Good Stuff Inside....

[LFairbanks]

So I debated on posting this for some time. With the interest on the thread that Dylan posted I figured I would add to it by starting a new thread, and share some interesting web sites that I have found over the years.

 

This first one is a lot of fun. It was especially fun when the Shuttles where in service. One could go here and get sighting info and literally watch with the naked eye the Space Station zip by overhead. And then a few minutes later see the shuttle trying to catch up. This site will also show any supply ships that are being sent to the station if they are available. If you click on the tab at the top "gallery" in the below link it will take you to various pictures. A lot of which I find fascinating.

 

Human Space Flight (HSF) - Realtime Data

 

This next link shows where the Space Station is in relation to the earth and sun. Where night and day is. Also gives you some specs on the station at the bottom of the screen.

 

Human Space Flight (HSF) - Orbital Tracking

 

This next one shows pictures from all around the world taken from space. A lot of fun to just click at different pics or to look for something specific.

 

The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

 

Below is a pic of a search I did in the above link that shows real close to where I live. This is the open pit copper mine, Kennecott. You can see the town I live in, in the bottom of the pic. Feel free to look for some pics of places that may interest you and share them with the rest of us.

 

The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth

 

This next link is documentary about the Space Shuttle and how it come about. Really fascinating to watch if you have time. On the side bar you will see a ton of other videos to watch as well on various things.

 

NASA - Multimedia - Video Gallery

 

I remember this day fairly well. Ironically it was 31 years ago yesterday.

 

NASA - Multimedia - Video Gallery

 

All those links that I posted above have a ton of other links that will take you to some fascinating stuff. I hope everybody enjoys it.

 

I almost forgot about this one. This will show you a number of satellites and the orbits they follow in space. Here is how to use it. If you click on the below link you should see another window appear in the left hand corner of your screen showing the earth. In that screen it will give you the option of satellite. Click on that then click on select. If you click on that it will bring up a long list. Click on any of those and it will show you the path that satellite takes in orbit. Hubble Telescope has the designation HST. The best way is to maximize that smaller screen on your monitor and have at it. Click on "view" and you can zoom in and out. Click on any of the little white spots on your monitor and it will tell you what satellite it is and the orbit it follows. And if you click on the earth itself you can rotate it. Have Fun.

 

J-Track 3D Satellite Tracking - NASA Science

Edited April 15, 2012 by LFairbanks

[07RS4]

Thanks Chris...I save alot of them to my favorites.

[Marylander]

That shuttle stuff just makes me proud to be an American. We can do amazing things when we have a clear purpose or vision and all work together.

 

Thanks for posting those links.

[LFairbanks]

Stuff you don't see every day. Videos have a close resemblance to what true speed would be if you were traveling at 17,500 mph on the ISS.

 

First video is western US towards the aurora borealis.

http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/Videos/CrewEarthObservationsVideos/westusaurora_iss_20120131/westusaurora_iss_20120131HD_web.mov

 

This next one is Mexico over to Florida and up the East Coast. Notice the lightning.

http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/Videos/CrewEarthObservationsVideos/flmexico_iss_20111124/flmexico_iss_20111124HD_web.mov

 

This one is Mexico across the United States into New Brunswick.

http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/Videos/CrewEarthObservationsVideos/mexbrunswick_iss_20120130/mexbrunswick_iss_20120130HD_web.mov

 

This last one is the Atlantic Ocean east to New Zealand. You will pass through the Terminator, which is the line separating day and night. Begins just as it goes from night to day and ends going back into night.

http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/Videos/CrewEarthObservationsVideos/atlanticzealand_iss_20120310/atlanticzealand_iss_20120310HD_web.mov

 

Videos are slow to load. They are done in high resolution. Tried it in low resolution, but not as pleasing to the eye.

[LFairbanks]

Make sure you take the time and go outside and have a look tonight. It is suppose to be 14% larger and 30% brighter. It will appear largest if your able to catch it just as it is rising over the horizon.

 

NASA - Supermoon 2012

 

NASA Science

[LFairbanks]

Some may not know but there is going to be a solar eclipse tomorrow. Sunday May 20th. Video below describes what people will see in different parts of the country/world.

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YX2blo1eRk]ScienceCasts: Solar Eclipse in the USA - YouTube[/ame]

[LFairbanks]

Nobody alive today will ever be able to see this event again. Next showing will be in 2117. Details in the below videos and examples of ways to view. I use a welding helmet, works great.

