Hobbies And Interests
History of Space Exploration
NASA provides links to decades' worth of historical information from the launch of the Soviet Sputnik satellite in 1957 to the U.S. shuttle program retired in 2011. A poster could focus on some of the lesser-known triumphs and disasters in the history of space exploration, such as the first spacewalk by an American astronaut in 1965 or the 1967 deaths of three Apollo astronauts during a training accident.
Possibility of Life on Other Planets
The possibility of life beyond our own small, blue-green planet fascinated humans long before they could venture into space. A poster could explore the search for life on other planets using modern technologies. The powerful Kepler space telescope, for example, has helped scientists identify hundreds of potential planets since its launch in 2009, including potentially habitable ones containing surface water.. Meanwhile, the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program has spent years scanning the heavens for communications signals from technologically advanced alien societies, so far without success.
Science Fiction Mistakes
Relatively few people seriously study astronomy, so much of what the average person knows about space comes from science fiction stories about space travel and galaxies far, far away. TV, fiction and movie writers often put drama before scientific accuracy, causing consternation among those who like their science fiction to be scientific. A poster highlighting scientific errors in popular entertainment can attract the interest of non-scientists while improving their understanding of the universe.
Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang theory emerged from Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and led to new understandings about the universe's origin. According to NASA, "the Big Bang did not occur at a single point in space as an 'explosion." It is better thought of as the simultaneous appearance of space everywhere in the universe." A poster might explain how Einstein's theory changed cosmology, describe how scientists calculated the universe's age at 13.7 million years or discuss the theory's effects on the science of astronomy.