The last show in the Hansen Dome Theatre will be the 6:45 PM showing. After this show (approximately 7:30 pm) the planetarium lobby, store, concessions and exhibit halls will close. Patrons seeing the IMAX movie around 7:00 pm will still be able to enter the theatre through the planetarium lobby.

Patrons seeing the last IMAX movie of the evening (usually after 9:30 pm) will need to enter and exit the theatre through the Gateway Megaplex lobby.

Again, this change affects Sunday evenings only.

Of the 38 Mars mission launched from Earth so far, exactly half of them arrived at Mars in operating condition.

A case in point is the Russian “Fobos/Grunt” (in English we would call it “Phobos/Soil”) mission launched last November that was intended to land on one of Mars’ moons, Phobos, scoop up some surface material, and then rocket the sample back to Earth. Total round-trip time: three years.

Sadly, just a couple of hours after launch the rocket motor that was supposed to send Fobos/Grunt from low Earth orbit to Mars failed to fire and ground controllers lost contact with the spacecraft.

Fobos/Grunt is now a derelict fourteen-ton spacecraft in a deteriorating orbit, destined to burn up in the atmosphere sometime between now and Monday.

The Fobos/Grunt Spacecraft - now just so much junk.

Most of the spacecraft’s mass is its eleven tons of fuel. True, that’s a lot of toxic chemicals, but the fuel will most likely vaporize quickly very high in the atmosphere upon reentry.

Only about three tons of actual hard metal will survive the initial 18,000 mph encounter with our atmosphere, and only about 400-500 pounds of the spacecraft is expected to survive the fiery reentry and make it all the way to Earth’s surface.

There is almost zero chance that Fobos/Grunt falling from the sky will injure anyone or cause damage. After all, three-quarters of the world is covered by oceans, so right there you see there’s only a one-in-four chance of the spacecraft even hitting land.

Earth is a big place, and humans represent a teensy-tiny portion of the surface area. The chances of a piece of Fobos/Grunt hitting a human being are on the order of one in a thousand, and the chances of you being hit are something like one in million-million.

Update: Fobos/Grunt fell harmlessly into the southern Pacific Ocean at about 10:45 MST on Sunday, January 15, about 600 miles west of Chile. See? Told ya.

This phenomenon of dead satellites in low-Earth orbit creating problems for us is the subject of Clark Planetarium’s next ATK IMAX theatre documentary film. It’s titled, appropriately enough, “Space Junk 3D.” We’ll have more information about this film later in the month.

As part of a long-term agreement to help ignite excitement and learning of space and science in Utah, Clark Planetarium has received a check from ATK for the amount of $75,000.

The donation comes through a 10-year partnership established in 2006 between Clark Planetarium and ATK which includes cash and in-kind contributions totaling $1 million. Together, the two organizations share a strong commitment to promote science education in Utah.

“We are proud to have ATK as our long term partner to assist our organization in promoting the importance of space science in our community,” said Clark Planetarium director Seth Jarvis. “The support we receive from ATK helps the planetarium deliver our educational programs to over 80,000 Utah schoolchildren each year.”

ATK shares the planetarium’s commitment to encouraging public interest in science education in our communities. ATK vice president of Strategy and Business for Space Launch Systems, Kent Rominger states, “ATK is proud to be a supporter of Clark Planetarium and what the organization stands for. The education system in Utah needs more emphasis on space science and Clark Planetarium is uniquely positioned to lead that effort. Now more than ever, it is important for Utah’s parents and business leaders to recognize the importance of space and science education to our state and our nation’s future.”

Pictured left to right: John Whitmer, Clark Planetarium board member; Seth Jarvis, planetarium director; Kent Rominger, ATK/planetarium board member; Scott Scharman, planetarium board vice chair; Sterling Poulson, planetarium board member.

ATK, with manufacturing facilities in Promontory, Clearfield and Magna was instrumental in the U.S. Space Shuttle missions through manufacturing the Reusable Solid Rocket Motors (RSRM) used on every shuttle mission. NASA has selected ATK’s five-segment solid rocket motors for initial flights of the new Space Launch System, an advanced heavy-lift launch vehicle that will provide an entirely new national capability for human exploration beyond Earth’s orbit. ATK news and information can be found at www.atk.com.

Clark Planetarium’s mission is to create and present stimulating educational programs that effectively share astronomy and space exploration with Salt Lake County residents, Utah students, educators and families and visitors from around the country and the world. For more information visit www.clarkplanetarium.org or follow Clark Planetarium on twitter or Facebook.

Santa is making a visit to the Moon at Clark Planetarium! Join us Saturday, Dec. 10 for breakfast, a picture with Santa and a special screening of Arthur Christmas at the Megaplex 12 at The Gateway.Visit Santa on the 3rd floor for a photo opportunity with him on the moon. Pictures will be available online or you can snap one yourself. Then join Arthur, Santa’s youngest son, on Christmas night in the North Pole while he tries to complete an urgent mission inArthur Christmas.

Tickets include a hot buffet breakfast before the movie of pancakes, eggs, sausage, milk and juice. Watch and take part in science demonstrations put on by Clark Planetarium education staff. Breakfast and pictures are from 8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m. The movie will start at 10:15 a.m. Tickets are available online.

