Friday, December 14, 2012

Update on GRAIL, Ebb and Flow termination and MoonKAM project.


I went to the Ustream teleconference link that is listed for the next Monday briefing and found the 12/13/12 conference archived and found it very informative.  

It explains why a low angle impact of a crater ridge has been selected and not a high angle impact into a dark crater.  Fuel used for obtaining the most science possible for a very low altitude orbit for gravity mapping.  They are also small washing machine size spacecraft and won't make a large crater.

LRO has imaged the expected crash site and will image the site when the moon is in day light. (crash will be on near side of moon but site will be at moon night on 12/17/12.) Hopefully LRO will be able to analyze some of the debris. 

http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2 - Minimal dead time before teleconference.
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/27695120 - about 8 minutes of dead time before conference.
(They are included in the archived telecon.)
- LRK -

-----------------------
 
For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and down link information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

The coverage will also be streamed live on Ustream at:
http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2

Join the conversation on Twitter by following the hashtag #GRAIL. To
learn more about all the ways to connect and collaborate with NASA,
visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/connect

For the mission's press kit and other information about GRAIL, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/grail
-----------------------

Ustream links.
- LRK -

-----------------------
-----------------------

MoonKAM project - Should have said more about this earlier but the teleconference said there was resources being allocated to make the images available for more student viewing even after the mission ends.
 - LRK -

-----------------------
MoonKAM operations are coming to an end on December 12, 2012. You can still register to receive updates about the GRAIL mission, access to classroom activities, and other cool features.


About GRAIL MoonKAM
GRAIL MoonKAM (Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students) is GRAIL's signature education and public outreach program. It is led by Sally Ride Science—the science education company founded by Dr. Sally Ride, America's first woman in space—in collaboration with undergraduate students at the University of California, San Diego. 

GRAIL MoonKAM engages middle schools in the GRAIL mission and lunar exploration. Students from around the world select target areas on the lunar surface and send requests to the GRAIL MoonKAM Mission Operations Center (MOC). Photos of the target areas are sent back by the GRAIL satellites and made available in the Images section of this website. Students use the images to study lunar features such as craters, highlands, and maria while also learning about future landing sites. 

The GRAIL MoonKAM mission began in 2012 when the GRAIL satellites were inserted into orbit around the Moon and the dedicated MoonKAM cameras were activated. The primary mission lasted approximately 80 days. 

Visit our Training page for more information on MoonKAM and training for the upcoming mission. 
snip

GRAIL MoonKAM Image Gallery
-----------------------

JPL post about the last expected moments. 
- LRK -

-----------------------

NASA to Provide Commentary as Grail Moon Mission Ends

Last Flight for GRAIL's Twin SpacecraftThis still image and animation shows the final flight path for NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission spacecraft, which will impact the moon on Dec. 17, 2012, around 2:28 p.m. PST. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSFC/ASU
› Full image and caption

December 14, 2012
PASADENA, Calif. - NASA will provide live commentary of the scheduled lunar surface impacts of its twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft beginning at 2 p.m. PST (5 p.m. EST) Monday, Dec. 17. The event will be broadcast on NASA Television and streamed on the agency's website.

The two probes will hit a mountain near the lunar north pole at approximately 2:28 p.m. PST Monday, bringing their successful prime and extended science missions to an end.

Commentary will originate from the control room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Coverage will last about 35 minutes and include live interviews with GRAIL team members. GRAIL's final resting place on the moon will be in shadow at the time of impact, so no video documentation of the impacts is expected.

Data from the GRAIL twins are allowing scientists to learn about the moon's internal structure and composition in unprecedented detail. The two probes are being sent purposely into the moon because they do not have enough altitude or fuel to continue science operations.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv . The coverage will also be streamed live on Ustream at: http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2 .

Join the conversation on Twitter by following the hashtag #GRAIL. To learn more about all the ways to connect and collaborate with NASA, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/connect . 
snip
-----------------------

Thanks for looking with me.
- LRK -
=============================================
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

=============================================

NASA TO PROVIDE DEC. 17 COMMENTARY AS TWIN PROBES END LUNAR MISSION

The GRAIL mission is coming to an end with the two orbiters to be de-orbited on December 17, 2012.
The event is to be telecast. 

