<![CDATA[Gizmodo: launch]]> http://tags.gizmodo.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/gizmodo.com.png <![CDATA[Gizmodo: launch]]> http://gizmodo.com/tag/launch http://gizmodo.com/tag/launch <![CDATA[Gifts For Space Explorers Who Swing Among the Stars]]> Hey you, Ground Controls and Major Toms orbiting out there! If you're a space aficionado or know someone who'd like to blast into the cosmos, it's time to take your protein pills. Here's the definitive go/no-go holiday gift list.

Click here to see all the gifts in a single page.

From the Earth to the Moon - The Signature Edition: This is one of my favorite TV series of all time. It's well scripted, acted, filmed, and directed, to the point in which you will get glassy eyes at some of the most dramatic and epic moments. My favorite is still the episode in which Apollo 12 arrives at the Moon, perhaps the most anticlimactic moment in the history of space travel. Even if you watched this on TV, each of the 12 episodes are a must to fully understand the titanic scope, knowledge, and courage that took humans into their trip from the Earth to the Moon. $15 [Amazon]

Lego Saturn V: This one is a given: Saturn V + command module + lunar module + lunar rover + Lego = Insane win. I wish it was as big as the gigantic Millennium Falcon, but it's good enough as it is. Everyone will like the set, and it's a perfect way to celebrate the 40 Anniversary of humankind's first trip to the Moon. $139 [Amazon]

Moonfire: At $1500, this is one very expensive book. But it is a limited edition of 1969 units. The last 12 of them—numbered from 1958 to 1968—have a moon rock inside, but those go for a creditbreaking $90,500. And the moon rock is not from the Apollo mission, but from a certified meteor. Alternatively, you can always buy the beautiful—and a lot cheaper at $31—Full Moon. $1500 [Taschen]

Trip to the Kennedy Space Center to watch a shuttle launch: Going to the Kennedy Space Center is always fun. Going to see a launch and feel the ground tremble below your feet while the sky fires up in Halloween orange and chimney red? Simply amazing. Going to watch one of the last shuttle launches next year? An absolute must. If you give this trip to any space aficionado out there, he or she will love you forever. $38 adult/$28 child for the admission ticket, add $21 adult/$15 child for guided tour, plus cost of flight and hotel. [Kennedy Space Center]

NASA Flight Jacket: The other day I got a real USAF fighter pilot jacket at a second hand shop. I wish I had that for a perfectly dorky Tom Cruise impression at the Dubai Air Show. This NASA Flight Jacket is the next best thing. Kind of. And it comes with all the patches. You only have to provide the Right Stuff. $79.99 [The Space Shop]

American Optics Pilot Eyeglasses: OK, so you got the jacket. Now you need the sunglasses. Forget about Ray-Bans. These American Optics' Original Pilot Sunglasses are the real thing, used by astronauts since the beginning of the human space program. You can choose different colors, lenses, and temples at their web site. Unfortunately, they no longer make the yellow bayonet model used by Michael Collins during the Apollo 11. Those are my favorites (pictured here). $70. [American Optics]

IMPOSSIBLE Ride in the Space Shuttle: Even if you had all the money in the world, NASA would never let you ride the shuttle. A Soyuz spacecraft, sure, but no space shuttle. Nosir, no big bang for you on top of this Reagan era wonder. You will have to enjoy this video and get over it, because sadly it wouldn't happen even if you were Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and JesusChrist all rolled into one. No price tag. But you can go on Virgin Galactic for a cool $200k. [NASA]

DON'T BUY Astronaut ice cream: This thing is disgusting. I want to like it every time I try it, but it has the most horrible taste. Maybe they should clean those astronauts more throughly before making ice cream with them. Die space ice cream, die! Give me Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie any day. $4 [The Space Shop]

Don't forget to recommend your own favorite space gifts in the comments-include pics and pricing if possible.
All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favorite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We'll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.

