The Mystery of the Missing NASA Moon Rocks January 22, 2012
Posted by showmescifi in ShowMeSciFi.com.Tags: moon, NASA, Science, science fiction, scifi
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The only moon rocks that ever were returned to Earth came from NASA. And it has been NASA’s mission over the last 40 years to protect those rocks..
Much like NASA’s failure to protect manned space flight launch capability, NASA has failed in its responsibility to keep track of all of its’ moon rocks as well.
“Although such losses at any time are regrettable, and NASA agrees with the I.G. report that continuing to improve certain procedures could reduce the rate at which they occur, the benefits to science of making these samples available for study have vastly outweighed the tiny risk of loss,” a NASA spokesman in Houston, William P. Jeffs, said in a statement.
The whole story is up over on the New York Timesand it’s a fascinating read
Godspeed Atlantis #sts135 July 8, 2011
Posted by showmescifi in ShowMeSciFi.com.Tags: NASA
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Sad day as the final shuttle liftoff is now over…the U.S now has 0 manned spaceflight capabilty.
Voyager exits the Sol System – next human encounter in hundred of years with the Enterprise? December 14, 2010
Posted by showmescifi in ShowMeSciFi.com.Tags: heliosphere, NASA, science fiction, scifi, voyager
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After 33 years, Voyager 1 is still ticking and sending back data to Earth.
Astounding.
Even more amazing is that after all that time, Voyager is just now about to officially leave our solar system and enter into interstellar space.
“The solar wind has turned the corner,” said Ed Stone, Voyager project scientist based at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif in a statement. “Voyager 1 is getting close to interstellar space.”
That’s right..in SciFi humans can travel in between planets with ease, but the reality is that nothing from Earth has actually left the solar system yet, even after over 30 years of at a speed of about 17 kilometers per second (38,000 mph).
NASA is Dead. US Air Force Space Command is Now the Vanguard of U.S. Spaceflight April 23, 2010
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NASA will soon no longer have the ability to put a human into space.
Good the U.S. Air Force isn’t as dumb. Yeaah we know the X-37B isn’t loaded with humans (yet), but it is the next generation space shuttle and it’s in orbit — today.
NASA Mars Phoenix Lander Dead and a Failure November 10, 2008
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So poor little NASA Mars Phoenix lander has sent it’s last Tweet. The space probe no longer has enough power to remain operational.
NASA is branding the mission a success – but it’s really a failure.
“Phoenix not only met the tremendous challenge of landing safely, it accomplished scientific investigations on 149 of its 152 Martian days as a result of dedicated work by a talented team,” said Phoenix Project Manager Barry Goldstein at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif in a statement.
That’s total BS isn’t it?
The probe has only been on the surface of Mars since May and now it doesn’t have enough power? That’s nuts. Couldn’t they have put a power efficient mechanism that could last for a while? What a collossal waste of US taxpayer dollars.
Voyager is more than 30 years old and it still is operational sending back signals from beyond the Solar system. Don’t tell me the Mars Phoenix didn’t cost more.
NASA Mecury Messenger Images are Awesome October 7, 2008
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Ever wondered what Mercury looks like up close?
NASA’s first probe since the 1970’s to visit Mercury has sent back some stunning images of the innermost planet in our solar system.
There is water on Mars July 31, 2008
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No suprise is it really?
There is water on Mars.
There is also sand, rocks, carbon and oxygen in case you were wondering.
“We have water,” said William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead scientist for the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA. “We’ve seen evidence for this water ice before in observations by the Mars Odyssey orbiter and in disappearing chunks observed by Phoenix last month, but this is the first time Martian water has been touched and tasted.”
Cassini Goes in for a Close up of Enceladus March 11, 2008
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Big day for NASA Cassini on March 12th as it zoom in for an extreme closeup of Saturn’s moon Enceladus.
This daring flyby requires exquisite technical finesse, but it has the potential to revolutionize our knowledge of the geysers of Enceladus. The Cassini mission team is eager to see the scientific results, and so am I,” said Alan Stern, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington in a statement
Apparently Scientists and mission personnel have determined that flying at close distances to Enceladus poses little threat to Cassini because, despite the high speed of Cassini, the plume particles are small. Add that to the fact that Cassini regularly crosses regions made up of dust-size particles in its orbit around Saturn.
Neat stuff. Good luck Cassini and PLEASE don’t get burned.
International Space Station Takes Shape March 5, 2008
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At least a decade behind schedule, the International Space Station is now really starting to take shape. At one point it was supposed to be up in space in 1992 for the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the ‘new’ world. Ah well…at least it’s coming together now and actually starting to look very very impressive.
It will still take a few more years and billions more, but it’s happening.
Martian Avalanches March 4, 2008
Posted by showmescifi in scifi.Tags: mars, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA, Sci Fi, Science, science fiction, scifi
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Science Fact is often waaaaaay cooler than Science Fiction. Case in point are some new pics from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter of Mars.
An avalanche on Earth (so long as no people are stuck nearby) is cool. On Mars? Multiply that by a factor of ooooh a million or so since the scale of the avalanche is literally astronomical.
“It really surprised me,” says planetary scientist Ingrid Daubar Spitale of the University of Arizona in a statement. “It’s great to see something so dynamic on Mars. A lot of what we see there hasn’t changed for millions of years.”
