I clipped this article and dropped the link here because even as we write about creative universes where things for Blacks are different than what we face here in the United States, it's good to reflect on the reality of life young Black men do face every day.
Featured Posts (3478)
Sort by
"We can all be immortalized through the art we create and the emotions, thoughts, and ideas we share with others."
-Vann Ellison-Seales
"The Honor System", a documentary on artists, coming soon.Based off of the hip hop album of the same name by Cooley Savant (http://youtu.be/xia_dMjH6Eg)
My name is Christopher Love. I'm the publisher of Heroes Like Me Entertainment at heroeslikeme.com. I am seeking a artist to draw black ans white and full color characters of several characters I've created. The drawings will be used for advertisement and merchandising. Please contact me at chris@heroeslikeme.com or thru this website and we will discuss the details. I have a rough draft of what the characters should lool like but I'm still want the artist to have free reign to draw out of the box. Pay is negotiable. Thank you.
Tune into my Common Perpective blog show at www.commonperspective.tumblr.com
I'm one of the women interviewed in a Free eBook "Sixty Black Women in Horror Writing".
February is African American History Month and Women in Horror Month (WiHM). Sumiko Saulson compiled a list of 60 Black Women in Horror which includes interviews with six of the women, two short stories, and an essay.
It is currently on Smashwords, within the week it will become available in other places that Smashwords distributes to such as Barnes & Noble and Kobo...
It is currently on Smashwords, within the week it will become available in other places that Smashwords distributes to such as Barnes & Noble and Kobo...
It's available for eReaders and PDF (to read on your computer).
-Linda Addison
* Dedicated to Wilbur and Sandra Banks (both deceased). Wilbur was my cousin by blood; Sandra by marriage. Like Richard and Mildred Loving, a union between the so-called "races" was provocative in 60's North Carolina during the height of the Civil Rights struggle. They made their loving home in Brooklyn, New York in an environment a bit more enlightened than Winston-Salem at the time. I recall noticing as a small child when they visited the south, it was mostly - surreptitiously - under cover of night.
* * *
“One thing I have learned in a long life: that all our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike - and yet it is the most precious thing we have.” Albert Einstein (source of the title to Chapter 2 of Sagan's referenced book below)
We are all - every single human that has ever walked the face of the Earth - from what is now known as the African continent, the soil for the root of humanity's Baobab tree starting 6 or 7 million years ago, thankfully well past the Cretaceous Period. About 200,000 years ago, the wanderlust inherit in us all led us to explore and leave Eden. The angle of incidence for ultraviolet radiation, environment adaption and physical separation for millennium did the rest. We are likely as a space faring species to encounter this Punnett Square diversity on distant worlds - if we survive long enough to reach them, and should not [then, or now] find it at all remarkable.
We as a species have unfortunately exacerbated this separation with faux social constructs, magical thinking - conferring/denying powers to melanin or lack thereof; draconian drug polices, gated neighborhoods, consolidated power, for-profit prisons, "old-boy" hierarchies (dubiously based on debunked Social Darwinism [1]) and income inequality enabled by laws once penned by feudal lords, now de facto pseudoscience reinforced by de jure lobbyists. An appreciation for real scientific knowledge could change that, and set us forward out of the darkness of ignorance on a path towards true freedom.
I have endeavored to celebrate science and African American culture and its impact on astronautics, astrophysics, electronics; gas masks and stop lights, part of the set of myriad cultures of humanity in the 21st century. We should all embrace one anothers diversity when the time and situation warrants and when that embrace and acknowledgement neither disrespects or debases. We are globally all "the melting pot"; we are E Pluribus Unum; we are all cousins*.
In doing so, we might have had just one less 9-11 in the US or 7-7 in the UK (zero for both would have been good); one less mass shooting: mall, school, army/naval base, Sikh temple or otherwise; one less Hadiya Pendleton; one less Amadou Diallo; one less Sean Bell; one less Jordan Davis; one less Oscar Grant; one less Jonathan Ferrell; one less police Officer Willie Wilkins; one less police Sgt. Cornel Young Jr.; one less Trayvon Martin...as a result of our scientific enlightenment. One can only hope...
