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Finding Massive Gas - The International Year of Astronomy

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  • cadmunkycadmunky One hand on the bottle, The other a shaking fist.Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    man, i've always wanted something like that. some rig where i can sit down at my computer and press a button and my roof opens up to reveal a platform mounted scope (or fake gun) on a turret that i can point at neighborhood kids.

    oh yes, i've thought about this.

    cadmunky on
    5955603848_aed2690084.jpg
    "Think of it as Evolution in Action"
  • UsagiUsagi Nah Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    you are not the only one, at some point I will have my own personal mini-observatory in my backyard


    oh, and the ISS may be in the path of debris again
    CNN wrote:
    On its current course, the piece of the Russian Kosmos 1275 will arrive about a half a mile (.79 kilometers) from the space station at 2:14 a.m. CDT Tuesday, said Bill Jeffs, a spokesman at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

    NASA may decide to conduct a "debris avoidance maneuver," which involves firing rockets so that the space station moves in a direction away from the debris' path, Jeffs said.

    Officials were monitoring the debris closely and planned to decide by 6 p.m. whether to carry out the maneuver.

    Usagi on
  • cadmunkycadmunky One hand on the bottle, The other a shaking fist.Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    oh yeah, free calendar!

    cadmunky on
    5955603848_aed2690084.jpg
    "Think of it as Evolution in Action"
  • UsagiUsagi Nah Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    so the ISS had no issues with last night's debris, and take a look at this from Hubblesite:

    hst_saturn_4transit.jpg

    yes, that would be Saturn with four of its moons crossing the visible path at the same time

    left to right is Enceladus, Dione, Titan and Mimas - plus the shadows of Enceladus and Dione are visible on the clouds below

    Usagi on
  • DruhimDruhim Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2009
    awesome pic

    Druhim on
    belruelotterav-1.jpg
  • Clint EastwoodClint Eastwood My baby's in there someplace She crawled right inRegistered User regular
    edited March 2009
    CNN has a nifty live feed of the astronauts up on the ISS, they're installing those new solar panels right now. It's on their website right now.

    This link might work

    Clint Eastwood on
  • WeaverWeaver Breakfast Witch Hashus BrowniusRegistered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Druhim wrote: »
    cool pic bro

    Weaver on
  • UsagiUsagi Nah Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    more planet/moon awesomeness

    here is Jupiter passing behind the Sun, and you can see the slight motion of Jupiter's moons as they orbit

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foBUaOKsIZM

    Usagi on
  • Indie WinterIndie Winter die Krähe Rudi Hurzlmeier (German, b. 1952)Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    guys I have to admit, the whole "Deadly asteroid will hit earth in 7/32/68/191/whatever years and destroy all life as we know it" scares the shit out of me.

    Indie Winter on
    wY6K6Jb.gif
  • AntimatterAntimatter Devo Was Right Gates of SteelRegistered User regular
    edited March 2009
    I.H.N.I.W.T.R. wrote: »
    guys I have to admit, the whole "Deadly asteroid will hit earth in 7/32/68/191/whatever years and destroy all life as we know it" scares the shit out of me.

    I for one welcome our new rocky overlords.

    Antimatter on
  • cadmunkycadmunky One hand on the bottle, The other a shaking fist.Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    I.H.N.I.W.T.R. wrote: »
    guys I have to admit, the whole "Deadly asteroid will hit earth in 7/32/68/191/whatever years and destroy all life as we know it" scares the shit out of me.

    let's see, where did i put that- ah! here it is.

    just take a whiff in there, don't linger. the general air of retard in there should cure you of that.
    not that it couldn't happen, of course.

    cadmunky on
    5955603848_aed2690084.jpg
    "Think of it as Evolution in Action"
  • Indie WinterIndie Winter die Krähe Rudi Hurzlmeier (German, b. 1952)Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Antimatter wrote: »
    I.H.N.I.W.T.R. wrote: »
    guys I have to admit, the whole "Deadly asteroid will hit earth in 7/32/68/191/whatever years and destroy all life as we know it" scares the shit out of me.

