Blog Archives

ESTUDE COM ASTRONAUTAS POR UMA SEMANA!!!

21/3/2012

Já pensou em trabalhar com astronautas e cientistas da NASA? Que tal participar de uma missão para ter um projeto construído e enviado para pesquisa na Estação
Espacial Internacional?

A Mission Discovery abre essa possibilidade para brasileiros, a partir de 15 anos de idade, que estejam interessados em ciência, pesquisa espacial e também em aprimorar seu inglês através do contato com estudantes e professores de outros países.

Além disso, você estará no King’s College London, uma das mais renomadas universidades do mundo, e em contato direto com astronautas da NASA e cientistas
espaciais.

Vamos Nessa?

0 Comments

Virgin Galactic signs up its 500th 'space customer' . . . .

20/3/2012

2 Comments

Blogging Mr. Richard Branson announced
yesterday that Virgin Galactic has just signed up its 500th“astronaut customer” to fly into space – none other than studd muffin actor, Ashton Kutcher.

"I gave Ashton a quick call to congratulate and welcome him. He is as thrilled as we are at the prospect of being among the first to cross the final frontier (and back!) with us and to experience the magic of space for himself," Branson wrote on his blog.

With a flight costing $200,000, with an up-front deposit of $20,000 required, it is a luxury then most mere mortals will not be including on their shopping list this week. However, when your daytime job pays you $700,000 per episode for starring in the hit comedy show Two and a Half Men (reportedly $15.4 million for the season), I guess the price for 6 minutes of weightlessness is irrelevant!

The date and time of the space flights have not yet been announced.

2 Comments

The Northern Lights as seen from the ISS . . . .

18/3/2012

0 Comments

Unfortunately, I have never yet been lucky enough to witness the Northern Lights for myself, but I live in hope that one day I will be in the right place at the right time in the northern hemisphere.

In the meantime, I will have to be happy with watching the display on video, such as this one just released by NASA and showing images captured from the International Space Station (ISS).

Hit the play button and watch some footage taken from the cockpit of the ISS showing the lights
(scientifically termed the aurora borealis) against the curvature of the Earth.

The video was created by the Crew Earth Observations team at Johnson Space Centre, Houston, Texas and made from a series of still images captured by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the space station earlier in the year.

Enjoy!

0 Comments

Russia plans to send man to the Moon by 2030.

16/3/2012

0 Comments

According to the Russian online news site, Kommersant, the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) is setting out its aims for the next 18 years, and these will include the deployment of research stations on Mars, as well as a first Russian manned mission to the Moon.

The space agency has seen some hard times recently with satellites failing to reach orbit and a high-profile Mars mission, the Fobos Grunt, suffering a rocket failure and crashing back down to Earth in 2011.

However, undeterred, Russia’s new plans are focusing the highest priority on technological development and modernization, and will probably see new purchases of rocket technology from abroad in order to achieve its goal.

By 2030, Russia should be able "to conduct a manned circum-lunar test flight with the subsequent landing of cosmonauts on its surface and their return to Earth," the Roscosmos plan is quoted as saying.

The agency also hopes to join other nations in deploying a network of long-term research stations on Mars that could be used a stepping stone for an eventual colonization of the Red Planet.

0 Comments

When science and fun combine . . . . . . .

10/3/2012

0 Comments

Stand in front of a group of students and announce that today we will be having a science lesson, and at that point half of them will audibly groan, slump over their desks, and they will give more attention to what they are planning to do that night than to you at the front of the room! This is the negative power that the 'S' word - Science - can have on some people.

However, take a little science theory and add it to one of the latest games crazes and you have a guaranteed way to hold the attention of many, and to teach the public about a core concept of space exploration - i.e gravity - without them even realising it.

At least, I think that is the theory behind NASA's latest collaboration with entertainment media company Rovio, creators of the globally successful Angry Birds franchise.

Due for release later this month, Angry Birds Space, must be the first games release to be announced from the International Space Station, and provided NASA astronaut Don Pettit with a great opportunity to explain about gravity, including a demonstration of using a catapult in space, fully loaded with an Angry Bird! Find out more by viewing the video below.

0 Comments

Back to blogging . . . . . . . . .

7/3/2012

2 Comments

Ok - so let the blogging begin once again!

My apologies for a lack of updates but I have been away on my travels and as ever, up to my eye-balls in work work work!

Back in sunny Brazil once more after
leaving behind a cold and dark London, as well as taking part in very interesting visits to snowy Sweden and Finland. New and exciting connections to be built with the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and Aalto University in Helsinki.

Much accomplished at King's College, London - my usual haunt - and had the pleasure of meeting NASA astronaut Ron Garan whilst there this time.

I look forward to later this year returning to King's to be involved in the Mission Discovery Summer School - a week long program for students interested in sciences, medicine and technology, but with a Space theme. Any young Brazilians fancy working alongside a team from NASA (including astronaut Ken Ham), and a team of scientists from King's College, London - including my good self?

Then watch this space for more news!

2 Comments

ESTUDE COM ASTRONAUTAS POR UMA SEMANA!!!

Virgin Galactic signs up its 500th 'space customer' . . . .

The Northern Lights as seen from the ISS . . . .

Russia plans to send man to the Moon by 2030.

When science and fun combine . . . . . . .

Back to blogging . . . . . . . . .

Space Doctor

Archives