If it seems strange that I end this month with Carl Sagan - here's the tie-in:
COSMOS begins next month (Sunday, March 9th on Fox; March 10th National Geographic), hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, PhD and Director of the Hayden Planetarium here in New York. At 17, he received a note from Dr. Sagan which went something like this (my Tyson paraphrase): "I hear you're interested in the universe. So am I." Sagan invited a young Mr. Tyson up to Cornell for a tour, which in many ways shows Sagan as someone that allowed science - not the norm or prejudices in his environment and times - to shape him. Scientists at one time were just as guilty of prejudice as society (a small number sadly still are), but Carl only saw a then young Neil and his desire to explore the stars; another human soul interested in science and thrilled with its wonder. As a fellow human, he was more than happy to encourage this desire, as we still should with each other. Science literacy is our "most precious thing," and paramount to effective governance as a democratic republic in a society and a world only increasing in complexity.
"The Path to Freedom" is the title of the 21st chapter to Dr. Sagan's "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark" (ironically coinciding with this century). The entire book is a course in critical thinking; a discourse in logic and reasoning. This particular chapter was so profound, so significant I transcribed an excerpt and embed it below (a link on some platforms), giving its proper credit to Sagan and his lucid thoughts as he'd penned them. I encourage you to buy a copy of the book, available in paperback and e-book format. A quote from the excerpt: "In evaluating these facts, we must be careful not to improperly deduce causation from correlation" should hopefully encourage you to go deeper in the text and perchance download the book at the link provided. As storyteller and science advocate, especially in our current struggles with myriad pseudoscience, he is sorely missed.
Science as a human enterprise has had its foibles and failings (the atomic bomb; the pseudoscience of eugenics) but the Scientific Method makes it remarkably, and thankfully self-correcting.
Science is our candle in the dark; our Nyota Uhura ("freedom star") that lights our way true north on a path to freedom out of willful ignorance into a shared future and a hope...if we would only allow it.
But I have understanding as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Indeed, who does not know such things as these? Job 12:3
Related links:
Seth McFarland's 'Cosmos' gets its closeup
8 of the Most Fascinating Items From Carl Sagan's Personal Archives
(a letter to a young Mr. Neil deGrasse Tyson in 1975 being one of them)
I'll let "Frederick Bailey" explain the rest, and challenge us all to strive towards science literacy (my apologies for the 'good' Captain Auld's language).
1. "Social Darwinism," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000
THE TIME IS NOW! DON’T LET THE DAY GO BY WITHOUT GETTING IN ON THIS.
Hi everyone, this is the week of our campaign to raise funding for our Earth Squadron Afrofuturistic Sci-Fi Action movie! We need your support by donating to this worthy cause. If you think it is time for more movies that showcase positive and uplifting Black leads and multicultural characters we do too.
Rather than complain about what others are not doing we have assembled a great team to make this movie something to be proud of that you and your entire family can enjoy. We need everyone that reads this to please donate to make this a reality. It does not matter if it is $5, $10 or more, each donation ads up. We have some great benefits like posters and t-shirts for donating at different levels for participating.
ACT NOW!
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/earth-squadron-movie-project
 |
| Source: New York Public Library |
In this dramatic, surprise-filled story, unfolding against a backdrop of an era when America was sweat-drenched in fear and paranoia over national security, readers will discover a new dimension to Albert Einstein. The avalanche of Einstein images – genius, brilliant, absent-minded, kindly, bumbling and more – has all but buried Einstein's political dimension, and totally covered up his civil-rights activities which have remained virtually unknown to his tens of millions of fans and followers.
But in an age of increasing tribalization around the world, the fact that Einstein and Paul Robeson, two of the 20th Century's most famous and popular figures, were not only friends but co-chaired the American Crusade to End Lynching and shared a dozen other anti-racist activities, could serve as a role model for millions. Yet the story has remained untold – until now – as has Einstein's support for W. E. B. Du Bois, his friendship with Marian Anderson and his many ties with the African American people living in Princeton's own little ghetto, in and around Witherspoon Street.
