04.20.11
Posted in Astronomy, Space Shuttle at 8:00 am by Rebekah
Yesterday after the flight readiness review for space shuttle Endeavour, NASA voted unanimously to make the April 29th launch date official. This means that barring some unforeseen circumstance, such as a last-minute malfunction or weather problem, space shuttle Endeavour will launch at 3:47 pm EDT on April 29.
Those of us planning on going to see the launch breathed a collective sigh of relief, and now I feel that the NASA Tweetup, space shuttle launch, and Florida trip is a bit more real.
I really don’t think it will begin to sink in until I am on the road, though, in just a few days.
Next week I expect I will be blogging more about my trip than about the weather, and hope to post some of the best photos (from both the Southeast road trip and the Tweetup and launch) as soon as possible. I may also stream part of the event, if it’s not too much trouble, but you can always watch the launch preparations and launch itself live on NASA TV.
9 days until launch! 🙂
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04.05.11
Posted in Astronomy, General News, Space Shuttle at 8:00 am by Rebekah
I’m afraid today’s regularly scheduled world wide weather post is going to be canceled, as I didn’t have time to complete it last night and am not sure I’ll get to it later today.
I found out in the morning that the space shuttle launch would be delayed for at least 10 days, so have been scrambling to change travel plans. As of now, Endeavour is scheduled to launch at 3:47 pm EDT on April 29th. Hopefully this time it will go according to schedule!
Yesterday afternoon/night I went down to Dallas for a Rangers v. Mariners baseball game. It was the much anticipated return of pitcher Erik Bedard, which was a lot of fun to watch!
Still waiting to go chasing again…
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03.25.11
Posted in Astronomy, Photography, Space Shuttle at 8:00 am by Rebekah
When I go down to Florida next month to view the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-134), I would like to watch as much of the launch as possible through my own eyes, rather than through a camera lens.
I want to take photos and videos of the launch, though, but I don’t want to mess with too much stuff (i.e., adjusting multiple tripods as the shuttle goes up).
Enter the idea of a tripod plate that will mount to one tripod but allow multiple cameras/camcorders to be attached.
I know you can buy these, but they can be pretty pricey, and I figured it might be better and cheaper if I just made one to suit my own purposes.
I’m sure there are better ways of doing this, but here’s how I built my tripod plate for less than $12 and in about 30 – 45 minutes.
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- Supplies (prices listed are from Lowe’s):
- hardboard pegboard (3/16 inches by 2 feet by 4 feet) – $4.92
- four 3-prong T-nuts (1/4 inch – 20 thread; 7/16 inch barrel height) – $2.30
- four bolts (1/4 inch – 20 thread; 40 mm long) – $3.53 (I only used 3, but they came in a package of 4…also, I’ll probably be getting shorter bolts soon as these are a little long for the width of the board)
- Measure pegboard and use a pencil to draw the size (I started with 16 x 24 inches, to leave a margin of error, but may cut a bit off later)
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- Cut it out
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- Insert a T-nut into the center of the board; the bolt in the tripod’s quick-release plate will screw into this nut. I used a knife to make the desired hole a bit wider, then used a hammer to pound in the T-nut
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- Place T-nuts in other desired holes in the board, for cameras and camcorders
- Screw bolts in the other side of the holes (using an Allen wrench, if necessary), through the T-nuts and into the screw holes on the camera devices, and that’s it!
A few thoughts:
- Make sure the weight is distributed right; my tripod plate leans very slightly to one side, but is better as I pan the tripod head up. I have thought about attaching some sort of weight to the plate to balance it out, but it’s not too bad so I may wind up leaving it.
- My bolts are a little long; as you can see, they stick out the bottom a fair ways. I will probably look for shorter bolts before going to Florida. While these bolts may be alright, the camera/camcorder may wind up rotating a tad when you move the plate up and down. However, this could also be an advantage, as I might want to move the camera/camcorder from side to side a bit.
- I thought I might to need to build a back for the plate, to give some support to the cameras/camcorders as the plate tilts up. However, the T-nuts and bolts are more than sufficient to keep the camera devices from sliding around, so this may not be necessary.
- I still might want to cut more off the back end of the board, but I like that it’s big enough to have the camcorder LCD screens open and long enough to support a longer camera lens (I will be putting a longer, telephoto lens on for the launch).
I’ll still have to do more testing, and practice using it, but so far I’m pretty pleased with my new tripod plate. Now I should be able to take photos (I can use my remote control for my DSLR), HD video, and possibly stream video with another camcorder, all while only adjusting one tripod!
I’ll let you know how it goes after the launch!
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03.24.11
Posted in Astronomy, Space Shuttle at 8:00 am by Rebekah
Yesterday I posted about the incredible opportunity I have to attend a NASA Tweetup for the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour.
Now here’s a few photos of a space shuttle LEGO set I received on my 11th birthday, and figured I’d dig it out again to commemorate the event. I really wanted a set with a horse farm, which my parents ordered, but LEGO sent us the wrong one. My parents wrapped up the space shuttle set anyway and then I received the horse farm a few days later (we were allowed to keep the first one).
