This Labor Day Weekend, we were in Merritt Island on Cape Canaveral, and got to experience both natural bioluminescence, as well as the wonders of Space Travel at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex,
In the Banana River just south of the island, during the Summer Bioluminescent dinoflagellate algae and comb jellies can be found:
Luciferins help these organisms, and others including fireflies, emit light without external excitation (as required for fluorescence or phosphorescence).
Notice that the Luciferin of dinoflagellates likely evolved from chlorophyll, and looks very different from that of fireflies. All of these molecules have conjugated bonds – which are alternating single and double bonds – that allow electrons to be delocalized over large areas. This allows there energy levels to be within the range to absorb or emit visible light.
At KSC, I was reminded of Disney World, not just because of the Theme Park vibe, but also the Magic Kingdom recent refurbishment that put the spotlight on movies from my childhood, like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Of the exhibits that are currently open, almost all of them relate with the shuttle program – which ended in July 2011 (just before we moved to Florida). But for me, the Shuttle Program is much more a part of my experience than, say, the Moon landing. I remember the Mir space station (1986 to 2001), Hubble needing “glasses” (December 1993), the Columbia disaster (Feb 2003), and Assembling the International Space Station (aughts?).
That is why I was so excited to see the crown jewel, the Space Shuttle Atlantis:
Having spent my Sabbatical last year in Ottawa, there is not way I could miss the “Canada” branded robotic arm, since a similar appendage on the ISS is emblazoned on the five-dollar bill:
of Photons, Protons, and Proteins 