NASA

NASA Video Reveals Telescope Near Miss with Soviet Satellite and How Much Crap There Is In Orbit

You have to hand it to the folks at NASA. In an effort to educate -- no doubt in part to remind people that, "Hey, people who think science is the devil, it is actually really important -- they produce tons of videos, blog posts and other educational materials that are often times pretty damn fascin ... More >>

Coco Brown: Porn Star Will Blast Into Space, And We Find NASA Mission Names For The Ensuing X-Rated Film

Coco Brown, a porn actress we've heard of even though she's the star of such films as Bomb Ass Pussy 2 and Sperma Hotel, is headed for space. According to media reports which we have a hard time believing, Brown is paying $100,000 to be taken up by private Dutch company Space XC, home for all your ... More >>

Nerd Humor: NASA Gets Clever With "Why the World Didn't End" and Gangnam Style Parody Videos

Nerds have a sense of humor and when those nerds also have cool toys and a desire to get people more interested in their world, they can come up with some pretty damn clever concoctions. In this case, the nerds in question are at our own Johnson Space Center where they have created a couple of video ... More >>

"NASA" Does LMFAO: Oh, No...

It's Friday afternoon, and you could either use a good laugh or else you just don't care anymore. Either way, do we have something for you. Riding high on the wave of good PR and general swag of the unmanned spacecraft Curiosity's successful landing and ongoing exploration of Mars (yes, fucking Mar ... More >>

Two Choice Idiocies in the 2012 Texas GOP Platform

The 2012 Texas Republican Platform has been released, and reading briefly through it there is an interesting mixture of solid conservative thought, some common sense points, and at least two of what appears to be a complete and utter disconnect from even manufactured reality. As Houston Press's resi ... More >>

Amazing New Close-Up Look at Apollo 11's Lunar Landing Site

For a bigger version, click and then click again. NASA released a picture today from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera as it passed just 15 miles over the landing site of Apollo 11. The pictures clearly show the bottom part of the Lunar Module that served as the launching pad for the Eagle.

Orbit: An HD Odyssey

Annise Parker Strongly Urges (Probably in Vain) NASA to Get Going on Its Next Manned Mission

Light this candle.​Mayor Annise Parker joined today with the mayor of Huntsville, Alabama -- do we really need to tell you his name is Tommy Battle? No, really, it is -- to inform NASA and all politicians who vote on it that they better get going on NASA's new project. The two "have formally ... More >>

NASA Taking Astronaut Applications: A Job With A Bright Future

This could be you​Tired of your dead-end job? Get into a profession that's guaranteed to be well-funded for the foreseeable future and beyond: manned space travel!! NASA is once again opening up the application process for astronaut jobs, even though, you know, there are no more shuttle missi ... More >>

NASA Ringtones: "Houston, We've Had a Problem" and Others

The telephone is ringing...​NASA geeks rejoice: The agency has made some of their audio greatest hits available for use as ringtones. var so = new SWFObject("http://media.houstonpress.com/players/vvmMiniPlayer2.swf?k={rlD=Tlzq4o=&autoPlay=no","theSWF", "91", "32", "8", "#FFFFFF"); so.write ... More >>

Comment of the Day: NASA & Star Wars

​We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it's time we paid some damn attention to them. So we'll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day's work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula involv ... More >>

"Tatooine" Discovery: Five Other Times NASA Has Drafted Off Star Wars' Heat

NASA: If only there was a movie about a two-sun planet....​NASA officials hyped a press conference yesterday about a new discovery via the way they know best: Trot out the Star Wars references. People connected with the movie and SFX gurus Industrial Light & Magic were on the panel to discuss ... More >>

In Just Six Years NASA Will Fly This Manned Rocket...If You Believe Them

NASANASA's first manned rocket in a long time​Put it down in stone -- in just six years, and for just $18 billion, the rocket pictured in the artist's rendering above will be flying astronauts. NASA says so, so it must be true. The agency announced today the design for the manned rocket that ... More >>

Great New Photos of the Apollo 17 Landing Site

NASA released this morning some neat new images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter of the landing site of Apollo 17. The enhanced photos give the best look yet of the astronauts' footprint tracks through the dust and the parts of the Lunar Module that were left on the surface.

NASA's Birthday: Eight Very Odd Planes From Its Past

NASA celebrates its 53rd birthday this week, but it will be a subdued occasion as the space shuttle era ends, top talent leaves and the agency seems adrift. In its heyday the agency didn't worry about no damn budgets, and as a result it had a hand in developing some very strange planes. Among them ... More >>

An Amateur Lands The Space Shuttle

Boyd MeierKym in the sim​Be sure to check out our pics from the Atlantis astronauts' homecoming at Johnson Space Center. You often hear the expression "a once in a lifetime experience," and while this may or may not always be true, for those lucky enough to participate in a NASA Tweet-up, not ... More >>

Great Picture of Atlantis Turnin' & Burnin' for Home

NASA​NASA says this picture is "unprecedented," and who are we to doubt them? Taken from the International Space Station, the shot shows Atlantis beginning its descent through the earth's atmosphere, as things heat up and everyone says prayers to the heat-shield god.

