Throw Back: NASA’s Food in 1985
The footage we received daily from the International Space Station (ISS) shows astronauts with a diverse selection of meals with many different preparation options. That wasn’t always the case, however. As you can see this in this retro video from the 80′s, NASA had to go through quite a trial-and-error process to ‘perfect’ what astronauts eat in space. (more…)
Neil deGrasse Urges America to Act Before Another Sputnik Moment
In the 1950s, the soviets launched what would be the deciding factor for our efforts of space exploration. The factor was called Sputnik, and it was simply a radio transmitter inside a gutted missile. It successfully reached low-earth orbit, and signaled the changing tables between America and Russia. Almost immediately, our insecurity against our newly space-borne enemies fueled us to reach the moon and settle even higher ground. (more…)
Cassini Catches Glimpse of Saturn ‘Rose’ Cyclone
As we already know, Earth is but a pebble in our solar system and space is generally an unfriendly place. On Saturn, the Cassini satellite captured images of a storm literally 2 times larger than Earth itself. This monster monsoon has 300 mile per hour winds and measures at 1,250 miles wide.
Chris Hadfield: The Astronaut, Commander, and Now Photographer
The technique is seemingly simple: Focus, Frame, and Fire. The size of the camera, however, is simply intimidating. ISS Commander and now photographer Chris Hadfield uses these skills and equipment when taking pictures of our home for us humans back on the ground. From the Sahara to the sun glinting off of rivers and lakes, Hadfield has enamored crowds of online viewers by capturing stunning scenes of our planet from above. (more…)
Wringing Out a Washcloth – In Space!
We all know what happens when you wring out a washcloth on Earth: The water falls to the ground and the towel or cloth is left dry. Onboard the International Space Station in low-earth orbit, Canadian Commander Chris Hadfield demonstrates that this is not the case for space. (more…)
Kepler Finds Smallest Earth Candidates Around Stars 62 and 69
The Kepler mission has stumbled upon even more planets potentially similar to Earth, only adding to the long list of possible planets with life. These new planets orbit stars called Kepler 62 and Kepler 69, 62 being 1,200 light years away and 69 about 2,700 light years away. Around Kepler 62, we’ve found two Earth-like candidates all close to Earth’s size and rocky surface characteristics. Kepler 62e and 62f, as they are called, have years that are 122 days long and 267 days long. Around 69 however, we’ve found the smallest planet around a sun-like star in Kepler’s history. (more…)
Obama at Kennedy Space Center Giving Frontier Update
Obama met the media at Kennedy Space Center this April in celebration of the third anniversary of his first visit. Like a true politician however, he did an articulate job of making it seem like America is invested in our space program. He exhibited the Orion spacecraft which is planned to intercept an asteroid by 2021 and wowed the reports by letting them get a first-person view of the actual work being done. (more…)
NASA Develops Gravity and Orientation Independent Gripper
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has solved the problem of gripping rocks in zero-gravity environments. They’ve developed what they call an omni-directional anchor which employs “microspines,” or multiple tiny claws, to lift even a 13 kg (28 lbs) rock! This will potentially revolutionize examination of extraterrestrial geology. In this video, you can even see a successfully completed drilling procedure- upside down!
How Astronauts Sleep in Space
International Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield is back answering more questions about daily life of astronauts. This time he’s addressing how they sleep onboard the ISS. Astronauts like Hadfield don’t actually use blankets or pillows, but instead only a vertical sleeping bag. They don’t need traditional bedding because the zero-gravity environment supports their body without effort. After he jumps into his feety pajamas and slips into his fabric cocoon, he demonstrates the true surreality of a human sleeping in space. (more…)
Celebrating Earth Month with an NASA Earth Montage
If you didn’t already know, Earth day is on April 22nd. NASATV is celebrating the occasion early by compiling some awesome footage of Earth in its natural beauty. As you witness the expansive horizons, beautiful mountain ranges, and eye-opening time lapses of cosmic neighborhood, it’s hard to feel apathetic. (more…)
NASA’s 2014 Budget May Include Asteroid Retrieval Mission in 2025
Forget traveling directly to the asteroid- that’s too expensive. Today, NASA Chief Charles Bolden proposed a plan for an asteroid “lasso” mission that will bring a 500-ton rock to low-earth orbit for human exploration by 2025. (more…)
NASA: Earth from Orbit in Year 2012
Most “Earth from Orbit” videos only include a flyover of the planet. While those are naturally astonishing, NASA compiled the best of their footage into what they call Earth from Orbit 2012. This video features true color time-lapses and multiple data visualizations which really help you grasp the scale of Earth’s global systems. Those scientists in the International Space Station have sure been working hard!
Chris Hadfield: How to Brush Your Teeth In Space
Chris Hadfield is back with another transmission from low Earth orbit. This time he’s demonstrating one of the most common daily tasks: brushing your teeth. Normally you would just flip on the faucet, wet your brush, and get to work. In space however, flowing water would actually be dangerous. Hadfield has to muster a ball of water from a package to soak his brush, and worst of all, he has to swallow the toothpaste.
