Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known
Founder: Joseph Barone
Contributors: crookedindifference, bumerangue, propagandery, rocketmagic, rostenbach
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The coast of Kimberley, Australia, as seen from the ISS.
Source: ESA/NASA.
Aussie scientists test first space beer
When you’ve paid $200,000 for a seat on a galactic flight, the last thing you want is to be served a dud beer.
But space tourists of the future fear not: a series of experiments have been conducted to test whether your coldie tastes as good in space as it does on Earth.
Researchers at space engineering firm Saber Astronautics, in Sydney, have teamed up with 4-Pines brewery to develop a beer suitable for consumption in space.
Flooding in Brisbane Suburbs
This astronaut photograph illustrates flooding in the suburbs of Brisbane, Australia, which experienced catastrophic flooding following unusually heavy rain on January 10, 2011. With soils already saturated from previous rainfall, eastward-draining surface flow caused the Brisbane River to flood—inundating an estimated 20,000 homes in suburbs of the capital city of Queensland. Other cities have also experienced damaging floods during heavy rainfall events this year.
The image, taken by astronauts on the International Space Station, highlights several suburbs along the Brisbane River in the southern part of the metropolitan area. The light-colored rooftops of residences and other structures contrast sharply with green vegetation and brown, sediment-laden floodwaters. Most visible low-lying areas are inundated, perhaps the most striking being Rocklea at image upper left. The suburb of Yeronga (lower left) also has regions of flooding, as does a park and golf course located along a bend in the Brisbane River to the south of St. Lucia (image center). Flooding becomes less apparent near the higher elevations of Mt. Coot-Tha (image right).
Source: Earth Observatory.
Canberra to get dedicated space museum
CANBERRA is set to get a dedicated air and space museum following the signing of an agreement between the Australian National University and the world famous Washington-based Smithsonian Institute.
The agreement, signed overnight, marks the first step towards construction of a national museum on Mt Stromlo, the site of Australia’s first space observatory.
It sets out the first steps for cooperation that will support the development of a museum to tell the story of Australia’s contribution to space science and space technologies, and celebrate the special role Australian astronomers have played in the exploration of the cosmos, said ANU Vice Chancellor Ian Chubb.
NASA satellites capture amazing pictures of Australian floods
The top image shows the flooded rivers in the Fitzroy Basin on Tuesday.
The bottom image shows the same rivers on December 14, before severe flooding occurred.
Contract Marks New Generation for Deep Space Network
NASA has taken the next step toward a new generation of Deep Space Network antennas. A $40.7 million contract with General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies, San Jose, Calif., covers implementation of two additional 34-meter (112-foot) antennas at Canberra, Australia. This is part of Phase I of a plan to eventually retire the network’s aging 70-meter-wide (230-foot-wide) antennas.
