ASTRO-GAIA NEWS OF NYC -- APRIL & MAY 2009

NASA's STEREO MISSION LOOKS FOR EVIDENCE OF PROTO-PLANET THEIA THAT MAY HAVE FORMED EARTH'S MOON, ON THEORY BY BELBRUNO-GOTT

April 9, 2009 -- NASA's twin solar mission STEREO space probes are being re-directed to Earth's Lagrange points 4 and 5 to look for evidence of the remains of a proto-planet called "Theia" that collided with the Earth some 5 billion years ago to form Earth's Moon.

"Re-directing the STEREO space mission will try to verify my theory on the origin of the Moon," said mathematician Edward Belbruno of Princeton Unversity, author of such books as "Fly Me to the Moon" who formulated the theory with Princeton astrophysicist Richard Gott III. "This is the most exciting thing for my theory since the Japanese Space Agency used my proven revolutional orbital mechanics theory for its Hiten lunar mission in 1991." It was also used for the more recent European Space Agency's SMART-1 lunar mission.

The twin STEREO Mission probes will look for ancient theiasteriods - named after the theoritical proto-planet Theia - which may exist at L4 and L5, according to the NASA press release of April 9, attached on the link below. Belbruno is the honorary vice president of the National Space Society's NYC chapter and also an acclaimed space painter whose art hangs in NASA's headquarters in Washington, DC.

"DESTINATION MARS!" PRESENATION AT SECRET SCIENCE CLUB in BROOKLYN APRIL 1

The Secret Science Club presented "DESTINATION MARS!" by geophysical scientist JAMES HEAD, a Brown University professor, at its FREE PROGRAM on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1 at 8 p.m. at THE BELL HOUSE in Gowanus, Brooklyn at 149 7th Street (bet. 2nd & 3rd Avenues - 3 blocks from the F 9th St.-4th Ave. station, and a couple of blocks from the B37, B63, B75 & B77 bus lines) -- doors open at 7:30.

Professor Head had worked in training the Apollo Project lunar astronauts, and more recently worked on ESA's Mars Express and NASA's Messenger Mercury missions, and is working on NASA's Mars Mineralogy Mapping Mission.

TYSON WOWS AUDIENCE WITH PLUTO TALK

Nearly 350 people, mostly in their 20s and 30s, enjoyed the Secret Science Club presentation in Brooklyn of popular astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of of the AMNH Rose Center's Hayden Planetariun who spoke on his latest book "The Pluto Files: The Rise & Fall of America's Favorite Planet" on the evening of March 18 at in the Bell House, 149 7th St. (bet. 2nd & 3rd Aves.) in Gowanus. Tyson has spoken at NY Space Society and Allies In Space events it promotes, at at the Issac Asimov Memorial debate on March 12. For more information visit http://secretscienceclub.blogspot.com/

BROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE newspaper reporter Harold Egeln (Astro-Gaia News of NYC editor) wrote the lead front page news article in the Friday, March 20 edition on newsstand throughout this weekend and online at the Eagle site attached below with his article: "SECRET SCIENCE CLUB IN COWANUS: WHERE SCIENCE IS TRENDY -- Pluto a Planet? Tyson Says 'Fuhgeddaboutit!"

SPACE TOURISM SOCIETY OF N.Y. PRESENTED "YURI'S NIGHT" PARTY ON APRIL 4 IN BROOKLYN ! The NYC celebration of "Yuri's Night - The World Space Party" by the Space Tourism Society of N.Y. was held in Brooklyn on Saturday, April 4 from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. at Galapagos Art Space at 16 Main Street in DUMBO at Water Street celebrating the 48th anniversary of humankind's first space flight, the one orbit around the Earth by cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, 27, inaugurating human space travel!!! For full details on this fabulous NYC "Yuri's Night" Party visit: www.spacetourismsocietyny.org and visit the main Yuri's Night website www.yurisnight.net for parties still hapeeing around the globe, coordinated by Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides.

CITY TECH PROFESSOR MATLOFF HOOKS STUDENTS INTO ASTRONOMER, BROOKLYN EAGLE REPORTS

Under the page 2 headline in the "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" newspaper for April 21 - 'Cosmic Infation' at City Tech Lures Students To Study Astronomy - NYC College of Technology Physics Professor Gregory Matloff of Bedford-Stuyvesant tells how that is being done to stir student interest in the Brooklyn-based college's astronomy program.

Attracting students was an inflatabe Starlab planetarium placed in the student cafeteria, adding to the Physics Department's telescope, sun-spotter and sky-spotter, said Matloff, co-author of books such as "Living Off the Land in Space" and the new "Solar Sails" (both reviewed on this site), collaborating with space artist C. Bangs (www.cbangs.com). For the full article read the article on the link below.

AFTER SPUTNIK ART PROJECT APRIL 10, 11 & 12 IN LIC

The After Sputnik Art Project was held on the weekend of April 10-12 at the Long Island Cty Metropolitan Building at 44-01 11th St., 4th floor. The opening reception was on Fri., Apr.10 at 7 p.m. and a special program was held on Sat., Apr. 11 at 8 p.m. For more information about this project to help students, visit www.aftersputnik.com.

"SPACE STORIES 2009: A Celebration of Achievements in Space & Air Exploration" at THE EXPLORERS CLUB MAY 2

The world renowned EXPLORERS CLUB, at 46 East 70th Steet in Manhattan, hosted "Space Stories 2009: A Celebration of Achievements in Space and Air Exploration" - a Public Program on May 2 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Presenters were DR. STEVE SQUYERS, principal investigator "Mars Exploration Rovers Project" -- DR. LEROY CHIAO, a four-spaceflights shuttle astronaut -- DR. GREGORY OLSEN, the third private citizen space tourist -- DR. JERRY BONNELL of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and "Astronomy Picture of the Day" co-founder -- JIM CLASH, a "Forbes Magazine" 11-year veteran and Zero-G flight experiencer -- CRAIG COVAULT, the "Dean of Space Journalism" with 37-years at "Aviation Week & Space Technology" -- and DR. THOMAS KING, senior archaelogist of The International Hroup for Historic Aircraft Recovery.

The ten hour event included a contiental breakfast morning pesentations, a lunch, afternoon presentations, and a cocktail reception with the speakers.

"LET'S GET MARRIED -- IN SPACE!" -- "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" Lead Feature Story May 29, 2009 Losing all their weight (for a few minutes) and getting married in a simulated space trip in a weighless environment aboard a Boeing jet are two Brooklyn residents featured in the front page lead story of May 29, 2009's "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" under the headline: 'Let's Get Married -- In Space!' Brooklyn Couple Will Be First Married in Zero Gravity The article by Brooklyn Eagle reporter Caitlin McNamara tells of the wedding plans of Noah Fulmor and Erin Finnegan of Williamsburg, who are scheduled to go aboard a Zero Gravity Corporation (www.gozerog.com) airflight on June 20, when they will be married Richard Garriott, a space tourist who is the son of a NASA astronaut. For more about the space-loving couple visit www.zerogravitywedding.com. The article appears online at the newspaper website below: