Wow, look at this.




http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-mind-blow ... ure_module

That would not be the result of TWO cosmic explosions, but the result of one event of something massive falling into the central black hole of our galaxy. The accretion disk around the black hole just causes the ejected gas to stream out in two opposite expanding bubbles.

Somebody should throw some Beano™ in there.

Let's see the Russians try to beat THAT!

With all of the work required to keep liquids and food crumbs from floating around, I think I'd be a real slob of an astronaut.

Have you heard about the one-way trip to Mars planned within ten years?

Would you go?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/201 ... -to-you-by

I think if they filmed it they could raise the necessary money.

I hope this actually happens. Exciting!

Heard about it, would not go. I think it's fascinating and hope it's a success though!

I've heard of the "Mars one-way" concept before. No matter how zealous the one-way astronaut or astronauts were about space exploration, I have a strong suspicion they'd end up regretting it. We humans need our earthly natural environment for all sorts of physical and psychological reasons.

I'd go. My wife and I already had this discussion.

I think I would go. Trouble is by a 2023 landing date, I'd be pretty old (assuming I even
live that long) and am not in very good health as it is.

Heh, and I doubt my likihood of being selected as the person to be voted off earth.

Don't lose hope. Several prime candidates like Kim Jong Un have indicated that they won't go quietly, so you might just still be in the running.

Heh, thanks.

Who will be the first human to die on another planet?

Not a distinction that I really want to achieve. But I guess it's something.

Actually, I should WIN this contest. Because I would do somethings that might bring in
an audience. For example, pretty early on, I'm sure that I would declare ownership of
Mars and then rename it because I'm not a fan of the Greek/Roman gods.

I'd make some fun video rants.

Last weekend I went to "Astronomy Day" at a local college with my wife and son. Every hour, for three hours, we had a choice of three lectures. For the first one, I went to a discussion regarding the subsurface oceans of Europa and Ganymede. I learned about water-rock interface and liquid/solid H2O interface. I was blown away. For the second hour I went to a presentation regarding the "New Space Frontier" detailing the private commercialization and development of space. I left excited. For the last hour I went to a presentation regarding "Galaxies, Nebulae, and the Dark Side." Photos from Hubble, Spitzer, and Chandra were used. I came away convinced other life must exist out there (although, that wasn't the point of the presentation) but more importantly, I left with an overwhelming feeling of insignificance, both on a personal level, and also on behalf of the earth and mankind in general. The final event of the day was going outside and looking through various telescopes at Saturn, Jupiter, the Moon, the International Space Station, and some nebula at the "end of the Milky Way" (it looked like a smudge on the lens to me). In any event, my son enjoyed it all, as did I, and I can't help but think how freaked out the early astronomers must have been when they first looked their telescopes. I know I left a bit unsettled.

Nuts in space.

Under gravity, small nuts work their way toward the top while large nuts work their way toward the bottom, but in space there's none of that.

It's really annoying when your nuts float around in zero-G.

Or so I've heard.

I thought the opposite was true. The "Brazil Nut effect."

I remember a Mutt and Jeff comic book that answered the question of why the bigger berries where on the top of the pints for sale as "The bigger ones fight the smaller ones for air."