Tag: space

Wow!

Check out these spectacular images of Saturn and environs just released by the Cassini team.

Planetary defense for dummies?

Did you know there’s a book called An Introduction to Planetary Defense: A Study of Modern Warfare Applied to Extra-Terrestrial Invasion? I didn’t! I hope it doesn’t involve Will Smith as a fighter pilot and a computer virus that somehow infects completely alien computer systems… (Via Instapundit.)

"Gradatim Ferociter!"

The veil has been lifted on the secretive Blue Origin private space program created by Jeff Bezos (of Amazon.com fame–and fortune). Their website now boasts photos and video of their recent first test flight. Oh, and the slogan means, more or less, “Bit by bit–ferociously!” And if you happen to be a rocket scientist–they’re hiring! …

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Canada refuses to be part of invasion of Mars

You know, I’m probably more philosophically inclined toward the Conservatives than the Liberals, and I’ve been on board with many of the policy decisions the Stephen Harper government has implemented, and at least willing to give them the benefit of the doubt regarding others, but… Are you people nuts? What are you thinking? I’m with …

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Scientists watch black hole munch star

Did anyone besides me see this story about scientists catching a black hole in the act of munching a star and think of “The Beast Shall Rise from the Pit,” the two-part Dr. Who episode (the first half of which just aired in Canada on Monday night)? Speaking of which, I just learned from The …

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A moon base by 2024?

On July 20 of that year, I will turn 65 years old. On my 10th birthday, Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. Fifty-five years between one and the other. Am I supposed to be impressed by this?

Old sci-fi movies got it right!

It used to be a staple of B-movie science fiction involving travel in outer space or landing on another planet: the meteor shower, rocks flying through space and threatening our heroes with explosive decompression (see yesterday’s post!) or worse. Turns out, they may have been on to something. A recent episode of The Backyardigans (our …

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How long can an unprotected human survive the vacuum of space?

It may not be a question you’ve ever asked yourself, but it’s certainly germane to any number of science fiction writers. Turns out you’ve got about 10 seconds of consciousness, and if air pressure and oxygen are restored within a minute and a half, you can be revived without serious consequences. Beyond that, what with …

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Transit of Mercury: The Movie

I think it’s probably impossible for us to truly understand the size of a star, even an ordinary, not particularly big star like our sun. Check out this page from NASA with images from the recent transit of Mercury across the face of the sun. In particular, take time to download the movie. Watch the …

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Blue moons

Have you ever wondered why we consider “once in a blue moon” to be the epitome of rare occurrence? This is a good time to ask, because July 2004 is one of those rare months when there are two full moons: one on July 2, and a second on July 31. According to folklore, the …

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Cassini-Huygens

If you’re a kid interested in astronomy, as I was, there are few thrills to compare with your first view of the rings of Saturn. So you can imagine how excited astronomers (and ex-kids like myself) are with the imminent arrival of the International Cassini-Huygens Mission at Saturn. The $3 billion space probe, launched October …

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Farewell to Pioneer 10

This week, we bid farewell to a true pioneer: Pioneer 10, the first spacecraft to leave our solar system. NASA last received a signal from Pioneer 10 on January 22. A February attempt failed, and last week NASA announced there would be no more attempts. That final faint signal traveled more than 12 billion kilometers—a …

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