Browsing articles in "Latest Buzz"

Jul 12, 2022   //   by Pamela Greyer   //   Latest Buzz  //  No Comments

NASA Releases First Image From James Webb Telescope

The wait is over! The first image released by NASA from the James Webb Telescope is definitely a sight to behold. “Wisdom begins in Wonder” is a quote from Socrates and in those four words succinctly captures what we see in this first stunning image of the Universe. For astronomers, astrophysicists, scientists, and those of us who bring the excitement of space to people and communities around us, the science that we will be able to do by studying the images taken by JWT is a game changer.

Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScl

Hack, Hack, Hack…….Oh My!

Jun 24, 2022   //   by Pamela Greyer   //   Latest Buzz  //  No Comments

A long time ago, right in my own little corner office, I decided that learning how to create and code websites would be fun. I think people who troll the Internet to hack into other people’s sites think the same way. If you have been trying to get to my site over the past few years and thought I was gone, it wasn’t my doing but that of hackers.

Yes, I was hacked. Not once, not twice, but several times and it has been a journey getting The NASA Lady site back up and functioning. There are still some kinks and I will be working on getting them fixed as well as adding new content as I have not been able to access the admin side of the site even though it did come back online with a few php errors that lived happily on top of my home page.

So what’s new? Way to much to talk about in my welcome back post but I will be adding new categories, new ways to interact with me. my workshops, and programs. Twitter has never stopped working so you can always find and contact me there as well @thenasalady

Gratitude goes out to Donna Michaels of Before IT Happened for inviting me to be among the first interviewees on her podcast. I met Donna at Toy Fair and we have been friends ever since. Her work is incredible and I will be posting her interview of me here on the site in the coming days.

NASA and spaceflight have also advanced so much since the last time I posted content. The US can now send astronauts back into space following the end of the Space Shuttle Program. New, bigger, more powerful rockets, rovers on Mars, space telescopes, and so much more have all happened as I worked with my hosting provider to FIX the issues.

It has been a while but I am happy to say “I’m BACK” so come and visit often, get the best news and information on all things NASA, educational opportunities including workshops, internships, and programs for students, families, and communities. Look for our new features including STEM Bytes, and much more!

Gender Equity & Action Figures

Jun 24, 2022   //   by Pamela Greyer   //   Latest Buzz  //  No Comments

As I was reading my Twitter feed yesterday, I came across this conversation from a friend who is as passionate about young girls being exposed to and involved in STEM as I am:

Where's Rey?

Twitter conversation on the missing Rey figure from Star Wars gift sets

I always had a special place in my heart for the female figures that Hasbro, Bandai, Playmates, and other manufacturers made as part of a toy line and last Monday, when I finally went to see Star Wars the Force Awakens, my son and I stopped in a nearby Target. Smaller than traditional Target’s, this store had very limited shelf space for toys but still a selection of single boxed figures. “Do you see a Rey?” I asked my son as I moved box after box and realizing this Target only had five of the figures from the line. “She’s limited,” he replied. Ah, another one of those strategic decisions by toy manufacturers to only put one or two of her in a box. Does this strategy make Rey more sought after as a toy? Unfortunately no. When I asked my son, who is now an avid and knowledgeable toy collector, he said, “Female figures don’t sell as well as the male ones do.”

And therein lies the rub. There are two markets these days for action figures. The play market and the collector market. Children who want to play with their toys take them out of the package or box and start imagining and creating their own stories. That is the beauty of play. There are numerous toys on the market now designed to break gender stereotypes and many of these are STEM focused in bringing once male dominated play such as engineering (LEGOS), chemistry, science, and electronics to girls, the action figure market hasn’t made any attempt, on either side, to market to girls or encourage boys to make sure whatever female figure is part of the line, are bought and played with just like the male figures.

When I started buying action figures for my son in the 80’s they were $3.77 each. Today, the going price is between $19.99 and $24.00. It’s hard to think that making the decision to buy a toy or multiple ones from a line has become a financial decision (I bought three Storm Troopers during our Target foray for a total of $66). For boys, will they want to forgo the Finn or My son and I somehow always get around to the conversation of adults paying that much money for a toy that will be played with and to have most of a collection, counting each series and number of figures in a series that a manufacturer produces, playing with actions figures can cost upwards of thousands of dollars. Ditto for collectors but at least there’s the hope that some of the figures will go up in value. Once you take a toy out of the package and play with it that $19.99 price drops significantly in value but never in sentiment until that figure becomes outdated a new, more exciting action figure arrives on the scene to take its place.

