Comments for Blast the Movie http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestblog Welcome to Astrophysics, Indiana Jones Style! Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:54:59 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 Comment on Guest Blog by admin http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestblog#comment-3402 admin Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:54:59 +0000 http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestbook/?page_id=3#comment-3402 <img src="http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestblog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/FermilabCrowdphoto-300x225.jpg" alt="FermilabCrowdphoto" title="FermilabCrowdphoto" width="300" height="225" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-39" /> Our screening at FermiLab in Chicago was a huge success with over 600 people in the audience! The crowd seemed to really enjoy the lively Q&A after the screening. Thanks so much to everyone who came out. FermilabCrowdphoto

Our screening at FermiLab in Chicago was a huge success with over 600 people in the audience! The crowd seemed to really enjoy the lively Q&A after the screening. Thanks so much to everyone who came out.

]]> Comment on Guest Blog by Paul Devlin http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestblog#comment-3400 Paul Devlin Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:31:48 +0000 http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestbook/?page_id=3#comment-3400 Ivana, Why don't you send an email to info@blastthemovie.com with a request, some suggested times and you're contact information and we'll pass it along. Also, as an alternative, perhaps also send some questions that can be answered by email rather than phone. Glad you enjoyed the movie and thanks for getting in touch! Ivana,

Why don’t you send an email to info@blastthemovie.com with a request, some suggested times and you’re contact information and we’ll pass it along.

Also, as an alternative, perhaps also send some questions that can be answered by email rather than phone.

Glad you enjoyed the movie and thanks for getting in touch!

]]> Comment on Guest Blog by Mark Devlin http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestblog#comment-3398 Mark Devlin Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:47:11 +0000 http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestbook/?page_id=3#comment-3398 Here are some answers to your questions: - Our data rate is 1 mega bit per second. When we can see the telescope we can transmit this down. After it goes over the horizon we only get about 7 kilo bits per second over our omni-directional TDRSS antenna. This will be increased by a factor of ten this year with a high gain TDRSS antenna...but still not enough. - Peak altitude, balloon volume and payload mass are closely related. Our mass is about 2000 kg plus the NASA equipment. We could fly another 1000 kg, but the balloon would not get nearly as high (we fly at 120,000 ft). You could fly a bigger balloon. Ours was 28 million cubic feet. You can get a 40 million cubic feet balloon, but it does not buy you nearly as much as you think. The maximum altitude is just determined by the weight, balloon volume, and air pressure vs altitude. - Your last question is much more complicated and goes beyond what I can respond here. You can go to the website and look at some the data there (blastexperiment.info). As for the raw time streams...there is 120 GBytes of it...too much too post! Here are some answers to your questions:

- Our data rate is 1 mega bit per second. When we can see the telescope we can transmit this down. After it goes over the horizon we only get about 7 kilo bits per second over our omni-directional TDRSS antenna. This will be increased by a factor of ten this year with a high gain TDRSS antenna…but still not enough.

- Peak altitude, balloon volume and payload mass are closely related. Our mass is about 2000 kg plus the NASA equipment. We could fly another 1000 kg, but the balloon would not get nearly as high (we fly at 120,000 ft). You could fly a bigger balloon. Ours was 28 million cubic feet. You can get a 40 million cubic feet balloon, but it does not buy you nearly as much as you think. The maximum altitude is just determined by the weight, balloon volume, and air pressure vs altitude.

- Your last question is much more complicated and goes beyond what I can respond here. You can go to the website and look at some the data there (blastexperiment.info). As for the raw time streams…there is 120 GBytes of it…too much too post!

]]> Comment on Guest Blog by Ivana Susic http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestblog#comment-3391 Ivana Susic Mon, 22 Feb 2010 03:40:32 +0000 http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestbook/?page_id=3#comment-3391 Hi, I recently attended a screening of BLAST! at Columbia College in Chicago and enjoyed the movie immensely. Paul was a wonderful host. I am working on a degree in science journalism and for one of my science reporting classes we are working on an article about the BLAST projects. I was wondering if Mark or Barth would be available for a 15 minute phone interview this week. I have a couple of straightforward questions about the BLAST project and movie. Thanks, Ivana Hi,

I recently attended a screening of BLAST! at Columbia College in Chicago and enjoyed the movie immensely. Paul was a wonderful host.

I am working on a degree in science journalism and for one of my science reporting classes we are working on an article about the BLAST projects. I was wondering if Mark or Barth would be available for a 15 minute phone interview this week. I have a couple of straightforward questions about the BLAST project and movie.

