From launch to a water landing, this stunning video shows you exactly what it would be like if you were duct tapped to the side of a space shuttle solid rocket booster. They get extra points from me for adding sound to the video. They must have bolted a transducer to the space frame of the SRB. RocketCam has more videos from past SST missions and even a few from some satellite launches.
[via neatorama]
Category: Science
The Online Paper Airplane Museum
Just in time for the wintry weekend, a site that can keep you amused for days! Just stock up on paper before you get snowed in.
The Mission of the museum is to inspire everyone to greater heights, no matter what they choose. If this much variation and grace can come from a simple piece of paper, imagine what you can do!
The curator says that he is going ot add my ‘build a glider from a fast food container‘ project. Neat!
Christmas Chaos
An now for something beautiful in a mathematical sort of way. Evil Scientist Labs present Christmas Chaos. Simply put, it's a mega high resolution real time ray traced fractal generator system made from coloured lights and Christmas tree ornaments. Look like a veritable science wizard when you absent mindedly put one of these together at the breakfast table on Christmas morning.
Magnetic Music
DIY Nitrogen Laser
Everyone is talking about this today. I remember first read about a free nitrogen laser in the Scientific American Experimenters Handbook when I was a teenager. I was more into building a Van de Graff machine but I could still appreciate a laser that didn’t need any complex lasing fluids or expensive tubes or one of those ultra cool multi Joule flash lamps. Ahh.. Such day dreams those made up… Oh yeah, about the laser. Pretty much is uses a great whopping spark to excite the nitrogen atoms in the air to a higher state and in turn that liberates ultraviolet radiation. Cool, eh? Hubert’s page has all sorts of cracking info on how that darn thing works, the kid did his homework Looks like you could build one for less than $50 easy. The 10KV power supply could be obtained from a TV or you might even be able to get away with using one of those cheesy air ionizers you find in second hand shops. Or you could buy one from Information Unlimited. (Weird, I Googled ‘high voltage power supply’ and saw the link, I had no idea those guys were still around! Very cool!)
Hubert’s laser page: Air laser
And if that don’t do it for ya, check this one out you laser pervs! Home built nitrogen (N2) laser
Mard Recon Probe Spots Viking Landers
It’s the spot in the center. For an idea of the size of the lander take a look at this photo of Carl Sagan posing next to a one to one scale model of a Viking lander. The two bright points on either end must be the wind covers over the RTG and propellant tanks.
NASA’s Viking Lander 2 landed on Mars on Sept. 3, 1976, in Utopia Planitia. The lander, which has a diameter of about 3 meters (10 feet), has been precisely located in this image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Also, likely locations have been found for the heat shield and back shell. The lander location has been confirmed by overlaying the lander-derived topographic contours on the high-resolution camera’s image, which provides an excellent match.
The camera on the probe is amazing, it was even able to capture pictures of Opportunity and Spirit as they were hanging out on the surface. I wonder if NASA will image the area where the Mars Polar Lander was lost so see what might be there.
[via New Scientist]
Viking Lander 1 (Thomas A. Mutch Memorial Station) Imaged from Orbit
Viking Lander 2 (Gerald A. Soffen Memorial Station) Imaged from Orbit