As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Space

SPACE: Pentagon Confirms Secret Search For UFOs

by

The Pentagon, at the direction of Congress, a decade ago quietly set up a multi-million dollar program to investigate what are popularly known as unidentified flying objects—UFOs. The “unidentified aerial phenomena” claimed to have been seen by pilots and other military personnel appeared vastly more advanced than those in American or foreign arsenals. In some cases they maneuvered so unusually and so fast that they seemed to defy the laws of physics, according to multiple sources directly involved in or briefed on the effort and a review of unclassified Defense Department and congressional documents. The Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program, … Read more

SPACE: Sally Ride to Get a Postage Stamp

by
Sally Ride

Sally Ride will be featured on a Forever Stamp next year, USPS announced. The first American woman in space and the first known LGBT astronaut will be honored on the postage.  John Lennon and Mr. Rogers will also get their own stamps. USPS will also release a stamp for the Lunar New Year with a “Year of the Dog” stamp,  an “O Beautiful” stamp for the song “America the Beautiful” and will mark the 200th anniversary of Illinois’ statehood with its own stamp. Ride, who died in 2012 from pancreatic cancer, was honored in the “Women of NASA” special-edition Lego set … Read more

Now You Too Can Hear the Golden Record – On Vinyl

by
NASA Golden Record

Earthlings can now order their very own vinyl version of the “Voyager Golden Record,” which NASA sent into deep space decades ago in an attempt to reach intelligent life. The soundtrack has been available on SoundCloud and came out as a CD in 1992. Now, Ozma Records is preparing to release it on vinyl as early as January through distributor Light in the Attic, reports The Washington Post. It’s already available for preorder. Two sets of the phonograph album — with images and instructions in symbolic language — were rocketed into space in 1977, one aboard the Voyager 1 and … Read more

This is the First Cat in Space

by
Félicette

Everyone knows the names of famous astronauts like Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and some may even remember Laika, the first dog in space. However, the first cat in space has been largely forgotten by history. This pioneering pussycat was named ”Félicette,” and she was shot into space 54 years ago this week from a base in the Sahara desert by the Centre National d’études Spatiales (CNES), the French version of NASA. Félicette was picked out of a group of about a dozen cats because she had the best reaction to a series of tests that included a spin in a … Read more

Lego Women of NASA

by
Lego Women of NASA

Lego is releasing a new set that features important women who have worked at NASA. The “Women of NASA” will include figures of astronomer Nancy Grace Roman, computer scientist Margaret Hamilton, and astronauts Mae Jemison and Sally Ride. The 231-piece also includes pieces for three builds that provide some context for the figures. One of the them is a five-inch-tall model of a space shuttle. MIT News deputy editor Maia Weinstock proposed the set on the Lego Ideas site in 2016 and, when it got 10,000 votes, it was approved for production. Her idea originally included mathematician Katherine Johnson – … Read more

SPACE: NASA Forgets About Lesbians

by
Mars - pixabay

NASA apparently floated sending an all-female crew to Mars – and people have pointed out the slight sapphic issue with that plan. Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut to go to space, made the revelation during at an event during the New Scientist Live festival in London. Sharman, who was part of private British space programme Project Juno, said the report highlighted concerns about male and female astronauts having sex during the 18-month trip to Mars. Because of this, NASA allegedly said that all-female crews would be best because women work better as a team. NASA proposed this idea because women were … Read more

TECH: Ride the BFR From New York to Los Angeles in 25 Minutes

by
BFR

Elon Musk laid out a set of ambitious plans on Thursday for a vehicle he has dubbed the Big Fucking Rocket (BFR). The massive spaceship will not only ferry people around on Earth in minuscule amounts of time compared to modern jet travel. It will one day in the not too distant future (2024, to be exact) ferry humans to a colony on Mars. Wired reports: In a promotional video, SpaceX says the BFR will be able to fly into the planet’s orbit and travel with a maximum speed of 27,000kmh. It says a flight from Hong Kong to Singapore … Read more

SPACE: Cassini Spacecraft Takes Its Swan Dive

by
Cassini

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft is shown heading for the gap between Saturn and its rings during one of 22 such dives of the mission’s finale in this illustration. The spacecraft made a final plunge into the planet’s atmosphere today. By Andy Towle – Full Story at Towleroad.com

Jeff Baker—Boogieman In Lavender

by
Troy, Kansas - Jeff Baker

          Troy, Kansas, looking northwest August 21, 2017 about 1:06p.m. Moon’s shadow approaching. (Photo by Jeff Baker) Driving to Troy, Kansas to Wait for the Moon By Jeff Baker Here is my account of traveling to see the total solar eclipse last month. (Note: All times Central Daylight.) August 21, 2017, 6:45 a.m. Wichita, Kansas: Heading out, patch of blue sky in east. Clouds otherwise. Sprinkling. 7:58 a.m.: Mild traffic. Cloudy. Tantalizing glimpse of blue sky—may be clearer up north. Saw orange sunrise. Am at truck stop outside Emporia, Kansas. About 1/3 of the way. 9:00 … Read more

SPACE: The Sun’s a Little Crazy Right Now

by
solar flares - NASA

A series of rapid-fire solar flares is providing the first chance to test a new theory of why the sun releases its biggest outbursts when its activity is ramping down. Migrating bands of magnetism that meet at the sun’s equator may cause the biggest flares, even as the sun is going to sleep. A single complex sunspot called Active Region 2673 emitted seven bright flares — powerful bursts of radiation triggered by magnetic activity — from September 4 to September 10. Four were X-class solar flares, the most intense kind. The strongest, released at 8:02 a.m. EDT on September 6, … Read more