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Monday, 30 April 2007
UM @ MSFC
Per The Daily Mississippian:Two Ole Miss engineering majors will be spending their summer in Huntsville, Ala., interning at the Marshall Space Flight Center through NASA.
Sophomore mechanical engineering major Bob Aune and sophomore chemical engineering major Christin Burns are two out of four students from Mississippi that will be part of the program this summer.
Burns interned for NASA last summer, working on a project that involved testing adhesives used to repair tiles on a space shuttle while in orbit.
I do consider it poor reporting, though, that the article doesn't mention that KSC director Bill Parsons is an Ole Miss engineering alum.
Used tags: marshall_space_flight_center, nasa, ole_miss
Soyuz Wanna Go To The Moon?
I have no idea whether the Russian Space Agency, Roskosmos, has an official motto or not, but, if it were needing one, it could certainly do worse than Jerry Maguire's "Show me the money."Every year, there are multiple announcements from RSA saying, "Oh, we could totally do _________," with a caveat that they're just waiting for someone to pay for it. They could build a new, larger spacecraft, if ESA or someone would partner with them. They could fly more Soyuz capsules to ISS, if someone were willing to pay for them. Etc.
One of the more interesting ones a while back was that they could send Soyuz vehicles on circumlunar flights. If, naturally, tourists wanted to pay for the trip. An interesting idea, but I haven't heard anything else come of it.
Until now -- Russian oi billionaire Roman Abramovich has said he would pay about $300 million for the trip (versus about $20 million for a seat to ISS). First spacewalker Alexie Leonov has vouched for Abramovich.
So, Roskosmos, there's the money. Now show us the moon.
Used tags: moon, roskosmos, soyuz, space
Gordo's Final Flight
Per Space.com:A privately-built rocket blasted off from New Mexico's Spaceport America Saturday, roaring skyward to the edge of space carrying a variety of payloads - including the ashes of Star Trek's "Scotty" James Doohan and NASA Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper.
A SpaceLoft XL rocket shot upwards on a suborbital trajectory, launched by UP Aerospace, a Connecticut-based company. The mission - labeled SL-2 - was loaded with an array of educational investigations, as well as commercial and entrepreneurial payloads.
Used tags: altspace, space, star_trek
Cool Or Not?
Random bits on AICN today for discussion:- New footage shot for upcoming Blade Runner "mega DVD" -- Oh, George Lucas, what has thou wrought? I'll try to keep an open mind about this, but, really, I think people are just getting carried away.
- Highlander: Search for Vengeance Preview! -- I was hoping this was video of the upcoming anime Highlander flick, but it's just a column about it. From what I've seen, it looks like it's going to be bad, but perhaps not in the delightful way most of the Highlander movies are.
- Trailer online for Superman/Doomsday animated DVD -- Speaking of not very good. Maybe it'll turn out better than the trailer looks, though. We'll see.
- Generally positive review of Transformers screening -- FWIW.
Thursday, 26 April 2007
Bubba Ho-Tep III: Re-Animator
So, honestly now:
That's pretty cool! (1 votes)
Eh, who cares? (0 votes)
Very possibly the most disgusting thing in recent pop culture history. (2 votes)
Used tags: elvis, television, youtube
Dirty Dealings
It's Thursday, so this week's Hatbag has now been posted. Go check it out.We're still trying to make some progress in the top comic list polls again, so please feel more then free to vote Hatbag.
And, since apparently a bunch of ATW readers don't follow the weekly Hatbag link, I thought a brief explanation might be in order -- Hatbag is a weekly webcomic Lain and I create; following two old college buddies as they adjust to sort-of grown-up life. If you read ATW, take a few extra seconds to go read Hatbag. Please? Please?
Also, have a nice day.
Used tags: blog, comics, funny, hatbag
Wednesday, 25 April 2007
iATV
Per the European Space Agency:If you think you can come up with the ideal playlist for astronauts flying around the Earth in the International Space Station , ESA wants to hear from you.
...
ESA is launching a competition to find a set of 10 tunes that is out of this world. All you have to do is write down a song selection that you think would be most suitable for the astronauts on the ISS to listen to. Before you decide, try to put yourself in the shoes of the men and women who live on the Station and put together a playlist that would cheer them up, inspire them, etc….
...
The winner’s playlist will be downloaded onto an iPod and sent to the ISS in ESA’s Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), which will be making its maiden flight later this year. The 20 tonne craft, named ‘Jules Verne’, after the famous French science fiction writer, will be delivering about seven tonnes of cargo to the astronauts living in the International Space Station.
The bad news, though: "Entries are only accepted from nationals of the following countries which are participating in the ATV programme: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland."
That said, what would your playlist include?
Thanks to Chris Tutor
Used tags: apple, atv, esa, ipod, playlist, space
Editorial Note
I've been playing some more with the possible redesign of ATW, which, at the moment, I'm really inclined to implement. I haven't made many purely aesthetic changes since I last wrote about it, though I've made a few minor aeshetic/functionality tweaks that you may or may not notice. I've also played with the Tags feature (which show up on the old-school ATW as keywords, without the cool things they do in the Sandbox), and have improved, among other things, the search feature.Partially in response to the criticism that fewer items are visible at a time in the redesign, I've also created an ATW Headlines version of the blog, where you can rapidly scroll through the brief descriptions of the entries.
Like I said, I'm planning now to switch to the redesign version of ATW when I'm finally happy with it (It's now the version of the blog I use most of the time). In the meantime, I'd really appreciate any feedback. If there are things you like about the current design that changed in the redesign, let me know, and it may be possible to combine elements between the two.
Also, the Sandbox version is still only the full version of the blog, but, for readers of the Space blog, if I redesign the full blog, I'll probably redesign the Space version in a similar manner. (Based on some ideas I have for the third ATW blog, though, I may start playing with individual distinctive looks for the different versions, but that's further down the road.)
Used tags: blog
Cylons All These Years
An open letter to Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro:Dear Professor,
I know you're rightfully proud of creating a robot duplicate of yourself, that looks and moves exactly like you. It's quite a scientific accomplishment.
But remember: Creating humaniform androids may seem like all fun and games, until someone starts the robot holocaust.
Sincerely,
ATW
Used tags: robot_holocaust
Back On Tap
Spinal tap reuniting for a concert performance in July? Sure, that's nice.Rob Reiner directing a new 15-minute film about the reunion? Oh, yeah, count me in for that!
The fact that reunion, and a new song, are going to be an issue-oriented part of a global-warming awareness event? Too soon to tell.
The fact that almost certainly the only way we're going to get our hands on the new 15-minute documentary is by buying another new DVD edition of This Is Spinal Tap? Let's not talk about that, shall we.
