On Christmas Day 2021, astronomers and scientists around the world got the best Christmas present they could have hoped for – the successful launch of the James Webb space telescope. The cost of the telescope was way over budget and had been delayed more times than one could count. Finally, it was in space andContinue reading “The First James Webb Images”
Category Archives: Space Missions
Double Asteroid Redirection Test – DART
What would happen if we woke up some morning to the news that a massive asteroid had just been discovered and is on a collision course with Earth? This terrifying scenario is not very likely to happen anytime soon but the thing is, we can never be sure when it will happen and someday itContinue reading “Double Asteroid Redirection Test – DART”
Space Based Telescopes
The idea of a space based telescope is not new. Lyman Spitzer first suggested the idea of a telescope in space in 1946. This was 11 years before the first satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched by the Soviet Union. His idea suggested that a telescope in space would not be impacted by the atmosphere ofContinue reading “Space Based Telescopes”
Perseverance’s 7 Minutes of Terror
This Thursday (18th Feb), if everything goes smoothly, NASA’s Perseverance Rover will touch down on the surface of Mars. The landing sequence required to get it safely to the surface is like something from science fiction. It is a complex landing sequence, made all the more difficult by the fact that real time communication withContinue reading “Perseverance’s 7 Minutes of Terror”
5 Biggest Space Missions of 2021
With the first week of 2021 behind us, let’s look forward to the coming year and see what the major space missions are and what we can expect to see in 2021. Artemis 1 Artemis is NASA’s programme to land the first woman and next man on the Moon and create a permanent presence there.Continue reading “5 Biggest Space Missions of 2021”
The Year of Science 2020
Now that we are coming to the end of 2020 I thought I would do a quick review of what has happened in the past year in science and technology. Despite everything else that has happened, 2020 has been an extremely busy year for science. COVID 19 – Research and Vaccine There is no doubtContinue reading “The Year of Science 2020”
Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover
Last week, the latest NASA mission to Mars, the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, launched successfully from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Over the next 7 months, the rover will make its way to the Red Planet. It will land in Jezero crater on 18th February 2021. The mission is known as Mars 2020, due toContinue reading “Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover”
The Science Shed 