Is warp drive possible? Dr. Harold White, Advanced Propulsion Lead for the NASA Engineering Directorate, thinks that it might be — and he’s not alone. The first plausible concept for a real warp drive was suggested in 1994 by physicist Miguel Alcubierre, for which the concept is also known as...
Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon, has passed away. He was 82. I am deeply saddened by the passing of this iconic American hero–a hero not only to science and the spirit of exploration, but a hero to all humanity whose one...
This is a fantastic video using JPL animation and actual footage, compiled and set to music, showing the entry, descent, and landing of the Curiosity rover. Check it out!
The Mars Science Laboratory, more generally known as Curiosity, has made a picture perfect touched down on Mars after a harrowing entry and descent. Says NASA Administrator Charles Bolden: “Today, the wheels of Curiosity have begun to blaze the trail for human footprints on Mars. Curiosity, the most sophisticated rover...
The new Mars rover, Curiosity (or more technically, the Mars Science Laboratory) will reach the Red Planet around midnight on Sunday, August 5th. As far as landings go, this one will be a doozie. Checkout this NASA video, hosted by Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher of Star Trek fame), explaining the...
It’s been 43 years since the first human beings landed on the moon… And we’ve not been back since December 1972. It’s utterly baffling to me — this is the year 2012, and by now we should have flourishing lunar colonies, L5 space stations, and human explorers walking on the...
Famed astronomy blogger Phil Plait has a few sagely words to say to all sci-fi writers and movie directors about what happens when you’re suddenly exposed to the perilous vacuum of space. So what does happen? Does your body suddenly explode? Does your blood boil? Do your eyes pop out?...
A new private space company, Planetary Resources, has announced its intention to begin a long term venture aimed at prospecting and mining asteroids within the next 10 to 20 years. Ordinarily, such a venture would be scoffed at by most experts, but Planetary Resources has been operating in secret for...
Have you ever wondered what the most interesting fact in the universe is? Well, here’s how Neil deGrasse Tyson answers that question. And if you have more time on your hands (1 hour and 18 minutes of time), here’s Stephen Colbert’s interview with Neil deGrasse Tyson. Very funny, and very...
For the cost of less than a single day on the War on Terror, we could have a robust and far-reaching program to explore Mars, look for signs of life on another planet, increase our overall science knowledge, and inspire a future generation of kids. …so explains Phil Plait, who...