We’re Back!!!!!!!

Jun 24, 2022   //   by Pamela Greyer   //   Latest Buzz  //  No Comments

After what seems like forever, several site hacks, malware, and countless hours resolving then finding the problem was not resolved later, the site is finally up and running. Thanking all the great programmers who worked with me to find what one person told me were ‘chomped core files’ that malware had a virtual feast on. Being back means also means that there has been soooooooooooo much news, NASA content, and happenings since I was last able to post that my head is spinning. Since we were down, NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on Mars and is doing phenomenal science, the James Webb Space Telescope is in position and soon will be sending back the first images of deep space, and we have returned to manned space flight with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-4 mission to the International Space Station.

Getting Kids Excited About STEM and Space with “The NASA Lady” Pamela Greyer

Jun 24, 2022   //   by Pamela Greyer   //   Latest Buzz, NASA, STEM Girls, The Launch Pad  //  No Comments

Grab your passport and let’s go on a journey together with Donna Loughlin and her interview with Pamela Greyer “The NASA Lady” on Before IT Happened. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/getting-kids-excited-about-stem-and-space-with-the/id1571396481?i=1000529686679

Interview with The NASA Lady on Before IT Happened Podcast

Eclipse Across America 2017

Aug 21, 2017   //   by Pamela Greyer   //   Latest Buzz  //  No Comments

Total Solar Eclipse

Image Credit Space.com

And the countdown begins!  We are just shy of twelve hours on our Eclipse 2017 countdown.  Yes this is a big event and some people are taking it as a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  The fact about eclipse’s is that they occur roughly every eighteen months yet knowing where the path of totality will cross during and eclipse is what makes this one so special!  It’s been 38 years since North America was on the path of totality so even though many of us have to travel a few, if not many, miles to reach a spot where totality will occur, it is definitely going to be worth the trip.

I live in Chicago which is not in the path of totality and I have seen a few partial eclipses but never a total eclipse.  I’m sure our tourist office would be a lot happier if Chicago got more than 87% coverage but still that’s a pretty good partial eclipse.  I never realized that living in the Midwest would one day yield such a treasure as not just one but two total solar eclipses.  If you missed this one, 2024 will offer up the same show and in the same location.  If you are in Illinois, Carbondale is on the path of totality for both the 2017 and 2024 total eclipses. Below is a cool interactive path of totality map that you can use to see how much of the eclipse you will see.  Great for teaching longitude and latitude!  Click on the image to go to the NASA Eclipse page and the interactive map.

Interactive Eclipse Map

Image Credit NASA

The science is incredible as there is so much that can be observed, learned, and used to teach everybody about the Sun/Earth connection as well as lots of cool facts about our Moon.  Wherever you may be, DO NOT LOOK at the eclipse without a pair of safety rated eclipse glasses.  The radiation from the Sun during the partial eclipse can damage your eyes.  The same for cameras.  DO NOT TAKE PICTURES ON A CAMERA WITHOUT A SOLAR FILTER.  This includes cell phone cameras too.  The only time it is safe to look at the Sun without eclipse glasses is during the two or so minutes during totality which is a sight to behold.

Capturing the eclipse on camera is a great way to remember the event but remember that capturing with a camera takes away from the experience. (I learned that during my first shuttle launch).  The eclipse will be streamed, live on the Web, and captured by NASA satellites and missions so  put down the cameras and look up!  You can catch the whole show in re-runs.

Safe travels and safe eclipse viewing!

Toy Fair 2017 – STEM Toys

Feb 19, 2017   //   by Pamela Greyer   //   Latest Buzz  //  No Comments

Let the fun begin!  Toy Fair NY 2017 opened yesterday and once again we were in attendance and as always, the show never fails to have more offerings and new product launches than one reporter can take in over four days.  We will be back with updates from the show through Tuesday.  One show highlight this year is UBTech’s AutoBot robot kits.  They are a true mix of STEM engagement that includes every acronym in the name.  There is the building (engineering) part that children will love.  Coding is also friendly and easy to learn making your AstroBot creation come to life!  We’ll have an interview from UBTech coming online shortly so stay tuned for this as well as all the cool and new STEM toys from Toy Fair 2017!

