NASA’s Curiosity Rover lands on Mars Sunday night
August 2, 2012
You’d have to have been under a rock to no know that NASA’s latest and greatest Mars rover is about to land on the Red Planet. It’s been all over the news lately… but here are a few more deets that you may not know, including when and how to watch the coverage.
As usual, Universe Today is on top of the coverage, and this infographic was particularly interesting. They will also be teaming up with Google, CosmoQuest, and the SETI Institute to do a live webcast via Google+ to cover the event. Among the cast of hosts is one of my favorite fellow science enthusiasts/skeptics Dr. Phil Plait of Bad Astronomy. That begins at 10pm central time. The actual landing is scheduled for 12:31am central time. For more on the webcast check out the post on Universe Today.
Some random cool facts:
- This is the most complex landing procedure ever carried out by a NASA interplanetary mission.
- The supersonic parachute that slows the lander during the descent phase is a whopping 51 feet in diameter.
- The rover itself is about the size of a Mini Cooper.
- The rover weighs 1,982 pounds (on earth… on Mars it weighs about 747 pounds)
- The rover is powered by a small nuclear reactor.
- Curiosity will land inside Gale Crater, near the base of Mount Sharp, which has layers of exposed minerals that the rover will sample and study.
- The total cost of the mission is $2.5 billion.
Scientific eye candy
July 24, 2012
Two pieces of eye candy for your viewing pleasure today:
Over the past 40 years the US Geological Survey and NASA have teamed up on the LANDSAT mission, a series of imaging satellites that have taken some breathtaking photos of our planet. They recently posted a series of images and got the public to vote on the top 5. Those 5 can be seen in the video below, and the full gallery can be seen on the USGS website.
Secondly, I came across this set of amazing weather photos by photographer Camille Seaman last week. Feast your eyes on these simultaneously gorgeous and terrifying views of storm clouds over the great plains.
(Credit: Camille Seaman) Click through to view the full gallery.
A Few Good Shows: 7/20/12
July 20, 2012
Before we get to the show listings, I must quickly share something totally awesome- a new wing of xkcd called “what if?” On this new blog xkcd founder and physics genius Randall Munroe answers bizarre hypothetical questions that random people send to him. He presents the answers with a touch of that same humor and wit that makes the web comic so awesome. My favorite so far is Relativistic Baseball, in which he explains that a baseball thrown at nearly the speed of light would cause a nuclear explosion. This guy is my hero.
On to the show listings for this weekend. Nashville is very busy this weekend with good rock shows!
FRIDAY:
Infinity Cat 10 year anniversary ft. Skyblazer, Tristen, Deluxin’, and Psychic Hotline @ Exit/In. 9pm $10
QDP @ The 5 Spot. 10pm FREE
SATURDAY:
Chris Crofton & The Alcohol Stuntband w/ Tower Defense @ The 5 Spot. $5 10pm
SUNDAY:
Sunday School ft. Ogg, King Karl, TBA @ The End. 8pm FREE
The Goldroom, Ascent of Everest, Parlour, and Old Baby @ the High Watt. 8pm $7
Have a great weekend!
A Few Good Shows: 7/13/12
July 13, 2012
A little late to the punch on this Friday the 13th but better late than never eh? I had a great vacation in NYC/Long Island with my lady Lauren from Old Red Boots. Head over there to check out some pics from the trip, along with all the other goodness she posts.
This weekend has some good show offerings in Nashville. Here’s what looks interesting to me:
FRIDAY:
Bad Veins, Mom & Dad, The Dead Towns @ The End. 9pm $7
RR Bash ft. D. Striker, Leroy Powell, and Dirt Heavy @ the Basement. 9pm $7 21+
SATURDAY:
Neon Trees w/ Penguin Prison and JJAMZ @ Cannery Ballroom. 8pm $20 ALL AGES.
Henry Clay People w/ Evan P. Donohue @ the High Watt. 8pm $8 ADV $10 DOS.
