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Sites of the Week for May 1997

Week of May 5, 1997

Romance to Reality: Moon & Mars expedition & settlement plans: There has been no shortage of ideas and proposals for the eventual human exploration of the Moon and Mars. Freelance writer David S. F. Portree has assembled probably the most comprehensive list of such proposals online at his Web site, Romance to Reality. Portree provides descriptions of exploration and settlement plans from the 1950s to the present day. A fascinating, enjoyable read!
http://members.aol.com/dsfportree/explore.htm

Gunter's Space Page: Gunter Krebs has created one of the best resources about space launch vehicles on his site, simply titled "Gunter's Space Page." At first the page looks like just a collection of links, but many of the links are to pages he maintains about a wide range of launch vehicles that were once or currently in use, or are planned, around the world. The site is kept up to date with a list of recent launches.
http://www.rz.uni-frankfurt.de/~gkrebs/space/space.html

The Comet's Tale: The Comet's Tale is a beautifully-conceived Web site designed to serve as an educational "module" for a class session on comets. The site includes basic information about comets, the dangers of comet impacts, some history of our understanding of comets, and information on how to make your own comet (always a fun demonstration for kids!). The site is designed for students in grades 4-12 but people of all ages wanting to learn more about comets will appreciate this site. The site is best viewed with a newer, frames-capable browser like Netscape 3.0 or MSIE 3.0, though.
http://www.cea.berkeley.edu/~dcs/com.html

Sven's Space Place: Sven Grahn has worked in the Swedish space program for over 30 years, and he brings his experience and knowledge to his Web site, Sven's Space Place. He provides a wealth of information, especially on the history of the Soviet space program during its efforts to send men to the Moon. He also has an impressive collection of recordings from Soviet/Russian, American, and Chinese spacecraft collected over the years. Anyone interested in the history of space exploration will enjoy a visit to this site.
http://www.users.wineasy.se/svengrahn/

Educator's Guide to NEAR: The Near-Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission, launched last year, will be the first to perform an up-close, extended study of an asteroid, in this case Eros. This educators' guide, created by several teachers on summer fellowships from Lockheed Martin, combines lesson plans and other information that can be used in the classroom to study asteroids, and math and science in general, based on the NEAR mission. While meant for children and teachers it's a good resource of information for anyone looking for the basics of the mission and what we can learn from it.
http://hurlbut.jhuapl.edu/NEAR/Education/

A Virtual Tour of the Sun: The Sun is the most important star for us, but it's also one we think little about in an astronomical and scientific context. "A Virtual Tour of the Sun" is an enlightening (no pun intended!) study of our nearest and dearest star. This site combines images and videos to provide a look at what goes on inside and on the surface of the Sun, and beyond. This site is available in both English and Dutch versions.
http://www.astro.uva.nl/michielb/od95/

Russian Aerospace Guide: Information about Russian space efforts can be difficult to find, even in today's post-Cold War world. An excellent source of current information and historical background on Russian and Soviet space experts is online in the Russian Aerospace Guide by Dennis Newkirk, author of a key reference book about the Soviet space program. You'll find current news about Mir, essays on Soviet and Russian space history, and links to other resources online. An excellent resource for learning more about Russia and space!
http://www.mcs.net/~rusaerog/

The Cassini RTG Debate: This October a Titan 4B will launch the Cassini spacecraft towards Saturn. Because the spacecraft uses a plutonium RTG to provide power during the mission, the program has raised a number of protests among anti-nuclear activists, who fear the consequences of a launch accident or an accidently reentry of the spacecraft during an Earth flyby on its way to Saturn. George Herbert has created a site with background information about the dangers, real and perceived, of using RTGs for the mission. He does an excellent job explaining the arguments for and against using RTGs on Cassini, and includes links to sites that are both pro- and anti-RTG, leaving the decision up to the reader.
http://www.crl.com/~gherbert/Space/Cassini/

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