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<![CDATA[High Res Video of Ares I-X Launch]]> After yesterday's launch cancellation, Ares I-X—the biggest US rocket since the Saturn V—has launched successfully. In case you missed it, here is the video of the whole launch, including the separation of its upper stage. Godspeed, Ares I-X!

Oh wait, you just died—as planned. Oh my, the fact that you were alive just seconds ago.

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<![CDATA[Motorola Droid and HTC Droid Eris Launching on November 6th]]> Boy Genius has it on good authority that both the Motorola Droid and the HTC Droid Eris will launch on Verizon November 6th—a few days earlier than previously expected. Look for an official announcement tomorrow. [BGR]

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<![CDATA[A Trebuchet Launches Lenovo Laptops with Leverage]]> Some stress tests fall way outside the realm of predictable scenarios, and those are our favorites. At Gadgetoff 2009, Lenovo let some guys launch two ThinkPads from a trebuchet, just because. They get destroyed, but fare better than expected.

The team recovered the hard drives from their battered casings, and unfortunately they didn't boot when inserted into another, less smashed ThnkPad. The data was able to be recovered, and once it was it booted up the laptop fine.

Update: Jeffery let me know that the smashed laptops themselves didn't boot, but as soon as the drives were removed and inserted into another system, they booted up fine. No fancy data recovery required. Not too bad considering they fell hundreds of feet to the ground. [Thanks, Jeffery!]

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<![CDATA[GDGT Launch Party Tonight in San Francisco, and We'll Be There]]> GDGT, the gadget-based social networking site, is throwing a launch party tonight at DNA Lounge here in sunny San Francisco. There'll be gadgets to grope, giveaways, and we'll be there too—it's a party with gadgets, after all. [GDGT]

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<![CDATA[Private Rocket Successfully Puts Satellite In Orbit for the First Time]]> It may not be as exciting as the Apollo 11, but I do find exciting that SpaceX has put a commercial satellite in orbit for the first time, launching a Falcon I rocket from the Marshall Islands.

SpaceX launched a Malaysian satellite into orbit using the two-stage Falcon, a rocket developed and built from scratch by the company. The satellite, called RazakSAT, is designed to take high resolution pictures of Malaysia.

If all goes as planned, SpaceX will soon deliver material to the International Space Station in the future. [SpaceX]

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<![CDATA[Space Shuttle Endeavour Delayed By Ferocious Lightning]]> The little thing at the bottom of this image is the space shuttle Endeavour, which was supposed to launch today. That huge glowing thing is a lightning striking from the sky. Not surprisingly, the launch has been delayed:

Liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour on the STS-127 mission has been rescheduled for Wednesday, July 15 at 6:03 p.m. EDT.

Monday's attempt was canceled due to poor weather conditions within the launch area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Anvil clouds and storm cells containing lightning flared up toward the end of the countdown, violating stringent launch safety rules.

"Technically, we've been really clean the last two days with our vehicle," Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses said of Endeavour's launch attempts on Sunday and Monday. "It's just been the weather scenario that got us."

The outlook is better on Wednesday, with only a 40 percent chance of weather conditions prohibiting liftoff.

Hopefully, it will work out and a new Japanese module will arrive soon to the International Space Station. [NASA—Image by Gene Blevins/LA Daily News]

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<![CDATA[Internal Sprint EOL List Hints at March Launch For Palm Pre]]> The guys at Boy Genius have obtained what appears to be an internal End-of-Life (EOL) list from Sprint, and it sheds some light on when we can expect some hot handsets—including the Palm Pre.

According to the document, the Pre has a target in-stock date of 3/15, so it is possible that it will drop right around that time. It also notes that the Pre will be replacing the Palm 755P which has a projected EOL in late May. The March date seems a bit early (the May date is more likely to be honest), but if it is true, that would give it a big jump on the next gen iPhone. Check out BGR for the rest of the EOL list. [BGR]

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<![CDATA[Win 7 Tip: Miss Vista's Quick Launch? Here's How You Get It Back]]> The taskbar in Windows 7 is a revamped combination of the previous Quick Launch and Vista's taskbar, but if you really, really miss Quick Launch, then keep reading.

