I’m as anxious as anyone for NASA to have a warp drive, it would be the best news in the history of news. Unfortunately, they don’t. However, you’d be forgiven for not knowing that this week. “Nasa might have successfully tested a warp drive that could carry people at speeds approaching that of light” –…
Nebraska professor tries to develop warp travel in his garage
If you’ve never heard of the company Space Warp Dynamics don’t feel bad. The organization’s head office isn’t in Silicon Valley or in California, Florida or Texas (conveniently close to a NASA facility). Space Warp Dynamics is based in a garage in Nebraska. David Peres, a professor from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, is…
If you think Google Earth is pretty cool, check out NASA’s Eyes on Exoplanets
A new NASA simulator lets you explore hundreds of known exoplanets from your laptop. “Eyes on Exoplanets” is a free download from NASA that uses data from the Kepler mission as well as ground based telescopes. Users can view a 3D map and zoom in on specific planets including gas giants, super Earths, terrestrials and…
A single video with all 135 Space Shuttle launches
Sure, the stuff NASA is working on now is cooler but from 1981 until 2011 the Space Shuttle was the whole show. Over the course of 30 years NASA sent more than 350 people up on 135 shuttle missions. If you’re feeling a bit nostalgic or you’re tired of waiting for NASA’s next generation spacecraft YouTuber…
Grab NASA’s free ebook on communicating with aliens
This eBook isn’t nearly as ‘fun’ as it sounds like it should be. It does not tell you to leave a trail of Reese’s Pieces, or teach you how to speak Klingon. The book is not even about language per se. It is a substantive look at what happens when we find intelligent, extra-terrestrial life…
NASA wants your help naming next Saturn Mission
For 10 years the Cassini spacecraft has been orbiting Saturn, sending back images of the planet, its moons and rings. Earlier this month NASA announced that there is likely a subsurface ocean on Saturn’s moon Enceladus, based on data from Cassini. Now Cassini is gearing up for its next mission and NASA wants your help…
How much does economic inequality cost? Two new studies
Two new studies attempt to take a look at the cost of inequality. The first and most quantifiable, of the two attempted to measure the actual economic cost of inequality in the UK. The Equality Trust thinktank looked at statistics related to the impact on health, wellbeing and crime rates. They estimated that the annual…
Inflatable drone aircraft could soon be bound for Venus
While we have all been oohing and ahhing over NASA’s Mars missions, NASA Northrop Grumman and L’Garde have been turning their eyes toward Venus and beyond. The craft they intend to use is a light weight, inflatable drone called the Venus Atmospheric Maneuverable Platform (VAMP). It would be carried into Venus’ atmosphere by a carrier…
You don’t have to be an scientist to participate in NASA’s new crowdsourced research project
DiskDetective.org is NASA’s new crowd sourced astronomy project. It is being billed as exemplifying the agency’s “new commitment to crowdsourcing and open data by the United States government.” The website contains images from the agency’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission. “Through Disk Detective, volunteers will help the astronomical community discover new planetary nurseries that will become future…
Watch NASA’s 3D Pizza Printer in Action
I’ve said in the past that 3D printing will be the most disruptive technology to date. I believe that it will eventually result in the ‘Napsterification’ of manufacturing. Eventually you will be able to download specs and print just about anything you want, to the peril of manufacturing, shipping and retail. The primary argument against…