Let’s delve into some of the categories on SpaceHack.org.
It seems like the first two, data analysis and distributed computing, are somewhat similar. The first gets people involved while the second involves their computers.
If you like counting things or pattern recognition type tasks, this might be the category for you! I dug into the one that looked the most interesting to me “Planet Hunters” and does this sound cool or what?!?
” You will be looking at changes in star brightness at a level that has never before been seen. As a participant, you’ll search for possible transit events – a brief dip in brightness that occurs when a planet passes in front of the star – with the goal of discovering an exoplanet (hence the name “Planet Hunters”).”
A few other provocative names include:
Galaxy Zoo & Moon Zoo – classify images of each
Mapper – find microbialites in the lakes of British Columbia
From microbes & dust, to galaxies, and projects in between, there must be something in there for you.
Note: 6 out of 18 of the data analysis projects display [THE DEADLINE FOR THIS PROJECT HAS PASSED] banner across the picture
If that doesn’t sound like your thing, how about loaning out some computer time and other resources on your machine?
There are only four projects in this category:
Einstein@Home
Constellation
Milky Way@Home
SETI@Home
None appear to be past.
A teaser about one of them (can you find which?)…. ” The combined power of all volunteering users will help to solve important scientific tasks for both students and professionals in fields from astronomy to aerospace engineering.”
I love that idea!
I’ll let you go there to learn more.
Look for the third installation in this series tomorrow. I’m lining up several guest bloggers to add more dimensions to Everyday Spacer and I’ve received permission to bring over some material from other sites for you.
Until then!
NOTES:
*Wide Range of Projects, Various Equipment & Abilities Required
*Most Any Age Can Play, if You Understand the Material
*Time or Computing Power Seem to be the Main Costs
Sources
*http://spacehack.org/
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