Tuesday: March 9, 2010
- Your computer may one day operate at the speed of light thanks to laser technology.
An electrically powered, room-temperature, infrared laser for laptop computers is still years away, however, cautioned Michel. If and when those laptops do arrive, they will be powerful -- more powerful in fact than even today's supercomputers.
Friday: March 5, 2010
- Man finishes LEGO Star Wars space ship from scratch after just two years.
This model was completed using approximately 30,000 pieces of LEGO and remarkably without the direct use of a licensed LEGO instruction manual. That's right - this Droid Control Ship was assembled using only schematics from a book of Star Wars space ships. That's some impressive architectural dedication right there.
Thursday: March 4, 2010
- NASA has discovered an abundant amount of water on the moon.
The quantity of water present at the lunar poles is significant,' Spudis writes; 'at the north pole alone, the 600 million metric tons of water there -- turned into rocket fuel -- is enough to launch the equivalent of one Space Shuttle (735 mT of propellant) per day for over 2000 years.'
Monday: March 1, 2010
- Always wondered what it would be like to make sushi in space?
There is a pretty funny video/interview embedded over on the opposite side of the click. The sushi prep actually starts at about one minute in. Mark this as one small step for man and one giant leap for sushi-kind. Bon appétit.
Monday: February 22, 2010
- Space shuttle Endeavour lands safely at Kennedy Space Center.
Astronauts Bob Behnken and British-born Nicholas Patrick conducted three spacewalks during the mission, racking up a total of 18 hours, 14 minutes outside the orbiting outpost.
- Olympic events with some added thrills through the sporting eye of Photoshop.
Is everyone enjoying all the coverage of the Winter Olympic games? Looking for some variety in the competition? Try Space Boxing: no ropes, no rules, no gravity.
Wednesday: February 17, 2010
- Microsoft to bring MySpace and Facebook into Outlook.
I foresee this particular move as something that will greatly increase the productivity of every corporate employee that happens to use Microsoft Outlook as their primary email program.
Friday: February 12, 2010
- Hubble manages to capture an overly blue view of Saturn.
Aurorae result from charged solar wind particles trapped in a planet's magnetic field striking atoms in the upper atmosphere. Just like Northern Lights on Earth, Saturn sees similar polar light shows as a result.
Wednesday: February 10, 2010
- Twenty-one unbelievable photos of Mars for your Martian viewing pleasure.
Behold the wondrous splendor of Martian landscapes in all their strange atmospheric glory. After viewing these photographs I have a strange desire to go watch Total Recall. Two weeks!
Tuesday: February 9, 2010
- Take a video tour of the International Space Station in HD thanks to YouTube.
Always wanted to know what life would be like aboard a working space station? This seven minute video will give you a good indication of just that. Enjoy, future space travelers.
Wednesday: February 3, 2010
- Rare asteroid collision caught via Hubble space telescope.
Have a glimpse of what it looks like when two asteroids crash into each other in wide open deep space. Well, not so deep really - this event occured in an asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Monday: January 25, 2010
- Internet access finally comes to astronauts aboard the International Space Station.
And what did the astronauts do first with said brand new Internet access capabilities? Why they sent the first tweet from space of course. NASA expects this newly announced capability to 'enhance morale and productivity.'
Tuesday: January 19, 2010
- Eleven minute solar eclipse won't happen again until the year 3034 says NASA.
NASA said on its website the eclipse was annular, meaning the moon will block most of the sun's middle, but not its edges, causing it to look like a ring. This blockage will last for 11 minutes, 8 seconds, an annual duration NASA said would not be exceeded until December 23, 3043.
Thursday: January 14, 2010
- A collection of Earth's most amazing meteor craters for you to gawk at.
Want to feel a bit more vulnerable today? Then have a gander at some of these photos. You'll start to feel a little bit more insignificant in no time knowing you stand no chance in the path of meteor destruction. Happy Thursday.
Tuesday: January 5, 2010
- Five new lightweight planets discovered via Kepler space telescope.
All five planets in question are really close to nearby stars making them a little too hot for any actual human/alien life. Also, the orbital period is about three to four days but still, your face would melt off.
