It’s an insane day for space stuff! Stephen Hawking is boldly claiming ‘there are no black holes‘* - and this from the chap who proposed Hawking radiation :P Astronomers have discovered an ‘ultramassive’ black hole: one of the most powerful objects ever found. The ‘cosmic web’ - filaments of gas connecting galaxies across the darkest […]
space
Best cover ever - Space Oddity from the ISS
Legend-of-a-human-being* Commander Chris Hadfield, who (in my view) has been responsible for some of the coolest, most inspiring science communication ever**, has just won everything. Ever. As his goodbye to his time aboard the International Space Station (ISS), Chris recorded a lovely, very heartfelt cover version (with music video) of David Bowie’s classic 1969 ‘Space […]
Why aren’t more Kiwis involved in the International Space Apps Challenge?
This post is a clarion call, if you will. If you are involved, go out and rope in everyone you know. If you aren’t, read on… On April 20-21 of this year, people all over the world will be taking part in a truly awesome hackfest - the International Space Apps Challenge. It describes itself […]
What’s it like to be a solid rocket booster?
A question, no doubt, which has kept many of awake over those long, long nights. And now, we have people to the rescue! From the upcoming Special Edition Ascent: Commemorating Space Shuttle DVD/BluRay by NASA/Glenn a movie from the point of view of the Solid Rocket Booster with sound mixing and enhancement done by the […]
Fireflies, luuurve and NASA
In this newest animated video from fellow Sciblogger Siouxsie Wiles (Infectious Thoughts) explains how fireflies* use bioluminescence to find love (or the firefly equivalent), and, well, food. And it then goes on to explain how the chemical reaction used to produce that light, can be exploited to help us test for bacterial presence. In your […]
Marvellous scientific social media
I think we can all agree that NASA is pretty awesome*. Additionally to their being involved in brilliant things like shuttles (well…), space stations, rockets, telescopes and other goodness, their engagement with the public (viz. other earthlings) is not bad at all. They have a website, photo galleries to make one weep, a youtube channel, […]
All passengers: please remember your space insurance
Excellent stuff, this, and a fitting way of both apologising for my recent absence, and attempting to be sufficiently interesting to lure my readers (who have no doubt wandered) back to the fold. The topic of today’s post? Why space tourism and insurance, of course! Perhaps it’s just me, but space insurance wasn’t something to […]