 

NASA - The 2012 Transit of Venus

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5Lx4fC42KI]ScienceCasts: ISS Transit of Venus - YouTube[/ame]

 

Tools & Hardware - Specialty - Welding - Welding Supplies & Accessories - Welding Helmets*at The Home Depot

 

Shop welding helmet at Lowes.com: Search Results

[LFairbanks]

Found something new tonight that I hadn't seen before but looks like it would be fun to share with the kids/grandchildren. Shows monthly, different planets and constellations, what times and where to look.

 

HubbleSiteChannel - YouTube

 

 

Just a little something fun below. Looking at this stuff makes me stop and think how small we really are in the whole scheme of things. One of my favorite pics that I have is of Hubble being serviced during STS 61 over Australia, signed by Story Musgrave.

 

NASA - Hubble's Repair Team Gets to Work

 

HubbleSite - Out of the ordinary...out of this world.

 

Just some fun pics. If you ever make to KSC and take the bus tour you will see a shuttle motor like the ones pictured below. They are actually quite small.

 

September 1, 2008

Preparing to rescue Hubble

 

The Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to launch next month (October 8th), carrying new instruments, batteries and gyroscopes to the Hubble Space Telescope. This will be the final servicing mission to Hubble, the 30th flight of the 23-year old Atlantis, and one of the final 10 flights of the Space Shuttle program, which will be retired in 2010. Even though Shuttle launches may seem to have become commonplace, their preparation and execution is still a months-long process, requiring the work and diligence of thousands to make sure the aging, complex systems are all in perfect condition for launch. Here are some photos of the ongoing preparations for the launch of this mission, STS-125, some of the people involved in making it work, and the crew, who will assume the risks to help keep Hubble alive. (23 photos total)

One of the three main engines for space shuttle Atlantis is transported to bay number 1 at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility for installation on June 10, 2008. Atlantis is the designated vehicle for the STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. (NASA/Kim Shiflett)

 

 

 

2

On June 11, 2008, in NASA Kennedy Space Center's Orbiter Processing Facility bay 1, technicians coordinate the movement of one of the three main engines being installed on space shuttle Atlantis. Launch is targeted for Oct. 8. (NASA/Kim Shiflett) #

 

 

 

3

The Pegasus barge carrying Atlantis' external fuel tank is towed into the turn basin in the Launch Complex 39 Area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on July 15, 2008. The tank will be offloaded and moved to the Vehicle Assembly Building, once inside the building, it will be raised to vertical, lifted and moved into a checkout cell. (NASA/Jack Pfaller) #

 

 

 

4

In the Launch Complex 39 Area at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the external tank for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to the Hubble Space Telescope sits ready for offloading from the Pegasus barge on July 15, 2008. Next stop is the Vehicle Assembly Building, where the tank will be raised to a vertical position, lifted and moved into a checkout cell in the cavernous building. (NASA/Amanda Diller) #

 

 

 

5

In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the external tank for space shuttle Atlantis is lifted out of the checkout cell. The tank will be moved to high bay 3 and lowered toward the solid rocket boosters for mating. The tank and boosters will be secured on the mobile launcher platform below. (NASA/Jack Pfaller) #

 

 

 

6

This view shows storm clouds gathering over Launch Complex 39 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on July 29th, 2008, a common occurrence at this time of the year in Florida. The 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building towers above the complex, in the center, with the Launch Control Center nestled at its base to the right. The turn basin is behind the trees, at right. (NASA/Chris Chamberland) #

 

 

 

7

In Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building, an overhead crane lifts space shuttle Atlantis from its transporter on August 23, 2008. (NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis) #

 

 

 

8

Space shuttle Atlantis is suspended above the transfer aisle in the Vehicle Assembly Building on August 23, 2008. The shuttle will be lifted into high bay 3 and joined with the two solid rocket boosters and external tank. (NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis) #

 

 

 

9

On August 23, 2008, Atlantis is moved across the I-beam toward the waiting external fuel tank and twin solid rocket boosters in high bay 3 of Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building, where they will be attached. Note the technician standing at bottom right for a sense of scale. (NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis) #

 

 

 

10

Attired in a training version of her shuttle launch and entry suit, astronaut K. Megan McArthur, STS-125 mission specialist, awaits the start of a training session in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at Johnson Space Center back on January 29th, 2008 (NASA/Johnson Space Center) #

 

 

 

11

While seated at the commander's station, astronaut Scott D. Altman, STS-125 commander, participates in a post insertion/de-orbit training session in the crew compartment trainer (CCT-2) in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at Johnson Space Center on January 29, 2008. (NASA/Johnson Space Center) #

 

 

 

12

Astronaut Mike Massimino practices EVA procedures for repairing the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). Shown above, Mike is using the new Mini-Power Tool to remove tiny screws from the STIS electronics bay cover plate. The Fastener Cover Plate retains the 111 screws, which would otherwise float free in orbit during the EVA. #

