NASA helps the blind see the cosmos
NASA, celebrating their golden anniversary this year, has funded the publication of Touch the Invisible Sky. What makes this book so unique is that it uses Braille, large type print, and tactile diagrams for the blind and seeing-impaired. This is the third astronomy-related Braille book NASA has funded. NASA is distributing copies of this book—at no cost—to U.S. schools for the blind, and a number of blind technology and training centers.
One might question why NASA would be interested in publishing a book with such a visual topic geared toward blind individuals. However, if you think about it many of the images we have seen of the galaxy have been enhanced. In reality there is so much in the cosmos that we cannot see with our naked eye. Many of the images in Touch the Invisible Sky show the cosmos at wavelengths such as x-ray, infra-red, and ultraviolet that no human eye can see. I like what Doris Daou, a NASA astronomer who co-authored the book with Noreen Grice and Simon Steel, says about these pictures, "By showing these images, we remind readers that most of the universe and its beauty is hidden for all of our eyes unless we use special telescopes.”
In other words, the book shows that in a way, all humans are partially blind.
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