Amateur footage of Challenger explosion found
Twenty-six years after the devastating explosion of the space shuttle Challenger during launch, new amateur footage of the event has surfaced, offering a new perspective of that tragic day.
The January 28, 1986 disaster was captured by then-19-year-old Jeffrey Ault with a Super 8mm camera while visiting Florida, and has now been made available to The Huffington Post.
It had been stored in a box at Ault’s home.
The Voyager Golden Records are phonograph records which were included aboard both Voyager spacecraft, which were launched in 1977. They contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form, or for future humans, who may find them. The Voyager spacecraft are not heading towards any particular star, but Voyager 1 will be within 1.6 light years of the star AC+79 3888 in the Ophiuchus constellation in about 40,000 years.[1]
As the probes are extremely small compared to the vastness of interstellar space, the probability of a space faring civilization encountering them is very small, especially since the probes will eventually stop emitting any kind of electromagnetic radiation. If they are ever found by an alien species, it will most likely be far in the future as the nearest star on Voyager 1’s trajectory will only be reached in 40,000 years.
Carl Sagan noted that “The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space. But the launching of this ‘bottle’ into the cosmic ‘ocean’ says something very hopeful about life on this planet.”[2] Thus the record is best seen as a time capsule or a symbolic statement rather than a serious attempt to communicate with extraterrestrial life.
Russia and Europe to Send Man to Mars?
Ian O’Neill takes a look at the discussion of a joint mission:
Interestingly, one of the key deciding factors for the joint ESA/Roscosmos proposition appears to be the Russian Mars500 project. Mars500 is a 520-day simulated “mission” to the Red Planet being run by Russia’s Institute of Biomedical Problems. ESA is also involved in the project.
Piece of Space Shuttle Columbia found in Texas lake (NPR)
The fuel tank was uncovered by the receding water level of the lake due to the ongoing drought.
23 May 2010: Backdropped by Earth’s horizon and the blackness of space, the Japanese Kibo complex of the International Space Station is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 23 crew member while space shuttle Atlantis (STS-132) remains docked with the station.
For nineteen years, NASA/ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope has made some of the most dramatic discoveries in the history of astronomy but it has also helped scientists learn more about our own Solar System. From its vantage point 600 km above the Earth, Hubble has studied every planet in our Solar System except Mercury where light from the Sun would damage its instruments.
(Source: youtube.com)
Space shuttle Atlantis, STS-135, lands at 5:57am at the Kennedy Space Center concluding 30 years and 135 missions. (Red Huber/Orlando Sentinel)
The Sagan Series (part 6) - End of an Era: The Final Shuttle Launch
I get all teary eyed watching Sagan videos these days.
Ending the shuttle program will be one of the United States’ greatest mistakes. Carl will tell you why.
(Source: philophenoms)
Post-launch press conference now airing on NASA TV
The stream above is courtesy of UStream.
(Source: currenteye)
—Speed of the Space Shuttle shortly before main engine cutoff
Neil deGrasse Tyson’s thoughts on the end of the shuttle era. Well said.
(Source: jtotheizzoe)
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The Voyager Golden Record
The Voyager Golden Records are phonograph records which were included aboard both Voyager spacecraft, which were launched in 1977. They contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form, or for future humans, who may find them. The Voyager spacecraft are not heading towards any particular star, but Voyager 1 will be within 1.6 light years of the star AC+79 3888 in the Ophiuchus constellation in about 40,000 years.[1]
As the probes are extremely small compared to the vastness of interstellar space, the probability of a space faring civilization encountering them is very small, especially since the probes will eventually stop emitting any kind of electromagnetic radiation. If they are ever found by an alien species, it will most likely be far in the future as the nearest star on Voyager 1’s trajectory will only be reached in 40,000 years.
Carl Sagan noted that “The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space. But the launching of this ‘bottle’ into the cosmic ‘ocean’ says something very hopeful about life on this planet.”[2] Thus the record is best seen as a time capsule or a symbolic statement rather than a serious attempt to communicate with extraterrestrial life.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw46fji5pY1r2p9x3o1_500.jpg)
