Tag: outer space

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Earth Makes A Seismic Pulse Every 26 Seconds

Earth makes lots of seismic noise, but there's one that's mysterious - a slight pulse every 26 seconds called a microseism off the coast of West Africa. What causes it? We don't know!

Earth Is Habitable, But Some Planets May Be Super-Habitable

A paper from Washington State University suggests some far-off planets may be super-habitable - as in, they may be more appropriate for life than Earth is!

When A Giant Safe Showed Up In His Yard, A New York Farmer Decided To Embraced The Mystery

A farmer in Barre, NY found a massive old safe in his fields, with a note on the side saying whoever could open it could have what was inside. But he decided maybe it would be better not to spoil the surprise.

After The Moon Landing Came The Astronaut Quarantine

Yes, they'd finished their moon landing, but they had to go into quarantine in case they'd picked up some "moon germs" that could lead to a plague on Earth. (Fortunately, they hadn't.)

In The 1980s, You Downloaded Video Games Off The Radio

Today we download video games online all the time. Back in the 1980s, gamers without the Internet (such as it was) had to buy or borrow their games. But a few could download programs off the radio.

Time To Upgrade The International Space Station’s Bathroom

Sometimes you go into space to land on the moon, and other times it’s for maintenance purposes. NASA is planning a mission to replace the toilet on the International Space Station.

The Hubble Telescope’s First Space Photo Was Kind Of Blurry

It was on this day in 1990 that the Hubble Space Telescope took its first photo from space. Unfortunately the telescope had a problem with one of its mirrors that required astronauts to go up and fix.

Running The Mars Rover From Home Is The Coolest Remote Work Ever

Like people in other industries who have the means to do so, the scientists who operate the Curiosity Rover are working away from their office at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in southern California. Though technically when you run a craft that's on another planet, you're always working remotely.

The Mars Lander Can Give Itself A Helping Hand

NASA has fixed a problem with its Mars lander, essentially by telling the lander to use a robotic arm to help itself - or, depending on the headlines you read, to whack itself.

The Earth’s Rotation Is Slowing, Thanks To The Moon

We’re hearing a lot about how a research project has shown that Earth days used to be about a half-hour shorter than they are now. Why is our planet rotating more slowly now? It's mostly because of the moon.

How Do We Talk To Voyager 1 and 2 When They’re So Far Away?

The way we send those commands to Voyagers 1 and 2 is pretty basic, but with twists to make up for the extremely long distance.

If You’re Making Cookies In Space, Be Patient

Last month, astronauts on the International Space Station baked chocolate chip cookies. But baking cookies in space is a little different than baking them on Earth.