Tag Archive for 'Space'

…It’s Tuner Tuesday: WhiteKnightTwo?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on July 29, 2008
in Cars
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WhiteKnightTwo

Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic continued their quest to turn space into a tourist destination on Monday with the roll out of the new WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) carrier aircraft that will ferry SpaceShipTwo and “thousands of private astronauts, science packages and payload on the first stage of the Virgin Galactic sub-orbital space experience”.

WK2 is the world’s largest all carbon composite aircraft, and at 140 ft., the wing spar is also the longest single carbon composite aviation component ever manufactured.

Powered by four Pratt and Whitney PW308A engines, WK2 will support up to four daily space flights, and reach a maximum altitude of over 50,000 ft (limited only by the atmosphere).

It might only be for the rich and famous right now, but soon, Virgin Galactic hopes that you’ll hop aboard SpaceShipTwo, and WhiteKnightTwo will whisk you away into the blackness of space for a quick lap around the Earth.

[Virgin Galactic]

[Via: Josh Spear]

…You can be a Space Ambassador?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on June 2, 2008
in News
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NSS Space Ambassador Program

Have you ever wanted to go into space? (Is there anyone that hasn’t?)

If you have a passion for space, and would like to share your enthusiasm with others, then the National Space Society and Virgin Galactic would like to make you a Space Ambassador, and one lucky space ambassador will even get a chance to fly into space aboard a Virgin Galactic space flight.

    As a Space Ambassador, you will be trained to deliver an inspirational, multi-media presentation that describes the importance of space in our daily lives, as well as the promise and possibilities that future space endeavors will enable.

If this sounds like a kick ass idea to you, then head on over to the National Space Society website and register for the NSS Space Ambassador Program before it’s too late, because space isn’t going to wait around forever you know.

[NSS Space Ambassador Program]

[Via: Wired]

…Michel Fournier is one crazy jumper?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on May 27, 2008
in Sports
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Michel Fournier - The Great Leap

If all goes according to plan, Michel Fournier will complete a two decade and $20 million long journey today to balloon into the upper reaches of the atmosphere and then skydive back down in what he’s calling Le Grad Saut, or, The Great Leap.

His leap begins on the ground, where he will load into a 10 foot tall pressurized gondola that will hang from the bottom of a 650-foot balloon. This balloon will take him to a height of 130,000 feet (25 miles) over the course of two-hours, at which point he will open the door and step into the blackness of space.

To survive the fall, which will last for a full 15 minutes, he’s going to be wearing a special space suit and a parachute that is designed to automatically deploy when he’s 5,000 feet above the ground.

Along the way, he will reach, and then cross the speed of sound. (And then top out at a speed of around 1,000 MPH) If that sounds crazy, it is. Scientists are still unsure of what will happen when a person crosses the sound barrier unaided.

With those speeds, Fournier will also be breaking four new records: fastest free fall, longest free fall, highest altitude for a human balloon flight and highest parachute jump.

So what are the potential risks?

If his suit fails, the pressure would cause his blood could boil, and he would loose consciousness in less than five seconds. (Which sounds like a blessing if your blood is boiling during those five seconds!)

His first try was yesterday, and was canceled due to weather related complications, so let’s hope that today provides Michel with smoother sailing, and that he finds his way back to Earth in one piece!

[Via: The New York Times]

…It’s Website Wednesday: Reserve A Spot In Heaven?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on May 1, 2008
in Websites
. Comments

Reserve A Spot In Heaven

Reserve A Spot In Heaven lets you snag a place in the space above before it’s too late. Apparently, “although a large portion of this space remains vacant, spots are filling very quickly”.

But how can you tell that RASIH is official?

Because, in their own words: “To this day we are the ONLY official distributor of reservations into Heaven. We are directly affiliated and sent down by The Board of Heavenly Officials, the only governing body in Heaven, to offer you one thing and one thing only: a worry free, secure way into Heaven.”

Still not convinced?

Worry not, because all reservations come with a 100% money back guarantee. Plus, with two packages to choose from, you can get just the right amount of heaven that you need.

Don’t think up is the direction that you’ll be heading?

They’ve got you covered there too, because you can also Reserve A Spot In Hell.

Don’t wait though, because for both places, space is definitely limited.

[Reserve A Spot In Heaven]

[Reserve A Spot In Hell]

…JL Audio is thinking thin with their TW5 sub?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on February 7, 2008
in Gadgets
. Comments

JL Audio TW5 Thin-Line Subwoofer

The JL Audio TW5 Thin-Line Subwoofer is a staggering piece of sound engineering.

With an extremely shallow mounting depth of only 2.5 inches, it needs only half a foot of enclosure, and is designed for truck and sports car installations where space is a premium.

Despite its thinness, JL hasn’t skimped on the specs, as this sub is available in either a 12” or 13.5” variety, and handles 500 or 600 W respectively.

Get ready to bring the bass to where it’s never been before.

[JL Audio - TW5 Thin-Line Subwoofer]

[Via: Acquire]

…Orbox B is puzzling?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on July 1, 2007
in Games
. Comments

Orbox B

Orbox B is a fun and challenging puzzle game where the goal is to simply move your square to the red square.

You can’t fall into space, and you can only move your square in one direction until it hits a wall, so you have to find a way to weave through the other objects on the screen.

See if you can beat all 30 levels.

[Orbox B]

[Via: Digg]

…MAKE is going into space?

Published
by
Cory O'Brien
on March 4, 2007
in Science
. Comments

Using a weather balloon and a little creativity, MAKE wants to experience space. They plan to reach an altitude of 100,000 feet (almost 20 miles), taking panoramic pictures along the way using their four on board cameras hooked up to the MAKE: Controller.. At the topmost point, they’ll be high enough to see a black sky and the curvature of the earth.

    It took 16 people working on this, countless cases of mountain dew, lots of take-out food, and a lot of sleepless nights.

Why go into space you ask? “To take pictures and temperature readings of course!” Sounds good to me. They’ll even be using a GPS logger that will allow you to follow their progress on Google maps in real time. It’s no NASA, but an impressive feat nonetheless.


Click To Play

[MAKE: Blog - DIY Space]

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