For as long as the human race as existed and thus had knowledge of different planets, we’ve tried to uncover and learn more about those different worlds that are so far away.
On Tuesday, October 15, the Mark Sylvestre Planetarium in the Boyd Science Center hosted its first presentation this year. Sally Jean Jensen, a NASA Solar System Ambassador, entertained students, faculty and Plymouth residents with a presentation entitled, “The Space Shuttle: Past, Present, (and Future?).”
The Planetarium is located in Boyd 137, available with 31 seats for visitors including those who are disabled. The planetarium has a Starlab Sky Projector with VHS, DVD and Internet connections. Made possible by a gift from Verizon, there is a portable planetarium also available for off-site locations and presentations.
According to Jpl.nasa.gov, the Solar System Ambassador program is a public outreach program designed to work with motivated volunteers across the country. These volunteers communicate the excitement of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL’s) space exploration missions and information about recent discoveries to people in their local communities. There are now 494 Ambassadors in 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, bringing the excitement of space to the public.
After 33 years of teaching fourth and fifth graders social studies and science, Jensen volunteered to teach others about the wonders of the solar system. This past summer, Jensen was invited to the Endeavour launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
In Jensen’s presentation, she outlined the basic structure of Space Transportation System (STS) and included photographs and diagrams of shuttles past and present. Jensen provided a brief history on all the space shuttles of the past including, the Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and the Endeavor. Jensen provided photos of her visit of the Kennedy Space Center and the Endeavour launch.
To conclude her presentation, Jensen provided information on “Project Constellation,” which is designed to create a new generation of space launch vehicles, including the Orion and Ares modules. The project is designed to send human beings back to the moon by the year 2010. The Orion is scheduled to handle flights to the International Space Station by 2014 or 2015 and to the Moon and Mars by 2020.
After Jensen’s presentation, Dr. Dennis E. Machnik, Associate Professor of Natural Science, entertained the audience with a planetarium presentation. This semester, Machnik is teaching a section of Astronomy for the first time.
Machnik continued with a light show, including a view of various constellations and their origins and a view of the October night sky. Machnik showed the alignment of the various planets and their position of the next few days.
Whenever you are outside for a night stroll, remember to look above. Maybe you’ll see a constellation or a planet or few. Who knows, maybe you’ll be up there yourself someday.