Here, the authors interweave Einstein’s civil-rights letters, speeches and articles, brought together in this volume for the first time, with candid interviews with African American Princetonians who remember Einstein, and historical developments, many of which rocked the nation.
As the authors say in their preface, if racism in America depends for its survival at least partly on the smothering of anti-racist voices, then this book is intended to be part of a grand unsmothering.
Excerpts From the Preface:
AUTHORS' PREFACE TO EINSTEIN ON RACE AND RACISM
By Fred Jerome and Rodger Taylor
More than one hundred biographies and monographs of Einstein have been published, yet not one of them mentions the name Paul Robeson, let alone Einstein’s friendship with him, or the name W. E. B. Du Bois, let alone Einstein’s support for him. Nor does one find in any of these works any reference to the Civil Rights Congress whose campaigns Einstein actively supported. Finally, nowhere in all the ocean of published Einsteinia – anthologies, bibliographies, biographies, summaries, articles, videotapes, calendars, posters and postcards – will one find even an islet of information about Einstein’s visits and ties to the people in Princeton’s African American community around the street called Witherspoon.
Yet, despite Einstein’s clear intention to make his politics public – especially his anti-lynching and other antiracist activities – the history-molders have seemed embarrassed to do so. Or nervous.
Readers may judge for themselves how much of this oversight is due to forgetting and how much may be due to other motives (including, perhaps, disagreement with Einstein’s point of view). It is not so much the motive for the omission, but the consequence that concerns us. Americans and the millions of Einstein’s fans around the world are left unaware that Einstein was an outspoken, passionate, committed anti-racist. “It is certain – indeed painfully obvious – that racism has permeated US history both as idea and practice,” as the historian Herbert Aptheker states. “Nevertheless,” he adds, “It always has faced significant challenge.”
Racism in America depends for its survival in large part on the smothering of anti-racist voices, especially when those voices come from popular and widely respected individuals – like Albert Einstein. This book, then. aspires to be part of a grand un-smothering.
From "Ideas and Opinions," by Albert Einstein:
"It seems to be a universal fact that minorities--especially when the individuals composing them can be recognized by physical characteristics--are treated by the majorities among whom they live as an inferior order of beings. The tragedy of such a fate lies not merely in the unfair treatment to which these minorities are automatically subjected in social and economic matters, but also in the fact that under the suggestive influence of the majority most of the victims themselves succumb to the same prejudice and regard their kind as inferior beings. This second and greater part of the evil can be overcome by closer association and by deliberate education of the minority, whose spiritual liberation can thus be accomplished.
"The resolute efforts of the American Negroes in this direction deserve approval and assistance."
Mein Weltbild (my conception of the world), Amsterdam: Querido Verlog, 1934, pp 117-118.
Authors' website: Einstein on Race and Racism
Amazon.com: Einstein on Race and Racism
Alas, my scroll HTML is not working in Ning. You can see my original intent here. Enjoy the sample below...
 |
| Queen Genesis: Actress Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura |
Nichelle Nichols (née Grace Dell Nichols on December 28) is an American actress, singer and voice artist. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting. Nichols' most famous role is that of communications officer Lieutenant Uhura aboard the USS Enterprise in the popular Star Trek television series (1966-1969), as well as the succeeding motion pictures, where her character was eventually promoted in Starfleet to the rank of commander. Her Star Trek character was groundbreaking in U.S society at the time, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. personally praised her work on the show and asked her to remain when she was considering leaving the series. Wikipedia
 |
| Actor William Marshall as Dr. Richard Daystrom |
Born in 2219, Daystrom was a brilliant 23rd-century computer scientist, and inventor of the comptronic and duotronic systems. Daystrom won the prestigious Nobel Prize and the Zee-Magnees Prize in 2243, at the age of 24, for his breakthrough in duotronics, which became the basis for computer systems aboard Federation starships for over 80 years.
