MAKER’S CALENDAR Compiled by William Gurstelle
Our favorite events from around the world — March - April - May 2006

March >>Hacker Con Notacon, >>FIRST 2006 Robotics sion aerial maneuvers by the Air
>>_{Space Shuttle STS: 121} April 7– 9, Cleveland. This Championship, April 27– 29, Force’s Thunderbirds, fly-bys,
_{Launch, March 4, Cape} annual conference explores and Atlanta. The annual FIRST parachute jumping, and ground
_{Canaveral, Fla. The space} showcases the technologies, Robotics Championship is the displays. public.andrews.
_{shuttle Discovery is scheduled} philosophy, and creativity final step in a multinational amc.af.mil/index.asp
_{to launch into orbit at 3: 21 p. m.} associated with hacker life. robotics competition that involves _{EST. This mission will test new notacon.org 25,000 people, nearly 1,000 >>Jet Propulsion Labora-
equipment and procedures to} teams, and 30 preliminary com- _{tory Open House, May}
increase shuttle safety and will ^{petitions. Open to the public,} 20– 21, Pasadena, Calif. _{deliver more supplies and cargo} >> _{Trinity Site: Public free of charge. This event showcases JPL’s}
for future space station expan- ^{Access Day, April 8, White usfirst.org/robotics} accomplishments with exhibits
sion. kennedyspacecenter. ^{Sands Missile Range, N.M.} and demonstrations about the
_{com/launches/schedule} Trinity Site was the first “ground _{May laboratory’s ongoing research and Status.asp zero}”_{: the spot where the first atomic bomb was placed on a >>EDITOR’S CHOICE — space exploration. Many of the lab’s scientists and engineers}
100-foot steel tower and deto- NRO L- 26 Delta 4-Heavy _{will be on hand to answer}
^{>>EDI TOR’S CHOICE — nated on July 16, 1945. Open to Launch, May 1, Cape the public just two days a year. questions. www.jpl. nasa. Nevada Test Site: Public Canaveral, Fla. The biggest} www.wsmr. army. mil/pao/ lifter in the U. S. rocket arsenal, ^{gov/pso/ oh.cfm
Access Day, March 23,} TrinitySite/ trndir.htm the Boeing Delta 4-Heavy rocket,
^{April 26, and May 24, Las} _{Vegas. The U.S. Department} launches a classified spy satellite >>_{EDITOR’S CHOICE — of Energy provides tours of the >>13th Annual Trinity cargo on May 1. This rocket World Championship 38th Nevada Test Site only a few times College Fire Fighting Home features three booster cores Annual Kinetic Sculpture a year. The 250-mile bus tour Robot Contest, April 8– 9, mounted together to form a Race, May 27– 29, Arcata begins in Las Vegas and takes Hartford, Conn. This event triple-body rocket. More power to Ferndale, Calif. Art and visitors to nuclear test locations features a robot fire fighting and flames than anywhere else on engineering combine to produce such as Frenchman’s Flat, contest, a Robotics Olympiad, the planet. imaginative human-powered rac- Mercury, and Control Point 1. and a Robotics Symposium. kennedyspacecenter.com/ ing machines. Thousands watch nv.doe. gov/nts/ tours.htm trincoll.edu/events/robot launches/scheduleStatus. as vehicles resembling an 85- asp foot salmon, a giant chocolate}
éclair, and a yellow submarine
>> The Texas Mile: Land >>12th Annual Mobot Races, >>Astronomy Day, May 6. ^{race for the finish line during the}
Speed Racing Event, April 21, Carnegie Mellon Astronomy Day events take ^{long and grueling race.}
March 19– 20, Goliad, Texas. University, Pittsburgh. place across the United States. ^{kineticsculpturerace.org/}
Land speed racers from around Student teams compete for prize Stargazing, lectures, and dem-
the country meet on the long, money as they race autonomous, onstrations.
long, flat runway of the Goliad self-powered miniature robots on astroleague.org/al/ IMPORTANT: All times, dates,
Industrial Air Park to test their a torturous, curving, 255-foot- astroday/astroday. html locations and events are uncon-
fastest motorcycles and auto- long course. firmed and subject to change.
mobiles. Some machines attain cs.cmu.edu/~mobot Verify all information before _{speeds of more than 250 mph. >> The Intel International making plans to attend.
texasmile.com} Science and Engineering

^{>> Thunder Over Louisville, Fair, May 7– 13, Indianapo- Do you know of an event April April 22, Louisville, Ky. Each lis. The world’s largest pre- that should be included?} >> ^{college science competition, with} _{Edinburgh Science Festi-} spring, 500,000 people gather Please use our online form _{to watch what is said to be over $3 million in awards and at makezine.com/events.} val, April 6– 16, Edinburgh, scholarships, will attract 1,500

^{Scotland. A large and diverse the country’s largest regularly Sorry, it is not possible to} scheduled pyrotechnics display. ^{top science high school students} include listings for all events
series of science-oriented from the 50 U.S. states and 40
_{lectures, tours, and demonstra-} TOL also includes an air show in the magazine, but they _{with over 100 aircraft. It takes countries. sciserv.org/isef will be listed online.}
tions, this world-class festival
^{brings together many of the place just before the Kentucky} _{Derby. thunderover} >>Andrews Air Force Base Did you attend an interest-
^{top thinkers and great science} _{louisville.org/show/} Joint Services Open House, ing event? If so, please tell
^{entertainers of the day in the} _{default. asp} May 20– 21, Washington, us about it in our Forums
^{U. K.’s largest public celebration} D.C. This event pulls in crowds (forums. makezine.com).
of science and technology. _{of nearly 400,000 people,}
^{sciencefestival.co.uk} mainly for the spectacular aerial
demonstrations, including preci-