Bill Housley
Science Fiction and Fantasy Author
About.me
Bill Housley
Author, Actor, Father, Wildman
Hates the World;
Loves the world;
Writes about the world;
End of Story.
Contact
Into the Dark–Escape of the Nomad
Where’s The Cat?
Another Man’s Terrorist
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Space.com Top Stories
- Where's Planet X? NASA Space Telescope Discovers Thousands of New Stars, But No 'Nemesis' March 8, 2014Despite finding a slew of new stellar bodies outside the solar system, NASA's WISE telescope discovered no suggestion of a brown dwarf companion to the sun or a massive hidden planet.
- Carl Sagan's Legacy: Scientists, Fans Share Memories of Famed Astronomer March 7, 2014Carl Sagan brought science into homes around the United States with his TV shows and books for years. When the famed astronomer died in 1996, he left a legacy of people that were inspired by his unique brand of science education.
- Space Camp Launches Crowd-Funding Effort to Land NASA Shuttle Training Aircraft March 7, 2014One of four business jets converted to train NASA astronauts to land the space shuttle is on final approach to the Alabama home of Space Camp, pending the result of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center's first crowd-funding campaign.
- Carl Sagan's Legacy: From the 'Pale Blue Dot' to Interstellar Space March 7, 2014Famous astronomer Carl Sagan brought the wonders of the universe to people living on the planet he dubbed the "pale blue dot." Although Sagan died in 1996 of a rare bone-marrow disease when he was 62, his influence on the public still lives on today.
- Amazing Aurora Photos from the Great Solar Storm of 1989 (Gallery) March 7, 2014In March 1989, a sunspot unleashed a solar flare towards the Earth that caused a spectacular display of the northern lights, or aurora borealis, reaching all the way down to the Gulf Coast.
- NASA Picks 10 Experiments for Unprecedented Study of Twin Astronauts March 8, 2014Scott and Mark Kelly, the only set of astronaut twins, are set to become test subjects in an unprecedented NASA investigation into how weightlessness impacts the human body.
- Project 'Red Dragon': Mars Sample-Return Mission Could Launch in 2022 with SpaceX Capsule March 7, 2014A new study indicates that the entry, descent and landing of SpaceX's unmanned Dragon capsule at Mars is viable. Moreover, the capsule's descent technique would help set the stage for future human missions to the Red Planet.
- 25 Years Ago: Amazing Auroras from 1989's Great Solar Storm March 7, 2014In March 1989, a sunspot unleashed a solar flare towards the Earth that caused a spectacular display of the northern lights, or aurora borealis, reaching all the way down to the Gulf Coast.
- 'Red Dragon' on Mars: Sample-Return Mission Concept with SpaceX Capsules (Images) March 7, 2014A look at the "Red Dragon" mission concept, which would use SpaceX's Dragon capsule and Falcon Heavy rocket to bring Red Planet samples — perhaps gathered by NASA's 2020 Mars rover — to Earth.
- Telescope Bigger Than A Galaxy, Really - Thanks Einstein! | Video March 7, 2014Einstein's Theory of Relativity predicts that a mass of star cluster Abell 2744 warps the fabric of space around it, bending and magnifying passing starlight. The Hubble Space Telescope's exposure of the cluster reveals 3,000 magnified galaxies.
- Disintegration | Space Wallpaper March 7, 2014This space wallpaper from the Hubble Space Telescope shows the rare sight of the asteroid P/2013 R3 breaking apart. This image, the first in a series, was taken on Oct. 29, 2013.
- Alien Comet Swarms Hint at Mysterious Undiscovered Exoplanet (Video, Images) March 7, 2014An enormous belt of carbon monoxide gas lies in the disk of debris surrounding Beta Pictoris, a young star 63 light-years from Earth. The source of the gas is probably comets, which may have been trapped there by a big alien planet.
- Astronauts Spend 3 Days In Below Freezing Temps For Survival Training | Video March 7, 2014In case of an off-course Soyuz landing (and the rescue teams inability to reach the crew in a reasonable time period), astronauts are trained in outdoor winter survival. ESA astronaut Andreas Mogensen looks back at his training.
