Space & Spaceflight

Laser-Zapping Telescopes Have Never Looked So Amazing

We’ve showed you the Paranal Observatory’s laser-guided telescopes before, but never in gorgeous HD motion, replete with clear stars and deftly swiveling machinery. This is definitely one you’re going to want to watch fullscreen. https://gizmodo.com/this-laser-is-not-zapping-space-invaders-5631789 It’s a bizarre sight: the super-futuristic observatory sticking out on the barren Chilean ground. It’s like what the moon may…

Space & Spaceflight Sam Biddle

Doctors Feared John Glenn Would Go Space-Blind During Historic Orbit

In 1962, space travel wasn’t what you’d call an “exact” science. NASA was only a few years old and nobody really knew how humans would cope outside the atmosphere. Now, 50 years after his historic orbit, John Glenn recalls what his doctors thought would happen in zero gravity. Physicians worried that, among other maladies, Glenn’s…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola

I Have Never Seen Anything Like These Tornadoes On the Surface of the Sun

I’ve seen many sun flares, but I’ve never seen anything like this video showing several dark plasma tornadoes on the surface of the Sun, captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory. It’s simply mesmerizing and bloody amazing. An active region rotating into view provides a bright backdrop to the gyrating streams of plasma. The particles are…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz

How NASA Brings Space Down to Earth

Numbers, facts, figures, equations. These are all obviously critical components of the space program. But numbers don’t speak to our emotions. It’s hard to commit millions of dollars and thousand of hours to an equation. We need something visceral that we can connect to. That’s where Dan Goods comes in. He’s the Visual Strategist at…

Space & Spaceflight Brent Rose

The First Astronaut-Robot Handshake in Space

There’s nothing like a good, firm handshake. Especially when it’s with a robot, and you’re in space. Yesterday, NASA’s Robonaut completed its systems checks aboard the International Space Station — and celebrated with a handshake. It’s taken Robonaut a long time to make it into space, and an absurd length of time to be fully…

Space & Spaceflight Jamie Condliffe

The Mind-Boggling Story of the Galactic Wonder That Didn’t Exist When We Saw It

In 1995, the world was astonished by the image of a group of 4-light-year-tall columns located in the Eagle Nebula, 7,000 light years from here. So unimaginable it was that someone called them the Pillars of Creation. The only problem is that the pillars didn’t really exist. Something had destroyed them more than a thousand…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz

We Are So Close to Inventing a Real-Life Mr. Fusion

Some would argue that the biggest obstacle robotics currently faces isn’t the Uncanny Valley or suppressing the urge to destroy all humans—it’s keeping their batteries charged. The newest version of the EcoBot may have the answer—it eats poop. Our poop. Powering robots is pretty straightforward—either have a whole bunch of spare AA’s on hand or…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola

This Is What Nuking an Earth-Killing Asteroid Looks Like

You might think Armageddon was just a lot of Bruce Willis sobbing and Aerosmith-fueled sex, but there was actually some truth in there! If an enormous space rock ever heads our way, we’re already planning on nuking it to hell. Here’s how. Even though NASA and other space agencies have most of the nearby asteroids…

Space & Spaceflight Sam Biddle

There Is a Spaceship Hidden In This Image of Mars

This image was captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter while flying over the Bonneveille Crater on January 29, 2012. There’s a spaceship hidden in plain view, sightly red because of the planet’s dust. Can you see it? It’s the “first color image from orbit showing the three-petal…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz

The Most Expensive Penny In History Will Be On Mars

The most expensive Lincoln penny in history was a 1943 copper-alloy cent that was sold for $1.7 million in a 1996 auction. Nothing compared to this one, though. This penny is going be put on Mars for a nice $2.5 billion. Not bad! Of course, those $2.5 billion are going to put a lot more…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz

Santorum Attacks Gingrich’s Wild Moon Fantasies

Guy-who-won’t-win Rick Santorum has a new weapon in his arsenal against Space Admiral Newt Gingrich: a radio attack ad damning Newt’s moon base as financially irresponsible. The moon base is this election’s pivotal issue—is the dream dead? In addition to regular insanity, the ad blasts Newt’s space vision as “fiscal insanity,” citing a $500 billion…

Space & Spaceflight Sam Biddle

The First Look at Mars’ Ocean

We knew there was water in abundance on Mars, but we never saw its ocean. This is it, as uncovered by strong new evidence found over the course of two years by the MARSIS radar on board ESA’s Mars Express. Before this discovery, scientists suspected what could have been the shorelines of such ocean. However,…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz

Even Knitting Needles Are Awesome in Space

Even the most mundane objects and experiences seem to become totally amazing up in space. Like, say, this knitting needle that’s been charged with static electricity interacting with tiny droplets of water. Combine the electric charge with the velocity of the droplet, and the result is a gravity-like orbit of the water around the needle.…