Not-Very-Strange New World
OK, yeah, I'm enough of a SciFi geek that the idea of a Class M planet (or "Minshara Class") resonates with me: "They are always located in the ecological region of a star where they are provided enough warmth and energy to develop and sustain carbon-based life," says Wikipedia. "Their surfaces comprises a thin tectonic layer floating on a molten rock mantle and they usually have many active volcanoes. Most importantly, they have plenty of liquid water necessary for life to exist. Their atmospheres contain oxygen and nitrogen with other trace gases."In other words, planets kind of like ours.
It's too soon to say for sure that Gliese 581 c is a Class M planet, but, for the first time, astronomers have found an extrasolar world they believe could very possibly fit the classificiation.
The planet is in the Goldilocks Zone for liquid water around a red dwarf, not that far away -- a mere 20.5 lightyears.
Life on Gliese 581 c would be a bit different -- while the planet's circumfrence is only half again that of Earth, it's density is such that humans would have to adjust to a constant 5-g's; and a year there lasts only 13 days.
Although astronomers believe water could exist on the planet, they have no idea yet whether it actually does or not. And, even if it does, habitability could be limited. Some astronomers believe that, because of its proximity to its star, Gliese 581 c may be gravitationally locked to its star as the moon is to the Earth, so that one side is always facing it, creating a huge variation in heat from one side to the other. (The article doesn't say this, but it would seem, depending on what effect that had on an atmosphere, there would still be the possibility of a temperate zone at the terminator.)
Regardless of what the exact conditions on Gliese 581 c may be, the important thing is this -- these worlds do exist. It's just a matter of finding them.
Used tags: astronomy, planets, space, star_trek
NASA Grounds Vista
Per Information Week:The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the latest federal agency to put a hold on PC upgrades to Windows Vista. NASA has decided against deploying Microsoft's five-month-old operating system anytime this year.
The decision puts NASA in company with the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation, both of which in February revealed temporary bans on Vista.
...
In a meeting with IT professionals and user-group representatives last week on Microsoft's campus, CEO Steve Ballmer rejected an assertion by a NASA computer scientist that Vista has been banned by most sectors of the federal government.
"Vista has been anything but banned from most parts of the U.S. federal government," Ballmer said, adding that he anticipated near-term adoption in "a number" of government accounts. He stopped short, however, of naming any government agencies that are in the process of deploying Vista or about to do so.
ITSS Review
Shamefully, I'm still very gradually working through 'Into That Silent Sea' by Francis French and Colin Burgess, the first book in the Outward Odyssey series.In the meantime, though, I thought I'd pass along this recent review of the book, which does a pretty fair job of describing what's in the book, even if it fails to really capture what makes this book special.
Used tags: apollo, books, outward_odyssey, space
Tuesday, 24 April 2007
But Will It Get Typecast?
Helvetica celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and what better way to celebrate than with a feature-film documentary about the font? Helvetica is an "independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface ... as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives."The link above also has a bit of information about the font, such as its original name, and mentions Macintosh, which also wins points with me.
I can't say that I have particularly strong feelings about Helvetica; really, for me, it's just sort of the font I'm using when I'm not using another font; a font that says nothing for those times when you don't want to say anything with your font. But, then, where would we be without a font like that?
Pocket Full of Kryptonite
Per Reuters:Kryptonite, which robbed Superman of his powers, is no longer the stuff of comic books and films.
A mineral found by geologists in Serbia shares virtually the same chemical composition as the fictional kryptonite from outer space, used by the superhero's nemesis Lex Luther to weaken him in the film "Superman Returns."
...
Stanley, who revealed the identity of the mysterious new mineral, discovered the match after searching the Internet for its chemical formula - sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide.
"I was amazed to discover that same scientific name written on a case of rock containing kryptonite stolen by Lex Luther from a museum in the film Superman Returns," he said.
...
But instead of the large green crystals in Superman comics, the real thing is a white, powdery substance which contains no fluorine and is non-radioactive.
Used tags: comics, kryptonite, mineral, superman
Today In History
New wide-angle panorama of the Carina Nebula, one of the largest Hubble panoramas ever. NASA et al, via Cosmic Log.
On this date in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was launched aboard the STS-31 mission of Space Shuttle Discovery. The telescope was deployed the next day. Problems with its mirror would be corrected more than three years later on the STS-61 mission. Preparations are currently underway for a final Hubble servicing mission in September 2008.
Also on this date, in 1962, a television picture was transmitted through space for the first time via the Echo 1 satellite, and, in 1967, Vladimir Komarov became the first person to die during an orbital spaceflight when the parachute during the reentry of his Soyuz 1 capsule.
Used tags: history, hubble, nasa, space
Return To The Moon
Used tags: ares, moon, nasa, orion, space, youtube
Here Comes The Sun -- In 3-D!
Grab your red-and-blue 3-D glasses, and get ready to see the sun as you've never seen it before.NASA's STEREO spacecraft have sent back the first three-dimensional images of the sun, and the NASA homepage now has a collection of pictures and animations that let you appreciate detail in the sun's atmosphere to a greater extent than flat images can.
And, if for some reason, you don't have a pair of 3-D glasses handy, there are some good 2-D pics there as well.
Per NASA: STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory), ... launched October 2006, will provide a unique and revolutionary view of the Sun-Earth System. The two nearly identical observatories - one ahead of Earth in its orbit, the other trailing behind - will ... will reveal the 3D structure of coronal mass ejections; violent eruptions of matter from the sun that can disrupt satellites and power grids, and help us understand why they happen. STEREO will become a key addition to the fleet of space weather detection satellites by providing more accurate alerts for the arrival time of Earth-directed solar ejections with its unique side-viewing perspective.
Used tags: 3_d, nasa, space, stereo, sun
Time 100
Time is working on its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and is letting readers vote on how the 200 candidates should rank.Several people from ATW-fave fields are included in the list, including U2 frontman Bono, iCEO Steve Jobs, Apple Chief Designer Jonathan Ive, Wikipedia founder (and Huntsville native) Jimmy Wales, noted Frank Miller parodyist Frank Miller, Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson and astrophyscist Neil Degrasse Tyson (and possibly some others, the interface was annoying, so I may have missed someone).
Used tags: apple, comics, space, steve_jobs, u2, virgin_galactic
The Rest Of The Story
I don't usually post about other things I'm working on here, but we recently had a project go online at work that I'm rather pleased with.As part of our team's support for the upcoming STS-118 flight of Educator Astronaut Barbara Morgan, our other writer and I traveled out to Johnson Space Center a while back to conduct interviews with a small handful of the many, many people on the ground that are involved in making the STS-118 mission happen.
The series of features tells the story of the STS-118 mission in a way that you would not normally hear it, and showcases for students and teachers some of the wide variety of jobs that make up the NASA workforce.
The people we talked to were really fascinating, and had some interesting stories.
The first batch of profiles is now online, and more will be added later.
