On October 8, a mini-asteroid screamed into the upper atmosphere over the Indonesia and exploded with the force equivalent to two to three times that of the atom bombs that incinerated Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
NASA
PHOTO GALLERY: A spectacular Saturn at equinox
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft sent back some amazing photos of Saturn and its moons during equinox (when the sun crosses the celestial equator), including close ups of moon craters and Saturn’s famous rings.
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Visualising 50 years of space travel
An amazing interactive infographic displaying every mission into space for the last 50 years. Poor lonely Pluto.
NASA bombs the moon
NASA is about to launch a bombing raid on the moon, firing two space missiles at the lunar surface in an effort to look for more water. Space colonies, here we come!
How Twitter ruined NASA’s big day
NASA was all set to make its big announcement that water has been found on the moon, until some spoil-sports on Twitter let it all spill early. More proof the internet has killed the media embargo?
The dark side of the moon
The sun never shines on the floor of some of the moon’s deeper craters. So what lies there? Ice? Aliens? Spaceships? For the first time, the US and India are teaming up to take a closer look.
Space snacks: creating a menu for Mars
Freeze-dried shrimp cocktail and irradiated beef fajitas: modern space food has gotten pretty sophisticated. The LA Times meets the scientists-cum-chefs responsible for packing 6570 meals for NASA’s next trip to Mars.
Let’s invite China to the space party
China has spaceships, scientific know-how, money and man-power. Could bringing them into orbit with the US’s space program build a base for better relations between the two countries?
Guy Rundle: Stuff the Moon, stuff Mars, let’s go to the stars
Mars? We’d barely notice we’d got to Mars. The Moon? A commuter jump. Guy Rundle sets his sights higher.
The space race — over before it began
The American space program, the greatest, grandest, most Promethean — O.K. if I add “godlike”? — quest in the history of the world, died in infancy at 10:56 p.m. New York time on July 20, 1969, writes Tom Wolfe.
The Apollo 11 photos you don’t see
There are many classic photos of the Apollo 11 moon mission, and some that get overlooked, writes Ben Sandilands.
Forget about the moon, let’s fix Earth first
“What the hell do we have to show for manned space exploration besides neat pictures and a brief feeling of patriotic goodwill in the middle of Vietnam?” asks Gawker. Space isn’t going anywhere soon — why not fix problems on Earth before we start wrecking other planets.
Video of the Day: Walking on the Moon restored
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11, NASA released partially restored video of a series of 15 memorable moments from the July 20 moonwalk.
Driving in space
Meet Dr Ashley Stroupe, NASA’s lead robot driver for the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. Apparently, he’s grown pretty attached to Spirit and does “a lot of the long-term planning for her”.
500th astronaut blasts off
Former naval commander Chris Cassidy will become the 500th person to go into space this week.
Is NASA over-the-hill?
It’s been 40 years since man walked on the moon — what have you done for us lately, NASA?
NASA may not build a moon base
Boo! NASA are likely to abandon their plans to build an outpost on the moon. The GFC is shattering dreams. Space dreams.
Spirit: the little Mars rover that could
NASA’s Mars rover, Spirit, is ailing. But he’s already done much more than expected, all with a broken sixth wheel (which actually helped dig below Mars’ surface).
Scientists shoot for the far-flung stars
A small group of scientists are attempting to use the sun’s light to power a spacecraft far enough to explore deep into outer space.
NASA: spotless sun cannot reverse climate change
So much for any hopes of a mini ice age or global warming reprieve courtesy of a natural cycle, writes Ben Sandilands.
Crikey Clarifier: When satellites collide
Is the menace of space junk out of control? Ben Sandilands has the answers.
NASA chief climate scientist’s letter to Rudd: Stop building coal-fired plants
On the 27 March, 2008, Professor James Hansen, NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Science chief climate scientist and arguably one of the world’s most eminent authorities on climate change, sent a letter to Kevin Rudd, writes Andrew Glikson.
