Next week, an asteroid the size of an aircraft carrier will zip by Earth inside the orbit of the moon, marking the closest pass by such a big space rock in 35 years.
A newly discovered eye condition found to erode the vision of some astronauts who have spent months aboard the International Space Station has doctors worried that future explorers could go blind by the end of long missions, such as a multiyear trip to Mars.
This is incredible (1080p and full screen is best)
Headphones are required.
Explanation: Next stop: Jupiter. Last week included one of the few times in history that humanity launched something completely off the Earth, moving away so fast that it will never return. Well, almost — Juno’s planned trajectory actually brings it homeward bound in about two years, zipping by, this time using the Earth’s gravity to pull it to an even higher speed, high enough to reach Jupiter. The above video depicts the launch of Juno aboard a Atlas V rocket. When the robotic Juno spacecraft reaches Jupiter in 2016, it will spend just over a year circling the Solar System’s largest planet, using its unique cadre of instruments to probe the planet, sending back clues of its structure and origin. Then Juno will be instructed to dive into the thick atmosphere of the Jovian giant, taking as much data as it can before it melts.
Statement for President Nixon to read in case the astronauts were stranded on the Moon, July 18, 1969.
You’re 3.7 miles away, watching this controlled explosion in a rocket with human beings on top. It’s the biggest explosion you’ve ever seen, but you’re hearing … swamp sounds. Strain your ears, but that’s all you hear — swamp crickets. People are weeping softly around you and Mission Control is saying what it needs to say, but in between you’re hearing peaceful swamp
“
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A film by Chris Abbas using public footage from NASA’s Cassini Imaging Science System.
