December 28th, 2008 by Kevin A. Barnes
This New Year’s Eve is one of those times when a Leap Second is added to the world’s approximately 200 official clocks. So between the end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009, we all will receive one extra second to use and spend however we wish.
An extra second? What is Kevin babbling about this time? Here’s the deal. Leap Seconds operate on the same principle as adding an extra day (February 29) every Leap Year. It is done to keep human clocks and calendars aligned with Earth’s true position. If we didn’t make such corrections, we’d eventually end up celebrating July 4 in Winter and observing midnight after the sun had risen. Read the rest of this entry »
Categories: Science, The Future | Tags: leap second, leap year, time, timekeeping
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December 8th, 2008 by Kevin A. Barnes
During the last two weeks, there have been some tantalizing clues as to what the U.S. space exploration policy may look like during President Obama’s administration. First the Obama Transition Team submitted a series of questions to NASA, apparently to gauge various program options and costs for manned space exploration. And then on yesterday morning’s Meet the Press, the President-Elect made a comment that sounded almost Apollo-era in its vision of, and reverence toward, human space exploration.
First consider the questions submitted to NASA. According to Space.com, on November 24 the Obama Transition Team submitted a five-page questionnaire to NASA.
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Categories: Science, Space Exploration | Tags: Aries, human space exploration, NASA, Obama, Orion, space policy, space shuttle
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