I can only imagine the emotions for those involved.  I know it was an exciting time for me when Lunar Prospector was crashed into the Moon. You are waiting to see if you pick up a radio signal when the orbiter would appear over the lunar horizon if the rockets didn't fire.  No signal and all was over.
- LRK -

-----------------------
Dec. 14, 2012

Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1726
dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov

D.C. Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
agle@jpl.nasa.gov

Sarah McDonnell
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
617-253-8923
s_mcd@mit.edu

MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-240

NASA TO PROVIDE DEC. 17 COMMENTARY AS TWIN PROBES END LUNAR MISSION

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA will provide live commentary of the scheduled
lunar surface impacts of its twin Gravity Recovery and Interior
Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft beginning at 2 p.m. PST (5 p.m. EST)
Monday, Dec. 17. The event will be broadcast on NASA Television and
streamed on the agency's website.

The two probes will hit a mountain near the lunar north pole at
approximately 2:28 p.m. Monday, bringing their successful prime and
extended science missions to an end.

Commentary will originate from the control room at NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. Coverage will last
about 35 minutes and include live interviews with GRAIL team members.
GRAIL's final resting place on the moon will be in shadow at the time
of impact, so no video documentation of the impacts is expected.

Data from the GRAIL twins are allowing scientists to learn about the
moon's internal structure and composition in unprecedented detail.
The two probes are being sent purposely into the moon because they do
not have enough altitude or fuel to continue science operations.
Media wishing to cover the end of the GRAIL mission at JPL, where they
will have the opportunity to conduct interviews and watch a live feed
from mission control, must contact the JPL Media Relations Office at
818-354-5011 by 11 a.m. Dec. 17. Valid media credentials are
required. Non-U.S. citizens also must present valid passports.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

The coverage will also be streamed live on Ustream at:
http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2

Join the conversation on Twitter by following the hashtag #GRAIL. To
learn more about all the ways to connect and collaborate with NASA,
visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/connect

For the mission's press kit and other information about GRAIL, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/grail

-end-
-----------------------

 A Guardian post.

Reuters, Cape Canaveral
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 13 December 2012 18.36 EST
- LRK -

-----------------------

Nasa to crash two spacecraft into the moon

Two probes will land on Monday at end of mission to determine what lies beneath lunar surface
Nasa plans to crash a pair of small robotic science probes into the moon next week as part of a yearlong mission to learn what lies beneath the lunar surface, officials said on Thursday.
The twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRaIL) spacecraft will make suicidal plunges on Monday into a mountain near the moon's north pole, a site selected to avoid the chance of hitting any of the Apollo or other lunar relics.
The impacts, which are not expected to be visible from Earth, will take place about 20 seconds apart at 5.28pm EST (10.28pm GMT) on Monday.
"They're going to be completely blown apart," Grail project manager David Lehman, from Nasa's jet propulsion laboratory in Pasadena, California, told reporters on a conference call.
snip
-----------------------

JPL post about the last expected moments. 
- LRK -

-----------------------

NASA to Provide Commentary as Grail Moon Mission Ends

Last Flight for GRAIL's Twin SpacecraftThis still image and animation shows the final flight path for NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission spacecraft, which will impact the moon on Dec. 17, 2012, around 2:28 p.m. PST. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSFC/ASU
› Full image and caption

December 14, 2012
PASADENA, Calif. - NASA will provide live commentary of the scheduled lunar surface impacts of its twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft beginning at 2 p.m. PST (5 p.m. EST) Monday, Dec. 17. The event will be broadcast on NASA Television and streamed on the agency's website.

The two probes will hit a mountain near the lunar north pole at approximately 2:28 p.m. PST Monday, bringing their successful prime and extended science missions to an end.

Commentary will originate from the control room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Coverage will last about 35 minutes and include live interviews with GRAIL team members. GRAIL's final resting place on the moon will be in shadow at the time of impact, so no video documentation of the impacts is expected.

Data from the GRAIL twins are allowing scientists to learn about the moon's internal structure and composition in unprecedented detail. The two probes are being sent purposely into the moon because they do not have enough altitude or fuel to continue science operations.

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv . The coverage will also be streamed live on Ustream at: http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2 .

Join the conversation on Twitter by following the hashtag #GRAIL. To learn more about all the ways to connect and collaborate with NASA, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/connect . 
snip
-----------------------

 GRAIL Mission info at Science NASA
- LRK -

-----------------------
GRAIL
The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission was competitively selected through theDiscovery Program. GRAIL launched on a Delta II launch vehicle and will use high-quality gravity field mapping of the moon to determine the moon's interior structure.

