Kapustin Yar (known today as Znamensk) is one of the Soviet Union’s first rocket launch and missile development sites. The test ground was established on May 13, 1946, and to mark its 70th anniversary Russia’s Defense Ministry has declassified revealing photographs of the site that offer a peak inside the top secret…
Yesterday, we listed the seven basic methods scientists use to get rid of gravity. Today, we’d like to go in the opposite direction, and look at a tool used to introduce a high amount of gravity to a test subject: a centrifuge.
Sometimes you just need to cut loose—from the Earth’s gravity. Want to feel what it’s like to be free from gravity, but can’t get yourself to the ISS? You’ve got some options.
Libraries are magical places, and even the smallest local branch over the corner deserves your attention, and you should pay a visit regularly. Artist André Chiote believes in the power of libraries, and has put together an astounding set of posters to celebrate their importance.
Gas stations might be boring or even ugly places, but for the most part, you can’t avoid stopping by one on a long trip. However, they have been so many more beyond the basic design of columns, roof and shop over their history.
When you drive, the second most important thing you should keep your eyes on is the dashboard of your car (the first thing being the road). In space, however, it’s the controls that are the most essential for navigating and operating your spacecraft. From Gagarin to Scott Kelly, here’s a brief visual history of the…
Have you ever worried how real astronauts or cosmonauts can defend themselves or render harmless hostile life forms? What if an alien breaks into the International Space Station? Or a crew member loses his or her mind and goes berserk? The following set of images will put your mind to ease: aspacemen always carry some…
Canned foods made their debut on store shelves in the 19th century, and they’ve only become more common ever since. From your local deli to supermarkets, you can find pretty much anything—from tuna to pineapple—in canned form. But how did we get here? The history of canned food is more intricate than you’d think, and…
Nietzsche said: if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into you. If we look deep into these man made holes we might face our own monstrosity we fight ever since, or witness humankind’s majesty.
It is a cliché that our TV watching habits are changed a lot in the past few decades. But if we look back in time, we can see how broadcasting technology has been changing continuously since the first television programs were telecasted for the first TV sets, and how broadcasters have innovated to keep us entertained.
There’s a growing demand for greener, safer renewable energy sources. Sun, wind, water, biomass, waves and tides, and the heat of the soil, all provide alternatives to non-renewable energy.
A few hours ago the rare astronomical event that is the total solar eclipse was witnessed in Indonesia, while other parts of Asia experienced a partial eclipse. Because you probably missed it, here’s a quick photo roundup so you can start the day in awe.
Yes, music takes you places, and this was true 100 years ago too, when sheet music was the most widespread form of distributing popular music. And in the age of the Wright brothers, when powered flight started to gain ground, aviation became a significant theme in popular music. The following collection proves this…
It’s easy to fall for stereotypes when you’re thinking about Imperial Japan, especially when the Internet offers plenty of dreamy, romanticized, hand colored photos of geishas, samurais, craftsmen, and peasants, all wearing traditional clothes and posing in medieval scenes. This set of color postcards, all issued in…
This year Aviation Week & Space Technology celebrates its 100th birthday. To mark the occasion, the weekly magazine is giving us a fantastic gift: the 100-year digital archive of their 4,500 issues for free.
There was a time when traveling by trains meant passengers could sit down for full-service meals in dining cars just like in high-end restaurants. Everything was fancy, even the menus. The following selection of old menu covers does a brilliant job of showcasing the golden era of streamlined locomotives (watch out for…
There was a time when passenger airplanes wore more sophisticated outfits than they do these days.
Christmas is the most anticipated festive season for children in our culture, and it is easy to find out why: presents. Finding long-desired toys under the dressed-up Christmas tree is one of the best moments of the year, and this was the case dozens or even a hundred years ago, too. Here are some nostalgic photos of…
The upcoming rare cameras auctions at Bonhams will feature rare photography equipment and accessories crafted by iconic manufacturers (Hasselblad, Leica, Nikon, Rolleiflex just to name a few). But for those who are fond of the history of spying, the real stars of the event on December 3 in Hong Kong) will be these…
The sounding rocket you can see above will be launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on the 4th of December, and according to NASA it “will be MUSIC to the ears of aspiring and early career engineers testing new space technology on a suborbital vehicle.” That’s because the name of the payload stands for Multiple…