William Marshall (19 August 1924 – 11 June 2003; age 78) was an American actor, director, producer, and opera singer who appeared on Star Trek: The Original Series, playing Doctor Richard Daystrom in the episode "The Ultimate Computer". He was the cousin of fellow Star Trek actor Paul Winfield.
 |
| Actor Paul Winfield as Captain Dathon on TNG |
The U.S.S. Enterprise receives a signal from "The Children of Tama," an alien race that has no history of violence, but whose language has been deemed "incomprehensible" to humans. Hovering above an uninhabited planet, Picard and the crew hope to establish relations with the Tamarians. But while he and Dathon, the Tamarian captain, make several attempts to communicate over their viewscreens, neither can understand the other. Suddenly Dathon turns to him, armed with two daggers, and both captains dematerialize and are transported to the surface of the planet below.
Pursued by a large, shimmering beast, Dathon again offers Picard his dagger and this time Picard accepts. As the two captains struggle to communicate in order to fight effectively, Picard hypothesizes that the Tamarians communicate by example, and the proper names and places they cite are references to situations in their history. Picard is then able to begin to communicate with Dathon, and the alien responds enthusiastically to his efforts.
Noted African-American actor Paul Winfield portrayed two powerful roles in his oportunities in the Star Trek universe: as the tragic Captain Clark Terrell in the bigscreen Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and then on TNG in the role of metaphor-talking Tamarian captain Dathon in the classic "Darmok" episode.
 |
| Actor Avery Brooks as Benjamin Lafayette Sisko, Deep Space Nine |
Brooks is best known in popular culture for his role as Commander—and later Captain—Benjamin Sisko on the science fiction television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which ran for seven seasons from 1993 to 1999.
Brooks won the role of Commander Benjamin Sisko by beating 100 other actors from all racial backgrounds to become the first African-American captain to lead a Star Trek series. What appealed to Brooks about the role was the opportunity to give hope to young people. "Today, many of our children, especially black males, do not project that they will live past the age of 19 or 20," he told Michael Logan of TV Guide. "Star Trek allows our children the chance to see something they might never otherwise imagine."
He directed nine episodes of the series, including "Far Beyond the Stars", an episode focusing on racial injustice.
Series producer Ronald D. Moore said of Brooks: "Avery, like his character (Sisko), is a very complex man. He is not a demanding or ego-driven actor, rather he is a thoughtful and intelligent man who sometimes has insights into the character that no one else has thought about. He has also been unfailingly polite and a classy guy in all my dealings with him." Wikipedia
 |
| Actress Felicia M. Bell as Jennifer Sisko |
Felecia M. Bell played Jennifer Sisko and her mirror universe counterpart in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She is perhaps best known for her recurring roles in Days of Our Lives from 1990-92 and General Hospital from 1993-97. Bell has also guest starred in Hunter (with Barry Jenner), Night Man, ER, JAG (with J. Patrick McCormack and Eric Pierpoint), Smallville (with John Glover, Robert Picardo and Phil Morris), Law & Order and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Memory Alpha
 |
| Actress Penny Johnson as Kassidy Yates-Sisko |
Penny Johnson Jerald is an actress known to Star Trek fans for her role as Kassidy Yates in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She had previously played Dobara in the Star Trek: The Next Generation seventh season episode "Homeward" in 1993. Her costume from "Homeward" was later sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay.
One of Johnson Jerald's early television guest appearances was in an episode of T.J. Hooker, starring William Shatner and her DS9 co-star James Darren. She was a regular cast member on The Larry Sanders Show with Scott Thompson and Wallace Langham as well as during the first three seasons of the popular FOX television series 24 where she played Sherry Palmer, the duplicitous ex-wife to the president of the United States. Memory Alpha
I'm one of the women interviewed in a Free eBook "Sixty Black Women in Horror Writing".
February is African American History Month and Women in Horror Month (WiHM). Sumiko Saulson compiled a list of 60 Black Women in Horror which includes interviews with six of the women, two short stories, and an essay.