AstroBot from UBTech

UBTech’s AstroBot

 

Lieutenant Nyogta Uhura

Aug 4, 2016   //   by Pamela Greyer   //   Latest Buzz  //  No Comments

My second passion next to all things space and inspiring girls to embrace the reality that they can be a part of this STEM landscape is collecting Barbie® dolls. Toys and comics, especially those that are SciFi themed, have always been favorites of mine since I was a little girl so when I saw the new Lieutenant Uhura Black Label Barbie® doll, I had to buy her.  The following is a description of the Uhura doll:

Star Trek @50: Lieutenant Uhura Barbie doll

Mattel’s Lieutenant Uhura Barbie® doll

Release Date: 6/1/2016

Expected ship date: 7/7/16

As Star Trek™ turns 50, we look back and celebrate one of the most influential series of all time. Dressed in her iconic red uniform, Lieutenant Uhura stands poised and powerful. Managing all incoming and outgoing ship communications, Uhura is an integral part of the U.S.S. Enterprise command crew. Uhura is smart, savvy, and futuristically fabulous, with a face sculpted in the likeness of the actress who brought this groundbreaking character to life.

TM & © 2016 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The image is from the Barbie Collector website where she can be ordered.  For me, the Lieutenant Uhura doll is more than just another beautiful African American Barbie® doll.  In 1966, when Star Trek first hit the television airwaves, I was a young girl whose head was already in the stars.  My reason for tuning in every week wasn’t so much to follow the episodic adventures of the USS Enterprise (1701) and her crew but to watch Nichelle Nichols in her role as Communications Officer Nyota Uhura on the bridge alongside Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Mr. Sulu, and Mr. Chekov.  Her character was a bold addition to Star Trek that added to the diversity on the bridge of the Enterprise and, as explained in the authorized biography of Gene  Roddenberry as well as in interviews with Ms. Nichols, the African female communications officer was as intentional as Hikaru Sulu, the Asian helmsman, and Russian navigator, Pavel Chekov, and of course, Mr. Spock, science officer from the planet Vulcan.

Looking at my Uhura Barbie®, I thank Gene Roddenberry for sticking to his original idea of a diverse starship crew in the 23rd Century and refusing to give in to the then political views of men in suits who did not want audiences to see the possibility of an African woman in a position of equality with the other male characters on the bridge. Of all the characters in his original script for the show, Uhura was the one that studio executives openly objected to and in many cases demanded Roddenberry change the ethnicity/gender of Uhura or eliminate the character all together. For those readers who are not Trekkies or steeped in the backstory of the characters, Lieutenant Uhura, while portrayed in the television series by an African American woman (Nichelle Nichols), hails from the United States of Africa, a fictitious, futuristic political state where all African countries have come together. (Sulu’s character is similar as he was created to represent all Asians). NichelleNichols2x04-MirrorMirror-7Her native language is Swahili and her name means “Freedom.” As Communications Officer, her role was critical to the five year mission of the Starship Enterprise as she was responsible for the technical side of space communication as well as translation. The Universal Translator that is seen in her ear is but one of Roddenberry’s technology creations and allowed Uhura to translate alien transmissions and communications.

When we look at how communication has advanced over the last fifty years, what was science fiction has become science fact.  The flip phone, modeled after the Star Trek communicators, are now old technology and research is being conducted and prototypes are being  built and tested that will one day give everyone on the planet the ability to translate any language in matters of seconds.  Uhura was inspiration and a role model for every little girl, regardless of her ethnicity, to believe that one day in the future, she could be in space. Nichelle Nichols, who after season one decided to leave the show to pursue her career in musical theater, was persuaded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to remain as her character was too important and influential to young African American boys and girls, particularly his family, who he explained all watched her on Star Trek every week and were her biggest fans.  Aside from her work on Star Trek (TOS) and in subsequent Star Trek movies, Ms. Nichols used the significance and the power of the character of Lieutenant Uhura to recruit astronaut candidates for NASA.  Sally K. Ride, the first American woman in space, and Judith A. Resnick another member of the first women astronauts were recruited with the help of Ms. Nichols. The first two African American male astronauts, Guion Bluford and Ronald McNair, joined NASA as a result of her recruiting efforts as well.