- NASA's Shuttle-Ferrying Jet Dismantled for Move to Space Center Houston March 7, 2014NASA's historic jumbo jet that ferried retired space shuttles piggyback to their museums is being prepared for its own lift to where it'll be put on public display. The Shuttle Carrier Aircraft is being readied for its final move.
- Space History Photo: Armstrong and Scott with Hatches Open March 7, 2014Two astronauts await recovery after completing the Gemini VIII mission.
- Colliding Comets May Be Hiding Alien Planet | Video March 7, 2014Astronomers studying the dust and gas around bright star Beta Pictoris have discover a cloud of debris from collisions of icy comet-like bodies. It's possible that the comets are trapped in a small region by the gravity of a saturn-sized planet.
- 'Cosmos' for a New Generation: Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains We Need It March 7, 2014Astrophysicist and science popularizer Neil deGrasse Tyson explains why every generation needs a "Cosmos" in an interview with Space.com.
- Inside 'Cosmos': Q&A with Host Neil deGrasse Tyson March 7, 2014Space.com caught up with Neil deGrasse Tyson, host of the new "Cosmos" series, to talk about the show, Carl Sagan and science popularization.
- Asteroid P/2013 R3 Falls Apart: Rare Hubble Space Telescope Photos March 7, 2014This series of Hubble Space Telescope photos captures a rare event in action, the breakup of asteroid P/2013 R3 as it happened in 2013 and 2014. See the amazing Hubble photos here.
- Record-Setting 33 Tiny 'Cubesats' Launched From Space Station March 7, 2014A record release of 33 CubeSats from the International Space Station ended Friday after a methodical series of deployments of miniature Earth imaging satellites for San Francisco-based Planet Labs Inc.
NASA Breaking News
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LiveScience.com – Top Stories
- 'Blackfish'-Inspired Bill Would Ban SeaWorld Orca Shows in California March 7, 2014"Blackfish" is making ripples in California. A state lawmaker has proposed a bill that would end SeaWorld's killer whale shows.
- Too Little Sleep Increases Heart Disease Risk in Obese Adolescents March 7, 2014Obese teenagers who don't get an adequate amount of sleep are more likely to develop certain diseases.
- Doing the Math on Polar Sea Ice Melt March 7, 2014Antarctica may be the last place one would expect to find a mathematician, but Ken Golden isn't your average mathematician. Golden, a mathematician at the University of Utah, is using math to model the melting of the polar ice caps.
- Gallery: A Mathematician Goes to Antarctica March 7, 2014Mathematician Ken Golden has taken multiple trips to the Antarctic and Arctic to study the math of melting sea ice.
- The Truth About '10,000 Steps' a Day March 7, 2014If you buy a smart pedometer or fitness tracker like a Fitbit, chances are it will encourage you to take 10,000 steps a day. But do you really have to walk this much to be healthy?
- How To Clean Your Fitness Tracker | Video March 7, 2014Fitness trackers can get dirty, sweaty or smelly, especially if you wear them on the wrist while exercising. Here's what you need to know to clean almost any fitness band, quickly and effectively.
- Wastewater Injection Triggered Oklahoma's Earthquake Cascade March 7, 2014A new study confirms that one of Oklahoma's biggest man-made earthquakes, caused by fracking-linked wastewater injection, triggered an earthquake cascade that led to the damaging magnitude-5.7 Prague quake on Nov. 6, 2011.
- 5 Ways to Save Money on Fresh Produce March 7, 2014Coupons for fresh produce are hard to find, but there are ways to save money when buying your fruit and vegetables.
- Fiery Finish | Space Wallpaper March 7, 2014The European Space Agency’s ATV-4 spacecraft, an unmanned supply ship, burns up over an uninhabited stretch of the Pacific Ocean on Nov. 2, 2013 in this spectacular space wallpaper captured by an astronaut on the International Space Station.
- Rare Sight: Hubble Telescope Sees Asteroid Falling Apart (Video, Photos) March 7, 2014Astronomers have seen comets break apart as they near the sun, but they'd never witnessed anything similar in an asteroid in the main belt — until now. Hubble images show that the asteroid, known as P/2013 R3, has fragmented into 10 pieces.
