Here is some feedback from the game. I kept score of Layin’ Pipe when they batted. Susan, the acting manager, kept score of the Aeromen and has the batting stats. The game was played on Field 5 so we expected a low scoring affair. The Aeromen led the entire game for a efficient and satisfying 5-3 playoff victory. A blend of 7 veteran (i.e. older) Aeromen and 4 younger so-called âOtherâ players (Jose, Nick, Ulongo(?), and Mandy) provided the winning lineup. It was a fast paced win taking only 55 minutes.
Everyone contributed to the win. Alan (P) pitched a gem. He gave up only 2 earned runs. After the 4th hitter in the 1st inning, he retired the next 10 in a row. He only gave up 8 hits and only an one extra base hit, a double. Charlie (C) was his supporting battery mate. The defense was almost flawless. There were 14 fly outs and 7 ground outs. In the outfield, Antonio (LC) had 5 putouts, Ty (LF) 3, and Jim (RC) 1. In the infield, Jason (SS) was busy with 6 assists and 4 putouts, and Mike (3B) had an assist and a putout. He had the most creative play of the night when he dove to his left to snare a one-hop line drive, got to his knees, and shot put the ball to Ulongo for a force out at second base.
I asked our fans âOK, really our fanâ to respond to such an artful win by the Aeromen. Vanessa stated matter-of-factly, âIsnât that the way they’re suppose to play!”
Thatâs why we love the Aeromen Nation.
Next week we progress to Round 2 game, and with a win, to the Championship game. The Round 2 game is against New Market Mallers, who are 1st seed and had a bye.
Think: Aeromen are the Champions
(Note: Detailed coverage of the Aeromen will occasionally appear in these pages. Guest authors retain copyright. Less-detailed game reports can be found on the team’s Facebook page.)
Don’t worry. This is one of the least expensive major science projects youâll put together.
Youâll need:
I found a sunny yellow ball for my Sun.
1) Any ball roughly 8â (19mm) in diameterâa basic playground ball is likely to work, as will a standard soccer ball. FIFA size 5 works for the English-units model; the SI model is slightly smaller, so a youth-sized FIFA size 4 is appropriateâbut donât get bogged down in the details. Visually, when compared with the planet models, all of these ball sizes look the same. Itâs most likely that you already own or can borrow a ball for this project; if you simply must buy a ball, you should be able to find one for under $10.
2)Â A set of eleven objects to represent each of the eight planets, our Moon, and two of the dwarf planets:
Mars or Venus
Pluto or Ceres
a)Â four pins (two pin heads represent Mars and Venus, two pin points represent Ceres and Pluto),
c) two peppercorns or allspice seeds for Earth and Venus
Having a Ball with Jupiter
d) one jacks-size ball (Jupiter)
This jellybean could be Uranus or Neptune
e) two jelly beans (or coffee beans) for Neptune and Uranus
Saturn represented by a large swirly peppermint
f) and a Ÿâ (19mm) âshooterâ marble or a big round piece of candy (also 3/4″ or 19mm) for Saturn. (Itâs just so nice to have something extra-cool and colorful for our most spectacular planet.)
Total cost: less than a dollar US; ideally, rummaging about an average home or allowing participants to bring contributions should turn up most of these objects for free. To splurge, pick up a whole jar of fresh peppercorns for around $5 and share them out among the students.
2) Eleven inexpensive holders for your objects, with the object names written on them. Empty clear yogurt containers or plastic drink cups work very well (see photos), as the pins can be pushed through the cups and others attached with glue to the cup bottomsâŠsuch that the cups then serve as mini-pedestals for the model objects. However, donât feel bound by guidelines hereâa set of index cards will do the job if thatâs what you have handy. It does help to secure each object to its support. However, be sure that students can see the actual object clearly so that everyone has a feel for the scale. Cost: as much as 10 cents
3) A few signs printed on regular-sized paper to leave with objects that will be waiting for your return, such as: âPlease Leave This Experiment Undisturbed — (Teacherâs Name).â  Cost: 10 cents
4) Weights to keep each sign from blowing away in a breezeâanything from a handy rock to a water bottle to an actual sports-field marker from your supply closet.  Cost: negligible
5) Your basic first-aid kit and/or other equipment required by local protocols for a field trip.
6) Water as needed (Up to $10 if you need to buy each student some bottled water; negligible if students can bring refillable water bottles.) You may choose to make the walk as short as a half-mile (kilometer) or as long as twice that. For a short walk, you should only need modest supplies; for a long walk, snacks and water will be welcome.
7) A printout of your âCheat Sheetâ for either the English-units or SI-units version of the project Walk to Pluto, Miles or Walk to Pluto, km  (Just click to download the desired document) Whichever measurement system you’re using, it’s just one sheet, front & back, and includes short comments you can make as you take your trek. Cost: 15 cents, if your printer ink is expensive, because it does have colors.
