Keeping an eye on Windows and other things tech!

NASA continues to work on its return to the moon and one of the spacecraft that will help in this endeavor is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).  As stated on the main page the purpose of the LRO is to “conduct investigations that will prepare for and support future human exploration of the moon”.

So how would you like to be part of that mission - it is simple enough - just go to the sign up page and put in your first and last name in the form. 

From the page:

Sign up to send your name to the moon. Names will be collected and placed onboard the LRO spacecraft for its historic mission bringing NASA back to the moon. You will also receive a certificate showcasing your support of the mission.

The deadline is June 27, 2008 for the submission of names.

LRO’s objectives are to find safe landing sites, locate potential resources, characterize the radiation environment, and demonstrate new technology.

The certificates can be printed out from the web or downloaded as a PDF file.

So are you going to the moon with NASA this time? 

After a couple months of tears and anticipation Microsoft has made their latest research technology available to everyone now.  Scoble was the first to shed a tear and now you can experience that for yourself.

The download is only 20MB in size and the installation is very quick.  Once installed just start the program and you are up and running with minimal fuss.

The graphics come from a wide range of systems such as the Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope and about 49 others.

I am a bit of an amateur astronomer and enjoy pulling my telescope out for looking at the sky - I can see this program as being a great tool for learning the sky and where everything is for real life telescope viewing sessions.  It in fact has an ASCOM interface that will allow you to control a telescope with the right hardware.

From the Microsoft press release:

“The WorldWide Telescope is a powerful tool for science and education that makes it possible for everyone to explore the universe,” said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. “By combining terabytes of incredible imagery and data with easy-to-use software for viewing and moving through all that information, the WorldWide Telescope opens the door to new ways to see and experience the wonders of space. Our hope is that it will inspire young people to explore astronomy and science, and help researchers in their quest to better understand the universe.”