Victorian Space Science Education Centre in Strathmore | Science museum

Victorian Space Science Education Centre

Locality: Strathmore

Phone: (03) 9379 3456

Address: Strathmore Secondary College, 400 Pascoe Vale Road 3041 Strathmore, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.vssec.vic.edu.au

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25.01.2022 What is your area of expertise? I study maths and physics at uni, my favourite topic is astrophysics - but I have a few years to go before I can call myself an expert! . What do you want to be when you grow up? It changes every week! I think Ill be someone who changes career paths often because I have a lot of very different interests. If I had to choose one, its been my dream since I was a kid to be an astronaut.... . What do you like about STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and maths)? I think the A for arts provides a way to access and enjoy STEM which often (and wrongly) is seen as boring or hard. Science and technology is so important, but so is science communication. To me, the A represents a way for more and more people to make sense of the world around them. . Tell me something else about you! Ive just started having lessons on the flying trapeze! Im not very good yet but its very fun See more

24.01.2022 Scientists have spotted many pits like this in the surface of our Moon, and they suspect they may be skylights in lava tubes below the surface. Lava tubes are empty tunnels lined with rock through which lava used to flow. If this is the case, the lava tunnels may serve as structures that could become Lunar habitats. They would provide shelter without the need for construction projects, and also protect astronauts from solar radiation.

24.01.2022 Most people are familiar with the story of Pluto’s demotion from planet to dwarf planet, but did you know that the International Astronomical Union recognises FIVE dwarf planets in our Solar System? This illustration is of Makemake, one of the other dwarf planets in our Solar System. It is further from the sun than Neptune, and is named after the creator of humanity and the god of fertility in the mythology of the South Pacific island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

22.01.2022 We would like to introduce you to our wonderful educators here at VSSEC. They deserve a little glory because theyre all so interesting! Todays educator is Tess. . Tess, what is your area of expertise? Genetics.... . What do you want to be when you grow up? Evolutionary Geneticists/Dinosaur resurrector . What do you like about STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and maths)? How it is necessary to solve problems in a multi-faceted way. . Tell me something else about you! I really love dinosaurs, and went on a fossil dig with researchers from the Melbourne museum a few years ago! . The Educators at VSSEC run all the educational programs at the centre and on outreach. They are young scientists who want to share their knowledge of and passion for STEAM. See more

19.01.2022 In 1610, Galileo Galilei wrote a letter that contained the first ever mention of the Galilean moons. These are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. They were the first of Jupiters 32 moons to be discovered, because they are the largest and are visible in a basic telescope. Galilei identified that these were satellites of Jupiter, making them the first objects found to orbit another planet.

17.01.2022 Universal Indicator changes colour to indicate the pH (acidity) of the solution it is mixed with. The effect is very impressive. Blue tones indicate basic solutions, red tones indicate acids.

17.01.2022 VCE chemistry programs have been running very often lately. Its a busy time of year for budding chemists. Students come to the VSSEC laboratory to solidify the theory they learn in class by applying it to real life applications, like pharmaceutical analysis and water testing.

16.01.2022 Today marks 50 years since the first human set foot on the Moon. So much has been achieved in space exploration since then, but the significance of that giant step for mankind has not been lost. It took many inspiring individuals and a lot of hard work to achieve what we have so far. Who knows what incredible things will be discovered in the next 50 years.

15.01.2022 This is a ferrofluid. A magnetic liquid. It interacts with magnets similarly to iron filings, in that you can see the shape of the magnetic field.

15.01.2022 This UV-Visible Spectrometer is used to determine how much of a substance is present in a solution based on how much light gets through the solution. These two solutions contain the same substance, but the darker one contains a lot more. That substance is what blocks (absorbs) light. The spectrometer measures this absorbance very accurately.

14.01.2022 #repost from @humansofny It was very exciting to see the molecular composition of the moon. Eleven percent of the moon is composed of Ilmenite, a metal which contains oxygen in the bounded phase. So if you treat it with hydrogen, you get water. Water on the moon! It can all be done with solar energy. Forty years ago this research was quite important. It meant the possibility of lunar colonies. But nobody talks about it anymore. Because something happened. Everyon...e got excited about Mars. I could never understand it. Mars is so far away. The moon is so close to earth. So why not moon? Why has everyone forgot about the moon? But recently the moon has made a comeback. Mars is second place now. People are becoming interested in the moon again. And Im ready. Ive done this research for fifty years. Im eighty-seven but my mind is still perfect. I still have a lot to contribute. Im waiting by the phone. If anyone has the money, Im ready to go. (Rome, Italy) . We at #VSSEC are getting excited about the moon too, as NASA plans to put people back there in #2024. Though we still find the Mars equally interesting. See more

14.01.2022 Testing some fresh Mylar pieces for their static repulsion abilities. We use these fun-fly-sticks to tech grade 5 and 6 students about static electricity. They learn about charges, repulsion and attraction.

13.01.2022 Mars Surface this is Mission Control. Please go to Zone 7. We have observed interesting anomalies that require further investigation.

