Space Geek – Moons, Rings of Saturn

February 28, 2011

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From the space probe Cassini, in orbit around Saturn:

Image credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Bad Astronomer Phil Plait says:

The moon at the top is Rhea, which is about 1500 km (950 miles) across. We’re looking past its south pole here. The moon farther away is Dione, which is 1100 km (700 miles) in size. And since Cassini was very nearly in the plane of Saturn’s equator, the rings are nearly edge-on. Note that Dione is on the other side of the rings as seen by Cassini, so the bottom of the moon is obscured by the rings. We can’t see Saturn itself, but it’s off to the left in this shot.

Rhea is only a little bigger than Dione, but is a lot closer in this shot: 61,000 km versus 924,000 for Dione! That’s why Dione looks so much smaller. As seen by Cassini in this shot, it’s actually more than twice as far as our Moon is from the Earth. Both moons are composed of mostly water ice, with some rock. Both have been heavily battered by impacts, as you can see.

Robot Geek – R2A Sees off twin at launch

February 26, 2011

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R2A waves as twin is launched into space on mission to ISS

Robot R2A “waves” to the Space Shuttle Discovery as it lifts off on it’s journey to the International Space Station.  On board is a twin unit to be installed aboard ISS for testing and maintenance.  R2A is mounted on the Centaur mobile platform.  Photo credit: NASA.

NASA Geek – Discovery’s Last Launch

February 24, 2011

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Photo: NASA

More

Time Warp! July, 1983

February 22, 2011

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25 years old. Before the Internet.  Before dispatching.  Before Ham Radio-ing.  Still in denial, and barely aware of it.  Still slinging chicken and burgers. (Same month as Best CheeseBurger in town!) Noticing several things about this picture:  Still sleeping on the same waterbed! Still have the CB radio (don’t use it).  Still have the table the CB and the shortwave are sitting on.  Still have the stereo that’s barely visible (do use it), although that turntable died years ago.  Still have the picture that’s on the wall behind me (it’s of the Space Shuttle on the launch pad).  The hair on my chest is now thicker than the hair on my head (and the chest hair is not all that much thicker today than then!).  I have gained a few pounds in the interim.  But only a few.  I think that robe may be in the back of my closet somewhere.

Photo Credit: Mom!

Slightly freaky afterthought…
It’s been longer since that picture was taken, than from my birth to that day!

That Isn’t Supposed To Happen

February 20, 2011

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The Southern California Edison and AT&T Universal Card websites are supposed to be UP when I want to give them money!  Carmax was ready to take my money, but I’d already paid them this month, so that was nice.  Even my cranky bank’s site was up and available.  Now I have to wait until tomorrow.  They really shouldn’t do that, I might not be in the mood to pay them tomorrow!

Sheese!

UPDATE!: More

Spy Geek – That’s not a hummingbird

February 19, 2011

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Smile, you never know who might be watching.

#Bigfoot Geek – #Sasquatch caught taking a bath

February 16, 2011

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Photo credit: Google Street Views

You just never know what you’ll run across at Google Street Views.  Here’s a site with some interesting scenes from around the world.

Star Trek Geek – Beam Me Up, Scotty, I’m Ready To Help!

February 15, 2011

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Everything in the world you ever wanted to know about the Starship Enterprise, is in that book!

Not so, Klingon breath, but pretty damned close!

Lunar Geek – Fox aired Moon Hoax show 10 years ago

February 15, 2011

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Captain Alan Bean, Apollo 12 Commander holding a sample container, Ocean of Storms, November 1969 Photo Credit: NASA

 

Ten years ago today, Fox aired a program called “”Conspiracy Theory: Did We Land on the Moon?” Bad Astronomy author (and astronomer) Phil Plait writes how this one program did more to advance his career than perhaps any other single thing.

The simple answer?  Yes, of course we went to the Moon. Six times, eighteen crew members, and twelve who actually walked on it’s surface.  The picture above is Apollo astronaut Alan Bean.  Phil says this of the photo:

This is a picture of Al Bean. It’s a man in a space suit. It’s a man in a spacesuit holding a sample container. It’s a man in a spacesuit holding a sample container on the Moon. Standing on the Moon. It’s a man standing on the freakin’ Moon!

And I watched every last one of them, live on TV! Or, as live as was possible back in the days of three networks and six channels, who didn’t always interrupt prime time for our “routine” lunar missions. Before NASA TV, the Internet, and hundreds of cable channels. But when it was on, I was there.

Lunar Geek – Happy Valentine’s Day from the Moon! (and beyond)

February 14, 2011

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A heart-shaped crater in the Galilae region on the Moon. Credit: ASA/GSFC/Arizona State University; 3-D by Nathanial Burton-Bradford.

If you have red/green 3D glasses, you can see the Moon’s heart in 3D!  To see the crater in it’s real orientation (this image rotated for effect), go to Universe Today.

UPDATE:

Mars, not wanting to be left out, also sends it’s Valentine’s Day greetings to the lovers of Earth.

 

A heart-shaped feature in the Arabia Terra region of Mars is show on the left, with additional context on the right, in excerpts of an image taken by the Context Camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

And another UPDATE:

The Heart Nebula.  Perhaps this is the look of a broken heart.

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