Volume XIX  No. 2	October  2007 ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg


 AAI South: Science Outreach and Exploration	By Ray Shapp 


 I n August of this year, I had the great pleasure of introducing two very good friends of AAI to
 each other. Dr. Ken Kremer mentioned that he would be attending the launch of the Dawn Mission to
 Vesta and Ceres as an on-scene reporter for the Planetary Society. Because of the possible slippage
 of the launch date, Ken was planning to be in central Florida for about two weeks. He asked me
 whether I know of any amateur astronomy clubs in that area that would be interested in hearing one
 of Ken's presentations. Of course, I immediately thought of long-time AAI member, Ernie Rossi. In
 June 2006, Ernie moved to an active adult community just north of Orlando known as the Plantation At
 Leesburg. Ernie is co-founder of the Plantation Astronomy Club along with Dr. Terry R. Mitchell. See
 their website at: http://www.palhoa.com/id103.html. (Continued page 5: AAI South)


 Stewart's Skybox	By Stewart Meyers 


 O ctober 4th, 2007, marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik I, the first manmade object
 to orbit the Earth. This marked the beginning of the Space Age and made possible space-based
 astronomy. This column will honor the occasion by recounting the history that lead up to Sputnik I.
 Slow Start For Rockets Rockets were invented in China, though there is some disagreement over when,
 but it is certain they were in use by 1045 AD. The early rockets were tubes filled with gunpowder
 and open at one end. Over the years, the technology improved slightly, but rockets were still
 glorified fireworks, which were used by various militaries until the 1860's when improved artillery
 rendered them obsolete. Early science fiction pretty much ignored rockets, except for their use as
 steering thrusters for the Columbiad in "From The Earth to The Moon" by Jules Verne. However, a
 lowly Russian schoolteacher saw the potential. A Russian First Konstantin Tsiolkovskiy had an
 interest in science. In 1883, he published the results of experiments with a cylinder of compressed
 gas. These experiments inspired his interest in rockets. Early in his studies, Tsiolkovskiy realized
 that no single rocket could launch an object into space. However, he reasoned, if another rocket was
 placed on top of the first and launched when the first ran out of fuel, it could be possible to go
 into space. Also, he figured that better fuels would be needed for rockets and that hydrogen (with
 oxygen) would be a very good choice. These ideas were published in a paper in 1898 titled
 "Investigating Space with Rocket Devices". Tsiolkovskiy would go on to publish at least ten books
 and papers on many aspects of spaceflight, including specific impulse, which is the measure of the
 performance of any rocket, chemical or otherwise. He also touched on space stations, spacesuits,
 solar power, and even microgravity. After the revolution of 1917, the Soviet government honored
 Tsiolkovskiy for his scientific work. The combination of his background and skills seemed to have
 struck a chord with the Communists and he was awarded a pension in 1921. Tsiolkovskiy continued to
 study the theories of spaceflight until his death in 1935. Cherry Tree Our story now moves on to the
 United States. As a teen in 1898, Robert Goddard read "War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells, and books
 about Mars by Percival Lowell. But it was when he climbed a cherry tree at the age of 17, that he
 got inspired and believed that rockets offered the means to get into space. In 1920, Goddard wrote a
 paper titled "A Method of Reaching High Altitudes" in which he suggested that rockets could be used
 for atmospheric research. Only at the very end of the paper did he even hint at spaceflight. Unlike
 Tsiolkovskiy, whose papers on rocketry were accepted, Goddard's was ridiculed. Undeterred, Goddard
 quietly worked on building and launching rockets on his aunt's farm in Auburn, Massachusetts,
 culminating in the first liquid fuel rocket in 1926. However, instead of being hailed as a great
 achievement, the town declared it a nuisance and forbade Goddard from conducting further rocket
 tests. Fortunately, aviator Charles Lindbergh was impressed by Goddard's work and got him a grant
 that allowed Goddard to move his rocket work to New Mexico. In World War II, Goddard used his
 rocketry background to research bazooka design as well as aircraft mounted rockets for the US Army.
 Rockets For Hitler In the years prior to World War I, Hermann Oberth, a Romanian who had moved to
 Germany, thought about rockets, though he planned to be a doctor. After serving in World War I,
 Oberth lost interest in medicine and studied physics instead. After his thesis on rocketry was
 rejected, Oberth continued his research and in 1923 published "Die Rakete zu den Planetenraumen"
 ("The Rocket into Planetary Space"), which inspired a group of scientists and engineers such as
