Author: NeRD

Warm up this holiday season with NASA’s new SLS rocket engine fireplace (video)

NeRD

NASA is inviting you to sit by a homey, rocket-powered hearth this holiday season. The space agency created a virtual fireplace lit by the engines of its huge Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which sent the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission to the moon in November 2022. “Just what you need for the holidays — the coziness of a crackling and roaring rocket engine!” NASA wrote in a description of the eight-hour-long fireplace video, which it posted on YouTube on Tuesday (Nov. 26). NASA Rocket Engine Fireplace – 8 Hours in…

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‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ season 5 episode 7: How does a certain ‘Next Generation’ character cross paths with the Cerritos?

NeRD

The USS Cerritos crew has encountered plenty of dimensional fissures this year, but the latest rupture in space and time carries the most unlikely of guests to the Alpha Quadrant. In “Lower Decks” season 5 episode 7, “Fully Dilated”, Captain Freeman and her crew encounter a purple version of the USS Enterprise-D — and there are much bigger questions to answer than whether the carpets match the hull. Spoiler warning! Caution advised if you’re yet to watch this week’s episode. Lieutenants Beckett Mariner, D’Vana Tendi, and T’Lyn are sent on…

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Aaron Yazzie: Bridging Indigenous Heritage and Space Exploration

NeRD

4 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Aaron Yazzie’s dream of being part of humanity’s exploration of space took him on a journey from his childhood home on the Navajo Nation to working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California. His journey reflects not only his personal ambition, but also a commitment to elevating Indigenous representation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. “Getting an internship at NASA was the culmination of a lot of work done by myself, and many of the…

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John Herrington Performs a Spacewalk

NeRD

NASA On Nov. 30, 2002, NASA astronauts John Herrington (pictured) and Michael Lopez-Alegria performed the third and final spacewalk of the STS-113 mission. The goal of the mission was to install and activate the Port 1 Integrated Truss Assembly (P1). The first major component installed on the left side of the Station, the P1 truss provides an additional three External Thermal Control System radiators. Herrington, an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation, was the first Native American in space. On STS-113, he logged over 330 hours in space, including 3 spacewalks…

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NASA Plane Supported Innovative Microgravity Research in ‘90s

NeRD

NASA Lewis Research Center’s DC-9 commences one of its microgravity-producing parabolas in the fall of 1994. It was the center’s largest aircraft since the B-29 Superfortress in the 1940s. Credit: NASA/Quentin Schwinn A bell rings and a strobe light flashes as a pilot pulls the nose of the DC-9 aircraft up sharply. The blood quickly drains from researchers’ heads as they are pulled to the cabin floor by a force twice that of normal gravity. Once the acceleration slows to the desired level, and the NASA aircraft crests over its…

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An Electronic Traffic Monitor for Airports 

NeRD

3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The focus of Airspace Technology Demonstration 2 was IADS, a software that coordinates flight schedules between the ramp, tower, terminal, and center control facilities. This visual representation of data helps minimize delays on the ground. NASA / Jim Banke If every commuter drove the same few roads at the same time every day, the traffic would be unbearable. That’s exactly what’s happening in the skies above the nation, known as national airspace (NAS). Multiple flights from different airlines try…

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Management and Program Analyst Tami Wisniewski

NeRD

“I love my country. I love serving my country. I think that was ingrained in me in the military, where I grew to realize how lucky we are to live in America and have the freedoms that we have. When I returned from [my first duty station] in Germany, I separated from the Air Force for about nine months, but I missed it so much, I was like, ‘Well, I guess I could join the reserves.’ I did want to get my education. I was ready by then. “So, I…

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Manager and Program Analyst Tami Wisniewski

NeRD

“I love my country. I love serving my country. I think that was ingrained in me in the military, where I grew to realize how lucky we are to live in America and have the freedoms that we have. When I returned from [my first duty station] in Germany, I separated from the Air Force for about nine months, but I missed it so much, I was like, ‘Well, I guess I could join the reserves.’ I did want to get my education. I was ready by then. “So, I…

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Save $980 on one of Unistellar’s best telescopes this Black Friday

NeRD

Fancy owning one of the best telescopes on the market? The Unistellar eVscope 2 is reduced by 20% on Unistellar’s website this Black Friday, totaling a saving of $980 but this deal won’t last forever. You can get the Unistellar eVscope 2 on sale right now at Unistellar for $3919. In our Unistellar eVscope 2 review, we praised how wonderful the telescope looks thanks to its sleek tube and modern, understated design. We also think it’s a great choice for astrophotographers as the telescope is capable of taking stunning photos…

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Near Space Labs launches fleet of AI-powered balloon robots to track Earth climate risks

NeRD

Near Space Labs, a New York-based startup, has deployed a network of high-altitude balloons equipped with advanced robotic cameras to capture high-resolution images of disaster-prone neighborhoods across the United States. With this enhanced imagery, the startup said it aims to accelerate the work of insurance companies that rely on aerial data to assess property risks and respond to damage caused by extreme weather events. The newly deployed balloons are outfitted with AI-enabled robots called “Swifts,” which are capable of capturing imagery with a resolution of 7 centimeters (2.76 inches) per…

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