- Free Birth Control Has Little Effect on Women's Sexual Behavior, Study Suggests March 7, 2014Offering free contraception won't exactly lead to free love, it turns out. A study of women using free contraception shows they did not show an increase in risky sexual behavior over time.
- Daylight Saving Time: Why Do We Adjust Clocks in March? March 7, 2014On Sunday, most Americans will lose a precious hour of their weekend to daylight saving time. Except for those who live in Arizona and Hawaii, adjusting clocks twice a year is a time-honored ritual, but why do we bother to "fall back" and "spring forward?
- Which US State Has the Healthiest Habits? March 7, 2014One state ranks first in both frequent exercise and vegetable consumption, according to a new Gallup-Healthways poll.
- How Much Exercise Does Your State Get? (List) March 7, 2014A new Gallup-Healthways poll ranks states by the percentage of people who say they exercise three times a week for at least 30 minutes.
- Small Asteroid Gives Earth a Close Shave, 3rd in 2 Days March 7, 2014The 25-foot-wide (8 meters) asteroid 2014 EC came within 38,300 miles (61,600 kilometers) of our planet at 4:21 p.m. ET today, NASA officials said. For comparison, the moon orbits Earth at an average distance of 239,000 miles (385,000 km).
- NASA Spacecraft Buzzes Saturn's Largest Moon Titan for 100th Time March 7, 2014A far-flung NASA space probe flying around Saturn zipped past the ringed planet's biggest moon for the 100th time. The Cassini spacecraft made its closest approach to the hazy moon Titan on Thursday.
- 6 Cool Apps to Cure the Winter Blues March 7, 2014It doesn’t take a tropical vacation to give you a little boost.
- Great White Shark On Historic Marathon Migration March 7, 2014Lydia the great white shark has migrated more than 19,000 miles since being tagged.
- Image of the Day January 27, 2010Amazing images every day!
- Oh Baby: Giving Birth 10 Times May Reduce Mom's Cancer Risk March 7, 2014Women who give birth to 10 or more children may have a reduced risk of cancer, a new study from Finland suggests.
Discover Magazine — Space
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NASA Blog Updates
- NASA Deputy Administrator's Blog June 26, 2013A Great Day for Equality
- NASA Administrator June 26, 2013Protecting Planet Earth
- NASA IV&V Matters June 24, 2013Summer Interns Return to IV&V
NASA Image of the Day
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Masten-space.com Blog updates–X-Prize winner!
- Fall 2014 Internships January 20, 2014Masten is now accepting applications for internships for the Fall of 2014. If you’ve followed us you know we’ve had a great history of outstanding interns working with us. There are few places like us that can deliver an internship with this level of responsibility and hands on work. We’re not looking for gophers, we’re looking
- Masten featured on PBS documentary December 2, 2013We get asked on a regular basis what life is like working at Masten. Well, the good folks at KQED (San Francisco Bay Area PBS affiliate) came out in May to capture a slice of Mojave with a healthy dose of Masten rockets. Watch for Masten to appear around time marker 13:47. We really enjoyed hosting
- Summer 2014 Internships November 11, 2013Masten is now accepting applications for internships for the Summer of 2014. If you’ve followed us you know we’ve had a great history of outstanding interns working with us. There are few places like us that can deliver an internship with this level of responsibility and hands on work. We’re not looking for gophers, we’re looking
- Joy and Sadness November 11, 2013Most of the time these blog posts update you on just a glimpse of what’s going on behind the curtain over here at Masten, and the man behind that curtain for most of those posts over the last three plus years has been Colin. Today’s post is a little different. Today, it is both with
- Xaero B Rises March 18, 2013Since last summer, even while we focused on Xombie flights for JPL and expanding Xaero’s flight envelope, we were working. Designing, tweaking, and starting to build the next iteration of Xaero that we affectionately (and creatively) call Xaero-B. We’re finally ready to pull the curtain back and share her with you! Xaero-B is intended to
- February Flight Frenzy! February 1, 2013We finished our work early and now we have extra time for you! As a result, a special one-time deal can be yours this February. Think of it as our Valentine’s Day present to the space community. For projects that can fly by the end of February, we’re offering an open loop flight on our
- Announcing Postgraduate Fellowships January 25, 2013We’re about to embark on a historic year for Masten Space Systems. Team members will be part of test flight firsts, the design and construction of some of the most advanced suborbital test vehicles ever built, and fulfillment of some unique contracts that will further establish Masten as the world leader in VTVL technology. We’re excited today
- Introducing Scimitar October 9, 2012I’m often reminded of an inspirational quote from a truly great self-made man: “I’m on to the next one On to the next one On to the next one On to the next one On to the next one On to the next one On to the next one Hold up, freeze Somebody bring me
- Next September 18, 2012Last week we encountered a sub system failure in flight that necessitated turning the rocket off while still in the air. Landing at that point winds up considerably rearranging the rocket into rocket parts. Since then we’ve heard from a lot of folks offering support, encouragement, and concern. Thank you. Please know that the team
- Xaero Test Update September 11, 2012Today, Masten Space Systems conducted a flight test of Xaero to 1 km altitude with the intention of testing flight controls at higher ascent and descent velocities. Our test objectives were met and initial results show the vehicle performed better than expected at altitude. However, the vehicle was lost during final approach to landing, and
Discovery Space News
- There's No Planet X March 7, 2014There's no evidence for the existence of Planet X, despite a NASA space telescope’s best efforts to track it down.