Advance tickets before December 5:

Non-Member: $20/child (12 and under) - $22/adult

Member: $18/child (12 and under) - $20/adult (*Please email Carl Malaret for member ticket purchases)

After December 5, tickets are $25 for everyone. ]]> http://www.clarkplanetarium.com/blog/santa-the-moon-and-a-movie-2/feed 0 http://www.clarkplanetarium.com/blog/membership-discount-for-holsts-the-planets http://www.clarkplanetarium.com/blog/membership-discount-for-holsts-the-planets#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:27:25 +0000 Dani Weigand http://www.clarkplanetarium.com/blog/?p=3844 Clark Planetarium members can enjoy discounted tickets for an upcoming performance of the 2011 Deer Valley Music Festival.

On Friday, August 5 the Utah Symphony/Utah Opera will perform Holst’s The Planets with David Lockington as the Conductor and Jake Garn as narrator. Gustav Holst’s astrological orchestra will be performed outdoors in the night sky along with NASA footage projected on video screens.

The concert will be held at the Deer Valley Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater with the performance beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available online for $60 – $85. Clark Planetarium members can use promotion code “Ganymede” for 20% off the ticket price.

For additional information, visit the Deer Valley Music Festival website.

My name is Paul. I’m 37-years-old, live in Kaysville, am married to my best friend, and am a father of five kids. I wouldn’t consider myself a “space geek” necessarily, but the idea of space travel has always intrigued me. Call me crazy, but the idea of strapping humans to massive rockets, and launching them into places that are still very much unexplored, is fascinating.

On Friday, June 10, I received an email from NASA confirming that I had been selected to attend the NASA Tweetup for the launch of STS-135 to the International Space Station…Space Shuttle Atlantis…the last launch in the Space Shuttle’s storied history. The email said it all. “Congratulations, you have been selected to attend the NASA Tweetup on July 7-8 for space shuttle Atlantis’ targeted launch at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida!”

It’s hard to describe exactly how I felt. I originally registered knowing that my unlucky past would continue to follow me. After all, it was my first time registering for a NASA Tweetup, and nearly 5,500 people around the country registered for the same opportunity. In the end, only 150 were chosen and I was one of them. Yeah, my luck had definitely changed.

Since being selected, I’ve done research and spoken to other Utahns fortunate enough to experience previous NASA Tweetups. Apparently, I’ll have access to places and things that most people never get to experience: a VIP tour of Kennedy Space Center; an opportunity to talk with shuttle technicians, engineers, astronauts, and managers; and a chance to witness the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis from the press area, located just 3.1 miles from the launch pad. As my brother, who lived in Florida for several years and witnessed many shuttle launches, told me on the phone, “I’ll bet you feel the ground shake!” Here’s hoping so!

Part of my responsibility between now and the launch will be to tweet about my experiences. If you feel so inclined, please follow me on Twitter @GoodGadd. You can also follow the official Twitter handle @NASATweetup, or the hashtag #NASATweetup.

Clark Planetarium has been kind enough to let me blog about the experience as well, which is an absolute treat! I’ll post updates about what’s going on before, during, and after the experience as often as possible. I hope you enjoy them.

To say that I’m excited about this opportunity is an understatement. My only hope in all of this is that I am able to do the experience justice!

Until next time…

Developed in cooperation with the popular Christa McAuliffe Space Education Center in Pleasant Grove, the iWorlds Space Center at Thanksgiving Point gives you the opportunity to go on a thrill ride through the universe. During the course of your mission you may encounter alien races, race to save entire planets and civilizations from destruction, meet rogue space pirates, fly your starship through asteroid belts, and battle with enemy spaceships. You’ll collaborate with your teammates to solve problems and successfully complete your mission. Bring your friends and family—the iWorlds Space Center experience will take you to places you’ve never been before.

Additional information on the iWorlds experience is available online. Call 801.768.2300 to reserve your place on an upcoming mission or to book one for your own group. Provide your Clark Planetarium membership number upon booking and receive a 10% discount.

A blog that I like to follow, Bad Astronomy, featured today a segment of Cosmos on the subject of “Living in the Dark” and SETI (the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) that is both timely and powerfully moving.

I hope you’ll take ten minutes to watch this video (click HERE) and think about the message.

Clark Planetarium will be hosting a series of events during the day and the Salt Lake Astronomical Society (SLAS) features a star party at the Stansbury Park Observatory Complex that evening.

Events start at 12:30 p.m. with $1 admission to any show in the Hansen Dome Theatre until 6:45 p.m. Discounted show tickets will be available at the ticket window on the day of the event.

Clark Planetarium’s education department, Salt Lake County Library Services, University of Utah Physics and Astronomy and SLAS will provide free hands on demonstrations and activities at the planetarium from 1 – 4 p.m. with a chance win a free telescope courtesy of Celestron.

Please see below for a complete schedule of Astronomy Day events.

Show Schedule:

12:30 p.m. Secret of the Cardboard Rocket ($1 admission)

1:30 p.m. Black Holes ($1 admission)

2:30 p.m. Violent Universe ($1 admission)

3:30 p.m. Ultimate Universe ($1 admission)

4:30 p.m. Guest Lecture on the WISE infrared telescope by John Elwell ($1 admission)

5:30 p.m. Saturn Jewel of the Heavens ($1 admission)

6:45 p.m. Gateway to the Stars presentation by Mike Murray ($1 admission)

Free Activities:

1 – 3 p.m. Solar viewing outside Clark Planetarium

1 – 4 p.m. Science demonstrations and activities at Clark Planetarium

9:00 p.m. Star parties at Stansbury Park Observatory Complex and University of Utah South Physics Observatory.

*NOTE: Star parties are weather permitting.