The International Space Station took 10 years and 30 missions to assemble. Now an invaluable research facility for scientists worldwide. In the 1950s, Yuri Gagarin would urinate on his bus tire to mark his departure for space travel – an act that astronauts continue to follow today. Aerospace Technology Aerospace technology encompasses any machine designed […]
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Astronomers have known since the 1980s that Saturn’s iconic rings have been diminishing rapidly since they appeared over 400 million years ago. Scientists estimate that at their current rate of decline, one swimming pool worth of water could fall onto Saturn every 30 seconds – rendering its iconic rings nearly extinct within 300 million years!
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Spacecraft are vehicles designed to transport people or cargo into space using rocket propulsion. Their primary use is leaving Earth’s gravity for other planets within our Solar System; those aboard such spacecraft are known as astronauts or cosmonauts. Orbital spacecraft resemble capsules or spaceplanes in shape and function. Reusable or expendable versions exist. Each requires
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Tonight will mark a “super blood moon”, with its appearance being of dusky red hue due to being full Moon at perigee (its closest point from Earth in its orbit). Skywatchers with clear skies should be able to spot it well before dawn on Monday. Definition A super blood moon occurs when the Moon reaches
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Mercury may have a poor rep for being responsible for technology glitches, travel delays and communication breakdowns – but that doesn’t make everything bad! There is good news too! As Mercury orbits closer to the sun than Earth does, its path across the zodiac is much faster. Three or four times each year an optical
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Space can be an unpredictable place; we’re continually losing pieces of vehicles that exploded on-orbit or experienced violent separation during orbit. Probably the best-known example was when Challenger disintegrated shortly after launch in 1986, killing its crew due to an O-ring failure and rubber seal separation issues on its booster rockets. Debris Researchers still are
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Saturn boasts several large and small moons, the largest being Titan, which is slightly bigger than Mercury and offers researchers insights into Earth’s early formation. Astronomers have known since the 1980s that Saturn’s iconic rings are gradually dissolving, though no exact timeline or rate were available to them. The Rings Astronomers have long noted the
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Spacecraft are vehicles designed to travel and operate in outer space. Other names for them are satellite, shuttle, rocket and spaceship. Spacecraft need launch vehicles to get them into space. Once they escape Earth’s gravity, they may either orbit the Moon or continue towards other planets in our solar system. Space probe Space probes are
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Be wary if you come upon a swarm of flying ants around your home; these likely represent an established colony about to breed. Don’t panic: Instead, be patient as the ants may just be getting ready to breed again! Winged ants, commonly known as swarmers or alates, appear at certain times of year to seek
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