Used tags: johnson_space_center, nasa, space, sts_118
Monday, 23 April 2007
Deaths In The Family
I'm not going to pretend I have anything I can add to what's been said, but wanted to post something here in case anyone does have anything to say.
Used tags: johnson_space_center, nasa, space, virginia_tech
The Poor Farmer
I wanted to buy The Astronaut Farmer on DVD, I really did.Yeah, it had its flaws, but it had good heart, and I liked its accessible space-positive attitude. Given its disappointing theatrical run, I was all for it having a decent second life on DVD.
But $28 bucks for a version with no special features besides the trailer? Nah, I'll pass.
This was a movie that cried out for some good extras, like what went into making its well-researched Mercury-Atlas recreation. I'm sure there would have been some AltSpace types that would have been glad to talk about the real-world private rocket builders. But, alas, it's apparently not to be.
Used tags: astronaut_farmer, dvd, movies, space
Fuzzier Than Normal
We went and watched Hot Fuzz this weekend, and enjoyed it very greatly.We'd not seen Shaun of the Dead, but had heard great things about it, so I thought it be worthwhile checking this one out. After watching Hot Fuzz, we went yesterday and bought SotD and watched it that night, we were that impressed. That said, I think I still prefer HF. The writing was impeccable, and it was just all-around entertaining. Funny, funny stuff.
Used tags: funny, hot_fuzz, movies, shaun_of_the_dead
Belated Apple Store Post
I went to another Apple store this weekend and forgot to make my usual "Greetings from an Apple store" post, since I was too busy playing with the Apple TV.The store was very nice -- I can't remember if I've been to other where you check out at the Genius Bar in the back, but that seemed kind of odd. Other than that, though, it was not bad at all. I prefer the stores with shelves in the middle to those where everything is on the walls, but for the latter type of store, it was pretty agreeable.
Seeing the Apple TV in person helped my quandary, but only a little. For my rational mind, it was a discouragement. The video quality I saw was a bit disappointing, and the guy that worked there said that was to be expected with TV shows bought through iTS. (Though I'm not sure if he was right. It remains an open question, but it's at least encouraged me to hold off for a while.) On the flip side, actually using the thing fueled my irrational Apple lust for getting one. The interface was, of course, so smooth, and several of the feature, like the movie-trailer streaming and the music and photo access were very, very nice indeed. Not enough to merit buying the thing for their own worth, but certainly strong arguments for it.
Used tags: apple, apple_store, apple_tv, birmingham, summit
Carnival Of Space
I've been doing this whole blog thing for a while now, and consider myself fairly blog-savvy, but every once and a while I come across something I'm just completely clueless about.For example, until today, I was completely oblivious to the idea of "blog carnivals."
As I understand it, a blog carnival is a sort of regular round-up of related posts on a variety of blogs. I was introduced to the concept by the Why Homeschool blog, which is working to set up a Carnival of Space.
Again, this is just my undestanding, but apparently the CoS will be a place where multiple blogs can submit space-themed posts into a weekly digest. Readers can then go to the Carnival and skim though space content from multiple blogs in one place.
So for any other space bloggers out there, go check it out, and for ATW readers, it's sounds like it'll be a great tool for reading a variety of good space content.
I'll almost certainly be submitting stuff before long, but a) I want to see an edition or two (the first one hits April 26) to make sure I've got the idea right, and b) I'll have to write something worth sharing.
Friday, 20 April 2007
Five Things
OK, not a whole lot to blog about today, so I'm doing one of those blog-meme things to fill space. If you're not the sort of person to care what sorts of things I like, then don't read it.(more)
Used tags: apple, meme, nasa, ole_miss, space
Brain Bytes
I've been meaning to post this for a while, but had to wait until I could find it online.When I started reading this article, it sounded like the most exciting scientific development I'd come across in quite a while. Further into it, it more or less specifically says that it doesn't mean the cool things I thought it did in the beginning, but, even so.
Basically, some researchers have found a way to store human memories to computer chips. Plug the chip into your brain, and if functions like a second hard drive supporting the old biochemical method.
The obvious benefit is that said method would be immune to the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to. Fear Alzheimer's is setting in? Just upgrade your old storage to the latest hardware.
But -- while the article says this isn't feasible, one can't help but suspect that, if this were to be widely adopted, it would open the door for unbelievable breakthroughs.
The biochemical processes that allow us to store and recover information are pretty opaque to science at the moment; at least in terms of decoding how the information is written.
But electronic data storage? Yeah, that's a whole lot more mature.
Granted, the brain wouldn't write to the chip using the same protocols as a computer, and, as the article points out, its protocols are going to be far more difficult to figure out.
Ultimately, however, it is just an electronic data storage protocol, and I have a hard time believing that the incredible wealth avaliable to anyone who figures out how to crack the code won't provide enough incentive for someone to do it. Maybe not immediately, but eventually and inevitably.
Figure out how to write specific memories to the chip, and how to copy that data, and bingo -- We can remember it for you wholesale.
Figure out how to write data onto the chip, and with a quick download, you can know kung fu.
Whoa.
Used tags: brain
Thursday, 19 April 2007
Today In History
On this date in 1971, the Soviet Union launched its first space station, Salyut 1.Though generally considered the first space station, Salyut was not manned by multiple crews.
Per NASA:
The first 3-man crew arrived a few days later after being launched by the workhorse Soyuz booster (shown below). But, something stuck and they couldn't get it, requiring them to return to Earth. The second crew, with tools to open th Salyut, did enter and stayed for 16 days. But, tragically, upon return, a leak in their spacecraft sucked out all oxygen, so that they died enroute.Because of these problems, when a space station was finally manned by multiple crews in 1973, it was not a Soviet facility, but rather the American Skylab.
The Russians were developing another spacecraft to be used for military observations. This Almaz series was a response to the U.S. Air Force's plans for manned observatories. The first Almaz was "disguised" as Salyut-2 to prevent other nations from awareness of the "spy" effort. This Salyut-2 was launched on April 3, 1973 but was never visited because a fire broke out onboard, so damaging the ship that it was uninhabitable and was decelerated into the atmosphere on May 28, 1973.
Used tags: history, skylab, soviet, space
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner
It's been pretty much assumed for a while, but now it's official:J.J. Abrams has announced of Trek XI that "James T. Kirk appears in the movie."
Per Trekweb: "The respect we all have for Star Trek canon - and for a brand-new audience - is massive." Abrams told the magazine "The script is done. We’re now starting pre-prep, and we can’t wait to start shooting! Many more details to follow!"
Used tags: star_trek, star_trek_xi
One Giant Leap; One Small Step
So, the good news:Sales of Macs largely kept pace with significant growth in overall PC shipments during the first quarter of 2007, two market research firms concur, yielding Apple the title of fastest growing manufacturer with regard to U.S. computer sales.Of course, the bad-news flipside should be obvious:
Gartner pegs Apple's current U.S. market share at 5 percent -- a whopping 30 percent increase of the 4 percent figure estimated for the first quarter of 2006.So basically this news is just announcing low marketshare in a way that makes it sound like an advantage.
