TMW Media Group

The time it takes for a comet to make one complete orbit around another object is known as the orbital period. The range of a comet's orbital period may be from a few years to hundreds of thousands of years. This program will help students understand why comets cause both fear and fascination.

The role of getting people, satellites and other instruments into space is falling to private companies, especially with the retirement of NASA's space shuttle fleet in 2011. Reaching an altitude of 100 kilometers is required to be considered spaceflight. There have been just over 500 people that have reached this mark and only 24 have traveled beyond low Earth orbit. It is projected that within ten years, the number of people who will have flown...

Comets have been causing fear in the minds of humans for millennia. Now new spacecraft are giving us insights into their composition and behavior. Comets allow us to study what the solar system was like in its formative period. They orbit the Sun in the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud. This program teaches students about comets and helps students understand why comets cause both fear and fascination.

Living on the Plateau, at an average elevation of over 12 thousand feet above sea level, the Tibetan people are known to be compassionate, bold, candid and devout. Most Tibetans practice Tibetan Buddhism. Just as the distinctive geographical and weather conditions in the region have influenced their dance movements, Tibetan's sacred religious beliefs and political climate have also had an impact. This program combines both Tibetan folk dance and stage...

In this program, the ethereal voice of Buren Bayaer (a legendary Inner Mongolian Singer), along with the images of yurts and running horses, brings the audience to an otherworldly setting of Inner Mongolia. Inner Mongolians, in general, are known to excel at horse riding. The span of the great plain has cultivated the openness and strength in this ethnic group and nurtured their vigorous, bold and energetic dances. Distinguished Inner Mongolian dancers,...

The U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is a collaborative national center for fusion energy research. The Laboratory advances the coupled fields of fusion energy and plasma physics research, and is developing the scientific understanding and key innovations needed to realize fusion as an energy source. This program details how PPPL has gained extensive capabilities in a host of disciplines including advanced computational...

Engineers and architects are creating bridges that combine the best of both art and design. Bridges are no longer just a tool to get from one side of the river to the other. Some bridges have the goal of being aesthetically pleasing and efficient for pedestrians. Others rely on the cantilever design to span a distance equivalent to three and a half jumbo jets. Bridges are often classified by their structure and how the forces of tension, compression,...

Anthropometry is the science that defines physical measures of a person's size, form, and functional capacities. Forensic science (often shortened to forensics) is the practical application of science to matters of the law. In criminal law, forensics science can help prove the guilt or innocence of the defendant. In civil actions, forensics can help resolve a broad spectrum of legal issues through the identification, analysis and evaluation of physical...

The energy demands and rising cost of oil have encouraged scientists and engineers to develop renewable energy alternatives. Biofuels are renewable energy sources from organic materials such as plants or animals that are directly converted into liquid fuels. The two most common biofuels in use today are ethanol and biodiesel. Engineered biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel that are made from starches, sugars and cellulose are already in use as...

Yellow clouds of nutrient-rich sand, iron particles and microscopic aerosols from the Sahara Desert blow north over Europe and west over the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas. Meteorologists research the impact of 'desert clouds' to changes in climates, weather patterns and ecosystems. Desertification of forest lands and fertile agricultural areas increases the size and number of desert storms.