Thanks,

Ivana

]]> Comment on Guest Blog by Tim Jedlicka http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestblog#comment-3379 Tim Jedlicka Sun, 21 Feb 2010 05:36:54 +0000 http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestbook/?page_id=3#comment-3379 My daughter (11yr. old) and I enjoyed the screening at Fermi Lab. The film really captured the humanity of the scientists. I'm curious about the amount of data you collected and why you couldn't stream it down to a ground station. Did you have a weight limit for the telescope, or what was the most limiting factor of using the balloon? What determines the max altitude of the balloon? And finally - although it probably shouldn't have been a part of the movie, I would like to know more about what kind of data you obtained and how you go about analyzing it. Is it basically a coordinate and temperature? I'd really like to see how you take a small piece of raw data and "make sense" of it. My daughter (11yr. old) and I enjoyed the screening at Fermi Lab. The film really captured the humanity of the scientists. I’m curious about the amount of data you collected and why you couldn’t stream it down to a ground station. Did you have a weight limit for the telescope, or what was the most limiting factor of using the balloon? What determines the max altitude of the balloon? And finally – although it probably shouldn’t have been a part of the movie, I would like to know more about what kind of data you obtained and how you go about analyzing it. Is it basically a coordinate and temperature? I’d really like to see how you take a small piece of raw data and “make sense” of it.

]]> Comment on Guest Blog by admin http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestblog#comment-3401 admin Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:48:33 +0000 http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestbook/?page_id=3#comment-3401 <img src="http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestblog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/IMG_3227-300x225.jpg" alt="IMG_3227" title="IMG_3227" width="300" height="225" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-30" /> We had a great time screening BLAST! at the Explorer's Club here in NYC earlier this month. Both Mark and Paul attended and enjoyed a fun time and lively conversation. Big thanks to our friends at The Explorer's Club for helping make it happen! IMG_3227

We had a great time screening BLAST! at the Explorer’s Club here in NYC earlier this month. Both Mark and Paul attended and enjoyed a fun time and lively conversation. Big thanks to our friends at The Explorer’s Club for helping make it happen!

]]> Comment on Guest Blog by Paul Devlin http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestblog#comment-3146 Paul Devlin Thu, 04 Feb 2010 19:25:12 +0000 http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestbook/?page_id=3#comment-3146 BLAST! premieres on U.S. Television tonight! Please spread the word, especially to people you know in Southern California: TELEVISION BROADCAST KVCR - San Bernardino, CA Thursday, February 4th 10:00PM BLAST! premieres on U.S. Television tonight! Please spread the word, especially to people you know in Southern California:

TELEVISION BROADCAST
KVCR – San Bernardino, CA
Thursday, February 4th 10:00PM

]]> Comment on Guest Blog by Philip http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestblog#comment-2599 Philip Mon, 11 Jan 2010 18:20:45 +0000 http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestbook/?page_id=3#comment-2599 BLAST! was an exciting project proving that serieus astronomy/cosmology can be done with less money. Hope to see a similar balloon-borne telescope fly again! BLAST! was an exciting project proving that serieus astronomy/cosmology can be done with less money. Hope to see a similar balloon-borne telescope fly again!

]]> Comment on Guest Blog by David Ardila http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestblog#comment-2527 David Ardila Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:32:48 +0000 http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestbook/?page_id=3#comment-2527 Hi I just saw the movie at the AAS in DC. I greatly enjoyed it. It reminds me of the maxim that if you are not failing often you are not trying hard enough. It is a pity that it had to compete with the banquet at the Smithsonian. Otherwise you would have gotten standing room only! Hi
I just saw the movie at the AAS in DC. I greatly enjoyed it. It reminds me of the maxim that if you are not failing often you are not trying hard enough. It is a pity that it had to compete with the banquet at the Smithsonian. Otherwise you would have gotten standing room only!

]]> Comment on Guest Blog by Paul Devlin http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestblog#comment-2241 Paul Devlin Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:49:38 +0000 http://www.blastthemovie.com/guestbook/?page_id=3#comment-2241 Wendy, the Home DVD of BLAST! has not been released yet. While we have released the Educational DVD independently, an effective, widespread release to retail markets of the Home DVD may require partnering with a distributor. We are in discussions with distributors about this release, but it may take more time than we anticipated. Please sign up for our mailing list on the BLAST! Home Page so you can receive updates. In the meantime we encourage you and others to help us develop local screening opportunities, so that as many people as possible can enjoy BLAST! and it's exciting science adventure story! Wendy, the Home DVD of BLAST! has not been released yet.

While we have released the Educational DVD independently, an effective, widespread release to retail markets of the Home DVD may require partnering with a distributor.

We are in discussions with distributors about this release, but it may take more time than we anticipated. Please sign up for our mailing list on the BLAST! Home Page so you can receive updates.

In the meantime we encourage you and others to help us develop local screening opportunities, so that as many people as possible can enjoy BLAST! and it’s exciting science adventure story!

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