Tag: Space
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Did space scramble Scott Kelly’s genes so much he’s no longer a twin? Um, not really
Retired astronauts Mark Kelly and Scott Kelly are still identical twins. (NASA Photo / Robert Markowitz) My Twitter feed was buzzing this week with reports that Scott Kelly’s genes were knocked permanently out of phase because he spent a year in space. Some of the reports made it sound as if Scott Kelly was no…
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Elon Musk Q&A: First Mars spaceship is being built, with flight tests set for 2019
Billionaire Elon Musk (in the black hat) and his brother, Kimbal Musk (in the white hat), join in a rendition of “My Little Buttercup” at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. (SXSW via YouTube) SpaceX is building its first Mars transport vehicle, also known as the BFR, and “making good progress” toward short-hop test flights…
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Kirk or Picard? Star Trek geek Jeff Bezos makes his choice at Oscars photo op
Kirk, Picard or Janeway? That choice of Star Trek captains is a standard question on our Geek of the Week list, and now Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos has let all of us know where he stands. Kirk or Picard? Picard! #FinalFrontier #GoBoldly pic.twitter.com/mEohTVuKIs — Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) March 10, 2018 Bezos’ choice may seem surprising,…
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‘Hidden Figures’ no more: New Barbie dolls honor NASA’s Katherine Johnson and 16 other women
NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson is immortalized as a Barbie doll. (Mattel Photo) “Hidden Figures” mathematician Katherine Johnson may have missed out on the Lego toy treatment, but she and 16 other women are getting the Barbie doll treatment just in time for International Women’s Day. Today Mattel announced that it’s rolling out 17 new Barbie…
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Asteroid Institute adds Google Cloud and AGI as tech partners for asteroid tracking
The Asteroid Detection Analysis and Mapping software, or ADAM, can plot the courses of multiple asteroids and other celestial bodies, as shown in this visualization. (B612 Asteroid Institute via YouTube) Google Cloud and AGI (a.k.a. Analytical Graphics Inc.) have gotten on board with the B612 Asteroid Institute to develop a cloud-based platform for keeping track…
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Robotics pioneer Red Whittaker wants to put a robot on the moon, and land Amazon in his backyard
Red Whittaker, founder and director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Field Robotics Center, with Cave Crawler, a robot developed to autonomously map underground mines. (GeekWire Photo / Todd Bishop) PITTSBURGH — Asked if he will eventually land a robot on the moon, William “Red” Whittaker doesn’t hold back. “Oh, hell yes,” says the Carnegie Mellon University…
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How I photographed the SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch with sound-triggered cameras
SpaceX Falcon Heavy maiden launch. (GeekWire Photo/Kevin Lisota) CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center for the first time Tuesday. I had the unique opportunity to accompany GeekWire’s Aerospace & Science Editor Alan Boyle to photograph the historic launch with remote cameras placed at and around the launch…
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‘Kill Bill’ Shatner? Video spoof touts Quentin Tarantino’s R-rated ‘Star Trek’
What would an R-rated “Star Trek” movie directed by Quentin Tarantino look like? We may find out someday soon: The director of “Kill Bill,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Inglorious Basterds” and other violence-laced neo-noir films is reportedly working with “Revenant” screenwriter Mark L. Smith and producer J.J. Abrams on a harder-edged version of the Starship Enterprise’s saga.…
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‘Jedi’ to ‘Solo’: 10 sci-fi shows for 2018
“Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams” will come to Amazon Video in January. (Amazon Video via YouTube) The dust has barely settled on the premiere of “Star Wars, Episode VIII: The Last Jedi.” Or is that a thin layer of salt? In any case, it’s already time to look forward to the science-fiction screen offerings in…
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Save up your pennies for next year’s science stamps, celebrating STEM and astronaut Sally Ride
Four of the postage stamps planned for 2018 focus on science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. (USPS Illustration) If you’re the U.S. Postal Service, how do you follow up on Pluto, planets, “Star Trek” and a total solar eclipse? Here’s how: Next year’s batch of postage stamps will include a memorial to Sally Ride,…