On September 11, 2001, during the 9/11 attacks, NASA astronaut Frank Culbertson took this photo from the International Space Station (ISS) of smoke rising from the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.
Continue reading “9/11 Attacks on the Twin Towers from space”How do astronauts wash clothes in space? [Astronaut explains]
How do astronauts wash their clothes in space? Well, the answer is simple: they don’t. It may be weird, but we don’t have a way or technology safe enough to clean laundry in the microgravity environment of space.
Continue reading “How do astronauts wash clothes in space? [Astronaut explains]”The first “actual” computer bug was found on September 9, 1947
On September 9, 1947, a team of computer scientists and engineers operating Harward University’s Mark II electromechanical computer started getting an error. They traced the error and found a moth trapped in a relay. The moth was carefully removed and taped to the logbook with a note saying “first actual case of bug being found”. Urban legend says this was the first case of a computer bug, but it’s not true.
Continue reading “The first “actual” computer bug was found on September 9, 1947″Crocodile bigger than Lolong? [1823 Philippines Crocodile]
According to biology professor Alvin Silverstein’s 1980 book Nature’s Champions, in 1883, a giant saltwater crocodile bigger than Lolong was killed in the Philippines. It measured 27 feet (8.23 meters) from the tips of its snout to the end of its tail. It was also more than 2 tons in weight. Sources say it required the help of 40 men to bring its body ashore. And, when the massive crocodile was opened up for examination, individuals were taken aback to find the segmented remains of a horse, carved into seven distinct pieces.
There’s no photo of the crocodile, because of the record’s date, but if that story is true, it was the largest crocodile ever recorded.
Continue reading “Crocodile bigger than Lolong? [1823 Philippines Crocodile]”Voyager 1 launch [September 5, 1977]
Voyager 1 launch: On September 5, 1977, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft was launched on top of a Titan IIIE/Centaur rocket from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex in Florida, 16 days after its twin, Voyager 2. The reversal of order was because the two spacecraft were sent on different trajectories, and Voyager 1 was put on a path to reach its planetary targets, Jupiter and Saturn, ahead of Voyager 2.
Continue reading “Voyager 1 launch [September 5, 1977]”Frank Drake who formulated Drake Equation dies aged 92
On September 2, 2022, Frank Drake, the American astronomer, and astrophysicist (b. May 28, 1930) died at his home in Aptos, California, from natural causes at the age of 92.
Continue reading “Frank Drake who formulated Drake Equation dies aged 92”Viking 2 landed on Mars on September 3, 1976
On September 3, 1976, the lander of NASA’s Viking 2 spacecraft (which consisted of an orbiter and a lander) separated from the orbiter and safely landed on Mars.
Continue reading “Viking 2 landed on Mars on September 3, 1976”Pioneer 11 performed the first Saturn flyby on September 1, 1979
On September 1, 1979, NASA’s Pioneer 11 spacecraft performed the first Saturn flyby in the history of space exploration, at a distance of 21,000 km (13,000 miles) from Saturn’s cloud tops.
Continue reading “Pioneer 11 performed the first Saturn flyby on September 1, 1979”Guion Bluford became the first black astronaut in space on August 30, 1983
On August 30, 1983, Guion Bluford, better known as Guy, was launched aboard Space Shuttle Challenger’s STS-8 mission on August 30, 1983, he became the first black astronaut in space.
Continue reading “Guion Bluford became the first black astronaut in space on August 30, 1983”Largest bear in the world: Polar Bear, Grizzly, or Kodiak Bear?
Polar bears, Kodiak bears, Grizzly bears, and Kamchatka brown bears are among the largest bear species in the world. But, which one is the biggest bear in the world?
Continue reading “Largest bear in the world: Polar Bear, Grizzly, or Kodiak Bear?”