Category Archives: Uncategorized

My UFO (or is it UAP?) Encounter

Posted on August 7, 2022 by davidvblack

It was just past sunset on a cold, clear winter evening in early December. I was driving south down I-15 past the small town of Mona, Utah and the small reservoir nearby. I was teaching at a residential treatment center … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Nearby Stars

Posted on January 11, 2022 by davidvblack

A Tour of the Star Systems within 13.0 light years of Earth. As a media design teacher at Mountainland Applied Technology College from 2000-2009, I created an activity to teach layout design and desktop publishing software with students creating their … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I Have Loved the Stars

Posted on December 26, 2021 by davidvblack

My first planetarium software was an old black and white program that ran on a Macintosh Classic computer. I have tried to find a reference for it, but can’t remember its name. As a physics teacher at Juab High School … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

An Interview with Dr. Rakesh Mogul of NASA’s Office of Planetary Protection

Posted on August 9, 2021 by davidvblack

The Office of Planetary Protection’s primary role is to minimize the biological contamination of the solar system that may result from human based exploration – robotic exploration and basic human exploration. Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Selecting the Next Landing Site on Mars

Posted on December 23, 2020 by davidvblack

An astronomy education activity for learning the features of Mars Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Extremophiles: Earth Analogs for Alien Life

Posted on September 22, 2020 by davidvblack

Astrobiologists have yet to find conclusive proof of life outside Earth, although tantalizing clues of the possibility of life do exist. Just this week, researchers announced the discovery of phosphine gas in the clouds of Venus. Phosphine is found in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

3D Printing Mars Terrains Using MOLA Data

Posted on August 21, 2020 by davidvblack

Version 2 As a teacher or Mars enthusiast, have you ever wanted to 3D print custom Mars terrains? For example, as the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover prepares to land in Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021, would you like to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

An Interview with Dr. Chris McKay

Posted on August 18, 2020 by davidvblack

Astrobiologist with NASA Ames Research Center Dr. Christopher P. McKay holds a PhD in AstroGeophysics from the University of Colorado, Boulder and his research interests focus on the evolution of our solar system and the origin of life. He studies … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Searching for Life Beyond

Posted on August 16, 2020 by davidvblack

New Haven School, where I teach science, is a residential treatment center for girls who have experienced trauma and other challenges. During the summers, since we can’t send our students home until they have completed their treatment program, we hold … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Fifty Years Ago

Posted on December 21, 2019 by davidvblack

It was a Sunday afternoon in July and I was nine years old. In my hometown of Deseret, Utah we attended our normal church meetings, going to Sunday School in the morning. Everyone was more excited and restless than usual. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment