-
-
The actual distance between the Earth and the Moon.
Perspective.
(via itsfullofstars)
-
-
Orion
Betelgeuse, Bellatrix
Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka
Saiph, Rigel
-
J-2X Finishes a Year of Successful Testing
The J-2X powerpack assembly was fired up one last time on Dec. 13 at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, finishing a year of testing on an important component of America’s next heavy-lift rocket. The powerpack assembly burned millions of pounds of propellants during a series of 13 tests during 2012 totaling more than an hour and a half. NASA engineers will remove the assembly from the test stand to focus on tests of the fully integrated engine. Installation on a test stand at Stennis will begin in 2013. The powerpack is a system of components on top of the engine that feeds propellants to the bell nozzle of the engine to produce thrust. The J-2X engine, designed and built by NASA and industry partner Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne of Canoga Park, Calif., will power the upper stage of the 143-ton (130-metric-ton) Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The SLS will launch NASA’s Orion spacecraft and other payloads from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, providing an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. The program is managed at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. -
-
When people scoff at sending humans to Mars, and say that pictures of wheel marks on a red desert are not worth the trouble when there are so many things here at home that we could be spending money on, it makes me claustrophobic. It’s as if we’re trying, out of guilt or shame, to crawl back into the cave and watch the shadows on the wall. We’re trying to stay children in our parents’ house, knowing that the road leads to town, and then to another town. We’re saying, “Look, we made a really great toilet that flushes itself! Remember that printing press? That was pretty neat. We even made pyramids — those things are huge! Can’t we just be happy with making a great toilet even greater? Do we really have to go to Mars?”
But Mars is waiting. It spins now outside our human reach. We must realize that the work of growing up is not something we can cut when the budget gets tight. It is mission critical, for the intellectual life of the species, for the future of humans, not to stagnate, not to wither, but to stretch, and reach, and always to expand.
-
Cutaway drawing of Space Shuttle. Artist: Barron Storey. In: The Space Shuttle At Work, 1979.
I used to study these so carefully so intently when I was a kid.
There was a 3-ft by 4-ft poster of this. II had it on the wall in my bedroom as a kid.
-
President’s Signature Onboard Curiosity
This view of Curiosity’s deck shows a plaque bearing several signatures of US officials, including that of President Obama and Vice President Biden. The image was taken by the rover’s Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the rover’s 44th Martian day, or sol, on Mars (Sept. 19, 2012). The plaque is located on the front left side of the rover’s deck.
The rectangular plaque is made of anodized aluminum and measures 3.94 inches (100 millimeters) tall by 3.23 inches (82 millimeters) wide. The plaque was affixed to the rover’s deck with four bolts.
Similar plaques with signatures — including those of the sitting president and vice-president — adorn the lander platforms for NASA’s Spirit and Opportunity rovers, which landed on Mars in January of 2004. An image from Spirit’s plaque can be found at PIA05034.
The main purpose of Curiosity’s MAHLI camera is to acquire close-up, high-resolution views of rocks and soil at the rover’s Gale Crater field site. The camera is capable of focusing on any target at distances of about 0.8 inch (2.1 centimeters) to infinity, providing versatility for other uses, such as views of the rover itself from different angles.
-
-
(via understandingtheuniverse)
-
New Comet Discovered—May Become “One of Brightest in History”
Next year comet 2012 S1 might outshine the moon.
If astronomers’ early predictions hold true, the holidays next year may hold a glowing gift for stargazers—a superbright comet, just discovered streaking near Saturn.
Even with powerful telescopes, comet 2012 S1 (ISON) is now just a faint glow in the constellation Cancer. But the ball of ice and rocks might become visible to the naked eye for a few months in late 2013 and early 2014—perhaps outshining the moon, astronomers say.
The comet is already remarkably bright, given how far it is from the sun, astronomer Raminder Singh Samra said. What’s more, 2012 S1 seems to be following the path of the Great Comet of 1680, considered one of the most spectacular ever seen from Earth.
Continue Reading at National Geographic.
Image of Comet 2012 S1 from Space.com
-
-
Space Shuttle Enterprise, the nation’s prototype space shuttle orbiter, and the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA)
-
Dan Winters grew up during the golden age of space reporting and is one of the few who have mastered the craft of photographing space launches. The magnificent images in his new book, Last Launch, prove that he is a virtuoso at his work.
See more photos here.
Byoo. Tee. Full.
(via invaderxan)
