Tag Archives: NASA

Moon Rock Mischief!

Apparently theft isn’t exclusive to Earth! In 2002, college NASA interns Thad Roberts, Tiffany Fowler, and Shae Saur stole more than $20 million worth of moon rocks from the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. How did they pull it off, exactly? An elaborate heist that eventually ended in an FBI sting operation. In May… Continue reading

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Dwarf Perspective

There are many celestial bodies in the Kuiper Belt. One notable object is a dwarf planet named Makemake. This dwarf planet was one of the objects NASA used to demote Pluto from its previous planet status down to dwarf planet status. NASA wasn’t aware of other bodies that looked like Pluto, and when they foundContinue reading “Dwarf Perspective” Continue reading

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Space Junk

Space junk is a potential threat to human space exploration. In the frictionless vacuum of space, even a small particulate left behind by a past voyage can become deadly, fracturing seals and damaging the integrity of any spacecraft as it travels at extremely high speeds. So far, we’ve been relatively lucky—the sheer size of spaceContinue reading “Space Junk” Continue reading

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Why NASA?

With a growing distrust in both science and the government (something I discussed in one of my earlier blog posts about the Flat Earth Movement), NASA is one government agency that comes under a lot of fire these days. With many in politics hoping to slash the NASA budget or cut the agency entirely, itContinue reading “Why NASA?” Continue reading

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The Twins Study

NASA has conducted a study that looks at the effects of being in space on the human body, and they are calling it the “Twins Study”. The two test subjects are identical twin astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly. Mark and Scott are the only twins to have traveled to space. The information collected can be … Continue reading The Twins Study Continue reading

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A Whole New World!

Because the caves, mines, and crevasses on Earth are filled with extremophiles, NASA uses those lifeforms as a guide to its exploration of the universe. The hidden parts of the planet have to make their own way of survival. Surface life has photosynthesis, but subsurface only a tiny fraction of that energy trickles down so … Continue reading A Whole New World! Continue reading

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The Dawn Mission!

As I was reading through Chapter 12 I came across text on the Dawn Mission and my curiosity led me to searching for more! For something I hadn’t heard of before, its profound contributions and interesting factoids are beyond astonishing! I am a huge – and I mean HUGE – Star Wars fanatic, and to … Continue reading The Dawn Mission! Continue reading

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Songs of Space

Recently I’ve been collecting space-themed songs (for a McTyeire Hall event called the Galaxy Gala!), and then I thought of something I’ve heard of before: sounds coming from space! Because space is a vacuum, sound waves cannot travel through it. However, many objects within the Solar System do emit radio waves, and NASA scientists have […] Continue reading

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NASA Solar System Exploration Website

While searching for a website that is useful for observing the solar system, I found the NASA Solar System Exploration website. The landing page rotates through all of the planets in our solar system and provides quick facts about each planet. Currently, listed below this display are facts telling the time until a total lunar … Continue reading NASA Solar System Exploration Website Continue reading

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Life on the ISS

The construction and operation of the International Space Station is a crowning paragon of human achievement. Though it is such a grand and awe-inspiring system, I am often curious about the smaller, tedious details regarding life on the station for the astronauts and cosmonauts. I looked up some youtube videos and found some rather amusing … Continue reading Life on the ISS Continue reading

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