Kern County Science Foundation

How fast does the International Space Station travel? Where is it right now? Astronaut Victor Glover explains that the space station is traveling at 17,500... mph & is about 250 miles above Earth! Want to know when station is flying over your hometown? Visit spotthestation.nasa.gov to find out!

The #MarsHelicopter isn’t the only technology demo I brought to Mars. I’ve also got MOXIE the instrument shown here which will test converting carbon dioxide into oxygen. Learn more about how it could pave the way for future human explorers: go.nasa.gov/3cdMF3X

Today I witnessed history. Now you can too. You’re watching video of the #MarsHelicopter’s first flight a true Wright brothers moment. Watch it all unfold: ... Spin-up Takeoff Hover Turn Landing Read more: go.nasa.gov/3edNn0u

It flew! We made history this morning!

Why do Ladybugs follow your drawings?!

Did you know both these astronauts studied locally here in Kern County at Edwards Air Force Base?

#Kilauea2021 #eruption continues. #Halemaumau is filling at west fissure, #LavaLake 213 m (699 ft) deep. #Geologists conduct regular #FieldWork - including sampling tephra in the SW Rift Zone. http://ow.ly/X9I850DpwcK

NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover are pictured below during Wednesday's spacewalk. They will exit the station again on Monday for another spacewalk. More... https://go.nasa.gov/36kmo01

20 days to touchdown. What’s it like to land on Mars? See for yourself with this interactive simulation: eyes.nasa.gov/apps/mars2020 #CountdownToMars

NASA's Juno spacecraft captures incredibly detailed images of the cloud tops of Jupiter. This image was taken on 8 November 2020 during Juno's thirtieth close pass by the planet.

I’m proud to be the first leg of Mars Sample Return. Things are looking good for NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration and ESA - European Space Agency to bring pristine samples of Martian rocks back to Earth in the future. http://go.nasa.gov/2Ud9v1j #CountdownToMars

"For many years I pitched science shows to large science networks and was unsuccessful. I would receive the feedback that 'the majority of our audience is male,... so we just don't know if they'd relate to a female host.' But last year, Netflix picked up our science show, Emily's Wonder Lab. I filmed the entire thing 9 months pregnant. So there is now a female-led science show on the biggest streaming platform in the world hosted by a pregnant woman - available world wide. I'm just...so incredibly proud that my daughter will be able to watch this someday. When I was studying to become an engineer, I was one of 2 or 3 women in classrooms of 50 men. I'm hoping shows like this help change that demographic for her generation." -- Emily Calandrelli Congratulations to Emily on her new Netflix show, Emily's Wonder Lab! #NationalSTEMDay For a fun new book of at-home science projects - that includes snapshots of 25 famous scientists, half of whom are women - we highly recommend "The Kitchen Pantry Scientist: Chemistry for Kids" for ages 7 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/kitchen-pantry-scientist For playsets for kids who want to imagine themselves as scientists, we recommend the Primary Science Deluxe Lab Set for ages 3 to 6 (https://www.amightygirl.com/primary-science-deluxe-lab-set) and the STEM Jr. Wonder Lab for ages 2 to 7 (https://www.amightygirl.com/stem-jr-wonder-lab) For older kids who to try conducting real chemistry experiments at home, we recommend the Beaker Creatures Alien Experiment Lab for ages 5 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/beaker-creatures-alien-experime), Color Chemistry Lab Set for ages 7 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/color-chemistry), and the extensive Chemistry C3000 Kit for ages 12 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/chemistry-c3000-kit) For more science kits, toys, and games to encourage your Mighty Girl's love of science, you can find options for every age in our blog post "Hand-On Learning: Top 50 Science Toys for Mighty Girls" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=10528 And, for books for all ages about trailblazing female scientists, visit our blog post, "Ignite Her Curiosity: Books to Inspire Science-Loving Mighty Girls," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=13914

All aboard! It's time for another #LaunchAmerica mission. Get your own virtual boarding pass for the NASA SpaceX Crew-1 launch, taking flight on Nov. 14. Download, print, and share it with us and we might feature you on NASA TV: go.nasa.gov/CrewBoardingPass

With no human at the wheel, how does a self-driving car manage to avoid obstacles?

Shakuntala Devi, the Indian mathematical prodigy known as the human computer for her ability to make incredibly swift calculations, was born in 1929. Her rema...rkable facility for numbers first became apparent when playing cards with her father at age 3 and by age 5 she was an expert at solving math problems. Arthur Jensen, a researcher on human intelligence at University of California, Berkeley, observed that for Devi, "the manipulation of numbers is apparently like a native language, whereas for most of us arithmetic calculation is at best like the foreign language we learned in school. In a New York Times tribute to Devi written after she passed away in 2013 at the age of 83, Haresh Pandya wrote: "In 1977, at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, she extracted the 23rd root of a 201-digit number in 50 seconds, beating a Univac computer, which took 62 seconds. In 1980, she correctly multiplied two 13-digit numbers in only 28 seconds at the Imperial College in London. The feat, which earned her a place in the 1982 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records, was even more remarkable because it included the time to recite the 26-digit solution." To introduce children to another math prodigy, the world's first computer programmer who was called the Enchantress of Numbers, we highly recommend the picture books "Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine" (https://www.amightygirl.com/ada-lovelace-thinking-machine) and "Ada’s Ideas (https://www.amightygirl.com/ada-s-ideas) For several fun Mighty Girl picture books with a math theme, check out Zero for ages 3 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/zero), "One Grain Of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale" for ages 4 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/one-grain-of-rice), "The Math Curse" for ages 6 to 10 (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-math-curse), and "Infinity and Me" for ages 5 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/infinity-and-me) For two excellent games to teach kids math basics in a fun and engaging way, check out Shelby's Snack Shack for ages 4 to 8 (https://www.amightygirl.com/shelby-s-snack-shack) and Prime Climb for ages 10 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/prime-climb) And, for more toys and games to encourage your Mighty Girl's love of math at every age, check out our blog post, Add It Up! Top 35 Math Toys for Mighty Girls, at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12180 Thanks to The Scientista Foundation for sharing this graphic!

Check this out! Desiree Boyd with the Buena Vista Museum of Natural History & Science shows you how to use a few simple ingredients, and a little science, to add some fizzy fun to your pumpkins this Halloween! Learn about the chemical reactions that cause this fun effect: www.buenavistamuseum.org/videos

I’m officially halfway to the Red Planet. Since launch, I’ve logged 146 million miles (235 million km), and have the same to go. System checkouts are going well as I barrel toward my date with Mars: Feb 18, 2021. go.nasa.gov/3kFl6SE #CountdownToMars

Here's some more Halloween science to enjoy with your kids this week!

This is so fun! Send us your pics as you recreate this at home this week