Fascinating video from Nature of how scientists have mapped our universe and shown where Earth fits into it. (Link came via futurism.com) I grabbed the video from YouTube: “Superclusters – regions of space that are densely packed with galaxies – are the biggest structures in the Universe. But scientists have struggled to define exactly where …
Tag archives: space
More stars in the universe than grains of sand on Earth
Love this tumblr post from the outstanding outreach crew of NASA: http://nasa.tumblr.com/post/136762377389/7-facts-that-will-make-you-feel-very-small
Juno reaches Jupiter’s magnetosphere
NASA’s Juno spacecraft entered Jupiter’s magnetosphere and recorded what it sounds like: Juno’s Waves instrument recorded the encounter with the “bow shock” over the course of about two hours on June 24, 2016. “Bow shock” is where the supersonic solar wind is heated and slowed by Jupiter’s magnetosphere. It is analogous to a sonic boom on …
This is so good: “We are dead stars, looking back at the sky”
Can’t believe I hadn’t seen this before. It is the best video ever. Made in May 2014 by The Atlantic and The Really Big Questions, the video (3:57) features NASA astronomer Dr Michelle Thaller explaining, beautifully, how “the iron in our blood connects us to one of the most violent acts in the universe—a supernova explosion—and what the …
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“The exploration of outer space shall be the province of all mankind”
I love the language in the United Nations Treaties and Principles on Outer Space (related General Assembly resolutions and other documents) (PDF). Article Number 1 “The exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries, irrespective of …
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4D printing and self-assembly – on earth and in space
“Scientists at Harvard, Pittsburgh and Illinois are developing materials that will “exhibit behavior that changes over time,” writes Quartz. At the most basic level, the objects simply change shape over time, as outlined by MIT’s Skylar Tibbits. Along with Stratasys, a leading maker of 3D printers, he is experimenting with materials that can assemble themselves once they’re printed …
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Cleaning up space debris
The proliferation of debris orbiting the Earth – primarily jettisoned rocket and satellite components – is an increasingly pressing problem for spacecraft, and it can generate huge costs. To combat this scourge, the Swiss Space Center at EPFL aims to launch CleanSpace One, a project to develop and build the first instalment of a family of …