As an astronomy event that everyone can take part in, we encourage all to view the partial solar eclipse which takes place on Sunday, May 20. Here’s the info specifically for San Diego:

Start of partial eclipse at 5:27:46 pm
Maximum partial eclipse (about 75%) at 6:39:57 pm
End of eclipse at sunset at 7:43:29 pm

The map below shows the path of totality and participial eclipse.

Warning! REMEMBER, DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN during the eclipse. Use ONLY approved solar eclipse filters or create a pinhole projection with a piece of cardboard with a tiny hole punched in. This works great for a lot of people to see it all at once.

Kyle Stock, Newsletter Editor and astronomy buff, is going hike to the summit of Black Mountain in Rancho Penasquitos. Anyone is welcome to join him. He’ll have different equipment for safe viewing. Contact Kyle for more information.

Press Release

For Immediate Release:

NASA’s Driven to Explore Mobile Exhibit Parked at Air & Space Museum Through Wednesday

Free exhibit explores the significance of human space exploration and allows visitors to touch a 4-billion-year-old piece of moon rock

San Diego, CA – May 14, 2012 – San Diegans now have the rare chance to touch a nearly 4-billion-year-old piece of moon rock at NASA’s Driven to Explore traveling exhibit, a multimedia experience that immerses visitors in the story of NASA. The exhibit will be at the San Diego Air & Space Museum on Monday, May 14, Tuesday, May 15, and Wednesday, May 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The centerpiece of Driven to Explore is the opportunity to touch a lunar rock sample brought to Earth by the astronauts of Apollo 17 in 1972, America’s last human mission to the moon. The rock is one of only eight lunar samples made available for the public to touch.

Driven to Explore allows visitors to learn why we explore, discover the challenges of human space exploration and how NASA provides critical technological advances to improve life on Earth. The exhibit also details the accomplishments of the space shuttle and the International Space Station.

Since the retirement of the space shuttle, NASA is investing in the building blocks of a more capable approach to space exploration, including research and development to increase space travel capabilities. In support of these efforts, NASA is performing field tests, designing surface systems and conducting advanced human research to ensure that future missions are safe, sustainable and affordable.

For more information about NASA exploration, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/exploration

For more information about the San Diego Air & Space Museum please call (619) 234-8291 or visit www.sandiegoairandspace.org.

The San Diego Air & Space Museum is California’s official air and space museum and education center. The Museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and it was the first aero-themed Museum to be accredited by the American Association of Museums. Now on display, “How Things Fly,” a special exhibition that examines the wonder of flight through four fun and interactive zones. The Museum is located at 2001 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park, San Diego, CA 92101. The Museum and gift store are open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with admissions until 4:00 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

10:00 am to 2:00 pm

Location:
San Diego Air & Space Museum (map)
2001 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA

The San Diego Air & Space Museum will host its 9th Annual Space Day celebration. Space Day will feature demonstrations, giveaways, and hands-on activities with local and national space experts. Astronaut Woody Spring will be presenting and do a photo signing.

SD Space, along with the Mars Society – San Diego, will be there with displays, the Mars Astronaut Marsha White and the Mars Rover yard for all to enjoy.

Other invited presenters include NASA, Virgin Galactic, SDAA (San Diego Astronomy Association), DSN (Deep Space Network), JPL, SETI, UCSD EarthKAM, Sally Ride Science, The Planetary Society, and many others.

The Museum’s Space Galleries are open for viewing throughout the event.

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Location:
Reuben H. Fleet Science Center (map)
1875 El Prado, San Diego, CA

San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering 2012
Drifting on Alien Winds — Special Event

Mike Carroll author of “Drifting on Alien Winds: Exploring the Skies and Weather of Other Worlds” presents in the Heikoff Dome Theater followed by a screening of BLACK HOLES: The Other Side of Infinity. Books available for purchase and signing after the presentation. Free telescope star gazing sponsored by Oceanside Photo and Telescope outside after the show, weather permitting.

Adults $12, Junior/Seniors $10. No discounts, reservations or vouchers allowed.

Purchase online in advance. Seating is limited.

The San Diego Space Society is going to Space! We are announcing two opportunities where members will be able to build and fly a small satellite into orbit and another to repeatedly fly on suborbital spaceflights. The orbital opportunity will be part of the KickSat program . The suborbital opportunity is part of our Project PoGo program. Go to our Projects section for more details.

Our first planning meeting will be announced for early March. We’ll need all kinds of people and skills to accomplish this goal in 2012 – team leaders, fundraising, promotional and media specialists, people good with their hands, people knowledgeable in electronics, software programming, to name just a few.

