Topanga National Park was great. The location was perfect for what we needed. Unfortunately, however, being by the coast meant quite a bit of air moisture, including some light clouds. This wouldn’t have been quite as bad if the moon hadn’t been out at ‘high midnight,’ which reflected off the moisture in the air.

Nevertheless, everyone was set up and ready to go. And all things considered, our photos were great, especially considering the weather.

Now, I say, “the weather.” Most people normally wouldn’t say there was weather. The sky was, after all, clear. But when the moon reflects off the moisture that there is, you get an effect quite similar to car headlights in fog at dawn. So, all things considered, we did pretty well if you take a look at the shots.

Moreover, Scott was great. He brought two telescopes with him, centering one on Mars and the other on the Orion nebula, glowing green from the release of energy of the excited ions of gas. The aura was amazing. We all really enjoyed the work that Scott put in for us (and did I mention he made our barn door trackers for us? Thanks, again, Scott!).

    (Photo of the Orion nebula taken from Wikipedia)

A few of us went to the beach afterwards in separate groups to see what we could get there. My group ended up just north of Santa Monica pier. We took some fun shots of the ocean and the sky around us, eventually heading back from a great night around 3.

     A shot I took and edited to get some funky effects :-)))

    Apparently, wide-angle lenses are the best for capturing UFOs mid-flight.

    Santa Monica Pier blown out against the night sky around 1:30AM.

All in all, for a first run, this was a great night!

AND!!!! Scott is apparently planning to hold an event open to the public for anyone that might want to go out and take some great shots at night! We'll get more info on that later!

Ashley Zangle : Astrological Engineering

Some work by Ashley Zangle
http://ashleyzangle.com/

JPL Designer & Animator: John Howard

On Wednesday, January 26^th, we met with JPL resident animator John Howard. He entertained us with his personal animation reel of work he has done over his career then gave us a look at the pieces he has created for JPL. Howard started with his history and career in the animation field beginning with his education, which began in Science.

I think many of us are deterred from our curiosities and deep interests in science when we must face a particular unfriendly necessity: calculus. While Howard had a deep affection for science, calculus drove him to another passion of his in Studio Art. He graduated with a BA in Studio Art from University of California, Santa Barbara with an emphasis in Photography and Printmaking in 1980. When studying for his MFA at the University of California, Los Angeles, Howard fell in love in 3D computer graphics. Though this technology was only in it’s developing stages, he knew where this was headed and had a deep interest in the process. He completed his MFA in Electronic Imagery in 1984.

After graduating, Howard was immediately hired as a senior technical director at Omnibus Computer Graphics where he worked on animation based projects such as Flight of the Navigator. He continued working in the Hollywood Film Industry and opened up his own company, Viewport Images, in 1991.

Although he had a successful run in the film industry, Howard grew tired of the Hollywood scene. He closed his company in 2004 and pursued one that could combine his talents in animation and his interests in space and science. He contacted NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and to his surprise, there was an opening.

John Howard has been working with JPL since February of 2005 and has been creating remarkable animations of our solar system and beyond for JPL, NASA, NASA TV, media and for public viewing. He helps scientists and engineers simulate how a satellite will operate and orbit, how a rover may move and collect data. Howard takes the static designs of the engineers and makes them move and react on other planets and in space before they have even been launched.

In addition to his animation work, Howard also designs logos and branding for the many projects at JPL/NASA including the Building Curiosity project which showcases the Mars Curiosity Rover that we are all excited to see launch later this year.

As a graphic designer and amateur animator, it is exciting and encouraging to speak with John Howard. Hearing his life story and insights are uniquely valuable to me and his work is an inspiration to everyone at JPL.

Imitation Black Hole Created on Earth

"Yes, we've managed to create a black hole...or at least the optical equivalent of a black hole's extreme, light-trapping properties thanks to an ingenious combination of lasers and glass. Best of all, it offers proof of Stephen Hawking's famous radiation."

Read the rest http://io9.com/5652229/imitation-black-hole-created-on-earth-using-lasers-and-pure-glass

Magnetic Movie by SEMICONDUCTOR

Magnetic Movie from Semiconductor on Vimeo.

Imagine Mars

Jan 12th 2011



JPL's website describes its Imagine Mars program as "a national arts, sciences, and technology education initiative that leads students to work together with scientists, engineers, artists, and civic leaders to design and share a futuristic Mars community for 100 people." After seeing a presentation on the program, my only disappointment was that I didn't get to participate! It's such an incredible opportunity for students to use their imagination, but it also incorporates science, technology, and problem solving. I was astonished by the beauty of some of these designs for Mars colonies- some of them looked like something out of the Jetsons, others were art pieces in and of themselves.

Given that the projects are coordinated with scientists and engineers, I imagine that the designs are at least somewhat viable (assuming we can get to Mars/find necessary resources like water..) All the more reason to admire these bright students and their ingenuity.

I wasn't able to find the images in Daniel Delgado's presentation on the program's website, but I'll continue to search so I can share them with all of you! Overall, I'd say Imagine Mars was the clearest and most entertaining synthesis of art and science that I've seen at JPL.

JPL: A History

       One January 19 we met with JPL Historian Erik Conway. Before working as the JPL historian Conway worked as a historian at Langley Research Center. Although his main interest at JPL was the technological development history his research and knowledge of JPL is balanced and extension in all areas. As a historian he did not just look at the past but the present and the future. His job was not only research and writing about the past but making sure whatever information we have today is stored forever. He also looked at the future of JPL and other NASA space programs and we learned that due to lack of public interest and funding it's future is looking pretty bleak. What I liked most was that even after our meeting he walked with us to our next destination answering any questions we had.  

        We learned that the institution we fondly call "JPL" was founded quite informally in 1936 by a group of young men who built and launched their own Rockets in Pasadena. During WWII the Government asked them to build rockets and from that point on the rockets became more and more sophisticated. In 1944 JPL formally became an army constitute lab and 14 years later it became the NASA branch that is remains today. 

       One of my questions that I did not get to ask during the talk but was answered after the meeting was how Wernher von Braun affected NASA at the time and afterwards as far as funding and public opinion. Von Braun who was brought to the US along with other Nazi Scientists after WWII in the top secret "operation paperclip" became the director of the Marshal Space Flight Center. I had wondered if having a former Nazi on staff had an effect on funding and if also public opinion put pressure on the government to fund his programs less. However after he said that von Braun's true identity remained a secret until after his death it is clear that his presence did not effect funding in anyway since the government brought him over for the purpose of building rockets. Of course when the public found out they were not happy, but this man had become an American hero in some ways since he basically got us to the moon. For those who worked for him and other members of NASA it was no longer that their success was being credited to a foreigner but to a Nazi party member.