Attendees try on Oculus headsets and experience the space station using virtual reality prior to the screening of “The Color of Space”.
Read MoreMonth: June 2022
NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission passes crucial fueling test despite leak
NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission completed a crucial preflight milestone today (June 20), wrapping up a two-day set of tests known as a wet dress rehearsal. Those tests included fueling up Artemis 1’s huge Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and performing a simulated countdown that took the vehicle and NASA’s Orion capsule through most of the progressions they would endure on launch day before engine ignition. The simulated countdown reached its conclusion at 7:37 p.m. EDT (2337 GMT), bringing an end to the wet dress. Not everything went perfectly smoothly.…
Read MorePlanned space station boost by Cygnus freighter cuts off 5 seconds into burn
A planned reboost maneuver of the International Space Station ended after just 5 seconds for reasons currently unknown. Cargo ships docked to the International Space Station regularly fire their thrusters in short bursts to keep the orbiting laboratory at its cruising altitude. Typically, these vehicles are Russian Progress capsules, but on Monday (June 20), a Northrop Grumman Cygnus vehicle was scheduled to complete a five-minute burn to evaluate whether the capsule is ready to take this duty on regularly. The engine began firing at 11:20 a.m. EDT (1520 GMT) but…
Read MoreReview: ‘Lightyear’ sputters upon liftoff in Pixar’s new Buzz Lightyear origin movie
Disney/Pixar’s highly-anticipated “Lightyear” arrived in theaters this weekend, and where this prequel spin-off of the iconic “Toy Story” empire should have been an electrifying slam dunk, the event film comes across as a stiff piece of corporate entertainment that lacks heart and magic. Pixar’s endearing “Toy Story” quadrilogy, TV specials and shorts are a beloved part of pop culture since its CGI sorcery first crossed screens in 1995, becoming the world’s first computer-animated feature film and spawning a billion-dollar franchise that families around the world have grown up with. “Lightyear”…
Read MoreSolar System Gets its Ducks in a Row
We’ll have not one but many opportunities to enjoy a rare lineup of the bright planets over the next few weeks. Amazingly, they’ll be aligned in order of their distance from the Sun. The post Solar System Gets its Ducks in a Row appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read More‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ episode 5: The force unleashed
Leia was successfully broken out of Fortress Inquisitorus in ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ episode 4 (opens in new tab), but old Ben and his friends can’t afford to rest on their laurels. A tracker installed in Leia’s droid companion Lola has led the Empire to Jabiim, and Darth Vader is personally overseeing the operation. Those tuning into Disney Plus (opens in new tab) this week can expect revelations regarding Reva’s backstory, plenty of plot advancements and Darth Vader finally going ‘Rogue One’ and then some! Not to mention the moment prequel fans…
Read MoreInternational Space Station dodges orbital debris from Russian anti-satellite test
A piece of space junk from a Russian anti-satellite weapons test forced the International Space Station to maneuver to avoid the orbital debris on Thursday (June 16). Russia’s space agency Roscosmos used an uncrewed Progress 81 cargo ship docked at the International Space Station to move the orbiting lab clear of a piece of space debris from the Russian satellite Cosmos 1408, sharing video of the activity (opens in new tab) on the social media service Telegram. Russia destroyed the defunct Soviet-era satellite in a November 2021 anti-satellite missile test. …
Read MoreRobotics expert Robin Murphy explains why ‘Star Wars’ robots don’t reflect reality
Robotics is a smoking-hot industry that’s evolving by literal leaps and bounds, and the top researchers in the field are also some of sci-fi’s geekiest fans. Robin Murphy, the Raytheon professor of computer science and engineering at Texas A&M University, specializes in artificial intelligence for robotics. As a component of her curriculum, she writes “Science Fiction, Science Fact,” a series of provocative, engaging articles that highlight the myriad differences between the robots and droids depicted in popular science fiction films and the best sci-fi TV shows and actual robots and…
Read MoreSpaceX launches and lands 3rd rocket in 36 hours
SpaceX just completed a remarkable spaceflight tripleheader. A two-stage Falcon 9 rocket launched from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Sunday (June 19) at 12:27 a.m. EDT (0427 GMT), carrying a communications satellite for the Louisiana-based company Globalstar to orbit. Ten minutes after liftoff, the rocket’s first stage came back to Earth for a vertical landing on the SpaceX droneship Just Read The Instructions, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast. If all goes according to plan, the satellite will be deployed into orbit about…
Read MoreThis Week In Space podcast: Episode 16 — The best (and worst) space shows we know
Science fiction fans have enjoyed space-y stories on television for as long as TV has been around. But what’s the best space TV show of all time? How about the worst? On this episode of This Week in Space (opens in new tab), Rod and Tariq are back to argue across the generational divide about the best and worst space sci-fi on TV ever. Tops on the list? “For All Mankind” and (of course) “Star Trek” ride high… but the worst? Anyone ever see “Starlost”? “Lost in Space”? “Rocky Jones–Space Ranger”?…
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