The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s most complex infrared telescope, built for a wide range of research projects. NASA is now targeting October 31 for its launch on an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/james-webb-telescope-hubble-successor-to-launch…
Tag: Tennis
NASA’s Webb sunshield successfully unfolds and tensions in final tests
Lengthened to the size of a tennis court, the five-layer sunshield of NASA’s fully assembled James Webb Space Telescope successfully completed a final series of large-scale deployment and tensioning tests. This milestone puts the observatory one step closer to its launch in 2021. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-12-nasa-webb-sunshield-successfully-unfolds.html…
The implications of signs of life on Venus?
The planet Venus has arguably remained less captivating than, say, the legendary tennis star or, for that matter, the women’s razor blade company—both of those Venuses have at least enjoyed ample airtime on cable TV. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-10-implications-life-venus.html…
James Webb Space Telescope passes environmental testing
The James Webb Space Telescope – successor to the Hubble – just passed a series of environmental testing trials, designed to simulate the rigors of its anticipated launch in 2021. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/james-webb-space-telescope-passes-environmental-testing…
Rat That Sniffs Out Land Mines Receives Award For Bravery
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: The medal awarded on Friday lauded the “lifesaving bravery and devotion to duty” for work detecting land mines in Cambodia. Its recipient: a rat named Magawa.
Magawais the first rat to receive the award — a gold medal bestowed by the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, a British charity, that is…
James Webb Space Telescope launch date delayed
NASA is delaying the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope for another 7 months, from March 2021 to October 31, 2021 due to, among other factors, work stoppages during the coronavirus pandemic. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/james-webb-space-telescope-launch-date-delayed-oct2021…
Did Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘quick eye’ help him capture Mona Lisa’s fleeting smile?
The famed Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci may have had the “quick eye” possessed by top tennis and baseball players, which enabled him to see and capture the enigmatic half-smile of the Mona Lisa. Source: https://www.livescience.com/leonardo-da-vinci-quick-eye-mona-lisa-smile.html
Sally Ride: 1st American woman in space
Ride was the 1st American woman to go to space, flying on the STS-7 space shuttle Challenger mission in 1983, and later on another mission in 1984. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/sally-ride-1st-american-woman-in-space-june-18-1983…
Where is Proxima Centauri?
You probably know the very nearest star to our sun is Proxima in the triple star system we call Alpha Centauri. Guy Ottewell shows you where in space Proxima is. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/where-is-proxima-centauri…
Reddit Co-founder Ohanian Resigns From Board, Urges Company To Replace Him With a Black Candidate
Reddit Co-founder Alexis Ohanian on Friday announced his resignation from the company’s board, saying he was stepping down and urging the company to replace him with a black candidate. From a report: “I’m writing this as a father who needs to be able to answer his black daughter when she asks: “What did you do?'” Ohanian wrote in a blog post….