1. First, right-click on the taskbar and turn off "Lock the Taskbar."
2. Right-click the taskbar, hover over Toolbars, and select New Toolbar.
3. When it asks you to select a folder, enter this string: %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch
4. Find Quick Launch (it may be on the right side of the taskbar), right-click the divider and disable "Show Text" and "Show Title." Make sure "Small Icons" is enabled.
5. Drag the divider to rearrange Quick Launch on your taskbar (using left-click).
6. Right-click and lock your toolbar again.

You're welcome. I love you too. [MaximumPC]

View our other Windows 7 tips and our continuing coverage here.

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<![CDATA[The Very First Tip of the Arex I-X Rocket Is Ready]]> This is the Ares I-X Launch Abort System, the mini-rocket that will be the tip of the main vehicle, responsible for saving the astronauts' life in case of a major malfunction at launch.

This test unit was loaded into a C-5 transport to the Kennedy Space Center, where it will be launched this summer to an altitude of 25 miles (40.2 kilometers) during a two-minute flight test of "Ares I first stage performance, and its first stage separation and parachute recovery system".

Image Credit: NASA/Sean Smith

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<![CDATA[The Story of the Great Philadelphia Hot Dog Launcher]]> Hot dog maker Hatfield constructed a hot dog launcher with the help of the Philly Phanatic, famous weirdo mascot of the Philadelphia Phillies, for use during Phillies games. And now, in a fit of boredom and comedic inspiration, they've released a "documentary" detailing the making of the launcher. It's absolutely hilarious, and I'm not saying that just because I'm Gizmodo's token Pennsylvanian.

The video ends with a "Hatfield engineer" looking into the distance and musing about how nuclear power might be in the future for the launcher: "We've talked about rocket-propelled hot dogs, we've said, you know, is nuclear power an option? We'd have to play with it a little bit..." It's pretty much the best mockumentary I've seen since Summer Heights High. Thank you, Hatfield, for extending my Philly pride six minutes further. [Grill the Goodness via Boing Boing Gadgets]

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<![CDATA[Blackberry Storm May Finally Make an Appearance on November 20th and 24th]]> After a set of delays, rumors have surfaced that the Blackberry Storm may finally see the light of day on November 20 despite being planned originally for November 14. The pre-launch will be on the 20th, meaning the Blackberry Storm will be available for demo in corporate Verizon stores. They will also be available for pre-order at the pre-launch, but they will be limited to high-end Verizon customers and those customers who received mailing information. November 24th and 25th will be the general availability date for corporate customers and third-party retailers. The $199 price with a two-year contract is not expected to change. [Boy Genius Report]

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<![CDATA[BlackBerry Storm Priced at $200, Delay Caused by Software]]> According to the deep throats at Verizon, we will have to wait a little bit longer to buy the BlackBerry Storm. The original November 14 launch date has been delayed as we'd heard because of a "software glitch." It also looks like it's now headed on direct collision course against the iPhone, specially for businesses: "The price may be lower then $99.99 for companies," with a 2 year contract. Seems like Research In Motion and Verizon are feeling the heat as the iPhone keeps pushing up in the enterprise. But how much would it be for the rest of us and what is the "final" release date?

It will be available for $199.99 with a two year contract. For companies the price may be lower then $99.99 also with a 2 year contract.

So there you have it. The Storm is arriving at the end of the month, but I can already smell the napalm in the air. [Thanks tipsters]

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<![CDATA[BlackBerry Storm to Appear On November 14]]> According to a tipster working at Verizon, the BlackBerry Storm—Research In Motion clickity-touchscreen rival against AT&T's iPhone and T-Mobile's G1— will appear on Friday next week, November 14. This is the reason for the new Verizon's $30 data plans, which will be obligatory starting on that date:

I work for Verizon wireless. Your post was correct: We are putting in forced data packs on the 14th. The reason is that this is the Storm's release date from every memo that we have been given access to, it will be released that morning at all Verizon Corporate stores. Second tier resellers, like Wireless Zone, will get it at the end of the month.

