[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 0 - 10:18:26 ]
Today's Space Day chat with Astronomer Sten Odenwald will begin in just about 40 minutes. Be sure to read Sten's bio before the chat begins: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/sso/team/odenwald.html

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 3 - 11:36:45 ]
RE:[Sandy/NASAChatHost I've been hearing from different sources that all nine planets are going to line up in the year 2000: Is this true?] It is not really true, mainly because 'line up' is used ambiguously. From the earth, the planets will be half on the evening side of the sun and half on the morning side, and within about 38 degrees of the sun in both directions. Even tighter conjunctions have happened in the past...there was one in the 1960's I think. Looking down on the sun in space, the planets will be located on the opposite side of the sun from the earth, and spread out over almost 90 degrees of the plane fo the solar system...not an 'alignment' by any stretch of the definition. Note, the planets also 'lined up' early this year...Jupiter, Saturn, venus in the evening sky. The May 5, 2000 'line up' will not be that spectacular.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 4 - 11:36:50 ]
RE: [MrsMock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] Hello Sandy, We are late. Sorry. Is the chat going on today?
Hello Mrs. Mock and kids! Yes, the chat is still on. You are the only ones here so far. Sten is here, checking the chat room every couple of minutes. Soooo, start sending in your questions :-) What are the grade levels of the kids today?

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 5 - 11:37:31 ]
RE: [MrsMock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] Hello Sandy, We are late. Sorry. Is the chat going on today?
Hi! Do you have a question..or two..or three?

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 8 - 11:40:14 ]
RE: [MrsMock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] Great! Here are Brian and Caleb (4th Grade)!
Ok guys, go for it! Sten's typing fingers are ready to answer all of your questions :-)

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 10 - 11:43:26 ]
RE: [Caleb-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] All month we have been working on a simulation called Project Polaris. It is about space and we are building a space station. Have you ever done simulations?
Hmmm...what is it you are simulating? I usially work with mathematical models to simulate what I think data ought to look like based on some theory, then compare the simulation against the actual data to see if I can understand what is going on in the real data.

[ Brian-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona - 11 - 11:44:32 ]
We have learned about planets. We made a graph of how much the whole class would weigh on each planet. We did journals.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 14 - 11:50:27 ]
RE: [Brian-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] We also traveled in space from constellation to constellation. We went to Pisces, Aquarius, Sagittarius, Hercules, Ursa Major, Gemini, Orion, Taurus, Aries, Pegasus, and then Ursa Minor which is where Project Polaris Space Station is.
WOW! What a great project! With all of this experience and knowledge you guys are going to be able to get jobs at NASA :-)

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 15 - 11:51:44 ]
RE: [Caleb-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] We are simulating that we are scientists and our different units (called pods) are racing for intergalactic peace. Dastardly Derek is trying to stop us. We have to solve math problems, estimation, graphing and division.
Sounds like fun, and it sounds like you are picking up some very important skills too! Most people are very timid with math and numbers, but in science you have to be very agressive and confident when you work with math. You really really really have to think of it as a language like Spanish or German. Scientists 'write sonets' when they use mathematics, so you have to learn how to think like this if you want to be a scientist too.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 17 - 11:52:31 ]
RE: [Brian-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] We also traveled in space from constellation to constellation. We went to Pisces, Aquarius, Sagittarius, Hercules, Ursa Major, Gemini, Orion, Taurus, Aries, Pegasus, and then Ursa Minor which is where Project Polaris Space Station is.
Have you learned how to identify these costellations in the sky too?

[ Caleb-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona - 18 - 11:54:17 ]
My favorite constellation was Ursa Major because we got to estimate how many objects where in different containers.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 19 - 11:54:22 ]
RE: [Caleb-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] Each time we arrived at a different constellation we did different activities in math, science, and wrote in our journals. Have you studied any of those constellations that we went to? Do you think there ever could be a real project Polaris?
I'd like to think so, someday...but like Han Solo said in "Star Wars"....Traveling through space aint like dustin crops boy!....space travel is very very very very hard...and expensive.