Intergalactic: A Playlist For The Space Shuttle's Last Flight Home

NASA/Hair BallsNo more cool pictures like this for a long time :(​If you're an astronaut, you recently might have awoken you from a sound night's rest on the space shuttle to the sounds of U2, Beyonce, Electric Light Orchestra, Aaron Copeland, or even some old Coldplay. On those more unlucky d ... More >>

Atlantis Wake-Up Music So Far: Ranking The Good, The Bad & The Ugly On The Last Shuttle Trip

What's with all the damn Coldplay?​NASA, always on the lookout for good publicity, has made a cottage industry out of the wake-up music it uses to rouse crews orbiting the earth. They recruit artists to record messages that are played after the song, because the first thing you want to hear ... More >>

The Shuttle's Souvenir Load

20,000 flags and 10,000 patches aboard

Shuttle Atlantis' Souvenir Load: 22,000 Flags, 10,000 Patches, A Very Small Painting And More

Atlantis: Last chance for souvenirs​If you're making the last-ever trip on the space shuttle, you want to make it count. And if the list put together by collectSPACE.com is any indication, this last flight is taking along enough souvenirs to outfit a small army. Almost all the items are put ... More >>

Yeah, The Shuttle's Probably Not Lifting Off Tomorrow

​KTRK tweeted this picture, taken from a monitor turned to NASA TV. NASA says the lightning came within a third of a mile of the launch pad. NASspaceflight.com is keeping a running account of preparations, and it notes the lightning strike "was VERY powerful at nearly 70,000 amps (realize you ... More >>

Cover Story: Air Hockey Reigns Supreme (With Video)

As the space shuttle program winds down, people will be reflecting on all the contributions to society NASA has made. Among them: Air hockey. The game was developed by NASA contractors, and it remains huge, especially in the Houston area. Our cover story this week, "Hover Boards," examines the ph ... More >>

Okay, The Mysterious Face On the Space Station Is Freaking Us Out

NASAJust upper-right of the center? That's a MAN, baby​Yesterday we posted some great new video from NASA of the shuttle Endeavour docked to the International Space Station, seven minutes of mostly silent footage that screamed out for a soundtrack. We synched up David Bowie's "Width of a Circ ... More >>

NASA Streams ZZ Top's Brand-New "Flyin' High"

​NASA is now streaming "Flyin' High," that brand-new ZZ Top song bound for the International Space Station Rocks Off told you about yesterday, on its Web site. Now all us Earthlings can listen too.

Latest Space Station Video: Someone Provide A Soundtrack, Please

NASA released a nice photo yesterday of the shuttle Endeavour docked to the space station; today they've released the video. It's seven minutes or so of the shuttle attached to the station as they hurtle through space. It's also silent, and so it needs a soundtrack. Classical? Something by Yes or ... More >>

Comment of the Day: A New Motto For NASA

​We have some great commenters here on Hair Balls, and it's time we paid some damn attention to them. So we'll be highlighting a Comment of the Day each morning, from the previous day's work. Maybe two comments, even. This will all be determined by a highly rigorous scientific formula involv ... More >>

Today's Cool NASA Photo: Star Trek Never Looked As Good As This

NASA​Looking like something out of Hollywood, this new picture by a member of the current Endeavour mission shows the International Space Station as if it was a space sailing ship, headed for the golden glow of the horizon.

Shuttle Endeavour in Hi-Def: Its Final Liftoff

NASA has released hi-def video of the shuttle Endeavour's final liftoff, from cameras mounted at various points on the outside of the vehicle. Your tax dollars at work! Enjoy.

Space Tourists Can't Sue: And Take a Look at Their Insurance Policy

Using any of these will void the policy.​With NASA getting out of the shuttle business, the next big thing is expected to be space tourism. It can be a dangerous thing, but luckily there is the Texas Legislature to make sure, as they always do, that no one can sue a company for pretty much an ... More >>

TV Party: With The Shuttle Gone, Whither Space City?

​On the latest "Between The Lines" segment on CW 39's Newsfix, I unloaded about the horror of Houston not receiving a space shuttle, now that the NASA program is over with. Hopefully Florida, Washington, D.C., and New York will make do with these retired spacecraft. It's not like any of the ... More >>

Mercury Pictures: Doesn't Look All That Hot (Must Be the Humidity)

All images NASA​NASA has released the first images from the Messenger, which is orbiting Mercury. They hardly make the planet seem like the burning cauldron we've always expected it to be. Looks kinda cold, actually.

Discovery 's Last Take-Off: Some Wild Views

NASA has put together an impressive montage of the last take-off of the space shuttle Discovery, using a wide range of cameras on the launch pad and the vehicle. There's about five minutes or so of preflight stuff here, so fast-forward if you prefer.

NASA, Free That Robot Now!!

