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News from The Physics Hypertextbook

Northeast Conference on Science & Skepticism (Saturday, 17 April 2010)

Posted on Sunday, February 7th, 2010 at 10:35 am Eastern Time.

NECSS logo

As its name suggests, NECSS (pronounced "nexus") seeks to explore the intersection of science, media, education, politics, and popular culture in an effort to promote a more rational world. NECSS will take place on 17 April 2010 in New York City and include a full day of lectures and panel discussions from some of the biggest names in the skeptical and scientific worlds. This year’s speakers and panelists include …

categories: Uncategorized

 

STS-130 Endeavour penultimate flight

Posted on Sunday, February 7th, 2010 at 8:07 am Eastern Time.

Space Shuttle Endeavour will deliver two components to the International Space Station on Monday: Tranquility Node 3 (the final connecting node) and the Cupola (a robotic control station with six windows around its sides and another in the center that provides a 360-degree view). Launch is set for Monday, 8 February 2010 at 4:17 AM. Watch it on NASA TV. This mission marks the second to last flight for Endeavour.

International Space Station - Exploded View

categories: astronomy

 

Science caught in the Web 2010-02-06

Posted on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 11:00 pm Eastern Time.

categories: astronomy, electricity, general, mechanics

 

Create a Vacuum Day

Posted on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 12:01 am Eastern Time.

categories: events

 

Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster (2003)

Posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 9:00 am Eastern Time.

1 February 2003 9:00 AM: STS-107 disintegrated over eastern Texas during reentry. A briefcase sized piece of insulating foam broke off the external fuel tank during launch and struck the leading edge of the left wing at 3000 km/h. Impact damage to the thermal protection system allowed hot gases to penetrate and destroy the internal wing structure 17 days later during reentry.

categories: astronomy, history

 

Explorer I launched (1958)

Posted on Sunday, January 31st, 2010 at 12:01 am Eastern Time.

31 January 1958: Explorer 1 became the first artificial satellite launched into space by the United States. Onboard was a cosmic ray detector designed to measure the radiation environment in Earth orbit. Explorer I subsequently discovered the Van Allen Radiation Belts.

categories: astronomy, history

 

Science caught in the Web 2010-01-30

Posted on Saturday, January 30th, 2010 at 11:00 pm Eastern Time.

categories: astronomy, electricity, mechanics

 

Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster (1986)

Posted on Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 11:39 am Eastern Time.

28 January 1986 11:39 AM: The Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L broke up over the Atlantic Ocean 73 seconds after liftoff. An O-ring in the right solid rocket booster failed. A jet of burning solid rocket fuel began escaping from the leak which cut a hole in the large, orange external fuel tank. The tank ruptured, the liquid hydrogen and oxygen mixed, a massive fireball erupted, and the orbiter was torn to pieces. Debris rained for several minutes afterward. The crew compartment remained intact. Any astronauts who remained alive after the disintegration of the orbiter died when the crew compartment impacted the ocean.

categories: astronomy, history

 

Bednorz & Müller discover high temperature superconductivity (1986)

Posted on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 12:02 am Eastern Time.

27 January 1986: Johannes Georg Bednorz & Karl Alexander Müller at the at the IBM Zürich Research Laboratory discover high temperature (Tc = 36 K) superconductivity in the copper containing ceramic (LaB)2CuO4.

categories: history, modern

 

Apollo 1 Disaster (1967)

Posted on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 12:01 am Eastern Time.

27 January 1967: Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee died in the Apollo 1 command module during testing after a fire started. The command module was pressured with pure oxygen to 2 atmospheres making it an obvious fire hazard. Since the door was designed to open inward and the interior pressure was 1 atmosphere greater than the exterior, the door was held firmly shut. Toxic smoke asphyxiated the astronauts and the intense oxygen-fueled flames roasted them.

In memory
of
those who made the ultimate sacrifice
so others could reach for the stars

Ad astra per aspera
(A rough road leads to the stars)

God speed to the crew
of
Apollo 1

Launch Complex 34 Launch Complex 34 Launch Complex 34
Launch Complex 34 In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice so others could reach for the stars - Ad astra per aspera (A rough road leads to the stars) - God speed to the crew of Apollo 1 Abandon In Place
12/1/60 Graffito Launch Complex 34 Saturn III Blast Deflectors

categories: astronomy, history

 

Thomas Edison receives a patent for the incandescent light bulb (1880)

Posted on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 12:00 am Eastern Time.

27 January 1880 : Thomas Edison receives patent for incandescent light bulb.

Incandescent Light Bulb
[magnify]

The traditional light bulb will soon disappear, however. What will we use as the icon for a brilliant idea in the future?

categories: electricity, history

 

Opportunity lands on Mars (2004)

Posted on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 12:01 am Eastern Time.

25 January 2004: Opportunity (a.k.a. Mars Exploration Rover B) landed in Meridiani Planum.

categories: astronomy, history

 

 

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