space
Space: The Final Frontier. Exploring space developments and theorizing about how humans fit into the universe.
Voyager 2's Expedition
It weighs almost a ton and measures approximately four meters by four meters. Its two television cameras take tens of thousands of pictures of worlds in the outer solar system. A collision with a micrometeoroid could cause it to lose its orientation temporarily, but it wouldn't founder. It is made of millions of parts. If certain components fail, others will take over. We're talking about the fantastic Voyager 2, the semi-intelligent robot that, for nearly 40 years, has explored unknown worlds.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
History of Halley's Comet
It was August in 1682 when the faint gleam first appeared in the night sky. From one night to the next, it grew slightly brighter and changed position among the background stars. The pioneers of astronomy peered at it through that new-fangled invention, the telescope, and watched it begin to sprout a tail. Among the majority of people, however, the instinctive reaction was fear. “A comet,” they whispered. “A comet has appeared! And plague, famine, and war will surely follow.”
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Is the Government Hiding UFOs?
"You ever notice that UFO's never land at places like MIT or UCLA? They always land in some swamp in Arkansas where Billy Hot Dog and his cousin, Weenie, are out hunting. They're real good for reliable reports. It was big and round. Imagine if it landed in Times Square... taxi drivers would honk and scream out 'move that thing!' Bums would come and warm their hands by it and say 'This is nice!' " —Jay Leno
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Impact Craters of North America
The time: June 30, 1908. The place: central Siberia, Imperial Russia. A giant meteorite, blindingly incandescent, streaked across the sky and smashed to Earth near the Tunguska River, devastating a roughly circular region nearly 150 kilometers in diameter. Forests were flattened and several herds of reindeer killed. The earth was pitted by cone-shaped craters up to 50 meters across. Ground vibrations from the impact shattered windows scores of kilometers away. Heat seared the bark from trees, and smoke billowed many kilometers into the atmosphere. Shock waves from the blast were "heard" around the world by delicate microbarographs, instruments that measure pulsations in atmospheric pressure set up by very long sound waves.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
How Apollo 13 Avoided Disaster
Are you superstitious? Would you fly on ship number 13? Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, and Ken Mattingly didn't think the number 13 would be unlucky for them. They had trained for many months to fly the third lunar landing mission, Apollo 13. Lovell and Haise planned to spend 33 hours exploring the surface of the Moon, while Mattingly circled above them in the command module Odyssey. The story of what happened instead is a tribute to the bravery, ingenuity, and teamwork not only of the astronauts themselves, but also of the hundreds of controllers, technicians, and scientists who brought three men safely home from outer space. You can decide whether or not the number 13 was unlucky for them at the end of the story.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
Life on Jupiter
Most people can swim. Even I can, though someone once said unkindly that I give a spirited impression of a baby seal with training flippers. Most animals can also swim, at least passably. And we know that the sea is teeming with life, some of it very intelligent. Dolphins, sea lions, and porpoises are no fools, as we have learned. What, then, are the chances that, somewhere, advanced life forms live in a liquid environment?
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
How Accurate is Astrology?
Over the decades, evidence has been accumulating of striking correlations between events in the heavens and events on earth. If astrological "influence" is a fact, it ought to be susceptible to statistical study. With this starting point, a number of early studies were made (the most famous by Jung), some of which appeared to vindicate astrological claims, at least to astrological devotees. Then, in 1950, a young Sorbonne graduate in statistics, Michel Gauquelin, set out to disprove these claims, with unexpected results.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
What is a Meteor Shower?
Thousands of people observe the night sky throughout the year, either as a hobby or for scientific purposes. Meteor showers hold a unique benefit over other types of stargazing—you don't need a telescope. You won't even need binoculars. All you will need is an alarm clock to wake you up at the right time, and a sleeping bag if you plan to camp out. However, simply stepping out into your back yard is enough for most to observe a meteor shower. But exactly what is a meteor shower? What are these natural occurrences that we call "shooting stars" and go out of our way to place wishes on? Learning what you're seeing will make your next stargazing session that much more interesting.
By Futurism Staff10 years ago in Futurism