Space & Spaceflight Michael Hession

The Three Super Bowl Cities Seen From Space

Here are the three cities of Sunday’s Super Bowl as seen from space: New York City (Giants), Greater Boston area (Patriots), and the host city, Indianapolis, Indiana. The high definition images were captured by NASA’s Landsat 7. One cool bit of space trivia: since 1972, Landsat satellites have collected two million images, now stored in…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz

How To Land a Plane That’s Missing Half a Wing

It’s time to talk about the second letter in NASA: Aeronautics. Yes, NASA does mind-blowing things in outer space, but they also want you to get to your family reunion in one piece. NASA is making planes smarter. Smart enough to be flyable even when they’re falling apart. We’re all familiar with the term “autopilot,”…

Space & Spaceflight Brent Rose

“Most Amazing Earth Image” From the Other Side

NASA said that their Blue Marble 2012 was “the most amazing image of Earth ever.” Now they have released the other half, answering to popular demand. https://gizmodo.com/the-most-amazing-high-definition-image-of-earth-ever-5879142 This look at the East hemisphere “is a composite of six separate orbits taken on January 23, 2012 by the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite. Both of these…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz

From Space the Earth Eats the Moon

By now you’re probably used to all the spectacular nightime timelapses from the International Space Station. But this one demonstrates that the show is just as amazing during the day. Check out the Moon seemingly sinking into the Earth’s atmosphere. https://gizmodo.com/this-is-the-newest-most-amazing-video-from-space-ever-5877476 It’s a visual effect, but it’s truly beautiful. If you look at the high…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz

This Is How Spaceships Are Born

Have you ever wondered how the hell spaceships get made? I mean, how does something like the six-legged ATHLETE rover go from an engineering fantasy into an actual working thing? Creativity? Technological know-how? Sure, you need plenty of that. But most of all: It takes the stones to dream up what no one ever thought…

Space & Spaceflight Brent Rose

NASA GRAIL Returns Its First Video of the Far Side of the Moon

Cue in the Pink Floyd, because NASA’s GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory) has returned “its first unique view of the far side of the moon used its MoonKAM”. Of course, it’s not the first video of this side of the Moon, but it’s pretty cool anyway. In the video you can see the far…

Space & Spaceflight Jesus Diaz

Never Before Seen Satellite Spy Shots from the Depths of the Cold War

Depths might not be the right expression, actually, as all of these photographs were taken from space, decades and decades ago. Russian rockets, aircraft carriers, secret military compounds—one legendary spy satellite saw it all from orbit. We last visited the mammoth HEXAGON satellite when it was revealed to the public in September: https://gizmodo.com/this-massive-cold-war-spy-satellite-was-hidden-from-the-5841514 Beginning in…

Space & Spaceflight Sam Biddle

Laser-Zapping Telescopes Have Never Looked So Amazing

Doctors Feared John Glenn Would Go Space-Blind During Historic Orbit

I Have Never Seen Anything Like These Tornadoes On the Surface of the Sun

How NASA Brings Space Down to Earth

The First Astronaut-Robot Handshake in Space

The Mind-Boggling Story of the Galactic Wonder That Didn’t Exist When We Saw It

We Are So Close to Inventing a Real-Life Mr. Fusion

This Is What Nuking an Earth-Killing Asteroid Looks Like

There Is a Spaceship Hidden In This Image of Mars

The Most Expensive Penny In History Will Be On Mars

Santorum Attacks Gingrich’s Wild Moon Fantasies

The First Look at Mars’ Ocean

Even Knitting Needles Are Awesome in Space

The Three Super Bowl Cities Seen From Space

How To Land a Plane That’s Missing Half a Wing

“Most Amazing Earth Image” From the Other Side

From Space the Earth Eats the Moon

This Is How Spaceships Are Born

NASA GRAIL Returns Its First Video of the Far Side of the Moon

Never Before Seen Satellite Spy Shots from the Depths of the Cold War

Pixel Buds Pro 2 Hit Record Low as Google Continues Its Clearance-Like Price Cuts Following Smartphone Deals

DJI Now Has a Cheaper 360 Drone Than Insta360, but the U.S. Won’t Get It

Amazon Clears Out Apple Watch Series 9 With Silver Stainless Steel Case at 48% Off During Spring Sale

What Do You Mean Fox McCloud Is in the ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ Movie

Apple iPad With A16 Chip Is Now as Cheap as It Gets, With Stock Moving Quickly in Amazon’s Tablet Deals

Amazon Echo Spot Is Running at Its All-Time Low, Likely the Last Chance Before Prime Day Arrives in a Few Months

Diablo Cody Has Big Plans for the ‘Jennifer’s Body’ Sequel

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

Apple Studio Display XDR Review: It Looks So Good, I Wish It Were an iMac

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