05 December 2012
Posted in Otronicon

Check out the new 30 second spot for this year's Otronicon. It has lots of your old favorites and new things as well. The event seems to grow every year. This year includes many of our existing partners, as well as new ones. Most importantly, the event is focusing more each year on how interactive technology and digital media impact how we live, learn, work and play!

03 December 2012
Posted in Our Planet, Our Universe

With millions of galaxies and planets throughout the universe, do you believe in the possibility of life elsewhere?

NASA researchers recently discovered large amounts of water ice and possible organic compounds on Mercury, suggesting the raw materials necessary for life may be more common than scientists believed.

NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft announced on Nov. 29, 2012 that Mercury contains more than 100 billion tons of water ice near its poles. In the dark, shadowy areas of the planet, temperatures plummet to minus 370 degrees Fahrenheit (188 degrees Celsius), where much of its ice is found. But Messenger suggests even more water ice can be found in slightly warmer areas.

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30 November 2012
Posted in Space Junk

Orbital debris, better known as space junk, is the collection of human-made objects in orbit around Earth that no longer serve a purpose. These objects consist of everything from spent rocket stages and defunct satellites to erosion, explosion and collision fragments.

With tons of space debris orbiting low Earth, it is becoming an expensive task for the military to track and eliminate the debris.

Recently, a new study revealed increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the upper atmosphere is allowing satellites and other debris to stay in orbit longer, making it even more difficult to clean up space.

With 29 space-monitoring sensors at their command, the Space Surveillance Network can only track about 30,000 of the more than 500,000 pieces of debris. That’s only 6 percent!

In order to combat these problems of tracking and eliminating space clutter, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) -funded SpaceView project is asking for help from amateur astronomers worldwide.

DARPA hopes to organize the astronomy community into an extension of the U.S. Air Force’s own sky-watchers and track more pieces.

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14 November 2012
Posted in Press and Media

After-School STEM Workshops Receive AT&T Contribution

Orlando Science Center Provides Title I Students with Tools for Future Success

The AT&T Foundation awarded a $25,000 grant to the Orlando Science Center to support new “Destination: STEM” After-School Workshops for 50 underserved Orange County middle school students. Orlando Science Center will develop and present forty 90-minute hands-on workshops that introduce science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines and career paths, focusing on engineering and modeling/simulation.

These fields were chosen because the Central Florida region is a hub for technology-based industries and innovation. Metro Orlando is the 26th largest metropolitan area in the United States and boasts a gross domestic product of more than $100 billion dollars.

“AT&T and the Orlando Science Center have teamed up to bring engineering and simulation activities as well as career options in science and engineering fields to middle schoolers,” said JoAnn Newman, President and CEO of the Orlando Science Center. “Learning about STEM and the opportunities that exist will not only help today’s youth, but also our country’s future.”

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14 November 2012
Posted in Our Planet, Our Universe

The bright lights of northern Australia quickly switched off as the moon blocked out the sun in a total solar eclipse Wednesday morning.

This marked the first total eclipse seen in Australia in a decade! More than 50,000 spectators on land and sea flooded beaches, boats and hot-air balloons to witness this phenomenal event.

The total eclipse began at 6:35 a.m Wednesday morning, but because of the time zone difference it was Tuesday afternoon in the United States.  The shadows of the moon swept over the Arnhem Land region in Australia's Northern Territory and made its way southeast. It then reached over the Gulf of Carpentaria and into the waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The eclipse in Australia lasted an entirety of three hours, but total darkness only took over for about two minutes.

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12 November 2012
Posted in DinoDigs

What once roamed the earth more than 80 million years ago, scientists have found a new species of horned dinosaurs. Weighing in at two tons, this 20-foot-long beast is one of the oldest specimens known to date of the ceratopsid group!

A distant cousin to the triceratops, this massive dinosaur’s name Xenoceratops foremostensis means “alien-horned face.” The beastly creature has a rare pattern of horns on its head and above its brow.

The Xenoceratops is adorned with two hooks jutting from its forehead. It has two massive spikes that rest at the top of its head and a frilly shield around its neck.

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