Editorial Note
OK, I've managed to avoid playing with my blog template for quite a while now, particularly when it comes to making layout changes.But... I've been helping someone with some design work for another site (well, really just coding work -- he's making the design decisions, I'm just helping to implement them), and there have been some things to come out of that work that I've really liked, and it made me wonder what ATW would be like if I made some changes.
Anyway, I've started drafting a new design for ATW, and I'd appreciate any feedback on it. It still needs some tweaking, but I've reached the point with it where there's no point putting a lot more time into it just to throw it away. (If you're reading this on the space blog, you'll note that the redesign shows the full blog, but, if I end up making a change, I have the option of using the same design for the space blog, or not, if that's what people think.)
I would appreciate any comments, but for those who aren't the type to actually post comments, I have a handy one-click feedback poll here:
I like the current design (3 votes)
I like the new design (3 votes)
Used tags: blog
Stop Pulling My Lego
Be sure to check out this week's Hatbag, because knowing is half the battle.We're still trying to make some progress in the top comic list polls again, so please feel more then free to vote Hatbag.
And, since apparently a bunch of ATW readers don't follow the weekly Hatbag link, I thought a brief explanation might be in order -- Hatbag is a weekly webcomic Lain and I create; following two old college buddies as they adjust to sort-of grown-up life. If you read ATW, take a few extra seconds to go read Hatbag. Please? Please?
Also, have a nice day.
Wednesday, 18 April 2007
Sulu, Thank God You're Here
George Takei will be appearing on Thank God You're Here tonight at 7 p.m. CDT on NBC. FWIW.
Used tags: improv, star_trek, television
Suni Comes Home
From Spaceflight Now:NASA managers are reassessing whether to leave astronaut Sunita Williams aboard the international space station until August, a longer-than-planned stay because of a shuttle launch delay, or to bring her home aboard the Atlantis when flights resume in June, sources say.
Williams was launched to the station aboard the shuttle Discovery in December. She originally planned to return to Earth aboard the shuttle Endeavour in June, after the flight of Atlantis in March. But Atlantis was grounded by hail damage to the ship's external tank and the March launch has been delayed to no earlier than June 8. As a result, Endeavour's launch has slipped to Aug. 9 and along with it, Williams' ride home.
Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's chief of spaceflight operations, said during a news conference April 10 that barring major problems, Williams would come home in August aboard Endeavour as planned. He said the impact of additional exposure to space radiation was minimal.
Sources, however, now say NASA is revisiting the issue but a timetable for making a final decision was not known.
For her part, Williams said during an earlier interview she was not overly concerned about increased exposure to space radiation or any other aspects of a longer-than-planned stay in space.
Used tags: international_space_station, nasa, space, sts_117, sts_118
Get An iLife
Continuing the U2 theme for the day, TUAW has a post for those who still haven't found what they're looking for -- a list/poll about expected Apple products that haven't been released yet. Topping the list are an iLife update, a full-screen video ipod, and a MacBook Pro update. I found it interesting that a MacPro refresh (which would replace the design that's been used for the high-end desktop for quite a while now) ranked second-to-last, above only the one-terabyte Apple TV but well below the "Ipod Invisible."
A Spider-Man And A Woman
When someone sent me an e-mail the other day about a Spider-Man musical with music written by Bono and The Edge, I assumed it was some sort of April Fools' joke that had manage to proliferate.But apparently not.
Tuesday, 17 April 2007
STS-118 Update
I've updated the left-hand sidebar with the latest changes to the space shuttle launch schedule. STS-117, currently scheduled for June 8, remains the same; STS-118 moves back four days to August 9; and the next four flights get new working target dates.I've not heard anything about how this affects the schedule after STS-124, but since the next mission, STS-119, was not scheduled until July 2008 anyway, the slip from February to April on STS-124 could theoretically still allow for making the July date for 119 and picking up the previous schedule from there. But, of course, I'll update as new announcements are made.
Used tags: launch_schedule, nasa, space, space_shuttle, sts_118
Friday, 13 April 2007
Today In History
13 April 1970: “Hey, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.”
Used tags: apollo, history, nasa, space
Editorial Note
No blogging today; I'm at the Great Moonbuggy Race.
Used tags: blog
Thursday, 12 April 2007
Today In History
April 12 -- one of the two most important dates in spaceflight history (along with fellow double-significance date Oct. 4.
On this date in 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space.
Then, exactly 20 years later, John Young and and Bob Crippen launched on the first flight of the space shuttle.
If you have one in your area, you can celebrate the occassion at a Yuri's Night party (and, if you don't, you can go online for the Second Life party). I'll be missing out, I'm afraid -- despite the fact that Huntsville is listed as a party site, I've seen no information about an event, and the organizer didn't respond to e-mail. And I'm not doing the Second Life thing. I can barely handle the one.
But we did make a Yuri's Night Hatbag.
Used tags: history, nasa, space, space_shuttle
Nietzsche Family Circus
OK, this is kinda funny.
One Of Us
Dear Lost people,OK, last night you re-earned my confidence.
Thanks,
David
Used tags: lost, television
Spaceflight Is Taxing
OK, this week, not only do we have the regularly scheduled new Hatbag strip, we also have bonus strips! Not one, not two, but -- oh, wait, no, two. Anyway, enjoy.We're still trying to make some progress in the top comic list polls again, so please feel more then free to vote Hatbag.
And, since apparently a bunch of ATW readers don't follow the weekly Hatbag link, I thought a brief explanation might be in order -- Hatbag is a weekly webcomic Lain and I create; following two old college buddies as they adjust to sort-of grown-up life. If you read ATW, take a few extra seconds to go read Hatbag. Please? Please?
Also, have a nice day.
Used tags: comics, funny, hatbag, history, space
RIP Kurt Vonnegut
Thinking about what to say, I found this site:I have never forgotten that it begins like this:Exactly.
Listen:
Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time.
And that it ends:
“Poo-tee-weet?”
And in between, trying to get unstuck, I once again wander through time with Billy Pilgrim. It is as if I never left.
Thanks, Kurt.
Used tags: books
Wednesday, 11 April 2007
Heaven's Gates?
So IT Wire says that Russian state television said that cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin said that spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi said that Bill Gates said that he wants to visit the International Space Station, too.As reported by the Associated Press, Yurchikhin told journalists: “So the next time someone will be with Bill Gates. For me this is the biggest surprise of our flight.”