    I for one welcome our new rocky overlords.

    man what was the name of that crappy movie where asteroids were alive/were spaceships of some kind, and the whole thing was done from mocked up news channel footage?

    that movie was terrible

    Indie Winter on
    wY6K6Jb.gif
  • UsagiUsagi Nah Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    cadmunky wrote: »
    I.H.N.I.W.T.R. wrote: »
    guys I have to admit, the whole "Deadly asteroid will hit earth in 7/32/68/191/whatever years and destroy all life as we know it" scares the shit out of me.

    let's see, where did i put that- ah! here it is.

    just take a whiff in there, don't linger. the general air of retard in there should cure you of that.
    not that it couldn't happen, of course.

    raaaaaaagh

    my brain, it hurts

    Usagi on
  • Indie WinterIndie Winter die Krähe Rudi Hurzlmeier (German, b. 1952)Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Usagi wrote: »
    cadmunky wrote: »
    I.H.N.I.W.T.R. wrote: »
    guys I have to admit, the whole "Deadly asteroid will hit earth in 7/32/68/191/whatever years and destroy all life as we know it" scares the shit out of me.

    let's see, where did i put that- ah! here it is.

    just take a whiff in there, don't linger. the general air of retard in there should cure you of that.
    not that it couldn't happen, of course.

    raaaaaaagh

    my brain, it hurts

    it's like brain freeze, only without the delicious ice cream

    Indie Winter on
    wY6K6Jb.gif
  • cadmunkycadmunky One hand on the bottle, The other a shaking fist.Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    goddammit, i need to heed my own device.
    Science is BS it either works or it doesn't and any of it that works is just a gift from GOD and I sure don't rely on it.

    i think my nose is bleeding.

    cadmunky on
    5955603848_aed2690084.jpg
    "Think of it as Evolution in Action"
  • AntimatterAntimatter Devo Was Right Gates of SteelRegistered User regular
    edited March 2009
    cadmunky wrote: »
    goddammit, i need to heed my own device.
    Science is BS it either works or it doesn't and any of it that works is just a gift from GOD and I sure don't rely on it.

    i think my nose is bleeding.

    why did you share this? my frontal lobe is in agony.

    Antimatter on
  • UsagiUsagi Nah Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    cadmunky wrote: »
    goddammit, i need to heed my own device.
    Science is BS it either works or it doesn't and any of it that works is just a gift from GOD and I sure don't rely on it.

    i think my nose is bleeding.

    that's it, I'm going to watch NASA HD videos until my brain stops hurting

    Usagi on
  • Shifty FisterShifty Fister Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Haha I love how on that website the comet does a 90 degree turn.

    Shifty Fister on
    igbxv5.gifigbxv5.gifigbxv5.gifigbxv5.gif
    steam
  • cadmunkycadmunky One hand on the bottle, The other a shaking fist.Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    oh shit HAHA!
    Thank you to everyone who contributed in helping decide a name for Node 3. NASA will announce the winning name in April 2009. Watch this space for further details!
    NASA is deciding on a name for the International Space Station's Node 3 - a connecting module and its cupola - before the two segments travel to space and are installed on the orbiting laboratory. The name should reflect the spirit of exploration and cooperation embodied by the space station, and follow in the tradition set by Node 1- Unity- and Node 2- Harmony.

    cadmunky on
    5955603848_aed2690084.jpg
    "Think of it as Evolution in Action"
  • UsagiUsagi Nah Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Unity

    Harmony

    Colbert

    Usagi on
  • NotASenatorNotASenator Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    I believe they technically asked to vote on suggestions and that's how they will get around it. NASA isn't really in the business of supporting the short-lived waverings of popular culture.

    I also don't like Colbert, so there's that too.

