Scifi Short for a Comet

Summary: To promote the Rosetta mission, ESA has released a short scifi movie. It's about seven minutes; go and check it out.


Video
BBC News

Backlog of Articles

I've been really busy with my studies but I have been still finding articles. These are no longer recent but for the sake of record keeping I would still like to post them on here for your reading pleasure.

Giant Black Hole at the Heart of a Dwarf Galaxy
Physics World

Leap Forward in Quantum Teleportation
Business Insider

First Images from India's spacecraft
BBC News

Complex Organic Molecules, Now Found in Space
BBC News

The Water-ice of Mercury
BBC News

Death Star Moon has confusing innards
BBC News

New Distance Record for Tractor Beams
BBC News

Water on a Neptune sized exoplanet
BBC News

India and US to collaborate on Mission
NASA

Hidden Valleys of the Moon
BBC News

Comets, Coming to a Printer Near You

Have you ever bemoaned your lack of a model of a comet? Feel your bedroom is incomplete without one? Worry no more; you can now 3D print your own. The ESA has released a model of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the duck shaped comet Rossetta will be Landing on.
BBC News

Nobel Prize to Blue LEDs
BBC News

The Sounds of Space

Summary: To all my fellow NASA geeks: the space agency has now released free sound clips of historical moments in space history. Yup, you can hear "Houston, we have a problem," when your ex-boyfriend texts you or you can put authentic moans and groans of the space station into your next short film you made in your garage. All these sounds and more can be found on NASA's new Soundcloud. I'll see you over there!

BBC News

Virtual Lunar Reality

Summary: Virtual reality games are cool, right? But what about using that technology to further education? Scientists at Carnegie Mellon University are creating a lunar robot that will do just that. Using Oculus Rift technology, the controller will be able to see what the robot is seeing. With the goggles on, the user can turn their head to control the robot's cams and experience the moon as if they were really there. While this could be great for education, a fleet of these paired with museums will do wonders for reigniting the joy and wonder of outer space for the next generation. Maybe it is this that will inspire a future starship captain.


BBC News

All Eyes to the Skies

Summary: One really fascinating advantage of modern technology is that in a natural disaster, everyone takes out their cameras to document the event. Turns out scientists are not immune to this way of thinking. The Siding Spring Comet will be making a dramatic flyby of Mars and all cameras available will be watching.

This Oort Cloud object will be passing incredibly close to the planet; it will be just 139,000km above the surface. Okay, close in astronomer's terms. Because it will be so close, the rovers on the surface will be instructed to train their instruments upwards to study this comet. More importantly, the orbiters will also be watching. Only they must be extra careful. While not in danger of being smashed by the comet, the dust being shot off still poses a threat so they are going to be directed to the other side of the planet in order to avoid the tail.

I can't wait to see what new breakthroughs in comet research comes from this.



BBC News
SciShow Space
esa live Google hangout
NASA JPL