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Catch the Carnival of Space Wave!Ken Murphy / 11:40 pm July 31st, 2008 Over at 21st Century Waves. This week’s Carnival of Space (#65) ranges from the green to the gamma-ray, providing yet another spectacular space show that’s both entertaining and educational! Summer Space Reading Camp Pt. III: The New High FrontierKen Murphy / 3:55 am July 30th, 2008 Summer Space Reading Camp In the last two weeks we looked at a number of Moon-specific stories meant for youngsters. This week and next we will be taking a look at the high frontier in general - asteroids, space stations, rocket flights and more. Space Based Solar Power - Alternative Energy SolutionKen Murphy / 12:56 am July 29th, 2008 bagtaggar Librarian’s Note: I’m not sure why the media doesn’t pay more attention to this topic, unless they’ve decided to ignore it. This type of energy infrastructure has the benefit of tapping what to us is effectively a permanent power source - our Sun. Not due to expire for another 4 billion years or so. Most of the energy we use is second or third-hand Solar power anyway. By placing them up out of the Earth’s atmosphere we can tap a broader spectrum of the Sun’s energy, offering opportunities for increases in efficiency. It’s phenomenal baseline power as it is harvested 24 hours per day, seven days a week, 365-ish days a year. Ish because there are a few hours at the equinoxes when orbital geometries require that the GEO sats will be obscured by the Earth’s shadow for an aggregate of a couple of hours. But you never have to worry about overcast skies. This is an important topic, as energy = prosperity. If you’d like to learn more, your Lunar Librarian also recommends GaiaSelene, and you should stop by the High Frontier Facilities/Infrastructure section to learn more about Space-Based Solar Power. Carnival of Space #64 is a blog chorusKen Murphy / 4:03 am July 25th, 2008 in the Music of the Spheres. This week’s Carnival of Space renders a virtuoso performance, tracing themes of galactic creation and destruction, the waltz of the planets, and ending in a crescendo of human exploration drama. This is a Carnival not to be missed! Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four #38 (comic)Ken Murphy / 11:47 pm July 23rd, 2008  Eliopolous Nolan Mari Librarian’s Note: The Fantastic Four travel to the Moon to face the ultimate challenge! Space Camp BarbiesKen Murphy / 11:05 pm July 21st, 2008 
Mattel Inc. Librarian’s Note: Each one comes with a Barbie-size flightsuit and helmet, a Space Camp bag, a brush, a certificate, sparkly stickers, and even a couple Barbie-sized samples of Astronaut Ice Cream. Also includes a Space Camp programs DVD and a Glow-in-the-Dark necklace. There’s even a chance to win a trip to Space Camp! And real-girl sized Tees and accessories at the Space Camp Store! Be sure to start your space adventures Shooting for the Stars, Barbie’s space-station adventure story. The Lunar Library acquired one each of Barbie, Nikki, and Teresa. Only one will remain in the Lunar Library! The other two will be donated to the NSS of North Texas Santa Space Toy Drive that we hold each year to collect space toys to be given to disadvantaged youths in the metroplex. Readers are encouraged to leave comments as to which two dolls they think should be donated. Summer Space Reading Camp Pt. II: The Old MoonKen Murphy / 3:47 am July 21st, 2008 
Image Credit: Berthold Tiedemann, from Peter and the Moon Trip by Hazel Corson-The New Moon: relatively newer (and available) titles to directly appeal to today’s youth Last week we looked at some summer reading from the last two decades or so. This week we’re going to look even further back, to the 1950s and 1960s. These are the stories from the last time generations were being prepared for the idea of traveling to our Moon, and helped shape the unrealized expectations of innumerable people. In my view these unrealized and seemingly unrealizable expectations are part of what underlies much of the cynicism towards space that can be found amongst voters. A new generation is awakening to the possibility of the United States as a space-faring civilization, one that not only conducts scientific activities beyond the atmosphere, but also security and commercial activities as well. We can lay the groundwork for future activities that bestows a legacy of prosperity from space resources (energy and material) unto our posterity. Or we can continue to squabble over what we find on this particular planet. There are many good reasons to return to our Moon. New stories of human adventure on that shining beacon in our night sky are but another reason in a long list. These are the stories that have come before. NLSI Lunar Science ConferenceKen Murphy / 1:16 am July 20th, 2008  NASA Ames Research Center/NASA Lunar Science Insitute/Lunar & Planetary Institute
Librarian’s Note: In other words, you’d better read The Scientific Context for Exploration of the Moon before you go. Babe in the Universe: NasaWatch Carnival of Space #63 is ferocious…Ken Murphy / 12:31 am July 20th, 2008 over at the Angry Astronomer. This week’s Carnival of Space looks to be the biggest show ever. The appellation, so soon after the CoS at Slacker Astronomy, tells me that we seem to have a young generation of astronomers with attitude. As far as I’m concerned, if they get folks paying attention to Solar and near-Solar space (Kuiper Belt, Oort Cloud, intra-system small bodies, etc.) then they can have as much attitude as they want. Like the presenter at the Planetarium today, who had a large number of piercings , a few even beyond the traditional ear. But the audience enjoyed it, and ultimately that’s what mattered. “Jupiter Moon: Fires of Io” (DVD)Ken Murphy / 3:13 am July 18th, 2008 A Primetime-Andromeda Production, in association with British Satellite Broadcasting Best of the Moon 2008 - High Frontier Fiction Librarian’s Note: This fourth DVD in the series collects the last episodes of the series, ending with #150. And quite an ending it is, one fraught with danger and drama. Having watched the whole series, I have to say that I