In the end I think I wound up a little happier with the space shuttle anyway, as I had just seen Comet Hale-Bopp and was getting more interested in astronomy!
Click on the following images to enlarge.
Hmm, do you think I should bring the LEGO space shuttle to the launch? 🙂
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03.23.11
Posted in Astronomy, Space Shuttle at 8:00 am by Rebekah
Some dreams really do come true.
Ever since I was born, I have had a deep desire to witness a space shuttle launch. I have always been fascinated with the stars, and spent several years intensely studying astronomy.
I published and sold my own astronomy newsletter, called “The Stellar Report”, for over 4 years (with a couple of special issues a few years later). I sent in a question to a 2-minute program on NPR that I listened to when I was younger, called “Earth and Sky”, and they used my question and mentioned my name on a broadcast on January 2, 1999 (PDF transcript here). I was an officer and member of the Central Washington University Astronomy Club for my undergraduate years (we stargazed, put on planetarium shows, etc.).
I used to really want to be an astronomer before I got more into geography and meteorology, and I have often dreamed of going to space. I still love watching the stars and taking photos of stars, comets, the Moon, and other space objects with my camera and telescope. I took perhaps my best astrophotos of Comet Hale-Bopp in April 1997, using my Dad’s SLR mounted to a binocular tripod set on an upside-down barrel, standing where our barn collapsed due to snow on New Year’s Day. Sometime I’ll get around to scanning those photos and posting them online.
However, as the space shuttle program is winding down, I was beginning to think that my lifelong dream of seeing a space shuttle launch would never be fulfilled.
In August 2005, while in Oklahoma at the end of an undergraduate research program, I got to see the Space Shuttle Discovery fly overhead about 24 hours before landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. This shuttle mission, STS-114, was the first return to flight following Columbia’s disaster in February 2003.
In June 2007, I visited Washington, DC, and the highlights of my trip were touring NASA Goddard and seeing the Space Shuttle Enterprise on display at the Udvar-Hazy National Air and Space Museum.
While these events thrilled me to the core, I still wanted to experience a launch.
Last week, I found out that NASA recently began hosting “Tweetups” (meetings of people on Twitter). Last Monday, for 24 hours, NASA Twitter followers could throw their names in a hat for a chance to view the penultimate space shuttle launch in April, from the media site at the countdown clock.
On a whim, I threw my name in. I knew they would have several thousand people entering, and would only choose 150.
By Monday, I had forgotten about my entry. I then happened to check the junk mail folder of my email in the late afternoon, and saw I had an email from NASA.
I had to read the email a few times before I realized that I wasn’t seeing things. It began thus:
“Dear Rebekah LaBar,
Congratulations, your registration has been selected to attend the NASA Tweetup at space shuttle Endeavour’s targeted launch April 18-19 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida! The event will provide you the opportunity to speak with shuttle technicians, engineers, astronauts, and managers, and to experience the launch of space shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station.”
WOW!!!!!!!!!
I’d won a golden ticket, even better than one for Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory!
I began to shake.
I also teared up.
What this means is that out of over 4,100 entries, I was randomly invited along with 149 others to attend a 2-day event on which we would tour the Kennedy Space Center facilities, hear speeches from and talk with NASA astronauts, shuttle engineers, etc., and view the April 19th launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-134)…from a mere 3 miles away!!!!!!! This location will be at the media site, by the countdown clock and Vehicle Assembly Building. This is the closest you can get to view the launch, and you can’t even buy tickets for anywhere nearer than 6 miles away (and even those tickets are scarce…the free viewing area is 12 miles away).
Here’s a satellite image pointing out where we’ll be in relation to the launch pad (click to enlarge). The image came from a former NASA Tweetup attendee.
I’m still in disbelief, and I know it won’t start to sink in until I begin my trip, in just 3.5 weeks!
I plan on driving, for various reasons: 1) I hate flying anymore, it is too much of a hassle; 2) driving would be cheaper than flying and renting a car (we still pay for our own expenses, as the ticket is just for the event); 3) if the flight gets delayed, I can easily change my plans, rather than worry about switching a flight date and paying fees; and 4) less important, but the only part of the Southeast I have seen is Atlanta, and I would like to see some of the Southeast from the ground.
My car seems to be fine, but today I’m taking it in for a check-up to make sure everything’s good to go.
I will be sure to write more about this once-in-a-lifetime, dream-come-true, unforgettable experience as the time approaches, and of course throughout the trip. As it’s a Tweetup, I think that means I’m expected to tweet through the event on Twitter, but of course I will be doing that in addition to taking countless photos and videos. 🙂
One more thing: May 1st will mark my 25th birthday, which will now be extra special this year between my sister coming down for a few days that weekend and the Florida trip and space shuttle launch just before that!
Thank you NASA, and praise be to God!
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