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FOAP Newsletter January 2025 |
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January 1, 2025
Dear Friends,
Thank you for supporting us during the 2024 donation season!
We raised over $3,390 dollars on Giving Tuesday and end of year donations, including the Combined Federal Campaign and the Arlington Community Foundation Wish List, brought us to over $9,400 for the final season of 2024. Special purpose donations during the year, as well as our first Arlington County Neighborhood Mini-Grant, gave the Friends of Arlington’s Planetarium a total of $20,744 in funds raised during 2024! We appreciate our members and all of our donors who continue to support FOAP throughout the year. Thank you.
Coming up on January 25, 2025 is the Annual FOAP Member Meeting. Please plan now to attend this important early business meeting of our association. Members will elect new directors to the board, learn about the newly adopted strategic plan goals, review 2024 and get details on the coming year’s activities. The meeting starts at 10:30am EST and will be offered to members both in person (at the planetarium) and online. Look for an announcement by email to reserve your seat or to attend remotely.
Be sure to stay engaged with FOAP by following us on Facebook and visiting our website for updates. Check the 2025 show schedule, starting with January’s focus on Rocket Science!
Best wishes for 2025,
Theresa Carroll Schweser President |
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In Case You Missed It
- Please check out our website if you’d like to find out more about the David M. Brown Scholarship. The 2025-26 application is now open. Deadline to apply is February 10, 2025!
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David M Brown Public Planetarium Shows for January!
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The Friends of the Arlington Planetarium (FOAP) will be hosting full dome planetarium shows about It Really is Rocket Science in the universe on Saturday, January 25 (6:30 and 8:00pm) and Sunday, January 26 (1:30 and 3:00pm). Show details and an advance ticket sales notice will be released to members next week. |
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Why Does a Rocket Work?
By NASA In space, an engine has nothing to push against. So how do rockets move there? Rockets work by a scientific rule called Newton’s third law of motion. English scientist Sir Isaac Newton listed three Laws of Motion. He did this more than 300 years ago. His third law says that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The rocket pushes on its exhaust. The exhaust pushes the rocket, too. The rocket pushes the exhaust backward. The exhaust makes the rocket move forward.
This rule can be seen on Earth. Imagine a person standing on a skateboard. Imagine that person throwing a bowling ball. The ball will go forward. The person on the skateboard will move, too. The person will move backward. Because the person is heavier, the bowling ball will move farther.
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How Does a Rocket Engine Work? By NASA
Like most engines, rockets burn fuel. Most rocket engines turn the fuel into hot gas. The engine pushes the gas out its back. The gas makes the rocket move forward.
A rocket is different from a jet engine. A jet engine needs air to work. A rocket engine doesn’t need air. It carries with it everything it needs. A rocket engine works in space, where there is no air.
There are two main types of rocket engines. Some rockets use liquid fuel. The main engines on the space shuttle orbiter use liquid fuel. The Russian Soyuz uses liquid fuels. Other rockets use solid fuels. On the side of the space shuttle are two white solid rocket boosters. They use solid fuels. Fireworks and model rockets also fly using solid fuels.
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Jokes for Kids Only!
Q: Why did the rocket breakup with the satellite? A: Because it needed some space!
Q: Why don't rockets have friends?
A: Because they always blow things out of proportion!
Q: How do you invite a rocket to a party?
A: You planet!
Q: Why don't rockets ever get lost?
A: Because they always follow the right trajectory
Q: How do rockets say goodbye?
A: "I'm taking off now."
Q: What do rockets use to keep up their pants?
A: Asteroid belts! |
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What's in the Sky this Month? By Mike Rhee |
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Mike's column, first shared in December, is republished here as he guides us in January to view the winter constellations, with their brilliant stars, in the northern hemisphere.
