What’s an astronaut without a space shuttle? -Image Source: Hunter Freeman
In case you haven’t heard, NASA’s space shuttle program is winding down, with the last launch set for this summer. As a result, U.S. astronauts are trying to decide what to do next. Yes, they’re left shipless like Captain Kirk in “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock”, after the Enterprise was decommissioned and he discovered that he’s turning into a relic. Somber times indeed. So what’s an astronaut to do without a rocket-powered ride? Learn more after the jump… continue reading...
This is an event that only occurs every few hundred years.
Last night was the darkest night in hundreds of years. I knew about it, but I couldn’t stay awake to watch the event unfold, so like every other event I catch it in re-runs…and you ca too! continue reading...
International Space Station Commander and NASA Astronaut Doug Wheelock has just checked-in from space using Foursquare! continue reading...
From TIME: continue reading...
Yesterday was Carl Sagan’s birthday. Watch this clip a remember what a cool guy he was. The world needs more people like him… continue reading...
A common misconception about telescopes is that their main purpose is to magnify objects. This is false: in fact what a telescope does is capture more light than is possible by the naked eye. The Hubble Space Telescope is one of the world’s most important telescopes. Situated in orbit around Earth, but outside of its atmosphere, the Hubble gets a clearer view of the Universe and what lies within than any ground-based instrument. In this video, WatchMojo.com learns how the Hubble works. continue reading...
Apropos of nothing, but worth a read, is Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s tale of one of the most unusual things he saw during his 1969 mission to the moon. Aldrin was on a TCA panel for National Geographic Channel’s Expedition Week. continue reading...
It’s not enough we have to worry about extreme weather, we now have to worry about extreme solar space storms. There is historical proof that this type of storm could happen, and it would affect our electricity, cell phones and even our water supply. In 1859, a solar eruption caused telegraph lines to burn up. As we are nearing a period of active solar storms, it is possible this type of thing could happen again. Read more… continue reading...
According to Popular Mechanics:
The Phoenix Mars Mission has been a shining success for NASA. Not only did the craft reach Mars and land successfully, it also found ice in the martian soil and saw snow in the sky. But the Phoenix is now racing against time to complete more of its groundbreaking research before the harsh martian winter brings its death, said the project’s science leader, Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, at the first session of the Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Conference in New York [15 October]. “It’s down to the wire,” Smith said at a panel discussion with two other Phoenix project leaders, Ed Sedivy from Lockheed Martin Space Systems and Barry Goldstein of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Read more… continue reading...
When in space astronauts can enjoy meals that have been inspired from dishes around the world. Start with an Asian-themed entrée, followed by Mexican fajitas and and all-American cranapple cobbler for dessert. continue reading...
