Tag Archives: Imax

MOST Hosts Fundraiser For Nepal – 23 May 2015, 7:00 p.m.

Proceeds from a May 23 showing of “Everest” will benefit Red Cross’ Disaster Relief Fund

015may18_MOST_logoSYRACUSE (May 14, 2015)The MOST is partnering with American Red Cross of Western and Central New York to raise money for the Red Cross’ Disaster Relief Fund that’s aiding the victims of Nepal’s two deadly earthquakes.

On April 25, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal, killing more than 8,000 people and injuring more than 18,000. The quake triggered a landslide on Mount Everest, killing 19 people, and destroyed several buildings in UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu.

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Just as things were starting to return to normal, an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 struck further east Tuesday (May 12) on the same fault line near the base of Mount Everest. Terrified people fled outside and some buildings weakened by the earlier quake collapsed. A hundred more people are reported killed, and more than 2,000 injured.

The MOST is altering its usual Saturday night movie schedule on May 23 to host a fundraiser in the Bristol IMAX Omnitheater to support disaster relief. The 7 p.m. event will feature a Red Cross presentation followed by a showing of the IMAX movie “Everest.” Tickets for the event are $25 and money raised, less expenses, will benefit the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Official Trailer for the 1998 IMAX release of Everest.

These proceeds will help people affected by disasters like the Nepal earthquakes and countless other crises, and will help enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Funds being designated to the Nepal Red Cross from the American Red Cross are being transferred through its Disaster Relief Fund. To date, $5 million has been disbursed.

“We are pleased to be joining forces with the Red Cross to help the victims of the Nepal earthquakes,” said MOST Executive Vice President Anthony Ortega. “The already cash-strapped country is devastated, and the people there need our help.”

The movie “Everest” follows an international team of climbers as they attempt to ascend Mount Everest in spring 1996. The film depicts the challenges the group faced, including avalanches, lack of oxygen, ice walls, and a deadly blizzard. During the movie, scientist Roger Bilham placed a seismograph at the mountain’s Camp Four, at 26,000 feet, to measure earthquake tremors.

MacGillivray Freeman Films, which made “Everest,” has generously waived license fees for special showings of the movie to help the MOST raise funds for Nepal.

The MOST is canceling its 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. movies to hold the 7 p.m. fundraiser. The Omnitheater holds 212 people, so seating is limited. Tickets are available on a first come, first served basis and can be purchase at the MOST, 500 S. Franklin St., Syracuse, or by phone at (315) 425-9068 x2132 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.

NASA News Digest: Space Science For 7 April – 16 April 2015

Greetings fellow astrophiles,

The NASA News service provides up-to-date announcements of NASA policy, news events, and space science. A recent selection of space science articles are provided below, including direct links to the full announcements. Those interested in receiving these news announcements directly from NASA can subscribe to their service by sending an email to:

hqnews-request@newsletters.nasa.gov?subject=subscribe

NASA Joins Forces To Put Satellite Eyes On Threat To U.S. Freshwater

RELEASE 15-058 (Click here for the full article) – 7 April 2015

IDL TIFF fileNASA has joined forces with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and U.S. Geological Survey to transform satellite data designed to probe ocean biology into information that will help protect the American public from harmful freshwater algal blooms.

Algal blooms are a worldwide environmental problem causing human and animal health risks, fish kills, and taste and odor in drinking water. In the United States, the cost of freshwater degraded by harmful algal blooms is estimated at $64 million annually. In August 2014, officials in Toledo, Ohio, banned the use of drinking water supplied to more than 400,000 residents after it was contaminated by an algal bloom in Lake Erie.

The new $3.6 million, multi-agency effort will use ocean color satellite data to develop an early warning indicator for toxic and nuisance algal blooms in freshwater systems and an information distribution system to aid expedient public health advisories.

“The vantage point of space not only contributes to a better understanding of our home planet, it helps improve lives around the world,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “We’re excited to be putting NASA’s expertise in space and scientific exploration to work protecting public health and safety.”

For more information on NASA’s Earth science activities, visit: www.nasa.gov/earth

NASA, USGS Begin Work On Landsat 9 To Continue Land Imaging Legacy

RELEASE 15-061 (Click here for the full article) – 16 April 2015

15-061NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have started work on Landsat 9, planned to launch in 2023, which will extend the Earth-observing program’s record of land images to half a century.

The Landsat program has provided accurate measurements of Earth’s land cover since 1972. With data from Landsat satellites, ecologists have tracked deforestation in South America, water managers have monitored irrigation of farmland in the American West, and researchers have watched the growth of cities worldwide. With the help of the program’s open archive, firefighters have assessed the severity of wildfires and scientists have mapped the retreat of mountain glaciers.