Which, of course, I have mixed feelings about. What I would love to see, though, is a combination of this piece of news, the old rumors that Russia was considering flying tourism-dedicated Soyuz flights with one cosmonaut and two spaceflight participants, and the announcement that Gates and Steve Jobs were going to be sharing the stage at the upcoming D5 conference -- How could would it be to see the wacky adventures of Bill and Steve in space‽
Used tags: apple, international_space_station, space, steve_jobs
Extrasolar Water
Per Space.com:Astronomers have detected water in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system for the first time.
The finding, to be detailed in an upcoming issue of Astrophysical Journal, confirms previous theories that say water vapor should be present in the atmospheres of nearly all the known extrasolar planets. Even hot Jupiters, gaseous planets that orbit closer to their stars than Mercury to our Sun, are thought to have water.
The discovery, announced today, means one of the most crucial elements for life as we know it can exist around planets orbiting other stars.
“We know that water vapor exists in the atmospheres of one extrasolar planet and there is good reason to believe that other extrasolar planets contain water vapor,” said Travis Barman, an astronomer at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona who made the discovery.
HD209458b is a world well-known among planet hunters. In 1999, it became the first planet to be directly observed around a normal star outside our solar system and, a few years later, was the first exoplanet confirmed to have oxygen and carbon in its atmosphere.
DYITunes
Since we talked about this recently, I thought I'd note that there is currently an album near the top of the sales chart on the UK version of iTunes that was recorded at someone's house and distributed to iTunes via a "record label" the artist set up herself.
Used tags: apple, itunes, music
Ole Miss In Jeopardy
I didn't see this story until too late to blog that Ole Miss got its category on last night's episode of Jeopardy.However, I can still give advance notice that:
Upcoming episodes featuring UM clues include: - April 18, one clue in the category "'60s Music" - April 20, five clues in the category "Willaim Faulkner" - May 17, three clues in the category "The Science of Sound"A crew from the show spent a couple of days in Oxford in December, filming segments on campus and around town.
Used tags: ole_miss, television
STS-117 Update
You'll notice that the countdown clock in the upper left has finally been reset. There's now a launch date for STS-117 again: June 8. NASA announced yesterday that it was going to proceed with repairing the hail-damaged external tank, with an eye towards rolling the vehicle back out to the pad around May 6.The move will push the next flight, STS-118, from June 28 to NET August 5. Shuttle manager Wayne Hale said he hopes to be able to fly two missions after that in October and December, which would put the program at the end of the year one flight behind where it was scheduled to be before the hailstorm.
And, as of this writing, we're at T -58 days, 9 hours, 22 minutes.
And counting.
Used tags: nasa, space, space_shuttle, sts_117
Tuesday, 10 April 2007
Broken Triad Update
But, as one might guess, I was a bit lost, so I had to reread everything and piece it together. And in doing so, I did the math and figured out the timeline of what happened when, etc.
Nice guy that I am, I posted the fruits of my labor before the first chapter.
Used tags: blog, books, broken_triad
Trekking To KSC
100 Million iPods Note
Per MacNN:Apple, Sony, and Nintendo are the only companies to sell 100 million in sales of a single product family. Sony did it in the 1980s and 1990s with the walkman cassette player, but it took the electronics giant more than 13 years and sold over 350 million unis--making it the most popular electronic device in history; the company reached the 100 million milestone again with its PlayStation 2 game console--this time in five years and eight months and Nintendo's GameBoy system reached the same milestone in 13 yrs, but it appears that Apple holds the record--although the classification includes all of the iPod family. According to Forbes, Apple reached 100 million iPods in five-and-a-half years, making the iPod the fastest selling music player in history--an achievement that is likely to stand in the record books for the foreseeable future.
STS-117 Update
NASA officials are meeting today to evaluate the progress of repairs to the hail-damaged ET-124, and will be deciding whether to proceed with those repairs and use that external tank for the STS-117 mission, or whether to replace that tank with a new one, which could delay the mission further. An announcement is expected today, no earlier than 5 p.m. CDT.
Used tags: nasa, space, space_shuttle, sts_117
Monday, 9 April 2007
Today In History
On this date in 1959, NASA announced the first seven astronauts: Scott Carpenter, Gordo Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Al Shepard and Deke Slayton.
Bigelow Update
Per Aviation Week and Space Technology:The Bigelow Aerospace commercial inflatable manned space module venture intends to have three large multi-module outposts in Earth orbit by 2015 to serve different user communities.
CEO Robert T. Bigelow says his engineers predict 800 paying crewmembers could fly to Bigelow outposts over the next 10 years.
...
As many as 12-14 commercial launch vehicles could fly cargo and crew to the first outpost in its initial year of manned operations as early as 2012, says Eric Haakonstad, Bigelow Genesis module program manager.
...
The NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) competitors SpaceX and Rocketplane Kistler will be heavily involved, as could other launcher/spacecraft concepts, including Russian Soyuz and, eventually, Chinese Shenzhou missions. Even outfits like Blue Origins could fly to Bigelow modules.
...
At the same time Bigelow is developing its Earth-orbit infrastructure, the company intends to develop a capability to assemble small outposts in space that could be delivered, already assembled for the most part, to the lunar surface.
The company is about to begin tests in Las Vegas on a proprietary system to cover and insulate the modules with lunar regolith using a Bigelow design with minimal moving parts less subject to breakdown, Bigelow says.
...
Bigelow is already conducting in-orbit testing of its Genesis I inflatable module, and Genesis II will be launched by late spring under current planning for its Russian SS-18 Dnepr booster.
...
The Bigelow hardware buildup plan includes:
...
*Galaxy module: Planned for launch in late 2008, Galaxy will be twice as large as Genesis and 50% of the scale required for an operational manned module.
The Galaxy module will provide critical tests of different life support system components and avionics.
...
*Sundancer module: Planned for launch by 2010 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster, Ukrainian Zenit, or possibly even an Atlas V, the 10-ton Sundancer module will be launched with the intent that it will eventually be manned with up to three astronauts, Bigelow said.
Future Models
I've discussed on ATW some my internal debate on whether or not to pick up an Apple TV.Given that indecision, things like this just don't help at all. Which is dumb, because, obviously, at some point there will be a new and better Apple TV, so the fact that the Apple store may indicate Apple may be planning multiple models at some point really adds nothing to the decision-making process I didn't already know.
There's also interesting report at LoopRumors about possible future capabilities, like weather reports and headline news via internet. While the story is reportedly unreliable, the fact remains that those things would be possible.
Hrm.
I went looking for an Apple TV this weekend in hopes of just seeing one in person. The local Mac reseller did have them for sale, but didn't have a display model yet, so I've seen the box, but that's it.
100 Million iPods
Per Apple:Apple today announced that the 100 millionth iPod has been sold, making the iPod the fastest selling music player in history. The first iPod was sold five and a half years ago, in November 2001, and since then Apple has introduced more than 10 new iPod models, including five generations of iPod, two generations of iPod mini, two generations of iPod nano and two generations of iPod shuffle. Along with iTunes® and the iTunes online music store, the iPod has transformed how tens of millions of music lovers acquire, manage and listen to their music.
