A Geek and Freelancer Writing About the Awesomeness of Science
Many millions of years ago Australia was part of a large landmass called Gondwana. South America, India, Africa, Madagascar, New Zealand and Antarctica were also part of it and dinosaurs had free range. As the supercontinent broke apart because of plate tectonics, Australia’s dinosaurs became isolated and evolved differently from their counterparts in other areas... Continue Reading →
The Polly Woodside has been a Melbourne icon for many years. The ship has a rich history that dates back to 1885 but it had been left to rot by the mid-1960s. Sold to the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) for one cent in 1968, Polly was painstakingly restored to its former glory by a... 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 →
When researchers head “out into the field” in Antarctica for longer periods of time and need something more robust than a tent, there are Igloo Satellite Cabins and Googie Huts. While unusual in appearance, both fibreglass accommodations are Australian designed and have been serving the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) for decades. The South Pole is... Continue Reading →
Wi-Fi is one of the most popular modern technologies to come out in recent years. In areas known as “hotspots”, Wi-Fi works over short distances and lets people connect “wirelessly” to the internet easier than ever before. The tech is common in offices, public buildings, airports, cafes, homes and many other locations. It’s been suggested... 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 →
The RMS Titanic is the most famous ship in history due to its tragic fate of sinking on its maiden voyage. On April 14, 1912, and close to midnight, the ship collided with an iceberg and with over 2200 people aboard almost 70% would perish. Ironically, too, the Titanic was also described as being unsinkable.... 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 →
A pulsar is a rapidly spinning dead star chunk that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation, like the lights on a lighthouse, out into space. They were first witnessed in 1967 by astronomer Jocelyn Bell Burnell and are one of the strangest objects the universe has to offer. In a controversial decision, Bell Burnell missed out... 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 →