The Space and Astronomy Thread

Ricardodaforce

Self requested ban
Suspended / Banned
Messages
18,340
Edit My Images
No
On the 40th anniversary of the landing of Apollo 17, I thought I'd create a thread for those that are interested in astronomy and space related news.

So, today is the day that Gene Cernan and Jack Schmitt landed Challenger on the lunar surface at the Taurus-Littrow valley. This was Cernan's second visit to the moon, as he had previously flown over the lunar surface with John Young in Apollo 10.

Approach and landing video:

[YOUTUBE]Ok1Vz_c-388[/YOUTUBE]



Meanwhile, from Mars, NASA are saying that an issue with one of Curiosity's drills could impact on the entire mission. According to Space.com "a bond in the drilling mechanism will fail, causing an electrical short that could threaten to knock out the entire rover".

Let's hope the mission does last a long time, as Opportunity's is doing!
 
Cool vid. (y)

They have some sort of earthing bypass built in to curiosity... mentioned further down ..They do still think it will work for two years, then go clunk, and the bypass will protect the robot from the potential damage...theres loads of faults apparently.

Things have moved on a lot hey, this video does it for me. NASA are awesome!
What a NASA advertisement would look like if they had a social media marketing department.
[YOUTUBE]GoMhwtg36K4[/YOUTUBE]

Cool walk through of the space station on this one. ..looks clean hey, but apparently the biggest problem is the smell, molecules are too small to filter, its doesn't lay as dust but floats around forever building to 'OMG it stinks in here' levels.
[YOUTUBE]doN4t5NKW-k[/YOUTUBE]
Warning, video contains camera porn!
 
Last edited:
That tour of the ISS vid is absolutely amazing! There's no way I could travel in a Soyuz though. I started to get claustrophobic just watching her in it!
 
First time I've watched a tour of the space station, it's cool but weird. It looks very big but at the same time cramped, definitely not the place to go if you don't like bad hair days :LOL:

I'm into astronomy in a small way, the nights up here tend to be cold damp and clouded over so I prefer solar viewing when I can. I'm working on making a portable computer/camera system that I can chuck in the back of the car with the telescope and shoot off to find some clear sky. By portable I don't mean a laptop but made with a pandaboard and separate monitor, software integration with the camera is the only thing holding me back atmo but I've a modded spc900 coming which may solve the problem.
 
That tour of the ISS vid is absolutely amazing! There's no way I could travel in a Soyuz though. I started to get claustrophobic just watching her in it!

I was ok untill I saw that nose clamp of another space craft blocking the hall with its docking ... blimey, erm, space is tight and the outside is just a few millimetres away.

First time I've watched a tour of the space station, it's cool but weird. It looks very big but at the same time cramped, definitely not the place to go if you don't like bad hair days :LOL:

I'm into astronomy in a small way, the nights up here tend to be cold damp and clouded over so I prefer solar viewing when I can. I'm working on making a portable computer/camera system that I can chuck in the back of the car with the telescope and shoot off to find some clear sky. By portable I don't mean a laptop but made with a pandaboard and separate monitor, software integration with the camera is the only thing holding me back atmo but I've a modded spc900 coming which may solve the problem.

:LOL: There's women down here who'd kill for that much lift and body!!!
 
North Korea has launched a satellite, allegedly successfully this time. The USA described this development as "highly provocative act". On the same day the United States Department of Defense launched their latest top secret mission of their X-37 mini space shuttle. The last time it was used it spent over 400 days in orbit.
 
Fascinating tour of the ISS. All the wiring looks very haphazard. It's like a rat's nest.
 
Fascinating tour of the ISS. All the wiring looks very haphazard. It's like a rat's nest.

I was reading about that astronaut giving the tour. What a career she's has so far! Test pilot, loads of spacewalks, space station commander. She's also run a marathon whilst on the ISS. Have a look at her wiki entry, makes for interesting reading.
 
The nearest single Sun-like star to the Earth hosts five planets - one of which is in the "habitable zone" where liquid water can exist, astronomers say.

More here.
 
Today is the anniversary of the Challenger disaster.

Roger, go at throttle up.
 
The ultimate holiday destinations!

Kepler Team Finds System with Two Potentially Habitable Planets

An international team of scientists analyzing data from NASA’s Kepler mission has found a planetary system with two small, potentially rocky planets that lie within the habitable zone of their star. The star, Kepler-62, is a bit smaller and cooler than our Sun, and is home to a five-planet system. Two of the worlds, Kepler-62e and Kepler-62f are the smallest exoplanets yet found in a habitable zone, and they might both be covered in water or ice, depending on what kind of atmosphere they might have.

