Spotlight on NASA | J@N | 2.8.11

Posted on: February 8, 2011

Posted in: Jupiter@Nite, Video

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Spotlight on NASA | J@N | 2.8.11

Superbowl scmuperbowl. We’re geeks, and we cared more about what NASA was talking about this weekend, than a bunch of dudes throwing around a ball. And our nerdy attention paid off!

First up, we talk about seeing the WHOLE sun – every last part of its flamey surface. Then we’ll talk about the robots that will eventually kill off humanity, and NASA’s plans to send them into orbit to save us. Lastly, we’ll cover some NASA-related news that’s shown up in the real world lately, regarding the future of the Space Shuttle, as well as their research into a well-known and overhyped “disaster” story from last year.

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Show Notes:

SUPERBOWL DEBUT:

360-degree view of our Sun for the first time ever

  • Satellite array known as “STEREO” has been slowly adjusting its orbit since launch in 2006.
  • Why it’s important:
    • Can disrupt satellites, communications, air and sea navigation, even power grids.
    • As potentially devastating as a hurricane
  • Continued 360 view will continue until Sept 2017
  • Understanding “space weather” prior to space travel is as important as understanding terrestrial weather prior to sea travel.

Robonaut2 (aka “R2”) debuts during GM pre-show

IN THE NEWS:

NASA debunks electronics failure as reason behind “Runaway Toyotas”

  • Backing from NASA scientists intended to give extra weight to argument that these cars did not go haywire due to high-tech electronics.
  • Toyota recall affected 16 million vehicles, and cost them $50million in civil penalties.

NASA’s COMPETITION:

A private company vying for the honor of winning Google’s Lunar X Prize has signed a contract to launch its lunar module aboard a COMMERCIAL orbital flight, scheduled for December 2013.

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  • http://ormaaj.myopenid.com/ ormaaj

    How did you guys manage to miss the most important news of the week? Without a doubt that’s the release of the Kepler mission data which potentially more than doubles the number of known exoplanets including ~50 potentially habitable earth-like ones.

    You can bet that the shuttles aren’t using 30 year old computers. Shuttles are fundamentally unsafe due to their overcomplicated design which fails it’s original goal of reducing cost through reusable orbiters and boosters, not because of their age or antiquated parts. The shuttles have been radically updated over the years wherever possible. It’s just that there’s a lot more that can go wrong with a shuttle than a more conventional rocket stack, and therefore the cost of additional maintenance and preparation required to launch safely greatly outweighs any materials cost savings.

  • Robbie Phillips

    i find alot funny such as…… the asteriod called anubis. is soposed to hit use.. discovery said its 145 miles… its the size of…. wait for it…. its the size of the ithal tower. sorry about spelling…. another thing.. russier was hit by a large solar storm few years ago all power went, they had to do somthing to the power lines for everything to work…. u wnt know this cus media like to draw u in with terror cus we want to see it and buy it.