It is currently on Smashwords, within the week it will become available in other places that Smashwords distributes to such as Barnes & Noble and Kobo...
It is currently on Smashwords, within the week it will become available in other places that Smashwords distributes to such as Barnes & Noble and Kobo...
It's available for eReaders and PDF (to read on your computer).
-Linda Addison
WINSTON E. SCOTT (CAPTAIN, USN, RET.)
NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)
PERSONAL: Born August 6, 1950, in Miami, Florida. Married to the former Marilyn K. Robinson. They have two children. He enjoys martial arts and holds a 2nd degree black belt in Shotokan karate. He also enjoys music, and plays trumpet with various bands along the Cape Canaveral Space Coast. In addition he remains an active pilot flying various aircraft. Winston's father, Alston Scott, resides in Miami, Florida. His mother, Rubye Scott, is deceased.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Coral Gables High School, Coral Gables, Florida, in 1968; received a bachelor of arts degree in music from Florida State University in 1972; a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1980. Awarded honorary doctorates from Florida Atlantic University in 1996, and Michingan State University in 2007.
ORGANIZATIONS: American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics; Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association; Experimental Aircraft Association; Skotokan Karate Association; Association of International Tohgi Karate-Do; Bronze Eagles Association of Texas.
EXPERIENCE: Scott entered Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School after graduation from Florida State University in December 1972. He completed flight training in fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft and was designated a Naval Aviator in August 1974. He then served a 4-year tour of duty with Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light Thirty Three (HSL-33) at the Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island, California, flying the SH-2F Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) helicopter. In 1978 Scott was selected to attend the Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California, where he earned his Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering with avionics. After completing jet training in the TA-4J Skyhawk, Scott served a tour of duty with Fighter Squadron Eighty Four (VF-84) at NAS Oceana, Virginia, flying the F-14 Tomcat. In June 1986 Scott was designated an Aerospace Engineering Duty Officer. He served as a production test pilot at the Naval Aviation Depot, NAS Jacksonville, Florida, flying the F/A-18 Hornet and the A-7 Corsair aircraft. He was also assigned as Director of the Product Support (engineering) Department. He was next assigned as the Deputy Director of the Tactical Aircraft Systems Department at the Naval Air Development Center at Warminster, Pennsylvania. As a research and development project pilot, he flew the F-14, F/A-18 and A-7 aircraft. Scott has accumulated more than 5,000 hours of flight time in 20 different military and civilian aircraft, and more than 200 shipboard landings. Additionally, Scott was an associate instructor of electrical engineering at Florida A&M University and Florida Community College at Jacksonville, Florida.
NASA SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: Scott was selected by NASA in March 1992, and reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. He served as a mission specialist on STS-72 in 1996 and STS-87 in 1997, and has logged a total of 24 days, 14 hours and 34 minutes in space, including 3 spacewalks totaling 19 hours and 26 minutes.
NASA: Winston E. Scott, Captain, US Navy, (RET)
 |
| This NIST device, 1.5 by 3 centimeters in outer dimensions, is a prototype receiver for laser communications enabling much higher data rates than conventional systems. Superconducting detectors in the center of the small square chip register the timing and position of single particles of light. Credit: Verma and Tomlin/NIST high resolution image |
It's not quite Star Trek communications—yet. But long-distance communications in space may be easier now that researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have designed a clever detector array that can extract more information than usual from single particles of light.
Described in a new paper,* the NIST/JPL array-on-a-chip easily identifies the position of the exact detector in a multi-detector system that absorbs an incoming infrared light particle, or photon. That's the norm for digital photography cameras, of course, but a significant improvement in these astonishingly sensitive detectors that can register a single photon. The new device also records the signal timing, as these particular single-photon detectors have always done.
The technology could be useful in optical communications in space. Lasers can transmit only very low light levels across vast distances, so signals need to contain as much information as possible.
One solution is "pulse position modulation" in which a photon is transmitted at different times and positions to encode more than the usual one bit of information. If a light source transmitted photons slightly to the left/right and up/down, for instance, then the new NIST/JPL detector array circuit could decipher the two bits of information encoded in the spatial position of the photon. Additional bits of information could be encoded by using the arrival time of the photon.
