NASA has a new Mars rover called MSL-Curiosity which is being sent to the red planet this November.

It should get there some time in 2012. Details here.

It appears this rover will have a nuclear battery rather than solar panels. I've not heard the term nuclear battery before. Normally called a thermal reactor (it's what is in the Voyager and Pioneer craft) but I guess they don't like the reactor bit so have changed the name.

Here we can post videos from YouTube that we as a community think are nonsense and just plain stupid, maybe even propaganda, lets see how it goes.

Next meet at Snetterton on 7th Aug.

Found this vid of the Shuttle Atlantis doing the last RBAR pitch maneuver. This is to take photos of the underside to check for damage.


I so want to be in space just not so sure of the 'travelling to' bit.
Like I'll ever get the chance but hey, some people only dream with their heads in the clouds. I think they're setting their sights too low.

I'm reasonably certain that most (if not all) of the visitors here are, to one extent or another, fans of Science Fiction, so this may (or may not) be somewhat interesting. Or, perhaps not. Take it as you will.

1.) The Terminator series of robots are nothing more than an Anti-virus program gone horribly wrong.

2.) (somewhat involved, so bear with me) The event that occurred in the Star Trek TNG episode "Ship in a Bottle", where Geordi tells the holodeck computer to create a villain that can "beat Data", was exactly the same as what happened in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", when Arthur Dent asked the Nutri-matic Drink Dispenser to make him some tea. This is why networking computers is, ultimately, a REALLY BAD idea.

Just some thoughts that have occurred to me this morning. As I said, make of it what you will.

Found this post on Bad Astro Blog and thought I'd share it.
There is a Video too.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/07/05/ice-island-heading-south-off-labrador/

Hi guys, anyone know of anything, free open source or cheap as I am a tight wad.

I tried CamStudio but for some reason it does not pick up the audio...maybe I was missing something.

So far I have had most success with Fraps but it only does 30 seconds in the free version. I figured there has to be some free software somewhere that will do the capture job.

Or will I have to let the moths out ?

Cheers