If you're feeling like life is a little dull and it needs some spicing up, there are a number of ways of doing that. Get a crazy new haircut, dedicate yourself to only wearing one color for the rest of your life, try talking without using any vowels. Or, the easiest thing would be to check out our latest collection of memes from r/InterestingAsFuck. They're bound to pique your interest. Don't forget to check out the fascinating content from last week's post.
space
A few days, NASA's Mars rover Perseverance touched down on Mars after a six month journey to get there. Perseverance has a busy schedule on Mars with a number of firsts planned. And one of those firsts just happened: Perseverance recorded an audio clip of Mars. This is the first time ever that humans have heard the sound of another planet. Just take a second to let that sink in. Then listen to the sound of Mars in the video below (underneath the first full color photo Perseverance took). Enjoy, Earthlings.
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NASA's latest Mars rover, called Perseverance, had a successful ending to its 292.5 million-mile journey, spanning over six months, from Earth. NASA released footage of Perseverance, or Percy, hurtling towards the surface of Mars with a flimsy looking parachute. However, it landed in Jezero Crater unharmed.
The rover has a busy schedule on Mars, with plans to execute many firsts: the first attempt to fly a helicopter on Mars, the first recordings of sound on Mars, and of course, a search for ancient life. Samples of Mars (and hopefully fossils) will be sent back to Earth in the 2030s. For now, NASA's scientists are busy celebrating Percy's triumphant landing on Mars.
On February 18, 2021, NASA's specially built helicopter Ingenuity will land on Mars and attempt to fly. This will be the first time humans have tested flight on another planet. If you're after more science stories, check out the world's smallest chameleon.
We all think of rockets as powerful, phallic machines that blast into space and achieve the impossible. But have you ever seen a rocket being transported on land? It's surprisingly adorable. Here is the story of friendship between SpaceX Starship rocket prototypes SN10 and SN9. SN9 was meant to have a little trip to the outer atmosphere, but the FAA didn't let him go. So his friend SN10 was rolled out and (after a long time) eventually reached his bestie SN9. Continue reading below for the heartwarming story of SN10's journey. If you're after more space-related GIFs, here's a Starship doing a flip.
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Elon Musk's Starships have come a long way in the past few years. And the latest trick these rockets can do is pretty darn cool. When the Starships eventually start reaching other planets like Mars or our Moon, there isn't a nice flat landing strip to land on. The solution is that the Starships are now able to do a "controlled aerodynamic descent and landing flip maneuver" - or a fun flippy flip as we like to call it. We're all for spaceships doing flips. View the whole video on YouTube.
The world's largest solar observatory just released the sharpest ever image of a sunspot, and it's confirmed that we definitely don't want to travel to the Sun anytime soon. Let's head to the Moon instead.
A surprising number of astronauts smuggle booze into space.
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When you think of dogs, it's normal to think of them as loveable and goofy pets, not as scientists. But many dogs have made priceless contributions to science. Without these good boys and girls, we may not have many of the things today we take for granted. Keep on reading to learn about the dogs that have saved lives, gone to space and more!
If you're stuck in the same routine day after day, it's no surprise when life starts to seem boring. But let me remind you that this is not the case. The world is full of natural and man-made wonders that will blow your mind. Have a look at the latest photos and videos from r/InterestingAsFuck and prepare to have a renewed interest in life, because there are some insanely interesting things in the world. And here's last week's collection for even more interesting content.
SpaceX's Starship is the rocket that will change everything. Eco-friendly, able to carry cargo and eventually passengers, and most importantly, reusable, this rocket is promising to change space travel forever. Sadly, booking a ticket to space is still a long way away. But we are able to watch the test flights of the Starship rocket, which are admittedly pretty cool. It's not every day you get to watch the baby steps of rocket science.
If you want to launch your own rocket (or watch one being launched), check out these GIFs of Estes model rockets being launched. Or if you feel like making your own (kind of) rockets, check out this comprehensive guide for making some awesome paper airplanes.
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This quick Tumblr post shows just how quickly those dumb questions we type into Google can quickly spiral out of control. At least we don't actually have tons of moths trying to fly into the sun everyday. That'd be sad. Very sad. Check out some more gold from Tumblr with this Tumblr thread that provides an extreme analysis of the Ratatouille timeline.
Space is a frontier that is constantly providing awe-inspiring discoveries and wonders. From beautiful galaxies and star clusters, to alien-looking gas clouds that simply look too artificial to be natural. The Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of Year Awards recognize the best photos of our "extra-terrestrial" domain and phenomena surrounding it. These photos are on the shortlist for the award this year which includes the following awards:
- Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year
- Stars and Nebulae
- Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year
- Our Sun
- People and Space
- Aurorae (Northern Lights photos)
- Our Moon
- Planets, Comets, and Asteroids
- Skyscapes
- Galaxies
There are also two special prizes being awarded - The Annie Mulder Prize for Image Innovation, which recognizes the best usage of telescope image data to develop a rendering. And the Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer, which is for exactly what it sounds like. So be dazzled and amazed with some of the most incredible interstellar and otherworldly pictures from around the world.
Don't have time to watch or fast-forward through 6 hours of filler coverage? We've grabbed the perfect shots from SpaceX and NASA's joint spacecraft launch of the Crew Dragon. This is the first commercial spacecraft in history to bring astronauts into space, and was designed by the tech giant Elon Musk with his SpaceX commercial space program. With the launch a complete success, and the window narrowing after inclement weather, the successful launch was a massive achievement for commercial space travel, and the potential is massive for scaling this to even greater heights. Next stop, Mars.
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As Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley hurtle into space on the first commercial aircraft designed and now used for spaceflight to transport astronauts, you have to wonder what it looks like. Not just space, that is incredible enough. But the SpaceX Crew Dragon is truly an amazing spectacle. From the mind of Elon Musk, this spacecraft is unlike anything we've ever seen. So take a look around at the inner workings of this incredible space craft. Maybe you'll be on board one day.
If you're looking for even more satisfying science gifs, check out these amazing hydraulic press gifs that will have you in your happy place in no time.
The Supermoon is an event that usually occurs at most 3 or 4 times in a year. Due to the Moon being at it's closet proximity to the Earth over the course of it's orbit, the Moon appears much larger and brighter than usual, often taking on a reddish hue. Take a look at some incredible pictures of the last Supermoon we will see in 2020.