 Wernher von Braun and Willy Ley to form a rocket society known as Verein fur Raumschiffarht (VfR).
 Oberth himself would join the VfR in 1929. Looking for new weapons technology, the Nazis soon took
 an interest in rockets and the VfR. Most of the group soon wound up working for the Nazi war effort,
 except for Willy Ley. Since Ley was Jewish, he saw the writing on the wall and fled to America. In
 1942, von Braun and his team produced the V-2 missile. It was the world's first ballistic missile
 and had early versions of features found in modern rockets, such as gyroscopes and guidance systems.
 For all its technology, the V-2 was a fairly ineffective weapon and had little impact on the war
 except for getting the British angrier when London was struck by a number of the missiles.
 Eventually, as the war was nearing an end, von Braun's rocky relationship with the Nazis
 deteriorated further. Figuring that surrendering to the Americans was a better option than being
 captured by the Soviets or shot by the SS, von Braun and some of the rocket scientists made their
 way to the American lines. With their help, the Americans arrived at the launch site in Peenemunde
 and claimed a number of V-2s. The Soviets arrived later and got the missiles that remained as well
 as a few scientists. Shortly after the end of the war, three demonstration launches of V-2s were
 staged for the benefit of the Allies. One of the Soviets who witnessed this was Sergei Korolev, who
 later became the chief rocket designer for the Soviet space program. When the captured V-2s arrived
 in the United States, the motor from one was shown to Robert Goddard shortly before his death, and
 he found that every component of the engine was based on his patents. The V-2 showed the military
 potential of long-range rockets, and the German scientists were soon put to work designing missiles
 that could launch nuclear warheads over long distances. Eventually, this led to the development of
 the Redstone and Jupiter missiles and paved the way for later American achievements in rocketry Back
 To Russia Sergei Korolev, who was mentioned earlier, had a promising career in aviation engineering
 back in the 1930s and dabbled in some early rocket research. But, he eventually ran afoul of Stalin
 and was purged in 1938. Korolev then spent the next six years in prison. In 1939, the Soviets
 realized war was on the horizon and they set up special prisons to house intellectual inmates and
 had them designing military hardware. Korolev was put in that program in 1940 and, along with fellow
 inmate Andrei Tupolev, helped design the Tu-82 bomber. In 1944, Korolev was released and sent to
 Germany to study the V-2 missiles. Stalin knew that the United States had an advantage over the
 Soviet Union in terms of bombers and felt long-range missiles could be an equalizer. Korolev was put
 to work on the Soviet missile program. In early 1957, Korolev produced, the R-7, the first
 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). While it was soon replaced by other ICBMs, almost every
 Russian space rocket, even today, is based on its design. IGY: Not The Song Back in the 1950s,
 people seemed to be a little more inclined towards science than they are today and, in 1952, the
 International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) declared 1957 the International Geophysical Year
 (IGY), that year being chosen because it coincided with a sunspot maximum. Scientists from sixty-
 seven countries would take part in various projects aimed at studying Earth's magnetic field and
 upper atmosphere. In 1955, President Eisenhower announced that the United States would launch
 satellites during the IGY. In response, Leonid I. Sedov, head of a commission that studied ideas for
 space science, announced that the Soviet Union planned to launch a satellite by 1957. However, since
 Soviet science did not have a good reputation in those days, nobody in the West took Sedov
 seriously. But what the rest of the world did not know was that Russia had the R-7, which could hurl
 small objects into orbit just as easily, if not easier, as it could send warheads at the United
 States and Europe. And, on October 4, 1957, Sputnik I was launched into orbit. When the news of this
 reached the United States, Eisenhower quickly deduced that Sputnik I had little scientific value,
 but realized the military significance. So, the Americans began a frantic race to launch a
 satellite. After some humiliating setbacks, including a rocket that rose only a few feet, toppled
 over, and exploded, America's first satellite, Explorer I, was launched in January 1958, and it made
 a scientific discovery - the Van Allen belts, an important component of Earth's magnetic field. Back
 to the Present There have been many highs and lows in spaceflight in the fifty years that followed.
 Now, new players have emerged in the space field. Private businesses are planning their own space
 vehicles and even space stations. Who knows what spaceflight will be like in 2057?




