Monthly Archives: March 2013

Almost Interstellar

So, has humanity become Earth’s first interstellar species?  It all depends on whether the Voyager 1 spacecraft has left our solar system or not. Voyager NASA First, some history.  The Voyager program actually consisted of two space probes, Voyager 1 and 2, launched September 5, 1977 and August 20, 1977, respectively.  The probes were launched […] Continue reading

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Galileo’s Moons

To me, moons are fascinating.  Many planets in our solar system have them, with the majority belonging to the gas giants in the outer solar system.  For me, the most interesting of all the moons is not Earth’s, but rather the Galilean ones, so named because Galileo Galilei was the first to discover them orbiting […] Continue reading

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Greenhouse Gases

As noted in the textbook, the Earth is hotter than it would be without it’s atmosphere.  According to the EES 201 notes, just based on incoming solar radiation and 30% reflected back to space, the Earth is 255 K.   … Continue reading Continue reading

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Building the Launch Pad of the Future

NASA’s Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Program is currently upgrading and modifying Launch Pad 39B (pictured above) at the Kennedy Space Center. The Space Launch System, with the Orion spacecraft atop it, will release from this … Continue reading

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Possible Proof of Extra-Terrestrial Life

A meteorite found in Sri Lanka has been reported to contain fossilized algae. If this discovery is true, it could act as proof to the existence of extra-terrestrial life. The […] Continue reading

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SpaceX’s Merlin 1D engine

SpaceX is a space transportation company founded in California by the same guy who founded Tesla Motors and Paypal etc.  They have designed a new boost engine that has the potential revolutionize space travel. It has the capability to loose two engines and still ensure safe travel and the reason it is so amazing is […] Continue reading

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Things You can Do with a WMD

If your knowledge is lacking, historically… A WMD stands for a Weapon of Mass Destruction. Commonly they refer to nuclear weapons: fission based and fusion based. Fusion based weapons are more powerful. I will talk about fusion based weapons. Because they make a bigger bang. I like big bangs. Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Exactly. But […] Continue reading

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NASA Pinpoints Cause of 2011 Arctic Ozone Hole

The causes of ozone depletion are ozone destroying chemical reactions (CFCs), frigid temperatures, and sunlight. Both poles undergo ozone depletion during the winter months, but the Arctic’s ozone typically experiences […] Continue reading

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We are all star stuff

Although our bodies are made mainly of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, this composition is not consistent with our solar system. The most significant elements of our solar system are hydrogen, which is about 74% of all elements, and helium, 24%. The rest 2% of the solar system is heavier elements from the explosion of massive stars […] Continue reading

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The Birth of Solar System

It is so amazing that we live in such an organized solar system. Most planets rotate in the same direction as the Sun’s rotation, and of all planets are very close to the same plane. A theory of solar system formation must explain all these characteristics. The nebular theory seems to explain these phenomena neatly. […] Continue reading

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