- Infrared Stellar Mystery Solved With Magnetic Fuzz March 7, 2014NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has helped solve an infrared mystery surrounding baby star systems that has puzzled astronomers since the 1980s. Continue reading →
- Comet Swarm Smash-Up Spied Around Nearby Star March 7, 2014A giant clump of carbon monoxide found around a nearby star hints at collisions between comets and the presence of a massive hidden planet. Continue reading →
- Martian Spring Thaws Frigid Sand Dunes: Big Pic March 7, 2014As winter descends on Mars' southern hemisphere, forming tell-tail frost in the lengthening shadows, the opposite is true in the northern hemisphere -- spring has sprung and the northernmost dunes are beginning to thaw.
- Impact Crater Origin of Mars Meteorites Discovered March 6, 2014Out of the thousands of craters scarring the face of Mars, one has emerged as the likely source of most of the Martian meteorites that have been recovered on Earth.
- Hubble Witnesses Mysterious Breakup of Asteroid March 6, 2014Hubble has observed some weird things since it was launched in 1990, but this is probably one of the strangest. Continue reading →
- Dinky Space Rock to Buzz Earth in Not-So-Scary Flyby March 5, 2014It happens 20 times a year, but the mere mention of an asteroid flying past Earth is enough to whip the tabloid press into a frenzy. Continue reading →
- Distant Black Hole Spins at Half the Speed of Light March 5, 2014Back when the universe was half its present age, supermassive black holes were feeding from a steady and plentiful diet of neighboring galaxies, the first measurement of a distant supermassive black hole’s spin shows.
- Lightning, Stars, and Aurorae Shine in Epic Time-Lapse March 5, 2014When the sun sets, the show begins: night after night of incredible weather, shimmering aurorae, and stunning starry vistas over the rugged and rural landscapes of South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming are captured in "Huelux." Continue reading →
- DNews: How We Find Water on Exoplanets March 5, 2014Astronomers confirm an additional 715 planets outside our solar system, and find water vapor in the atmosphere of a nearby planet! Join Trace as he discusses these findings, and what they mean for the future of space exploration.
New Scientist
- Most Mars meteorites may be from same giant crater March 7, 2014Fresh evidence hints that most Martian rocks found on Earth could be from the same ancient terrain, but the claim has set off a firestorm among meteorite experts
- Hubble catches first disintegrating asteroid on camera March 7, 2014The Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a space rock as it breaks apart – the first one ever caught in the act. What's to blame?
- Earth raises a plasma shield to battle solar storms March 6, 2014Defending itself like a knight in a fight, Earth can funnel material from its immediate surroundings to act as a buffer against incoming geomagnetic storms
- Did dark matter kill the dinosaurs? Maybe… March 6, 2014The link between the most mysterious stuff in the universe and fatal comet strikes on Earth is tenuous – but it would elegantly connect two open questions
- Daring Mars fly-by in limbo after US Congress hearing March 4, 2014NASA may be asked to take the helm of a 2021 human mission to Mars originally intended for private backing, but funding and feasibility remain vague
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