May 16 2009 Outerspace Eye Candy: Space Shuttle And Hubble Telescope Silhouetted Against Sun
This is a photo of the space shuttle Atlantis and Hubble Space Telescope silhouetted against the sun. It really made me think about stuff. You know, like outerspace and all that. I'm really deep.
The exceptionally gifted astrophotographer Thierry Legault captured this stunning tableau just minutes before the crew of Atlantis caught up with and captured Hubble for its very last servicing mission on May 13, 2009. This shot has never been accomplished before, and it's magnificent. He used a 13 cm telescope, and camera that took a series of 16 images of 1/8000th of second each.
Awesome image, Thierry. Reminds me of the time I bet the sun I could beat it in a staring contest and kicked its shiny ass. And that, my friends, is why I'm so bright.
Hit the jump for a couple more shots, one of which may or may not look like Pac-Man from behind.
Apr 4 2009 65,000 Piece LEGO Shuttle On Launch Pad
It may look real, but that's actually a 65,000 piece LEGO shuttle complete with launch pad and naked alien sluts, minus the naked alien sluts. It took two guys over 1,590 hours to complete and even has flashing lights and sound effects to simulate a launch.
Part of the "Nasu Space Center," it appeared as a scene in Nasu Highland Park, an amusement park in Japan.
The duo who assembled it are said to be participating in an event to top the tallest LEGO tower ever built, an accolade which is currently held by LEGO enthusiasts in Vienna, who constructed a tower over 96 feet tall.
Awesome. And as a guy who has tried to build a functional rocket out of LEGO blocks himself, I've got to hand it to these guys: sex is mad overrated. Am I right, guys? High-fi.... actually, a nod will do.
Hit the jump for two more pictures and a horrible quality video of a launch in action.
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Mar 19 2009 Aww: Injured Bat Blasts Off For Outerspace
A Free-Tailed Chiroptera bat, believed to have recently injured its wing and shoulder, clung to the foam exterior of the Space Shuttle's fuel tank just before launch on the morning of Sunday, March 15th. And moments later, as the shuttle took off, he became....Space Bat.
*music fades in* I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the....oh shit -- broken wing, I'm screwed. Quick, I'll just hold on to this thing. Whoa, what was that noise? Oh God, oh God -- WHEEEEEEEEEE!!
Per NASA:
The animal likely perished quickly during Discovery's climb into orbit.
*music abruptly stops* Wow NASA, way to inspire. You know what -- I don't even want to be an astronaut anymore, I want to be a policeman.
This post dedicated to the memory of Space Bat, who reminds us all: Aim for the moon....even if you miss, you'll burn up in the atmosphere.
Tribute video to Space Bat after the jump.
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Mar 5 2009 Docking: What The Hell Did I Just Watch?
I really have no idea what I just watched but it reminded me of Monty Python's Flying Circus. Also, I think it carried a powerful message. One about doing it. In space.
Docking [vimeo]
Thanks to C, who has actually done it in space and always tells me the story and it makes me so jealous.
May 1 2008 Coming Soon: Space Flights For Cheaper
Thought Virgin Galactic had the public space travel market sewn shut? Well think again -- there's a new player coming to the game.
The company, XCOR Aerospace, of Mojave, CA, announced that its two-seat Lynx suborbital spaceship will carry people or payloads to where they will experience weightlessness and see the stars above and the Earth and its atmosphere below. This will launch XCOR into the emerging space tourism market, estimated at over a half-billion dollars.The Lynx will offer affordable access to space for individuals, researchers and educators," said XCOR CEO Jeff Greason. "Future versions of Lynx will offer ever-improving capabilities for scientific and engineering research and commercial applications.
The spaceship, roughly the size of a small private airplane, will first take off in 2010 and will be capable of flying several times each day.
Rides will last approximately 30 minutes from take-off to landing, but there's no word on pricing yet. It's definitely going to be cheaper than $200,000 Virgin Galactic rides, but probably still expensive. My guess is a tentacled arm and leg! Get it? Because aliens have tentacled appendages. That was a space joke. Just like this one: Why doesn't NASA let me fly the space shuttle? Because I'm a freaking idiot!
Another picture showing what a typical flight will consist of, along with a worthwhile video, after the jump.
Mar 17 2008 Astronauts Like iPods, Take Them Into Space
This is close-up picture of the Space Shuttle Endeavor orbiting earth. And what is that in the window? An iPod! Astronauts listen to iPods in space (or at least throw them on the dash of the shuttle to look cool)! You know, I'm really glad this picture came out because it's just what I needed to prove my latest scientific theory: even astronauts download music illegally. record players don't work in space. NASA is too cheap to spring for Sirius. the moon landing was a hoax. the Discman is dead.
A zoom-out shot of the shuttle after the jump.
Continue Reading " Astronauts Like iPods, Take Them Into Space "
