An image of the hot spots of the supergiant red star Betelgeuse.
Astronomers have produced an image of the hot spots of the supergiant red star Betelgeuse.
Year: 2013
A new report from Russia suggests that the undeployed antenna on the Progess freighter will interfere with ISS’s docking port and prevent a docking.
A new report from Russia suggests that the undeployed antenna on the Progess freighter will interfere with ISS’s docking port and prevent a docking.
It appears that the antenna would allow a soft docking but prevent the hard docking necessary to allow for the opening of the hatch. Something similar to this had happened on the Russian Mir station in the 1987. Two astronauts did a space walk to clear the hatch of a piece of debris. Now the Russians are suggesting again that if a hard dock becomes impossible a spacewalk be performed to get the antenna out of the way.
America the fallen: Twenty-four signs that our once proud cities are turning into poverty-stricken hellholes.
The day of reckoning looms: America the fallen: Twenty-four signs that our once proud cities are turning into poverty-stricken hellholes.
It is important to note that every single one of the cities cited in this article has been under Democratic Party rule for decades. While the decline is not entirely their fault, their tax-and-spend policies combined with a passion for heavy regulation certainly share much of the blame.
An antenna used to orient a Progress freighter during docking, launched today to ISS, has failed to deploy.
An antenna used to orient a Progress freighter during docking, launched today to ISS, has failed to deploy.
Though astronauts can manually dock the spacecraft, they still need proper radar data to gauge its location, spin, orientation, speed, and distance. If the remaining four antennas cannot provide all this information, it will be very dangerous to try a docking.
A problem like this has not happened on a Progress freighter in literally decades. When I consider the spate of other recent failures experienced by the Russian space industry, I can’t help wondering whether they have developed an overall quality control problem.
Update: Russian mission control said today that even if they cannot solve the deployment failure and get the antenna working it will not prevent a docking with ISS on Friday.
I tend to believe them. With four other antennas plus additional radar equipment on ISS it does seems reasonable that there is sufficient redundancy to allow the docking to proceed. Also, considering the Russians past problems with collisions on Mir, I would expect them to be very careful about proceeding if they had any doubts.
Insults by Shakespeare you can use in everyday life.
In honor of Shakespeare’s birthday yesterday: Insults by Shakespeare you can use in everyday life.
I especially like #4: “I do desire that we may be better strangers.”
Shayla cover celebrating Shakespeare
An evening pause: The original song, by Blondie, had nothing to do with Shakespeare, but I like this celebration of Shakespeare based on the song, produced by Historyteachers. And it is his birthday today!
In a web interview today, Richard Branson said that the first supersonic powered flight of SpaceShipTwo is now set for this coming Monday.
The competition heats up: In a web interview today, Richard Branson said that the first supersonic powered flight of SpaceShipTwo is now set for this coming Monday.
We’re hoping to break the sound barrier. That’s planned Monday. It will be a historic day. This is going to be Virgin Galactic’s year. We’ll break the sound barrier Monday and from there, we build up through the rest of the year, finally going into space near the end of the year. I’ll be on the first official flight, which we look to have in the first quarter of next year. We’re doing a number of test flights into space first.
Three years of Solar Dynamics Observatory images of the Sun — in three minutes.
Three years of Solar Dynamics Observatory images of the Sun — in three minutes.
I’ve posted the video below the fold. It’s quite cool.
Note that these images cover the period when the Sun was ramping up to what was hoped to be a strong solar maximum, when SDO was being designed and built. And though the Sun does appear to be active in these images, it is actually far less active than it has been for solar maximums going back at least a century.
This year’s Great Moonbuggy Race, the 20th, has attracted 600 international competitors.
This year’s Great Moonbuggy Race, the 20th, has attracted 600 international competitors.
The race itself will be held this coming weekend.
SpaceX’s test vertical-landing rocket Grasshopper successfully climbed to 250 meters in its most recent test flight.
The competition heats up: SpaceX’s test vertical-landing rocket Grasshopper successfully climbed to 250 meters in its most recent test flight.
Video below the fold.
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The Lover’s Waltz
An evening pause: Performed by Aly Bain, Jay Ungar, and Molly Mason.
The dismal predictions of the future from the first Earth Day in 1970.
Chicken Little report: The dismal predictions of the future from the first Earth Day in 1970.
I especially like the last two predictions, since I expect them to sooner or later become popular again.