Read more: http://www.universetoday.com/101489...-potentially-habitable-planets/#ixzz2QtrVyOQO
 
Wo ho - just seen the ISS go past :cool:.

Was putting the rubbish out and noticed a very bright light zooming along, quick rush inside to fire up Stellarium and there it was. Will be back at about 22.15

David
 
I'm fulfilling a childhood dream on Thursday by going to Cape Canaveral, though I can't believe it's taken this long to do it. :/

I've been fascinated by NASA's work ever since I drew a pic of the space shuttle Columbia as a kid and sent it to John Young and Bob Crippen just before their maiden flight in 1981. They sent me a signed pic back which I never expected, and some NASA stickers, which I've still got framed somewhere.

Well geeky lol. :geek:
 
I'm fulfilling a childhood dream on Thursday by going to Cape Canaveral, though I can't believe it's taken this long to do it. :/

I've been fascinated by NASA's work ever since I drew a pic of the space shuttle Columbia as a kid and sent it to John Young and Bob Crippen just before their maiden flight in 1981. They sent me a signed pic back which I never expected, and some NASA stickers, which I've still got framed somewhere.

Well geeky lol. :geek:

Awesome! I went when I was too young to appreciate it. Have a great time!
 
Does anyone have a good ISS prediction link? I used to have a couple before I fell ill last year but both now seem to be dead links. I found one the other evening but it refuses to remember me and my location, although it was spot on with its timing and viewing directions! Being me, I navigated away from the site and can't find it again!

Typically, the recent passes have all been during twilight and have passed towards the South West of us here - slap bang over the city centre so any chances of a decent shot of the full pass vanished in a haze of dusk mixed with light pollution. Next time there's a pass that's a bit to the North, I'll head up the hill (all of 1/4 mile!) to a decent viewing area where there are no close street lights and just miles of countryside but (of course) twilight might still be a problem. Possibly by then I'll have 2 FF bodies so I can try a UWA and a fisheye shot of the same pass.
 
Nod, the last pass is tonight at 21.21 until June, if that helps at all.
 

Unfortunately, that site just shows me a blank panel where the image should be. :(

Nod, the last pass is tonight at 21.21 until June, if that helps at all.

Thanks for that Martyn - 100% cloud cover ATM so will almost certainly miss it (and will probably be fast asleep by then anyway...)

Will try to get some relevant sighting predictions for Crete for late May/early June - with both our bases being very coastal (with hundreds of miles to the closest land), we actually get good, clear, unpolluted night skies to the North (first week) and South (2nd week). Knowing our luck, we'll be looking South for week 1 and North for week 2!!!
 
Does anyone have a good ISS prediction link? I used to have a couple before I fell ill last year but both now seem to be dead links. I found one the other evening but it refuses to remember me and my location, although it was spot on with its timing and viewing directions! Being me, I navigated away from the site and can't find it again!

Typically, the recent passes have all been during twilight and have passed towards the South West of us here - slap bang over the city centre so any chances of a decent shot of the full pass vanished in a haze of dusk mixed with light pollution. Next time there's a pass that's a bit to the North, I'll head up the hill (all of 1/4 mile!) to a decent viewing area where there are no close street lights and just miles of countryside but (of course) twilight might still be a problem. Possibly by then I'll have 2 FF bodies so I can try a UWA and a fisheye shot of the same pass.

I use http://www.heavens-above.com/ it does not only list the ISS but other satellites
 
Unfortunately, that site just shows me a blank panel where the image should be. :(



Thanks for that Martyn - 100% cloud cover ATM so will almost certainly miss it (and will probably be fast asleep by then anyway...)

Will try to get some relevant sighting predictions for Crete for late May/early June - with both our bases being very coastal (with hundreds of miles to the closest land), we actually get good, clear, unpolluted night skies to the North (first week) and South (2nd week). Knowing our luck, we'll be looking South for week 1 and North for week 2!!!

Same here, complete cloud cover, don't know if you use twitter but if so @VirtualAstro is worth a follow
 
I use http://www.heavens-above.com/ it does not only list the ISS but other satellites

That's one of the sites I was trying to remember, so thank you very much! I shall be registering there when the bloody cat gets off my lap!

Same here, complete cloud cover, don't know if you use twitter but if so @VirtualAstro is worth a follow

Yup, complete cloud cover yesterday evening. Not a Twitter user but thanks for the thought.
 
Cool video of the landing of the chinese lunar rover.

Embedded media from this media site is no longer available
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nod
Good find.
 
Back
Top