A false-color radar image of Kraken Mare, a large methane sea on the moon Titan, thought to have tiny waves 1.5cm high. Image via NASA JPL.
Genetically Grown Antennas
Optimal antenna designs for a NASA project, algorithmically “evolved” through software; via this paper.
Mariner 2
Totally obsessed with the look of early spacecraft – here the Mariner 2, built in 1962 and the first to travel to another planet, which passed within 21,000 miles of Venus.
Crop Visualization from the 1960s
Video still of crop visualization of barley and wheat from satellite imagery – created by NASA in the 1960s!
Curiosity Rover Animation
This 11-minute animation from NASA shows the Curiosity rover landing on and traversing across Mars. It is nearly silent, save some realistic but oddly empty foley sound, making the rover seem very much alone.
Temperature Changes On The Sun
Average Color of the Universe
The average color of the universe, as discovered by Karl Glazebrook and Ivan Baldry. A contest has unfortunately named this color “Cosmic Latte”, though I prefer 255, 248, 230 in RGB or #FFF8E6 in hexadecimal.
Via: NASA
Comet Harpoon
NASA has developed a harpoon/crossbow/ballista for penetrating the surface of comets. The bow in this test version are made from truck suspension springs, the string is a 1/2″ steel cable. The test is launched into a barrel of dirt (which apparently is a good approximation of a comet’s surface), because the crossbow could launch the harpoon a mile into the air.
A close-up of the harpoon with an internal sample collection chamber.
Via (and high-res images): NASA