Technoculture Podcast – Episode #11: José V. Siles
In this podcast, José V. Siles from NASA explains how scientific balloons are flown and operated from Anctartica. Read more [...]
Tag Archives: Space
Ethics of Space Exploration: Exploring to Sustain?
Establishing a presence on the moon and manning a trip to Mars are amazing scientific feats, things every global citizen should be proud of. The tools developed to make these happen will be creative and amazing. Read more [...]
The Poetry of Science – Episode 12: Stellar Snow
This poem is inspired by recent research, which has discovered the rare isotope iron-60 (which is created during supernova events) in Antarctic snow for the first time. Read more [...]
Smart transport: looking to a safer and greener future
Smart transport is the incorporation of modern technologies into our transport and logistics sector. Advancements in space data and satellite technologies have huge potential to improve transport infrastructure, making it more efficient, cost-effective and sustainable. Public investments in space technology have already resulted in useful improvements in this sector, however there is a lot more to come. In this article, we present some of the leading projects using space enabled technologies to improve road safety, deliver goods efficiently and revolutionise public transport. Through funding and support, our transport system can become safer, more user friendly and kinder on the planet. Read more [...]
Applied mathematicians in the service of pressing global issues
Nowadays there is a diffuse border between pure and applied mathematics. The pure mathematician – an atypical scientist inclined toward the abstract – – is capable of switching at any time to the role of applied mathematician in order to address and solve the pressing global issues that threaten humanity. From assisting manned space missions to modelling the processes of ice melting or the spread of an epidemic, the applied mathematician’s contributions are crucial for humankind. The confidence we have in the truths of applied mathematics, which – within the philosophy of science – is part of the so-called Wigner’s puzzle, is a kind of evolutionary feature of the discipline. Read more [...]
Dreaming of Wernher von Braun
A fictional diary entry to celebrate the 100th Birthday of Wernher von Braun, the father of rocket science, on March 23. Read more [...]
2012 – The end of the world and scientific misinformation
Each year, predictions of major discoveries, new developments and breathtaking scientific breakthroughs are published in scientific journals across the world. More than in previous years, previews of 2012 are dominated by pseudo-scientific predictions and conspiracy theories about the end of the world. Read more [...]
Measuring the impact of outreach
It is widely acknowledged that connecting science with the public is a must, and many organisations put significant resources into doing so, but how can we know when these efforts are successful? This article looks at the European Space Agency’s outreach activities for the Hubble Space Telescope to give some guidelines on how best to evaluate the success of science communication activities. Read more [...]
Research with impact? Hopefully not!
On 4th February 2011, an asteroid approached Earth for a fly-by. Asteroid 2011 CQ1 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on 4th February and made a record close Earth approach 14 hours later. CQ1 scraped past the Earth less than 5500 km from the Read more [...]
53 years looking down
Fifty three years ago, on 31 January 1958, the first satellite for the observation of Earth was launched. Explorer 1 was the first satellite sent into orbit by the United States of America. In October 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 into space thus beginning the Cold War space race. Read more [...]
Hubble Space Telescope – establishing an innovative model of public outreach
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope, one of NASA’s Great Observatories in collaboration with the European Space Agency. Launched in April 1990, Hubble has emerged as one of the most celebrated as well as most important scientific tools ever constructed. Read more [...]
A decade of Cluster
The pioneering space mission Cluster celebrates 10 years of discovery with a workshop held on the island of Corfu in Greece. The meeting brought together over 170 scientists from across the world. Read more [...]
EuroScientist journal 