After North Korea's launch last week of the Taepodong-2 rocket, supreme leader Kim Jong-Il has announced plans to attach rockets to the Moon and tow it back to North Korea where it will be put on display. Video from The Onion:
Kim Jong Il Announces Plan To Bring Moon To North Korea
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Showing posts with label space. Show all posts
Showing posts with label space. Show all posts
April 13, 2009
March 11, 2009
Watch the Space Shuttle Launch Online
You can see the Space Shuttle Discovery's launch tonight at 8:20 pm CDT (01:20 UTC). We are streaming live online video from NASA TV: watch it here free.
This important mission will complete construction of the large solar panel array on the International Space Station (ISS) and make it the second brightest object in the evening sky. The ISS will be even brighter than Venus. After completion of this mission, the ISS will be even easier to see with the naked eye. Look here for a live graphic of the ISS's position and instructions on how to see it.
This important mission will complete construction of the large solar panel array on the International Space Station (ISS) and make it the second brightest object in the evening sky. The ISS will be even brighter than Venus. After completion of this mission, the ISS will be even easier to see with the naked eye. Look here for a live graphic of the ISS's position and instructions on how to see it.
February 26, 2009
Can NASA be Entertaining?
For one moment, NASA had the attention of the entire world. That moment was in 1969 when Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon. Today, space travel to low Earth orbit is relatively routine and NASA finds itself in a confounding Catch-22: if an organization’s goal is to make an activity safe and routine, then the organization will attract the most attention only when there’s a terrible accident.
As of this writing, the Space Shuttle has successfully flown to space 123 times. It has failed twice. Many people can tell you about the failures of the Space Shuttles Challenger and Columbia, but they know little about NASA’s other successful missions. That’s not good when you’re a government agency competing for scarce funding.
Why did space travel capture the imaginations of so many people during the 1960’s, but not in the first decade of the 21st century? What would help?
Many things could help. One example may come from the Mars Society. The society operates two remote locations known as the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) and the Flashline Mars Analog Research Station (FMARS). Each one looks like a space landing vehicle on the barren Mars landscape (actually the Utah desert and Canadian Arctic). Volunteer crews run week-long missions at the stations and do the things that Mars astronauts would do. They even have faux space-suits for extra-vehicular activities (EVA) to explore the landscape around the lander.
They also blog and post videos on YouTube. I found one of these YouTube videos, contacted the author, Ryan Kobrick, who was on a 100 day tour of duty at the FMARS hab in 2007. As the weeks went by, I checked the crew blogs to see what they had been researching, and to see new pictures and videos of their adventure. Occasionally I sent a message or question about the mission to Ryan, and he always responded.
This is Ryan’s video tour of the FMARS habitat:
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Later, the Space Shuttle Endeavor blasted off to complete mission STS 119, and I found myself more interested in the FMARS crew than the real astronauts on the Shuttle and the International Space Station. I felt connected to the FMARS crew because of the two-way communication I had with them.
What if there were more than two Mars analog research stations? What if there were hundreds all over the world and sending kids to Mars camp was as common as summer camp? Imagine the parents attending a mock space launch, and then keeping in touch with their kids via webcam, then attending a simulated landing and graduation. How many people would start to really get interested in NASA? How many voters and legislators would start thinking about NASA again?
~Matt Thomas
As of this writing, the Space Shuttle has successfully flown to space 123 times. It has failed twice. Many people can tell you about the failures of the Space Shuttles Challenger and Columbia, but they know little about NASA’s other successful missions. That’s not good when you’re a government agency competing for scarce funding.
Why did space travel capture the imaginations of so many people during the 1960’s, but not in the first decade of the 21st century? What would help?
Many things could help. One example may come from the Mars Society. The society operates two remote locations known as the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) and the Flashline Mars Analog Research Station (FMARS). Each one looks like a space landing vehicle on the barren Mars landscape (actually the Utah desert and Canadian Arctic). Volunteer crews run week-long missions at the stations and do the things that Mars astronauts would do. They even have faux space-suits for extra-vehicular activities (EVA) to explore the landscape around the lander.
They also blog and post videos on YouTube. I found one of these YouTube videos, contacted the author, Ryan Kobrick, who was on a 100 day tour of duty at the FMARS hab in 2007. As the weeks went by, I checked the crew blogs to see what they had been researching, and to see new pictures and videos of their adventure. Occasionally I sent a message or question about the mission to Ryan, and he always responded.
This is Ryan’s video tour of the FMARS habitat:
Don’t see a video screen? You can
1. try disabling ad blockers and refresh this screen or
2. see the blog directly or
3. update your Flash player
Later, the Space Shuttle Endeavor blasted off to complete mission STS 119, and I found myself more interested in the FMARS crew than the real astronauts on the Shuttle and the International Space Station. I felt connected to the FMARS crew because of the two-way communication I had with them.
What if there were more than two Mars analog research stations? What if there were hundreds all over the world and sending kids to Mars camp was as common as summer camp? Imagine the parents attending a mock space launch, and then keeping in touch with their kids via webcam, then attending a simulated landing and graduation. How many people would start to really get interested in NASA? How many voters and legislators would start thinking about NASA again?
~Matt Thomas
November 19, 2008
See the Space Station From Your Home
It’s the 10th anniversary of the International Space Station. Unlike many other major international projects, you can actually see this one from your home.
The ISS zips around the earth at over 14,000 miles per hour, so anytime it comes into view overhead, you only have a few minutes to see it. The ISS appears as a bright dot against the backdrop of a starry night, so if you know exactly where and when to look for it, you will greatly increase your chances of seeing it.
NASA publishes instructions on how to see the ISS and an updated schedule of sighting opportunities from your city.
Here is the real-time location of the ISS over a moving map.
Here is some great footage of the ISS from Dirk Ewers of Hofgeismar, Germany…
Don't see a video screen?
Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page.
If that doesn't work, click here to update your Flash player.
More info about the ISS 10th birthday at Aero-News.
The ISS zips around the earth at over 14,000 miles per hour, so anytime it comes into view overhead, you only have a few minutes to see it. The ISS appears as a bright dot against the backdrop of a starry night, so if you know exactly where and when to look for it, you will greatly increase your chances of seeing it.
NASA publishes instructions on how to see the ISS and an updated schedule of sighting opportunities from your city.
Here is the real-time location of the ISS over a moving map.
Here is some great footage of the ISS from Dirk Ewers of Hofgeismar, Germany…
Don't see a video screen?
Try disabling ad blockers and refreshing this page.
If that doesn't work, click here to update your Flash player.
More info about the ISS 10th birthday at Aero-News.
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