Read more... |
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In memoriam
By Jennifer Bartlett
Rocket launches and spaceflight captivate us with the sheer power required and promise of new discoveries beyond the limitations of the Earth’s atmosphere. As humans, we are driven to explore and innovate. Viewing our home planet from space has reshaped how we view ourselves and our place in the cosmos. As we celebrate the power and the promise, let us also remember that not every experiment is successful, and a mistake can cost human lives. On January 27, 1967, Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger B. Chaffee died in an electrical fire that consumed the Apollo 1 command module during pre-launch tests. On January 28, 1986, Dick Scobee, Michael Smith, Ellison Onizuka, Judith Resnik, Ronald McNair, Gregory Jarvis, and Christa McAuliffe died when a o-ring seal failed causing the Space Shuttle Challenger to break apart 73 seconds after launch. As we prepare for a return to the Moon and further human exploration of our Solar System, let us salute their bravery and honor their sacrifice. |
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Islands in the Universe: The Search for Extraterrestrial Life (Arlington 55+)
By Jennifer Bartlett
Ever wonder if we are truly alone in the universe? Astrobiology is the scientific study of the possibility of life beyond Earth. Professional astronomer Dr. Jennifer Lynn Bartlett, former President of the Friends will discuss how scientists calculate the probability of alien civilizations and some efforts to communicate with other worlds. Registration is recommended. |
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Viewing a Rocket Launch
By Jennifer Bartlett
While traveling to Florida to watch a launch from Cape Canaveral or the Kennedy Space Center may to be trip of a lifetime, you can also see rocketry blasting off at Wallops Island, a mere 3 hours away on the Delmarva coast. Sounding rockets take off quickly and can be easily missed if you blink. However, larger rockets, such as the multi-stage Antares vehicles, are more spectacular. Under the most favorable conditions, viewers have sighted these launches from our area. For a more sedate experience, you can skip the launch and pick a satellite serenely orbiting the Earth for viewing. Multiple websites provide information about what and when you can see a satellite, or the International Space Station, pass over your backyard. (You may still wish to opt for a dark location to increase your chances of picking out a fast-moving object.) Hunting for these this winter can be as rewarding as identifying planets and bright stars on a clear, dark night. January will be a good month for evening planet-hunting with Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn visible in the evenings.
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Rockets, and Filters, and Foam; oh my!
By Jennifer Bartlett
Rocket science boils down to Isaac Newton's (1642-1727) Third Law of Motion: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. By expelling their propellant at high speed out one end, rockets generate thrust, pushing them in the opposite direction. However, the technology associated with getting people and payloads safely through Earth's atmosphere, into the vacuum of space, and returning them home is extensive and varied. NASA does not just produce whiz bang bast office, it transports water to hydrate its astronauts and support hydroponic experiments. It protects its astronauts from the effects of extreme accelerations. It uses tools in on orbit, on the lunar surface, and attached to robots on Mars. Developing solutions to these “space” problems has led to improvements in everyday life: terrestrial water filtration systems, memory foam, and cordless tools to name a few.
More about NASA technology transfer https://www.space.com/10-everyday-nasa-inventions-spin-offs-in-you-home
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Straight from the International Space Station |
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Photo by NASA Astronaut on the ISS Lettuce grown on the ISS ready to be shipped back to Earth for microbiology analysis |
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Photo by NASA Astronaut on the ISS
Space Christmas cookies made by ISS astronauts |
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Photo by NASA Astronaut on the ISS ISS Crew 9 Christmas socks
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Photo by NASA Astronaut on the ISS "ET" or mini robots called astrobees used to grab satellites |
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Photo by Astronaut on the ISS
Russian Cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin on a space walk throwing trash into Earth's atmosphere. |
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This message has been sent to you from the Friends of Arlington's Planetarium.
Friends of Arlington's David M. Brown Planetarium
P.O. Box 7029
Arlington, VA 22207 USA
Copyright (C) 2024 Friends of Arlington's David M. Brown Planetarium (FOAP). All rights reserved.
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