OU Course on Moons of the Solar System

[Eric Mc]

A free course starting on 2 February 2015.

I've signed up.

https://www.futurelearn.com/my-courses/upcoming

[Eric Mc]

A couple of years ago I watched the MIT course on the Space Shuttle, which was excellent.

[Eric Mc]

Sounds a bit like PH.

[Eric Mc]

Damn - I only signed up to get access to the Students' Union bar.

[Eric Mc]

Just had a reminder notification e-mail from the OU. Course starting on 2 February. Really looking forward to it now.

[Eric Mc]

My sister got a degree in antiquities from the Irish equivalent to OU over 20 years ago - so the concept has been around for quite a while.


I used to watch a number of OU broadcasts in the early 80s on the geology of our moon. One of these programmes was actually presented by Dr Harrison Schmitt, the only geologist to walk on the moon (Apollo 17 - 1972).

[Eric Mc]

The 1981/82 moon broadcasts were in colour. I have both of them on VHS somewhere. They're very good - if you like that sort of thing.

[Eric Mc]

This year it will be 40 exactly years since the last ever Apollo mission and the last ever launch of a Saturn rocket.

[Eric Mc]

Thread deviation imminent. Can we keep it to "moonie" related topics (and I don't mean weird Eastern cults).

[Eric Mc]

I'm quite relaxed - apart from panicking over getting dozens of Self Assessment tax returns done by the end of the month. Maybe if our moon was twice as far away as it is, these monthly deadlines would be less onerous.

As for frequencies, I'm not sure the course will cover that type of stuff. I'm sure it'll be more about orbits, geology etc rather than the technology of how the data gets back to us from these distances.

[Eric Mc]

Astronaut - "Ah - Houston, we have a problem"

Houston - "Say again"

Astronaut - "We have a problem here. We need a top up".

[Eric Mc]

Back in the 1960s, the boys at Kettering Grammar School used to listen in to the Apollo (and other) transmissions.

[Eric Mc]

Jodrell actually scooped the Russians on a couple of occasions by releasing Russian images from lunar probes before the Russians themselves had issued them.

[Eric Mc]

Impressive image.

[Eric Mc]

Moon course starts today.

[Eric Mc]

I've done about half of it this morning but I don't want to be greedy. I will do the rest over the remainder of the week and do the test at the end.

[Eric Mc]

I'm thoroughly enjoying the Moons course. I've just finished Week 4 and have averaged 94% on the tests so far.

[Eric Mc]

I'd love to but I don't really have the time.

[Eric Mc]

I have too many other activities - as well as a family life. I just can't commit to a formal degree course at this time in my life. Maybe when I retire.

[Eric Mc]

I would very much like to get a proper degree in something someday - not ever having gone to university. Paleontology appeals to me too.