‘In Saturn’s Rings’: One man’s journey to make a space film
When filmmaker Stephen Van Vuuren first saw images of Saturn retuned by the Cassini spacecraft, he saw something more in them. He not only saw the beauty of the ringed planet, he saw a motion picture camera flying through space. Van Vuuren grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, with dreams of being an astronaut. …
Taking a first look at ‘Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey’
“Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” beams onto our television screens on March 9 across 10 U.S. networks, including FOX and National Geographic Channel, with a multi-network simulcast in the United States. Global releases will follow shortly after on National Geographic and FOX branded channels in 180 countries within a week of the U.S. premiere. Fronted by …
Ann Druyan preserves the legacy of Sagan’s ‘Cosmos’ with ‘A Spacetime Odyssey’
How often are you so moved by your job that you actually shed tears? On “Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey,” this was a fairly regular occurrence. It is impossible to work on something of such scale and import without being overcome, now and again, in the exact same way you hope your audience will be. I …
Jackee Mohl looks to the future as a structural engineer for Boeing’s V-22 Osprey
What do you get when a talented female engineer is one of the masterminds behind the design of an aircraft crossed between a helicopter and a jet fighter? There exists a sort of “hybrid” military, tiltrotor aircraft that takes off and lands as a helicopter, and flies like an airplane. The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey …
Neil deGrasse Tyson is a conduit to knowledge
What to say about Neil deGrasse Tyson that hasn’t already been said? These are the facts: Neil is the director of the Hayden Planetarium at New York City’s American Museum of Natural History. He is an astrophysicist and New York Times bestselling author, former host of “NOVA ScienceNow,” and frequent guest on such shows as …
Wonders of the Cosmos: Neil deGrasse Tyson answers readers’ questions
The pursuit of knowledge is just half the odyssey of a scientist. Being able to communicate that knowledge to a broader audience is the other half. Few, if any, excel better at the second part of the equation than the famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. It is little wonder then that he was chosen to …
Cosmos receiving largest ever global TV launch
FOX Networks Group has announced the first ever simultaneous cross-network global event for “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” on Sunday March 9 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Showing across multiple U.S. networks on Sunday, March 9, this exhilarating new series will make its debut on FOX International Channels and National Geographical Channels. After the cross-network premiere event, “Cosmos: …
NASA launches STEM-in-sports online learning program
Teachers and students can learn the science behind scoring a touchdown, throwing a slam-dunk or a hitting a homerun with a new distance-learning program called NASA STEM Mania. NASA’s Distance Learning Network (DLN) will present the two-week series Monday, Feb. 24, through Monday, March 10, and will give educators and students from kindergarten through 12th …
NASA hosting Deep Space Network social
NASA will host a two-day NASA Social for 50 of its social media followers on April 1 and 2, 2014, at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and the Deep Space Network complex in Goldstone, Calif. The event is part of a yearlong celebration of the 50th anniversary of NASA’s Deep Space Network …
Free space systems engineering course starts March 3
Space Systems Engineering, a new massive open online course or MOOC from NASA and the Saylor Foundation, launches on Monday, March 3, 2014. The six-week, general-audience course is available to the public at no cost and provides a unique opportunity to learn from NASA engineers. Students who participate can earn a free certificate. The Space …