[Thanks tipster]

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<![CDATA[BlackBerry Bold Launches on AT&T October 27th! Probably!]]> Boy Genius Report, they of the relentlessly reliable spy-network at RIM, is announcing with a lot of certainty that the long-awaited BlackBerry Bold will be released on AT&T on October 27th. A late-October release date would be in line with this leaked AT&T press release and, interestingly, only one day off from this Best Buy leak. It's been a long road to the Bold's release, plagued with delays and quality concerns, so it's good to finally see that finish line. [BGR]

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<![CDATA[Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 Cleared by FCC]]> The highly-anticipated Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 smartphone has been approved by the FCC and helpfully posted on their website so I can spend my Saturday mornings combing through confusingly bureaucratic PDF files looking for announcements like this. The specific model vetted by the fatcats in Washington probably isn't the one we'll be seeing here in North America: it's referred to as the X1i, which in Sony terms means Europe, and it's not yet equipped with 3G. Still, this is a good indication that we will be getting the X1 before 2009, though it'll still be after those shifty Europeans. [Crave]

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<![CDATA[New Zealanders Get iPhone 3G Before Everyone at Midnight, July 11]]> As a reward for putting up with Peter Jackson and his crew for years, New Zealand users are getting their iPhones at 00:01 July 11, which is earlier than everyone else on the planet. Three Vodafone stores will be open in Auckland City, Wellington and Christchurch and if you're close you should think about lining up. Any of our Giz readers going? [Vodafone]

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<![CDATA[Apple Sets July 7 Cutoff Date For iPhone App Store Launch]]> If you want to get your iPhone App into the App Store in time for the July 11 launch, you'll have to submit it by July 7. That's next Monday. If you're one of those kids who always does their homework at the last second, we suspect there's going to be less BBQ and more "OMGWTFBBQ we're not done!" this weekend. And there's no copying off the smart kid now either, so we don't want to see Super Monkey Ball and Super Orangutan Ball turn up next Friday. Of course you don't absolutely have to be there at launch, but there's a much higher chance of more press coverage if you are. Don't forget to look at our App Contest as well. [MacRumors]

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<![CDATA[iPhone Officially Coming to Spain]]> Spanish site Apple Weblog has discovered a hidden iPhone page from Movistar—Telefónica's mobile arm. The page officially confirms what we already said two weeks ago: Telefónica will sell the new JesusPhone. The launch day was not mentioned in the site itself—which was supposed to be secret, and has been taken down already—but the date that we announced remains the same according to my friends in the company.

Translation: "Movistar brings you the magic of the iPhone. Would you like to know when? There are already 29 impatient people."

The 3G iPhone will be available for sale in Spain at the June 18 grand opening of Telefónica's megastore—an Apple Store-like shop located in the company's landmark building in Madrid's Gran Vía—with nationwide availability the next day or after a few hours. The shop is now getting its final touches. [Apple Weblog—in Spanish, gracias Paquito]

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<![CDATA[Pneumatic Antenna Launcher is Not for Dribblers]]> Getting an antenna into prime position is often a little challenging. Well, not anymore; checkout this awesome antenna launcher mod. Powered like a regular air pistol, it depends on pressurized gas to generate force, which then enables it to shoot a light line over a tree.

In its past life, the antenna launcher was instead used to project tennis balls at annoying children / fluffy pets tennis players, but it can now be used to project an aerial up and over a tree, or a similarly lofty position, by wrapping the wire around the tennis ball and taking aim. Finally, you can now tune into your favorite Martian radio station with no fuss, just as long as your aim is a bit better than that guy who follows you around in life, using the urinal before you. [Pneumatic Antenna Launching Systems viaMake]

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