One of the key chemical ingredients scientists believe to be required for life is phosphate. Phosphate is plentiful here on Earth, but scientists now believe that phosphate could’ve been more abundant on ancient Mars that it is on earth today. Phosphate is believed to be a required component for life because it is the backbone […]
Data NASA provided to scientists from an airborne science mission has revealed the existence of a massive canyon in Greenland that has been hidden for the entirety of human history on the Earth. According to the scientists, the canyon has the characteristics of a winding river channel and is at least 460 miles long. That […]
This beautifully bright, light-year-long heap of gas and dust particles was caught by the Hubble telescope hurtling through space on its way to becoming a star some 4,500-odd light years away. And this little cosmic caterpillar-that-could is all the more incredible when you know what it’s fighting against.
     |
NASA’s always had a knack for making the wonders of science look like incredible art; gazing at their various high-def visions of the universe is awe-inspiring to the highest degree. In addition to its incredible command of the cosmos, the agency has also spent the past fifty years commissioning terrestrial creative talents to find inspiration in its behind-the-scenes happenings.
| |
We don’t know about you, but we think 3D printing has gone completely nuts over the past couple of months in a very good way. But we think they all pale in comparison to what NASA just did with the help of 3D printing. They used 3D printing to create a part to be used in a friggin rocket! (more…)
NASA 3D-Printed Rocket Injector Passes Biggest Fire Test Yet [Video] original content from Ubergizmo. 
| |
Last month, NASA successfully tested its first 3D-printed rocket injector. The test was successful and the pictures were great, but now we’ve got video. Nothing like a good science inferno.
| |
NASA’s really into 3D printing, but its latest project goes far beyond pizza. The space agency has manufactured its largest rocket part ever, an injector plate, which successfully helped produce around 20,000 pounds of thrust on a test bed. They modified the design of an existing machined injector in order to create a 3D printed version using two parts instead of 115 — which NASA said performed “flawlessly” in tests. Such parts could one day reduce rocket costs while potentially increasing safety, since they’re less-complex and have fewer points of failure. NASA will ramp up the thrust on subsequent tests, but meanwhile, if you don’t want to see a rocket motor firing with 10 tons of thrust, don’t head after the jump.
Filed under: Transportation, Science, Alt
Via: Ars Technica
When Google’s army of Street View vehicles takes to the streets, there’s no telling what those wandering eyes will see. Still it’s hard to believe that a Google Street View camera captured a space shuttle flying over the New Jersey Turnpike towards New York City.
| |
NASA yesterday switched its Mars rover Curiosity to its autonomous navigation system. For over a year now the agency’s engineers have been driving the rover on Mars, now the rover is capable of driving itself. Switching to the autonomous navigation system will allow the rover to cover more ground, it will map out the safest driving path to its destination on its own by analyzing images taken during its drive. The images were previously analyzed by NASA’s people on the ground before they approved a route for it.
The rover was successfully switched to autonav yesterday and it drove onto ground that wasn’t deemed to be safe before. A preparatory test was conducted last week in which Curiosity mapped out a drive for itself while remaining in an area that had been identified as safe. Using the self-drive system will enable Curiosity to travel an additional 10 meters a day, as it capitalizes on the time that was previously spent by NASA’s engineers to determine a safe path for it. The Mars Curiosity rover is now making its way towards Mount Sharp where it will collect soil samples. It will continue to beam back information about the Red Planet, like it has done in the past.
Curiosity Rover Now Driving Itself On Mars original content from Ubergizmo. 
| |
Want to watch a copter crash live and guilt-free? Of course you do. Well you’re in luck: NASA is serving one up right now.
| |
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
