Tag Archives: Space
South Korea Launches First Civilian Rocket
Last week, South Korea launched a science satellite into space via a rocket. It was the country’s third attempt to launch a civilian rocket into orbit in the past four years. Previous launches were aborted at the last minute due to technical problems. The recent launch heightened tensions with North Korea, which was able to successfully launch its own rocket … [ Read more ]
Earth-Sized Planet Found Orbiting Alpha Centauri B, Part Of Star System Close To Earth
European astronomers say that just outside our solar system they’ve found a planet that’s the closest you can get to Earth in location and size. While the newly discovered planet circles Alpha Centauri B, it’s part of a system of three stars: Alpha Centauri A, B and the slightly more distant Proxima Centauri. Systems with two or more stars are … [ Read more ]
KOI-500: Kepler Telescope Detects Most Crowded Solar System Ever Seen
The most crowded alien planetary system found yet possesses five worlds all orbiting a star at least 12 times closer than Earth does the sun, researchers say. The orbiting telescope has detected more than 2,300 potential alien worlds since its March 2009 launch. KOI-500 is a super-compact planetary system, the most tightly packed one seen yet, hosting at least five … [ Read more ]
Felix Baumgartner Successfully Lands After Highest Freefall from Edge of Space
Austria’s Felix Baumgartner earned his place in the history books on Sunday (Oct. 14, 2012) after overcoming concerns with the power for his visor heater that impaired his vision and nearly jeopardized the mission. Baumgartner reached an estimated speed of 1,342.8 km/h (Mach 1.24) jumping from the stratosphere, which when certified will make him the first man to break the … [ Read more ]
Life On Earth Derived From Crashed Meteors?
Today, a group of scientists is presenting new research to support the theory of “lithopanspermia,” or the idea that basic life forms on Earth were derived from crashed meteoric planetary material that carried microorganisms from other planets. This team simulated low velocity exchanges of sold material from one plant to another and found that this type of transfer is much … [ Read more ]
New ‘Phoenix’ Galaxy Produces Huge Number Of New Stars
Scientists have recently found a new galaxy that births more stars in one day than does our galaxy in a whole year! Now, that is productive! NASA has termed this phenomenon as a “cosmic supermom.” Using a high-powered telescope to view this distant galaxy, they discovered that this busy mom gives birth to roughly 740 stars per day! This birth … [ Read more ]
Scientists Learn Secret Of Sun’s Perfectly Round Shape
Scientists have long questioned how the Sun is able to maintain an almost perfectly round shape since it’s surface is not solid. It seems that it should have a slight degree of flattening. A research team analyzed the shape of the sun and determined that forces below its surface must have a huge impact in maintaining the perfect symmetry that … [ Read more ]
Perseids Meteor Shower
The Perseids meteor shower occurred this weekend from Saturday night until dawn on Sunday. Observers claim to have seen 75 fireballs blaze across the sky in the wake of the comet, Swift-Tuttle. The Perseids meteor takes place every year when our planet crosses through the path of the comet’s trails. The meteor shower is actually cosmic debris that is shed … [ Read more ]
NASA’s Rover On Mars Has Sent Back First Images
NASA scientists were thrilled about the successful landing of the Curiosity Rover upon Mars yesterday. Now, they have the first low resolution images and video from the rover’s exploration. The photo, which shows the edge of the Gale Crater in which the rover is located, depicts a grainy image of a dry, dusty landscape. Scientists explained that the lens is … [ Read more ]
First Woman In Space, Sally Ride, Has Died
Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut, died today in San Diego at 61 years old. Ms. Ride passed away from pancreatic cancer. Not only was she an accomplished physicist, professor and entrepreneur, but she also wrote several children’s books and inspired young girls and women to excel in math in science and pursue a career with NASA. She flew … [ Read more ]
