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How Do You Go To the Bathroom on the Space Shuttle?
Posted by Michael Pinto on May 8, 2010 in Science
This highly educational video goes into some very graphic detail on how one does a number one and number two on the space shuttle. The one thing that I learned is that going to the bathroom in outer space is quite a complicated project, so much so in fact that one must be trained to use the facilities: Read more… Why We Need to Go to Mars: A Planetary Scientist Makes the Case
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 30, 2010 in Science
In this video planetary scientist Joel Levine states his case why we need to explore Mars. Levine feels that the geography of Mars makes the case for exploration — if we really want to understand our Earth and the idea of extraterrestrial life exploring the red planet is the best place to start. I think that given the state of NASA as geeks we really need to get our voices heard to accelerate this as a priority for our space program. Anime Cosplay in Orbit!
Astronaut Soichi Noguchi (seen on the left) grew up watching Space Battleship Yamato which is well known to American fans as Star Blazers. And here he is on International Space Station making us Earth bound retro anime fans very proud. Here’s the official caption for the photo from NASA which sadly omits the fanboy reference: Read more… What Does It Take to Pilot a Space Shuttle?
Posted by Michael Pinto on Apr 2, 2010 in Science
Too many of us take for granted what they actually do at NASA: Shown in this video are two astronauts training to fly the space shuttle with a modified Gulfstream jet. What’s mind numbing is that a pilot might make over a thousand of these flights just to qualify for a shuttle mission. I also have to admit that watching this behind the scenes video is a bit bittersweet as there isn’t a real replacement for the shuttle. Touching the StarsThis story touched my heart: One of the side benefits of NASA is the amazing images that that the Hubble Space Telescope has produced over the years — however many of these glimpses of the furthest corners of the universe are off limits to the blind. So according to this story reachers at NASA worked with braille experts to create a representation of the Carina Nebula. What I love about the project is that the embossed photo isn’t a literal representation but instead is filled with different symbols which give information on the formation of the nebula itself. Read more… Mars is Back on the Back Burner
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 8, 2010 in Science
After being chided by congress for not having a moon and Mars mission it looks like the Obama administration is adding the goal of space exploration back into the mix for NASA. But sadly even though a boost of six billion over five years sounds like a great deal of money, in the world of space exploration it’s just a fraction of what’s needed to make a trip. So the sad reality is that we’re back to the NASA of the Bush years: An agency spread too thin with too many goals and too little cash. Yes we’re still planning on getting to the moon and Mars once again, but that may take decades. Read more… I’ll Miss the Amazing Visions of Dr. Robert McCallI was very saddened to hear that Dr. Robert McCall passed away as he was very much a hero of mine. I’ll never forget the first time I visited the Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. — along with being able to touch a piece of the moon and look at shopping mall full of aircraft and spaceships the first thing that hits you it the amazing larger than life mural by Robert McCall (an amazing gallery of his drawings that they house are here). Most of us have science fiction fanboys have grown up with McCall’s artwork without even knowing the artist. I think the first time McCall spoke to me was with his amazing work on the film 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was looking at this artwork as a child long after the film came out, but his paintings created a magical environment that you’d want to wander around and step inside: Read more… Dear Congress: If You’re Serious About NASA Going to Mars That Requires a Serious Budget
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 25, 2010 in Science
Not so long ago congress was picking apart NASA chief Charles Bolden for not having a solid plan for space exploration: This is putting the blame in the wrong place which belongs with congress. Frankly a trip to Mars or even just the Moon requires a huge financial investment. Unlike the 60s NASA is highly invested in an ancient space shuttle fleet that’s due to expire and a huge stake in a space station which is in mid-life, not to mention dozens of other side projects which involve everything to investigating climate change to send probes to the furthest reaches of the solar system. Read more… Meet a Real Life Dr. McCoy
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 20, 2010 in Science
The Newest Space Shuttle is Older Than a High School Student
Posted by Michael Pinto on Feb 16, 2010 in Science
Watching this video on the history of the Space Shuttle Endeavour is very depressing to me. For starters the shuttle was rolled out during the Bush administration: No I don’t mean George W. Bush Jr. but his father! That’s right Endeavour came out the first year that Nirvana scored a hit with Nevermind about 19 years ago, a time before any living high school was born. Of course the construction of Endeavour was kicked off in 1987: This means the last time America was serious about NASA was when the film Dirty Dancing came out. Read more… |
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