“At this historic milestone, we want to thank music lovers everywhere for making iPod such an incredible success,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “iPod has helped millions of people around the world rekindle their passion for music, and we’re thrilled to be a part of that.”
When I bought my first iPod, I felt kinda like a late adopter, since the device was already on its third-generation. In retrospect, however, having bought one of the first million sold was actually fairly early on. Between the two of us, Nicole and I are up to five iPods now, and I'm still patiently awaiting the widescreen "real" iPod.
Expedition 15 Update
The Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft launched successfully Saturday, carrying part of the Expedition 15 crew on their way to the International Space Station.Docking with the station will take place around 2:12 p.m. CDT today, and will be broadcast and webcast via NASA TV.
Sunday, 8 April 2007
Free Cover Sunday
I was running short of ideas for Free Cover Sunday, when, thankfully, Alanis Morissette came to the rescue with her cover of the Black Eyed Peas' My Humps.Since someone in the ATW audience introduced me to this cover in the first place, I'm sure some of you have already seen the video, and for you I picked a link that has the song in a downloadable mp3 format. For those that haven't seen it, though, you oughtta check out the video first.
Happy Joe-Day
Today is the birthday of Joe, a charter member of the ATW community (and someone I've known for just a few years longer than ATW's been around -- In fact, one of the people who is perhaps most responsible for me being a writer today).So, to Joe, happy birthday!
And to the non-Joe members of the ATW audience, what better way to celebrate the occasion than be going to Joe's music site and checking out some of his work? (Joe, any recommendations for new listeners?)
Friday, 6 April 2007
Space Race '08
OK, I generally try to avoid doing much political blogging on ATW. During the last presidential campaign I did a bit, focused solely on what candidates said about spaceflight, and I will probably take a similar tack this time around.One of my coworkers asked me recently if the candidates often made their positions known publicly as to where they stand on the issue of space exploration. And the answer is that they do, but you kind of have to be watching for little bits here and there.
I thought it might be helpful, even if to no one other than myself, to keep track of that over the next waaay too long leading up to next year's presidential election, so I'll be posting anytime a candidate makes a statement about a spaceflight position. I plan to do it cumulatively, including the entire package every time, rather than just individual statements. But we'll see.
Anyway, here's the first entry in the series:
Republicans
Rudy Giuliani
"He said he supported continuing to aggressively pursue space exploration." -- The Tallahassee Democrat, 5 April 2007
Strange Little Girl
I've long suspected that the exact moment Tori Amos lost it was while recording Cornflake Girl in the studio the first time. She was already a bit unusual, and the song as a whole reflects that, but at least it kinda makes sense. You get what she's trying to say, more or less. And so she reaches the final chorus -- "Never was a cornflake girl, thought that was a good solution" -- and just snaps: "And the man with the golden gun thinks he knows so much/Thinks he knows so much/Rabbit where'd you put the keys girl."Huh?
Ever since then, she's sort of bounced up and down a range of apparent insanity. One of the lower, more-grounded points, for example, might be the recent Beekeeper album, which orange-knickered terrorists aside, keeps a fairly even, if perhaps a bit dull, keel. An example on the other end of the spectrum might be the Strange Little Girls cover album, where every song was performed by a different Tori persona (and, frankly, weren't that great, in my opinion). In the middle, there's a Goldilocks Zone (to tie this into the ATW theme of space) of genius -- "And this Tori's craziness was just right."
Well, it appears Tori's bouncing back toward the upper end of the spectrum again. Given that, and the fact that she's promising this is going to be a more political album, while I'll listen to the iTunes samples to make sure, I may end up sitting this one out.
Expedition 15 Launch
The next crew of the International Space Station will launch tomorrow. Or some of them, at least -- the Soyuz launched tomorrow will carry Expedition 15 cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov, who will join astronaut Suni Williams, who has already been on the station as a member of the Expedition 14 crew and who will become a member of Expedition 15 until she is replaced later this summer by Clay Anderson, who, in turn, will be replaced shortly before the end of Expedition 15 increment by Dan Tani, who will then stay through the next Soyuz exchange this fall and become a member of the Expedition 16 crew. Got it? Also on the Soyuz will be spaceflight participant (the politically correct term for space tourist) Charles Simonyi, who, despite being an old Microsoft hand, is probably a decent guy, since he isn't with Redmond anymore, and is interested enough in space to spend a ton of money on it, even if it is just for his personal benefit, as opposed to say, fellow former Microsoft alum Paul Allen, who funded SpaceShipOne. Simonyi, being a tourist, is a part of no Expedition crew. Anyway, hope that makes it all clear.The launch will be at 12:31 p.m. CDT tomorrow, and will be televised and webcast on NASA TV.
Thursday, 5 April 2007
Most Improved
For those that don't appreciate the "Clutch Cargo of comics" nature of Hatbag, you'll be excited to know that Seth has five different facial expressions in this week's strip!We're still trying to make some progress in the top comic list polls again, so please feel more then free to vote Hatbag.
And, since apparently a bunch of ATW readers don't follow the weekly Hatbag link, I thought a brief explanation might be in order -- Hatbag is a weekly webcomic Lain and I create; following two old college buddies as they adjust to sort-of grown-up life. If you read ATW, take a few extra seconds to go read Hatbag. Please? Please?
Also, have a nice day.
The Big Booster
Per The Huntsville Times:Like most drivers, rocket engineers at Marshall Space Flight Center want to squeeze performance out of every drop of fuel to improve mileage.
Except these engineers are planning rocket launches to the moon. To try to improve rocket performance, Marshall engineers Wednesday conducted a 20-second test to gather information on part of the RS-68 rocket engine.
For the past month, Marshall teams have been testing parts of the Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne RS-68 rocket engine trying to improve the flow and injection of fuel into its combustion chamber, said Craig McArthur, Marshall's manager of the Ares V core stage and core engine program.
...
The RS-68 is used by the United Launch Alliance to power its Decatur-built Delta IV rockets. NASA plans to use five of the RS-68s on the first stage of the Ares V.
The next major series of tests will be conducted at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi about 30 miles east of New Orleans, McArthur said.
Now That's A Shiny Meatball!
As repairs wrap up from hurricane damage from back in 2004, workers have finished repainting the giant NASA logo on the side of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. The logo measures 110 feet by 132 feet, or about 12,300 square feet. (If you can't see the people on the scaffold in the picture above, check out the full version of the pic. It really gives you a sense of scale.)
Work is also almost done repainting the American flag on the VAB. Both the flag and the logo can be seen in this picture.
AppleGoo
If anyone out there has tried, or tries in the future, the new Google Desktop for Mac, I would love to hear your thoughts on it. (Or, heck, even if you're not trying it for a particular reason, let me know that too.)
