By Coggin Heeringa, Program Director/Naturalist, Crossroads at Big Creek, Inc.
While 2021 was a difficult year in many ways, for space exploration, it was extraordinary. So, this week, Crossroads and the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society will shed light (visible and beyond visible) on some of the many exciting developments of the past year.
During Junior Nature Club, our science program for pre-school children which meets on Friday mornings at 10:00, the group will learn about the Sun and the colors of our visible spectrum.
Saturday Science, our program for school-aged students and their families, will explore the full electromagnetic spectrum and discuss how space telescopes, which gather information from infrared and ultraviolet ranges, are revealing vast amounts of information about the Universe.
Then on Tuesday, January 11, at 7:00 p.m., the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society will hold its January meeting, with Steve Ransom-Jones presenting, “A Review of the Year in Astronomy.” The Society plans an in-person meeting, but a Zoom option will be available.
From NASA’s DART experiment and Mars landing to the advent of space tourism, there have been numerous missions that excite folks interested in space. But for many, the most exciting occurred just last week on Christmas Day.
Not unlike hyper-excited children awake before daylight on Christmas morning, NASA scientists, aerospace engineers, agency personnel and amateur astronomers in the US, Canada, South America and Europe were up and caffeinated by 6:20 a.m. (our time), all holding their collective breath during the long-delayed launch of the $10 billion James Webb Space Telescope.
While hundreds of maneuvers remain for full deployment, the Christmas morning launch was flawless, and joy was palpable.
Watching serious scientists gleefully applaud and cheer with relief was entertaining, but I was just as impressed as the heads of NASA, the Canadian Space Agency and the European Space Agency expressed their gratitude for the collaboration of global partners from 13 countries which led to the launch and mission. They then exuberantly expounded on the research capabilities that this space telescope with its hexagon-shaped golden mirrors will make possible – if, and only if, everything goes perfectly.
I would say that there are countless things that could go wrong. But that’s not quite true. Aeronautic engineers counted.
According to Space.com, “The Webb observatory has 50 major deployments … and 178 release mechanisms to deploy those 50 parts,” explained Webb Mission Systems Engineer Mike Menzel, of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
“Every single one of them must work,” Menzel said. “Unfolding Webb is hands-down the most complicated spacecraft activity we’ve ever done.”
Astronauts simply can’t travel a million miles out into space to make repairs. Consequently, for the coming weeks, the 10,000 or so scientists and engineers from all over the world who have worked on this project, many for their whole careers, will be extremely anxious.
Just for perspective, work on James Webb Space Telescope began in 1996, a year before the Leif Everson Observatory at Crossroads at Big Creek was built and when Crossroads was a degraded and undeveloped 53-acre school forest.
Stay tuned for James Webb deployment updates. We certainly will.
More down to Earth, on Wednesday, January 12, Wild Ones of the Door Peninsula will screen a recording of the webinar, “Native Plants, Phytoremediation & Green Infrastructure: How Native Plants Can Be Used to Improve Environmental Quality.” This recording is available on the Wild Ones website, but some enjoy watching these presentations on the big screen at the Collins Learning Center.
On winter weekends, Crossroads offers our Ski-for-Free program when and ifthere is enough snow. Friends of Crossroads and volunteers from Door County Silent Sports will help participants find the correct sizes of equipment. We have skis, boots, poles, snowshoes and kicksleds. We keep our trails groomed IF we have an adequate base.
When snow and temperature conditions allow, Ski- for- Free is open on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on Sundays from 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. Please check the Crossroads website or Facebook page for current conditions and Ski-for-Free hours.
Crossroads at Big Creek Learning Center and Nature Preserve is located at 2041 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Crossroads is a 501(c)3 organization committed to offering education, conducting research, and providing outdoor experiences to inspire environmental stewardship in learners of all ages and from all backgrounds. We welcome your support! Become a member of Crossroads by mailing a contribution to P.O. Box 608, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235, or donate online at crossroadsatbigcreek.org Masks are recommended inside buildings.
Friday, January 7,
10:00 am Junior Nature Club
Intended for pre-school children (and their companions) this outdoor program will feature the Sun and the colors of the visual light spectrum, along with some time for unstructured play. Meet on the porch of the Collins Learning Center. Free and open to all. (Yes, sometimes folks come without kids in tow.)
Saturday, January 8
9:30 am – 3:30 pm Ski-For-Free (Conditions allowing)
On winter weekends, Crossroads offers our Ski-for-Free program when and ifthere is enough snow. Friends of Crossroads and volunteers from Door County Silent Sports will help participants find the correct sizes of equipment. We have skis, boots, poles, snowshoes (in all sizes) and kicksleds. We keep our trails groomed IF we have an adequate base. Free and open to the public. Meet at the Workshop, 2041 Michigan St.
Please check the Crossroads website or Facebook page for current conditions and Ski-for-Free hours.
Saturday, January 8
2:00 Science Saturday – The Space Telescopes and the Spectrum
This family program is targeted at students grade 3 and older, but all are welcome. Learn how space telescopes help scientists see images not visible to humans or to most other telescopes (including Hubble). Interactive activities and videos will open your eyes to a whole new view of the Universe. Free and open to the public. Upper level of the Collins Learning Center.
Sunday, January 9
12:30-3:30 pm Ski-For-Free (Conditions allowing)
On winter weekends, Crossroads offers our Ski-for-Free program when and ifthere is enough snow. Friends of Crossroads and volunteers from Door County Silent Sports will help participants find the correct sizes of equipment. We have skis, boots, poles, snowshoes (in all sizes) and kicksleds. We keep our trails groomed IF we have an adequate base. Free and open to the public. Meet at the Workshop, 2041 Michigan St.
Please check the Crossroads website or Facebook page for current conditions and Ski-for-Free hours.
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
7:00 pm January Meeting of the Door Peninsula Astronomical Society
The Door Peninsula Astronomical Society will hold its January meeting in the Stonecipher Astronomy Center. Steve-Ransom Jones will present, “A Review of the Year in Astronomy,” and there are many exciting developments to review. The meeting is in-person but can be joined through Zoom. The public is encouraged to attend. Contact: coggin@crossroadsatbigcreek.org for a Zoom invitation. Free and open to the Public. The Astronomy Campus is at 2200 Utah Street in Sturgeon Bay.
Wednesday, January 12
2:00 pm Wild Ones presents, “Native Plants, Phytoremediation & Green Infrastructure”
Wild Ones of the Door Peninsula presents a recording of the webinar, “Native Plants, Phytoremediation & Green Infrastructure: How Native Plants Can Be Used to Improve Environmental Quality.”
Learn about how native plants and phytoremediation can be used to improve soil, air and water quality by removing or transforming common environmental contaminants found in urban, suburban and rural settings. The concepts and species discussed in this presentation aren’t limited to green infrastructure or large-scale remediation projects; they can be applied to residential, commercial, and municipal landscaping projects as well. Free and open to the public. Lecture Hall. Collins Learning Center.