Want to remain more Earthbound? There is another exciting opportunity for you! In collaboration with the Mars Society and utilizing their Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) – a Mars habitat analog based in Hanksville, Utah – SD Space proposes a six month educational Mars Mission culminating in a two week stay at MDRS.

All aspects of the project still need to be developed, so get involved early on in this exciting opportunity. Mission designs, Marsnauts, fundraising, etc all need to be brought together. Go to our Experiences section for more details.

Interested or just curious? Contact projects@sandiegospace.org to sign up.

San Diego Space Society and Project Astro have combined forces to offer an educational, space-related, hands-on workshop for area teachers intended to enhance S.T.E.M. education curriculum. There are four areas of focus: Life Science, Physical Science, Earth & Space Science and Engineering. This workshop is made possible by a NASA Summer of Innovation grant.

The NASA Office of Education is pleased to announce the selected sites for the second and final phase of applications for the Summer of Innovation Mini-Grant opportunity in partnership with the National Space Grant Foundation for 2011. The mini-grant aspect of the SoI enables local organizations to infuse NASA-themed science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, content and activities to middle school students through existing summer and/or afterschool programs and anticipates engaging over 8,000 students in this fiscal year!

The workshop will be conducted at the RHFleet Science Center for registered participants on October 1st.

11:00 am to 4:15 pm

Location:
UCSD
La Jolla, CA

Sally Ride Science Festivals are designed to encourage 5th-8th grade girls in science.

This festival features:

- An inspiring talk by astronaut Wendy Lawrence
- Discovery Workshops given by local scientists and engineers
(examples include chemists, veterinarians, microbiologists, and others)
- Workshops for parents and teachers on ways to support students’ interests in science and math
- A Street Fair with booths, hands-on activities, food, and music

SD Space and the Mars Society, San Diego will participate in the Street Fair providing hands-on activities including our tele-operated Mars Rovers and air launched rockets.

The San Diego Space Society would like to congratulate the following individuals for their entries in this year’s Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair. Everyone worked hard to create an outstanding project.

Coil Gun Project by Daniel Benham

High Voltage DC to DC Conversion for Power Distribution by Weston Braun

Stability Analysis of Control Algorithms by Keegan Mann

Wingtip Drag Reduction: Spiroid vs. Up-turned Winglets by Michael Patacsil

[no photo]
GO SOLAR by Dominic Pletcher

A special awards ceremony will be held during Space Day at the San Diego Air and Space Museum, currently scheduled for 12:30pm.

12:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Location:
Space Travelers Emporium (map)
1947 30th St. San Diego, CA 92102

Interested in building something? Get together with other SD Space members to work on space-related projects.

This month’s Saturday build session we’ll continue with our Sky Satellite project by designing and building PongSats.

Previously we built a balloon launched camera which we flew at a nearby park to a height of 250 feet. Next well start to design and build a micro sky satellite called a PongSat. What is a PongSat? It’s an ping pong ball sized experiment flown to the edge of space by balloons and/or launched in rockets. The launch and recovery opportunity is provided by JP Aerospace.

There are endless possibilities for experiments that can fit inside a ping pong ball. PongSat’s can be as simple or complex as you want them to be. Experiments can be as simple as comparing how high a ball bounces before and after being exposed to vacuum. The PongSat can carry seeds to see if exposure to cosmic rays effect their growth. Several small inexpensive computers and other electronic can fit inside a PongSat. These can be used to create a wide range of experiments. Whether carrying a marshmallow to see if it puffs up in the vacuum of near space or an entire sophisticated satellite in miniature, PongSat can create motivation, drive and passion. – JP Aerospace

Members and the public are welcome to join the project team. RSVP to events@sdspace.org to participate.

Note: We recommend that parents participate with their children; children under 10 must have a parent present for the entire workshop.

10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Location:
Petco Park (map)
San Diego, CA

Expo Day for the San Diego Science Festival at PETCO Park brings together over 135 hands-on science activities and 12 stage performances for kids of all ages. Full schedule of events can be found here.

Each year in March, the San Diego Science Festival cascades over San Diego County in a weeklong celebration of science and engineering that invigorates over 75,000 students, parents, scientists, educators and other community members. Over 30,000 participants join the largest single-day science and engineering event in Southern California at EXPO DAY, the Festival’s grand finale event held the final Saturday of Festival week at PETCO Park. With opportunities to participate in hands-on activities, meet real scientists and engineers and learn how their discoveries and research affect our daily lives, the Festival is a unique opportunity to reach students of all ages and backgrounds, inspiring the next generation of innovators.

The San Diego Space Society booth will allow visitors to get hands-on experience with rockets and rovers. Come build and launch an air rocket after driving the rovers around the Mars Yard.