science newsletter: Newsletter for Friday 5 October

Παρασκευή 5 Οκτωβρίου 2012

Newsletter for Friday 5 October

Newsletter - 5 October - Today in Science History

TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY
NEWSLETTER - 5 OCTOBER

Feature for Today

Book of the Day

Rocket Man: Robert H. Goddard and the Birth of the Space Age

On 5 Oct 1882, Robert H. Goddard was born, an American pioneer in the construction of liquid-fuel rockets for whom NASA's Goddard Space Center is named. Today's Science Store pick is Rocket Man: Robert H. Goddard and the Birth of the Space Age, by David A. Clary, a biography that details the significance of a scientist that is both complex and fascinating. Price $32.95 New $23.75. Available Used from $1.99.
Yesterday had two picks: Sputnik: The Shock of the Century and The Woman Who Knew Too Much: Alice Stewart and the Secrets of Radiation. For picks from earlier newsletters, see the Today in Science Science Store home page.

Quotations for Today
	"Just remember - when you think all is lost, the future remains." - Robert H. Goddard (born 5 Oct 1882)
	"If you were plowing a field, which would you rather use?... Two strong oxen or 1024 chickens?" - Seymour Cray (died 5 Oct 1996)
	"It is essential for genetic material to be able to make exact copies of itself; otherwise growth would produce disorder, life could not originate, and favourable forms would not be perpetuated by natural selection." - Maurice Wilkins, British biophysicist (died 5 Oct 2004)

QUIZ
Before you look at today's web page, see if you can answer some of these questions about the events that happened on this day. Some of the names are very familiar. Others will likely stump you. Tickle your curiosity with these questions, then check your answers on today's web page.
Births
	An American professor, physicist and inventor, born 5 Oct 1882, was known as the "father of modern rocketry". Robert H. Goddard was interested in rockets from his youth. He subsequently developed a mathematical theory of rocket propulsion and proved that rockets would functioned in a vacuum for space flight. *In which decade did Goddard publish both this theory and proof?*
Deaths
	Seymour Cray (1925-1996) was a computer engineer who pioneered the use of transistors in computers and later was known for his development of specialized computers. For what computer invention is he remembered?
Events
	On 5 Oct 1982, an unmanned rocket sled reached a record speed over the 9.5 mile-long rail track at White Sands Missile Test Base, New Mexico. *What Mach number did it achieve (Mach 1 = the speed of sound)?*
	On 5 Oct 1923 an astronomer identified the first Cepheid variable star. *Which well-known astronomer made this discovery?*

Answers

When you have your answers ready to all the questions above, you'll find all the information to check them, and more, on the October 5 web page of Today in Science History. Or, try this link first for just the brief answers.

Fast answers for the previous newsletter for October 4: devised a means of greatly extending the range of long-distance telephone communication by placing loading coils (of wire) at predetermined intervals along the transmitting wire; Kitty Litter; 90 days, decade containing the year 1958; mole, mol.

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