A NEW AND STUNNING WAY TO SEE THE WHOLE EARTH - The Japanese weather satellite Himawari-8 sits 22,000 miles from Earth in orbit. On August 5, 2015, it peered down at the half of Earth that it can see, a hemisphere with Japan at its center. What did it see? August 5 was a fine day in Sydney, Australia. Overcast with wintry clouds, temperatures still almost climbed to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The sun set in the late afternoon, while many people were still at work, after which temperatures fell. In Hong Kong, meanwhile, it was swelteringly hot, 93 degrees, hotter than the city almost ever gets. Three days later, the city would experience its hottest day ever.   More
(Source: The Atlantic - Jan 27)

EUROPE'S SPACE LASER COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM WILL LAUNCH THIS WEEK - A "space data highway" that links satellites using high-speed laser transmissions should take a big step forward this week with the launch of the Eutelsat 9B satellite. The satellite's main role will be downlinking hundreds of TV channels to viewers in Europe, but it will also carry the first node in the European Space Agency's European Data Relay System (EDRS). EDRS is an attempt to provide a high-speed interconnect between satellites. If it works, scientists will be able to gather data from low-orbiting satellites much more quickly than they can today.   More
(Source: PCWorld - Jan 27)

BOEING BUILDS THE MOST POWERFUL ROCKET EVER MADE - A giant metal frame standing several yards wide rises up nearly 200 feet inside the Michoud Assembly Facility, NASA's massive 832-acre space park outside New Orleans. "What you're looking at is the largest welding system in the world," said Jackie Nesselroad. She is leading a team from Boeing that's welding together the world's most powerful rocket, the Space Launch System. "It's about the coolest job on earth." SLS is not a rocket that will be reusable, like the one Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin just landed for the second time in a row.   More
(Source: CNBC - Jan 27)

INDIA TO BUILD SATELLITE TRACKING STATION IN VIETNAM THAT OFFERS EYE ON CHINA - India will set up a satellite tracking and imaging centre in southern Vietnam that will give Hanoi access to pictures from Indian earth observation satellites that cover the region, including China and the South China Sea, Indian officials said. The move, which could irritate Beijing, deepens ties between India and Vietnam, who both have long-running territorial disputes with China. While billed as a civilian facility - earth observation satellites have agricultural, scientific and environmental applications - security experts said improved imaging technology meant the pictures could also be used for military purposes.    More
(Source: Yahoo News - Jan 26)

‘STRAIGHT OUTTA SPACE': NASA’S SCOTT KELLY ON GALLON-SIZED URINE BALLS AND SPACE-STATION ETIQUETTE - It’s been 303 days since Scott Kelly’s feet last touched the ground. All the callouses have fallen off his soles, he wrote, leaving the skin as soft as “newborn baby feet.” The tops, on the other hand, which he uses to propel himself in the zero gravity 250 miles above Earth, are as rough as alligator skin. This came up over the weekend during a Reddit question-and-answer session on the many glories and indignities of life aboard the International Space Station.   More
(Source: Washington Post - Jan 26)

SPACE JUNK COULD CAUSE WAR, SAY RESEARCHERS - I spend most of my days hidden in a bunker below stairs. This is because I've heard so many portents of doom over the last year or so that I can't possibly risk living what used to be a normal life. There are apparently threats from all sides. Everyone is out to get us. Moreover, there are so many disparate characters vying to be our next president that you never know how excitable they might be with their fingers over the nuclear button.   More
(Source: CNET - Jan 25)

BREATHTAKING PHOTOS SHOW 'SNOWMAGEDDON' BLIZZARD FROM SPACE - Stunning photos taken from outer space show the East Coast resembling a winter wonderland after a powerful blizzard unleashed hurricane-force winds and several feet of snow. The region’s extreme transformation was captured in a number of photos tweeted out by International Space Station Commander Scott Kelly from his orbiting perch. He shared his marvel at major cities being completely blanketed with snow as well as the rare sighting of “thundersnow” -- a winter thunderstorm that produces snow instead of rain.   More
(Source: Huffington Post - Jan 25)

AN INCREDIBLE PICTURE FROM THE SPACE STATION - Today’s photograph from NASA, taken from the International Space Station, is a joy to behold, particularly if you believe, as I do, that the wonder of flight is that it gives you an entirely fresh perspective on your place in relation to the world around you. We learned that when Apollo 8 made its first swing around the moon and gave us a chance to look at ourselves, and this photograph does the same thing. It’s unusual to get so much of the United States in one picture.   More
(Source: Minnesota Public Radio News - Jan 25)

PHOTOGRAPHER CAPTURES STUNNING IMAGE OF SPACE STATION OVER ICONIC CORNWALL LANDMARK - This incredible image shows the International Space Station’s (ISS) movements above Cornwall's iconic St Michael's Mount. Photographer Alan James, who lives nearby in Penzance, captured the ISS blazing through the night sky over the rocky island crowned by a medieval church and castle. The 70-year-old had to get his feet wet to capture the stunning image on January 20 as he discovered the causeway was still covered by an outgoing tide on arrival despite checking the times beforehand.    More
(Source: Telegraph.co.uk - Jan 24)

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