GRAIL’s primary science objectives will be to determine the structure of the lunar interior, from crust to core and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the Moon. As a secondary objective, GRAIL will extend knowledge gained from the Moon to the other terrestrial planets.

snip
-----------------------

AT GRAIL at MIT.
- lrk -

-----------------------
The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, mission is a part of NASA's Discovery Program. It is scheduled to launch in 2011. GRAIL will fly twin spacecraft in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail. The mission also will answer longstanding questions about Earth's moon and provide scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed. 

Scientists will use the gravity field information from the two satellites to X-ray the moon from crust to core to reveal the moon's subsurface structures and, indirectly, its thermal history. 
snip
-----------------------


-----------------------
Thanks for looking with me.
- LRK -
=============================================
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

=============================================

On the 40th Anniversary of Apollo-17


Even if the motivating force was politics, science was done.
Hope we don't forget the folks that made it happen.
- LRK -

-----------------------

On the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 17

Forty years after the last human visitors departed the Moon aboard Apollo 17, space historian Andrew Chaikin talks about why we should return.

Hardly a day goes by when I don't think about the Apollo missions to the Moon, voyages that collectively have been called “mankind’s greatest adventure.” Today, 40 years after Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt left the last human footprints in lunar dust, I’m feeling a familiar sense of wistful nostalgia. I miss the Apollo adventure the way I miss my childhood.
snip

Andrew Chaikin is an award-winning science journalist, space historian, speaker, and author. Chaikin is best known as the author of A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts, widely regarded as the definitive account of the Moon missions. For more videos, visit Chaikin's YouTube channel.
-----------------------


Lunar and Planetary Institute links.
- LRK -

-----------------------

Science Experiments

The Apollo 17 Scientific Instrument Module (SIM)The instrument layout within the SIM bay.
Left: The Apollo 17 Scientific Instrument Module (SIM). Right: The instrument layout within the SIM bay.
Orbital Experiments
In addition to their studies on the lunar surface, the Apollo 17 crew performed intensive studies of the Moon from lunar orbit. In addition to photography performed with handheld cameras in the Command Module, a series of experiments were carried in the Scientific Instrument Module on the Service Module.
The Metric and Panoramic cameras provided systematic photography of the lunar surface.
The Laser Altimeter measured the heights of lunar surface features
The S-Band Transponder Experiment measured regional variations in the Moon's gravitational acceleration.
The Apollo Lunar Sounder Experiment used radar to study the structure of the upper kilometer of the lunar crust.
The Ultraviolet Spectrometer Experiment studied the composition of the lunar atmosphere.
The Infrared Radiometer measured the cooling of the Moon's surface at night as a way to determine the physical properties of the lunar soil.
snip
-----------------------

Scientific American, July 1, 2010, article about new findings.
- LRK -

-----------------------
Getting the Lead out: New Look atApollo 17 Moon Sample Reveals Graphite Delivered by a Lunar Impactor
Nearly 40 years after the last manned moon mission, NASA's Apollo program is still producing new findings

Humans have not set foot on the moon since December 14, 1972, when astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt of the Apollo 17 mission departed the lunar surface to return home. Thankfully, Cernan and Schmitt, a trained geologist, collected 110 kilograms of lunar material—the largest-ever haul of moon rocks and soil—before heading for Earth.

That material is still yielding new insights into the moon's history, as evidenced by a paper in the July 2 issue of Science claiming the first solid evidence for graphite, the form of carbon commonly used as pencil lead, in a lunar sample.
snip
-----------------------

YouTube clip of Apollo 17.   About 10 minutes.
- LRK -

-----------------------

Apollo 17 Lunar Rover and Geological Findings.mp4

Uploaded on Mar 14, 2011
Apollo 17 was the 11th manned space mission in the NASA Apollo program. Launched at 12:33 a.m. EST on December 7, 1972, with a crew of Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 remains the most recent manned Moon landing and the most recent manned flight beyond low Earth orbit.

