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Earn Money from NASA as a Pillownaut

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Science,

Always wanted to be a astronaut but would never pass the high standards? You can still hang with NASA as they are willing to pay volunteers $160.00 per day for lying down and playing games or surfing on a laptop. Travel and accommodations are also provided, as is a bedpan, because you cannot leave your bed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The project, referred to as Pillownaut, is meant to study the effects of micro-gravity.

Track Space Toolbag by Satellite

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Science, Transportation,

People who are into space track asteroids, comet paths, and other astral bodies, but now a site is tracking a tool bag that was literally lost in space. Astronaut Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper said the bag got away when she was trying to clean up some grease Tuesday during a spacewalk. NASA puts the price of the bag at $100,00.00. If you would like to catch a glimpse of it check the link below. Supposedly you do not need a telescope to catch the orbiting bag.

Read More | Real Time Satellite Tracking

Garriott Heads into The Final Frontier

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Science, Transportation, Video Games,

Gaming magnate Richard Garriott made a successful launch into space and becomes the first 2nd generation astronaut. His father, Owen, watched as his son, U.S. astronaut Michael Fincke and Russian cosmonaut Yury Lonchakov boarded the Russian Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft and took off. Garriott paid $35 million for the privilege of 10 days of galactic fun aboard the Space Station. His projects include blowing bubbles in space to show its effects when done in zero-gravity. Another is to photograph Earth and compare his pictures with those his father took from Skylab in 1973.

Boomerang Comes Back in Space

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Science, Transportation,

Good news for those of you who couldn’t wait to find out if a boomerang bounces back in space. According to astronaut Takao Doi, it does indeed. Chatting to his wife from the ISS, he confided that he was surprised but that it worked the same there as it does on the planet. Although there is no video evidence as yet, NASA says they will release some at a later date. Uh-huh. This reminds us of a “scare” many years back when skeptics of the space race claimed that we never made it to the moon and that it was simply faked on a movie set.

ZFlyer Takes Off

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Toys, Transportation, Videos,

With all that fuss about the recent Endeavor launch, we just couldn’t resist this ZFlyer Hand Command. This astronaut is no ordinary toy. You can lead it around since it has stabilizing rotors and sensors. It will then recharge on its base unit in 10 minutes for another 7 minute flight. We don’t know if it will make it all the way up to the Space Station, but maybe it will meet the returning paper airplane half way. The ZFlyer will become available March 30 and you can pre-order for £17.99 (~$36.00.)

Boomerang to Launch With Endeavor

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Science, Transportation,

Space Boomerangs Can a boomerang work in space? That’s precisely what astronaut Takao Doi will find out when Endeavor takes off March 11. Doi is bringing two paper ones created by Yasuhiro Togai, a champ at the sport and space fanatic who taught him how to throw them. Although he believes they will not return, he wondered how they would react without gravity in the ISS. One is 13cm and the other is 20cm. It will be interesting to see if they are tested at the same time as the paper airplane we told you about a couple of months ago.

New Line Explores Animation With ‘Planet 51’

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: New Line, Animation, Filmmaking, Upcoming Releases,

For the first time since the company’s inception, New Line Cinema is gearing up to release an animated film. The $60 million Planet 51 was created by Ilion Animation Studios and written by Joe Stillman (of Shrek fame).

In case you couldn’t tell from the title, this film’s about a planet. The inhabitants therein are plagued with fear of alien invasion, a horror that is realized when Chuck Baker (an astronaut) enters their galaxy. As he tries to evade capture and return to his home planet, he makes friends with a young alien living on Planet 51. I found every part of the plot believable until I found out the astronaut’s supposed to be from Earth. Not buying it.

The movie and complementing video game are scheduled for a 2009 release.

Son of Astronaut Seeks Space

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Science, Video Games,

Richard Garriott is blasting off to space next year aboard a Soyuz rocket for a week-long trip aboard the International Space Shuttle. This makes him the first son of an American astronaut to go into space (there have already been three cosmonauts’ sons.) His father is former Skylab and Spacelab scientist, Owen Garriott.

Richard, creator of the computer game “Ultima,” paid $30 million to Space Adventures for the privilege and figured that if he was going to have his chance in space, he had better grab it now through private means. The 46 year-old man will be leaving October 2008. If you want to keep track of his journey, visit Richard in Space.

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