Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity (Virgin Space Ship Unity) made its second flight into space, reaching an altitude of 55.87 miles (89.9 kilometers) on February 22, 2019. The American space company released amazing footage of the flight.
Continue reading “Amazing Footage of 2nd VSS Unity Spaceflight”Earth’s atmosphere extends beyond the Moon
According to a new study published in the American Geophysical Union’s (AGU) Journal of Geophysical Research, the geocorona (the luminous part of the outermost region of the Earth’s atmosphere, the exosphere) reaches up to 630,000 kilometers (391,000 miles) away, or 50 times the diameter of our planet. For comparison, the average distance between Earth and the Moon is 384,400 km (238,855 miles). So, the outer edge of Earth’s atmosphere extends far beyond the moon.
Continue reading “Earth’s atmosphere extends beyond the Moon”Mars weather service by NASA’s InSight Lander
NASA’s InSight lander has started providing a daily Mars weather report everyone can see. The American space agency has created a dedicated web page on the NASA InSight mission website to share that information.
Continue reading “Mars weather service by NASA’s InSight Lander”Driving Distances on Mars and the Moon [Out-of-This-World-Records]
This chart, prepared by NASA illustrates comparisons among the driving distances by various wheeled vehicles on the surface of the planetary bodies other than Earth (as of February 13, 2019, only the Moon and Mars). Opportunity rover, which declared dead after record-breaking 15-years on the Martian surface also holds the off-Earth roving distance record after accruing 45.16 kilometers (28.06 miles) of driving on Mars.
Continue reading “Driving Distances on Mars and the Moon [Out-of-This-World-Records]”It’s time to go home, Oppy [painting by Rostislav Shekhovtsov]
An amazing work by the Uzbek artist Rostislav Shekhovtsov, titled “It’s time to go home, Oppy”. The digital painting shows two future astronauts finding the dust-covered Opportunity rover on Mars.
Continue reading “It’s time to go home, Oppy [painting by Rostislav Shekhovtsov]”Opportunity Rover’s first and last images from the Martian surface
The first and the last images of NASA’s Opportunity rover from the Martian surface. The first photo (on the left) was acquired on Sol 1 (at approximately 14:58:27 Mars local solar time on January 25, 2004). The last photo (on the right) was taken on Sol 5111 (on June 10, 2018 ), before the rover entered hibernation due to
A single cell becomes a complete organism in six min. of timelapse
A single cell becomes a complete organism (an alpine newt) in this amazing six pulsing minutes of a timelapse video named “Becoming” published by the Aeon Video channel. A film by Jan van IJken.
Continue reading “A single cell becomes a complete organism in six min. of timelapse”NASA Explorers: Permafrost (video)
In this episode of NASA Explorers (Season 1 Episode 7), the scientists go back in time – by going underground. In the Arctic, a frozen layer of soil – permafrost, the “permanently” frozen earth – trapped dead plants and animals for thousands of years. As the climate warms, that soil is beginning to thaw, releasing carbon dioxide and methane – two harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
Continue reading “NASA Explorers: Permafrost (video)”28% of vertebrates die because of humans on the land
According to a study published in January in the journal Global Ecology and Biogeography, on the land, 28% of vertebrates (including mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians) die because of humans.
Continue reading “28% of vertebrates die because of humans on the land”LRO spots Chang’e 4 from the Moon orbit
Exciting new images from NASA’s robotic spacecraft Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) which is orbiting the Moon since 2009. China’s lunar lander Chang’e 4 which achieved the first soft landing on the far side of the Moon and its surroundings in the Von Kármán crater can be seen in the images
