Searching for the Perigee Super-Moon

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Stephen Pate

The biggest full moon of the year is a wild ride

Perigee moon May 5 2012 (photo Peter Asquith, New Zealand rights reserved)

Last night I saw the Perigee Moon when I fell asleep early but not at 3:50 AM when I awoke on the east side of the house.

I jumped in my wheelchair and zipped to the west end of the house and there it was, big and butter yellow shining through the trees.

I had to get dressed and go chase the moon for a better picture than from a kitchen window. I would get a picture of the moon, but not as good as the by Peter Asquith from New Zealand. Continue reading →

YU55 Asteroid doesn’t hit earth video

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Stephen Pate

Early videos of the fly by some of the commentary is doomsday

First NASA movie
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Polar eclipse pictures

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Stephen Pate

Partial North Pole eclipse (photo Bernt Olsen)

Solar eclipse at midnight

On June 1st the moon passed in front of the sun at midnight. You couldn’t see it unless you live in the far North.

Several photographers near or above the Arctic Circle captured the exquisite and rare beauty. Continue reading →

Yuri Gagarin first space orbit real time 50 years ago

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Stephen Pate

Video recreates the first earth orbit of humans by Russian Yuri Gagarin April 11 1961 50 years ago

Yuri Gagarin, first man in space (picture www.aerospaceguide.net )

Put this on your monitor – turn on the sound and relax for the next hour and 39 minutes as the first earth orbit is recreated.

“It’s been exactly 50 years to the day — in some places, anyway — that cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s maiden voyage set off an international space race that defined an era, and while only Gagarin knew exactly what it was like to be the first man in space.

Documentarian Christopher Riley is giving us a glimpse of what the world might have looked like from the porthole of Vostok 1.

First Orbit is a mashup of sorts that features original audio recordings from Gagarin’s flight, coupled with footage taken by Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli from aboard the International Space Station.

The result is nothing short of stunning, but you don’t have to take our word for it — in fact, go ahead and grab yourself some popcorn, hit the play button, and prepare to be amazed.” firstorbit.org

Video follows the story break. Continue reading →

Super moon tonight end of the world or just cool

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Stephen Pate

March 19 2011 Moon rise will be the largest moon since 1983

: Perigee moon tonight (picture bloggerspoint.com)

When the moon rises tonight about 7:45 PM it will be 14% larger than normal as it reaches apogee.

If you get a chance to see it rise in the east near the horizon it should be spectacular. This effect can happen any time but it will be officially 14% bigger. Continue reading →

NASA’s STEREO spacecraft photographs the entire sun

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Byline

Two satellites video the sun at the same time

STEREO Sun from NASA

By Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA

“This is a big moment in solar physics,” says Vourlidas. “STEREO has revealed the sun as it really is–a sphere of hot plasma and intricately woven magnetic fields.”

Each STEREO probe photographs half of the star and beams the images to Earth.

Researchers combine the two views to create a sphere. These aren’t just regular pictures.

STEREO’s telescopes are tuned to four wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet radiation selected to trace key aspects of solar activity such as flares, tsunamis and magnetic filaments. Nothing escapes their attention.

“With data like these, we can fly around the sun to see what’s happening over the horizon—without ever leaving our desks,” says STEREO program scientist Lika Guhathakurta at NASA headquarters.

“I expect great advances in theoretical solar physics and space weather forecasting.” Continue reading →

Consumer Reports gives iPhone 4 the dreaded Non Recommended

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Byline

Consumer Reports confirms the antenna in the iPhone 4 is defective Apple’s denials notwithstanding

Apple’s denials of the antenna is now officially a lie. For more see Engadget Consumer Reports confirms iPhone 4 antenna problems — and so do we

For the video that demonstrates the antenna test, follow the story break.

Continue reading →

Discovery go for launch Monday April 5th

Posted on April 4, 2010 by Stephen Pate

Space shuttle Discovery is set to launch at 6:21 a.m. EDT Monday

Endeavour night launch in February 2010

As the clock ticks down on the end of the Space Shuttle program, NASA is ready to launch one of the last flights April 5th, 2010. The Space Shuttle Discovery will leave the launch pad at 6:21 AM.

Discovery’s mission STS 131 will deliver scientific equipment for the International Space Station laboratories. There will be three space walks to “replace an ammonia tank assembly, retrieve a Japanese experiment from the station’s exterior and switch out a rate gyro assembly on the S0 element of the station’s truss.” ( NASA).

Crew for STS 131 are Commander Alan Poindexter, Pilot James P. Dutton Jr., Mission Specialists Rick Mastracchio, Stephanie Wilson, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Naoko Yamazaki and Clayton Anderson.

Continue reading →

Helium Balloon amazing space photo

Posted on March 26, 2010 by Byline

Cheapest satellite launch costs $50 million but he only spent £4000

Pictures from space with a digital camera worth a few hundred quid

A father-of-three from Huddersfield has captured images of earth from space using a weather balloon.

Starting in October 2008, 38-year-old Robert Harrison filled 12 High Altitude Balloons with helium and launched them 35 kilometres into the atmosphere.

Having wrapped a digital camera and Global Positioning System device in loft insulation and linked it to computer software on the ground, he was able to track the balloons’ progress.

He said: “The first time I saw the pictures, I couldn’t believe it.”

The rare images caught the attention of experts in the field and it wasn’t long before Harrison received a telephone call from NASA. Continue reading →

ISS Flight Controllers Isolate Computer Glitches

Posted on February 22, 2010 by Byline

Flight controllers isolated the cause of 3 ISS Command and Control computers to switch their roles as primary, backup and standby units.

Image above: The International Space Station is featured in this image photographed by an STS-130 crew member on space shuttle Endeavour after the station and shuttle began their post-undocking relative separation. Image credit: NASA

NASA – Station Spacecraft Communicator Stan Love told Expedition 22 Commander Jeff Williams that the glitches were caused by S-band telemetry software that takes Columbus laboratory data, puts it into packets and sends it to the ground. For now, that particular piece of code will be bypassed and flight controllers will command the remaining systems back to their normal configurations, including KU-band communications.

Because the issue has occupied much of the station crew’s planned off-duty day, Mission Control is giving them Wednesday off.

Continue reading →