[ Brian-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona - 20 - 11:56:51 ]
My favorite constellation was Taurus. It was our 8th stop. We used our cargo bay sheet to estimate. The cargo bay sheet is where we drew our own cargo bay. It had compartments where supplies went: beds, tools, entertainment system with game boy ...

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 22 - 11:59:11 ]
RE: [Caleb-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] Each time we arrived at a different constellation we did different activities in math, science, and wrote in our journals. Have you studied any of those constellations that we went to? Do you think there ever could be a real project Polaris?
well...I have studied particular kinds of objects ( stars and galaxies) in many of those constellations.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 23 - 12:00:26 ]
RE: [Caleb-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] Things had to be in compartments in the cargo bay because there wasnt enough room in the space shuttle cockpit. In the cargo bay it has gravity so things dont float around. Do space shuttles have gravity in the cargo bays?
Yes...but the force of gravity is balanced by the centrifugal force of the shuttle moving in its circular orbit, so astronauts will feel 'weightless'...but the gravitational field of the earth is still there

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 26 - 12:02:43 ]
RE: [Caleb-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] Yes, we know what the constellations look like and I go out every night in my back yard to see what they look like through my telescope with my dad.
That's great. Can you really see the stars and the Milky Way, or are you in a city with lots of street lights polluting the sky?

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 27 - 12:04:46 ]
RE: [Brian-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] Can space shuttles ever go to different constellations?
No...they are not designed to get more than 500 miles or so from the earth. We have no idea how to travel to the nearest stars, and barely have a good idea of how to get to MArs. Perhaps in 20-30 years NASA will send an expedition to mars...but it will be very expensive.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 28 - 12:04:57 ]
Mrs. Mock, Brian & Caleb: Sten can chat for another 15 minutes (until about 12:15). If you have more questions send them on in!

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 30 - 12:06:41 ]
RE: [Caleb-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] We are in a small city so we can still see the Milky Way and sometimes when the planets align we can see them.
That's wonderful! I can think of nothing more spectacular than to see the Milky Way on a dark night and 'feel' the light from 100 billion stars raining down on me!

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 33 - 12:08:52 ]
RE: [Brian-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] We have Open House tonight and a Science Fair at our school. This chat will be printed and hung on the bulletin board for our parents to see. I had a question but it disappeared in my head.
That's great! By the way, what do you think of all those solar systems astronomers are discovering now? If you are older than 30 years old, it must be quite a shock to you!!

[ Brian-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona - 34 - 12:09:21 ]
One time when I was in Arizona the Milky Way was right on top of my head. I tried to count the stars but there was too many!

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 35 - 12:10:42 ]
RE: [Caleb-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] What kinds of science projects did you do when you were in 4th grade?
For me that was a big time for making insect collections ( with labels and latin names), rock collections, playing with chemistry labs, and getting real interested in electronics and how TVs and radios work.

[ BrianandCaleb-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona - 36 - 12:12:07 ]
Thank you very much for chatting with us. We like astronomy and liked telling you about what we are learning in Room 7.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 37 - 12:13:09 ]
RE: [BrianandCaleb-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] Thank you very much for chatting with us. We like astronomy and liked telling you about what we are learning in Room 7.
It was fun takling with you about my favorite subject!

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 38 - 12:13:43 ]
RE: [BrianandCaleb-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona] Thank you very much for chatting with us. We like astronomy and liked telling you about what we are learning in Room 7.
Thank you so much for joining us today :-) It was very interesting to hear about your classroom projects. You asked some great questions! Come back again next week!

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 39 - 12:13:55 ]
RE: [StenOdenwald/Astronomer] It was fun takling with you about my favorite subject!
Oops...I meant 'talking' not 'takling'.... :<

[ BrianandCaleb-Mrs.Mock/MontessoriSchoolofCorona - 40 - 12:14:53 ]
Thank you - See you next week!