Category Archives: Space

Ain’t rocket science

Posted on September 4, 2007 | Comments Off on Ain’t rocket science

I’m tardy getting this up, but the Space Elevator Games are on for Oct. 19-21 in Salt Lake City. The Spaceward Foundation has a preview of what to expect. And, for the newbies, a FAQ.

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Today’s pretty picture

Posted on August 30, 2007 | Comments Off on Today’s pretty picture

Endeavor.jpg

Its’ a good thing NASA takes its own photos in space and displays them on the Internet. If we had to rely solely on the MSM, as we did before the Web, we’d never see them. 

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Night owl’s eclipse

Posted on August 27, 2007 | Comments Off on Night owl’s eclipse

Total eclipse, yes, but, here in Central Daylight Time, beginning at 4:52 a.m. tomorrow, and ending at 6:22 a.m. Wish I could join you, but I have a child to help get off to school, so I need my sleep. Thankfully. So I’ll just have to miss the exciting part.

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Today’s pretty picture

Posted on August 25, 2007 | Comments Off on Today’s pretty picture

a520_chandra.jpg

Dark matter separates from normal matter, in a major mystery, as galaxy clusters collide, in a false color image by NASA’s Earth-orbiting Chandra X-Ray Observatory.

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Texel terminates

Posted on August 22, 2007 | Comments Off on Texel terminates

Armadillo Aerospace, the Mesquite contender for the X Prize suffered a set back when its mock Lunar Lander, Texel, was destroyed last weekend:

"Texel burst into flames after it crash landed during a test. Its fuel and liquid oxygen tanks were so damaged in the impact that it would be easier to build a new vehicle from scratch than to repair Texel, says Armadillo test team member Phil Eaton."

But company officials say they still can be ready to compete in October. That’s a relief. 

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Posted in Science/Engineering, Space, Texana

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More shuttle trouble

Posted on August 10, 2007 | Comments Off on More shuttle trouble

The space shuttle seems to have suffered some launch damage to its re-entry heat shield–again.

"On Sunday, the astronauts will use a robot arm and extension boom, tipped with a laser and camera, to determine the exact size and depth of the gouge… Experts will then decide whether the damage warrants repair. If it cannot be fixed, the crew would have to remain at the space station until a rescue shuttle could be launched…"

These things are getting old, obviously. Retirement can’t come too soon.

UPDATE  There’s enough worry for NASA engineers on the ground to start running heat tests to see if the gouged tiles can withstand re-entry temperatures, or if a fix in orbit is required. 

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Falling stars

Posted on August 9, 2007 | Comments Off on Falling stars

The annual Perseids meteor shower is in play, with dozens of shooting stars and some fireballs each hour after dark (best after midnight), leading to a peak of potentially hundreds on Saturday-Sunday and Sunday-Monday nights. Best to get away from urban lighting, but some will be visible even within the urban halo. For what should probably be the best, look east before sunrise on Monday morning.

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