Universe Today — Space and astronomy news The Falcon 9 and Dragon capsule stand ready for launch prior to the detection of a helium leak in one of the engines forcing a scrub of the launch attempt on April 14. 2014 – now reset to April 18, 2014. Credit: nasatech.net NASA and SpaceX are marching forward towards a Friday, April 18 liftoff attempt for the Falcon 9 rocket sending a commercial Dragon cargo craft on the company’s third resupply mission to the International Space Station following the scrubbed launch attempt on Monday, April 14 – forced by the discovery of a Helium gas leak inside the rocket during the latter stages of the countdown. An on time blastoff of the upgraded Falcon 9 sets the stage for an Easter Sunday rendezvous and berthing of the Dragon resupply spacecraft at the massive orbiting outpost packed with almost 5000 pounds of science experiments and supplies for the six person crew. However the weather prognosis is rather [click to continue…] The newly-confirmed extrasolar planet has been dubbed Kepler-186f.
Tadiran collect space space history and space artifacts news Long before the first Instagram from space, the first check-in from orbit, or even the first astronaut's tweet, John Glenn sent an email to Bill Clinton. The reply it prompted was the very first email transmitted by a sitting U.S. president — it just happened to be to space. April 18, 2014SpaceX launches science-packed Dragon capsule on space station supply run A commercial cargo spacecraft loaded with more than two tons of scientific experiments and equipment lifted off for the International Space Station on April 18, after more than a month of delays. April 17, 2014John Houbolt, NASA engineer who fought for Apollo moon landing method, dies Were it not for John C. April 14, 2014NASA signs over historic Launch Pad 39A to SpaceX One of NASA's most historic launch pads is now under new management. April 9, 2014Houston, we've got an auction: Apollo 13 astronaut's mementos to be sold April 7, 2014Mercury space capsule shipping overseas for German art exhibition
Wave-particle duality of C60 The "Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology" is a joint initiative of the University of Vienna, the Vienna University of Technology, and the Austrian Academy of Sciences, which unites quantum physicists of Vienna's research institutions in one collaborative center. The VCQ will set new impulses for research and teaching through its unique spectrum of research topics - from fundamental quantum physics to novel quantum technologies. Wiener Wunderkammer 2014 14. Der Beitrag „Laborwelten - Zugänge in die Welt der Quantenphysik“ eröffnete den über 1.000 BesucherInnen der Wiener Wunderkammer 2014 verschiedene Zugänge zu moderner physikalischer Forschung. VCQ bei der Langen Nacht der Forschung 1.370 BesucherInnen haben bei der Langen Nacht der Forschung die Stationen Fakultät für Physik sowie der Institute für Astrophysik und für Paläontologie auf der Universitätssternwarte besucht. CoQuS Summer School - registration has opened! 11.
Across Our Blogs: Mars Curiosity Rover Moonrise, New Rover, Billion Pixel Marsscape Seems the Mars Curiosity Rover has been a busy little six-wheeled fellow these past few weeks. Here's a roundup of news related to the rover, from top Technorati listed science blogs... From ArsTechnica - Curiosity rover shoots video of Martian moonrise - NASA released a time-lapse video of the Martian moon Phobos, as it ascends into view. From GizMag - Curiosity begins long trek to uncover Red Planet's secrets - the rover has begun a multi-month journey to Mount Sharp, where it will dig in to find signs of past life. During its travel time, it will likely celebrate it's first year anniversary of being on the red planet's surface. From The Huffington Post - Mars Water? From Engadget - NASA makes billion-pixel Mars panorama out of photos captured by Curiosity - NASA stitched together almost 900 images to create a 1.3 billion pixel landscape panorama of the Mars surface, as taken by the Mars Curiosity Rover. image credit: NASA/JPL
Robert Bruce Thompson Home Page Beyond 2012: Why the World Didn't End Beyond 2012: Why the World Didn't End If you're reading this story, it means the world didn't end on Dec. 21, 2012. Despite reports of an ancient Maya prophecy, a mysterious planet on a collision course with Earth, or a reverse in Earth's rotation, we're still here. The Mayan connection "was a misconception from the very beginning," says Dr. John Carlson, director of the Center for Archaeoastronomy. Video: Why The World Didn't End Yesterday For years leading up to the supposed apocalypse, NASA scientists worked to dispel the myths and answer questions on a host of 2012 topics: Question (Q): Are there any threats to the Earth in 2012? Answer (A):The world will not end in 2012. Q: What is the origin of the prediction that the world will end in 2012? A: The story started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward Earth. Q: Does the Mayan calendar end in December 2012? Video: NASA Scientist David Morrison Debunks the Myths A: Absolutely not.
NEWTON, Ask a Scientist at Argonne National Labs! 50 Years of Incredible Space Images From the European Southern Observatory | Wired Science This week marks the 50th anniversary of one of the world’s leading astronomical institutions, the European Southern Observatory. In honor of ESO’s birthday, we take a look at some of its most stunning shots of the night sky, amazing objects in space, and the organization's beautiful telescope facilities. ESO started when astronomers from five European countries – Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden – came together on Oct. 5, 1962 to build a telescope in the Southern Hemisphere. Having a large telescope south of the equator gave these member states access to unprecedented clear skies and celestial objects that simply can’t be seen from the Northern Hemisphere, such as the Magellanic Clouds. Over the decades, many more countries have joined, including Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Finland, Spain, the Czech Republic, Austria, and, in 2010, Brazil, which became the first non-European state to join. Above: Image: ESO/J.