CBS News reported today that solar storms may knock out our power grids, satellites, cell phone signals, and that we should take note and be prepared. NASA says the sun is going through a period of increased solar activity, creating intense sun storms, that could take down our technology. Take down? Put it out of commission. Scientists are working on a way to protect our electronic devices. See video.
One of the things of the many that NASA does well, and perhaps it is one of the most important things that NASA does, is to provide us earthbound land lubbers beautiful pictures, images and video of outer space, of the sights around our world, and of the sights around worlds and stars beyond ours. The pictures are better than science fiction, because they are real, and often times they are much better than what we can imagine.
This morning , Sunday, May 16th, the Space shuttle Atlantis, on its final voyage, arrived and docked, at the International Space Station. NASA provided the video feed. See the video. These images are just the latest eye candy from our space uncles and aunts at NASA. The Atlantis and its crew of six are expected to stay at the station for a week long visit, and feed us more of this wonderful eye candy.
Yeah. Yawn. An era will be soon coming to an end. The Space shuttle Atlantis blasted off today. Okay. Is on its way to orbit for the last time. Yeah. Atlantis and an experienced crew of six blasted off this afternoon, Friday, May 14th. Yeah. The shuttle is bound for the International Space Station. And? It should reach the orbiting complex Sunday. So what? Routine, right?
Yesterday, the New York Times. reports that the National Research Council, (NRC), the research arm of the National Academy of Sciences, issued a report on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, (NASA). ten research laboratories, and concluded that the labs were merely 'marginally adequate.' The NRC reports warned that the decline of basic research at the NASA facilities, and the underfunding of research, jeopardizes the agency’s ability to study and to explore the cosmos. Joseph B. Reagan of NRC told the Times. that if NASA continued as it is "going at the current rate, in five years the research community would not be able to support NASA’s long-term goals.” Mr.
On the net this morning , May 6, 2010, are new and interesting pictures from the Herschel space telescope. The Herschel was launched one year ago, to make it possible for scientists and for us lay people to learn more than ever about stars and about the formation of stars, so to provide a clue to what may have happened when our sun and the planets of our solar system were formed almost five-billion years ago.
Space shuttle Discovery returned to earth this morning, April 20, 2010, with a routine landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Hardly even knew that she was gone. The US space shuttle was away, fifteen short days on a mission to the International Space Station. Lift off, return and the flight itself in so hum drum..The only bit of shuttle news is that there are only three shuttle space flights left, then the shuttle will be retired, and US space folks have to rely on the Russians or others or stay earth bound, until when? Whenever, the next US ships are ready to go. Also the returning flight flew over a large part of the US, giving the tax payers who watched, a nice show..The Atlantis is the next shuttle schedule to take a flight to space. Liftoff is targeted for May 14.
Yes, so the Space shuttle Discovery return was routine? Routine is good.