 In The Nick Of Time	By Bonnie Witzgall

 A hh!  It's time again for the United States to return to some sense of sanity. It's that time of
 the year when Daylight Saving Time ends, and Standard Time returns. The hour taken away in the
 Spring, turning 2AM into 3AM is magically restored again during Autumn at 2 o'clock in the morning.
 Most people feel grateful to have another hour of sleep, seeing this as a 'generous' Act of
 Congress. Only nighttime astronomers and people who work the night shift realize the Government is
 just returning the hour that was taken away in the Spring. Therefore, an hour of sleep is just
 deferred for several months and an extra tangible hour of time is not actually gained. However,
 there is an interesting web site that justifies the 'odd' use of Daylight Saving Time. If you go to
 http:/webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/k.html, you will see many examples of how Daylight Saving Time
 was not only harmful, but also helpful and used to the best advantage. There is a story about a man,
 born just after 12:00AM Daylight Saving Time in Delaware. He was drafted to serve during the Vietnam
 War, and he argued that standard time, not Daylight Saving Time was the official time used to record
 births in his state. Thus, he was actually declared to be born on the previous day, which had a much
 higher draft lottery number and he was able to avoid military service. Another example of Daylight
 Saving Time confusion is an event that happened in September 1999 when Israel just switched back to
 their standard time. West Bank Palestinians set their explosives to the 'old' Daylight Saving Time
 and smuggled them into Israel. The bombs detonated as they were being planted, an hour ahead of
 schedule, killing only the terrorists. You think astronomers are restrained by the Government's time
 change? The website tells the account of how the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul were at
 odds. In 1965, the city of St. Paul decided to begin their Daylight Saving Time change in accordance
 with the rest of the nation. Minneapolis felt it should follow Minnesota's state time change, which
 has a later starting date. Since both cities shared transportation timetables, business schedules
 and road repair programs, there was absolute mayhem between the Twin Cities. The switch of the clock
 and the loss/gain of one hour physically affect Amtrak riders. In the Spring, the jump of time from
 2AM standard time to 3AM DST instantly makes all the Amtrak trains one hour late. The engineers try
 to catch up as best they can. In the Autumn when the time retrogrades from 2AM back to 1AM, all the
 Amtrak trains come to a dead stop, awaiting the 'new' 2AM standard time to come around. At the new
 stroke of 2AM, the trains begin their journey again, bewildering passengers as to why their travel
 time was an hour longer than expected. The next time the switch of time bewilders you, just get on
 the Daylight Saving Time website mentioned above and read some of the anecdotes. Be glad you are not
 traveling on Amtrak through Minnesota with Terrorists who can't tell time while avoiding the Draft. 


 A Puzzle From Dr. Lew The following came to me as an email from Dr. Lew. If you can spot the error,
 please send your results to him at clayton2@netzero.net.



 Let x = y

 then

 x2 = xy

 x2-y2 = xy - y2

 (x+y)(x-y) = y(x-y)

 (x+y)(x-y)/(x-y)  = y(x-y)/(x-y)

 x+y= y

 If x = 1 and y = 1

 then

 2 = 1

 Where is the error??

 This is basically the same problem that plagued Einstein!

