Jason Major

Juno where I’ll be next week?

…at the launch of NASA’s Juno spacecraft, that’s where! 🙂 NASA is holding yet another Tweetup event at Kennedy Space Center next week, focusing on the launch of the long-awaited Juno mission to Jupiter. Even before I left for the Tweetup for the Atlantis flight I had put my name in the hat for the…

Say Hello To Our Little Friend

On July 27, 2011, scientists announced the discovery of a small asteroid that shares its orbit with Earth: 2010 TK7, a 1,000-foot-wide asteroid, precedes our planet within the same path we take around the Sun. It’s currently located about 50 million miles away in a position known as a Lagrange point (L4, to be exact) where…

One Week: Remembering the Last Landing of Atlantis

At 5:57 am EDT on July 21, 2011 the orbiter Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Center, completing the STS-135 mission and bringing an end to the shuttle program. With memories of the launch still very fresh in my mind it’s hard to believe it’s already been a week since Atlantis’ final wheelstop. Very hard to…

Space Mountain

Colombia’s Pico de Cristobal Colon rises into the sky in this beautiful photo taken on July 9 by Ron Garan, a NASA astronaut and Expedition 27 flight engineer aboard the International Space Station. Pico de Cristobal Colon (Spanish for “Christopher Columbus’ Peak) is the highest mountain in Colombia and the fifth most prominent in the…

A Love Letter to the Space Shuttle

“A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.” – Robert Browning Here’s a wonderful video compilation showing highlights from all the shuttle missions, from STS-1 to STS-135, created by the folks at Nature. It’s a lot of emotions packed into eight minutes, but above all there’s a powerful feeling of awe at what was accomplished through…

Poll: What Should We Name Pluto’s New Moon?

As announced earlier this week, scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have identified a new moon orbiting Pluto. This brings the number of known moons orbiting the dwarf planet to 4. Currently designated “P4” the International Astronomical Union will likely decide on an official name soon…what do you think it should be? Here’s some of…

Now that’s some groovy rock!

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft captured this image of the asteroid Vesta while in orbit on July 18, 2011. The view looks across Vesta’s cratered and heavily-scarred south pole from a distance of about 6,500 miles. Dawn established orbit at Vesta the morning of July 17, 2011. It will spend a year studying the large protoplanet before…

The End.

The final landing of Atlantis, and the end of the space shuttle program.

Pluto’s New Moon

Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have identified a new moon in orbit around distant Pluto. Estimated to be between 8 to 21 miles (13 to 31 km) in diameter the moon has been designated P4… at least until a more fitting name can be decided upon. P4 lies between the orbits of Nix and…

Atlantis: The Last Launch

Can’t see the video below? Click here. Check out this powerful and dramatic video showcasing highlights of the STS-135 shuttle mission, up to and including launch and booster separation. If this doesn’t stir some emotions in you, you’re made of tougher stuff than me. Credit: NASA TV

Thank You, Atlantis

“Thank you for your 12 missions helping build the ISS.” – ISS Expedition 27 Engineer Ron Garan NASA astronaut and Expedition 27 Flight Engineer Ron Garan captured this amazingly beautiful image of Atlantis from the window of the Space Station after the shuttle undocked on July 17, 2011. It was the final visit of a shuttle…

Dawn: Orbit Established!

It’s confirmed: Dawn has entered orbit around the asteroid Vesta! The spacecraft, which launched in September 2007, has been steadily approaching the giant asteroid for several months. Its mission is to orbit Vesta for a year, studying its surface and composition, and then push off toward the even larger asteroid Ceres. Actually classified as a…