Ranch Ghost, Majestico, Dead Mellowtron, and Promised Land @ The 5 Spot. 9pm $5 21+
SUNDAY:
Wye Oak, James Wallace & The Naked Light, By Lightning! @ The High Watt. 9pm $10
Sunday School ft. No Regrets Coyote, What Up, English?, and Orbit Funeral @ Exit/In. FREE 6pm. (Sunday School is a new FREE weekly series at Exit/In and The End with all local bands and awesome drink specials. They’re all early shows- 6pm- so come early!)
That does it for this week. Have a great weekend!
It’s a busy summer. Tomorrow is the 4th of July, then I’m heading out of town for a few days for some desperately needed time off. So, this will be the last blog post for about a week and a half. But before that, here are some musical goodies/tidbits:
- California steeldrumwave artist Viceroy has just released “Chase You Around,” a new single featuring vocals from Nashville’s own Madi Diaz, via Vitalic Noise. Seriously, I think there’s enough poolside-summer-vibe-fueled slow disco with steeldrums out there now that we can just call it steeldrumwave. It’s got a bit of a 90s influence, but that should come as no surprise given Viceroy’s knack for throwing his tropical twist on 90s jamz. Check it:
- JEFF the Brotherhood just released a very summery video (though NSFW) for their new single “Sixpack.” It features a lot of local pals such as members of Birdcloud, Heavy Cream, Ri¢hie, and some very brief male nudity (I think it’s Cy Barkley, but it’s hard to tell). It also features the only tasteful/non-annoying use of those laser pointer splitter effects I’ve ever seen. Gotta hand it to these guys- they’ve made some awesome music videos, and this one is no exception- it just makes you wanna jump in a canoe and go camping and get drunk. (Via Nashville Cream)
- Finally, I’ll link back to my post from last year about how to make homemade smoke bomb from sugar and saltpeter. Reminder- please be very careful if you do this and observe all safety precautions! I am not responsible for any injuries or other harm that may come to you as result of reading this blog post and carrying out the instructions contained within. If you observe all safety precautions, however, this is a safe recipe/method for making a very impressive homemade smoke bomb. It’s done very commonly by pyrotechnics hobbyists everywhere. Be sure to check your local ordinances and laws to determine whether doing this is legal where you live!
Have a great 4th of July and I’ll be back late next week!
A Few Good Shows: 6/29/12
June 29, 2012
As a TNTRC volunteer and long-time supporter of YEAH (Youth Empowerment through Arts & Humanities) I must first plug this Saturday’s Tennessee Teens Rock & Roll Camp showcase at Marathon Music Works. Doors are at 2:30pm and show starts at 3. We have 16 bands this year, and unlike past years where campers could choose between doing a cover song or writing their own, this year all bands wrote their own songs together. It was a big step but it has paid off, and believe me when I say there are some good songs this year! There will also be a raffle with tons of goodies! Being involved with this organization is one of the best things I’ve ever done and they need your support so please come out- the door and raffle money all goes right back into supporting the mission. Now for the rest of the listings:
FRIDAY:
The Mynabirds, with Sean Bones and Matrimony @ The High Watt. $10 9pm
Bitchfest Night 1 ft. Fancytramp, Slutever, Dirty Dee & The Sweaty Meat, and How Cozy! @ The End. 9pm $5
SATURDAY:
Nikki Lane, Jasmin Kaset, and Jimmy Stewart @ The 5 Spot. 9pm $5 21+
Bitchfest Night 2 ft. Birdcloud, Thelma & the Sleaze, Hot Cha Cha, and White Mystery @ Exit/In. 9pm $7
SUNDAY:
Bitchfest Night 3 ft. Crybaby, I am Sabot, and Lurancy Vennum @ Springwater. 9pm $5 21+
The debut of Sunday School, a new free weekly series alternating between Exit/In and The End. This Sunday features The Paperhead, Denny & The Jets, and Prince Coyote & the Dogmen. $FREE and it STARTS AT 6PM. DRINK SPECIALS AND DAY DRINKIN’ Y’ALL.
