[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 0 - 09:31:51 ]
Hello and welcome to today's QuestChat with Astronomer & Educator Sten Odenwald! Sten will be here and ready to chat at 11 am, Pacific (2 pm, Eastern). Please take the time to read Sten's bio BEFORE coming to the chat - http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/sso/team/odenwald.html

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 2 - 09:54:09 ]
The URL that you see at the top of your chat screen (The host's featured url...) is to Sten's awesome education web site and also includes a link to his "Ask the Scientist" Q&A.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 4 - 11:03:57 ]
RE: [MrsGendelman-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] hello
Hi! Do you have a question for me?

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 6 - 11:05:29 ]
RE: [MrsGendelman-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] hello
Welcome Mrs. Gendelman! We're happy your could be here today! Sten is in the chat room and ready to answer your questions. Fire away!

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 7 - 11:06:14 ]
RE: [MrsGendelman-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] Is there anything to the story about the facial image that was photographed on Mars? Or is that all nonsense?
Its all nonsence. The new Mars photos at much higher resolution show it to me a mesa formation. Its very very very easy to find shapes and patterns in nature that look like faces, cars etc. have you ever looked at clouds for a long time?

[ MrsGendelman-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool - 8 - 11:07:15 ]
Sure. It's amazing the hype the media gives to such nonsense.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 9 - 11:08:32 ]
RE: [MrsGendelman-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] Sure. It's amazing the hype the media gives to such nonsense.
Well...that's another long story. the media love controvercies. They make great headlines.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 10 - 11:09:44 ]
RE: [StenOdenwald/Astronomer] Well...that's another long story. the media love controvercies. They make great headlines.
What grade is your class? have you studied the difference between science and pseudoscience?

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 11 - 11:10:03 ]
RE: [MrsGendelman-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] Sure. It's amazing the hype the media gives to such nonsense.
I used to work on imaging team of the Viking orbiter mission to Mars in the '70s. People from around the world would send me photos they said they took, of religious figures in the atmosphere of Mars. Somehow the media would always get wind of the images we received and they would print them!

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 13 - 11:11:38 ]
RE: [Sandy/NASAChatHost] I used to work on imaging team of the Viking orbiter mission to Mars in the '70s. People from around the world would send me photos they said they took, of religious figures in the atmosphere of Mars. Somehow the media would always get wind of the images we received and they would print them!
Wow...you folks did some wonderful work. have you looked at the recent photos from the Mars Surveyor mission this year? Amazing detail!!

[ MrsGendelman-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool - 14 - 11:11:52 ]
We are 7th and 8th graders here. I know 7th grade studies the solar system.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 15 - 11:12:20 ]
RE: [MrsGendelman-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] I am a teacher in the computer lab. I am waiting for the students to finish up their projects so they can start asking the intelligent questions!
They dont have to be intelligent questions...just sincere ones!

[ MrsGendelman-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool - 16 - 11:13:07 ]
Their questions are certainly better than mine!

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 17 - 11:13:56 ]
RE: [MrsGendelman-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] We are 7th and 8th graders here. I know 7th grade studies the solar system.
That's great. Would your class like to join my student magnetometer network? http://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry.. and click on Join MagNet!

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 18 - 11:14:26 ]
RE: [MrsGendelman-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] Their questions are certainly better than mine!
Where are you located?

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 20 - 11:17:08 ]
RE: [MrsGendelman-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] We are in Glenview, Illinois and I will certainly pose that question to the science teachers. I am sure they would be interested.
It only costs $5.00 to build the thing, and you can watch solar storms affect the earths magnetic field in your classroom. I have other schools participating too...also in Alaska if you want some penpals!