The connection between Star Trek and NASA has been strong since Star Trek (TOS) first aired.  While Mattel has released Star Trek dolls in the past, the face sculpt of Uhura is beautiful and does a good job of coming very close the likeness of Nichelle Nichols.  I am keeping this one in the box in my collection but I will be buying a few more to create Uhura’s in costumes from other Star Trek episodes where she is not in her Star Fleet uniform as well as taking her around with me to workshops, talks, and other space programming I’m planning for the fall.  I am still amazed that for most of the students I have taught and currently teach, Star Trek is not part of “their universe.”  Many of them have never seen any Star Trek television episodes or movies and when I ask why the usual response is, “I’m not interested in that stuff.”  Bringing a Uhura Barbie® doll with me as a way to introduce girls to NASA, space, and technology was one of the first ideas that came to mind when I saw her on the shelf.  Seeing is believing and Uhura, fifty years later, is and will always be an inspiration to any girl or woman to believe that space is the final frontier to be conquered and as women there is a place in space for us.  To all girls who look up and wish on stars like I did wishes do come true.  So after you make your wish remember to add “Yes I can.”  Uhura is counting on you!

 

 

 

 

Marvel Set For New Iron Man Character

Jul 8, 2016   //   by Pamela Greyer   //   Latest Buzz  //  No Comments

Riri Williams

Riri Williams the new Iron Man

It’s not often I get excited about new character introductions in comic books but on July 6, 2016, Marvel officially announced that Riri Williams, a teenage, African American girl, would be stepping into the role of Iron Man at the end of the comic book event series Civil War II as Tony Starks steps out of his iconic creation. Riri Williams is a 15 year old science genius who enrolls at MIT and builds an Iron Man suit in her dorm room which of course gets Tony Starks attention. What’s important to note is while she has built an Iron Man suit and was created as a character to step into the role of Iron Man, her character name at this point has not been set.

As you read the article, Brian Michael Bendis, the creator and writer of Iron Man, spoke candidly to Time about the inspiration and creation his new character. “One of the things that stuck with me when I was working in Chicago a couple of years ago on a TV show that didn’t end up airing was the amount of chaos and violence. And this story of this brilliant, young woman whose life was marred by tragedy that could have easily ended her life — just random street violence — and went off to college was very inspiring to me. I thought that was the most modern version of a superhero or superheroine story I had ever heard. And I sat with it for awhile until I had the right character and the right place.” (Time.com)

Since 2009, I have coached and mentored the only all-girls, city-wide FIRST Robotics Competition team in the City of Chicago proper that is composed exclusively with African American and Hispanic girls. Our focus on involving girls in areas of FIRST extend beyond the usual roles you find girls engaged in on many teams. Our work with the team has been hard yet gratifying and 2016-2017 looks to be the most promising year ever so the news of an African American 15 year old science genius stepping into the role of Iron Man in the pages of Marvel Comics was thrilling.

Marvel's Avengers Now

Avengers Now

It isn’t new news to comic book fans that Marvel has been expanding it’s superhero universe to include more diverse characters in regards to race and gender. The new Captain America is Sam Wilson who was formerly Falcon, Miles Morales, the new Spider-Man is half African American and half Puerto Rican from Brooklyn, and the new Avengers team A-Force, is led by all female characters. But not everybody in the fandom world is happy about these changes. New characters who have their own personalities and their own story lines appear to be more acceptable than replacing existing characters who are ethnically and gender different.

“These two topics in the world of comics are important to be aware of; gender and ethnicity are vastly significant topics in this day and age. As a generation, the millennials are less likely to just accept things that do not make sense, they were not brought up that way. They question what they do not understand and if they do not see fit to where these gender and ethnicity swaps take place they will question it. That is not to say just millennials, but everyone as well has a questionable factor about things that don’t make sense.” (The Artifice)

This has never been more true. Upon learning about the introduction of the New Riri Williams character, I tweeted about the possibilities of STEM involvement and engagement using her character as an inspiration as well as STEM literacy as a springboard. My tweet received several favorable likes and a few re-tweets but one incredibly outraged fan sent an expletive my way and mentioned that the whole Riri Williams announcement was for the most part an act of retardation. I had one additional person respond that black characters in Marvel are nothing new so “RU Oppressed?” based on my hashtag #changehurts. Well aren’t we all in some ways? I became the NASA Lady to bring the technologies of NASA from Space Shuttle launches, to missions, satellite deployments, and space science in general to an audience that has little to no involvement or knowledge of NASA or how they can become producers versus consumers of technology. Oppressed? That’s a topic for another blog post but anytime you present people, characters, or events where diversity in ethnicity and gender are absent, there is oppression. When I did the Moonbugy competition with my high school students, CNN did an article on the team titled they have to see it to be it.

