The First Time Astronauts Walked In Space Without A Tether (Cool Weird Awesome 944)
Today in 1984, two US astronauts walked in space. And, for the first time, they weren’t connected to anything.
The Moon Trees Came From Seeds That Went Into Lunar Orbit (Cool Weird Awesome 939)
Apollo 14 may be best known today for the moment when astronaut Alan Shepard hit golf balls on the surface of the moon, but the mission also gave us the “moon trees.”
The Robot That Could Do Surgeries In Space (Cool Weird Awesome 837)
MIRA is a small robotic surgery system that's set for testing on the International Space Station - and could end up helping astronauts prepare for long-term missions to the Moon as part of the Artemis project.
At Age 11, Venetia Burney Named Pluto (Cool Weird Awesome 807)
Today in 1918, the birthday of Venetia Burney, who at age eleven, did something few people have done: she named a planet!
Wally Funk, At Long Last An Astronaut (Cool Weird Awesome 707)
Today in 1939, the birthday of Wally Funk. She first passed astronaut training in her 20s and could have been one of the first US astronauts, but after some 60 years of trying, she finally got into space.
Nellie Bly Made It Around The World In 72 Days (Cool Weird Awesome 702)
Today in 1890, Nellie Bly finished her trip around the world. She was trying to do what Jules Verne's character Phineas Fogg had done in 80 days, and she took just 72.
Stretchable Batteries Could Make Wearable Tech More Wearable (Cool Weird Awesome 699)
A team at the University of British Columbia has come up with a way to make durable, stretchy and waterproof batteries that could be useful in wearable devices. Plus: three crew members on the International Space Station try out what they call orbital badminton.
Dancers At This Glasgow Club Are Going To Heat The Place With Their Moves (Cool Weird Awesome 660)
Dance clubs can get hot when things are in full swing. So why not turn that extra heat into green energy? A nightclub in Glasgow is teaming up with a geothermal power company to use the energy dancers put out to heat and cool the place. Plus: when Apollo 12 reached the moon, astronaut Pete Conrad said some stirring words... that helped him win a bet.
Could Jokes About Uranus Prevent A Mission To Uranus? (Cool Weird Awesome 641)
Humans make a lot of jokes about the seventh planet from the sun. But do scientists who study Uranus think the jokes are funny? The website Futurism found out. Plus: today is the first day of Magic Week, and there's a magic shop in Burnsville, Minnesota that's the oldest in the US.
Félicette, The First Cat In Space (Cool Weird Awesome 636)
Today in 1963, a black and white cat from the streets of France became the first cat to go into space. She didn't choose to go, of course, but she's a pioneer just the same - and until a few years ago, a greatly underappreciated one. Plus: today in 1922, a girl in Illinois made it to school after being run over by a train?!?