Apollo 17 was the sixth and final lunar landing mission of the Apollo program and was the first night launch of a U.S. human spaceflight.
snip
-----------------------

Images from ALSJ.
- LRK -

-----------------------

Apollo 17 Image Library

Figure Captions Copyright © 1995 by Eric M. Jones.
All rights reserved.
HTML Design by Brian Lawrence.
Last revised 10 October 2012.
snip
This Apollo 17 Image Library contains all of the pictures taken on the lunar surface by the astronauts together with pictures from pre-flight training and pictures of equipment and the flight hardware. High-resolution version of many of the lunar surface images are included. A source for both thumbnail and low -resolution versions of the lunar surface images is a website compiled by Paul Spudis and colleagues at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston.
snip
-----------------------

Harrison H. Schmitt's website. 
- LRK -

-----------------------
http://americasuncommonsense.com/blog/who-is-harrison-h-schmitt/
Harrison Hagan Schmitt, a native of Silver City, NM, has the diverse experience of a geologist, pilot, astronaut, administrator, businessman, writer, and U. S. Senator. Schmitt received his B. S. from Caltech, studied as a Fulbright Scholar at Oslo, and attended graduate school at Harvard. Geological field studies in Norway formed the basis of his Ph.D. in 1964. As a civilian, Schmitt received Air Force jet pilot wings in 1965 and Navy helicopter wings in 1967, logging more than 2100 hours of flying time. Selected for the Scientist-Astronaut program in 1965, Schmitt organized the lunar science training for the Apollo Astronauts, represented the crews during the development of hardware and procedures for lunar surface exploration, and oversaw the final preparation of the Apollo 11 Lunar Module Descent Stage. He served as Mission Scientist in support of the Apollo 11 mission. After training as back-up Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 15, Schmitt flew in space as Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 17 – the last Apollo mission to the moon. On December 11, 1972, he landed in the Valley of Taurus-Littrow as the only scientist and the last of 12 men to step on the Moon.
snip
-----------------------
Thanks for looking with me.
- LRK -

==============================================
http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/imagery/apollo/as17/a17facts.htm
THE APOLLO PROGRAM
Apollo 17 Facts
Lunar Module:Challenger
Command and Service Module:America
Crew:Eugene A. Cernan, commander,
Ronald E. Evans, command module pilot
Harrison H. Schmitt, lunar module pilot
Launch:December 7, 1972
05:33:00 UT (12:33:00 a.m. EST)
Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A
Landing Site:Taurus-Littrow
(20.18N, 30.76E)
Landed on Moon:

December 11, 1972
19:54:57 UT (02:54:57 p.m. EST)

EVA duration:
22 hours 4 minutes
( EVA 1: 7 hr 12 min, EVA 2: 7 hr 37 min., EVA 3 ended at 05:40:56 GMT on December 14.)

Lunar Surface Traversed 30 kilometers
Moon Rocks Returned:110 kilograms
LM Departed Moon:

December 14, 1972
22:54:37 UT (5:54:37 p.m. EST)

Time on Lunar Surface:

74 hr. 59 min. 40 sec.
[19:54:57 UT December 11, 1972 - 22:54:37 GMT December 14, 1972]

Returned to Earth:December 19, 1972
splashdown at 19:24:59 UT (2:24:59p.m. EST)
Mission Duration:301 hr. 51 min. 59 sec.
Retrieval site:Pacific Ocean 17° 53' S, 166° 7' W
Retrieval ship:U.S.S. Ticonderoga
snip
==============================================
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/a17/
APOLLO 17 
LUNAR SURFACE JOURNAL
Corrected Transcript and Commentary Copyright © 1995 by Eric M. Jones.
All rights reserved.
Last revised 9 July 2012.
snip
==============================================
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -
==============================================

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Life, where, here, there, somewhere unexpected? Testing, testing, testing.


Is it safe to go to space like the Moon and beyond?
- LRK -

-----------------------
THE APOLLO 17 POCKET MOUSE EXPERIMENT (BIOCORE)[*]