Riri Williams fits this ideology perfectly. As this story line unfolds and Riri comes up with a name for her superhero persona, whether she becomes Iron Woman, Iron Teen, Iron Maiden, or something completely different will not have any affect on the impact a 15 year old African American girl who graduates early and gains admission to MIT and builds an Iron Man suit in not a lab but her dorm room can have on young girls who now can dream it, see it, and believe that they to can dare to do great things.

Adler & Astronauts: A Match Made in Space

Dec 22, 2015   //   by Pamela Greyer   //   Latest Buzz  //  No Comments

Eugene Cernan and Jim A. Lovell

Captain Eugene Cernan and Captain Jim A. Lovell meet the press at the Adler Planetarium’s film screening of “The Last Man on the Moon”.

To celebrate the anniversary of man’s last steps on the moon during the Apollo 17 mission, the Adler Planetarium hosted an exclusive screening of The Last Man on the Moon, a documentary based on the book of the same name by Captain Eugene Cernan, and a lively panel discussion following the film with NASA astronauts Captain Cernan and Captain Jim A. Lovell Jr. on Sunday, December 13, 2015.

Filmmaker Mark Stewart’s 90 minute documentary won’t be released to the public until 2016 and chronicles the lives of Apollo mission astronauts with a focus on Captain Cernan’s life as a young navy pilot to his selection into the astronaut program, going into and walking in space and finally leaving his steps, as well as his daughters initials on the moon’s surface. The archival footage takes us back in history to witness the successes, the tragedies, and the boldness of the human spirit as we began the space race. The film also shows the other, more personal side of the sacrifices and the losses in regards to wives and family that become part of the job.

Opening with Cernan standing on the now deserted Project Mercury launch complex in Cape Canaveral Florida, is a moving moment. For those unfamiliar with the location, it doesn’t give any hint that at one time Redstone and Atlas 5 rockets that carried Freedom 7 capsules with our nations first astronauts were launched from there into space. It is a nostalgic moment and adds to the film’s overall examination of not just the Apollo 17 mission but of the Mercury, Gemini, and all Apollo missions that preceded NASA’s last mission to the moon.

The magical part of meeting and talking to both Gene Cernan and Jim Lovell is in listening to their stories. Both men are in their 80’s. Cernan is 81 years old and Lovell is 87 yet the sparkle in their eyes and the laughter they both shared as they talked before the screening of the film are special moments that both of them have shared as NASA astronauts and trailblazers of our space program. As I talked with them and shared how my outreach to inspire young people to dream big and reach for the Moon and beyond as they did, I realized that opportunities such as this are very special and will, in the future, become nonexistent. We will have the newspaper articles, the television network archives, and NASA footage to look back and remember but it cannot compare, by any means, to living history of the live words of those who have lived the experiences.

In the Q & A that followed the film, both Cernan and Lovell gave personal reflections on looking at Earth from space and the awe that comes from the experience as well as a disappointment that NASA is no longer looking at the moon as a destination for exploration. I have done a lot of moon outreach programs over the years and when I do moon rock presentations in the future, I can add that I have met and talked to one of the astronauts who brought back Lunar samples from his walk on the moon. Our moon is an object of wonder and to quantify that statement, grab a telescope, go outside, and get the moon in the viewfinder. Then just let your eyes wander over the surface to see the craters, mountains, valleys and other surface features as they never appear in a one dimensional environment. At this point, you totally appreciate and understand Cernan and Lovell’s personal statements about our abandonment of the moon.

As he stood on the ladder before entering the Apollo 17 capsule, Cernan said,

“As I take man’s last step from the surface, back home for some time to come – but we believe not too long into the future – I’d like to just (say) what I believe history will record. That America’s challenge of today has forged man’s destiny of tomorrow. And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus–Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17.”

Thanks to the Adler Planetarium for hosting an “out of this world’ experience. If you are in Chicago, visit the Adler and spend some time in the new “Mission Moon” exhibit which contains personal artifacts from Captain Lovell, an opportunity to look into his Gemini 12 capsule, and tells a more human side of the space race.

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