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National Geographic has a gallery of really neat rare photos from the Project Gemini Online Digital Archive. This one above is of astronaut Buzz Aldrin (the first man who peed on the moon, btw), who took this self-portrait while spacewalking during NASA's Gemini XII mission in 1966.
Can't beat that background: Link
The job pays well, but the minimum education and work experience requirements are pretty stiff and you’ll have to relocate to Houston. Also, you must be small enough to fit into a Soyuz spacecraft.
NASA, the world’s leader in space and aeronautics is always seeking outstanding scientists, engineers, and other talented professionals to carry forward the great discovery process that its mission demands. Creativity. Ambition. Teamwork. A sense of daring. And a probing mind. That’s what it takes to join NASA, one of the best places to work in the Federal Government.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has a need for Astronaut Candidates to support the International Space Station (ISS) Program and future deep space exploration activities.
Applications will be taken until January 27th. Link -via Metafilter
Jr. Astronaut – $24.95
Halloween is right around the corner. Are you looking for an out of this world costume for your bundle of joy? You need the Jr. Astronaut one-piece footed romper from the NeatoShop. This fantastic baby costume is designed to look like a real astronaut flight suit.
Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fantastic Baby Costumes!
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Have you ever wanted to see the inside of the Space Shuttle Discovery’s flight deck as the astronauts see it during a mission? If you answered yes then check out this 360 virtual viewer of the inside, complete with lots of shiny panels full of buttons and switches! Head on over to BoingBoing and see it before it ends up at the Smithsonian.
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Did you file your taxes yet? No? Got a good excuse – like being in space? Not good enough for the IRS: astronauts orbiting Earth in the International Space Station have to file taxes just like everybody else!
As it turns out, being 220 miles (354 kilometers) above the planet is no excuse to file late. Thankfully, Cady Coleman and Ron Garan, who are currently living and working aboard the orbiting outpost, most likely took care of that already.
"I’m not sure of their exact situations, but they could either file early, or if they have spouses, their spouses could file for them," NASA spokesperson Kylie Clem told SPACE.com.
Last week we met Cady Coleman, who is both a musician and an astronaut. Here she is performing the first ever space-earth musical duet with Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull. Coleman is aboard the International Space Station, while Anderson is somewhere on earth. -Thanks, özi!
Have you ever wondered what astronauts do in their free time? Cady Coleman {wiki} is a scientist, flautist, and an astronaut, currently aboard the International Space Station. In this video, she gives us the short version of what it’s like to play music in space. -via Geeks Are Sexy
How much would you pay for a dinner date with Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell? Or lunch with original Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter? How about skydiving with a shuttle astronaut? Or maybe you’d be more inclined to purchase some astronaut autographs, or objects that have been in space. These are all up for bid now at the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation during their spring auction. The ASF was founded by Mercury astronauts, and proceeds go to fund science and technology scholarships for deserving students. Bidding will close on March 26. Link
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Catedral Nueva in Salamanca, Spain, was constructed between the 16th and 18th century – so how did an unmistakable carving of an astronaut end up amongst the baroque curlicue carvings and gothic monsters on the cathedral wall?
Find out here: Link
During the Apollo space program, astronauts were apparently ineligible for traditional life insurance. So they and NASA came up with an innovative solution.
The answer was provided by NASA in the form of ‘Insurance Covers’, as seen here, a number of which were given to every crew member and subsequently signed by every astronaut involved, as close to launch as possible. Its value would instantly be high, but would no doubt sky-rocket (no pun intended) should the astronauts never return; the deceased’s surviving family then at least safe in the knowledge that in future they could cash-in their makeshift insurance policy if required.
Link (with photos of two additional covers). Via Reddit.
Koichi Wakata, a Japanese Astronaut who is working aboard the International Space Station was given the task to perform a few silly experiments in Zero-G requested by the Earth People of Japan. They consist of the mundane such as performing push-ups, squirting water from a tube, backflips and so forth but then some of them are bizarre like the “flying magic carpet” request! Oh, how I wish I were in space like Koichi and the other fine men and women of the ISS crew! I would see to it if I could perform the moonwalk in Zero-G!
The 16 space experiments in a nifty list – Link (also from Pink Tentacle)
Via – Pink Tentacle
