@The_SolarSystem is NOW ON FACEBOOK TOO :-)

OK, I finally (and happily) caved in and made a Solar System FB page. A number of my twitter peeps have been asking for it and that makes me very happy! I'm planning super interesting articles and awesomely stunning space photos etc. I invite you to give it a "LIKE" if you'd be so inclined You should also like the official NASA Solar System Exploration FB page so give that some love too! 

Here is the link to my small (but good) potatoes page.
https://www.facebook.com/SolarSystemAmbassador

This is Another Day, O Lord

This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.

Ideas for WORLD SPACE WEEK Activities from The Solar System

IT'S WORLD SPACE WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This post is written for those who may not have World Space Week activities in their areas or the ability to travel to an activity. World Space Week  #WSW2014  is from October 4-10.

“The General Assembly declares 4 to 10 October World Space Week to celebrate each year at the international level the contributions of space science and technology to the betterment of the human condition.”
                                 ~ UN General Assembly resolution, 6 December 1999 

Founded in 1999, it has grown larger each year and often has an annual theme. In 2013, there were more than 1400 events in 80 countries! This year's 2014 theme is a new satellite navigation theme “Space: Guiding Your Way”, aiming to inspire millions! Check out this link to see events in your area or to search for specific events. 

I hope you enjoy these space-related ideas - It's certainly not a comprehensive list, but just a few suggestions from yours truly :-)

The Pleiades Deep and Dusty
Image Credit & Copyright: David Lane

- Go outside & look up! Honestly, this most basic activity is often forgotten!
- Join The Planetary Society
- Find when the ISS passes overhead & wave at it!

- Write a poem or read a poem about space, the sky, or technology each day

- Plan a trip to one of several NASA, CSA, ESA, or other space facilities!
- Check out NASA TV, Star Walk, & all sorts of Space apps - there are so many!

- Write a THANK YOU LETTER to a space agency or an astronaut. Make a copy for your                senator, governor, or school.
- Think about the Universe and our place in it for one solid minute!

- Check out NASA's EYES ON THE SOLAR SYSTEM - http://eyes.nasa.gov/index.html 
- Donate space-themed toys to children and/or education programs
- Write to your government asking support for your national space agency
- Wear a space t-shirt

- Science lesson plans for kids
- Watch a documentary about space
- Support STEM Education and the STEM Education Coalition

- Read about human space flight - Here's one site

- Check out http://www.spaceflightnow.com/ 

- Listen to the sounds of space - Voyager, The Sun, a Meteor Shower 

- Follow space organizations on social media and keep up with posts
- Make plans to visit a planetarium or local observatory if there are any in your area
- Look into your local astronomy society and check their activities

- Check out NASA's SPACE PLACE and activities, printable PDFs
- Learn about one astronaut each day this coming week. Here are some NASA astronauts
- Drive out to where the sky is dark and spend the evening stargazing
- Read an article about space

- Sign up for an online astronomy class - such as this one

- Check out some astronaut and space facts here
- Learn about current missions

- SPACE-THEMED BAKING - someone needs to do this for me, LOL!
- Make a solar system in an arts & crafts project
- Listen to Holst's "The Planets"

- Other NASA space education activities

- Leave other suggestions in the comments or send me a tweet!

- Again, go outside & look up!

Filaments of the Vela Supernova Remnant
Image Credit & Copyright: Angus Lau, Y Van, SS Tong (Jade Scope Observatory)
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap131001.html 

Hello October!

To celebrate the beginning of October, I'm back to packing meals for the longer days in my Edgar Allen Poe lunchbox. (‪#‎BeJealous‬) I went ahead & bought a bag of chocolate eyeballs too (from CVS). I'm sure I'll be having a "Poe-boy" sandwich sometime during the month, but today is salad :-)

SpaceX Dragon Launch to the ISS Sept 21, 2014

At 1:52 AM EDT on Sunday, September 21, 2014, SpaceX launched its Dragon capsule aboard a Falcon 9 rocket to deliver cargo and several science experiments to the ISS. It had been scrubbed from the previous evening due to weather constraints, but I stayed up and watched the launch via NASA TV. I'm always excited to see a launch! 

You can also watch it launch here

Here is my photo collage from the launch!

Also check out the space humor between agencies - see tweet below from the Canadian Space Agency to SpaceX after the initial scrubbed launch! OPEN ARM, HA! 

BARAKA

I have a recommendation! If you have never seen the movie Baraka, make an effort to do so. Baraka is Sufi for "Blessing". It means blessing in Hebrew, Arabic and Arabic-influenced languages I've seen this documentary many times and recently watched it yet again since I have now been to India, Nepal, Brasil, and several more of the 24 countries in which it was filmed. It speaks of humanity, spirituality, and the natural rhythm and order of our living Earth and its place in the Universe. It also makes huge statements on prayer & ritual, technology & "progress", community and communion with one another, and is an amazing stream of life that acutely makes one aware of the passage of time on the grand scale. This kind of awareness is not academic. Rather, you feel it and in so doing, you gain a sense of being connected to all things. It is at once mystic and blatant, it breathes stillness, yet embodies motion. It touches on cultural homage, glorification, deification, and how spirituality is intertwined within the worlds we have made separate from one another. It is AMAZING.

Consider Supporting Me in the New Orleans CROP Hunger Walk!

Please consider supporting me in the New Orleans CROP Hunger Walk on Saturday, Sept. 27. You can donate (anything helps!) at the link below or join my team and walk with me and St. Paul's Episcopal Church & School and members of the UNO Choirs.

FIGHT HUNGER at home and globally!

CROP Hunger Walks are community-wide events that bring people together in a common mission: helping hungry people at home and around the world.

I'm excited to be part of it and would love to have you walk with me. The steps we take - and the funds we raise - will make a real impact! Come on out and join me for a good cause. I am so NOT a morning person, but if I can do it, so can you! :-)

HERE'S THE LINK!

http://hunger.cwsglobal.org/site/TR?px=1869475&fr_id=19393&pg=personal