NASA has also posted a whole whack of wickedly cool picks from Mars – including one of the spaceship looking back on Earth.
NASA STS-122 : Columbus Finally Reaches The Final Frontier February 7, 2008
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After many delays, NASA finally got Atlantis off the ground today.
Atlantis wasn’t travelling alone either. With this mission NASA is finally getting back to actually building out the Space Station — instead of just visiting it.
On board STS-122 is the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory.
“Today we are opening a new chapter for ESA,” said Jean-Jacques Dordain, the European Space Agency director general. “Just as Columbus discovered the New World, with Columbus, we are discovering a whole new world.”
The Shuttle doesn’t dock with the Space Station until Saturday..but is should be an exciting event when the new module is actually attached to the station.
January 31, 1958 – US Explorer 1 Launched Beginning The Space Race January 31, 2008
Posted by showmescifi in scifi.Tags: Explorer, Explorer 1, NASA, Satellite 1958 Alpha, Sci Fi, Science, science fiction, scifi, space
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It was fifty years ago today that the US got its act together and launched its first satellite. Yes the US was behind the USSR with Sputnik but Explorer is not just a matter of historical Trivia. It was also the true beginning of the US Space Program’s Golden Era that a decade later landed the first man on the moon.
The satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral (now Cape Kennedy) in Florida at 10:48 P.M. EST on 31 January 1958 by the Jupiter-C vehicle–a special modification of the Redstone ballistic missile–that was designed, built, and launched by the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) under the direction of Dr. Wernher Von Braun. Jupiter-C, a direct descendant of the German A-4 (V-2) rocket, was originally developed in 1955-1956 as a high-performance rocket for testing purposes.
NASA has put together a really tight site all about Explorer 1 – so get your fix of space history!
NASA Takes A Step Back With Orion November 6, 2007
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Remember when the Shuttle was first rolled out? Wasn’t that cool? Futuristic?
Well NASA is now going backwards and is rolling out its next generation manned space transport and its a total throwback to the Gemini capsule days.
It’s a SAD SAD SAD day for Space science and the manned exploration of space.
NASA Shoots For the Moon With Constellation Program October 30, 2007
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NASA announced Tuesday which agency centers will take responsibility for specific work to enable astronauts to explore the moon. The new assignments cover elements of the
lunar lander and lunar surface operations. The agency also announced work
assignments for Ares V, a heavy-lift rocket for lunar missions.
“NASA’s Constellation Program is making real progress toward sending
astronauts to the moon,” said Rick Gilbrech, associate administrator for
Exploration Systems, NASA Headquarters, Washington in a statement . “Work on our new fleet of rockets and spacecraft, Ares I and Orion, is already well under way. With these new assignments, NASA will launch the next phase of its exploration strategy – landing crews and cargo on the surface of the moon.”
Juno Set for Jupiter Flyby in 2016. October 11, 2007
Posted by showmescifi in scifi.Tags: galileo, juno, jupiter, NASA, Sci Fi, Science, scifi, space, space probes
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NASA is hard a work on its next Jupiter exploration craft called Juno.
This week NASA settled on an Atlas 5 model 551 rocket, provided by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, to launch the $700 million Juno mission in August 2011.
According to NASA’s mission page:
Using a spinning, solar-powered spacecraft, Juno will make maps of the gravity, magnetic fields, and atmospheric composition of Jupiter from a unique polar orbit. Juno will carry precise high-sensitivity radiometers, magnetometers, and gravity science systems . Juno’s 32 orbits over 11 days will sample Jupiter’s full range of latitudes and longitudes. From its polar perspective, Juno combines in situ and remote sensing observations to explore the polar magnetosphere and determine what drives Jupiter’s remarkable auroras.
Personally I think this sounds VERY LAME – especially in comparison to what the Galileo probe accomplised with 1980’s era technology. Apparently NASA is really aiming low these days. What ever happened to the idea of long term orbits examining all of the Jovian system? Or like Galileo some kind of atmospheric probe?
NOPE. NASA may know the way to Jupiter – but the US Space Agency apparently has lost its adventurous ways.
A New DAWN For NASA September 27, 2007
Posted by showmescifi in scifi.Tags: asteroids, astronomy, ceres, Dawn, NASA, Science, vesta
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NASA’s Dawn spacecraft took of this morning Cape Canaveral on its way to check out a pair of asteriods.
NASA itself has called the extremely efficient space craft – The Prius of space travel –
“Dawn has risen, and the spacecraft is healthy,” said the mission’s project manager Keyur Patel of JPL in a statement. “About this time tomorrow [Friday morning], we will have passed the moon’s orbit.”
Dawn’s 4.8-billion-kilometer (3-billion-mile) odyssey includes exploration of asteroid Vesta in 2011 and the dwarf planet Ceres in 2015. These two icons of the asteroid belt have been witness to much of our solar system’s history. By using Dawn’s instruments to study both asteroids, scientists more accurately can compare and contrast the two. Dawn’s science instrument suite will measure elemental and mineral composition, shape, surface topography, and tectonic history, and will also seek water-bearing minerals. In addition, the Dawn spacecraft and how it orbits Vesta and Ceres will be used to measure the celestial bodies’ masses and gravity fields.
Sounds like one heck of a trip to me.
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