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Plasmaloopalicious!
The magnetic loop containing hydrogen and nitrogen plasma evolves over 4 micro-seconds. Credit: Bellan & Stenson, 2012 There’s no better method to understand how something works than to build it...
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Neil Armstrong (1930-2012)
Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong inside the lunar module “Eagle” after his first moonwalk. Credit: NASA “The important achievement of Apollo was demonstrating that humanity is not forever chained to...
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Mars Rover Curiosity is a Steampunk Creation
The left eye of the Mast Camera (Mastcam) on NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity took this image of the camera on the rover’s arm, the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), during the 30th sol of the rover’s mission...
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Unleash the MAHLI!
The first image to come from Curiosity’s Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) with the dust cap off. Credit: NASA/MSL-Caltech Ah! That’s better! Curiosity can see clearly through its robotic arm-mounted Mars...
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Curiosity’s Monster Dust-Covered Wheels in MAHLI Definition
On Sol 34, Curiosity’s Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) captured images of the rover’s dusty wheels. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Late on Sunday night, NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) website had a...
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Intercontinental Travel Is Impossible…
(Imagine an island long, long ago, in an ocean far, far away…) “Intercontinental travel will never happen. The nearest shore is thousands of miles away. This means that even if we had the ability to...
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A Martian Storm Is Brewing
This nearly global mosaic of observations made by the Mars Color Imager on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on Nov. 18, 2012, shows a dust storm in Mars’ southern hemisphere. Credit: NASA As the sols...
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Big AGU Announcements: Curiosity Team May Not, But What About Voyager 1?...
A view from Curiosity’s front hazcam of the sandy Mars soil the rover scooped samples of for analysis by its SAM instrument (NASA/JPL-Caltech) UPDATE 2: So it turns out that Curiosity does have data to...
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Sir Patrick Moore (1923-2012)
Sir Patrick Moore “I’m only a four-dimensional creature. Haven’t got a clue how to visualise infinity. Even Einstein hadn’t. I know because I asked him.” — Sir Patrick Moore The Sky at Night: Curiosity...
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Shhhhh… Do You Hear That? That’s The Sound Of The World Not Ending
‘Perfect solstice sunrise’ by @STONEHENGE (Stonehenge UK on Twitter) Now, call your friends, grab a beer and celebrate the end of the Maya Long Count calendar’s 13th b’ak’tun and the winter solstice....
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The White House Approves NASA’s ‘James Bond’ Asteroid Bagging Mission
Screengrab from the NASA “Asteroid Retrieval and Utilization Mission” animation (NASA LaRC/JSC) It’s been a looooong time since I last updated Astroengine.com, so first off, apologies for that. But...
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We Are The 4.9%
The AMS attached to the space station’s exterior (NASA) This month is Global Astronomy Month (GAM2013) organized by my friends Astronomers Without Borders (AWB). There is a whole host of events going...
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About Those ‘Habitable’ Exoplanets (RT America Interview)
On Monday, I appeared on RT America’s live news broadcast to talk exoplanets — particularly the three small (possibly rocky) worlds that orbit the stars Kepler-62 and Kepler-69. It was a lot of fun...
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Colonists Beware: Don’t Camp at the Bottom of Martian Hills!
Trails of Mars rocks that have rolled down the slope of a crater rim as imaged by the HiRISE camera. Credit: NASA/JPL/Univ. of Arizona. It’s always fascinating to see evidence of active geological...
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The British (Astronauts) Are Coming!
Lucky sod: Major Tim Peake, British astronaut (BNSC) Really, we are. But for the love of god old chap, make sure the first 2015 space station cargo run is packed to the brim with tea bags! Ever since I...
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Iain M. Banks, Science Fiction Genius, Dies at 59
Iain M. Banks It’s always hard when a person who inspired you in life dies. And for me, there are only a handful of people beyond my circles of family and friends who have, in some way, shaped my...
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R2-D2 On The Moon? Why Not!
“R2, where are you?” On the moon… Credit: NASA/Corbis/Ian O’Neill/Discovery News Sometimes, all it takes is the slightest of hints before I start Photoshopping stuff on the Moon that shouldn’t be...
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Voyager 1, You’re Officially An Interstellar Mission
Voyager 1 is serious this time. Graphic by Alex Parker (@Alex_Parker) “It’s kind of like landing on the moon. It’s a milestone in history. Like all science, it’s exploration. It’s new knowledge.” —...
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Curiosity Obsessing: Odd Mars Rock in Gale Crater
Panorama mosaic taken by Curiosity’s Mastcam on Sol 413 of its mission inside Gale Crater. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS, edit by Ian O’Neill As NASA has been shuttered by the insane U.S. government...
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Jovian Joviality: Juno is a Healthy Spaceship, On-Track for 2016 Jupiter...
Artist’s impression of the Juno flyby (NASA) Last week’s Juno flyby of Earth was an exciting event. NASA’s Jupiter-bound mission buzzed our planet on Wednesday (Oct. 9) only 350 miles from the surface,...
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