 

 

 

13

In the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-125 Mission Specialist Andrew Feustel practices using one of the cameras for the mission. The crew is at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test, which provides hands-on experience with hardware and equipment on the mission. Photo taken July 11, 2008 (NASA/Kim Shiflett) #

 

 

 

14

Servicing Mission 4 astronaut Drew Feustel trains with fellow astronauts and Hubble engineers in the clean room at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Feustel is using a computer-controlled power tool, called the Pistol Grip Tool, to install the Wide Field Camera 3 into a high-fidelity Hubble model. (NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center) #

 

 

 

15

On August 6, 2008, a technician performs black light inspection on Hubble's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, one of three main instruments being taken to Hubble aboard Atlantis. Black light inspection uses UVA fluorescence to detect possible particulate microcontamination, minute cracks or fluid leaks. (NASA/Kim Shiflett) #

 

 

 

16

In the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-125 Pilot Gregory C. Johnson examines the cockpit window on space shuttle Atlantis, checking for sharp edges on July 11th, 2008. The inspection is part of the crew equipment interface test, which provides hands-on experience with hardware and equipment for the mission. (NASA/Kim Shiflett) #

 

 

 

17

Under escort, the first major flight hardware for space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on July 17, 2008. The payload carriers will be prepared for the integration of telescope science instruments, both internal and external replacement components, as well as the flight support equipment to be used by the astronauts during the servicing mission. (NASA/Jack Pfaller) #

 

 

 

18

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, the Wide Field Camera 3, or WFC3, is moved toward the Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier. As Hubble enters the last stage of its life, WFC3 will be Hubble's next evolutionary step, allowing Hubble to peer ever further into the mysteries of the cosmos, and will study a diverse range of objects and phenomena, from young and extremely distant galaxies, to much more nearby stellar systems, to objects within our very own solar system. WFC3 will take the place of Wide Field Planetary Camera 2, which astronauts will bring back to Earth aboard the shuttle Atlantis. (NASA/Amanda Diller) #

 

 

 

19

The Multi-Use Logistics Equipment (MULE) Shuttle carrier is readied for flight on STS 125 by technicians in a large cleanroom at the Goddard Spaceflight Center. The MULE, which will be located in the back of Atlantis' cargo bay, will carry the Relative Navigation System, Hubble's New Outer Blanket Layers, or NOBLs, and a variety of contingency tools and crew aids. (NASA/Goddard Spaceflight Center) #

 

 

 

20

In the high bay of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, three of four carriers supporting the space shuttle Atlantis STS-125 Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission have been unwrapped for final launch processing. The Super Lightweight Interchangeable Carrier and the Orbital Replacement Unit Carrier can be seen through the distinctive soft capture mechanism, or SCM, of the Flight Support System. The SCM will be permanently attached to Hubble's aft shroud by spacewalking astronauts and will provide a rendezvous and docking target that can be easily seen and recognized by a docking vehicle. (NASA/Jack Pfaller) #

 

 

 

21

Preparation and inspections need to be meticulous. Here is a close up view of a valve removed from Atlantis' external tank inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Technicians removed the valve after small dings (center, near tip of tool) were found on the sealing surface of the quick disconnect system that handles liquid-hydrogen fuel for the shuttle's three main engines. (NASA/Dimitri Gerondidakis) #

 

 

 

22

Servicing Mission 4 astronauts practice on a Hubble model underwater at the Neutral Buoyancy Lab in Houston under the watchful eyes of NASA engineers and safety divers. (NASA) #

 

 

 

23

On June 4th, 2008, the STS-125 crewmembers take a moment to pose for a crew photo prior to a training session in the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. From the left are astronauts Michael J. Massimino, Michael T. Good, both mission specialists; Gregory C. Johnson, pilot; Scott D. Altman, commander; K. Megan McArthur, John M. Grunsfeld and Andrew J. Feustel, all mission specialists. (NASA/Johnson Space Center) #

Edited June 7, 2012 by LFairbanks

[MAYBEN]

thats cool stuff!

 

[mc2hill]

Cool stuff Chris!

 

This view shows storm clouds gathering over Launch Complex 39 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on July 29th, 2008, a common occurrence at this time of the year in Florida. The 525-foot-tall Vehicle Assembly Building towers above the complex, in the center, with the Launch Control Center nestled at its base to the right. The turn basin is behind the trees, at right. (NASA/Chris Chamberland)

 

These "End of Day's" looking clouds are an almost daily occurrence here during the Summer!

And this building is HUGE, it just in middle of nowhere so there is nothing to compare it to.

[LFairbanks]

Cool stuff Chris!

