New and Noteworthy

Holiday Hours

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:14:28 GMT

On Monday, January 5 the LPI Library will return to normal hours.

International Year of Astronomy 2009

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:14:11 GMT

2009 is the International Year of Astronomy. Some resources include:

365 Days of Astronomy. "The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is a project that will publish one podcast per day, for all 365 days of 2009. The podcast episodes are written, recorded and produced by people around the world."
Cosmic Diary. "The Cosmic Diary is not about the science of astronomy, but about what it is like to be an astronomer. Professionals will blog in text and images about their life, families, friends, hobbies and interests, as well as their work, latest research findings and the challenges they face. The bloggers represent a vibrant cross-section of working astronomers from around the world."

The 130 countries that are participating are all listed at the IYA webpage. Many of the listings have links to the projects of that country.

Mars Phoenix Lander Mission Data

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:13:51 GMT

NASA has announced the release of the Phoenix data

The NASA Planetary Data System announces the first release of data from the Mars Phoenix Lander mission. This release includes raw and derived data products from Sols 0 through 30 of the landed mission, May 25 - June 25, 2008.
Data sets from the following experiments are included in this release.
Atmospheric Structure Experiment (ASE)
Meteorology Station (MET) LIDAR and Pressure-Temperature Sensors
Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA), including
Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe (TECP)
Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)
Optical Microscope (OM)
Wet Chemistry Laboratory (WCL)
Robotic Arm Camera (RAC)
Surface Stereo Imager (SSI)
Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA)
Telltale Anemometer
Phoenix data are archived at the PDS Atmospheres, Geosciences, and Imaging Nodes. The data may be accessed from these nodes' web sites and from the main PDS home page.
PDS offers two services for searching the Phoenix archives:
The Planetary Image Atlas at the Imaging Node allows selection of Phoenix data by specific search criteria.
The Phoenix Analyst's Notebook at the Geosciences Node allows searching and browsing of Phoenix data in the context of mission events, for the expert user.

Stellarium

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:13:30 GMT

Stellarium "is a free open source planetarium for your computer. It shows a realistic sky in 3D, just like what you see with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope. It is being used in planetarium projectors. Just set your coordinates and go."

Building Closed for Holidays

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:33:17 GMT

The LPI building will be closed for the holidays. If you want access to the Library contact us ahead and we will make arrangements to let you into the building. 281-486-2182 or library@lpi.usra.ed& #117;

Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:32:57 GMT

The latest Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin (LPIB) now up. The issue contains an article, "One Step Closer to Completing the Copernican Revolution" by Dr. David C. Black as well as the regular features. There is an RSS feed for the LPIB.

Nature Publications Now Have XMP Markup

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:32:28 GMT

Nature Publishing Group publications how have XMP markup. This means they are easier for machine processing.

We now have a complete bibliographic record (including DOI) embedded in the PDF using structured markup. And, moreover, we also have a solid bedrock for adding in any additional metadata should the need arise. This semantic labelling is available on all new issues of Nature and will be added to other NPG titles over the coming months.

LPI Education Offerings

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:31:43 GMT

Explore! Ice Worlds! free online training.

Explore! Ice Worlds is a suite of hands-on inquiry activities designed to be used with children ages 8 to 13 in the library, afterschool or museum learning environment. Activities use inexpensive materials that are easy to find. Children will learn while having fun!

Workshop for TX librarians, Explore! Health in Space will be hosted on Mon. and Tue., Feb. 16 and 17, 2009.

Explore! Fun with Science is designed to engage youth in space and planetary science in the library and other informal learning environments. Through video explorations, related hands-on activities, and supporting resources, children of all ages are immersed in the wonders of rockets, space colonies, our solar system, how our planets were shaped, and more!

National Academies Seeks Input

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:31:16 GMT

The National Academies are conducting a short survey to find the areas most people think need to be addressed.

The National Academies want to develop websites, podcasts, and printed information featuring the topics in science, engineering, and medicine that concern you the most, and that you'd like to understand better. Please take a few moments to let us know what you think.
The survey takes only 2 minutes. Your opinion counts.

Addition to Lunar Website

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:30:55 GMT

The item, Small Pressurized Rover Concept (2008) NASA fact sheet, NF-2008-10-464-HQ, 4 pages, has been added to our website. The rover it describes will be in the President’s inaugural parade.

Mars Exploration Science Monthly Newsletter

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 21:30:34 GMT

The December issue of the Mars Exploration Science Monthly Newsletter is now available.