When your phone is running out of juice, how’d you like to just plug it into your shoe? And, instead of ordering from a menu, what if you ordered from an iPad? And as much as you enjoy going to 3D movies at the theater, researchers now say it could be dangerous (they always spoil our fun!).
All of these stories, and more, are inside this report. C’mon, let’s get our nerd on! (more…)
The return to Earth of the Japanese space probe Hayanusa might mean that we’re closer to learning about the origins of our Universe.
It also might mean that we’re closer to defending ourselves against a rogue asteroid, Armageddon-style.
Earlier this week, Hayanusa (which means ‘Falcon’) tore its way through the atmosphere before landing in the Australian outback, where it was quickly collected by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for testing. Hayanusa had been attached to the asteroid Itokawa since 2005. It is expected to have brought back dust samples unlike any that have ever been seen firsthand before.
What can we learn from those dust samples? For starters, it could tell astronomers a great deal about the formation of our solar system. And according to one NASA scientist, better understanding the composition of asteroids could lead to what is known as a ‘planetary defense plan.’ Basically that means that in the event that an asteroid is on a dangerous collision path with Earth, we would better know what could be done to destroy (or derail) it.
I’ll bet the dinosaurs wish they’d had a planetary defense plan.
Think you could live in complete isolation for 520 days? What about the idea of aliens living among us; do you believe in that? And how comforting is it to know that your underwear might someday save your life? All of these questions are part of this week’s edition of News For Nerds. Here we go, let’s get our nerd on! (more…)
A pretty big news story got lost in the shuffle last week, so in case you missed it, here goes:
Amid all the attention being paid to the oil spill disaster elsewhere in Florida, a company called SpaceX launched a privately-owned rocket into orbit from Cape Canaveral on Friday. This is a major development that could pave the way for routine trips to space in only a matter of years.
SpaceX is an interesting company, and one worth keeping your eye on. You may recall that earlier this year President Obama announced that a large portion of future space-related funding will go to private companies instead of going directly to government agencies, as it has in the past. That strategy is designed to widen the playing field and increase competition, thus leading to better (and faster) innovations in space travel.
Most observers believe that SpaceX is far ahead of everyone else when it comes to leading this new wave of private space travel. If you’ve never heard of them, you should visit their website and look around. You can even watch a video of last week’s launch.
The man behind SpaceX is Elon Musk. He first became known as the co-founder of PayPal, the online payment company, but he’s got a long and impressive list of credentials. He’s the co-founder of Tesla Motors, a company that produces incredibly sporty electric cars. With Tesla (as with SpaceX), Musk isn’t content to watch from the sidelines. A native of South Africa, Musk has degrees in Physics and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, and he puts that education to good use with a very hands-on approach at each of his companies. According to Iron Man director Jon Favreau, Musk is the inspiration for his interpretation of the Tony Stark character in the Iron Man movie franchise.
Anyway, the point is, keep a close watch on SpaceX and the so-called ‘private space race’. Things are changing very, very quickly these days. SpaceX is planning to send a fully operational rocket to the International Space Station as early as next year, and with last week’s success to build on, we wouldn’t bet against them.
* * * * *
If you liked this article, you should also read:
The Future of U.S. Space Exploration
What do we have this week? Let’s see…how about a car that’s powered by Coke and Mentos? Or how about new statistics that will maybe prevent you from being an afternoon snack for a shark? And wait: some people are proposing that they plug the leaking oil spill in the Gulf…with a nuclear blast. Yep, all of that - and more - in this week’s News For Nerds!
Read on… (more…)
An interesting line-up this week includes food that you breathe instead of eat, a tiny poisonous frog that can make your pain evaporate, and - perhaps the best news of all - a chocolate bar that prevents wrinkles! Excellent!
All of that, and more, in this week’s edition of News For Nerds! Read on… (more…)
This post is sponsored by the number 30.
That’s because this link will take you to a blog post from a site called The Big Picture. And within that blog post are 30 of the coolest Saturn-related pictures we’ve ever seen. Craters, rings, moons, lakes, ice boulders, tiger stripes — it’s all there. And more.
You may noticed that we’ve been focusing a lot of our attention on Saturn lately. There are a couple reasons for that. First and foremost, Saturn happens to be a very cool planet. If you don’t already know about Saturn and its moons, now’s a good time to dig a little deeper.
But it’s also true that later this summer the crew of Galahad is going to have to deal with some white-knuckle adventure in Saturn’s neighborhood. So there you go. Thirty-two good reasons to like Saturn. What else do you need?
How would you like a robot to officiate at your wedding? Can you predict a child’s intelligence by (gasp) how much they lie?? How about replacing human tendons and ligaments from spider webs that are produced in goats (it’s true). And what could have been the heartbreak story of the year for puzzle fanatics has a very nice ending. All of these stories - and more - as we get our nerd on this week! Read on… (more…)
A Japanese space probe will soon be on its way to the planet sometimes called ‘Earth’s twin’… although not until the weather on Earth clears up a little.
The Venus Climate Orbiter Atkasuki was scheduled to launch early Tuesday morning from Tanegashina Space Center in Japan, but the launch was scrubbed (in part) because of low clouds. That sort of delay is ironic when you consider that Venus is famous for its intense cloud cover, which is one of the things that the scientists involved hope to learn more about.
Akatsuki will use five different cameras in order to study Venus’ clouds, its atmosphere and its weather patterns. But what has astronomers even more excited is the potential to learn about some much bigger mysteries. Among them: what causes the planet’s ’super-rotation’ (which leads to storms that travel up to 220 miles per hour), the origin of Venus’ mysterious lightning, and what’s behind the unusual striped clouds in the upper atmosphere?
Keep your eye on this story as Akatsuki and its European sister probe, the Venus Express, begin to unravel some of these secrets. The more we can learn about a planet so close (and so similar) to our own, the more we’ll understand about the past, present and future of Earth.
Oh yeah. You can also check out this cool Venusian photo gallery from Space.com.
* * * * *
If you liked this story, you should also read:
The Science Behind Galahad: Earth-like Planets
The Space Shuttle Atlantis is in the midst of what will probably be its final mission. On Monday astronauts are installing a new antenna aboard the International Space Station. After that, they will continue delivering equipment and making two final spacewalks before returning home.
With that in mind, we thought it would be fitting to take a look back at everything that Atlantis has accomplished in its amazing 25-year career. It’s a long list, but here are some of the highlights:
This is an interesting (and important) time in NASA’s history, and the future remains unclear. But one thing is for sure: no matter what becomes of the space agency’s future, there’s no disputing that its past, including the glory of the many Atlantis missions, is something to be very, very proud of indeed.
Congratulations to Atlantis on its brilliant 25-year run!
* * * * *
If you liked this story, you should also read:
What Can You Learn from a ‘Successful Failure’?