AstroReality Augmented Reality

This year will mark the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, so what better way to celebrate this historic event than to learn more about the moon with augmented reality? AstroReality is an app that uses augmented reality (scanning an object and providing feedback based on that object) to provide clickable links of images, historical and other data. You can get the whole solar system, but the 3D objects are expensive and the moon poster can be printed for FREE and even works if you scan it from a screen (don’t necessarily need to print). A tablet would be best because of the larger screen to see the information, but even a phone would work.

You can download the app here:
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/astroreality/id1194876117?mt=8
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mr4iot.sciencereality

Just download the app, click on the moon button, say you printed the poster, and scan the image below. Then you can rotate the moon on the screen, click links, etc.

The AstroReality website has more information and an option to buy the 3D objects (including Mars!) if you so choose, but even the free version is so cool!

And if you enjoyed that, they also have an Earth app that offers some neat interactive models of our planet for free that even show the interior.

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/astroreality-earth/id1297189181
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mr4iot.ar.earth

Happy exploring!

Bob Bruner and the Search for Life on Mars

Bob Bruner is a local Mars Society member and long-time supporter of Mars exploration and volunteer at DMNS, whose incredible collection is also documented in the Life on Mars in a Box part of our website. Read below for Bob’s story on how his collection came about and what he has been up to.

Right after I got my 25-year award as a volunteer at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science my back gave out and I was no longer able to make trips to the museum on a regular basis. I decided to do research at home on my computer and travel to international scientific conferences to present the results. I chose the topic Meteorites and Minerals associated with the Origin of Life which is a museum-type topic.It turned out, I was the only one in the world who had this exhibit, so I was invited to travel all over the USA and the world presenting my material. I went from being a person on the verge of joining the museum retired volunteers organization to someone who could represent the museum at the leading edge of the fields of the origin of life and finding life on Mars. The last five years have been the most exciting of my life. I presented at (or will present at) the following meetings-

2014 Gordon Origin of Life Conference in Galveston, Tx
2014 NASA 8th International Mars Conference in Pasadena, Ca
2015 NASA 2nd Landing Site Meeting for the Mars2020 rover in Monrovia, Ca
2016 Gordon Origin of Life Conference in Galveston, Tx
2016 NASA Biosignatures Conference in Lake Tahoe, Nv
2016 ESA Astrobiology Conference in Athens, Greece
2017 ESA 4th Landing Site Meeting for the Exomars 2020 rover in Noordwijk, Netherlands
2017 NASA Astrobiology Science Conference in Mesa, Az
2017 NASA Early Mars Conference in Flagstaff, Az
2018 Gordon Origin of Life Conference in Galveston, Tx
2018 ESA Astrobiology Conference in Berlin, Germany
2018 Templeton Origin of Life Conference in Atlanta, Ga
2018 NASA 4th Landing Site Meeting for the Mars2020 rover in Los Angeles, Ca
2018 ESA 5th Landing Site Meeting for the Exomars 2020 rover in Leicester, UK
2019 NASA Mars Extant Life Conference in Carlsbad, Nm
2019 NASA 9th International Mars Conference in Pasadena, Ca
2020 Gordon Origin of Life Conference in Galveston, Tx

In addition to this, I donated 750 books and other media collected over a lifetime on the subjects of the Origin of Life and Life on Mars worth over $40,000 to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Az.. I donated meteorite collections worth over $5000 to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, the Discovery Museum in Colorado Springs, Co, the NASA Challenger Learning Center in Colorado Springs, Co, and the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff,Az.

I joined the NASA Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group, the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life, the NASA Astrobiology Roadmap team, and the Mars Society for which I wrote three blogs.

I was nominated for the Annie Maunder Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society of the UK (did not win), received commendation letters from the Chief Scientist of the ESA Exomars 2020 rover and the head of NASA (Charles Bolden), and received an award at the ESA Astrobiology Conference in Athens, Greece.

I did all this from ages 75 through 80 with no scientific training. I studied finance and investments in college, got my MBA in 1963, was an investment analyst for Hamilton Fund, a systems analyst for Mountain Bell Telephone, a tax analyst for the IRS, and have been retired for 18 years.

