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In addition to news, you'll find plenty of posts about donuts, NASA/space, and coffee.
Later in June, people in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region will likely be treated to a unique early-morning sight: colorful artificial clouds, thanks to NASA.
The blue-green and red clouds will be produced by the launch of a Terrier Improved Malemute sounding rocket carrying 10 canisters,
which will be deployed approximately five minutes after the launch.
These canisters will release the colorful vapor trail, which allow
NASA’s scientists to track how particles move in space and learn more about upper atmospheric winds.
Though vapor tracers
have been used by scientists in the past, the multi-canister ampoule
ejection system onboard this mission will allow scientists to cover a
much larger area than previous tests, the NASA website notes. Read more (6/5/17)
“My dad goes all over the world and learns about the news. One time he met a king. I want to be a reporter too. If I was a reporter right now, I’d probably write a story about if NASA was going to launch a new rocket into space. I’d start by going to the Director of NASA. Then I’d ask him about his rockets. And if any of them were going to space.”
Five storied female NASA pioneers will soon grace toy-store shelves, in Lego form.
The Danish company announced on Tuesday that it would produce the Women of NASA set, submitted by science writer Maia Weinstock.
“Women have played critical roles throughout the history of the U.S. space program,” Weinstock wrote in her project proposal. “Yet in many cases, their contributions are unknown or under-appreciated – especially as women have historically struggled to gain acceptance in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”
She said the set is meant to shed light on the rich history of women in STEM professions.
September 19, 2012 – The Space Shuttle Endeavour and NASA’s 747 shuttle carrier soar over the “Uptown” section of Houston, Texas, on a journey to Los Angeles where the orbiter is going into retirement at the California Science Center.
Astronauts onboard the International Space Station spend most of their time doing science, exercising and maintaining the station. But they still have time to shoot hoops and toss around a football.
From chess to soccer, there’s a zero-gravity spin to everything.
1. Baseball
Baseball: America’s favorite pastime. JAXA astronaut, Satoshi Furukawa shows us how microgravity makes it possible to be a one-man team. It would be a lot harder to hit home runs if the players could jump that high to catch the ball.
2. Chess
Yes, it’s a sport, and one time NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff (right) played Earth on a Velcro chess board. An elementary school chess team would pick moves that everyone could vote for online. The winning move would be Earth’s play, and then Chamitoff would respond. About every two days, a move would be made. But who won the historic Earth vs. Space match? Earth! Chamitoff resigned after Earth turned its pawn into a queen, but it was game well played.
3. Soccer
NASA astronaut Steve Swanson put a new spin on soccer by juggling the ball upside down. However, he might not have considered himself upside down. On the space station, up and down are relative.
4. Gymnastics
NASA astronauts usually sign off their videos with a zero-gravity somersault (either forwards or backwards). But astronauts are also proficient in handstands, flips and twists. The predecessor to the International Space Station, the Skylab, had the best space for the moves. The current space station is a bit tight in comparison.
5. Basketball
Objects that aren’t heavy don’t move very well on the space station. They kind of just float. It’s like Earth, but exaggerated. For example, on Earth a beach ball wouldn’t go as far as a basketball. The same is true in space, which is why playing with a basketball in space is more fun than playing with a beach ball.
6. Golf
People talk about hitting golf balls off skyscrapers, but what about off the International Space Station? While golf isn’t a normal occurrence on the station, it’s been there. One golf company even sent an experiment to the station to find out how to make better golf clubs.
7. Football
Zero gravity doesn’t make everything easier. Astronauts need to relearn how to throw things because their brains need to relearn how to interpret sensory information. A bowling ball on the space station no longer feels as heavy as a bowling ball on Earth. When astronauts first throw things on the space station, everything keeps going too high. That would put a wrench in your spiral for a couple of months. But once you adjust, the perfect spiral will just keep spiraling!
While not infinite, NASA’s new archive of space images is still pretty big.
Take a look, and if you like them, high-resolution versions are downloadable at the NASA site. See our favorites here.
The Project Apollo Archive is NASA fan Kipp Teague’s collection of previously unavailable pictures of NASA’s space history, from pre-Apollo program to present. We’ve paired some of them with buried quotes from the mission transcripts that show the grainy, gritty, and funny side of space exploration.
On this day in 1958, the United States established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of its commitment to winning the “space race.” Since then, the agency has made some of the most significant contributions to our understanding of the universe. In honor of NASA’s anniversary, here’s a gallery of its most iconic moments.