NIST:
Clever NIST/JPL Technology Decodes More Information from Single Photons, Laura Ost
First, Black History Month for me is an open public window. I hope you all looked through it a little more than the generic institutional shows. BUT, it is a time to share at events with others, cause I like to hear what I haven't heard about what others have discovered. The age of the Internet has opened many research streams and thank the creator for ghetto scholarship. Those who speak and can only hear our natural english dialect are blessed, not having to decipher academese.
So at the Gallery 737 in Lorain OH we had Marcus Cross sing gospel and soul songs and then Madelyn Sanders portrayed Mary McLeod Bethune. They were great. The Lorain women of the National Council of Negro Women who co-sponsored this event were there and many local residents. There was art from the community, my own included and refreshments. It was a great time. We talked about history, the present and asked what the future might look like.
Around the 3 African sculptures are my works. Photoart, digital graphics and paper plate art, plus I had a video montage running on a big monitor. In Lorain we are still trying to wakeup, we like to talk, we don't like to do much. Everybody wants credit, open acknowledgement, to get paid, trust is low, suspicion is high. I'm talking about Black people. Lorain is station 100 of the Underground Railroad, we are still underground. Reality is like sci-fi you have to work it up from your core and fire it through your actions. More collaboration the more power, the more stuff gets done. What does the future look like? Wait and see...........
LELAND D. MELVIN (MR.)
ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR FOR EDUCATION
NASA HEADQUARTERS
PERSONAL DATA: Born February 15, 1964 in Lynchburg, Virginia. Unmarried. Recreational interests include photography, piano, reading, music, cycling, tennis, and snowboarding. Loves walking his dogs, Jake and Scout. Chosen by the Detroit Lions in the 11th round of the 1986 NFL college draft. Also participated in the Toronto Argonauts and Dallas Cowboys football training camps. His parents Deems and Grace Melvin, reside in Lynchburg, Virginia.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Heritage High School, Lynchburg, Virginia, in 1982; received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia in 1986; and a master of science degree in materials science engineering from the University of Virginia in 1991.
ORGANIZATIONS: National Technical Association (Hampton Roads Chapter Secretary 1993), American Chemical Society, The Society for Experimental Mechanics.
SPECIAL HONORS/AWARDS: Invention Disclosure Award for Lead Insensitive Fiber Optic Phase Locked Loop Sensor, NASA Outstanding Performance Awards (8), NASA Superior Accomplishment Award (2), Key to the City of Lynchburg, Virginia, NCAA Division I Academic All American, University of Richmond Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee.
EXPERIENCE: Mr. Melvin began working in the Fiber Optic Sensors group of the Nondestructive Evaluation Sciences Branch at NASA Langley Research Center in 1989 where he conducted research in the area of physical measurements for the development of advanced instrumentation for Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE). His responsibilities included using optical fiber sensors to measure strain, temperature, and chemical damage in both composite and metallic structures. Additional projects included developing optical interferometric techniques for quantitative determination of damage in aerospace structures and materials. In 1994, Mr. Melvin was selected to lead the Vehicle Health Monitoring (VHM) team for the cooperative Lockheed/NASA X-33 Reuseable Launch Vehicle (RLV) program. The team developed distributed fiber optic strain, temperature and hydrogen sensors for the reduction of vehicle operational costs and to monitor composite liquid oxygen tank and cryogenic insulation performance. In 1996, Mr. Melvin codesigned and monitored construction of an optical NDE facility capable of producing in-line fiber optic Bragg grating strain sensors at rates in excess of 1000 per hour. This facility will provide a means for performing advanced sensor and laser research for development of aerospace and civil health monitoring systems.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA JSC in June 1998, Mr. Melvin reported for training in August 1998. Astronaut Candidate Training included orientation briefings and tours, numerous scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training and ground school to prepare for T-38 flight training, as well as learning water and wilderness survival techniques. Mr. Melvin has served the Astronaut Office Space Station Operations Branch, the Education Department at NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C, and the Robotics Branch of the Astronaut Office. As co-manager of NASA's Educator Astronaut Program, Leland Melvin traveled across the country, engaging thousands of students and teachers in the excitement of space exploration, and inspiring them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. A veteran of two space flights, STS-122 in 2008, and STS-129 in 2009, Leland Melvin has logged over 565 hours in space.
