Falcon Heavy: Why We Launch
The Falcon Heavy launch scheduled for this afternoon has me nostalgic for the days of the space shuttle launches. As a photographer and digital media producer, I covered over 50 space shuttle launch attempts for National Geographic and AOL from 2005 to 2011.
People would always ask me, “Why do you keep going back?” It was expensive (it was a self-funded project and I don’t live in Florida), time consuming, heart breaking, and exhausting. And honestly, every time I would go, I would make the decision that it was my last launch: I’d seen enough, and I didn’t need to come back.
Groundhog Day Science
As Environmental Scientist at The Franklin Institute, part of my job is to find ways to help the public separate fact from fiction when it comes to climate science. The task is not always easy: the study of our changing climate is complicated, and is constantly evolving as we learn more and more about our remarkable planet.
Make Your Own "Pinhole Camera" Solar Viewing Device
Whether you are hoping to view a Solar Eclipse or just generally want to observe the Sun, you don't necessarily need specialized equipment to do so. These instructions will help you, using materials found in a typical home, to make a "Pinhole Camera" viewing device that will allow for easy, inexpensive, and safe solar observing.
All About Solar Eclipses
A five-part series from The Franklin Institute Chief Astronomer Derrick Pitts
It’s coming: August 21st, 1:04 pm. The slowly progressing cycles of Earth and Moon orbits around the sun bring us closer to a special triple alignment every minute. This special alignment, called a solar eclipse, is visible from someplace on Earth about every 18 months -- that’s two total eclipses every three years.
5 Foods Astronauts Cannot Eat in Space
Manned spaceflight began in 1961 when the Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin took man’s first flight beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Humans have, ever since, been exploring space through a variety of missions including the International Space Station, which has housed individual Astronauts and Cosmonauts for periods of up to a year. Nevertheless, life in space would not be possible with the often specialized foods that consumed in orbit and beyond. In a microgravity environment, however, certain foods are impractical.
Cassini Deep Dives Through Saturn’s Icy Rings
Update: April 27, 2017
The Cassini spacecraft is back in touch with Earth after its first-ever successful dive through the gap between Saturn and its rings. Raw images and data have begun to be received at NASA's Deep Space Network Goldstone Complex in the Mojave Desert of California.
Gravitational Waves
Scientists have detected Gravitational Waves. The Franklin Institute’s Chief Astronomer, Derrick Pitts, explains why this discovery matters to you.