Travel outside the protective atmosphere of Earth can expose a spacecraft and its occupants to potentially dangerous regions of radiation. Missions conducted to date, including those of Apollo, have been fortunate since radiation doses received by astronauts have been low and of no clinical significance. However, as space missions increase in duration and move beyond the moon, the danger from radiation will become more serious.
In order to gain a better understanding of radiation hazards, the Biocore Experiment was flown on Apollo 17. This experiment attempted to assess the degree to which exposure to cosmic ray particle radiation might present a risk to astronauts. In this study, five pocket mice, with plastic dosimeters implanted beneath the scalp, were flown in a sealed canister. The objective was to determine whether microscopically visible lesions, attributable to particle radiation, could be found in brain, eye, and other tissues in these animals.
Particular interest in the effects of particle radiation on tissue arises from the markedly different character of high energy (HZE) particle radiation as compared with that of electromagnetic (E-M) radiation (X-rays., g-rays). The energy deposition (dosage) in E-M irradiation decreases exponentially with penetration depth into the target. In contrast, the energy deposition by a particle can increase as the particle penetrates the target and decelerates, the maximum energy loss per unit path length (LET: linear energy transfer) occurring near the stopping point (Bragg peak) (figure 1). Most of the energy deposition from particle radiation occurs in a very narrow cylinder around the trajectory, within which there is intense ionization of the target’s atoms. While the concept of dosage is not strictly meaningful in assessing the radiobiological effects of HZE particle radiation, perspective on the potential destructive character is obtained by noting that the "dosage" (energy deposition per gram) in the immediate vicinity of the particle trajectory can be on the order of megarads or higher.
For a given incident energy, a charged particle will penetrate a target to a relatively well-defined depth that is a function of the particle’s charge. Collaterally, the LET of a particle at any point along its trajectory is a function of the particle’s charge and distance from the stopping point. In the present experiment, use was made of this last property, that is, measurement of the LET, where the LET of each HZE particle was determined from measurements on the particle’s track in the subscalp detector. Charge and distance to the particle’s stopping point were calculated from the detector data.
snip
-----------------------

And we sent other life forms to the Moon which required some training.
- LRK -

-----------------------
This Week in The Space Review - 2012 December 10  

Flight training for Apollo: An interview with astronaut Harrison Schmitt
---
This month marks the 40th anniversary of Apollo 17, but before astronaut Harrison Schmitt could fly to the surface of the Moon, he had to learn how to fly. Jason Catanzariti interviews the astronaut on his flight training experience and how it prepared him for his Apollo mission.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2199/1
snip
-----------------------

Another reason to save old computer data.
- LRK -

-----------------------

SpaceRef Daily Newsletter

Apollo's Lunar Dust Data Being Restored

Forty years after the last Apollo spacecraft launched, the science from those missions continues to shape our view of the moon. In one of the latest developments, readings from the Apollo 14 and 15 dust detectors have been restored by scientists with the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
snip
-----------------------

Here on Earth search for signs of early life.
- LRK -

-----------------------

SpaceRef Daily Newsletter

Mining ancient ores for clues to early life

An analysis of sulfide ore deposits from one of the world's richest base-metal mines confirms that oxygen levels were extremely low on Earth 2.7 billion years ago, but also shows that microbes were actively feeding on sulfate in the ocean and influencing seawater chemistry during that geological time period.
snip
-----------------------

And the McGill link.
- LRK -

-----------------------
 10 Dec 2012
Mining ancient ores for clues to early life
Scientists probe Canadian sulfide ore to confirm microbial activity in seawater 2.7 billion years ago

An analysis of sulfide ore deposits from one of the world’s richest base-metal mines confirms that oxygen levels were extremely low on Earth 2.7 billion years ago, but also shows that microbes were actively feeding on sulfate in the ocean and influencing seawater chemistry during that geological time period.
The research, reported by a team of Canadian and U.S. scientists in Nature Geoscience, provides new insight into how ancient metal-ore deposits can be used to better understand the chemistry of the ancient oceans – and the early evolution of life.
Sulfate is the second most abundant dissolved ion in the oceans today. It comes from the “rusting” of rocks by atmospheric oxygen, which creates sulfate through chemical reactions with pyrite, the iron sulfide material known as “fool’s gold.”
snip
-----------------------

Now down at the Antarctic survey site another way to look back in time.
- LRK -

-----------------------

Scientists search for life under Antarctic ice

British Antarctic Survey drills into ice sheet to find out if life is possible in extreme cold and dark
With the temperature at a balmy midsummer -17c, drilling has started inAntarctica in an attempt to find evidence of life under a sheet of ice two miles (over 3km) thick.
The scientists and engineers from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) hope to find signs of life in the pitch black, intensely cold, nutrient poor, and pristine waters of Lake Ellsworth, which lies deep below sea level and has been isolated from the rest of the world for at least 100,000 years, but probably much longer.
By the weekend sediment and water samples may tell them if life on Earth is possible in such extreme conditions – and they will be just as interested if they learn it is not, and that they have found the limits of life.
"We are about to explore the unknown and I am very excited that our mission will advance our scientific understanding of Antarctica's hidden world," said Prof Martin Siegert from the University of Bristol. "Right now we are working round the clock in a cold, demanding and extreme location – it's testing our own personal endurance, but it is entirely worth it."
snip
-----------------------
Now, I not only need to look up, but around, and down under as well.
Thanks for looking with me.
==============================================
WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