am quite impressed overall. Never a hint of an alien, never a hint of treknology to save the day. It’s all about humans, human technology, human judgment and human frailties. It stays true to its soap opera roots all the way to the end, and afterwards you can’t help but wonder what could have been had the series continued. “The Moonbots Have Landed”Ken Murphy / 1:16 am July 18th, 2008  Mackenzie, Dana Tech Briefs Vol. 32 No. 7Ken Murphy / 1:09 am July 18th, 2008  Tech Briefs Vol. 32 No. 7 “Finding Apollo”Ken Murphy / 11:48 pm July 17th, 2008  Reichhardt, Tony Summer Space Reading Camp Pt. I: The New MoonKen Murphy / 2:17 am July 16th, 2008 The New Moon is that time of the month when the Moon is passing close by the Sun in its endless circling of the Earth, making it very difficult to see, and it often goes unnoticed during that particular time of the month. A not inapt metaphor for the topic of the next series of articles here at Out of the Cradle. The Lunar Library isn’t just about books for grown-ups. There is an extensive section devoted to resources and books for the youngsters. Since it’s summertime, there’s ample opportunity for everyone to read a few books. The Lunar Library is suggesting a summer Space Reading Camp to help develop space and technical interests, looking at a variety of offerings both recent and dated. These will be: -The New Moon: relatively newer (and available) titles to directly appeal to today’s youth This week we’re going to look at some of the more recent Lunar books for youngsters, the New Moon that is waxing in our culture. If one pays attention, one can see that there are more inquiries popping up about science fiction, and books that are appropriate for children. The usual classic names get dredged up, which we’ll be looking at next week, but I wanted to highlight some of the newer fiction that is available. I’m going to start out with the youngest readers, and then work up to around the early teens. It becomes harder when you get to high school students, because the brighter students are well into adult novels by that time, while a book they put away at 12 is perfect for the average young high schooler. So I’m just going to try to work it up to relatively more complex titles that might be considered ‘lite’ reading by adults. Here we go. A Challenging but Rewarding Lunar ProjectKen Murphy / 2:36 am July 12th, 2008   “Lunar Challenge“, published by EdNovations in 2004, it weighs in at several pounds of resources. I’ve got to admit, this is probably the most challenging review I’ve done to date, as there was a lot to cover. “Lunar Challenge” was developed in response to the President’s Vision for Space Exploration (VSE), which has generally been well received in the space-interested communities. The VSE was well-researched, well-structured, and laid out a reasonable path to explore and even pioneer the High Frontier of our Solar system in the interest of commerce, security, and science. So long as NASA didn’t decide to build a new launch vehicle. Which they decided to do anyway, and consequently it’s sucking all of the budget out of everything else at the agency. But that’s for another post… The folks at EdNovations saw the opportunity to create an informal education tool-kit that used a Lunar theme to develop an understanding of systems and how they fit together, as well as to encourage youngsters into more technical fields. The foundation was laid years earlier as the result of a National Science Foundation grant and work with the Challenger Center for Space Science Education (locations). They developed the “Lunar Challenge“, and proceeded to win recognition from the National Science Teachers Association and NASA, as well as others. I’ve got a fair amount of curricular materials in the Lunar Library, but nothing quite like this box of goodies. “Space Base” (playset)Ken Murphy / 5:10 am July 6th, 2008 “Space Base” Best of the Moon 2008 - Fun & Games Librarian’s Note: Works well with the Lift-Off Rocket  “Station” #1 (of 4) (comic)Ken Murphy / 4:51 am July 6th, 2008 Stokes, Johanna. Illus. by Leno Carvalho Librarian’s Note: Now available at a comic store near you. No aliens, no warp drives - just a good old-fashioned murder on the space station. Update: Apparently the graphic novel collecting all four issues is available. Carnival of Space #61 is a blast!Ken Murphy / 11:38 am July 3rd, 2008  Mang’s Bat page hosts a special Tunguska edition in honor of the 100th anniversary of the event. Another great round-up of space stories for this week’s Carnival of Space. American Student Moon Orbiter (ASMO)Ken Murphy / 1:05 am July 3rd, 2008  NASA Ames Research Center/NASA Office of Education
Librarian’s Note: Now this sounds like a great opportunity to be part of a university team that puts hardware not just in orbit, but Lunar orbit. NLSI Student Poster CompetitionKen Murphy / 12:54 am July 3rd, 2008  The NASA Lunar Science Institute is having a competition to help motivate and encourage bright young minds pursuing a future in Moon science. There are a few requirements: Judging Criteria: 1st Place: $1,500 Winners will present at the NLSI Lunar Science Conference, July 20-23. Librarian’s Note: I wish I could make this one but I’ve got most all of my vacation days allocated for other events, and if I’m saving up for a house I can’t be splurging on trips to Cali. Oh well, maybe next year. “One Small Step”Ken Murphy / 2:55 am July 2nd, 2008 Kerr, P.B. “Universal War One Book 1: The Genesis” (comic)Ken Murphy / 2:42 am July 1st, 2008  Bajram, Denis |
Out of the Cradle Classics25 Good Reasons to Go to the Moon Carnivals of Space #157 - The 2010 ISDC Round-Up Edition #112 - The Big Moon Day Show #94 #57 - This One's for the Ladies #31 #18 Best of the Moon 2008 2007 2006 Teacher Tools for the High Frontier Big Moon edition Space Navigation Rocks in Space International Space Station Technology Samples Of a Garden on the Moon Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Summer Space Reading Camp The New Moon The Old Moon The New High Frontier The Old High Frontier Rocket Gyrls Reading Club 
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