Our Planet - Page 2 of 66

Apollo 12 and its destination (Moon) in the same photo

NASA has published a beautiful photo of Apollo 12 at the launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39. This historic image, taken on October 28, 1969 (50 years ago) frames the Apollo 12 spacecraft atop the mighty Saturn V rocket and its destination, the Moon, in a single photo.

Finland (Wild Scandinavia) – Amazing Video

An amazing video with scenes from the documentary Wild Scandinavia Episode 5 (Finland), with background music of the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’ great work Finlandia, Op. 26.

Curiosity’s new selfie & Mars 2020 stands on its six wheels

Curiosity Rover selfie (October 11, 2019)

On October 24, 2019, NASA has published a new selfie of the Curiosity Mars Rover, which was taken on October 11, the 2,553rd Martian day, or sol, of the rover’s mission. The space agency has also announced that Curiosity’s successor, the Mars 2020 Rover now stands on its own six wheels.

NASA’s AMA (Ask Me Anything) about Van Allen Probes

On October 18, 2019, NASA held an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit. Scientists from the space agency answered questions about Van Allen Probes, two robotic spacecraft that were used to study the Van Allen radiation belts that surround planet Earth.

How developing countries struggling with air pollution can reduce emissions

Whilst air pollution is a problem all around the world, it can be particularly troublesome in developing countries. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 98% of inhabitants of big cities in low-income countries live in a high level of air pollution, leaving them with a number of health problems due to the poor quality of air. This is contrasted with 56% of inhabitants of high-income countries. Both figures are worrying and illustrate the climate crisis of the present world.

NASA’s Solar System and Beyond Poster Set – You can download and print for free!

You can download and print NASA’s “Solar System and Beyond” Poster Set for free. The posters are best printed on 11”x17” paper.

“Impossible Engine” – it is impossible

A good rule of thumb: if you see a headline saying something “breaks the laws of physics” (i.e. the “Impossible Engine”) the headline is flat-out wrong.

Roscosmos publishes declassified documents from the Space Race

Russian space agency Roscosmos started to publish declassified documents from the Space Race, a 20th-century arm-wrestling to achieve firsts in spaceflight capability between two Cold War rivals, the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States (US).

First-ever all-female spacewalk performed by NASA astronauts

NASA astronauts and ISS Expedition 61 Flight Engineers Christina Koch and Jessica Meir have completed the first-ever all-female spacewalk in the history of space exploration. The spacewalk was broadcast live on NASA TV (see the video below).

Evolution tells us we might be the only intelligent life in the universe

Nick Longrich, University of Bath

Are we alone in the universe? It comes down to whether intelligence is a probable outcome of natural selection or an improbable fluke. By definition, probable events occur frequently, improbable events occur rarely – or once. Our evolutionary history shows that many key adaptations – not just intelligence, but complex animals, complex cells, photosynthesis, and life itself – were unique, one-off events, and therefore highly improbable. Our evolution may have been like winning the lottery … only far less likely.