Astro Andres

Space exploration, science, wildlife, and maybe something else in between.

[thisisandres]

My little rendition of 'O Holy Night' at the NASA HQ Holiday Social. I raised $87 for the Combined Federal Campaign just by singing!

[thisblogdeadyeet]

Happy 15th Birthday ISS!

[thisisandres]

As wide as a football field and as roomy as a 747. Not bad.

[thisisandres]

Buran, The Soviet Space Shuttle This video is narrated en Francais, but we can appreciate this rare footage of Russia's version of the space shuttle. It only had one orbital flight in 1988 before politics and funding caused the program to cease, but it was a tremendous source of pride for the Soviet Union. Unlike NASA's space shuttle, Buran could land autonomously.

[thisisandres]

Up-close shots of an Ariane V rocket launch

[keepcalmandenjoynature-blog]

With the setting sun just beginning to turn the sky pink, a killer whale leaps out of the ocean and soars into the air, spray cascading down in its wake.

It is a magnificent image. Except the whale’s dive has a purpose – the dolphin quivering 15ft below.

These astonishing photographs record the final act of a chase that lasted two hours, and ended with the dolphin trapped in the jaws of the eight-ton orca.

The dolphin was originally part of a small group swimming off the Mexican coast but the others managed to get away, leaving it at the mercy of a whole pod of whales.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2377154/Eight-ton-orca-leaps-15ft-air-finally-capture-dolphin-hour-chase.html#ixzz2a58NUDlt

[thisisandres]

So beautiful to see them do this in the wild rather than within the confines of a small tank.

[thisisandres]

Vintage video of Dr. Sally Ride discussing the upcoming space shuttle program

Today marks one year since she passed away. I found this video from 1980 of Dr. Sally Ride discussing her astronaut training and the space shuttle program that had not yet launched. When she begins talking about NASA's plans for the space shuttle at 06:12, I found it fascinating that she expected it to be in action for "the next 10 or 15 years, probably." It turned out to be a three-decade-long program.

When I was in elementary school, I owned a few books from the series Charlie Brown's 'Cyclopedia and one of them was about astronauts and rockets.

(Image source: Etsy.com)

Inside was a feature on Sally Ride and how she became the first American woman in space. Seeing the picture of her floating aboard the space shuttle helped reinforce my fascination with space exploration.

(Image source: NASA)

Dr. Ride, a very private person, also happened to be the first LGBT astronaut in space that we know of. Although she never came out publicly, and she didn't have to, the posthumous revelation hopefully gave LGBT youth some hope and encouragement.

She was a committed promoter of STEM education and worked hard to inspire educators and students alike.

Honor her legacy and see if you know anybody who may benefit from Sally Ride Science.

[thisisandres]

Pilot takes picture of rocket launch

These never get old. An airline pilot captured this snapshot of last week's Atlas V rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

[sagansense]

Hypnotic Solar Explosions in 4k To the naked eye, our sun is an unremarkable ball of heat and light. Under the eye of the Solar Dynamics Observatory, or S.D.O, the Sun’s activity is revealed under various spectrums of light. See incredibly detailed coronal mass ejections, bursts, and solar flares. Let the immense power of the sun immerse and mesmerize you in stunning Ultra High Definition.

via SpaceRip

[thisisandres]

Le cirque du soleil.

[thisisandres]

End of an era: Pets scared by space shuttle sonic booms

Today marks the two-year anniversary of the final landing of any space shuttle. Atlantis' mission concluded the way it always had, with twin sonic booms over Florida, heralding its arrival.

While space fans are nostalgic about the conclusion of the shuttle program, household pets don't miss it. Here's a compilation of animals reacting to the orbiter's booms:

Nibbles plays it off well:

Nike isn't amused:

You can hear neighborhood dogs answering back:

These dogs hate their owner. I would:

Same goes for Mr. Weed's owner:

But this little guy has my heart:

Hat tip to @AstroN8 and @izqomar on some of these.

[thisisandres]

Live NASA teleconference at 3:00 ET to outline science objectives for 2020 Mars rover.

I'm really hoping the main objectives are to search for signs of life and to determine habitability for future crewed missions.

[thisisandres]

Astronaut Candidates To Be Filmed As They Go Through Training

According to Forbes, a space entertainment production company called Orion Era will follow the six newest NASA astronaut candidates as they go through training. It will be set up somewhat like a reality show but without the bratty "I-didn't-come-here-to-make-friends" cast-member. They've set up a pretty cool page for the three men and three women who are expected to represent humanity in space: astronautcandidates.com.

[thisisandres]

NASA urges married same-sex couples to immediately enroll in federal benefits

NASA Administrator Charles F. Bolden sent a very supportive message to the agency's married same-sex employees, encouraging them to enroll in federal benefits for their spouses now that they are entitled to them after last week's Supreme Court ruling against the Defense of Marriage Act. He offers this encouraging bit (via SpaceRef.com):

For some employees in our NASA family, the application for benefits may be the first time you are coming out to your employer and to your coworkers, but you should be assured that you have the full support of all of us on the leadership team. You should waste no time taking care of your loved ones with this new policy. For many of you, it has been an extremely long time coming and we will provide all the support we can in getting your benefits updated.

With the Supreme Court's ruling and the Office of Personnel Management's memo, federal employees in same-sex relationships are now entitled to provide their families the same rights and benefits everybody else has. These include health insurance, life insurance and retirement coverage.

Being a federal agency, I assume this applies to all NASA centers, even to those located in states that have marriage equality bans. It makes you wonder how so many people can be against giving others the quality of life they deserve.

h/t @PlanetDr

[littlebrown]

We’re thrilled to announce that we will be publishing AN ASTRONAUT’S GUIDE TO LIFE ON EARTH: What Going to Space Taught Me About Ingenuity, Determination, and Being Prepared for Anything by Colonel Chris Hadfield on October 29, 2013.

In honor of the occasion, we broke out our Commander Hadfield-style mustaches.

[thisisandres]

Great news! I'm really looking forward to this.

[laughingsquid]

Incredibly Realistic Life-Size Sculpture of a Beached Whale

[thisisandres]

Had me going.

[thisisandres]

Eight Minutes of Cardinals Feeding Their Babies

I watched half of this video straight through, wondering why life can't be this easy. Just open your trap and in goes the grub. Enjoy.

[thisisandres]

Mars' Phallic History Mystery Solved - Almost:

  Someone who still has access to the data says I *did* draw the #MarsPenis, but I can't confirm that -- I really don't know. I hope so. :-)

— Scott Maxwell (@marsroverdriver)

April 25, 2013

Scott Maxwell, a former Mars rover driver, tweeted that he is one of two candidates who may have inadvertently drawn the now-inphamous phallic symbol on the red planet. He writes on his G+ post:

So, for all who are asking whether I "drew" the now-infamous "Mars penis" -- the answer is, maybe. I no longer have access to the data I'd need to answer that question definitively, but the image is from a mosaic taken around sol A-58, making me one of the two very likely candidates. I sure as hell hope I did, though. Because that's hilarious. Needless to say, it wouldn't have been on purpose. But it's still hilarious.

The tracks appear to have been made from the Spirit rover, who ceased communications in 2010. Just for kicks, here's a link to a panorama shot and a mosaic (a whole mosaic!) of the tracks in question.

[thisisandres]

Survival of the Vainest: Extreme Closeup of Galápagos Tortoise

  This Galápagos giant tortoise is probably anywhere between 50 and 100 years old. You can tell it has weathered quite a few storms just by looking into its eyes. As one YouTube commenter points out, change the video settings to at least 720p HD and prepare to feel judged.