the brightest star in our sky

~ Brin ~ Leave a comment

anarchywoofwoof:

so international space station astronauts apparently dropped a tool bag during a spacewalk. and if you look outside when the ISS is in your region, you can see it with binoculars

The tool bag is now orbiting our planet just ahead of the ISS with a visual magnitude of around 6, according to EarthSky. That means it is slightly less bright than the ice giant Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun. As a result, the bag  —  officially known as a crew lock bag  —  is slightly too dim to be visible to the unaided eye, but skywatchers should be able to pick it up with binoculars.

To see it for yourself, first find out when you can find spot the space station over the next few months (NASA even has a new app to help you). The bag should be floating two to four minutes ahead of the station. As it descends rapidly, the bag is likely to disintegrate when it reaches an altitude of around 70 miles (113 kilometers) over Earth.

150fdf06be05b19fabab691c1933f7646173a9b9

she’s fucking magnificent

​

roach-works:

everyone enjoy earth’s newest and silliest satellite while she lasts

Tags:

#(apparently it’s now more than four minutes‚ increasing with time) #(but still up there for the time being) #the more you know #space #the brightest star in our sky #embarrassment squick?

Image ~ ~ Brin ~ Leave a comment

colchrishadfield:

‪Launching into the sunrise is beautiful. @spacex (at Cape Canaveral, Florida)

Tags:

#indeed it is #pretty things #the power of science #the brightest star in our sky #(the description on the original SpaceX Instagram post says) #(that this is a launcher for a cargo vessel bringing supplies to the ISS)

What You Didn’t Know About Scott Kelly and Living in Space (Floating Urine is Involved)

~ Brin ~ Leave a comment

jtotheizzoe:

sciencefriday:

kpcc:

nasa:

First Ever NASA Reddit AMA from Space Recap

Space AMA 1

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly hosted a Reddit Ask Me Anything on Jan. 23 where people, well, asked him anything.

Kelly answered a range of questions from whether the crew members play space pranks on one another (“Occasionally…” Kelly said without elaboration.) to whether Kelly’s recovery plan will be different than normal (“I think my rehab plan is the same as if I were here for 6 months, but I’m not positive.”).

To start off, here are a few quick facts we learned about Kelly during the AMA:

  • The advice he would’ve given himself before going into space on day 1 would be to pack lighter.
  • His favorite David Bowie song is “Modern Love,” and his favorite non-space related movie is “The Godfather.“ 
  • He uses a Nikon D4 when taking pictures (camera settings and lenses vary).
  • He thought it was cool to watch the movie “Gravity” while he was on the space station, because that’s where the movie took place.
  • Once he lands, Kelly will miss the challenge of being aboard the space station the most.

Here are a few fun questions that astronaut Scott Kelly answered:

What’s the creepiest thing you’ve encountered while on the job?

Space AMA 2

Could a rogue spaceship sneak up on the space station?

Space AMA 3

We finally got an answer for one thing so many of you have been curious about…why does Scott Kelly always fold his arms?

Space AMA 4
Space AMA 5

When astronauts go up to space, they experience something very few others have and see Earth from a very unique perspective. What’s one thing Kelly will do differently once he returns home?

Space AMA 6

Kelly also told one user something unusual about being in space that people normally don’t think about: feet calluses.

Space AMA 7

Another user wanted to know what the largest societal misconception about space/space travel is. According to Kelly, it has nothing to do with science.

Space AMA 8
Space AMA 9
Space AMA 10

To read the entire Reddit AMA with Kelly, visit his IAmA thread.

Kelly’s #YearInSpace ends Mar. 2. Follow him until the end of the journey (and beyond) on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

The very first Reddit AMA from space! 

Awesome!

I think my favorite part of Commander Kelly’s AMA was realizing that NASA had to ship up the printed Reddit logo for his AMA verification on one of its cargo flights. 

It currently costs about $10,000 to send a pound of cargo to low-Earth orbit. There’s about 100 sheets of paper in a pound, so that was a $100 sheet of paper. Maybe the most expensive single Reddit logo on or off this planet.

Tags:

#space #the brightest star in our sky #the more you know #long post

Image ~ ~ Brin ~ Leave a comment

canadian-space-agency:

First ever flower grown in space!

This zinnia flower was not selected for his beauty (although it is super cute!), but because it can help scientists understand how plants flower and grow in microgravity.

“It is a more difficult plant to grow, and allowing it to flower, along with the longer growth duration, makes it a good precursor to a tomato plant” said Trent Smith, Veggie project manager at NASA.

Photo: NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly


Credit: Canadian Space Agency’s Facebook Account

Tags:

#pretty things #flowers #space #the brightest star in our sky #spaaaace flooowerrr