12.01.2022 Weve launched into term three with lots of VCE chemistry students visiting us to experience using analytical instruments such as this Atomic Absorption Spectrometer (AAS). AAS was invented in Melbourne and is often used to detect trace (tiny) amounts of metals in samples.

12.01.2022 Last Wednesday, two of the NASA astronauts currently on the International Space Station stepped outside to install a new docking port for spacecraft by Boeing and SpaceX. These commercial companies will cooperate with NASA in the future to take astronauts to and from the ISS. Pictured here is astronaut Nick Hague tethered to the forward end of the International Space Station during the spacewalk which lasted 6 hours and 32 minutes.

11.01.2022 This is a recent photo of NASA astronaut Christina Koch. She is relaxing by a window on the International Space Station. Astronauts were given some extra down time to mark the U.S. Labor Day holiday on September 2. Even astronauts need rest.

10.01.2022 This beautiful photo is a time lapse of the NASA Oriole IV rocket as it launches in front of an aurora in Alaska. All four stages of the rocket launch can be seen here.

10.01.2022 Clear updated safety labels now on these chemicals. These symbols are used to warn anyone using them about potential risks and to encourage chemists to use PPE; lab coat, gloves and safety goggles.

09.01.2022 We discovered how useful huge measuring cylinders can be this week, as we are doing stocktake in the laboratory. It also worked some visual magic, as the volume of liquid in the cylinder here all came out of the calcium stock bottle, although it looks like a lot more than would fit in the bottle. This is just because the level of the water is much higher because the vessel is slimmer, but the volume hasnt changed.

08.01.2022 So much glassware was utilised in the laboratory today.

08.01.2022 Most people are familiar with the story of Plutos demotion from planet to dwarf planet, but did you know that the International Astronomical Union recognises FIVE dwarf planets in our Solar System? This illustration is of Makemake, one of the other dwarf planets in our Solar System. It is further from the sun than Neptune, and is named after the creator of humanity and the god of fertility in the mythology of the South Pacific island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island).

07.01.2022 Light is an important aspect of many areas of science. Year 12 students spent today using ultra violet, visible and infra red light to analyse chemicals, both quantitatively and qualitatively.

07.01.2022 We discovered how useful huge measuring cylinders can be today, as we are doing stocktake in the laboratory. It also worked some visual magic, as the volume of liquid in the cylinder here all came out of the calcium stock bottle, although it looks like a lot more than would fit in the bottle. This is just because the level of the water is much higher because the vessel is slimmer, but the volume hasnt changed.

06.01.2022 This cool set includes 3 cm cubes of a range of materials including iron, copper and acrylic. All the cubes have the same volume, but their masses are different. This is because their density varies. The densest known material is the element osmium at 22 g/mL. The density of a super-massive black hole is around 900 g/mL. The density of water is, conveniently, 1 g/mL.

06.01.2022 Today we headed to a primary school for some outreach programs. We spent time with the grade six classes doing a range of small science programs as well as showing them fossils and microorganisms. One class made these balloon powered vehicles. As the air rushes out of the balloon, it pushes the balloon and the vehicle that it is attached to forward. Some vehicles had drivers, others were self-driving.

04.01.2022 We are constantly improving our programs by refining them and updating materials and equipment to ensure all the students who visit us have the best possible experience.

02.01.2022 On July 23 LightSail2, a spacecraft by @theplanetarysocietylouisville, successfully deployed its sails. The sails are made from Mylar (a type of plastic with high tensile strength) that has been coated to make it reflective. The sails are designed to be propelled by sunlight. The photons of light that come from the sun carry momentum, which these sails can capture and use to push the spacecraft forwards. The spacecraft will hopefully orbit the Earth and teach the team behind it about harnessing the momentum of photons instead of relying on fuel, and about steering a photon powered spacecraft.

01.01.2022 This lovely mudstone rock clearly shows the depositional layers which form as layers of sediment collect on the bottom of water. If you find a rock in a dry desert environment like Mars that has depositional layers, this lends evidence to the theory that the environment used to include large bodies of water.

01.01.2022 This is a photo taken by the HiRISE camera on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. It shows a crater on Mars that wasnt there last time it took a photo of this location. That means that the meteorite that created the crater impacted Mars at some time since September 2016. The colours in this image have been enhanced, but to beautiful effect.

01.01.2022 When the Apollo 11 crew landed back on Earth on July 24 1969, after becoming the first humans to step foot on the Moon, they splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. The crew were then taken into a Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF) where they remained for 21 days. NASA was taking precautions to ensure no lunar pathogens were brought back to Earth with the astronauts. This first photo was taken on the astronauts first day back on Earth, as they were greeted and congratulated by President Nixon via intercom. The following photos show the astronauts leaving their capsule with the assistance of a para-rescue man, the astronauts in their MQF during a cake cutting ceremony on landing day, the astronauts wives visiting them on July 27 while they are still confined to the MQF, and life within the MQF.