    NotASenator on
  • cadmunkycadmunky One hand on the bottle, The other a shaking fist.Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    oh absolutely. i'm 100% certain they will not name it colbert.

    meanwhile....
    Elsewhere on the ISS, experts were working on a water-recycling unit that processes astronauts' urine and sweat into drinking water.

    After working on the urine processing assembly Sunday and replacing a part, ISS Expedition 18 commander Michael Fincke "was successful at gearing the system up. The first sample was done," Jeffs said.

    Several more samples will likely be completed during the mission, he added, so that Discovery crew can bring them back to Earth for analysis.

    The machine, which was delivered to the ISS in November -- and has not yet functioned properly -- is key to double the orbiting station's crew from three to six and for long-term space expeditions such as moon landings or missions to Mars.

    aaany day now
    3381863583_0e623613cf_o.jpg

    cadmunky on
    5955603848_aed2690084.jpg
    "Think of it as Evolution in Action"
  • DruhimDruhim Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2009
    man why would you want a stillsuit? they were an invention of necessity
    it's not like they were something you would wear for comfort

    Druhim on
    belruelotterav-1.jpg
  • cadmunkycadmunky One hand on the bottle, The other a shaking fist.Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    your title/loc inspired me. i want to embrace entropy.

    from my couch. without having to get up for potty breaks.

    actually, the idea for recycler suits have been littered all over sci-fi for some time now. everything from EVA suits to single wall membrane skintights. you never know what's next!

    cadmunky on
    5955603848_aed2690084.jpg
    "Think of it as Evolution in Action"
  • NotASenatorNotASenator Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Astronomy Lectures at the Smithsonian this year.

    http://www.nasm.si.edu/events/lectures/esls/esls.cfm

    I just found out today, so I can't go see David Levy tonight. This is basically devastating to me.

    But luckily, there are webcasts, so I'll be watching anyways.

    NotASenator on
  • UsagiUsagi Nah Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    it's a bummer you can't go tonight NaC

    the archived webcasts look awesome, thanks for the link

    Usagi on
  • UsagiUsagi Nah Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    did anybody watch the Soyuz launch last night?

    Usagi on
  • NotASenatorNotASenator Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    This is a touch old, but still awesome:

    where-in-the-universe-482.jpg

    NotASenator on
  • Indie WinterIndie Winter die Krähe Rudi Hurzlmeier (German, b. 1952)Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Keyhole to the Universe

    Indie Winter on
    wY6K6Jb.gif
  • SporkAndrewSporkAndrew Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2009
    purple_tentacle_ruleworld.gif

    If you squint and tilt your head

    SporkAndrew on
    The one about the fucking space hairdresser and the cowboy. He's got a tinfoil pal and a pedal bin
  • UsagiUsagi Nah Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    and now for some scary news

    SpaceFlight has an article up about how we almost lost Atlantis in 1988
    But 85 seconds after launch, a piece of insulation on the tip of the shuttle's right-side solid-fuel booster broke away and struck Atlantis' right side. The impact was not noted on NASA television at the time and after landing, NASA engineers said that while the shuttle had suffered more tile damage than usual, "it isn't something that's of a major concern."

    But as it turned out, the damage was, in fact, extensive. More than 700 heat shield tiles were damaged. One tile on the shuttle's belly near the nose was completely missing and the underlying metal - a thick mounting plate that helped anchor an antenna - was partially melted. In a slightly different location, the missing tile could have resulted in a catastrophic burn through.


    eep

    Usagi on
  • UsagiUsagi Nah Registered User regular
    edited April 2009
    So we're deep into IYA 2009's 100 Hours of Astronomy and I probably should have posted this on Thursday but life, as it does sometimes, got in the way

    Here is a listing of all the free events that are going on this weekend around the country, including such awesome things as an open house at the US Naval Observatory in DC, sidewalk astronomy from Columbia Univ in NYC and a large smattering of events that will hopefully be local to people. Have fun!

    Usagi on
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