This is absolutely my favourite single serving website ever:
http://www.howmanypeopleareinspacerightnow.com/
Tag Archives: space
Messing about in space
When astronaut Koichi Wakata arrived at the International Space Station he brought with him a list from JAXA, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency of 16 experiments to perform in space, selected from a list of 1600 proposals from the public.
Long Duration Experiment
NASA’s Long Duration Exposure Facility was a bus-sized satellite that orbited Earth for more than five and a half years, completing more than 32 000 complete orbits.
It was covered in 86 panels, each of which was a different experiment designed to test what effect long-term exposure to space would have.
K. Megan McArthur
Update: Megan McArthur is in space right now.
As part of Ada Lovelace Day I’m posting about a woman in technology who I admire.
Dr K. Megan McArthur is a NASA mission specialist with a BS in Aerospace Engineering from UCLA and a PhD in Oceanography from UCSD. She is currently assigned to STS-125, the final Space Shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.
Why do I admire Dr McArthur?
“Why I think flying in space, why exploration is important to me … I think it’s important to the human spirit. It’s something that we have always done, pushed beyond the boundaries of what we know, what we can do, what we can build. We’re always pushing ourselves; we’re always looking to find out what’s out there and what we can learn.”
— K. Megan McArthur, 31st July 2008
SPACEBAT!
Update: Spacebat has a website!
I have a temporary new favourite animal: SPACEBAT!
Wondering what that orange surface is?
Spacebat was spotted clinging to the foam coating of the Space Shuttle Discovery’s external fuel tank during launch on Sunday, clearly trying to hitch a lift into space.
Unfortunately Spacebat is thought to have perished during launch.
Rest in Peace, Spacebat.
Update: Someone has made a Spacebat tribute video. This is the best thing on the internet right now.