Can you use Pi to solve these problems from NASA’s JPL before Pi day this Saturday? Read More
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The Pi Day of the Century
Category Archives: Space & Astronomy
Live From Ceres, It’s Friday in Space!
The Dawn spacecraft entered the orbit of the dwarf planet Ceres, located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, at around 10am ET this morning. Read More
NASA Makes the Geekiest Posters for the ISS Missions
The newest mission post for an expedition to the International Space Station was revealed, and it’s a wonderful homage to Star Wars. It made me go digging, and I’ve discovered that this is no anomaly. Read More
Could There Be Two More Planets in Our Solar System?
Scientists have crunched the numbers, and their conclusions could change our view of the solar system, again. Read More
The Astronomically Correct “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” Is Fun and Factual
Tired of singing about your confusion as to what stars are–when you know exactly what they are and why they twinkle? Try this new version instead! Read More
Is Stephen Hawking a “Bad-Ass” of Science? NDGT Thinks so.
Professor Tyson weighs in with his opnion on the esteemed theorist and subject of the movie The Theory of Everything. Read More
Congratulations to the Orion Team!
Earlier today NASA successfully tested the Orion capsule, designed to take astronauts beyond low Earth orbit. Read More
Watch the Live Test Launch of NASA’s New Orion Spacecraft (We Hope)
The launch was scrubbed yesterday, but we’re feeling good this time around. Watch the livestream above and see what’s happening with the launch of NASA’s next-generation space capsule. Read More
Watch This: Amazing Wanderers Is a Vision of Our Space-faring Future We All Want to Live In
I’ve already watched this a few times. It’s so beautiful, and it so effectively visualizes pieces of the futures we all know from some of our beloved science fiction series. Read More
To Catch a Comet: PBS Documentary About Rosetta
You may have heard the amazing news last week that the European Space Agency successfully landed a probe on a comet. This week as part of its “Think Wednesday” programming, PBS will broadcast To Catch a Comet, an hour-long, in-depth documentary about the the mission and how the ESA managed to land the Philae lander on an icy rock hurtling through space. Read More
Watch This: Livestream of the Rosetta #CometLanding
We’re actually a ways off from the actual landing, which won’t happen until tomorrow morning – final confirmation of the landing is expected at 8:03am Pacific Time. But if you’d like to spend the next 20-odd hours immersed in a very cool space experience, try tuning into the European Space Agency’s livestream. Read More
Go Outside and Watch the Eclipse!
There’s an eclipse today, visible over most of North America. Here in the SF Bay Area, it’s about to start, and in my option there’s no better reason to get up and out of my cubicle and go outside. Read More
Big Hero 6 Challenge Asks Kids What Big Problem They Want to Solve
In anticipation of the release of Big Hero 6, Disney has teamed with partners XPRIZE, LittleBits, FIRST LEGO League, and the USPTO to create a contest for kids. Read More
NASA Awards Contracts for Manned Flights
NASA granted contracts to two companies for manned spaceflights to and from the International Space Station. Read More
NASA: “Major Announcement” Regarding Manned Flight (Watch Live)
Today NASA says it has “a major announcement” about the Commercial Crew Transportation program. Watch live at 4pm Eastern. Read More
I Want to Go to Space: I’m Sending You Instead
Today, Spaceship Earth Grants opens the door for anyone to apply to be an astronaut. Really. Read More
The High Cost of Living on the Moon
Enjoy this amusing infographic that shows even though it would be expensive to put a base on the moon, compared to some other programs, it’s pretty reasonable. Read More
Space News from TMRO Today!
The vidcast TMRO is the ideal way for a space geek to stay caught up on the latest news on government and private efforts to bring humanity to the stars. Read More
MoonBots Competition Announces Finalists, Enters Second Phase
The MoonBots competition enters its second phase, as kids build robots to replicate lunar exploration. Read More
ISSpresso: Searching for the Perfect Cup of Coffee in the Final Frontier
Presenting the ISSpresso, an innovative zero-g espresso machine to help astronauts brew a perfect espresso in space. Read More
Watch Astronauts Read Kids’ Books From Space
In 2010, astronomer and author Jeffrey Bennett answered a call from a number he didn’t recognize. The voice on the other end told him that astronaut Alvin Drew wanted to read one of Bennett’s books from space — Drew needed a pdf. Read More
Building the S.S. Coraline Spacecraft Simulator
This is a guest post by Daniel H. Wilson, author of Robopocalypse and the upcoming Robogenesis. But he doesn’t just write books about robot uprisings—he’s also a geek dad himself. Check out this awesome spacecraft simulator he built for his kids. Read More
Meteor Shower Tonight! Get the Family Outside to Watch and Learn
There’s a new comet in town (the recently-discovered LINEAR), and here in North America tonight we’ll get a great chance to watch what happens as we pass through its tail. Read More
Just Two Weeks Left to Enter MoonBots Robotic Competition
Registration for the 2014 MoonBots competition is coming to a close. It’s a great way for kids to get involved in robotics… and it doesn’t cost anything. Sign up today! Read More
Yuri’s Night Is a Time to Celebrate and Reflect on Why We Must Go Into Space
Fifty-three years ago today, Yuri Gagarin pierced the veil of Earth’s fragile atmosphere in his Vostok 1 space capsule, becoming the first human being to enter “outer space.” His trip was barely even dipping the tip of a toe into the ocean, but what he began should always be remembered in the annals of human history. In 2001 George and Loretta Whitesides (nee Hidalgo) threw a party to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Yuri’s flight. That party has grown into a yearly event, with over 300 parties around the world being held today and this weekend. Read More
We’re Now Up to 8 Full Planets and 12+ Dwarf Planets [Updated]
![We’re Now Up to 8 Full Planets and 12+ Dwarf Planets [Updated]](https://i0.wp.com/geekdad.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2014/03/1.14921a.jpg?fit=430%2C303&ssl=1)
Yup, we’re up to 20 planet-class bodies in the solar system. Read More
Registration for the 2014 MoonBots Challenge is Now Open
Registration for the fourth edition of the MoonBots challenge is now open. Red more about this year’s competition and prizes. Read More
An Unexpected Email From SETI
A hike almost two years ago becomes a lead for a scientist from SETI. Read More
Live Online Q&A for COSMOS: A Spacetime Odyssey Tonight
Tune in online to watch a live Q&A with the Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ann Druyan, and Seth MacFarlane discussing their new science miniseries COSMOS: A Spacetime Odyssey, tonight at 9-10pm EST at COSMOSonTV.com. Send in your questions via Twitter using #cosmoslive. Read More
The Martian — Mars Meets MacGyver
Do you remember that scene in Apollo 13 when the engineer dumps a bunch of parts on the table and tells the other engineers in the room they need to create a carbon dioxide filter using nothing but that pile of parts? Did that scene totally make you smile? Yes? Then grab a copy of The Martian before anyone ruins it for you and read it. Seriously Read it. You won’t regret it. Read More