NASA: Leland D. Melvin (Mr.)
 |
| Comparing the value of mass in the universe derived using the CMB as compared with counts of galaxy clusters and gravitational lensing. (Courtesy: Adam Moss, Planck Collaboration) |
Scientists know that when they measure the total amount of matter in the universe using two competing methods, one will give a higher value for the total density of matter than the other. To resolve this measurement discrepancy, two separate research groups have now proposed that the missing mass might be in the form of neutrinos. Accurately measuring the total amount of matter in the universe is a crucial cosmological parameter for interpreting a vast number of astrophysical phenomena.
Neutrinos are difficult to study because they interact only by the weak nuclear force, which acts only over very short distances, and by gravity, which is extremely weak. In the Standard Model of particle physics, neutrinos come in three flavours – electron, muon and tau. They were once thought to be massless, but the discovery of neutrino oscillations – whereby neutrinos change flavour, requiring that their masses be different – implies at least two of them have mass, with the rate of oscillation depending on the mass difference of each flavour. The rate has been measured in particle-physics experiments such as Super-Kamiokande in Japan, which has allowed particle physicists to place a lower bound on the sum of the neutrino masses of 0.06 eV, but the absolute values remain unknown.
Physics World: Could sterile neutrinos solve the cosmological mass conundrum?
2004 Astronaut Candidate
There's some scientist in me. There's some explorer in me," says Dr. Bobby Satcher. "There's a humanitarian in me also. Space is the one venue that has the highest potential for benefiting people if we continue to be serious about exploring it."
Satcher, 38, a medical doctor who also holds a doctorate in chemical engineering, is one of 11 Americans selected to begin astronaut training this summer at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "I have always had an interest in service and an interest in science," says the future mission specialist. "I am interested in exploration, too. Becoming an astronaut lets me do all three."
Dr. Satcher comes to NASA from a research post at Northwestern University in Illinois. He's an orthopedic surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
"The focus of my research has been studying how bone cells respond to stresses," he says.
He brings his experience to NASA at a key time, when it's working to fulfill the new Vision for Space Exploration. The vision calls for NASA to focus its research efforts on studying the effects of long-duration space flight. "One problem when it comes to living and working in space is bone loss. I'm interested in looking at ways of preventing that," he says.
In his medical practice, Dr. Satcher treats patients who suffer from cancer in their arms and legs. He teaches doctors-in-training and graduate students as well. "The questions we're interested in are how the skeleton responds to external forces and how cancer spreads to the skeleton.
NASA: Bobby Satcher, M.D.
Sometimes when I write I like to visualize the characters. I was working on one of my stories and wanted to see what the character would look like in the outfit I visualized her in. I was so thrilled with the textures of the skin and materials after they were rendered that I thought it would be fun to share.
The fabric looks so detailed and real.
The stockings even have wrinkles in them!
I'm not quite done with the story yet, but doing the renders keeps me inspired!
I have the opportunity to have a movie project that I have been trying to get off the ground for three years finally a chance to see the light of day.
Amazon Studios, a divison of Amazon.com, is considering optioning the rights to my filmThe Alien Ambassador.
They will make a decision by March 26th 2014 to consider turning my screenplay into an actual film thru their partnership with Warner Brothers.
We all have been trying to see a black superhero movie on the screen for years. I'm just a guy who writes about black superheroes at heroeslikeme.com. I have pitched my idea in various forms, but nobody wants to make a film with a superhero who has a black face.
Thru the power of crowd sourcing and online submission, you can make this project happen and its FREE
Just go to my project on Amazon Studios and leave a comment and tell others to leave a comment PLEASE.
