Quote of the Month

"Equipped with his five senses,

man explores the universe around him

and calls the adventure Science."

- Edwin Powell Hubble

A Legend Reborn in 2014

About a year ago, the news of Seth MacFarlane’s (Family Guy, American Dad) intention to recreate the late Carl Sagan’s classic Cosmos series, the show that inspired so many of today’s scientists, came as a huge surprise. Some were skeptical, of course, but I think I can say with certainty that the majority of people welcomed the idea, perhaps hoping that the 2014 remake would have similar, far-reaching impacts as the original. The possibility is certainly there! Ann Druyan, Carl Sagan’s wife and co-writer of the original show, is actively involved with the remake, while the host will be none other than everyone’s favorite Neil deGrasse Tyson. Cosmos is quickly shaping to be one of the most anticipated TV shows of 2014 (well, at least among the scientifically inclined), and yesterday Fox released the first trailer:

Yet Another Promising Kickstarter!

It has only been two weeks since the successful Kickstarter campaign of the ARKYD space telescope, and I have already come across another promising proposal. And let me say this right at the beginning: I have donated the largest sum of money to this project among all the ones I have supported, and by a huge margin. I have two reasons for it. First and foremost, I think this idea is worth our attention and support, and I will explain why shortly. Secondly, unlike ARKYD where you had a campaign backed by considerable media attention—most likely due to the group of influential people in the board of Planetary Resources—this project is really down to earth; just a few university professors who want to make their dream a reality. And since I tend to sympathise with that dream, I am willing to risk my money in hope it will one day become a reality, and I hope that after explaining this idea, at least some of you will follow suit.

Where Are the Space Shuttles Now?

With the recent opening of the Atlantis exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, all the retired space shuttles had found their final resting place. Although I am not a particularly huge fan of the space shuttles (for some of reasons read this article), they do represent a huge part of space history, and that is undeniable. Therefore, I thought it would be a worthwhile effort to collect where they are now.

  “Explorer”

Explorer is somewhat of a cuckoo in the nest because It is not a flight capable shuttle but a high-fidelity replica. It was built for the Kennedy Space Center as an exhibition item, based on real NASA blueprints, and later moved to Houston when the KSC received its real space shuttle. It is currently sitting in an outdoor display area in the Johnson Space Center in Houston, but plans to move it indoors as part of a larger space shuttle exhibit are under consideration. Interestingly, the JSC recently launched a contest to rename the shuttle. Apparently they did not like the name Explorer...

The ARKYD-100 Is Funded!

17,614

backers

$1,505,366

pledged of $1,000,000 goal