Can someone show me how to ACTUALLY get an answer from NASA through their contact system?

I wanted to find out why you couldn't see stars on the moon, even on the dark side of the moon, and whether or not you'd be able to see stars with optical enhancement (such as a telescope).

So I sent my first e-mail

Their response:

Dear [name]:

Thank you for your inquiry to NASA of April 30, 2010.

For “Ask a Scientist” please visit: sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov...

The NASA website, www.nasa.gov also provides valuable information to students for projects.

You are also encouraged to visit www.nasa.gov... for the latest NASA news and information. In addition, NASA invites you to consider using one or more of the following easy and convenient communications tools for receiving NASA Updates on the exciting work NASA is doing.

• Subscribe to E-mail Delivery – Simply go to www.nasa.gov, enter your e-mail address, set your delivery preferences, and choose your area(s) of interest.
• Receive Updates by RSS (Really Simple Syndication) – NASA RSS Feeds are available at www.nasa.gov...
• Join Twitter at twitter.com...

Your interest in NASA and America’s space program is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,


Public Communications
Public Services and Protocol Division
Office of Communications

So I went to this section of their site, most of the "ask a scientist" sections were actually just FAQs without any contact information! Finally I found a contact from one of the links.

I sent the message asking these questions, and giving them my education level as requested (undergraduate).

Cosmic Heliospheric Learning Center to me
show details 1:43 PM (2 hours ago)
Hello,

This message is an automated response.

Thank you for using the "Ask a Physicist" service on the Cosmicopia
website. Your submitted question has been received by our team.

This service is run by volunteer cosmic ray scientists in the NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center. We attempt to answer as many questions
as possible, but because of the volume of email we receive, we are
unfortunately often unable to answer all of them.

Please note that we will not answer homework questions or give general
information for term papers or projects. We will also not do web searches,
or answer questions whose answer may be found in our archive of previously
answered questions ( helios.gsfc.nasa.gov...&a )
or on our web site.

Also, please understand that we are busy with other projects, and it may
take some time for you to receive your answer.

Thank you.

So I was like "awesome, finally I'll get a response, even if it takes some time."

Then I got this message:

Hi - I am away from the office from April 18th - May 17th. In my absence you can contact Cynthia Lodge (OCFO SID Director) for help.

Thanks,
Louis

So now I am just very frustrated at how much effort it has required for me to get a straight answer on what I believe to be some really straightforward questions of

Can you see stars from the lunar surface?
What about on the dark side of the lunar surface?
What about with a telescope?
Why or why not (for each)?

If someone here knows, that would be just as useful, I am just trying to get an answer.

By the way I am frustrated because they told me to contact that other person but did not give me any information on how to contact this other person, just the other person's name.

"Please contact [person] in my absence" is unhelpful if they don't give me that person's contact information. Lol.

[edit on 6-5-2010 by sremmos]

reply to post by sremmos


What do you need Nasa for? We have Phage.
There's prolly nothing you can ask the man he can't answer.

Then I await Phage's answer.

Dear Phage,

Please help me out.

reply to post by sremmos


Go to pg 52 ofr the Nasa affiliated astronomer thread leave him a u2u.
He is offline at the moment .

Thanks, you've been a great help!

What I was always told was it has to do with contrast. Lunar regolith(dust) is pretty bright stuff. The pictures taken on the moon are much too underexposed to show the stars (the stars themselves are underexposed-otherwise the surface would be overexposed). In fact, astronauts who walked on the moon said they could not see any stars, as the moons surface is just too bright. This would be like walking outside at night after leaving a brightly lit room- you aren't going to be able to see stars.

Phage-correct me if I'm off base please.

On the dayside of the lunar surface you may be able to see stars if:
1) Your field of view does not include very much of the lunar surface or you shield your eyes from the light reflected from the surface.
2) You give your eyes a chance to adapt to the darkness of the sky for a few minutes.
3) There is not a full Earth in your field of view.

Even if the above are not true, you may be able to see very bright stars and planets other than Earth.


On the nightside of the lunar surface you would be able to see stars, assuming (2) above.

If the field of view of the telescope is limited to the sky, yes, you would see stars assuming (2) above.

The answer to why for all of the above is that compared to the lunar surface in daylight the stars are very dim. If your eyes are adjusted to that light level you will not be able to see the stars until they adjust to the lower level of the lunar sky alone.

The fully dark-adapted eye, in which photopigment regeneration is complete, restores retinal sensitivity to its maximal level. Rods and cones differ markedly, however, in their rate of dark adaptation. Cones attain maximum sensitivity in 5-7 minutes, while rods require 30-45 minutes or longer of absolute darkness to attain maximum sensitivity after exposure to bright light.

www.aoa.org...



[edit on 5/6/2010 by Phage]

yeah answers!!!

now what was the questions again?

sorry

I hope NASA responds now....