1963 NASA concept for a lunar landing module.
WHAT IS THIS?!
A lunar landing module for ANTS?!
The lunar landing module needs to be at least … THREE TIMES bigger than this!!
This stunning 360 degree panorama of the night sky was stitched together from 37,000 images by a first-time astrophotographer.
I was gonna blog about that awesome record-setting, super-sized panoramic sky photo going around ourdashboards today, but I had this nagging sense of deja vu. And sure enough, I found it in my archives from 10 months ago.
But seriously, go enjoy it again. It’s so fantastic and informative. The guy quit his job, traveled 60,000 miles and he had never done anything like this before.
(via jtotheizzoe)
The Blue Marble From Almost 150,000,000 km Above Us NASA Terra’ Satellite
(via Earth View), which you should go play with.
EDIT: An earlier version of this post stated that this picture represented 150,000,000 km above the Earth. That would be the same as the distance from the Earth to the sun, and is silly. I should have noticed that, and it appears that it’s a flaw in the imaging program used to create the image from satellite data. Anyway, it’s still a nice look.
Neil deGrasse Tyson on John Glenn, and where we stand today.
If you missed it early this morning, John Glenn meets JFK in front of his capsule, Friendship 7.
50 Years of Friendship 7
John Glenn and President John F. Kennedy stand next to Friendship 7, the capsule that carried Glenn around the Earth on February 20, 1962. He became the first American to orbit the Earth, and a generalized bad-ass.
(via NASA)
A Tornado On The Sun
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this video of swirling plasma on the surface of the sun. It’s a tornado perhaps the size of the Earth itself, spinning at speeds a thousand times greater than Earth’s strongest storms.
(via NPR)
On the heels of yesterday’s Soviet space propaganda posters comes this reader find. One of the best I’ve ever seen.
I had no idea that Yuri Gagarin freed the slaves of Africa.
Fascinating Behind the Scenes Video of the Keck Observatory in Hawaii
Go behind the curtain of modern terrestrial space observation! Super fun look at squeegee-ing a 10-meter mirror, too.
Soviet Space Propaganda of the ‘50’s and 60’s
Via Retronaut, we are treated to a brilliant collection of Soviet space propaganda posters from the peak days of the space race. Hot on the heels of Sputnik in 1957, the Soviet Glory Machine was on full tilt. There’s something about artwork from this era of the USSR that is just stunning.
We may have beat them to the moon, but I think they beat us in the “National Pride Artwork” category. I highly recommend perusing the whole collection. Goodness knows, after the failure of Phobos-Grunt, the modern Russian space program might benefit from a little propaganda pat on the back.
But hey, at least our astronauts like to skip and sing! WHEEEE!!!!
NASA ECHO I
grid sphere passive comms satellite, 1966
This is the most awkward soccer game I’ve ever seen.
Swiss Working on Satellite to Remove Space Litter
Meet CleanSpaceOne, a proposed project of the Swiss Space Center. It is being designed to find and collect stray orbital debris using a biologically-inspired claw system that is currently in design (it could be equal parts carnival game and sea anemone in the end). After maneuvering itself up to its target, it grabs it, stabilizes itself according to the new center of gravity, and descends back down into the atmosphere to burn up the trash on re-entry.
Unsure why space junk is such a dangerous problem? Then you need to watch this video.
(via ScienceInsider)
Apollo 17 astronauts singing on the moon.
This is real.
This is why we beat zee Soviets.
(via Boing Boing)
Put a Little Science in Your Love Life Today
Let’s face it, Hallmark doesn’t exactly tingle your neurons with deep thoughts and brainy expressions of love. If you’re looking for some slightly smarter and more creative ways to express your affection today, here’s a few creations from around the interwebs.
- “You Are Here” from StreetAnatomy.com
- “DNA Helicase” from Pink Orchid Press
- Julien Girard of Paranal Observatory created this stellar valentine by drawing a heart with a pen-light during a 25-second exposure
- “Elements of Sexy” from Yellow Bug Boutique
- “HeartFelt” by Once Again Sam
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