Wednesday, 4 April 2007
Space Proletariat
A friend pointed out to me an article on libcom.org -- a small collective of libertarian communists based in and around London ("We identify primarily with the trends of workers' solidarity, co-operation and struggle throughout history").This particular article was titled Class war in space - The Skylab 4 mutiny. It relates a version of certain events during the SL-4 mission that, while not entirely accurate, have been passed along over the years and become the "mainstream" version. (A much more accurate version will be included in "Homesteading Space" by Hitt, Garriott and Kerwin, coming from the University of Nebraska Press in 2008.)
In keeping with the site's theme, they tell the story of the Skylab III incident as a labor dispute.
However, it really doesn't live up to the "class war" title, and I think they should go further to explore that, how the history of Skylab is really a story of the bourgeoisie in Mission Control keeping the working-class flight crew proletariat down.
For example, initial plans to allow the Skylab crews to drink wine in orbit were cancelled preflight. Ostensibly, this was because of pressure from temperance groups. However, I think in context it becomes clear that the powers-that-be found that a good wine was inappropriate for the lower-class astronauts who would be manning the station, and might cause them to forget their place.
Further, while most of the flight controllers almost certainly owned their own homes, the astronauts themselves were forced to live in government-owned housing during their mission, and, in fact, were allowed only a minimal amount of property ownership while in orbit in general, unable to own anything from the clothes on their back to the soap they washed themselves with. Even their bodily waste became property of the government.
Used tags: history, nasa, skylab, space
Today In History
On this date in 1983, the Space Shuttle Challenger left Earth for her maiden flight. During the five-day mission, the crew deployed the first TDRS satellite, beginning the network that today allows near-constant communication capability between orbiting spacecraft and the ground. The crew consisted of commander Paul Weitz (who had first flown on the first Skylab mission), pilot Bo Bobko and mission specialists Don Peterson (a native of Winona, Miss., for the ATW readers in the Magnolia State) and Story Musgrave. (I was amused to see this anniversary was today, having had the opportunity to talk to one of the STS-6 crewmembers last week in Houston.)
Used tags: books, history, nasa, skylab, space, space_shuttle
The Sixth Sense (And Seventh, And Eighth)
"If happy little bluebirds fly over the rainbow," Dororothy sang enviously in the Wizard of Oz, "why, oh, why can't I?"The technology, of course, existed by the time that movie was made for Dorothy to do so, although how accessible it was to a poor farm girl in Kansas then I don't know.
Had she been of a different bent, she might have asked, "If happy little bluebirds have an inate sense of direction, then why can't I?"
And, just as with flying over the rainbow, technology has reached the point where this, too, is possible.
There are several senses that other creatures on this planet have that humans lack. For almost all of those, capturing the data is no problem. Want to know which direction is north? Grab a compass. The trick, rather, is input. We humans are limited to our five senses (well, more or less -- we actually have other lesser senses, like spatial orientation, but that's beside the point), and any data we take in must be filtered through those. The compass, for example, provides the directional data that birds receive by inputting it through our sense of sight.
But a compass isn't really a sense, it's a data point. You don't have an ongoing awareness of direction, you can just see your momentary direction.
Wearing a belt with pads that vibrate based on your orientation relative to north, on the other hand? Yeah, that much more closely simulates an additional sense, to the point where the brain rewires itself to the input, and the wearer gains an awareness that you wouldn't get from a compass.
The WIRED article linked above discusses this, as well as other alt-senses. Fascinating stuff.
Generation iTV
I've written a fair amount in this blog over time about how the era of digital music has changed the way that I listen to music, and speculating on what the long-term effect will be, not just for me personally but in terms of cultural impact as well.Thus I was intrigued by this article taking it to the next step, looking at how iTunes changes the way people watch television. I've not yet really made the step into IPTV yet, but it's a change I can see myself making in the future.
Tuesday, 3 April 2007
The Height Stuff
Per USA Today:Size does matter -- especially to NASA.
As early as 2009, applicants to the astronaut corps will face new size limits, including on weight and sitting height. That's a result of NASA's plan to retire the space shuttle in 2010 and switch entirely to smaller vehicles. The exact limits haven't been determined because new vehicles are still in development.
Since shuttle flights began in 1981, NASA has restricted only height. The last time it recruited a new batch of astronauts, in 2003, the minimum height was 4 feet, 10˝; the maximum was 6 feet, 4 inches.
"It would be the wrong thing to do to select people who aren't going to fit in your spaceship," says Duane Ross, NASA's head of astronaut selection.
Dave -- Live!
On the off chance that anyone's interested and able to make it, I'll be performing in two improv shows Saturday night at Kenny Mango's in Huntsville. A good time shall be had by all.
Monday, 2 April 2007
Trek TV
Over at the TrekWeb forum, someone did an April Fools' post that Abrams' Trek XI would launch a TV series in '09. With the sort of casting rumors that have been going around, the odds of this, of course, would be roughly nil, or perhaps slightly less. That said, since no official casting decisions have been announced, would you rather have see a movie with big stars, or a cast of unknowns that might actually be willing to do a series?
Apple Store Post
This is kind of like my "Greetings from the Apple Store" posts, except it's not actually posted from an Apple store, since it wasn't open.Despite wanting to see the Apple TV in person, I didn't make it to any of the four or five Houston-area Apple stores, as that they're all rather inconvenient from the area where I was. I did, however, go check out the one which will be very convienient to Johnson, at Baybrook Mall. Given Apple's reputation for secrecy, I was curious whether I would be able to figure out where the store was going to be.
Turns out it wasn't that hard.
My favorite part: They got their Web address wrong. (more)
Zooming Past
If you're the sort who waits until I post the notice on ATW before going to check out the new Hatbag, then last week's strip has been online since Wednesday. I'd planned to post something while I was gone, but didn't. Sorry.We're still trying to make some progress in the top comic list polls again, so please feel more then free to vote Hatbag.
And, since apparently a bunch of ATW readers don't follow the weekly Hatbag link, I thought a brief explanation might be in order -- Hatbag is a weekly webcomic Lain and I create; following two old college buddies as they adjust to sort-of grown-up life. If you read ATW, take a few extra seconds to go read Hatbag. Please? Please?
Also, have a nice day.
Stamp Of The Force
I posted a little while back about the new R2D2 mailboxes (I saw one of them while in Houston last week, not realizing how cool that was until I got back and someone pointed out that there are only 400 in the country [and that, apparently, there's another not to far from there -- if you're neighborhood doesn't have one, blame the JSC area, which may be hogging them), but that's only one part of the Post Office's celebration of the 30th anniversary of Star Wars.Among the others -- a collectable sheet will be issued with 15 Star Wars stamps, and a vote (the first since the Elvis stamp) will be held to select one of the 15 to be issued in regular stamp sheets.
