Today more than 7,000 people joined a selection of NASA astronauts in a Google+ hangout to discuss what it’s like to go into space. Questions came in from around the world, to be answered by astronauts Ron Garan and Nicole Stott on earth, and Kevin Ford, Tom Marshburn and Internet favorite Chris Hadfield live from the International Space Station.
Questions were submitted via YouTube, Google+ and the Twitter hashtag #askAstro, spanning a range of subjects from the specifically scientific to what day-to-day life is like on the Space Station. A lot of emphasis was put on the inspirational influence of the space program, with both earthbound astronauts—now in their 50s—citing the Moon Landing as a pivotal moment in their career path into space. As Garan put it, “I didn’t want to be an astronaut until July 20th, 1969.”
YouTube science channel SmarterEveryDay had an interesting practical question for the astronauts onboard the ISS: Is it possible to twist your body in zero gravity in the same way that a cat twists around in midair to land on its feet? The answer is yes, as astronaut Tom Marshburn was happy to demonstrate… [READ MORE]
THIS IS WHY I LOVE ELEMENTARY
INSTEAD OF THE PUNCHLINE OF THE JOKE BEING “LOL SHE’S ON HER PERIOD” THE PUNCHLINE OF THE JOKE IS HER CALLING HIM OUT AND TELLING HIM HE’S AN ASS
I THINK THIS IS THE FIRST. FUCKING. TIME. I’VE SEEN A SHOW CALL SOMEONE OUT ON THE “WELL CLEARLY IT’S YOUR PERIOD AND THAT’S WHY YOU’RE UPSET” AND CALLS IT EXACTLY WHAT IT IS
Have I mentioned how much I love this show??? Because I do.
Sherlock is being an arsehole. Joan calls it out straight to his face, unimpressed and not taking that bullshit from anyone.
I don’t remember seeing this from a tv show for ages. It just makes me so happy.
This is twice now, that Joan has called Sherlock on misogynistic opinions, and used the word misogyny. I fucking love it.
(Source: equanimousicons)
I have so many feelings about connecting math and science education to the space program, so I was delighted when I heard about this. I adore Chris Hadfield and I love how NASA uses social media, so this was basically a dream come true for me. In addition to all the awesome things mentioned in the article, there is discussion about the importance of math and science education and Nicole Stott talking about how lady astronauts make the space program better, and I basically sobbed with joy the whole way through.
oh, the bbc made a version, too? someday i’ll have to find time to watch it…but i heard they made watson a white dude in it
not sure how i feel about that? i’m not a misandrist or anything but i don’t know… i feel like they’re just doing it to appeal to bromance and queer baiting, you know? it’s a cheap marketing ploy that isn’t really queer positive and do we really need one more white man on tv i mean really.
maybe i’ll give it a try. but dude!watson isn’t ever going to feel right. and their relationship just can’t be half as meaningful if they’re both men.
also, i haven’t read the books or anything, but i just KNOW the american cbs version is so much closer to the original stories. like, acd would be rolling in his grave if he knew the bbc made some subpar version with two white dudes. not that i’m not a misandrist either!
i mean, does anyone here even LIKE the bbc version? cause everyone keeps telling me how awful it is and what a mistake they made when they hired that whitebread actor instead of lucy liu. like, idk why they couldn’t have hired an asian british actress? everyone knows they hire white people to fill their white people quota and pander to a white audience. but what about TALENT and ACTING SKILLS and BELIEVABLE CHEMISTRY between the lead actors? no, instead, they hire the first white person who knocks on their door, probably. :( and have you HEARD brindlystick cabbagepatch’s accent? SO FAKE. idk why they don’t hire him an accent coach.
don’t hate me, but i just don’t see how it could be anywhere as good as elementary.
Wired Space Photo of the Day - the Tectonics on Enceladus.
One of Saturns moons, the photo taken by Cassini, and it’s… just stunning.
Enceladus is absolutely my favorite moon in our solar system. It’s one of only a handful of places in the universe that are geologically active. Near its south pole, cryovolcanoes on Enceladus shoot jets of water ice into space, which are visible when the moon is backlit by the sun. The above image is actually an enhanced color mosaic of 21 different images taken by the Cassini spacecraft. This next image has been filtered by astronomers to help them study the cryovolcanoes.
But my favorite image is this artist’s rendering, which shows what the absolutely stunning view might be like when astronauts finally travel a billion kilometers to visit the surface of Enceladus. That smaller body pictured near Saturn’s rings is Titan, another moon (and my second favorite moon in our solar system.)
I have no doubt we’ll make it out there one day. I just hope the astronauts really do wear awesomely colored spacesuits just like that.
NASA’s full image gallery of Enceladus can be found here. Credit for the artist’s image here.
Clinton / Biden 2016: Joe Shouldn’t Have To Move
I love everything about this.
So Patrick Stewart’s twitter is the cutest thing ever.
My hero
(Source: rootbeef)
Sterek by ~SonOfLaufey
dkjghdskjgFREAKING PERFECT STEREK COSPLAY !!!!
for a moment i thought this was real!!!!!!!!!
THIS IS INCREDIBLE
!!!!!!!!
(Source: itwasratedarrgh)
(Source: thedollypartonscrapbook)
Today in tremendous geekiness.
Absolute zero is no longer absolute zero
Scientists have rewritten the known laws of physics after hitting a temperature lower than absolute zero. Physicists at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Germany created a quantum gas using potassium atoms, fixing them in a standard lattice group using magnetic fields and lasers.
THERE CAN’T BE SOMETHING LOWER THAN ABSOLUTE ZERO. THAT’S WHY IT’S ABSOLUTE. I REFUSE TO ACCEPT IT. JUST MAKE THAT NEW TEMPERATURE ABSOLUTE ZERO.
SCIENCE.
Does this mean now there can be a heat engine that’s 100% efficient?? Also, new forms of matter WHAT. Like, seriously. FUCK THE LAWS OF THERMODYNAMICS, KELVINS HAVE GONE NEGATIVE.
