Cashing In On The Anti-Vaccine Scare

It's about time we explained why Science Denier Hall of Shame exists. Here's the short answer.

Pi Guides the Way

It may be irrational but pi plays an important role in the everyday work of scientists at NASA. 

What Is Pi ?

Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. It is also an irrational number, meaning its decimal representation never ends and it never repeats. Pi has been calculated to more than one trillion digits, 

Why March 14?

March 14 marks the yearly celebration of the mathematical constant pi. More than just a number for mathematicians, pi has all sorts of applications in the real world, including on our missions. And as a holiday that encourages more than a little creativity – whether it’s making pi-themed pies or reciting from memory as many of the never-ending decimals of pi as possible (the record is 70,030 digits).

While 3.14 is often a precise enough approximation, hence the celebration occurring on March 14, or 3/14 (when written in standard U.S.  month/day format), the first known celebration occurred in 1988, and in 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution designating March 14 as Pi Day and encouraging teachers and students to celebrate the day with activities that teach students about pi.

5 Ways We Use Pi at NASA

Below are some ways scientists and engineers used pi.

Keeping Spacecraft Chugging Along

Propulsion engineers use pi to determine the volume and surface area of propellant tanks. It’s how they size tanks and determine liquid propellant volume to keep spacecraft going and making new discoveries. 

Getting New Perspectives on Saturn

A technique called pi transfer uses the gravity of Titan’s moon, Titan, to alter the orbit of the Cassini spacecraft so it can obtain different perspectives of the ringed planet.

Learning the Composition of Asteroids

Using pi and the asteroid’s mass, scientists can calculate the density of an asteroid and learn what it’s made of–ice, iron, rock, etc.

Measuring Craters

knowing the circumference, diameter and surface area of a crater can tell scientists a lot about the asteroid or meteor that may have carved it out.

Determining the Size of Exoplanets

Exoplanets are planets that orbit suns other than our own and scientists use pi to search for them. The first step is determining how much the light curve of a planet’s sun dims when a suspected planets passes in front of it.

Want to learn more about Pi? Visit us on Pinterest at: https://www.pinterest.com/nasa/pi-day/

Successful Launch of Orbital ATK’s Cygnus Spacecraft

Successful Launch, #FlatEarth crowd!

At 11:05 p.m. (EDT) on March 22 the Atlas V rocket successfully lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

  Included in the 7,500 pounds of cargo aboard the Orbital ATK Cygnus spacecraft are numerous science payloads to support experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science.  (more…)

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We sincerely thank NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, who was kind enough to address our NASA Social group at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia today.

Penn Jillette and Carolina Peña at Reason Rally

Penn Jillette and Carolina Peña at #ReasonRally

Saturday, June 4th, Penn Jillette introduced Carolina Peña, a former contestant on ‘Equador’s Got Talent’ on the main stage at Reason Rally in Washington DC. Carolina was berated by three of the four judges, not for her singing abilities or overall talent, but for lacking a belief in any gods. She was told that, basically, without God, she could have no talent. The fourth judge quite rightly…

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Star Trek’s Influence on the NASA Culture - Panel Discussion (FULL) July 30, 2016 The following people participated in the panel discussion at Wolf Trap National Park in Virginia: Adam Nimoy, Director, For the Love of Spock David Zappone, Producer, For the Love of Spock Terry Farrell, Actress, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Michael Giacchino, Composer, Star Trek Into Darkness Dave Lavery, Program Executive for Solar System Exploration, NASA HQ Michelle Thaller, Deputy Director of Science Communications, NASA HQ Moderator - Bob Jacobs, Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Communication, NASA HQ Moderator - Emil de Cou, Conductor, National Symphony Orchestra

Homeopathy Huckster of the Month: Dana Ullman, MPH CCH

#Homeopathy Huckster of the Month: Dana Ullman, MPH CCH

Dana Ullman, MPH CCH, maintains a web site titled ‘Homeopathic Educational Services'[1] for the sale of homeopathic ‘remedies’. It is an educational site in much the same way that amazon.com is an educational site. It states:

Why our site is trustworthy AND worthy of your business and support!

Our owner is Dana Ullman, MPH, who TIME magazine described as “the Leading Proselytizer of Homeopathy”…

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Reader's Request: Gravity Discussion

Reader’s request from peterthemasterfoiler:

“Not conspiracy merely theory or misunderstanding. I was taught gravity was mass pulling against mass. My hypothesis is that it is the electrons pulling at the protons of the other object even though they are already bonded.”

Thanks peterthemasterfoiler, we’ll do our best to explain it!

(more…)

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GQQrXwQZ1Rc

Eric Hovind 5, Episode II: The Flood and Evolution In this episode, Eric hypothesizes that the Grand Canyon was a result of Noah's flood and then goes in to detail on his views on evolution.