 Dr. Lew 

 AAI South (continued from page 1) Ken and Ernie hit it off immediately, and the result was one of
 the highlight events of the Plantation Astronomy Club's entire history. Many of us know of Ernie's
 prolific output through his many contributions to this publication as well as to the newsletters of
 other astronomy clubs in this area. Terry Mitchell retired from a 35-year career with NASA at the
 Kennedy Space Center. He is now an adjunct professor of Astronomy and Earth Sciences at Lake Sumter
 Community College. Together, Terry and Ernie had been their club's only speakers. They also provide
 an evening under the  stars (if it's clear) by showing celestial objects on a TV monitor. The images
 are produced via a top-of-the-line video camera through very large  telescopes. As Ernie says, "The
 camera enhances the aperture of the telescope at least 10 times, and the images are almost in real
 time. It's like Mount Palomar in your back yard". As impressive as Ernie's and Terry's  credentials
 are, the prospect of having an outside speaker of Ken's caliber was very attractive to Ernie. As he
 put it in an email to me, "(our) members need a  break from hearing our voices, and (they) need to
 experience professional speakers with  the most up to date news and media presentations. We welcome
 Ken as our first outside speaker, and I thank you, Ray, for letting me know about Ken being in the
 area". Ernie and the Plantation Astronomy Club went all out in preparation for Ken's visit. They
 purchased their first LCD projector, and among lots of other publicity outlets, Ernie spoke at the
 Rotary club in Leesburg which was attended by many prominent people including the Mayor. Ken made
 his presentation before a very appreciative crowd of over ninety people on September 10th. Ken also
 found time to speak at the Central Florida Astronomical Society which meets in the Planetarium at
 Seminole County Community College in Orlando, the Physics Department and Society of Physics Students
 at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida, the George Marks Elementary School, and the Middle School
 both also in DeLand. As the events unfolded during launch week, Ken filed reports as Guest Blogger
 for The Planetary Society Weblog, all available in the archives at:
 http://planetary.org/blog/archive Ken was also privileged to be granted a one-on-one interview with
 Dr. Marc Rayman, Chief Engineer for Dawn at the Jet Propulsion lab (JPL), conducted at the Kennedy
 Space Center Press Center just prior to the successful 27 September 2007 launch of NASA's newest
 Mission of Planetary Exploration. See the full interview at:
 http://planetary.org/blog/article/00001160 or http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov. More photos and details are
 shown in a Pictorial Supplement to this issue available only online. Visit www.asterism.org and
 click Newsletter.


 GENERAL MEETING OCTOBER 19, 2007


 "Launching Dawn (and Phoenix) From behind the scenes at Kennedy Space Center Press Site" - Dr. Ken
 Kremer, NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador & The Planetary Society

 Dr. Kremer will be presenting his "behind the scenes" experience of the rarely seen "reporters
 perspective" of the Space Press Corps at America's Space Port including an "Up-Close and Personal"
 look at the just launched NASA Dawn Asteroid Orbiter powered by exotic ion propulsion. As the events
 unfolded during launch week, Ken filed reports as Guest Blogger for The Planetary Society Web-log,
 all available in the archives at http://planetary.org/blog/archive

 Ken will also allow us to experience the beautiful and amazing new discoveries in our New Solar
 System by "Spirit" and "Opportunity" as they celebrate nearly four years on the Red Planet as well
 as by the Cassini Mission to Saturn and its rings and many intriguing moons. Journeys by NASA's
 newest planetary missions, Phoenix and Dawn, and others to Jupiter, Comets, Pluto, Eris, and Beyond
 will be extended into the spectacular realm of 3-D. Ken is a research scientist and has authored a
 Mars cover article for the Journal of the Explorers Club. His international team of astronomy
 enthusiasts has published Mars images in magazines (including Aviation Week and Space Technology)
 and numerous other media (including Astronomy Picture Of the Day). 3-D glasses will be provided.

 8PM IN THE MAIN LECTURE HALL







 MEMBERSHIP DUES

 Regular Membership:	$21 Sustaining Membership:	$31 Sponsoring Membership:	$46 Family Membership:
 $5 First Time Application Fee:	$3

 Sky & Telescope: 	               $32.95 Astronomy subscription:	$34 (Subscription renewals to S&T
 can be done directly. See "Membrship-Dues" on website for details.)

 AAI Dues can be paid in person to Membership Chair or Treasurer, or by mail to:  AAI, PO Box 111,
 Garwood, NJ 07027-0111

 DR. LEW'S SEMINARS

 See Dr. Lew Thomas for possible upcoming seminar topics.