Personally, I think I like the Luke/sunset stamp.
Based on the picture of the collectible sheet, the new stamps will be 41 cent stamps, which may be an indication of one way the USPS will make money under the new "forever stamp" program, encouraging people to buy fixed-price stamps instead by making them more attractive than the forever stamps. You would think I would have learned my lesson from the fact that I have several sheets of the DC superhero stamps that I'm trying to burn through before the rate hike goes into effect, but, yeah, I'll probably end up getting some of these (depending on which one's selected, anyway).
Monday, 30 April 2007
UM @ MSFC
Ole Miss students intern with NASA this summer. (Read Entry)
Soyuz Wanna Go To The Moon?
Russian billionaire says he's willing to pony up for the trip. (Read Entry)
Gordo's Final Flight
Rocket carries ashes of Cooper, Doohan into space. (Read Entry)
Cool Or Not?
Random bits from AICN today for discussion. (Read Entry)Thursday, 26 April 2007
Bubba Ho-Tep III: Re-Animator
American Idols digs up Elvis and puts him to work. (Read Entry)
Dirty Dealings
The week's Hatbag strip is now online. (Read Entry)Wednesday, 25 April 2007
iATV
ESA hosts contest for perfect astronaut playlist. (Read Entry)
Editorial Note
Update on redesign, including Headlines page. (Read Entry)
Cylons All These Years
Japanese professor creates robot duplicate of himself. (Read Entry)
Back On Tap
Spinal Tap will reunite for performance, documentary. (Read Entry)
Not-Very-Strange New World
Astronomers say newly discovered planet might be inhabitable. (Read Entry)
NASA Grounds Vista
Agency among others to hold off on upgrading to new Windows. (Read Entry)
ITSS Review
Blogcritic looks at the first book in the Outward Odyssey series. (Read Entry)Tuesday, 24 April 2007
But Will It Get Typecast?
New documentary tells the story of Helvetica (Read Entry)
Pocket Full of Kryptonite
Scientists say new mineral matches movie description. (Read Entry)
Today In History
Hubble launched 17 years ago today. (Read Entry)
Return To The Moon
NASA animation outlines a Constellation mission (Read Entry)
Here Comes The Sun -- In 3-D!
NASA's STEREO spacecraft send back first three-dimensional images of the sun. (Read Entry)
Time 100
Frequent ATW subjects appear on poll for most influential. (Read Entry)
The Rest Of The Story
Profiles feature those on the ground who make a shuttle mission possible. (Read Entry)Monday, 23 April 2007
Deaths In The Family
Spaceflight community mourns lives lost in recent tragedies. (Read Entry)
The Poor Farmer
Astronaut Farmer seems slated for stripped-down DVD. (Read Entry)
Fuzzier Than Normal
Hot Fuzz is a funny movie. Go watch it. (Read Entry)
Belated Apple Store Post
A quick review of the Summit Apple Store and the Apple TV. (Read Entry)
Carnival Of Space
A weekly one-stop shop for space blogging. (Read Entry)Friday, 20 April 2007
Five Things
Another one of those blog memes going around. (Read Entry)
Brain Bytes
New technology could unlock secrets of the memory. (Read Entry)Thursday, 19 April 2007
Today In History
Salyut 1 was launched 36 year ago. (Read Entry)
Guess Who's Coming To Dinner
Abrams confirms next Trek movie will feature Kirk. (Read Entry)
One Giant Leap; One Small Step
Mac first in marketshare increase, but that doesn't take much. (Read Entry)
Editorial Note
Possible ATW redesign is in the works. (Read Entry)
Stop Pulling My Lego
The week's Hatbag strip is now online. (Read Entry)Wednesday, 18 April 2007
Sulu, Thank God You're Here
George Takei will appear on NBC improv show. (Read Entry)
Suni Comes Home
Delay in STS-117 could mean change in station astronaut's flight home. (Read Entry)
Get An iLife
TUAW readers rank the products they're waiting for. (Read Entry)
A Spider-Man And A Woman
Is Bono writing songs for a Spider-Man musical? (Read Entry)Tuesday, 17 April 2007
STS-118 Update
NASA announces target dates for upcoming flights. (Read Entry)Friday, 13 April 2007
Today In History
“Hey, Houston, we’ve had a problem here.” (Read Entry)
Editorial Note
No blogging, I'm Moonbuggying. (Read Entry)Thursday, 12 April 2007
Today In History
Possibly the biggest date in spaceflight history. (Read Entry)
Nietzsche Family Circus
This comic amused me. (Read Entry)
One Of Us
Lost was good this week. (Read Entry)
Spaceflight Is Taxing
The week's Hatbag strip is now online. (Read Entry)
RIP Kurt Vonnegut
Blogger remembers Slaughterhouse Five. (Read Entry)Wednesday, 11 April 2007
Heaven's Gates?
Will Microsoft founder be next space tourist? (Read Entry)
Extrasolar Water
Astronomers find first water outside our solar system. (Read Entry)
DYITunes
Self-posted album a hit on UK iTunes. (Read Entry)
Ole Miss In Jeopardy
Game show will feature questions, video from university. (Read Entry)
STS-117 Update
Launch target set for June 8. (Read Entry)Tuesday, 10 April 2007
Broken Triad Update
I did some more work, as if anyone cares. (Read Entry)
Trekking To KSC
George Takei speaks at NASA center. (Read Entry)
100 Million iPods Note
Apple sets record in reaching milestone in sales of music player. (Read Entry)
STS-117 Update
NASA officials discuss plans for tank repairs. (Read Entry)Monday, 9 April 2007
Today In History
(Read Entry)
Bigelow Update
(Read Entry)
Future Models
(Read Entry)
100 Million iPods
(Read Entry)
Expedition 15 Update
(Read Entry)Sunday, 8 April 2007
Free Cover Sunday
(Read Entry)
Happy Joe-Day
(Read Entry)Friday, 6 April 2007
Space Race '08
Giuliani makes vague statement. (Read Entry)
Strange Little Girl
(Read Entry)
Expedition 15 Launch
(Read Entry)Thursday, 5 April 2007
Most Improved
(Read Entry)
The Big Booster
(Read Entry)
Now That's A Shiny Meatball!
(Read Entry)
AppleGoo
(Read Entry)Wednesday, 4 April 2007
Space Proletariat
Class and caste on Skylab. (Read Entry)
Today In History
Maiden flight of Challenger. (Read Entry)
The Sixth Sense (And Seventh, And Eighth)
(Read Entry)
Generation iTV
(Read Entry)Tuesday, 3 April 2007
The Height Stuff
(Read Entry)
Dave -- Live!
(Read Entry)Monday, 2 April 2007
Trek TV
(Read Entry)
Apple Store Post
(Read Entry)
Zooming Past
(Read Entry)