Have a great weekend and stay cool!
These are both Mars-related stories that popped up across the blogosphere over the past week:
The first bit of news is that NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission is getting ever closer to its destination, and the dreaded “Seven Minutes of Terror” entry and landing sequence. They recently produced a video that does a pretty good job of conveying just how hard it is to land anything on Mars, and especially how insane this particular landing sequence is. It’s CRAZY HARD to do what they’re attempting to do. I’ve seen many other animations of this many times over, and it STILL blows my mind just how tedious and difficult this is from a scientific and engineering perspective. Seeing the video is essential, so here it is. Just watch:
The second bit of Mars-related news is a little crazier and far-fetched. A group of private investors are pooling their resources and claim that we can have humans on Mars by 2023. This project is called Mars One, and I have to be honest… the whole thing sounds utterly insane. They want to create such a huge media spectacle that the public interest and avenues for profit are such that they can raise the massive amount of cash it’ll take to make this happen. The craziest part of the whole thing is that it will be a one-way mission for the people who actually go to Mars. I think the ethics of such a thing are mostly subjective- I have no problem with a one-way mission if the people going are truly, honestly 100% dedicated to it. I think it’s honorable, and who am I to judge them for making such a profound decision. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and the rest of the Apollo astronauts all knew the extremely high risks involved with what they were doing. They accepted it and went on to accomplish arguably the greatest feat in the history of mankind thus far- walk on the moon. I hope they pull it off, I really do, and without all the oversight and red tape of a government agency like NASA, the likelihood of this happening so soon is greater. But still. 2023 is REALLY REALLY soon to put humans on Mars. Here’s their promo video:
Crazy? Or just crazy enough to make it happen?
A Few Good Shows: 6/22/12 (and some hipster astronauts)
June 22, 2012
Since everyone’s up in arms about the NY Times article using the word hipster so much to describe Nashville, I thought I’d post a photo of some hipster astronauts, eating food in space. 🙂
Whoa. This weekend is jam-packed with good shit to go see, both local and non. Get your hipster ass out and see some hipster ass music!
FRIDAY:
Yeasayer w/ Delicate Steve @ Cannery Ballroom. 8pm $20 adv/$23 DoS
Official Yeasayer afterparty ft. Brandon Jazz & His Armed Forces, Five Knives, and a DJ set from Chris Keating of Yeasayer @ the High Watt. $5 Doors 10pm.
The Protomen’s A Night of Queen album release (aka The Protomen covering Queen) w/ The Non-Commissioned Officers covering Iggy Pop’s Lust for Life and The Remones @ Exit/In. 8pm $14
SATURDAY:
Dan Sartain w/ Phil Hummer & the White Falcons @ The End. 9pm $8 adv/$10 DoS
Lost In the Trees w/ Daytona @ 12th & Porter. 830pm $10
Kidsmeal Revue Ft. Peripheral, Sam Shacklock, Gates, and Passalacqua @ Exit/In. 9pm $FREE
SUNDAY:
Weird Weeds, Cherry Blossoms, and Deluxin’ @ Brick Factory (Inside Cummins Station
Suite 126 by Elevator B (middle of building, bottom floor). 8pm $6-10 suggested donation.
Have a great weekend!
Exoplanets: xkcd scores a home run
June 21, 2012
I’ve written a lot about exoplanets, planet-hunting missions such as Kepler, and various other topics related to the search for other worlds in the universe. Never have I seen any one image that could really sum up my feelings about it. But that time has come, and the brilliant Randall Munroe who does the well-known nerdy web comic xkcd is the man who did it. I can’t really say any more- just look and read for yourself. Be sure to click through to enlarge it enough to read the small text.
steve cross loves music and science 