[ MrsGendelman-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool - 21 - 11:17:50 ]
That sounds incredibly interesting.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 22 - 11:22:46 ]
Mrs. Gendelman: Do your students have any questions for Sten today??? It looks like your class is the only one in the chatroom today. If no one else shows up, or if your kids don't have any question, we're going to let Sten get back to work.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 24 - 11:27:33 ]
RE: [Artem-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] What is your job at NASA?
I am a professional astronomer who works with a variety of satellite data to further my research.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 28 - 11:31:55 ]
RE: [Renee-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] Is it possible to live on Venus?
well...no. the surface temperature is over 700 degrees and the pressure would crush you like an egg

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 29 - 11:32:43 ]
RE: [Whitney-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] How long have you been working for NASA?
for about 10 years in one capacity or another. Mostly in research, but lots of job-sharing in education too.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 31 - 11:33:52 ]
RE: [Roland-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] How much sunlight reaches Europa?
Well...its about 5 times farther from the sun than the earth, so sunlight is 25 times fainter. It probably looks like what we would see as twilight here on earth, even at europas high-noon

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 33 - 11:34:57 ]
RE: [Roland-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] Have you taught in anything other than universities?
Since I was a graduate student, I have never taught at a college or university. many astronomers never teach in an academic setting, but do fulltime research at government labs.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 34 - 11:36:13 ]
RE: [MrCurtin-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] How far away are we from space colonization?
It depends on what levl you want to buy into it. For $50 billion you get our Space Station now being built. For $30 billionb, you might get a 'shack' on the moon, or an igloo on mars.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 36 - 11:39:00 ]
RE: [steve-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] how much solar heart reaches europa?
About 1/25 what we get here on earth.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 38 - 11:42:04 ]
RE: [steve-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] What other resources does Jupiter's lunar system have (other than water, ice)?
More water ice, and perhaps a few rocky asteroids mixed in we cant do geological assays from so far away.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 40 - 11:45:13 ]
RE: [steve-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] Could Europa have water under its external ice layer?
That is a possibility that quite a few astronomers who study this system are hoping for. All we can say is that AT ONE TIME it did have subsurface liquid water because of the ice flows on the frozen surface today...whether it still does have water, we will have to go there to find out. The odds are pretty good that it does though.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 42 - 11:49:58 ]
EVERYONE: There are less than 10 minutes left in today's NASA QuestChat with Sten. When today's chat is over, please let us on the Quest Team know how we're doing by filling out the short survey at: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/qchats/qchat-surveys Thank you!

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 43 - 11:50:10 ]
RE: [steve-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] I have heard that Europa's possibility of liquid water comes from the same forces that give Io its volcanism. Is this true
We think so...the numbers seem to be about right as far as I have been following the technical discussion. Tidal forces, which would deform and heat the core, drop off as 1/d^3 so that a satellite twice as far out from Jupiter as Europa would have 1/8 th the tidal heating. Io is closer than Europa so it has much stronger heating.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 46 - 11:52:21 ]
RE: [Roland-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] HI , what are some negative things about europa
Hmmm...negative compared to what?

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 48 - 11:55:38 ]
RE: [Roland-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] What would the major problems (obstacles) be to colonizing Europa?
We need nuclear power to generate electricity out there, but we are forbidden by international treaties, and US law from putting 'nuclear weapons' in space. A feeble sun just doesnt cut it.

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 49 - 11:56:32 ]
EVERYONE; JUST 5 MINUTES REMAINING. Be sure to sign up later today for Sten's next chat on Friday, Nov. 5 at 11 am, Pacific (2 pm, Eastern). For a complete listing of all Quest's chats and live webcasts go to: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/common/events

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 52 - 12:00:12 ]
RE: [Roland-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] That seems odd to me, I mean, a necessary object is outlawed because someone MIGHT use it as a weapon?
Yes...the only way that the Cassini spacecraft with its 'RTG' system using plutonium could be launched from Florida was by narrowly convincing everyone that it wouldnt blow up on the ground. Its more complicated than that, but currently Mars is as far as we will ever send people without changing international law.

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 53 - 12:00:36 ]
RE: [MrsGendelman-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool] Thank you very much for your time today.
No problem....enjoy space!

[ roland-Communicore/SpringmanMiddleSchool - 54 - 12:01:10 ]
Thank you very much

[ StenOdenwald/Astronomer - 55 - 12:01:26 ]
OK...so long for today!!

[ Sandy/NASAChatHost - 56 - 12:01:49 ]
Ok, everyone, it's time to let Sten get back to other work! THANK YOU very much for your questions and for participating today! We hope you can join us again soon for another QuestChat. Be sure to fill out the short survey mentioned above. This chat will be archived later today.