In one of the best uses of Twitter that I have seen, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has created a feed on the popular microblogging site in an effort to attract a younger generation of space enthusiasts… and it’s working. As of this post, MarsPhoenix has 24,734 followers.
Launched in August 2007, the Phoenix Mars Mission is the first in NASA’s Scout Program. Phoenix is designed to study the history of water and habitability potential in the Martian arctic’s ice-rich soil. On May 25, 2008, after a 422 million mile journey from Earth, Phoenix successfully touched down on the martian landscape.
Well before the lander even launched, NASA planned to leverage popular Web 2.0 technologies as a way in which to keep people up to date on the mission. The original plan was to set up a blog but that involves a lot of people and it can be very time consuming. The Mars Phoenix lander also has a facebook page but Twitter has the majority of followers. Twitter’s major advantage over the other social media is its ability to give people information and updates on the mission in real time. Another advantage of the Twitter feed is the ability to engage the reader in conversation with the “lander”. The postings have been so successful they have even captured the attention and interest of people who wouldn’t normally follow this mission.
Each Twitter post is written from the lander’s perspective providing a more personal experience for the reader.
If you’re not already familiar with Blender, you should be. Blender is an open source 3D content creation suite available for free. Blender is powerful. To give you an idea of that power, here is an animated short created entirely in Blender. It’s called Big Buck Bunny.
Big Buck Bunny tells the story of a giant rabbit with a heart bigger than himself. When one sunny day three rodents rudely harass him, something snaps… and the rabbit ain’t no bunny anymore! In the typical cartoon tradition he prepares the nasty rodents a comical revenge.
Since I was a kid, I’ve always been facinated with astronomy. Although I can’t pinpoint exactly what sparked my interest, I can tell you I was hooked. At that time the internet was still very young and broadband was just a dream. I used the internet to explore as much as I could about astronomy, I read books on the subject and eventually, I saved enough money to buy my own telescope. As I thought about my future, I often considered astronomy or astrophysics as a career. In college, I took an intro to astronomy course and did very well. Then, I discovered a branch of mathematics called calculus and…well…that was the end of that.
Needless to say, I followed other passions which brought me to where I am today. Yet, I wish I could take another astronomy course or two. Not because I want to change careers, but because it facinates me. It motivates me to want to learn more. Unfortunatelty, I haven’t had the time or the extra cash to make it happen…until now.
Recently, I discovered Open Yale Courses, an online program from Yale University that aims to expand access to educational materials for all who wish to learn.
This approach goes beyond the acquisition of facts and concepts to cultivate skills and habits of rigorous, independent thought: the ability to analyze, to ask the next question, and to begin the search for an answer.
As of this posting, Open Yale offers courses in Astronomy, English, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology and Religious Studies. These are full courses complete with downloadable material such as syllabi, reading assignments and problem sets. Open Yale Courses are available as streaming video, audio only, and searchable transcripts or each lecture. I finally have the opportunity to experience an astronomy class on my own schedule.
On a computer or an ipod touch? At the gym or on the train? My options are numerous. I can watch, listen, read or search for the information I want when I want. How powerful is that!
Check out the Open Yale Courses website for yourself and tell me what you think.