ISS Flying Over Earth Where Sun Rises Every 90 Minutes
The International Space Station (ISS) is racing in low Earth orbit at 17,300+ mph. This time-lapse is what it’s like to live from that far away perspective. It reveals the raw planetary nature of our home and the problems that make everyone human. Videos like these help us understand how we share our atmosphere, land, and even existence together on this rock that we’ve seemingly mastered. This video was deemed so powerful that it was featured on Astronomy Picture of the Day.
The Power and Awe of a SpaceX Rocket Launch
So this guy named Cooper somehow managed to gain access to the press area at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. In this video, you can almost feel the vibrations rocking the ground and the sound pulsing through the air as the Falcon 9 rocket blasts its multiple massive engines with over a million pounds of thrust. What’s even more impressive is how loud it appears even from across a relatively large pond! It serves as a fantastic display for science and engineering at their bests.
This is Tom Marshburn’s Life On Board the International Space Station
We humans obviously didn’t evolve in outer space. Today we require numerous technological adaptations to survive and research even in low Earth orbit; and these adaptations are now called the International Space Station. In this video, astronaut and flight engineer Tom Marshburn demonstrates daily life on board the International Space Station. From vertical sleeping bags to a vacuum toilet, everything is completely alien. Probably one of the most grin-inducing moments of the presentation is him floating through each room with no gravity. So who wants to go to space?
Spinach Might Be Gross, But it Looks Cool Floating in Space
Chris Hadfield is back with another entry from the International Space Station kitchen. This time he’s demonstrating how to prepare spinach- a meal most kids don’t find interesting unless it’s in the hands of an astronaut. As you can see, everything comes dehydrated and vacuum sealed until it’s plugged into some sort of space water dispenser. On Earth we have to plug our devices into electrical outlets, but in space it looks like food has to be plugged into a water outlet!
This is What SpaceX Has Accomplished in Only 11 Years
So the world’s first private space exploration company and Elon’s Musks brainchild SpaceX has been hard at work for the past 11 years. So far they have delivered the first private resupply to the International Space Station and developed a reusable rocket which promises to dramatically reduce the cost of space exploration. Although progress may seem somewhat slow, it’s important to understand all of these accomplishments are coming from a private company with no government regulated funding. It looks like the private sector is diving into the void of space when the government don’t feel it is necessary.
Footage from the ISS of the Sun Never Setting
Throughout history, we Earthlings have understood that the setting sun transforms the world from day to night. Now we have sophisticated space ships like the International Space Station that fly high above our Earth witnessing events from a fresh new perspective. In this video from space, the sun never actually sets. This happens because the ISS is orbiting parallel to the Earth’s shadow line, or the line in which day turns to night for our planet. I suppose this is just one more difference between our meager lives and the surreal realm of space.
Neil deGrasse Tyson Unravels the Universe in 10 Questions
Back in 2008, Time Magazine interviewed Neil deGrasse Tyson with 10 questions. Some these included: How can we help our children learn? Who would you want to meet if you could go back into the past? What is the most astounding fact about the universe? With his usual astrophysicist swagger, he rattles off inspirational answers as if he didn’t even need to think about them.
Tyson Outlines the Value of a Space Culture
At the 28th National Space Symposium, Neil deGrasse Tyson illustrated, eloquently as usual, the beauty and significance of a space culture. Starting from the 1950′s to present day, he explained that space development has been subtly but deeply influencing all STEM fields and human imaginations. According to Tyson, external perspectives have the potential to be the greatest learning force in human history, but first we to inspire the next generation of problem-solvers.
NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory Captures Beautiful Solar Flare
The sun is the behemoth workhorse of our solar system responsible for everything from its initial formation to the very air we breath. It’s surface is balmy 17,000° F (9426° C) and is bursting with plasma and the blisteringly hot products of hydrogen fusion. Needless to say, it is a completely different environment than Earth. In this video from the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory, you can see what super-heated solar rainstorms. Fascinatingly, the reason the rain falls back to the sun is because of the sun’s magnetic field. The paths in which the plasma returns to the surface are the actual magnetic field lines of the sun.
Nothing Beats an Astronaut
The stereotypes say ladies like lifeguards, firemen, and models, but nothing beats an astronaut. Axe’s campaign for their new Apollo products is making this more apparent. These videos may seem comical, but how wonderfully true they are. Astronauts are the new feet sweepers.
NASA Earth As Art
NASA has been photographing the Earth from satellites high in the atmosphere since 1960. These photographs possible only with space age technology are both soothing and gripping to the eye. To spread the inherent beauty of the Earth, NASA has compiled all of their best pictures into a gallery called Earth as Art. The images in this gallery show light not only in its observable beauty but even outside the visible spectrum. Hopefully these jaw-dropping images will inspire wonder inside you. NASA’s intended reaction: How did nature do this?