Discovery's been at the International Space Station for days now, and still no robot action. Even President Obama's getting antsy. He told the astronauts yesterday they should let R2 out of his packaging and allow him to "stretch his legs." (We're sure they had to bite their tongues to keep from bl ... More >>

Apollo 13: The Theater Show

This is a trailer for Apollo 13: Mission Control, posted on NASA's Buzzroom blog today. The show is not a NASA production, it's an interactive theater piece that, as far as we can tell, is done in New Zealand and Australia. The show's website says: To transport you to Houston, Texas, the theatre ... More >>

NASA's Robots: Now They're Just Trying to Freak Us Out

NASA photosThe singularity is coming, you carbon-based piece of shit​ZDnet's put out a photo gallery of the new robot, R2, who is in the shuttle headed up to the International Space Station as we speak. The pictures aren't new, but seeing them all together can give you the creeps. (You can a ... More >>

Frustrated NASA Fan Takes Job Into His Own Commercial-Making Hands

Check out the gorgeous NASA video promo above. Gives you warm, fuzzy feelings about the space program, doesn't it? The only problem? The video isn't actually from NASA. It was created by YouTube user damewse, who expressed frustration with the space exploration agency's lack of media savvy, espec ... More >>

Confused Wade Phillips Is Confused

Something occurred to me the other day as I was reading the sports ticker announcing that our own Houston Texans were hiring Wade Phillips as the new defensive coordinator and, in fact, keeping Gary Kubiak as head coach, in the face of a wave of anti-Kubiak gnashing of teeth. Have you ever had a f ... More >>

NASA's Astronomy Picture Of The Day: 2010's Ten Best

For 15 years now, NASA has been putting out an Astronomy Picture of the Day, picking whatever hits their fancy from the archives or new stuff coming in from up above. Here are ten of the best they posted this year. 10. Atlantis takes off Photos courtesy NASA​In the early morning hours of Jul ... More >>

NASA's Monkey Experiments: Looks Like They're Officially Over

NASA tells the lab to forget monkey experiments​Last week we told you of PETA's victory announcement in the battle against having NASA conduct radiation experiments on monkeys, a controversy that had been building and to which we devoted a cover story. In response to our questions, NASA point ... More >>

PETA Says NASA Ending Monkey Experiments (UPDATED with NASA response)

Photo courtesy April EvansApril Evans quit NASA over the experiments​PETA is proclaiming victory in their ongoing battle to stop radiation experiments on monkeys that had been planned by NASA. Well, folks, you did it. After scores of protests and more than 100,000 letters, phone calls, and e- ... More >>

NASA's Latest High-Resolution Photo: Has Google Maps Robbed Us Of Our Sense Of Wonder?

Photo courtesy NASA​You're looking at one of the highest-resolution photos ever taken from the International Space Station, posted this week by NASA. NASA says it has a resolution of two the three meters per pixel, due to (WARNING: geek talk incoming) "using lens "doublers" to increase the op ... More >>

Why, Lord? Now They're Foursquaring From Space

Life just got better​You, like all people, just LOVE Foursquare, the web application that lets you keep up with where people you don't care about are at any given moment.Because if you don't know that someone has earned enough points to be "Mayor of Lupe Tortilla's" or some such crap, your life wi ... More >>

Chilean Miners: NASA Touts Its Help In Getting Them Out

The world's a sucker for trapped-in-a-mine stories ("trapped in a well" works, too), so it's no surprise that a ton of people are following the rescue of those Chilean minors.NASA, which can use all the budget support it can get, wants everyone to know that they played a big role in the rescue, and ... More >>

April Evans Wanted To Talk Primate Testing Alternatives; She Had To Leave NASA To Do So

NASA and monkeys: Not a love story​Upon seeing this week's cover of the Houston Press, there aren't too many people who would take up the "fry 'em with radiation, stick 'em in a cage and study 'em" mantle. Squirrel monkeys are cute and mostly defenseless. April Evans thinks they're cute, but that ... More >>

NASA's Space Vomit Recipe: The Video

It must have a whiff of Tang, messieurs!​So apparently the space program needs some next-gen trash bags, and they need to find out if those bags can stand up to every manner of substance that they will be containing.This will include many empty cups of Tang and according to the video after the jum ... More >>

Chile Mine Disaster: NASA Helps Out

NASA goes underground​NASA may be out of the moon business and seen a lot of other space-related dreams curtailed, but now it looks like they can direct their energies underground.The government of Chile has asked for NASA's help in dealing with the 33 miners trapped in a tight space a half-mile u ... More >>

Expert Advice

Accused child-porn fan advises on outing sex offenders.

PETA Comes To Houston To Take On NASA

Time for my radiation, guys​Commuters on the Gulf Freeway will get a new billboard to ponder sometime soon: "NASA: Takea Giant Leap for Mankind. Stop Torturing Monkeys," it will say.It comes courtesy of animal-rights group PETA, who we guess should get points for avoiding the "Houston, We Have A P ... More >>

NASA's "Face In Space": Send Porn To The Space Station!!

Porn in space: America demands this​NASA announced today a "Face in Space" program, where you can upload pictures of yourself that will be transferred to the International Space Station."Launch your face into space," the agency says.Why just the face? Why not....other parts?NASA spokesman Ja ... More >>