As sunlight enters Earth’s atmosphere, its light is scattered by oxygen and nitrogen molecules present. Shorter blue wavelengths tend to be scattered more than longer red ones resulting in the sky taking on its signature hue. At dawn and dusk, sunlight must travel further before reaching our eyes; more blue wavelengths scatter into the atmosphere…
Apollo program test flights proved the safety of their launch vehicle and spacecraft to carry astronauts safely, and four crewed missions followed shortly afterwards. Neil Armstrong made history when he stepped off of the Lunar Module ladder on July 20, 1969 before hundreds of millions of viewers. His mission was to land in Descartes Highlands…
Many people eat fish as part of a healthy diet, but certain varieties contain high levels of mercury, which may be dangerous for developing fetuses and young children. Good news is that most popular fish species contain low amounts of mercury and pose little threat to most individuals. According to FDA recommendations, pregnant women should…
Spacecraft attitudes require sensors to track vehicle orientation, actuators to apply the torques necessary to steer it in its desired direction, and algorithms that use sensor measurements and desired attitudes as input to control these actuators based on guidance, navigation and control (GNC). This integrated field is known as guidance, navigation and control (GNC). Simulink…
Australia is an exotic land filled with unique wildlife and landmarks, from kangaroos to koalas – you won’t want to leave once you hear these fun facts! Get ready for an incredible journey by packing your bags now. Many visitors travel to Australia for its beaches, summer vibes and mouth-watering food; but did you know…
Mark Watt works by day as a Spacecraft Guidance, Navigation and Control Systems Engineer on European Space Agency missions like LISA Pathfinder; but by night he’s created one of the most intuitively creative music applications ever: Spacecraft Granular Synth. Now available as a desktop VST, this instrument features MIDI/MPE support and live sampling for further…
Sky color is determined by gas molecules in our atmosphere, predominantly nitrogen and oxygen molecules, that scatter light in all directions, with blue wavelengths being dispersed more strongly than red ones. Rayleigh scattering is the name given to this process of light dispersion through atmospheric diffusion, making sunlight appear redder nearer the horizon (for example…
NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft was successfully placed into interplanetary transfer orbit using SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This marks humanity’s inaugural test of planetary defense to see whether intentionally colliding into an asteroid can alter its path. Falcon 9 successfully launched Badr 8, an Arabsat communications satellite based in Saudi Arabia from Cape…
Tigers are creatures with many fascinating facts and features, including using urine to mark their territories and saliva as antiseptic treatment, using facial expressions and scent markings to communicate among themselves and each other. Siberian tigers are one of the world’s largest cat species, yet are endangered. There are ways we can help save them…
