Orion Boone

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Orlando, Fla.

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ORION BOONE

ORION BOONE

Central Florida Public Media •

Bottle Rockets and Space Agriculture

Kids from all around the country are launching rockets from their schools on October 9th — rockets fueled by the chemical reaction of baking soda and vinegar.The second annual Arm & Hammer Baking Soda Rocket Day will be celebrated by 14,000 classrooms. The hands-on experience with STEAM is aimed at inspiring a future generation of scientists and engineers.Emily Calandrelli, a commercial astronaut and science communicator, participated last year. She viewed baking soda rockets as one of the best...
Central Florida Public Media •

An exoplanet milestone and talking about space junk

The number of known planets outside our solar system has exceeded 6,000, according to a tally kept by NASA.This achievement comes just 33 years after the first exoplanet was observed in 1992.Josh Colwell and Addie Dove, planetary scientists at the University of Central Florida and hosts of the podcast Walkabout the Galaxy, explained that there are several different ways of identifying exoplanets.Most have been discovered as the planet transits, or crosses in front of, the star it’s orbiting. Ano...
Central Florida Public Media •

Starship’s success and Neptune’s peculiar tagalong

On its 10th test flight, SpaceX’s Starship successfully launched from Boca Chica, Texas, and just a little over an hour later, it made a splash landing in the Indian Ocean.It’s a big step in SpaceX’s ambitious Starship program...which is also playing a part in NASA’s plans to land humans on the moon.We’ll speak with Main Engine Cutoff’s Anthony Colangelo about the flight and what SpaceX needs to accomplish moving forward.Then, a new discovery shows a distant object in a weird pattern with Neptun...
Central Florida Public Media •

Finding signs of life on rocky planets and distant ocean worlds

NASA’s Perseverance rover is on the search for ancient signs of life on Mars. To do that, it’s examining and collecting rocks from the Martian surface.One of those samples has what scientists describe as poppy seed or leopard print-like spots – which could be evidence of past organic life.We’ll speak with University of Florida’s Amy Williams about the findings. Plus, a look back at the Curiosity Rover’s 13 years on Mars.Then, scientists are looking at distant icy moons for signs of life.On Satur...
Central Florida Public Media •

NASA policy, commercial space and nuclear power on the moon

NASA’s acting administrator and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is starting his tenure at the space agency with a big goal: build a nuclear fission reactor on the moon.

To keep up with other countries’ plans to put humans on the moon, America’s space program needs nuclear power. Duffy’s plan for a nuclear power plant on the Moon by 2030 is ambitious, but this idea didn’t come out of nowhere. China has planned to build a nuclear power reactor for the International Lunar Research Station, a joint project between China and Russia.
The Charge •

Production behind Pipi: director speaks to up-and-coming student animators

Animator Julia Schoel presented to UCF Animation Production Club on Tuesday evening, sharing insight into their own production process. Schoel discussed the production process for their original work, "The Legend of Pipi" to a crowd of around 60 people over Zoom. Created as a thesis film for the Savannah College of Art and Design, the short film follows Pipi, a small cat hero trying his best to rescue a princess after being the only volunteer to help.