May 19, 2012

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ISS Video: Aurora Australis over the Indian Ocean

January 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment
ISS030-E-36040

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken January 3, 2012 from 15:01:30 to 15:08:17 GMT, on a pass from the Indian Ocean, just west of Australia, to south of Australia, west of Tasmania. The pass begins looking eastward toward southern Australia at the Aurora Australis. The crew captures the aurora just before the sun begins to come up in this short video. A few orbiting satellites pass by throughout the video as … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Astronomy, Education & Outreach, Featured, Human Spaceflight, Spaceflight Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Get Your SpaceUp!

February 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Session board for SpaceUp DC on Day 1. Credit: Cariann Higgenbotham (@Cariann)

SpaceUp is a fun, free-form conference about anything and everything related to space. SpaceUps are based on the widely successful "unconference" format where attendees, themselves, are the primary drivers of the content, structure and schedule of the conference. You don't have to be a rocket scientist, engineer, astronaut, educator, or space geek to attend, yet you will meet and gain insights from people in many of these fields at a SpaceUp conference! This weekend, February 12 & … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Astronomy, Aviation, Commercial Spaceflight, Education & Outreach, Geek, Human Spaceflight, Spaceflight Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Essential Space & Science Websites

January 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Comparison between a flame on Earth & a flame in a microgravity environment

Undoubtedly, you already use many of these essential space, science, technology, education and mathematics websites, but I've included enough to ensure there are a few you haven't visited or haven't yet fully explored. This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all possible sites; rather, it's a convenient page to bookmark and consult as needed. Sites are listed in alphabetical order. Link provided is to English translation, where available. 2011 in Spaceflight: Wikipedia - … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Astronomy, Commercial Spaceflight, Featured, Human Spaceflight, Spaceflight Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Best Space Science Apps?

December 30, 2010 By 2 Comments
ISS Flight Control Room (FCR) - February 2010

The following list is focused on iOS (iPad/iPhone) devices only because I don't have direct experience with modern non-iOS mobile devices. For space/science app recommendations for any other platform, visit Spacevidcast.com's mobile applications list. Let's start with the free stuff, shall we? These free apps actually rival some of the commercial apps I have run across. FREE Apps: NASA App / NASA App HD for iPad - NASA's official app; LOTS to see here on all of NASA's missions … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Astronomy, Education & Outreach, Featured, Geek, Spaceflight Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Sky Watching Opportunities: Part I

December 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
ISS as seen from STS-132 during undocking

Originally posted by Shannon on WildTexas.com, January 30, 2010 -- I'm convinced one of the primary reasons I am such a huge space geek (or "Space Tweep", as we're known on Twitter) is that I am also a lover of the outdoors. One can't spend time outdoors and not grow to appreciate and marvel at the night sky, from the glorious moon to the multitude of stars a dark sky location reveals. Camping and many other outdoor pursuits are perfect for sky watching activities such as planet and star … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Astronomy, Education & Outreach Tagged With: , , ,

Getting Back into Backyard Astronomy

December 28, 2010 By 3 Comments
Amateur astronomers

  I've always loved astronomy, despite being a very casual astronomer. I cannot correctly identify a dozen constellations in the night sky, much less individual stars, and I am unable to provide directions to locate even the most well-known Messier objects. (This will change!) Nevertheless, I have very fond memories of setting up a folding chair in my parents' backyard, armed with my binoculars, a lightweight jacket and/or insect repellent, a night vision-friendly (red filter) … [Read more...]

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