Monday: January 4, 2010
- Mars Spirit Rover may be stuck for good this time.
This poor little vehicle has had nothing bad luck since it got to Mars. Latest reports from NASA indicate that Spirit is currently stuck in a sand trap and has lost a wheel as well. Bummer.
- Gamer pays $330,000 for virtual space station.
...$330,000 for a fully-equipped space station, boasting multiple biodomes packed with exciting hunting opportunities, a thriving bar, and extensive shopping and reincarnation facilities. Sounds like a bargain, but there's one drawback: it's not real.
Tuesday: December 29, 2009
- A collection of the top ten space photos of 2009 just for you.
Behold the almighty power of a Geminid meteor as it streaks across the Mojave Desert of California. These meteors are apparently quite easy to see since they move slower and are essentially just comet leftovers. The real lesson here is that leftovers can be a good thing after all.
Monday: December 28, 2009
- Scientists would like you to know that they have spotted fog on one of Saturn's moons.
Brown and colleagues first looked at the data using a digital filter they developed that reveals details only on the moon's surface. In the filtered images, the fog appears during the moon's late southern summer as bright, reddish-white patches hovering above the surfaces of lakes.
Friday: December 11, 2009
- The Big Dipper constellation gets an upgrade via brand new star addition.
Alcor, the bright star that forms the bend in the dipper's 'handle,' has a dim red dwarf star orbiting it. They've put out this very pretty image, in which Alcor is renamed Alcor A, and its newly-found satellite star is called Alcor B.
Thursday: December 10, 2009
- Ten ways that space travel is nothing like how it appears in television or movies.
You might get an outburst of energy during an explosion on a spacecraft and maybe even some quick flames burning up leaking oxygen, but it wouldn’t be anything near the spectacle of, say, the Death Star exploding in Star Wars.
Wednesday: December 9, 2009
- Hubble manages to capture images of some of the oldest galaxies ever seen.
NASA said that not only are those the oldest galaxies ever seen, but the data that can be extracted from the image will provide 'insights into how galaxies grew in their formative years early in the universe's history.'
Monday: December 7, 2009
- Yes, you can now play Dragon's Lair on your beloved iPhone.
Looking for a trip down memory lane from the glorious days of the now extinct arcade era? If so, you'll probably love playing this little gem for your iPhone. Space Ace is also available for those so inclined.
- Virgin Galactic to pull the curtain back on long-awaited commercial spaceship.
The long-awaited glimpse of SpaceShipTwo, slated for rollout Monday in the Mojave Desert, could not come sooner for the scores of wannabe astronauts who have forked over part of their disposable income for the chance to float in zero gravity.
Friday: November 20, 2009
- Want to know what Earth would look like if it had a ring system?
Rings views from Earth's surface were created according to the location's latitude, northern or souther hemisphere, and the viewer's orientation. The size of the rings was calculated respecting the Roche limit for the Earth.
Thursday: November 19, 2009
- Jupiter's moon might be home to a variety of aquatic fish-like life.
That amount of oxygen would be enough to support more than just microscopic life-forms: At least three million tons of fishlike creatures could theoretically live and breathe on Europa, said study author Richard Greenberg of the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Monday: November 16, 2009
- Fantastic elastic through the stretchy eye of Photoshop.
Who needs a space elevator when you can just as easily build a space ladder instead? I ask these questions to myself (and anyone who will listen) on a daily basis. You're not listening, are you?
- NASA confirms that there is in fact water on the moon.
...if you remember, a month ago we were talking about teaspoons going into glasses over football fields. Well, now I can say today that in the 20 to 30 meter crater LCROSS made, we found maybe about a dozen of these two-gallon buckets worth of water.'
Monday: November 9, 2009
- A collection of amazing Martian landscape photography just for you.
These photos were shot via NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter which has been orbiting the planet for several years. And if you like these photos, chances are you'll love using Google Mars.
Friday: October 30, 2009
- Twelve cool ways to donate your computer's spare processing power.
Yes, your computer can actually play a role in a number of life-altering ways such as climate and earthqualke prediction to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The truth is out there.
