Super-Size Me!

Did you see the Super Moon last night? What a beautiful sight! We went in the front yard after dark to check it out. It looks small in the pictures, but it was really very large and bright.

Usually the moon is about 237,000 miles from the Earth, but during the full moon on March 19, 2011 the moon was only 221,565 miles away. That is the closest it's been to Earth in almost 20 years! Last night the bright, super-sized moon appeared 14% bigger and 30% brighter than usual. What a treat!

MoonFact: The moon's distance from the Earth varies each month, due to its elliptical (oval shaped) orbit around the Earth.

Jets & Airplanes & Me, Oh My!

I am so excited! Today I got to go to Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix, Arizona. I was a guest of Cadet Second Class Woody Go, from the United States Air Force Academy. Cadet Go invited two of his favorite elementary school teachers, Mrs. Tuttle and Mrs. Howard, to take a tour of the Air Force Base and I got to go tag along! You know how I love airplanes and Luke AFB has a lot of fighter jets. I just can't resist an F-16!

Here I am with Cadet Go and Mrs. Tuttle.

Home of the 62nd Fighter Squadron.

Those jets are noisy! You have to protect your ears.

What a great view from the pilot's seat!

Did you know that fighter jets travel at a speed of Mach 2? That means that it is flying twice as fast as the speed of sound! Mach 2 = 1,522 mph. This quick NASA video shows some students learning more about the speed of sound.

Hope you enjoyed my photos and learned a little something about jets too! Until next time . . . up, up and away!

I'm Flying!

I am totally blasted to tell you about my latest adventure! Yesterday I was standing under the wings of the Space Shuttle Endeavour and today I am FLYING HIGH! This morning I went with the Pathfinders to Skydive Sebastian on the central coastline of Florida.

Skydiving is when you jump from an airplane and make a few tricky moves before opening your parachute.

Now, I know what you are thinking . . . Bennett, why would you jump out of a perfectly good airplane? Well, let me fill you in! Skydiving is actually a sport. People do it for many reasons ~ they appreciate the view from up high, they like the excitement of jumping, or they enjoy testing Newton's Laws of Motion. The Pathfinders went skydiving to experience weightlessness or microgravity. This will help to prepare them for their flight into space.

SAFETY FIRST is the motto for the day! The Skydive Sebastian instructors were very concerned that we stayed safe! So, we needed to learn a lot of important skydiving rules before we were allowed to strap on our parachutes. Take a look at these photos and follow the steps in order.

First, we had to sign some papers to let the skydiving people know that we would follow all their safety rules. This is my friend, Otto. We used teamwork to get the job done!

Next, we did some serious studying and had to practice our moves.

Dancing with the Stars, here I come!

It's a bird, it's a plane . . . it's Super Bennett!

Finally . . . safe on the ground.

Thank-you, Astronaut Chantelle!

Whew, that was exciting! Tomorrow we are off to the beach and then to the United States Navel Academy. Until then, remember to follow your teacher's directions. Bennett wants you to stay safe too!

Up, up and away!

Kennedy Space Center

Hi everyone! I got to tag along with the Pathfinders on a VIP, behind-the-scenes tour of Kennedy Space Center. Have you ever seen the space shuttle? Wow, is it big! I have so many things to share and pictures to show you. We’d better get started.

Kennedy Space Center launch headquarters is located in Orsino, Florida on a wildlife refuge eight times the size of Manhatten! That is huge! Since the Pathfinders were with me, we were allowed to go places and see things that folks don't get to see on the regular tours.

Take a look at my photos and be sure to read the captions. See if you can find at least one new fact about me and a new science, math or history fact.

The NASA building behind us the largest building in the world!

This is the Endeavour. Notice the size of the people on the ground.

This man is standing on a platform underneath the wing of the Endeavour.

There are 25,000 heat resistant tiles on the space shuttle. Here's a close-up look!

This is me, Bennett, with my beary official NASA guest badge. I certainly do NOT weigh 800 pounds. Do you think there might be something that does weigh 800 pounds?

Hope you enjoyed the big day at Kennedy Space Center. Think about what you learned today and remember to share it with someone.

Until next time . . . up, up and away we go!

SkyVenture

SkyVenture is a place where you can practice skydiving without having to jump out of an airplane. The Pathfinders took me along so I could learn some new facts about flight. Did you know that lift is the force that gets things (like airplanes, birds, and that paper that blew out of the truck) off the ground? At SkyVenture we will see if lift will get this bear off the ground.

First, a flight instructor teaches you how to move your body through the wind and communicate with special hand signals. Next, you go to the equipment room to pick out your flight suit, helmet and goggles. Finally, you will go into the wind tunnel with your instructor and fly like a bird

That's me in the photo up there, waiting with Astronaut Steve. I was a little nervous because I've never done this before, but Astronaut Steve told me that it's okay to be nervous and it's good to try something new. He was cool and calm.

Then I heard my name called and stepped into the tunnel with my flight instructor.

Weeeee . . . I'm flying!

Oh no,I almost lost my shirt in the wind! Yikes!

Thanks for the ride of a lifetime!

As you can see, it was a beary busy day for me. I hope you enjoyed my SkyVenture and that you learned something along the way. Until next time . . . up, up and way!

The Pathfinders

The word pathfinder means "a person who makes a new path". That's what explorers do and I like to explore! I would like you to meet some very interesting Pathfinders. They are the teacher-astronauts selected for the Teachers in Space program. You know what a teacher is, but did you know that an astronaut is a person who is trained for space flight? I like those two words together - TEACHER ASTRONAUTS!

There are seven Pathfinders in the Teachers in Space program and they are all teachers, just like your teacher!

Astronaut Maureen Adams - Lampasas, Texas

Astronaut Steve Heck - Cincinnati , Ohio

Astronaut Jame Kuhl - Syracuse, New York

Astronaut Rachael Manzer - East Hartland, CT

Astronaut Lanette Oliver - San Antonio, Texas

Astronaut Chantelle Rose - St.Paris, Ohio

Astronaut Mike Schmidt - Tucson, Arizona

Tomorrow I get to go with the Pathfinders to IFLY, the vertical wind tunnel experience. I'm a little scared, but mostly excited. I hope I get to fly too. I know the Pathfinders will take really good care of me.

Remember to think about what you learned today. What did you learn about me? What does pathfinder mean? What does an astronaut do? Tell three people what you learned!

Until next time . . . up, up and away!

Bennett's Blog

Hi! My name is Bennett and I am so excited to share some Super Duper Science facts with YOU! Each blog entry will tell you about my newest adventure and introduce a new science, history or math fact. You know, science is just about the most fun subject ever! So, let's get started!

I am named after Floyd Bennett. Mr. Bennett was a pilot in the United States Navy a very long time ago, from 1917 to 1924. He is most famous for being the first pilot to fly over the North Pole! I wonder if he spotted Santa down there? Hmmm . . . something to think about. Mr. Bennett and I also share the same birthday, October 25th, only we were not born in the same year. Anyway, he was such a great pilot that they named an airfield after him. Floyd Bennett Airfield is located in Brooklyn, New York, which just happens to be the city where Mr. Bennett was born in 1890. I was born in 2002.

Can you name something you learned about me? Can you remember a fact you learned about Mr. Bennett? Be sure to tell these answers to at least three people today, that way you'll never forget what you have learned!

Well,I have some serious exploring to do over the next few weeks: Vertical Wind Tunnel, Skydiving, a trip to Kennedy Space Center, a day at Cocoa Beach, and a trip to our nation's capitol - Washington, D.C.

Up, up and away we go!