 (Choice of topic at Dr. Lew's seminars is determined by participants' interest)


 EMAIL CONTACTS

 president@asterism.org President of AAI

 editor@asterism.org Editor of The Asterism Ray Shapp, Acting Editor Deadline for submissions to each
 month's newsletter is the first Friday of that month. membership@asterism.org AAI Membership Chair

 trustees@asterism.org All three Trustees of AAI

 ray@asterism.org Ray Shapp for the website

 exec@asterism.org Executive Committee plus Trustees

 QOs@asterism.org All Qualified Observers

 Info@asterism.org AAI president, corresp. secretary, and computer services chair

 DOME DUTY SCHEDULE

 October 26	Team C November 2	Team D November 9	Team E November 16	Team A

 FRIDAYS AT SPERRY October 26, 2007 Ask The Astronomers  Staff November 2, 2007 What's Up: A Down-to-
 Earth Sky Guide    Kathleen Quinn Vaccari November 9, 2007 Galileo An Astronomical Revolutionary
 Hank Adams

 All schedules above were accurate at time of publication.  Please check www.asterism.org for latest
 information (click on "Club Activities")





 Stunning Beauties of Our Solar System         by Ken Kremer

 Roving Again on Mars The NASA/JPL Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity are driving again on Mars after
 surviving electrical power shortages caused by global dust storms that have swept the planet since
 late June. After a six-week long hiatus, Opportunity drove to the rim of Victoria crater on 28
 August 2007 (Sol 1278). The rover then took this false color mosaic that preserves details, but
 sharply distorts elevation to make it falsely appear that the rover is on a hill. The mosaic was
 prepared exclusively for Aviation Week & Space Technology (by M. Di Lorenzo and K. Kremer).  The
 individual images were taken by a front black-and-white hazard camera and the navigation camera.
 These were then merged in a first-of-its-kind combination published image. "Oppy" finally began its
 long awaited descent into the crater on September 11, as Mars was 100 million miles from Earth.
 Original plans called for crater entry around the July 4 holiday until the severe dust storms
 obscured 99% of the direct sunlight from reaching the solar arrays, and forced a halt to all science
 operations and movement in a desperate bid to conserve vital power.  Note smooth rock surfaces under
 arm. Rover tracks, antenna, and solar array are visible (left) and front wheels (foreground).
 Cornell University Athena instruments on arm include Alpha Particle Spectrometer (facing camera),
 German Mossbauer spectrometer (right), microscopic imager (left), and rock abrasion tool (pointing
 forward towards crater). Hi-res versions can be downloaded as reprinted on websites of NASAWATCH and
 the Rittenhouse Astronomical Society at: http://images.spaceref.com/news/2007/Op_Sol-
 1278_VictoriaCrater_.jpg http://www.rittenhouseastronomicalsociety.org/Downloads/RASNewsletter10-
 07.pdf



 Descending Into Victoria Crater on Mars Credit: MOSAIC BY MARCO DI LORENZO and KEN KREMER WITH
 NASA/JPL DATA. Reprinted courtesy of Aviation Week & Space Technology Magazine, 3 Sep 2007 issue,
 page. 42

 Please contact me for further information or public outreach presentations.  My upcoming talks
 include:

 Dorothea House: Princeton, NJ, Sun, Dec 2, 5 PM.  "Italian Contributions to Space Exploration".
 Website: http://www.dorotheashouse.org/

 Riverside Elementary School: Princeton, NJ. Dec 6, 6:30 PM.  "Twin Robots Explore Mars" 

 Dr. Ken Kremer NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador Email:  kremerken@yahoo.com



