ScientistPankaj: This Week In Space podcast: Episode 134

Monday, October 28, 2024

This Week In Space podcast: Episode 134 — The Spruce Space Shuttle

My Norwegian adventure with The Northern Lights Company | Space Quiz! When did the star that created the Crab Nebula go supernova? | This Week In Space, Ep. 134 - The Spruce Space Shuttle

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October 28, 2024

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The Launchpad

My Norwegian adventure with The Northern Lights Company

(Daisy Dobrijevic)

When people ask me "Where shall I go to see the northern lights?" my answer is usually "Auroras are not guaranteed, so choose somewhere you want to visit regardless of the northern lights. Then, if they show up, it's a bonus." So, when faced with a rather grizzly forecast of heavy rain, clouds and wind during my northern lights trip to Norway's Vesterålen archipelago, I was relieved I was going with The Northern Lights Company because the tour offered much more than auroras. With so many daytime activities to keep us occupied, I knew that even if the weather wasn't in our favor, it would still be an amazing trip. And I was right.

Full Story: Space (10/27)

Space Quiz! When did the star that created the Crab Nebula go supernova?

Learn the answer here!

This Week In Space, Ep. 134 - The Spruce Space Shuttle

(TWiS)

On Episode 134 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Ben Dickow, executive director and president of the Columbia Memorial Space Center, about a magnificent, full-sized shuttle mockup, its history and future plans.

Full Story: Space (10/25)

Skywatching

How to see a 1000 year old exploded star, the Crab Nebula

(NASA/ESA and Jeff Hester (Arizona State University))

The date: July 4, 1054 AD. At dawn, astronomers in China, and half a world away in what is now the desert southwest of the United States - cave artists of the Anasazi and Mimbres Indian tribes - gazed into the eastern sky. These ancient people all knew the sky; knew each and every star as an old friend. But suddenly here before them -- near to a slender waning crescent moon - shone a dazzling star where none had been seen before. And what an amazing star it was!

Full Story: Space (10/25)

Spaceflight

China wants to make its Tiangong space station bigger

(Alejomiranda via Getty Images)

China has been operating its completed Tiangong orbital outpost for almost two years now - and is looking to expand its capabilities with new modules and spacecraft. The three-module, T-shaped Tiangong space station was fully assembled in November 2022, with the arrival of the Mengtian science module. The station seems set to grow again, however.

Full Story: Space (10/28)

Science & Astronomy

Apollo 16 moon samples reveals hidden lunar history

(NASA)

Scientists continue to piece together the moon's complex history using lunar samples collected during NASA's Apollo missions over half a century ago. A fresh analysis of lunar dust collected by Apollo 16 astronauts in 1972 offers a clearer picture of the effects of asteroid strikes on the moon, allowing scientists to reconstruct billions of years of lunar history. The findings could also help upcoming crewed missions pinpoint precious natural resources for establishing moon bases, scientists say.

Full Story: Space (10/27)

Technology

NASA's Robonaut-2 reunited with its ride into space

(Smithsonian)

NASA's retired space shuttle Discovery has been reunited with one of its last crew members. The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum debuted Robonaut-2 (R2), NASA's first dexterous humanoid robot flown into space, on Thursday (Oct. 24). The two-armed, two-legged robotic testbed launched to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Discovery's final mission in 2011.

Full Story: Space (10/25)

Search for Life

Does alien life need a planet to survive?

(NASA/SOFIA/Lynette Cook)

At first glance, planets seem like the ideal locations to find life. After all, the only known place life is known to exist is Earth's surface. And Earth is pretty nice. Our planet has a deep gravitational well that keeps everything in place and a thick atmosphere that keeps surface temperatures in the right ranges to maintain liquid water. We have an abundance of elements like carbon and oxygen to form the building blocks of biological organisms. And we have plenty of sunlight beaming at us, providing an essentially limitless source of free energy.

Full Story: Space (10/26)