Methamphetamines are at the heart of stimulant drug abuse, and most of us know about these drugs because of the reporting about the drug epidemic, which has caused many unfortunate overdoses, deaths, and addictions in the United States. Methamphetamines or meth for short can also negatively impact the environment. Here’s how.
Continue reading “More Than an Epidemic: How Meth Production Negatively Impacts the Environment”Dolly, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell was born on July 5, 1996
On July 5, 1996, a female sheep named Dolly, the first mammal to be cloned from an adult cell was born. Scientists from the Roslin Institute (an animal sciences research institute at Easter Bush, Midlothian, Scotland) in Scotland successfully cloned Dolly using the process of nuclear transfer from a cell taken from a mammary gland.
Continue reading “Dolly, the first mammal cloned from an adult cell was born on July 5, 1996”AS-203, the first Apollo orbital mission was launched on July 5, 1966
On July 5, 1966, the first Apollo orbital mission, AS-203 was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida. It was an uncrewed flight of the vehicle’s second stage, the S-IVB stage (it was the 3rd stage of Saturn V, which carried humans to the Moon), to test it under orbital conditions and to obtain flight information on venting and chill-down systems, fluid dynamics, and heat transfer of propellant tanks, attitude and thermal control system, launch vehicle guidance, and checkout in orbit.
During the fourth orbit, internal pressures built up in the S-IVB stage while a pressure differential test was being performed. The pressures built up well in excess of design values and the stage fragmented. Despite that, all mission objectives were achieved.
Continue reading “AS-203, the first Apollo orbital mission was launched on July 5, 1966”Sojourner (Mars Pathfinder) became the first operational rover on another planet on July 4, 1997
NASA’s robotic spacecraft Mars Pathfinder landed on Mars on July 4, 1997. It was carrying a small rover named Sojourner and with that landing, Sojourner became the first operational rover on another planet.
Continue reading “Sojourner (Mars Pathfinder) became the first operational rover on another planet on July 4, 1997”ESA’s Giotto became the first spacecraft to use Earth for a gravity assist on July 2, 1990
On July 2, 1990, European Space Agency’s (ESA) Giotto spacecraft performed the first-ever earth gravity-assisted maneuver to be retargeted for its destination, Comet P/Grigg-Skjellerup.
Continue reading “ESA’s Giotto became the first spacecraft to use Earth for a gravity assist on July 2, 1990”Cassini entered Saturn’s orbit on July 1, 2004
NASA’s Cassini space probe entered Saturn’s orbit on July 1, 2004, and became the first spacecraft to orbit the ringed planet.
Continue reading “Cassini entered Saturn’s orbit on July 1, 2004”Tunguska meteorite impacted on June 30, 1908
On June 30, 1908, at about 7:14 A.M., around the Tunguska River, a gigantic fireball devastated hundreds of square kilometers of uninhabited Siberian forest. It was about a ~12 megaton explosion, which means the blast was around 800 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb.
Continue reading “Tunguska meteorite impacted on June 30, 1908”Soyuz 11 Disaster: the only three humans who died in space [June 29, 1971]
On June 29, 1971, after completing its record-breaking 20th day in orbit, the crew of Soyuz 11, Georgy T. Dobrovolski (Commander), Viktor I. Patsayev, and Vladislav N. Volkov departed from the Salyut 1 space station, the first space station in the history of space exploration, on June 29, 1971. Unfortunately, the mission ended in disaster when the crew capsule depressurized during preparations for re-entry. The cosmonauts rapidly lost consciousness as the pressure continued to drop and died within two minutes.
Dobrovolski, Patsayev, and Volkov still remain the only humans to have died in space (above the Kármán Line, see notes 1).
Continue reading “Soyuz 11 Disaster: the only three humans who died in space [June 29, 1971]”Atari was founded on June 27, 1972
On June 27, 1972, Atari Inc. was founded in Sunnyvale, California by American businessman and electrical engineer Nolan Bushnell (born February 5, 1943) and American electrical engineer Ted Dabney (May 2, 1937 – May 26, 2018). One the most recognized and celebrated brands in the world, the company is a pioneer in arcade games, home video game consoles, and home computers.
Continue reading “Atari was founded on June 27, 1972”Here are the differences between a crocodile and an alligator
Crocodiles and alligators share many similarities since an alligator is also a crocodilian. But, there are also many differences between a crocodile and an alligator. Here are some of them.
Continue reading “Here are the differences between a crocodile and an alligator”
