Mostly Mute Monday: The Glory of Saturn’s Rings
“Saturn is remarkable in a number of ways; among all the planets we know of, it’s the least dense, and also the only one with a spectacularly visible set of rings. Composed of icy, dust-like material, these rings are not solid at all, but made up of particles that pass each other, stick together briefly and then fly apart once again.
Snowballs and planetesimals coalesce, only to be torn apart by tidal forces exerted by Saturn and its passing moons. Gaps in the inner rings are caused by the gravitational presence of moons themselves, while many of the outer rings — like Saturn’s E-ring, below — are actually caused by the moons themselves.”
From their discovery in the 1600s, Saturn’s rings have been a source of wonder and puzzlement to skywatchers everywhere. The only ring system visible through most telescopes from Earth, Saturn’s main rings at more than 70,000 km long, yet no more than 1 km in thickness. Once thought to have only two gaps in them, the Cassini spacecraft has revealed over a thousand, teaching us that Saturn’s rings are likely as old as the planet itself, and will likely continue to exist for as long as our Sun shines.
by Draw Bart Draw
"Oh alright," the young adult responded. Tadashi had never really told Hiro that he wasn't allowed to because he really cared about his brother and only wanted the best for him. youneedsomeupgrades
hamada-tadashii
Hiro woke, rubbing his eyes and staring at the dark ceiling, slowly sitting up and dangling his feet off the bed. His eyes scanned the room searching for his sound asleep brother. As his eyes found him he tiredly stood out of bed and almost drunkly walked over to the bed, setting his hands on the bed, closing his eyes. “Dashi.. Tadashi, you awake?”
Kennedy Space Center | by North Sky Photography
Facebook | Instagram | 500px | Tumblr | Society 6
Life on Mars
The forward bulkhead and tunnel for Exploration Mission 1 undergoing paint priming, October 9, 2015. The EM-1 Orion capsule is being fabricated at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. Seven major components are welded together to create the capsule’s pressure vessel. It then gets shipped to Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it undergoes final assembly and outfitting of key systems.
@i-can-taste-the-sun
I CANT STOP LAUGHING
Beirut: Two suicide bombings have killed 41+ people. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34805466
Japan: A tsunami warning has been issued for parts of Japan after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off its south-western coast. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34816292
Paris: Dozens dead, 3 explosions, and 60+ hostage situation. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34814203
Did you know that “We’re With You When You Fly”? Thanks to our advancements in aeronautics, today’s aviation industry is better equipped than ever to safely and efficiently transport millions of passengers and billions of dollars worth of freight to their destinations. In fact, every U.S. Aircraft flying today and every U.S. air traffic control tower uses NASA-developed technology in some way. Here are some of our objectives in aeronautics:
Making Flight Greener
From reducing fuel emissions to making more efficient flight routes, we’re working to make flight greener. We are dedicated to improving the design of airplanes so they are more Earth friendly by using less fuel, generating less pollution and reducing noise levels far below where they are today.
Getting you safely home faster
We work with the Federal Aviation Administration to provide air traffic controllers with new tools for safely managing the expected growth in air traffic across the nation. For example, testing continues on a tool that controllers and pilots can use to find a more efficient way around bad weather, saving thousands of pounds of fuel and an average of 27 minutes flying time per tested flight. These and other NASA-developed tools help get you home faster and support a safe, efficient airspace.
Seeing Aviation’s Future
Here at NASA, we’re committed to transforming aviation through cutting edge research and development. From potential airplanes that could be the first to fly on Mars, to testing a concept of a battery-powered plane, we’re always thinking of what the future of aviation will look like.
Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com
the sunset was violently sudden & spectacular tonight. these pictures were taken abt 2 minutes apart
The Solar System
"I don't know who will read this. I guess someone will find it eventually. Maybe in a hundred years or so." -Mark Watney
174 posts