room, next to the red phone that connected directly with the president. Next to me is my Nexus 7 and battery charger - probably has more computing power than the entire room.

​The current Mission Control room which is used to monitor the space station.  When manned spaceflight returns to the US, they'll have more to work on!

​Inside the mockup of the ISS is a recreation of the computers that control the CanadaArm. This device grabs satellites and docks them with the ISS.

The Crew and Thermal Systems Division (CTSD) shows us the difference between space suits in the past, present, and future.

​Astronauts have to exercise to prevent muscle atrophy. This machine provides resistance and allows squats and lifts.

Formerly known as T-2, the Combined Operational Load-Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT) is named after Stephen Colbert after he won a naming contest.

​The catwalks above the ISS mockup allowed us to appreciate the large scale of the station.  It's about the size of a football field.

Robonaut is designed to help the astronauts with testing tasks in the space station.  This one's just ... hanging out.​

Houston, We Have A Shareef

​I'm in Houston, and I'll be reporting live from another one of my favorite events - NASA social! As usual, I'll be tweeting from @ShareefJackson using the #NASASocial hashtag - check it out!​  I'll bring the latest news even though I'm surrounded by the wonders of Whataburgers and various BBQ places. I even drove past a place named Hot Biscuit ... hmmm ...

This time, I'll get to speak with the crew of Expedition 36, who will be heading up the International Space Station in May of 2013 via the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

Image above: Pictured on the front row are Expedition 36 Commander Pavel Vinogradov (left) and Flight Engineer Fyodor Yurchikhin. Pictured from the left (back row) are Flight Engineers Alexander Misurkin, Chris Cassidy, Luca Parmitano and Karen Nyberg. Photo credit: NASA

I'll also get a behind the scenes view of Johnson Space Center, including Mission Control and the Robonaut lab. There are autonomous robots that help NASA with many tasks, including one on the space station itself!

Mission Control is where they coordinate flights once they have been launched, and of course we all know "Houston, We Have A Problem"

​Be sure to follow me on Twitter for the latest updates!

STEMnasium: A Great Way to Teach Kids Science

Jon Skief founded the Harambee Charter School in West Philly in 1973. The school has been providing a quality science based education for children for 40 years, and recently received national attention 6 year old Zora Ball. She became one of the youngest people to develop a mobile gaming app.

Tairq Al-Nasir, head of the STEMnasium Learning Academy, adds the following stats:​

In 2011, Philadelphia regional companies had 64,000 STEM-related and finance job openings, but area colleges graduated just 6,000 people with those degrees, according to Campus Philly. Al-Nasier widens the numbers even more.

“Every year, there’s a demand for 120,000 jobs for people with computer science backgrounds,” Al-Nasir said. “We’re only graduating nationally, 40,000. There are 80,000 students missing. Why is it missing? It’s missing because we haven’t rethought the STEM initiative.”

Check out the video that shows the program in action. If you can't see the video below, please click here.​

Source: Harambee Institute of Science and Technology via Technically Philly ​

Planets All Up In Your Face at Franklin Institute

I attended an astronomy event entitled "Night Skies" at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, which is our local science museum. It awesome! The highlight was being able to see Jupiter with its 4 moons, the Orion Nebula (where stars are currently forming), and a close up of our moon. As an extra bonus, it was freezing outside and the wait was around 20 minutes. Gotta do what you gotta do to be a science enthusiasts.

To help add a little tech to the experience, I used an free Android app called Google Sky Map. When using the app, you hold your phone or tablet towards the sky and see where stars, planets, and constellations are. The icons for Jupiter and the moon lined up perfectly with my visual from the telescope. For additional creepiness factor, if you hold the tablet down you can see the parts of the galaxy on the other side of the earth!

I was able to access the planetarium and watch the premiere of "To Space and Back", which was hosted by Chief Astronomer Derrick Pitts. The film shows how space technology affects our everyday lives. Since the planetarium screen literally surrounds the entire room (think of it as an IMAX movie screen wrapped around the ceiling), it was truly enthralling.

If you're in Philly, check out this event which occurs every second Thursday. If you're not in Philly, check in with your local science museum or university to see if they host any astronomy events.