Jupiter And Saturn Above Stone Mountain. #jupiter #stonemountain #georgia #space #solarsystemambassador

Had a fun time at Fernbank Science Center’s Space Day! #apollo6 #nasa #stemeducation #georgia #spaceflight (at Fernbank Science Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfPoHLaO6tG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Kids These Days...

Before judging the first round of submissions in the NASA / JPL Name the Mars 2020 Rover Contest, I didn’t quite know what to expect from the various young minds. I knew I was going to see the occasional Rover McRoverface, or the overly complicated acronyms.

However, some of these kids really got what this is all about. Their essays conveyed how much they really want to invest in science and the future of space exploration. You could see the amount of research that went into their name choices. Several times, I had to look up words or the meanings behind possible name choices. Leave it to me to accidentally ok a cool sounding name that belongs to an anime character who farts a lot. (didn’t really happen)

It wasn’t just the scientific names and essays that were rewarding. Some students wrote passionate essays about naming the rover after a beloved relative or pet. The level of respect and/or compassion from the minds of fifth graders almost had me in tears at some points.

mars.nasa.gov

Mars 2020 Rover

NASA Mars 2020 Rover - overview, videos, images and information

After several months, my SECOND “#1 NEW RELEASE”, is finally available in print! I was almost in tears when I took the pic of my daughter reading it. Thanks to Traci for the support! “Hello Luna, It’s Me Again” is an imaginary conversation with the Moon and a collection of lunar images from my own telescope. If you’re interested, it’s available on Amazon. Much love, and Thank You! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09M577SW8/ . . . . #celestrontelescope #celestron127slt #astrophotography #moon #luna #books https://www.instagram.com/p/CWj4otLs41e/?utm_medium=tumblr

1) Check weather conditions for a town in New Mexico. 2) Remotely access a telescope in New Mexico. 3) Select target and parameters (Andromeda Galaxy, 60 second exposure...) 4) Wait until next morning to see results. 5) Open email to see A FREAKIN’ PLANE OR SATELLITE HAS JACKED UP YOUR OTHERWISE GORGEOUS IMAGE!😳🤬🤬 https://www.instagram.com/p/B95s_87HE6e/?igshid=1nodpm0ocwj3i

What a day! Video from the landing! Raw images to work with! This is so cool! @nasajpl @nasa @nasasolarsystem #perseverance #percy #mars2020 #solarsystemambassador https://www.instagram.com/p/CLn80E2D2Jx/?igshid=j6nbbbsv9hbr

Did some work on this little guy this evening:

http://skyserver.sdss.org/dr9/en/tools/explore/obj.asp?ra=213.34784249&dec=0.57352944

IMAGE CREDIT: http://skyserver.sdss.org/dr9/en/credits/

Being a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador has its perks. Not only do I get to talk to kids about space science, but I also get some cool mission shirts! The Perseverance Rover is currently collecting samples of Martian rock and soil. Soon, it will be dropping off some collection tubes at a point called Three Forks Sample Depot. In the near future, the Mars Sample Recovery Mission will pick up the Martian samples and bring them back to Earth for analysis. #explorepage #nasa #perseverance #mars2020 #lifeonmars #marssamplereturn #jpl https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck44siYuh2V/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

One of my favorites from last night’s images. The wind was bothersome, but it was an otherwise lovely night. . . . . . #observethemoon #celestrontelescope #celestron #backyardastronomy #stem #explorepage https://www.instagram.com/p/CjN_Z9WuBKZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

I know it’s a very specific category, but I still can’t believe this! Thank you to my friends and family! #space #iss #internationalspacestation #childrensbooks #stem #steam https://www.instagram.com/p/CJZberVjUrF/?igshid=tb8xj1y7quxl