==============================================

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Astronomer, broadcaster and author Sir Patrick Moore has died at his home at the age of 89


Lord Kimberly mentioned that Sir Patrick Moore, astronomer and broadcaster, has died at the age of 89.
- LRK -
------------------------
Larry,

Thank you for that. You also may have (Not) seen Patrick Moore has died. A man who did so much in the UK and world wide to make astronomers of us all.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20657939

Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore dies
Sir Patrick Moore
Sir Patrick Moore
Previous image | Pause | Next image
3 / 6

Astronomer, broadcaster and author Sir Patrick Moore has died at his home at the age of 89, his friends say. 

    A look back at Sir Patrick's work Watch
    Highlights from The Sky At Night Watch
    Obituary: Patrick Moore
    Sky at Night colleague's tribute
    In pictures: Life of Sir Patrick Moore
    Tributes paid to Sir Patrick Moore

-- 
Yours John.
snip
------------------------

A snip from the above link.
- LRK -
------------------------
British astronomer and broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore has died, aged 89.
He "passed away peacefully at 12:25 this afternoon" at his home in Selsey, West Sussex, friends and colleagues said in a statement.
Sir Patrick presented the BBC programme The Sky At Night for over 50 years, making him the longest-running host of the same television show ever.
He wrote dozens of books on astronomy and his research was used by the US and the Russians in their space programmes.
Described by one of his close friends as "fearlessly eccentric", Sir Patrick was notable for his habit of wearing a monocle on screen and his idiosyncratic style.
Sir Patrick presented the first edition of The Sky at Night on 24 April 1957. He last appeared in an episode broadcast on Monday.
snip
------------------------

Another link with more information and pictures.
- LRK -

------------------------
Astronomer Sir Patrick Moore dies at 89: Broadcaster passed away peacefully at home with close friends and his cat Ptolemy

British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore has died at his home at the age of 89.
The broadcaster 'passed away peacefully at 12.25pm this afternoon', at his home in Selsey, West Sussex, a group of his friends and staff said in a statement.

He died in the company of close friends, carers, and his cat Ptolemy, after failing to fight an infection.
snip

Born in 1923, at the age of six he moved from the Middlesex village of Pinner to Sussex where he has lived ever since.
Between the ages of six and sixteen Patrick was mostly educated at home as he was prevented from attending school due to illness.
During this time he picked up his mother's copy of 'The Story of the Solar System' which sparked his lifelong passion. 
Since then, he concentrated upon studies of the Moon. In 1959, the Russians used his charts to correlate the first Lunik 3 pictures of the far side of the Moon and he was involved in the lunar mapping before the NASA Apollo missions.
Knighted in 2001 - he was the astronomer who, more than any other scientist living or dead, could explain to the world at large the marvels and intricacies of the universe - and beyond.


snip
------------------------

And FROM Wikipedia.
- LRK -

------------------------
Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore, CBE, FRS, FRAS (4 March 1923 – 9 December 2012) was an English amateur astronomer who attained prominent status in that field as a writer, researcher, radio commentator and television presenter.
Moore was a former president of the British Astronomical Association, co-founder and former president of the Society for Popular Astronomy (SPA), author of over 70 books on astronomy, and presenter of the world's longest-running television series with the same original presenter, The Sky at Nighton the BBC. As an amateur astronomer, he became known as a specialist on observing the Moon and creating the Caldwell catalogue; he was involved in the lunar mapping used by the Apollo program. Idiosyncrasies such as his rapid diction and monocle made him a popular and instantly recognisable figure on British television.
He holds the Guinness world record for the longest continuous tenure as presenter of a single television programme, having presented The Sky At Night from 24 April 1957 until his death, over 55 years.
Moore was also a self-taught xylophone and piano player, as well as an accomplished composer and a former amateur cricketer, golfer and chess player. In addition to his many popular science books, he wrote numerous works of fiction and featured on the 1990s TV series GamesMaster. He was an opponent of fox hunting, an outspoken critic of the European Union and served as chairman of the short-lived anti-immigration United Country Party before becoming a patron of the UK Independence Party. He served in the Royal Air Force during World War II; his fiancĂ©e, Lorna, was killed by a bomb during the war and he never married or had children.
snip
------------------------

Thanks Sir Patrick for helping us look up.
We will think of you  as we view the stars.
- LRK -
============================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

============================================