[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 1 - 09:53:48 ]
Welcome to today's Space Scientists Online QuestChat with Astronomer Sten Odenwald! Sten will be in the chat room at 11 am, Pacific (2 pm, Eastern) to begin taking your questions. We look forward to chatting with you today :-)

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 2 - 09:54:33 ]
Don't forget to read Sten's interesting profile BEFORE coming to the chat. It can be found at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/sso/team/odenwald.html

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 5 - 11:12:24 ]
Welcome Bryce, Mrs. Choate's class and Vienna Grade School! We're very happy to have you chatting with us today. Sten will on momentarily...

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 8 - 11:14:18 ]
Bryce: What grade are you in and what particular aspect of space science are you studying in your class?

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 10 - 11:14:25 ]
RE: [Bryce-Mrs.Choate/ViennaGradeSchool] I read that you would like to go to Mars someday. Have you been trained as an asrtonaut?
Hi Bryce! Na...Im an astronomer, not an astronaut...though some of my close personal friends do call me a 'space shot' to my face ;> I would love to visit mars, but I just dont want to take the risky way by spaceship. I'd much rather observe it robotically or telescopically!

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 12 - 11:15:25 ]
RE: [Angel-Mrs.Choate/ViennaGradeSchool] Have you ever seen a falling star? Have you ever taken a picture of it?
Hi! Yes, I've seen many lovely 'meteors' and have even photographed a few during meteor showers using my 35-millimeter camera on a tripod. You can do this too!

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 16 - 11:22:55 ]
RE: [Hannah-Mrs.Choate/ViennaGradeSchool] Do you have a new book coming out soon?
Hmmm...funny you should ask ;> I have an article on solar storms and the dreadful things they do to our technology...in the March 2000 issue of "Sky and Telescope" magazine. Also, next December my book "The 23rd Cycle: Learning to Live With a Stormy Star" will be out.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 17 - 11:24:14 ]
RE: [Sandy/NASAChatHost] From Michelle Mock's class, Corona, CA: When was Mars discovered and by whom?
Well..the earliest written records of this planet go back to the time of the Babylonian astronomers ca 1600BC...but the ancient Egyptians also recognized this planet too, but we don't know if they did this earlier and independently of the Babylonians or not.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 19 - 11:25:39 ]
RE: [Aleasha-Mrs.Choate/ViennaGradeSchool] What is it like working at NASA?
Busy...very busy...all the time. But it's wonderful work. I spend 1/4 of my time doing my own research, and the rest of the time doing education work for the IMAGE satellite program. visit http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry for more on this. The satellite will launch on March 2, 2000. Would you and your class like to participate?

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 20 - 11:27:33 ]
RE: [Sandy/NASAChatHost] 2nd question from Michelle Mock's class, Corona, CA: Is there some resource you can point us to where we can find out who discovered all the planets in our solar system (and when they were discovered). Our teachers ask us this question so many times for our science reports.
Well...I dont know of any references other tham my own knowledge based on my professional studies. Mercury through Saturn were known to the ancients and no one person was the discoverer. Uranus = William Herschell ca 1780s. Neptune by LeVerrier ca 1870. and Pluto by Percival Lowell ca 1920s.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 21 - 11:35:35 ]
MRS. CHOATE'S CLASS: IF THERE ARE NO MORE QUESTIONS, I'M GOING TO END THE CHAT AND LET STEN GO BACK TO WORK...