You can watch a six minute video, also I have created a storyboard video of the the first twenty minutes of the film and you can view and download the entire screenplay to read and enjoy.
This is our chance to compete with Man of Steel, The Dark Knight, The Amazing Spiderman, Iron Man and The Guardians of the Galaxy.
Again, please spread the word, and let Amazon Studios know how you feel about The Alien Ambassador.
Thank you
Christopher Love
Heroes Like Me Entertainment
In this recent public lecture at the Library of Congress, Neil deGrasse Tyson discussed the importance of scientific education and how the basic human needs drive our technology forward.
Neil deGrasse Tyson is an American astrophysicist and a science communicator. He is currently the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space and a research associate in the department of astrophysics at the American Museum of Natural History. He has appeared on or hosted a number of television programs promoting science, education, critical thinking and space exploration. For more videos with Neil deGrasse Tyson use the search function. PhysicsDatabase.com
NAME: BERNARD A. HARRIS, JR., (M.D.)
NASA ASTRONAUT
PERSONAL DATA: Born June 26, 1956, in Temple, Texas. Married to the former Sandra Fay Lewis of Sunnyvale, California. They have one child. He enjoys flying, sailing, skiing, running, scuba diving, art and music. Bernard's mother, Mrs. Gussie H. Burgess, and his stepfather, Mr. Joe Roye Burgess, reside in San Antonio, Texas. His father, Mr. Bernard A. Harris, Sr., resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Sandra's parents, Mr. & Mrs. Joe Reed, reside in Sunnyvale.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Sam Houston High School, San Antonio, Texas, in 1974; received a bachelor of science degree in biology from University of Houston in 1978, a doctorate in medicine from Texas Tech University School of Medicine in 1982. Dr. Harris completed a residency in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic in 1985. In addition, he completed a National Research Council Fellowship at NASA Ames Research Center in 1987, and trained as a flight surgeon at the Aerospace School of Medicine, Brooks Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, in 1988. Dr. Harris also received a master's degree in biomedical science from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 1996.
ORGANIZATIONS: Member of the American College of Physicians, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, Aerospace Medical Association, National Medical Association, American Medical Association, Minnesota Medical Association, Texas Medical Association, Harris County Medical Society, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Texas Tech University Alumni Association, and Mayo Clinic Alumni Association. Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association. Association of Space Explorers. American Astronautical Society. Member, Board of Directors, Boys and Girls Club of Houston. Committee Member, Greater Houston Area Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Member, Board of Directors, Manned Space Flight Education Foundation Inc.
SPECIAL HONORS: 1996 Honorary Doctorate of Science, Morehouse School of Medicine. Medal of Excellence, Golden State Minority Foundation 1996. NASA Award of Merit 1996. NASA Equal Opportunity Medal 1996. NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal 1996. The Challenger Award, The Ronald E. McNair Foundation 1996. Award of Achievement, The Association of Black Cardiologists 1996. Space Act Tech Brief Award 1995. Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, Zeta of Texas Chapter 1995. Election of Fellowship in the American College of Physicians 1994. Distinguished Alumnus, The University of Houston Alumni Organization 1994. Distinguished Scientist of the Year, ARCS Foundation, Inc., 1994. Life Membership, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. NASA Space Flight Medals 1993, 1995. NASA Outstanding Performance Rating 1993. JSC Group Achievement Award 1993. Physician of the Year, National Technical Association, 1993. Achiever of the Year, National Technical Association, 1993. American Astronautical Society Melbourne W. Boynton Award for Outstanding Contribution to Space Medicine 1993. Achievement Award, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity 1993. Who's Who Among Rising Young Americans Citation 1992. Certificate of Merit, Governor of Texas 1990. City of San Antonio Citation for Achievement 1990. NASA Sustained Superior Performance Award 1989. NASA Outstanding Performance Rating 1988. NASA Sustained Superior Performance Award 1988, 1989. National Research Council Fellowship 1986, 1987. Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society 1985. Outstanding Young Men of America 1984. University of Houston Achievement Award 1978. Achievement Award 1978.