 

 

 

These "End of Day's" looking clouds are an almost daily occurrence here during the Summer!

And this building is HUGE, it just in middle of nowhere so there is nothing to compare it to.

 

I love those clouds.

 

http://environmental.ksc.nasa.gov/projects/documents/VABnewsletter.pdf

 

NASA - Vehicle Assembly Building's Huge American Flag Flies Again

[LFairbanks]

Nobody alive today will ever be able to see this event again. Next showing will be in 2117. Details in the below videos and examples of ways to view. I use a welding helmet, works great.

 

NASA - The 2012 Transit of Venus

 

 

Tools & Hardware - Specialty - Welding - Welding Supplies & Accessories - Welding Helmets*at The Home Depot

 

Shop welding helmet at Lowes.com: Search Results

 

 

Just a reminder to make sure to check out the Venus Transit, tomorrow, Tuesday June 5th. Next one will be in 2117. Don't think I or anybody on this forum will have another opportunity.

 

 

ESA Portal - ESA missions gear up for transit of Venus

 

It will start at 1500 Pacific time with peak at 1830. 1600 Mountain time with peak at 1930. 1700 Central time with peak at 2030, may be too far over the horizon by this time. 1800 hours East coast time. Those of you in Washington should be able to see the whole thing start to finish.

Edited June 5, 2012 by LFairbanks

[LFairbanks]

Looks like the Enterprise is getting closer to it's new home.

 

NASA - Enterprise on the Hudson

 

This I think is an interesting pic. Iam going to try this when I venture to the GC in August. Mine Iam sure won't be this cool, however. The North Star doesn't move and is the center of the circle.

 

NASA - Psychedelic Space

 

Just some fun pics that are put in the Image of the Day Gallery as NASA calls it. Really some phenominal pics. Anybody get to see the Venus transit yesterday? It clouded up early on in the day but I was able to see it in the evening, just before the sun went down. Venus is close to the same size as the earth. Just to give you a comparison in ways of volume you could fit 1 million earths in the sun, or 100 earths across. And the sun is considered a small star in the scale of things.

 

NASA - Multimedia - Video Gallery

 

NASA - Image of the Day - Gallery

Edited June 7, 2012 by LFairbanks

[LFairbanks]

Just an interesting video shown of different parts of the Earth from the ISS. Don't really care for the music, but I did however enjoy the view.

 

NASA - Multimedia - Video Gallery

 

Rare view of a comet as seen from space.

 

NASA - Multimedia - Video Gallery

 

A good interactive showing how the ISS was assembled.

 

USATODAY.com feature

 

The NASA version of ISS construction. A little better explanation/information, but not as good a picture. May have to watch it in Full Screen Mode.

 

NASA - Multimedia - Video Gallery

Edited June 14, 2012 by LFairbanks

[LFairbanks]

NASA - A Chance Alignment Between Galaxies

 

NASA - NASA Probe Sees Solar Wind Decline

 

NASA - A Big Surprise from the Edge of the Solar System

Edited June 15, 2012 by LFairbanks

[LFairbanks]

Makes you wonder what our government is up to or can achieve with something like this. Something that can orbit the Earth for 15 months and then return. All by remote control. Read somewhere that it can orbit upwards of 500 miles above the Earth. That thing almost looks like a big toy.

 

Landing of X-37B Space Plane Caught on Video | OTV-2 | Space.com

 

NASA

 

And China joined the space race today....

 

China Launches Female Astronaut, Space Docking Test | Shenzhou 9 | Space.com

[LFairbanks]

Readying Orion for Flight. For those you that don't know what Orion is, it is the next generation space craft to take man beyond low earth orbit and eventually to mars.

 

NASA - Readying Orion for Flight

[LFairbanks]

A new game to play if your feeling bored at work.....

 

Rocket Science 101

[LFairbanks]

NASA - Shuttles Come Nose-to-Nose

[LFairbanks]

NASA - Colorful Colossi and Changing Hues

 

Really a colorful picture.

 

I often ask myself, "how do they know this stuff?" See link below.

 

NASA - Extremely Bright and Extremely Rare

Edited August 31, 2012 by LFairbanks

[LFairbanks]

If you live in any of these cities, here is a rare opportunity.

 

Image Viewer

 

NASA - Space Shuttle Endeavour

Edited September 18, 2012 by LFairbanks

[Mongosg8]

Chris ..Thanks for providing these posts. Nothing like taking pride in our space accomplishments.

[LFairbanks]

NASA - Space Shuttle Endeavour Over Houston, Texas

[Marylander]

So cool. That photo of the day image gallery is really neat, too.

[LFairbanks]

NASA - NASA Invites Californians to Participate in Endeavour Flyover