Tag Archives: space

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles

It’s official, Pluto is no longer a full-fledged planet. The new definition finalized by the International Astronomical Union today states that a planet in “a celestial body that (a) is in orbit around the Sun [or another star], (b) has … Continue reading

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Color Vision

I’ve wondered for a long time about why “visible light” is where it is in the EM spectrum, and why it seems to be pretty consistant among life on Earth. For example, why aren’t there animals that can “see” EM … Continue reading

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Autumn Sky

I was up (way too) late last night. Shortly after midnight, I stepped outside to let Ella in. It was a really beautiful and cool night, and the sky was very clear. So, I went inside, turned off all the … Continue reading

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Space Race Drug Tests

NASA just unveiled its plan to return to the moon by 2020. It involves vehicles and systems that look and act a lot like those used in the Apollo missions. Michael Griffin referred to it as “Apollo on Steroids.” But … Continue reading

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Liftoff

STS-114 has lifted off. They will arrive at the International Space Station on Thursday morning, where they will stay until Friday, August 5. Astronauts Steve Robinson and Soichi Noguchi will perform three spacewalks during the mission, “testing repair techniques and … Continue reading

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STS-114

Space Shuttle Discovery is set to launch on July 13, on the first shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster. The independant safety panel says that NASA has not yet met all of its recommendations, and that the 3 recommendations that … Continue reading

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Cosmos 1: The First Solar Sail

Tomorrow (2005-06-21), Cosmos 1 will be launched from a submarine in the Barents Sea. A few days after entering earth orbit at 825 km, Cosmos 1 will deploy its eight triangular solar sail blades that will eventually be turned toward … Continue reading

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