The President’s fiscal year 2016 budget calls for initiation of a Landsat 9 spacecraft as an upgraded rebuild of Landsat 8, as well as development of a low-cost thermal infrared (TIR) free-flying satellite for launch in 2019 to reduce the risk of a data gap in this important measurement. The TIR free flyer will ensure data continuity by flying in formation with Landsat 8. The budget also calls for the exploration of technology and systems innovations to provide more cost effective and advanced capabilities in future land-imaging missions beyond Landsat 9, such as finding ways to miniaturize instruments to be launched on smaller, less expensive satellites.

For more information on NASA’s Earth science activities, visit: www.nasa.gov/earth

For more information on the Landsat program, visit: landsat.gsfc.nasa.gov and landsat.usgs.gov

NASA Spacecraft Achieves Unprecedented Success Studying Mercury

RELEASE 15-067 (Click here for the full article) – 16 April 2015

2015april16_messengerstillAfter extraordinary science findings and technological innovations, a NASA spacecraft launched in 2004 to study Mercury will impact the planet’s surface, most likely on April 30, after it runs out of propellant.

NASA’s MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft will impact the planet at more than 8,750 miles per hour (3.91 kilometers per second) on the side of the planet facing away from Earth. Due to the expected location, engineers will be unable to view in real time the exact location of impact.

On Tuesday, mission operators in mission control at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, completed the fourth in a series of orbit correction maneuvers designed to delay the spacecraft’s impact into the surface of Mercury. The last maneuver is scheduled for Friday, April 24.

“Following this last maneuver, we will finally declare the spacecraft out of propellant, as this maneuver will deplete nearly all of our remaining helium gas,” said Daniel O’Shaughnessy, mission systems engineer at APL. “At that point, the spacecraft will no longer be capable of fighting the downward push of the sun’s gravity.”

For a complete listing of science findings and technological achievements of the mission visit: www.nasa.gov/messenger

NASA Spacecraft Achieves Unprecedented Success Studying Mercury

RELEASE M15-061 (Click here for the full article) – 16 April 2015

m15-061bNASA is celebrating the Hubble Space Telescope’s 25th anniversary with a variety of events highlighting its groundbreaking achievements and scientific contributions with activities running April 20-26.

Hubble, the world’s first space telescope, was launched on April 24, 1990 aboard the space shuttle Discovery. In its quarter-century in orbit, the observatory has transformed our understanding of our solar system and beyond, and helped us find our place among the stars.

Starting at midnight EDT on Monday, April 20, and running through Sunday, April 26, images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope will be broadcast several times each hour on the Toshiba Vision dual LED screens in Times Square, New York.

The IMAX movie Hubble 3D is playing at select theatres across the United States throughout April. Hubble images come to vast, three-dimensional life, taking audiences through the telescope’s 25-year existence and putting them in orbit with astronauts during the latest servicing mission. For more information and the trailer, visit: hubblesite.org/hubble_20/imax_hubble_3d/

For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit: www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For more Hubble 25th Anniversary events, visit: www.hubble25th.org

For more information about NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, visit: www.nasa.gov/hubble

Shopping For The Holidays? Consider A Trip To The MOST Gift Shop!

Greetings fellow astrophiles (and fellow holiday shoppers)!

From the unsolicited-why-didn’t-I-think-of-that-place-sooner kudos department:

I am in that 30-to-40 range where many of my friends have kids in that 5-to-10 range. Spending my days in the hard sciences and very aware of the issues surrounding S.T.E.M. education in the U.S., I make it a point (when not specifically sent a request) to buy presents that fool those children into learning about the world around them (although I find they are generally much hipper to fun science gifts than that). One might imagine this to be a considerable task given the preponderance of molded plastic figurines at most of the local toy stores. I am pleased to report that the situation is far less dire in Syracuse than one might imagine, due in very large part to the good people at The MOST.

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The MOST Gift Shop, including 4.5 billion years of toys.

If you’ve been to The MOST for TACNY Jr. Cafe lectures, the old NASA-funded Space Science Series of years past (we hardly knew ye!), IMAX movies, any of the space science exhibits downstairs, or just to hang out near the olfactory display, you’ve invariably passed through the MOST Gift Shop on your way out. If you haven’t yet, make sure to stop and take a look around in the near future!

2013dec11_most_gift_shop_binosScience books specifically geared for kindergarten through middle school, minerals of all kinds, science tools and instructional toys galore, one really neat soda (or pop, whatever) bottle science demo set (viewable HERE), construction kits of all kinds, stuffed birds (and their associated bird calls), space mission models, and a wide assortment of other science demos, how-to guides, your requisite combo binos/magnifying-glass/compass/mirror/leaf-destroyer (you bet I have one!) techie knick-knacks, and much more. The damage I did to my shopping list will not only put a bunch of developing minds into overdrive, but it also supports The MOST (which I call a significant win-win).

And if that weren’t all enough, I even managed to buy a small piece of the Berlin Wall (and there are pieces left at a ridiculously low price for you history buffs).

Long-short, if you’re still looking for gift ideas and want to keep someone’s brain grinding away during winter break, do consider a stop at The MOST.