Author Archives: brendanfeeley

The NASA Warp Drive

In class last week, Dr. Grundstrom mentioned that NASA may be developing a warp-drive.  I’ve done a little research and here’s what I’ve found. Last September, NASA engineer Harold White spoke briefly at a conference in Houston about the possibility of creating and using a Warp Drive, which would allow faster-than-light travel.  He made a […] Continue reading

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Terrestrial Planets around Metal Poor Stars?

In our book, we learned that it is unlikely for planets to form around a star that is deficient in heavy metals.  In order to form terrestrial planets, you need a second-generation star to form from the nebular ashes of another star that produced heavy elements in its final moments. However, new research from studying […] Continue reading

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Kepler 37b

The smallest exoplanet that has been discovered is Kepler 37b.  It is very small, being about the size of the moon, and is also believed to be terrestrial.  Scientists speculate that Kepler 37b is very much like Mercury, being hot, barren, and geologically inactive.  Also, like Mercury, it is orbits very close to its parent […] Continue reading

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How much did the Apollo Missions Cost?

Recently, due to Budgetary Concerns, the Government has made cuts to NASA programs and has eliminated the Space Shuttle Program.  As a result many scientists and space enthusiasts have complained that NASA expenses are minuscule compared to the many other articles of government expenses on the budget.  In addition, according to our book, many people have […] Continue reading

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Historical Astronomers in Context

Isaac Newton (1642-1726) was the first to accurately describe gravity and motion.  More specifically, he developed three laws of motion that identified a). objects stay in motion until acted upon; b). the relationship between Force, Mass, and Acceleration; and c). every actionary force has an equal and opposite reactionary force. The British Enlightenment took place […] Continue reading

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Once in a Blue Moon?

While studying lunar phases for tomorrow’s test, I wondered what the common phrase “Blue Moon” meant.  According to Wikipedia, Blue Moon is a term used to describe the second full moon in one month.  A two-full-moon month occurs approximately once every 3 years, and the it can only occur is because most months (with the […] Continue reading

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Switching to Light Speed

What is the fastest thing that Humans have ever built?  According to Aerospace Web, the fastest man-made object were the Helios probes built and launched into space to study the Sun.  These orbited the Sun in elliptical fashion, allowing them to zoom around the Sun at very high speeds.  These are said to have reached […] Continue reading

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Brendan Feeley

Here is a Picture of Me. Continue reading

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