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NASA

How Old is the International Space Station?

November 4, 2010

The International Space recently celebrated its 10th year in full operation.

The second decade of a new era in human history — when not everyone lives on our home planet — began Nov. 2, 2010, as the International Space Station crossed the 1.5 billion mile mark of its travels with six residents on board and six visitors en route.

On Oct. 25, the station also set a record for being the longest continuously inhabited spacecraft. On that day, the International Space Station eclipsed the previous record of 3,644 days set by the Russian Mir Space Station. With each new day, NASA and its partners are pushing the envelope of human achievement in space into uncharted territory.

via NASA – 10 Years and Counting.

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Apollo Astronauts Life Insurance

July 28, 2010

How did the Astronauts of the Apollo missions get life insurance?

The answer was provided by NASA in the form of ‘Insurance Covers’, as seen here, a number of which were given to every crew member and subsequently signed by every astronaut involved, as close to launch as possible. Its value would instantly be high, but would no doubt sky-rocket (no pun intended) should the astronauts never return; the deceased’s surviving family then at least safe in the knowledge that in future they could cash-in their makeshift insurance policy if required.

via Ukinsurancenet | The Apollo Astronauts’ Fascinating Insurance Covers.

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Did NASA Invent Tang?

Who invented Tang?   You’ve probably heard that NASA is responsible for the creation of the orange powdered drink mix.   But it was actually created by William A. Mitchell for General Foods in 1957. The mix was never very popular as a breakfast drink, which it was intended for, but gained massive popularity in [...]

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How Much Fuel Does the Space Shuttle Use?

Did you know if costs $450 million for a single shuttle mission?  Or that the shuttle carries 835,958 gallons of fuel at liftoff?  Thats 1,607,185 pounds of fuel! [NASA Shuttle FAQ]

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Spirit and Opportunity, The Rovers After 5 Years

The NASA Mars Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, where only designed to operate for 3 months on the Martian surface, but after a five year anniversary, they are still collecting data and exploring the planet. The rovers are now showing some serious signs of wear and tear. Spirit has to drive backwards everywhere it goes because [...]

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Is There Ice on the Moon?

Could there be ice on the moon? A team of British researchers thinks so, and theorizes that the water could be put to use by residents of a future permanent lunar base. Poring over data from NASA’s 1998 Lunar Prospector probe, the Durham University scientists found that hydrogen on the moon tends to be concentrated [...]

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Potato’s In Space

“In October 1995, the Potato became the first vegetable grown in Space. NASA and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, experimented with growing potatoes in space with the goal of feeding future astronauts on long voyages or future space colonies.” From www.myproduce.com

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International Space Station

“The space station is located in orbit around the Earth at an altitude of approximately 360 km (220 miles), a type of orbit usually termed low Earth orbit (The actual height varies over time by several kilometres due to atmospheric drag and reboosts [3]). It orbits Earth in a period of about 92 minutes; by [...]

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