Archive for: nasa

NASA TV – A Pretty Cool View From Space

Sixty years ago a fuzzy image of two guy names Neil and Buzz crackled onto TVs around the world with the famous line “One small step for man. One giant leap for mankind”. Every  television station seems to be going berserk showing anything remotely related to the event such as nostalgic summaries, conspiracy theories, sci-fi, interviews and documentaries. Here on Crenk however, we like to give you stuff that’s worth your time. Have you ever wondered just what the Russians and the Americans and everyone else in the International Space Station gets up to? Well now you can watch it all live.

NASA TV have set up streaming cameras in the space station that run continuously, streaming it all back down to earth onto your screen. I watched it for a few moments as a NASA technician repaired the US toilet. Apparently, it stopped working and the US astronauts had to ask the Russians if they could use their toilet. Good thing they said ‘yes’ too.

The video and sound quality are superb, keeping in mind that their being streamed from space. There is also a running commentary telling you what each astronaut is up to and why he/she is doing that. They also alternate to different positions around the Space Stations. For example, I seen a Russian chowing down on some space food, an American fixing a loo and two Canadians floating around talking to someone at home about their day.

If you’re into all that space stuff then this is worth a go. You can also get an app for Windows Sidebar in Vista that streams it onto your desk top. NASA TV is also worth a peek if you just want to see where your tax dollars end up. To have a look, click here. 7/10

Google Boy Going Higher: Air Google 2

Last month we wrote an article about Google and how they have purchased a Boeing 767. Now reports are out that they are apparently adding another large private jet to their fleet: a Boeing 757.

Like the 767 and two other jets they are operated by a company controlled by Google’s founders and have landing rights at Moffett Field, a NASA operated airfield.

The information that a Boeing 757 owned by Google’s founders was based in a request filed by The Times under the Freedom of Information Act and on the 37th page there was four planes listed: two Gulfstream Vs, the Boeing 767 and the Boeing 757. A footnote was added to say that the 757 was not expected to start flying out of Moffett Field until November.

Google Boys on the Way Up: Air Google

I admire the boys at Google for controlling their development so well at present and this is a very nice addition to the Google Team. Up until today I was unaware that Google even had their own plane and now it turns out that they are trying to do a deal with NASA.

Air Google would like to lease hangar space at the Moffett Field near Mountain View. Valleywag first confirmed that the Boeing 767 owned by Google’s co-founders has used the NASA airport. The field is normally closed to private aircraft, but this suggests that NASA has awarded Larry Page and Sergey Brin partial landing rights. I just have to sit back and wonder what is next for the jug-o-naught. Will they buy their own Space Shuttle?