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Posts with tag SpaceTech

Beatles' 'Across the Universe' to Be Blasted Into Space

by Ian Rowan, posted Feb 4th 2008 at 8:19AM


Picture this: Aliens on a distant planet stopping in their tracks, turning to the sky and then holding hands and swaying to The Beatles "Across the Universe." The Fab Four fans at NASA will be hoping for that result this Monday when they beam the song at 186,000 miles per second at the North Star, Polaris, via the Deep Space Network.

Set to be a multiple anniversary on Monday, the song's space release marks the original recording of the Beatles classic 40 years ago, NASA's 50th anniversary, 45 years of the Deep Space Network, and the launching of Explorer 1 (the first U.S. satellite). John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono sent her congratulations and encouragement to the space agency saying, "I see this as the beginning of the new age in which we will communicate with billions of planets across the universe." We're just hoping we communicate with more than billions of planets, since we're pretty sure they are non-sentient.

Fans are encouraged to participate by cranking up their stereos (the neighbors won't mind since it's a stellar occasion) at midnight GMT (that's 7pm Eastern Standard Time) on Monday the 4th.

From NASA

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U.S. Military Plans for Falling Satellite

by Evan Shamoon, posted Jan 31st 2008 at 9:01AM

Spy Satellite Falling back to earth
It's cloudy with a chance of satellite parts.

The AP reports that the U.S. military is developing contingency plans to deal with the possibility that a very large spy satellite could hit planet Earth in late February or early March. Word on the street is that it could land somewhere in North America.

"We're aware that this satellite is out there," said Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart Tuesday. "We're aware it is a fairly substantial size. And we know there is at least some percentage that it could land on ground as opposed to in the water." Not all of the pieces, it seems, will burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.

The spy satellite was launched in December 2006, but almost immediately lost power -- and, unfortunately, it's not a remote control deal. It's apparently as big as a school bus, when it's in full Voltron formation. The picture above is of Russian satellite Mir coming back to earth.

Let's hope it doesn't hit a school bus. (Of course, with the chances being one in a trillion -- according to CNN, at least -- we wouldn't bet on it.

From CNN

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