The Legacy of Science

Since the dawn of time, man has interacted with the environment. Observation without interaction is and always was a logical impossibility. Questions ensue; answers have not always been forthcoming, although they do emerge through incremental shifts and the occasional bout of sudden inspiration. Scientists and researchers look for answers every day. It is the very pervading core and definition of our vocation; much like that of a Philosopher. We pursue an almost primal need to understand the universe and thereby make people’s lives easier.

Put away the rattle of weapons in outer space!

NASA wants to be independent from the Russian Soyuz rocket. It is to be expected, says Judith Hartl. Political conflict in Ukraine, just accelerate the adoption of such a decision.

The announcement did not come suddenly. It was clear that the American space agency NASA has to announced a new space flights. Because it is obvious that there is gap since Shuttle flights are suspended 2011. As time went on, the astronauts to get to space station ISS, there are still only a Russian Soyuz rocket.

Dependable powerful device, which almost never failed. Technical difficulties, unlike the vulnerable and changing American shuttles, almost none. While it may be narrow and uncomfortable, the Soyuz is valid for the safest taxi in space. However, for each flight, NASA astronaut on had to set aside $ 50 million.

It was therefore a matter of days will appear more modern and more spacious alternative. In the middle of 2012, the head of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Jan Verner said he could not imagine that the private rocket company SpaceX and Boeing - which until now exclusively used for the transport of food to the ISS - rearrange the spacecraft.

Strained relationship

The political relationship between the United States and Russia in 2012 was harmonious cooperation in space was narrow, collegial and friendly. If that were so, and more, Americans would no doubt give themself more time, until they start making spacecraft.

But times have changed dramatically. Because of the crisis in Ukraine, the tone between the United States and Russia became rougher. Unfortunately, in the universe. Therefore, the announcement of the American NASA, again wants to fly with their rockets, should be seen in a political context. 

Already in April, NASA was almost entirely cut off cooperation with Russia, in addition to the international space station. Now that private companies should help to get NASA out of the impasse. Technically they can do it, there is no doubt. SpaceX and Boeing have already been successfully transported to space things. In the meantime, many NASA engineers working for the two companies. But I happen to have some things that attract the attention of:

In late August, in Texas during testing exploded a rocket. After the accident, the CEO of SpaceX wrote on Twitter that the rockets are too complicated. And they are. To drive people into space, they have to be very, very safe. This takes time and NASA must provide it to companies. Testing must be continued without haste. For the life of astronauts should not be questioned because of the current political strife and vanity.

Responsible would have to ask themselves how far they want to go with the escalation of the conflict and the rattle of weapons. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, advised the United States to send astronauts to ISS with trampoline. On the other hand, the head of NASA believes that the world's leading nation in space exploration should not be dependent on any other country. But now it is. As well as Russia. One nation in the future will not be able to explore the universe itself. The best proof of this was the great work together Europeans, Russians and Americans on the international space station ISS. And to Mars can only join forces to arrive. And with all due respect: the best astronauts are also cosmonauts.  

Researcher Advances a New Model for Dark Matter

Astrophysicists believe that about 80 percent of the substance of our universe is made up of mysterious “dark matter” that can’t be perceived by human senses or scientific instruments. “Dark matter has not yet been detected in a lab. We infer about it from astronomical observations,” said Mikhail Medvedev, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Kansas, who has just published breakthrough research on dark matter that merited the cover of Physical Review Letters, the world’s most prestigious journal of physics research. Medvedev proposes a novel model of dark matter, dubbed “flavor-mixed multicomponent dark matter.” “Dark matter is some unknown matter, most likely a new elementary particle or particles beyond the Standard Model,” Medvedev said. “It has never been observed directly, but it reveals itself via gravity it produces in the universe. There are numerous experiments around the world aimed at finding it directly.”

You spend 40 minutes every day blind

It's not that your eyes aren't working. Your mind is actually blocking images all the time, and refusing to process them. Whenever your eyes move, your brain doesn't process what would normally be very dizzying blurry images coming from the retina. To fill in the gaps of time, your brain creates an illusion for a fraction of a second to keep us from noticing. This is called "Saccadic masking" and it keeps us from experiencing motion blur.

Your brain replaces the blurry images with static images of your next object of focus. Whatever you look at after moving your eyes appears to stay still for a long period of time, because it is actually the same image stretched for a longer period of time to cover up the blur. This is called the "stopped-clock illusion", when the first second on a clock after you turn to look at it appears to take longer than all the other seconds.