Space Stuff and the Such.

[pixelboy]

Absolutely amazed that they can get a lander close to an asteroid!

Very smart people out there!

[Big Kev]

[durbster]

It has arrived:

[J.D.]

A doco on Werner von Braun:

http://www.theage.com.au/tv/History/sho ... bLd_xyOBvV" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[wobblysauce]

http://sci.esa.int/where_is_rosetta/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Interactive page.

More info here. http://www.space.com/24333-rosetta-spac ... aphic.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[youtube] [/youtube]

[durbster]

Rosetta is due to move to within 10km of the comet in the next couple of days:
http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/10/08/go-for-10-km/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I love this mission. There's something mindblowing about a human made object being so far away and yet is able to send pictures back to us:


Here's the proposed landing site, scheduled for November.


I'm already in total awe of them for what they've done. If they land this thing, I have no more awe left to offer.

[w00dsy]

There's something mindblowing about a human made object being so far away and yet is able to send pictures back to us:
.

And yet I can't get a good Wi-Fi signal to my back room.

[durbster]

Well there's your answer then. Fire your back room into space.

[Big Kev]

They've released the 3D info for the comet so if you happen to have a 3D printer you can make your own Brilliant!

[durbster]

I really want to own a 3D printer. I don't really want to pay for one, but I want one.

[DarrenM]

[youtube] [/youtube]

NASA’s newest spacecraft, Orion, will be launching into space for the first time in December 2014, on a flight that will take it farther than any spacecraft built to carry humans has gone in more than 40 years and through temperatures twice as hot as molten lava to put its critical systems to the test.

[Exar Kun]

Very cool. Hopefully all goes well and manned flights will begin before too long.

[DarrenM]

Hopefully better than this one

[youtube] [/youtube]

Washington: An unmanned Antares has rocket exploded seconds after lift-off from a commercial launch pad in Virginia, a NASA TV broadcast showed.

The 14-storey rocket, built and launched by Orbital Sciences, bolted off its seaside launch pad at the Wallops Flight Facility at 6.22pm EDT US time on Tuesday (9.22am AEDT on Wednesday in Australia) carrying a Cygnus cargo ship for the International Space Station. It exploded seconds later.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known, said NASA mission commentator Dan Huot.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/rocket-expl ... z3HUBNEU2W" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Exar Kun]

Ugh - what a shame. All these years on and this sort of thing still happens.

[Duke]

Check out the oblique animation animation of the Sarychev Volcano (Kuril Islands, northeast of Japan) in an early stage of eruption on June 12, 2009.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/v ... 985&src=fb" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Duke]

While you're at it check this site out - The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth
It also has a quick search function via a Clickable World Map

[Big Kev]

One of the Virgin Galactic space planes has blown up


At least one person is dead and another injured after Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo space tourism craft crashed in a California desert, the California Highway Patrol has said.

The craft was undergoing manned testing when it experienced what the company described as "a serious anomaly".

Television images shot from a helicopter showed what appeared to be wreckage bearing the Virgin logo.

SpaceShipTwo is carried aloft by a jet, then launched into sub-orbit.

In a statement, Virgin Galactic said the "vehicle suffered a serious anomaly resulting in the loss of SpaceShipTwo".

Ken Brown, a photographer who witnessed the crash, told the Associated Press news agency the craft exploded after it was released from a plane that carries it to a high altitude.

That aircraft, known as White Knight 2, has landed safely, Virgin Galactic said.

[Exar Kun]

Sad news It'll also put the program back a fair bit. This whole space travel shindig is pretty difficult.

[pixelboy]

such a shame.. I really wanted this to work..

This will set them back 5 years

[Big Kev]

The rosetta landing is due wednesday. I really hope they can do it.

[durbster]

The Philae lander has successfully separated from the Rosetta satellite. It's on its way down to the comet now and should take another six hours or so. Next update from the ESA is expected around 12pm GMT when they hope to regain contact with Philae and I think get some pictures back.

As a side note, it is quite amazing to think that when the mission launched the iPhone hadn't been launced, and as the mission reaches its critical phase I was watching the live stream on my phone on the bus this morning.

[Big Kev]

Landing gear has deployed successfully.

It's very cool. I really hope they make it.

[durbster]

Photo from Philae (lander) looking back at Rosetta (orbiter) 50s after detachment:


And the other way round - go on little fella!

[GT VIRUS]

Livestream

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But this is my preferred way of keeping up with it
http://xkcd.com/1446/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Big Kev]

Picture from the surface