Showing posts with label Moon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Moon. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Russian space caves on the Moon
Russian space caves on the Moon: Some Russian scientists want to build a space colony inside a network of caves on the Moon. No, really. It's hard to tell, from the Reuters story, how much support this plan actually has from the people who hold the purse strings.
By the light of the super full moon
By the light of the super full moon:
This photo was taken last March 19 in Cordoba, Spain. Photographer Paco Bellido captured a particularly special full moon—it appeared larger than any full moon had in 20 years. NASA explains:
Via Catherine Laplace-Builhe
This photo was taken last March 19 in Cordoba, Spain. Photographer Paco Bellido captured a particularly special full moon—it appeared larger than any full moon had in 20 years. NASA explains:
Full Moons vary in size because of the oval shape of the Moon's orbit. It is an ellipse with one side (perigee) about 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other (apogee). Nearby perigee moons are about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser moons that occur on the apogee side of the Moon's orbit. The full Moon of March 19th occurs less than one hour away from perigee--a near-perfect coincidence1 that happens only 18 years or so.
Via Catherine Laplace-Builhe
Thursday, October 13, 2011
NASA Sues Apollo Astronaut To Return Moon Camera
NASA Sues Apollo Astronaut To Return Moon Camera: Hugh Pickens writes "The US government has brought a lawsuit against astronaut Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man on the moon, after discovering that Mitchell had approached a NY auction house trying to sell a 16-millimeter data acquisition camera that was supposed to have been left in the lunar module. Mitchell argues that too many years have gone by for the government to pursue the camera as stolen and besides, it was given to the now 80-year-old moonwalker as a gift in line with NASA's then-policies governing spent equipment. However, the government contends it has no record of the camera being given to Mitchell who elected to remove it from the lunar module before parting ways with the spacecraft and returning to Earth, and the judge has ruled that the government is not bound by the statute of limitations denying Mitchell's motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The Apollo 14 astronauts were not the only crewmates to salvage parts of their lunar module as mementos: Astronauts aboard Apollo 12 and Apollo 15 ripped off parts of their moonwalking suits' life support backpacks before they were discarded onto the lunar surface. But what makes Mitchell's case different is that other astronauts asked their bosses before each mission for permission and provided a list of items they planned to keep while apparently Mitchell didn't. 'They give me a list of things they're going to bring back,' said Deke Slayton, head of NASA's astronaut corps, who died in 1993. 'I give it to the program office and they bring 'em back.' For his part, Mitchell does not seem ready to give up the camera as the case prepares to go to trial next year. "
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Apollo 11 customs form
Apollo 11 customs form:
Do you have anything to declare? Yes, moon dust and moon rock. This is the customs form filed by NASA for the astronauts entering Honolulu after departing from the moon. The Atlantic recently posted it but Space.com has the full story in this 2008 article. Apparently, it was done more as a fun ritual than any governmental requirement. Still, a fascinating artifact! "Back from the Moon, Apollo Astronauts Had to Go Through Customs"
Do you have anything to declare? Yes, moon dust and moon rock. This is the customs form filed by NASA for the astronauts entering Honolulu after departing from the moon. The Atlantic recently posted it but Space.com has the full story in this 2008 article. Apparently, it was done more as a fun ritual than any governmental requirement. Still, a fascinating artifact! "Back from the Moon, Apollo Astronauts Had to Go Through Customs"
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