Blog de Puree » science

Random Friday Video: BP Spills Coffee

paul — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:43:04 +0000

When things get too awful and everything has gone to hell in a hand basket, all you can do is laugh.

When you watch this, note the reference to Kevin Costner, who will apparently test his water cleaning technology on the spill. It’s usually laughable when Hollywood gets political, but I sure do hope Kevin can pull it off.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Space Shuttle Atlantis is Ready for its Final Launch on Friday

paul — Thu, 13 May 2010 19:35:07 +0000

The space shuttle Atlantis has been cleared for its final mission and lift off is scheduled for 2:20 p.m. from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

At 25 years of age, the veteran Atlantis will blast off from Launch Pad 39A on NASA’s 132nd space shuttle mission.

Space Shuttle Atlantis lifts off from Kennedy Space Center.

Star gazers and skywatchers will also have a chance to see Atlantis as it approaches the international space station and when it undocks. Anyone interested in checking it out should read ‘How to see shuttle Atlantis from Earth‘ on Space.com. Atlantis’s crew will perform three spacewalks on the 12-day mission and deliver Rassvet (Russian for dawn), the new research module and other spare parts.

Cool Atlantis Facts

Atlantis was named after the original exploration sailing vessel of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. It has lived up to its namesake venturing out into the unknown and returning with an abundance of scientific information.
It’s the shuttle fleet’s workhorse. The unsung hero Atlantis will have flown 32 missions to orbit and space stations. No stranger to space station missions, NASA’s oldest flying shuttle flew seven times to the Mir space station and 11 times to the International Space Station.
It was the first shuttle to launch an interplanetary probe. In 1989, Atlantis launched the Magellan spacecraft, which mapped more than 98 percent of Venus’s surface.
It helped us watch a comet hit a planet. In 1989, Atlantis launched the Galileo probe, which captured close-up images of an asteroid on its way to Jupiter. Then in 1994, it made the only direct observations of a comet collision when Shoemaker-Levy 9 slammed into the solar system’s biggest planet.
Atlantis doesn’t have an extension cord. Basically, it can’t plug into solar-powered electrical systems on the space station and is limited to 14-day missions, the maximum its hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells will allow.
It has a clone. The shuttle Endeavour was built from a complete set of spare parts that were originally made in case Atlantis was damaged. After the Challenger shuttle was lost, NASA decided to build another shuttle. (Endeavour’s last mission will be in November.)
Atlantis was the last space shuttle to visit the Hubble Space Telescope. During its May 2009 mission, the crew made five space walks to repair and enhance the Hubble with the Cosmic Origins spectrograph allowing the telescope to peer deeper into the universe’s ultraviolet light spectrum, as well as add Wide Field Camera 3 allowing astronomers better quality observations of galaxy evolution, dark matter and dark energy.
Atlantis is a movie star! That’s right, the shuttle co-stars in the movie “Hubble 3D” with narrator Leonardo DiCaprio about its 2009 mission to upgrade the Hubble Space Telescope.

Looking for more cool space shuttle stuff? Check out the NASA website, of course.

Grassland Bird Study Continues to Third Year in Amesbury

paul — Wed, 05 May 2010 11:26:13 +0000

Researchers from Tufts University will be spending their third year of a study on grassland birds at Woodsom Farm in Amesbury, MA, this summer, the Newburyport Daily News reports.

The research will include casting nets to tag and draw blood from birds, as well as figure out why species such as the Bobolink and Eastern Meadowlark prefer large fields instead of small ones. The students will be looking at nest density of the different birds at the 350-acre farm, vegetation structures, physical attributes of the birds, predator avoidance, bird alertness and their overall condition, as well as insect populations within this habitat.

The Bobolink is the only American bird
that is black underneath and white on top.
(Photo by Marie Read via AllAboutBirds.com)

A press release from Mayor Kezer’s office asks visitors to Woodsom Farm “not to approach or tamper with the nets as this may endanger the birds and impact the research.” Visitors with dogs are also asked to obey Amesbury’s leash laws and keep dogs away from the nets.

The research will start in May and continue through autumn. It will be follow strict principles to keep down the disruption to the birds.

Birds of Britain: A video spoof

paul — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:50:07 +0000

Here’s an amusing spoof of a 1970s birds documentary, taken from the “Look Around You” series, a parody of the old British school science programs.

(Thanks to the Birdchick blog for pointing this one out.)

Space.com Provides List of Night Sky Highlights in 2009

paul — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:46:58 +0000

Amateur astronomy buffs will want to check out the 2009 listing of night star-gazing highlights for 2009, provided by Space.com.

From the Solar System and beyond, you definitely don’t want to miss these during the year. Mark your calendar!

The Great Backyard Bird Count, Day 4 (Feb. 16, 2009)

paul — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:57:12 +0000

It seems that the GBBC ended like it started for us, rather unexciting. Having to zip off to work in the morning also didn’t leave much time for feeder-gazing.

On Monday, the weather was the same as the weekend, sunny, slightly breezy and in the mid 30′s. Here’s the list of the morning’s meager sightings:

The Great Backyard Bird Count, Day 3 (Feb. 15, 2009)

paul — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:56:21 +0000

Another quality day of bird watching this past Sunday. It seems that the word finally got out to the neighborhood birds.

The weather was sunny and warm for the season, in the mid 30′s. Visibility was great and there was just a slight breeze.

Here’s a listing of Sunday’s sightings:

The Great Backyard Bird Count, Day 2 (Feb. 14, 2009)

paul — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 21:40:20 +0000

Today was a much better day for bird watching. Lots of flying critters in the backyard. The weather was sunny and in the mid-30s, although a bit windy.

Here’s a breakdown of what flew in:

The Great Backyard Bird Count, Day 1 (Feb. 13, 2009)

paul — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 12:46:11 +0000

A dismal first day.

Here’s the meager list of feathered visitors to our backyard feeders:

The Great Backyard Bird Count, Morning, Day 1 (Feb. 13, 2009)

paul — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:10:13 +0000

I’m having an ignominious start to 2009′s Great Backyard Bird Count! There’s not a bird to be seen. Plenty of food and three squirrels hopping around by the base of our feeders, eyeballing the piles of nuts and seed, but no birds.

Curses!