Announcements, News, Science

Pacific Science Center Hosts NASA’s “Destination: Station” Exhibit this Summer

Astronauts are visiting Seattle next week to publicize a NASA exhibit — Destination: Station — on view at Pacific Science Center now through September 2. It’s a multimedia exhibit that tells the story of the International Space Station, its space-based research, and the partnership of five space agencies, representing 15 countries, that runs it. Continue reading Pacific Science Center Hosts NASA’s “Destination: Station” Exhibit this Summer

Arts & Entertainment, Music

Exploring Outer Space with the Seattle Symphony

Seattle Symphony’s program of music inspired by outer space has been drawing crowds. The concert features a performance of Holst’s beloved suite “The Planets” accompanied by HD images of the solar system. Also on the program are Ligeti’s “Atmosphères” and Strauss’ “Also sprach Zarathustra”. After two nearly sold-out shows on Thursday and Friday, tickets are scarce for the remaining performance tonight. Continue reading Exploring Outer Space with the Seattle Symphony

News, Science, Weather

GOES-West Satellite’s Weather Imaging Goes South, Temporarily

NASA’s GOES-West weather satellite (aka GOES 15 aka GOES-P) normally sits in geostationary orbit, 22,300 miles up over the Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and the west coast of the U.S. Continue reading GOES-West Satellite’s Weather Imaging Goes South, Temporarily

News, Science

Two X-Class Flares Could Bring Auroras, Dropped Calls, Even Worse Netflix Streaming

Alaska is set for “extreme auroras,” but depending on how the clouds come and go above Seattle, we might be able to see the glow as well. The show is supposed to begin around 10:30 p.m. PST tonight, and Thursday evening should offer another chance, too. Meteorologist Cliff Mass is pessimistic: “skies around here are no longer clear…we are getting considerable high clouds coming around the offshore ridge.” We actually just got an auroral show–if you missed it, KOMO 4 TV has got your back. Continue reading Two X-Class Flares Could Bring Auroras, Dropped Calls, Even Worse Netflix Streaming

Arts & Entertainment, Film & TV, Literature

Boyd Morrison: The Man, The Myth, The (Moderate) Madness, The Manuscript!

“There is a scene on the Autobahn near Munich where a Lamborghini is in a high-speed pursuit of a Ferrari. To make sure I got the details right, I rented an Audi and drove the same route at 150 mph. It was definitely a thrill, but I don’t think I blinked the entire time.” Continue reading Boyd Morrison: The Man, The Myth, The (Moderate) Madness, The Manuscript!

News, Science

All Powered Up, No Space Elevator Cable to Climb

Meanwhile, the power side proceeds by leaps and bounds. Back in 2009, we met up with Kent’s LaserMotive after they won NASA’s power-beaming competition. Even crippled, their climber set a world speed record. Last year, they went on to power a small quadcopter’s flight for over twelve hours, using their combination of high-efficiency photovoltaic cells and near-infrared lasers to transmit energy. (“Invisible extension cords” is how they make “high-powered laser” sound friendlier.) Continue reading All Powered Up, No Space Elevator Cable to Climb