Month: August 2023

Watch NASA’s sci-fi-looking X-59 ‘quiet’ supersonic jet roll out of the hangar (video)

NeRD

NASA’s X-59 looks straight out of science fiction in a new video released by Lockheed Martin. The X-59 QuessT (Quiet SuperSonic Technology) is an experimental jet that aims to reduce the amount of sonic boom produced by aircraft breaking the sound barrier. Rather than the ground-shaking rumble produced by jets reaching the speed of sound, or Mach 1, the X-59 is expected to create a thump similar to the sound of a nearby car door being slammed. Lockheed Martin, who is building the jet through its Skunk Works advanced aircraft…

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‘Star Trek’s’ Jonathan Frakes on directing the ‘Strange New Worlds’ crossover episode

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Jonathan Frakes’ stature in the “Star Trek” Universe just keeps rising. The affable actor, author, producer and director continues to distinguish himself behind the camera in past projects like “Star Trek: First Contact” and “Star Trek: Insurrection” or helming pivotal episodes in newer Paramount+ series like “Star Trek: Discovery,” “Star Trek: Picard” and most recently for “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.” No matter where Jonathan Frakes appears in the credits, one can expect a healthy dose of humanity, heroics and humor and nowhere is this more evident than in the…

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New book ‘Stargazing: Contemplating the Cosmos to Find Inner Peace’ teaches meditation to bring stargazing down to Earth

NeRD

The stars today seem more accessible than ever.  The increase in crewed missions to space, a revamped effort by NASA to send astronauts to the moon, even once-cumbersome technology needed to look at the stars has become pocket-sized and readily available. So much so, it’s not uncommon for the casual space fan’s internet scroll to be filled with magnificent images of the cosmos, ranging from photos of the Milky Way captured using a cellphone, to the unimaginable brilliance of the newest view from the James Webb Space Telescope. It can…

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Watch a cargo spacecraft dock with the International Space Station early on Aug. 4

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The International Space Station (ISS) is about to get a visit from a familiar guest. Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft will dock at the station on Friday (Aug. 4), at 5:54 a.m. EDT (0954 GMT). This won’t be a social visit, however. NG-19 Cygnus, also known as the SS Laurel Clark, named for the fallen space shuttle Columbia astronaut, will be hauling 8,200 pounds (3,700 kilograms) of cargo for the ISS.  The whole rendezvous will be viewable live via NASA TV starting at 4:30 a.m. EDT (0830 GMT). Watch it live here courtesy of the…

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NASA hears Voyager 2 ‘heartbeat’ after losing touch with interstellar probe

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Voyager 2 is still broadcasting a “heartbeat” from deep space after a communications breakdown. NASA’s long-running Voyager 2 mission, which launched from Earth in 1977, automatically sent a “carrier signal” picked up by the agency’s Deep Space Network, agency officials stated Monday (Aug. 1). “A bit like hearing the spacecraft’s ‘heartbeat,’ it confirms the spacecraft is still broadcasting, which engineers expected,” officials with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) stated on Twitter. Canberra, Australia’s DSN Twitter account confirmed the news as well. JPL will next send a command to Voyager 2…

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The Perseid meteor shower peaks in August. Here’s how to see it

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With a little luck, we may soon be in for a fine meteor shower. Circumstances this year will be nearly ideal for watching the annual Perseid meteor shower at its predicted maximum late on the night of Aug. 12-13. Many families on August vacations at dark, country sites discover these meteors on their own, and late-summer campers often pull their sleeping bags out of their tents to enjoy this “Old Faithful” shower. The Perseids are one of the two strongest and most dependable annual meteor showers (the Geminids of December…

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