Science :: Educational
Education :: Astronomy

NPR Topics: Space

GeoEye-1 Will Be A High-Res Eye In The Sky
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:29:00 -0400
The GeoEye-1 satellite will be capable of making out details on Earth just 16 inches across. It will be the highest resolution satellite run by a private company; it's images will be marketed to a range of governments and private customers.
Europe Considers Joining Space-Faring Nations
Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:35:00 -0400
Europe's space agency reached two milestones earlier this year. A European-built lab was installed at the International Space Station, and Europe launched a robotic cargo vehicle that successfully docked with the station. The European Space Agency is thinking about converting the vehicle so it could take astronauts into orbit.
Tensions With Russia May Hurt NASA Program
Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:18:00 -0400
The conflict with Russia over Georgia might affect NASA's ability to get astronauts to the international space station after the space shuttle gets retired in 2010. Congress must pass a special waiver by Sept. 30 so NASA can buy Soyuz capsule flights.
What Makes Our Solar System Special?
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 15:02:00 -0400
Researchers say that if the conditions had been slightly different for our solar system, planets could have careened into the sun or been expelled into deep space. Also: A volunteer astronomer spots a strange gaseous object some are calling a "cosmic ghost."
Phoenix Finds A Salt Compound On Mars
Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:07:00 -0400
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has detected a salt found on Earth on the surface of Mars. The salt, called perchlorate, is used in fireworks and rocket fuel. The news follows the recent confirmation of the presence of water on the Red Planet.
Space Company Hopes To Cut Cost Of Launches
Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:44:00 -0400
A private company called SpaceX has failed three times to reach orbit with one of its rockets. But the company says it's learning from its failures and still hopes to radically decrease the cost of putting objects in space.

 

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Coeli Astronomy Software - Home of Encyclopedia Astronomica: Coeli Solar Guide, Astrogloss A-Z, Aspects of Astronomy, Visual Planets, and the Windows Dictionary of Astronomy. Other educational titles available here include the popular PC software suite Stella 2000. [freeware shareware - Win 3.x/95/NT/Me/2000]
Meta Description: [ Scegliere i migliori Casinò online, solo Casinò con Bonus più alto sicuri e garantiti! ]

The Nine Planets - An overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of each of the planets and moons in our solar system. Each page has text and images, some have sounds and movies, most provide references to additional related information. [online, multimedia]
Meta Description: [ Information about each planet and moon in our solar system with many pictures, discussion of the history of its discovery, exploration, and physical characteristics. In addition to the planets, there are also pages about the Sun, many moons, and asteroids, comets and meteorites. ]

Astro-Mania - Eight interactive levels covering various aspects of the universe. [commercial - Windows]

404 Astronomy Explorer - An academic approved course in astronomy on CD-ROM that studies the universe, stars, galaxies, quasi-stellar objects and blacks holes, and our Solar System.

Astronomy Multimedia Presentations - created at the University of Florida's Astronomy Department. They are free to download as PowerPoint presentations or to view using a web browser and (optionally) the RealPlayer plugin.

404 Astronomy Software Reference: Visual Planets - Take this classic hypertext and multimedia tour of our Solar System on your PC. [Shareware - Win 3.1/95/NT/2000]
Meta Description: [ Windows Dictionary of Astronomy Main Page. Click now to download, learn about, or order this innovative astronomy software package. At last the Cosmos is at your fingertips. ]

CERES Project - Through funding from NASA, faculty at Montana State University and classroom teachers from across the nation have developed an extensive library of on-line and interactive K-12 science education materials for teaching astronomy. [online, muiltimedia]

CLEA Project - Project CLEA develops laboratory exercises that illustrate modern astronomical techniques using digital data and color images. They are suitable for high- school and college classes at all levels. Each CLEA laboratory exercise includes a dedicated computer program, a student manual, and a technical guide for the instructor. [freeware - Windows, Macintosh]

Eclipsing Binary Simulator - Application to visualize the orbit and synthetic light curve of binary star systems. Includes information about this phenomenon, screenshots of the program, list of features and free download.
Meta Description: [ EBS is a program to visualise the orbit and light curve of binary star systems. It is made for educational purposes and for having fun. Features include animation, elliptical orbits, limb darkening, exporting images and data, etc. ]

GeoAstro Applet Collection - Interactive Java applets display the position, daily and annual path of the sun and the moon, for any time and location. [online - not available for any PC platforms]
Meta Description: [ Interactive Java applets (JARS Top Rated!) display the position of the sun and the moon on the horizon for any date, time and location, and on a world map with day and night regions. The times of rise and setting, the declination, the Greenwich hour angle and the equation of time are computed ]

Hubble Space Telescope Images (350) plus Screensaver - Hubble Space Telescope Images (350) plus Screensaver and Slideshow. Also includes Image Browser and Original Music. These are the Best of the Best from the NASA archives.
Meta Description: [ Visit the official home page for Knight Vision astronomy products. Buy the very best planisphere, star guide or star finder, lunar poster, or Hubble & NASA images on DVD. ]

Leonardo da Vinci Codex Leicester Educational Software - Leonardo da Vinci's Educational Software The Codex Leicester Notebook by Corbis is Out of Print but On Sale at this Site. Included are Astronomical Observations, Science Experiments, Paintings, Artworks Gallery, and Magic Bar called a Codescope to translate his pages from Old Italian into English in Real Time.

Mars 2000 CD-ROM - The complete guide to robotic and human exploration of the red planet. Downloadable excerpts, unique website hotlist of over 200 sites. [commercial]

PCs in Space - Interactive educational Earth and space science software; designed to be used by persons with minimal computer skills. Children can easily direct their own learning by running the modules themselves. A simple tool which uses a multi-disciplinary approach to education. [freeware - Win95, Macintosh]
Meta Description: [ Free interactive educational software on Earth and space science ]

Planet Tracker - Classroom-oriented software to teach the concepts of planetary motion. [commercial, demo available - DOS]

PlanetWatch - A colorful multimedia atlas of the solar system. You can learn about each planet's motions, atmospheres, geology, and internal structure. Colorful photographs, animated maps, and data from Voyager, Galileo, and other space probes are combined in an informative and entertaining program. [commercial, demo available - DOS, Win3.1/95/NT]

Space Update CD-ROM - CD-Rom with 600 MB of images and movies about the solar system, and the galaxy. Space Weather modules brings you today's images of the Sun in many wavelengths and the aurora from space. Sky Tonight sections gives today's star view. Funded by NASA. [Commercial - Mac/Win]

The Digital Universe - Astronomical simulation package for the amateur or professional observer. [commercial - Mac]
Meta Description: [ The Digital Universe is a complete Macintosh astronomical simulator package for the amateur or professional observer. It provides for an unprecedented level of accuracy with a powerful and easy-to-use user interface. ]

404 The New Windows Dictionary of Astronomy - Classic hypertext astronomical reference source with over 2000 definitions and links to special articles and further reading. [Shareware - Win3.x/95/NT/2000]
Meta Description: [ Windows Dictionary of Astronomy Main Page. Click now to download, learn about, or order this innovative astronomy software package. At last the Cosmos is at your fingertips. ]

The Sky in your Computer - Freeware and shareware software relating to Astronomy and Science, for all OS (PC, Mac, Linux, BeOS, Palm), and with a special section devoting to Education.