All about that Space

Hi.

So as I've mentioned I've been super busy with work. And of course a lot of that time was for taking measurements on the imaging system my company has developed. So it would only be natural that I have caught up on several episodes of Science Friday (both old and new)! And since there were just so many I wanted to share,  I've grouped them into separate batches for easy digestion ^_^.

The first category I have for you is all about space. It's one of those topics that you just can't think about without a bit of wonder - after all, most of us grew up with stories and movies of flying through the stars. So I've put together a few of the stories that caught my wonder below!

Flying Rocks

Let's go back to February 2013 when the world was tracking the asteroid passing by our planet. It was somewhere around there we also had the crash landing in Russia, and so we had a huge (not just science oriented) media rush to talk about asteroids and satellites and how it would affect us on the planet of earth.

It's interesting to find out that there are many programs out there dedicated to help avoid potential collisions of space material and our planet. So far they postulate that with enough prior notice, with minimal effort (explosion) we can easily push any asteroids away from a crash course with earth.

Of course what's really interesting is talking about asteroid materials - more specifically, platinum. Apparently all the platinum available on earth is from meteor crash sites. In fact, that is the reason why is it that much more precious than gold! So the jewelry-admirer and nerdy parts of me are like, "Awesome, not only is it shiny and pretty, it's also space matter!"

It is also quite unfortunate how no matter how much planning we do to get a chance to see these things in space, a cloudy day can totally destroy months of labor... 

Listen HERE. 

Mapping Martian

Of course we've all heard the buzz - we're heading to Mars! Ok well not just yet, but our robotic counterparts are checking out the terrain for us.

What's great is that there is more than one space program that has succeeded in getting to Mars, and all that success and inter-program cooperation could lead to some amazing things. Cuz with all the depressing news about funding for space exploration being cut, well

But I think you should hear from someone who was actually involved in the project first hand ^_^:

Listen HERE.

Planetary Rumbling

Of course this isn't actually about outer space, but since we're talking planetary dynamics, I think we can shuffle this one into this category.

Did you know that there are at least 20-25 currently erupting volcanoes recorded a week?

Despite the fact that we know our planet is cooling down and slowing down - we have new crust being created all the time - most of it below the oceans (about 75% of it actually).

Aside from the awesome nature of erupting magma, volcanoes are pretty much the only source to understand what's going on at the center of the planet, since it's the only source of inner-earth materials.

What's a little scary is that with climate change, you can see a change in the amount of volcanism: less ice > less pressure on the surface > more eruptions!

But to listen more, and maybe soothe your fears about whether Yellowstone may erupt us into another ice age, Listen HERE.


Because you know it's all about that space, 'bout that space.... Ok, so it isn't, but it's a really really catchy song ^_^.