Would you like to go to the Moon?

At this time, NASA is not sending people there, just two spacecraft called Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), scheduled to be launched together next fall. But you can send a little part of yourself there... Your Name.
 
The Send Your Name to the Moon Web site enables everyone to participate in the lunar adventure and place their names in orbit around the moon for years to come. Participants can submit their information at http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon, print a certificate and have their name entered into a database. The database will be placed on a microchip that will be integrated onto the spacecraft. The deadline for submitting names is June 27, 2008.

Spacecraft Skims Past Mercury

The unmanned spacecraft named Messenger flew by planet Mercury on Jan 14th, this year, skimming just above the surface of the planet at an altitude of only 125 miles. Launched by NASA in the summer of 2004, Messenger is following a complex flight plan to that is scheduled to finally place it in orbit around Mercury on March 18, 2011. Due to weight and fuel limitations, Messenger has required gravitational assists from a flyby of Earth, and two flybys of Venus. The spacecraft will need a total of three Mercury flybys before it enters final orbit around the planet.

Only one other spacecraft has ever visited Mercury. In 1974-75, Mariner 10, an unmanned spacecraft, made three flybys of Mercury sending back photographs covering approximately 45% of the surface of the planet at a resolution of about one kilometer. For more information about this space mission visit the Messenger website at: http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/index.php

Additional Sites:

• NASA: Sputnik - The Fiftieth Anniversary
  History changed on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik I. That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments.
  http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/
• Space & Astronomy Lessons
  Offers astronomy and space science lesson plans for students of all ages.
  http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/astronomy.html
• Lesson Plans @ Earth from Space
  These lesson plans will be engaging and helpful in the classroom. Grade level and standards are noted beside each plan.
  http://www.earthfromspace.si.edu/lesson_plans.asp
• Space Place Teacher's Corner
  Although the entire Space Place site may be helpful to teachers and students, the resources linked here were developed specifically to help in the classroom.
  http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/en/educators/

Dr. Richard R. Russell Planetarium
2501 Memorial
Mesquite, TX 75149 USA
(972) 882 7750 Fax (972) 882 7753

Serving Mesquite, Texas (USA) students and teachers since 1977, Russell Planetarium is located next to Memorial Stadium, at the foot of the Communications Tower. The facility was named for the late school board president and physician Dr. Richard Russell.

• Visited by up to 30,000 students annually
• Presents programs ranging from Kindergarten to 12th Grade
• Projects the stars on a dome that is 9.1 meters (30 feet) across
• Has a college-style lecture hall that seats 98