I paid for my own specimens for my exhibit and my own travel expenses around the world. I am passionate about the search for life on Mars, ever since my father arranged for me to travel to the Yerkes Observatory in 1948 and have a look at Mars through the largest refracting-type telescope in the world with one of the most famous astronomers of our time, Dr. G.P. Kuiper of Kuiper-Belt fame.

After the meeting in Leicester, UK last month, the conference chair, Dr. Bridges, requested I leave some of my mineral specimens for them to analyze and build a Raman Spectrographic profile for when the Exomars 2020 rover is on Mars in 2021. That rover will be the first to drill down two meters under the surface and bring up samples to be studied for signs of life.

Sincerely,
Bob Bruner
First job as volunteer- running the planetarium shows at Gates Planetarium in 1988

Bob Bruner with his exhibit

Mars New Year

Happy Mars New Year!

MarsNewYear

Mars VR Kickstarter

Mars Society – Mars VR Kickstarter project – Be a crowdexplorer!

The Mars Society is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a new open-source virtual reality platform called MarsVR, which will be used for serious research to support the goal of sending humans to the Red Planet.

The MarsVR program will be a unique multi-phase effort designed to pioneer the emerging field of CrowdExploration, which we define as the partnership between the first astronauts on Mars and VR experts and enthusiasts back on Earth. The Mars Society aims to develop a special VR platform to assist with the initial human exploration of Martian landing sites.

Phase 1 of the MarsVR program will focus on designing training simulations for the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, providing direct assistance in preparing MDRS crew members for their analog research and testing. Since every moment at MDRS is valuable, just like actual astronauts working in space, the Mars Society wants its crew members to make the most of their time “on Mars.” Key elements of the platform will also be open-sourced so that the general public can freely make use of it to experience human Mars exploration.

As part of MarsVR, the Mars Society intends to build a high-resolution simulation of the entire MDRS habitat, both inside and out. To complete the experience, Mars Society staff will scan a one-square mile capture of the Mars-like terrain around MDRS using the latest photo-grammetry techniques.

With your direct support and involvement, the Mars Society can pioneer the use of virtual reality for exploring Mars, as well as expanding Mars advocacy and outreach among our global community.

Kickstarter deadline is May 31, 2018.

Join the Kickstarter: http://bit.ly/MarsVR1

Program website: www.marsvr.io

Meteor Shower of the Decade Is Coming Next Week

Astronomers predict next week’s meteor shower will have twice as many meteors as normal.

If you find yourself outside during the night next Thursday, don’t forget to look up. On August 11 and 12, the biggest meteor shower of the year, the Perseids, will be lighting up the night sky, and this year the Perseids promise to be the best shower of the decade.

The Perseids typically peak in mid-August every year, when the Earth intersects with the trail of Comet Swift-Tuttle. Debris from the comet impacts the Earth’s atmosphere and streaks across the sky, creating shooting stars.

Typically, the Perseids’ peak features about 100 meteors per hour. But this year, we may see twice that many thanks to an “outburst,” which occurs when the Earth runs into leftover debris from past orbits of the comet as well as debris from the current year. The extra material combines to create a truly spectacular meteor shower.

This year, the Perseids are expected to contain meteors from comet trails laid down in 1862, 1479, and 1079. This means that some of the meteors that will impact Earth’s atmosphere next week broke off from the Comet Swift-Tuttle nearly a thousand years ago.

If you’re planning to watch the Perseids, it’s best to be prepared. The optimal time to see the meteor shower is from late at night on Thursday August 11 to early Friday morning on the 12th, before sunrise. Be sure to get plenty of rest if you’re going to stay up late to watch the show.

Pick a spot that’s far away from city lights that brighten the sky. The darker the sky, the better the viewing, so you may have to drive into the countryside. This tool can help you find a dark sky location nearby. Remember to give your eyes at least 20 minutes to adjust to the dark.

Most importantly, enjoy yourself and have fun! Meteor showers are always better with people, so bring some friends or loved ones along, and keep your eyes on the sky.

Source: EarthSky