 Theater In The Sky	by Ron Ruemmler

 November 2007 features interesting events involving all five bright planets, often with the help of
 returning Standard Time and a very cooperative Moon. Now, every month finds the Moon passing by all
 the planets and some of the brightest stars in the sky. Last month most of the close conjunctions
 between these objects and the Moon happened on the other side of the world. Since it take 29.5 days
 for the Moon to circle the Earth, you might expect these conjunctions to be visible from our
 hemisphere this month, and you would be right! The very last morning of Daylight Saving Time finds
 the crescent Moon so close to Regulus that this brightest star in Leo, the Lion, is actually covered
 by the Moon when seen from half of our nation. Unfortunately, it is the southwestern half of the
 nation. Anyone looking at the Moon from northeast of a line running from the northern boundary of
 California to the southern tip of South Carolina will see the star pass just above the Moon. From
 New Jersey, you may not even have to get up much earlier than usual. Thanks to the newly scheduled
 departure date for Daylight Saving Time, sunrise on Saturday the third is the latest sunrise since
 World War Two! The astronomical latest sunrise of 7:21 AM we had in January will be surpassed by a
 full eight minutes with this totally artificial technicality. After we get back to real time, the
 waning crescent Moon passes by Saturn just to the lower left of Regulus. The next morning, brilliant
 Venus gets a close visit. But the most beautiful conjunction happens on the morning of the 7th. Just
 to the lower left of the very thin crescent Moon is Spica, the alpha star in Virgo, the Virgin, and
 just to the left of Spica is Mercury! At magnitude -0.5, Mercury is near its highest and brightest
 of the entire year this morning. The speedy orange planet actually rises before there is the
 slightest trace of morning twilight. For the next few days the Moon is invisibly close to the Sun.
 That means nobody will get to see the most distant Moon of the year. This super-apogee of 252,705
 miles occurs just ten hours before New Moon. After the Moon returns to the evening sky, it hosts a
 going away party for Jupiter. This gas giant has been a lovely evening object for the last six
 months and the only evening planet for the last three, but now it's time to say goodbye. By the end
 of November Jupiter sets well before the end of evening twilight. Finally the surprise visitor of
 the month: Mars! Thanks to the late arrival of Standard Time, the planet that doesn't rise until
 nearly ten at the start of the month rises before seven by the end. It brightens from Magnitude -0.6
 to -1.3 during November, and slides under the just past Full Moon late on the 26th. The Leonid
 Meteor Shower is not expected to be impressive.

 November SKY CALENDAR


 1 Thu 5:19 PM Last Quarter Moon 3 Sat 6:40 AM Crescent Moon passes just below Regulus 3 Sat 7:29 AM
 Latest sunrise in over sixty years (see text) 4 Sun 2:00 AM Standard Time returns; turn clocks back
 one hour 4 Sun 5:00 AM Crescent Moon below Saturn 5 Mon 6:00 AM Crescent Moon right of Venus 7 Wed
 5:45 AM Spica lower left of very thin crescent Moon, Mercury left of Spica 8 Thu 3:00 PM Mercury at
 maximum elongation from the Sun 9 Fri 8:00 AM Apogee; Moon at maximum distance of the year (not
 visible) 9 Fri 6:03 PM New Moon 11 Sun 5:45 AM Mercury at maximum illuminated area (brightest) 12
 Mon 6:00 PM Crescent Moon lower left of Jupiter 17 Sat 5:32 PM First Quarter Moon 18 Sun 4:00 AM
 Leonid Meteor Shower 24 Sat 9:30 AM Full Moon 26 Mon 11:00 PM The just-past-full Moon is slightly
 above Mars 


 Science Outreach and Exploration Update	by Ken Kremer Pictorial Supplement During the month of
 September, I gave a series of astronomy lectures across central Florida to kids of all ages (6 to
 96) focusing on the exploration of Mars by the rovers Spirit and Opportunity, the newly launched
 Phoenix mission to the Martian north polar icy soil, and the (then) soon to launch DAWN mission to
 the Asteroid Belt.    

 Plantation Astronomy Club: Leesburg, Florida, Sep 10, 2007 

 Ernie Rossi is a well known and well liked Amateur Astronomer from New Jersey and great friend to
 many AAI, NJAA, STAR and AAAP members.  Furthermore, Ernie is an expert avid observer, accomplished
 astrophotographer and President/Co-Founder of The Plantation Astronomy Club in the retirement
 community to which he recently relocated.  Here he proudly stands by a small segment of his armada
 of over 40 'scopes, including a 24-inch Dob, housed in his garage.  And he regularly employs them
 all!  Credit: Ken Kremer

 Double Barreled Observing Pleasure from Ernie Rossi in Leesburg, Florida.  Stormy Florida weather
 washed out the planned post lecture telescope viewing session.   Credit: Ken Kremer


 Examining the RAT, the Mars rover science drill.  Credit: Ken Kremer



 Over 90 people from several astronomy clubs in sunny central Florida survived the "6 minutes of
 Terror" and landed safely "On Mars in 3-D" at the Plantation Astronomy Club, co-founded by retired
 NASA Space Shuttle engineer Terry Mitchell (standing back). Most decided on an "Earth return
 trajectory" when the nighttime Martian temperature plunged to below -100 degrees F, more suited to
 penguins traversing the Antarctic.  Credit: Ken Kremer














 Martian immigrants from Florida, sign up for duty tours at Ernie's Place.   Credit: Ernie Rossi







 Ken Kremer presents "Exploring Mars (and Asteroids), the Search for Life and a Journey in 3-D" to
 the crowd at Ernie Rossi's Plantation Astronomy Club on 10 Sep 2007.  Credit: Ernie Rossi











 Central Florida Astronomical Society (CFAS): Orlando, Florida, Sep 12. 

