Hear all About It from the ASP!

Those of you following the LCROSS mission to the Moon know that in October it will send a Centaur upper stage hurtling toward the lunar south pole. The resulting crash will (hopefully) kick up a water and/or hydr0gen-rich plume from ice that may be cached in a shadowed region. Where does that ice come from?  Scientists think maybe bombardment by comets supplies at least some of it.  Want to know more?  Well, as it turns out, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific has a podcast up about the mission as part of their Astronomy Behind the Headlines series, written and recorded by yours truly (with able musical and soundtrack assistance by Mark C. Petersen in his guise as Geodesium).  The star of the show is Brian Day, education and public outreach lead for the LCROSS mission. He’s got some interesting things to say about the upcoming water hunt, so go check it out. It’s five minuted well spent!

Astronomy Behind the Headlines is a series of podcasts for informal science educators from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. Each month, ASP gives a look behind the latest headlines in astronomy and space science and provide links to related resources and activities so folks who present science results for the public (like planetarium professionals, scout troop leaders, astronomy club members, and of course, educators) can interpret these exciting topics for their audiences!

By the way, if you’re not a member of ASP, you should be. It’s a great organization — I’ve been a member for years and attend their meetings when I get a chance. Their next confab is in September in San Francisco — a city that’s a treat to visit no matter why you’re there!  The group offers materials for use by anybody who loves to talk about space and astronomy, and the members come from around the world.  So, run on over and check out the podcasts, browse their website, and see if there’s something for you. I’ll bet you there is!