Total cost of essential supplies: normally about a dollar, assuming most items can be gathered at home or borrowed.  For bottled water, if needed, budget an additional 50 cents per student
If you purchase all new supplies, you could spend as much as $40 for a brand-new soccer ball, a jar of nonpareils, a jar of peppercorns, a packet of pins, a jacks game, a bag of marbles with a shooter, and a package of jellybeans.
(For workbook copies in Excel format, ready for editing, I can send you a copy via Facebook messaging. Just connect to one of my pages, Pixel Gravity or Cometary Tales. Say, while you’re there, “like” the page. Either way, youâll receive the file in a return message. The beauty of this approach is that you donât even need a copy of Excel to use the workbookâFacebook will prompt you to choose whether to open it in Office Online or to download it. The alternative is to email me via cometary@cometarytales.com.)
One thing about the global economy…it’s January 31st in some places already. Barnes and Noble has the paper editions as well as the Nook version ready to go.
Meanwhile, Amazon is lagging behind, with just the Kindle version and it still is tagged as “preorder” . . . in the U.S. C’mon Jeff, don’t you want more money for your rocketship project? UPDATE: Amazon is up, in Kindle and Trade Paperback editions.
But you can download it from Amazon’s sites for the UK or India.
And it’s up at Canada’s Biggest Bookstore, !ndigo.
New Horizons has flown past Pluto successfully, and is now on the way to check out other Kuiper Belt objects. Here’s Corwin Wray’s simulation (made with Pixel Gravity, his software for doing multi-body models on your laptop), which concludes with a wistful look back at our Solar System:
Like New Horizons, you can explore further too.
Itâs worth your while to start by tracking down Guy Ottewell. Yes, heâs on the web, folks, and you can connect with him! Start with his Home Page, which includes all of his books, including the latest version of the book form of his Thousand-Yard Model as well as innovative ideas in several fields, from voting systems to landscape design:   He has a Facebook Page on which heâs been more active as of 2014, sharing art and world news:   And he joined Twitter in 2013 and tweets regularly, especially on human-rights topics, which should interest anyone whoâs become aware of just how small our human community is in this huge universe: find him as simply @GuyOttewell on the tweet machine. A few of his books are available at Amazon, but take careâthe latest updates are best obtained by purchasing directly from the author.
Of course, you might want to follow some of informational links given in the workbook pdfâs for this project:
And of course we have an active mission beyond Pluto right now. It’s an APL project, so they have a great page on the program: http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/
The National Optical Astronomy Observatory presents Guy Ottewellâs original project description from 1989 online:
A wonderful collection of poems and quotes related to astronomy, gathered by Michele Stark, an astronomer with a wonderful page she created while lecturing in physics at the University of Michigan, Flint. l  Youâll also find astronomy labs sheâs created for non-majors interested in the field, under âOutreach and Educationâ
A relatively exhaustive listing of scale models in place around the worldâmost are designed for point-to-point driving or cycling tours, so scroll to the bottom portion of the list for walkable models, several of which are roughly on the same scale as that presented here. Check before you set outâsome of these installations were only temporary, as part of larger events and some are virtual (i.e., online). I would like to imagine astronomy fans travelling to all of them, as baseball fans travel to all the major-league parks.
The National Center for Earth and Space Scienceâs âVoyageâ program has a âsomewhatâ pricier scale model in Washington D.C. but also offers up lots of useful curriculum materials:Â Â http://voyagesolarsystem.org/Â Â Their program is fee-based, not by any means free, but it is very comprehensive and aims to involve parents, teachers, students, and their communities: http://journeythroughtheuniverse.org/home/home_default.html
You can keep track of the Voyager spacecraft in real time at http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/where/index.html  Theyâre in rapid motionâVoyager 1 is travelling at over 38 thousand miles per hour (over 17 km per second).
The Project Astro Notebook used to be sold as a huge expensive bulky (and still wonderful) binder. Soon, youâll be able download at least some portions in pdf format from the free government-sponsored education resources site eric.gov. However, for now your best bet is to buy the DVDâs at http://astrosociety.org/astroshop/index.php?p=product&id=577&parent=1
Why use a FIFA 4 or 5 ball? Well, the dimensions are good for it. But any similar-sized ball will do for this project…like the tennis-ball-patterned playground ball I have. Guy Ottewell likes to use a bowling ballâbut notes that itâs kind of heavy to lug around. http://www.achallenge.com/t-faq.aspx
If you need more reassurance that science and math are not only fun but also funny, visit http://www.xkcd.com (but do prescreen before sharing with studentsâthis webcomic does sometimes use âPG-13â language.
For the jacks ball, you can pick up a jacks set anywhere. Online (e.g., www.orientaltrading.com , theyâre often sold in party packs of a dozen sets. But any bouncy ball bigger than Ÿâ and no bigger than 1â in diameter will do the trick.
If you decide to buy a playground ball or soccer ball online, locate an air pump before your shipment arrivesâtheyâre often shipped uninflated.
And if you buy on Amazon, be sure to sign up for smile.amazon.com first, so your purchases can support your favorite charity.
