A Geek and Freelancer Writing About the Awesomeness of Science
Before being reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006, Pluto was considered the ninth and final planet of the Solar System. It was discovered in 1930 but it wasn’t until 1978 when astronomers discovered a second object. Named Charon, the moon was nearly half the diameter of Pluto and defied all expectations. While working at... Continue Reading →
Former astronaut Andy Thomas turned 70 years old today (December 18). Besides having a distinguished career with NASA, he has achieved much as an Australian in space. Even now, Thomas continues to champion the development of the space sector in our country. Thomas grew up in Adelaide and was fascinated with space from a young... Continue Reading →
The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) was the first vehicle designed for another world. It was a staple of the later Apollo missions and helped astronauts travel further afield on the Moon than ever before. Though it resembled a dune buggy, with its nickname affectionately being “Moon buggy”, it was actually very different from a car... Continue Reading →
CubeSats are a type of nanosatellite, meaning they weigh anywhere between 1 and 10 kgs. They’re quite versatile and can be used for a number of applications such as weather and climate monitoring, disaster observation to help relief efforts and science experiments. CubeSats exist because of an explosion in technology miniaturisation that’s occurred over the... Continue Reading →
Before it was proven humans could survive the trip to space, the Soviet Union sent dogs in rockets to the outer edge of the atmosphere. The oldest tests date back as far as 1951. As a result, dogs were among the earliest space pioneers. Dogs versus Apes America and the Soviet Union had very different... Continue Reading →
Jupiter’s moon Io is the most volcanically active body in the Solar System. Its slightly larger than our own Moon and over 150 volcanos have been discovered on it, some of which shoot material 300 kilometres into space. At a distance of 422,000 kilometres, Io orbits extremely close to Jupiter and the two are locked... Continue Reading →
On May 30, NASA and SpaceX launched astronauts from American facilities for the first time in nine years. The flight, part of the Commercial Crew Program, was a success. It was the culmination of many years of research and design of new state-of-the-art rocket technology. Aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft were astronauts Doug Hurley and... Continue Reading →
Humans have been fascinated by the stars for thousands of years and continue to be so thanks to a burning curiosity that only grows with each new discovery. Since its launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has shaped our understanding of space in ways astronomers never thought possible. It has confirmed the age of the universe,... Continue Reading →
While people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day today, a famous astronomical photo turns thirty years old. In 1990, the Voyager 1 spacecraft—then at a distance of 6.4 billion kilometres from Earth—turned around and took pictures of all the planets. When the images were collected and placed together, they created a family portrait of the... Continue Reading →
On October 18th, 2019, NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir made history. They were the first all-woman team to perform a spacewalk on the International Space Station (ISS). Koch and Meir follow in the footsteps of other pioneering space women. For example, the first female spacewalk took place 35 years ago. The Historic Spacewalk... Continue Reading →