 Inside the beautiful Planetarium at Seminole County Community College the crowd of kids, teenagers
 and adults enjoys viewing giant Martian posters and a discussion on the search for life beyond
 earth.  CFAS holds their monthly meetings in the Planetarium, is the largest astronomy club in
 central Florida and is actively engaged in public outreach. Credit: Ken Kremer Further details about
 my CFAS presentation in the club newsletter here: http://www.cfas.org/downloads/Vol32Qtr4.pdf


 Stetson University: DeLand, Florida, Sep 13.

 Stetson is a fine liberal arts school north of Orlando.  The Physics Department and Society of
 Physics Students invited me to present the latest results on the NASA Mars rover mission in a
 lecture titled "Exploring Mars (and Asteroids), the Search for Life and a Journey in 3-D".  The
 Opportunity rover had just entered the half-mile wide Victoria crater on the morning of my
 presentation.  My team of Mars enthusiasts quickly stitched together a new mosaic of the latest
 images from inside the downward facing slopes which I presented for the first time to the crowd of
 university students and general public, numbering over 80. Aviation Week and Space Technology
 magazine Senior Editor Craig Covault was in attendance.  As AAAP Program Chair, I hosted Craig for
 his presentation at the October 2005 AAAP Monthly Meeting.   Credit: Ken Kremer      




 George Marks Elementary School, DeLand, Florida, Sep 14

 These elementary school kids were literally cheering with excitement as they witnessed 3-D views of
 Mars from Earth's invasion fleet of two surface rovers and three orbiters.  I gave two interactive
 presentations of "Twin Robots Explore Mars"  to the entire 4th and 5th grade classes, about 500
 students total, clearly interested in science and yearning to explore the distant reaches of our
 solar system.    Later in the day, I spoke to another 300 8th graders at the DeLand Middle School.
 Credit: Ken Kremer

 The Planetary Society Weblog (reprint)	By Emily Lakdawalla Dawn launch: One-on-one with Marc Rayman
 at Kennedy Space Center Sep. 26, 2007 | 13:37 PDT | 20:37 UTC Planetary Society volunteer Ken Kremer
 is reporting for us from the Kennedy Space Center, where he is anticipating the launch of Dawn on
 September 26. Kremer is a research scientist who spends his spare time giving public outreach
 presentations on behalf of The Planetary Society as a volunteer and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 as a Solar System Ambassador. Thanks Ken! --ESL 






 by Ken Kremer 

 Monday, September 24, I had the fortunate opportunity to have a lengthy conversation with Marc
 Rayman, Chief Engineer for Dawn at the Jet Propulsion lab (JPL) who I met at the Kennedy Space
 Center (KSC), in his few moments of down time prior to launch and the formal pre-launch press
 conference. We discussed the launch vehicle, spacecraft, flight trajectories, and science goals of
 what is really a three-body mission: a flyby of Mars followed by orbital science at Vesta and Ceres
 in that order. Find the complete interview with Dr. Rayman including a diagram of the spacecraft and
 a photo of one of the three ion engines at http://planetary.org/blog/article/00001160 See also the
 JPL Dawn home page at http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov


 Cassini: Flew within 1000 miles of the fascinating yin and yang moon Iapetus on 10 Sep 2007 and
 transmitted back breathtaking images of its walnut like equatorial bulge and the interface of the
 bright as snow and dark as tar regions.  See highlights from Cassini at my upcoming local talks
 listed below.

 Please contact me for further information or public outreach presentations.  My upcoming Astronomy
 talks include:

 Dorothea's House: Princeton, NJ, Sun, Dec 2, 5 PM.  "Italian Contributions to Space Exploration (in
 3-D)" http://www.dorotheashouse.org

 Riverside Elementary School: Princeton, NJ. Dec 6, 6:30 PM.  "Twin Robots Explore Mars" 

 Dr. Ken Kremer NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador Email:  kremerken@yahoo.com