Science

Why Are Astronauts Weightless in Space?

May 21, 2012

Most of our regular readers understand why astronauts and objects appear to float around on the International Space Station, but there are some misconceptions and preconceived notions out there on this topic that aren’t true and don’t represent a very good understanding of physics! This video provides an entertaining look at some of the ideas [...]

Read the full article →

Family Guy Creator To Bring Back COSMOS

May 18, 2012

COSMOS. Seth MacFarlane. Neil deGrasse Tyson. Need we say more? (If you DO want to find out more, read Dorothy Pomerantz’s write-up for Forbes here.) “I never met Carl Sagan, but this is my way to give something back to him for all of the things he gave to me.” – Seth MacFarlane

Read the full article →

We Are In This Universe; The Universe Is In Us

May 9, 2012

The latest installment of the excellent Symphony of Science series is out, and like every one of them it’s a fun, inspirational and educational trip through the cosmos with voiceovers by leading astronomers and physicists. These are great, and if you haven’t seen the others be sure to check them out on creator John Boswell’s [...]

Read the full article →

See Soundwaves in Space

May 4, 2012

What fun! The science officer aboard the International Space Station, Don Pettit, does some simple but amazing science in his series, Science Off the Sphere. In his latest video, Pettit allows us to ‘see’ sound waves in space. “I’m amazed at how much fun you can with something as simple as a set of speakers [...]

Read the full article →

We Really Hope ET is Out There, But There’s Not Enough Scientific Evidence, Researchers Say

April 26, 2012

For many of us who grew up listening to Carl Sagan, watching robotic spacecraft travel to other worlds, and indulging in science fiction books and movies, it’s a given: one day we’ll find life somewhere else in the solar system or Universe. But are we being too optimistic? Two researchers say that our hopes and [...]

Read the full article →

Outer Space – Mind Blowing Video from Jupiter and Saturn

April 26, 2012

Video Caption: This mesmerizing video unveils incredibly amazing sequences around Jupiter and Saturn from NASA’s Cassini and Voyager missions set to stirring music by “The Cinematic Orchestra -That Home (Instrumental)”. Credit: Sander van den Berg Don’t hesitate 1 moment ! Look and listen to this mind blowing video of the Jupiter and Saturnian systems. If [...]

Read the full article →

Magnify the Universe

April 25, 2012

Copyright 2012. Magnifying the Universe by Number Sleuth. Looking for a fun way to investigate the Universe? This interactive infographic from Number Sleuth accurately illustrates the scale of over 100 items in the observable Universe ranging from galaxies to insects, nebulae and stars to molecules and atoms. The feature includes some wonderful images, using real [...]

Read the full article →

Discovery Enters Eternal Smithsonian Home as Historic Relic

April 20, 2012

Space Shuttle Discovery, the longest serving and most flown spaceship in human history, entered her eternal home today, Thursday, April 19, at the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum Annex in Virginia. Discovery thereby assumed her new status as a museum relic and monument to the promise and glorious dreams of space exploration, inspiring future [...]

Read the full article →

‘Seeing’ Cosmic Rays in Space

April 19, 2012

Astronauts have long reported the experience of seeing flashes while they are in space, even when their eyes are closed. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin both reported these flashes during the Apollo 11 mission, and similar reports during the Apollo 12 and 13 missions led to subsequent Apollo missions including experiments specifically looking at this [...]

Read the full article →

Intelligent Alien Dinosaurs?

April 13, 2012

I for one welcome our alien dinosaur overlords…maybe. Dinosaurs once roamed and ruled the Earth. Is it possible that similar humongous creatures may have evolved on another planet – a world that DIDN’T get smacked by an asteroid – and later they developed to have human-like, intelligent brains? A recent paper discussing why the biochemical [...]

Read the full article →

Letter to NASA is Common Ploy in Climate Change Denial

April 12, 2012

A group of 49 former NASA employees from Johnson Space Center have written a letter to NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, requesting that the space agency refrain from “unproven and unsubstantiated remarks” regarding how human activities are causing global climate change. “As former NASA employees, we feel that NASA’s advocacy of an extreme position … is [...]

Read the full article →

Hailing Frequencies Open? Communication Via Neutrinos Tested Successfully

April 11, 2012

In science fiction – like in Star Trek, for example — interstellar communication was never a problem; all you needed was to have Urhura open up hailing frequencies to Starfleet Command. But in the real universe, communicating between star systems poses a dilemma with current radio technology. There’s also a very real problem today for [...]

Read the full article →

Great ISS Sightings – All Nights this Week of April 9

April 10, 2012

Calling all Skywatching and Space Fans ! This is a great week for observing the International Space Station (ISS), swiftly crossing the evening nighttime sky. All this week from Monday thru Saturday, folks all across vast portions of the United States and Canada will be treated to fabulous viewings of the International Space Station. And [...]

Read the full article →

Curiosity Halfway to Red Planet Touchdown

April 1, 2012

As of today, NASA’s car sized Curiosity rover has reached the halfway point in her 352 million mile (567 million km) journey to Mars – No fooling on April 1, 2012. It’s T Minus 126 days until Curiosity smashes into the Martian atmosphere to brave the hellish “6 Minutes of Terror” – and, if all [...]

Read the full article →

TV Viewing Alert: NASA’s Unexplained Files

March 27, 2012

Countless mysterious objects have been caught by NASA’s cameras, and usually the events can be explained logically. The Science Channel has a show premiering tonight (10 PM EDT and PDT) called NASA’s Unexplained Files, which is part of the channel’s “Are We Alone” features for the month of March. In this broadcast, NASA’s top ten [...]

Read the full article →

Psychedelics in the Sky: NASA Launches 5 Rockets in 5 Minutes

March 27, 2012

After several days of delays due to weather and technical issues, NASA has now successfully launched five suborbital sounding rockets in five minutes from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia as part of a study of the upper level jet stream. The first rocket was launched at 4:58 a.m. EDT and each subsequent rocket was [...]

Read the full article →

Robotics Refueling Research Scores Huge Leap at Space Station

March 24, 2012

A combined team of American and Canadian engineers has taken a major first step forward by successfully applying new, first-of-its-kind robotics research conducted aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to the eventual repair and refueling of high value orbiting space satellites, and which has the potential to one day bring about billions of dollars in [...]

Read the full article →

Twin NASA Science Probes Start Lunar Gravity Mapping

March 8, 2012

NASA’s twin lunar orbiting GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory) spacecraft christened Ebb and Flow have kicked off their science collection phase aimed at precisely mapping our Moon’s gravity field, interior composition and evolution, the science team informed Universe Today. “GRAIL’s science mapping phase officially began Tuesday (March 6) and we are collecting science data,” [...]

Read the full article →

Capsule and Skydiver Ready for Record-Setting Freefall

March 7, 2012

Part science experiment, part publicity stunt, part life-long ambition, the Red Bull Stratos mission will feature skydiver Felix Baumgartner attempting to break the speed of sound with his body in a record-setting freefall from the edge of space. The team has been working for over 5 years to build the high-tech capsule that will bring [...]

Read the full article →

Dawn gets Big Science Boost at Best Vesta Mapping Altitude

March 7, 2012

NASA’s Dawn mission is getting a whopping boost in science observing time at the closest orbit around Asteroid Vesta as the probe passes the midway point of its 1 year long survey of the colossal space rock. And the team informs Universe Today that the data so far have surpassed all expectations and they are [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries