Curiosity and Wonder

NASA recently released an amazing video. A bird's eye (err ship's eye) view of the landing of Curiosity on Mars.


Video streaming by Ustream

All I can say is... WOW!

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That's One Small Step for a Very Small Man, Eh?

Laura has informed me that Canada has won the race to privately launch Lego to the edge of space. They would have sent him farther but the helmet fell between the couch cushions.

Conveniently, the Response to Both is "We Won"

Today marks a couple of rather different milestones. Fifty years ago today Yuri Gagarin became the first man to orbit the Earth, a perceived Soviet victory in the Cold War. One hundred years prior to that man shot 'round the world, a less cutting-edge (but for its time impressive) ballistics demonstration was initiated against Fort Sumter, resulting in victory for those endorsing the right to buy and sell other human beings. We know how well that turned out, don't we.

It's late and I am negotiating the terms of surrender to tree pollen, but I did not want to let the double anniversary pass without snide comment.

One Small Step for Musk

Congratulations to Elon Musk* and SpaceX on the successful maiden launch of Falcon 9!

*Now available at Macy's

Of Course, You Can Still Throw Yourself Around the Bridge If You Want To

Courtesy of Bad Astronomy comes this impressive review of the physics of space battles. We can only presume that outer space warships will not incorporate five-digit access codes into their design.

On the other hand, if you want to go all old-school be my guest:

To the Final Frontier

In a fitting sendoff, the remains of Gene and Majel Barrett Roddenberry will be shot into space. Who will play "Amazing Grace" at their sendoff in lieu of the late James Doohan?

Mars Attacks! (Silent but Deadly Edition)

Scientists appear to have detected distinct bursts of methane from the surface of Mars. This is an exciting development with implications for past or present life on Mars.

Concurrent with these readings, however, were data transmissions from Spirit and Opportunity, each blaming the other.

Science!

The ageing Hubble Space Telescope* has helped discover some of the unverse's missing missing dark matter, although it will have to share the reward money with the other robot spacecraft.

Frankly this sounds very similar to a Tholian Web so I can see how the scientists would want to soft-pedal this one.

*My high school European History teacher loved the constant references to "the ageing Franz Joseph of Austria" throughout the latter half of the nineteenth century sections of European History textbooks. Given that it feels like the HST was launched in 1848 I will refer to the venerable satellite as the Hapsburg Space Telescope from now on.