Explorations this time tells the story of our place in space. At the Keck Observatory in Hawaii, scientists are engaged in one of the most important quests of modern astronomy. They're scanning the universe for new planets. Planets that might support life now or in the future. Planets that might be like earth. Our desire to reach out into space is a compulsion. The more we soar, the greater that compulsion. In the 1970s, after decades of careful planning, 4 probes, Pioneer 10, Pioneer 11, Voyager One, and Voyager 2 were sent on missions to the outer limits of our solar system. Their journeys would last almost 30 years, and cover more than 8 billion miles. These probes brought mankind astonishing images of the planets in our solar system. Mankinds first giant leap was made with hot air in balloons. Tied to balloons, man could leave the ground and travel higher than ever before. In 1960, a balloon carrying US airforce captain Joe Kittinger ascended to the edge of space, some 100000 feet off the ground. Then he jumped out. In 4 minutes, Kittinger reached the speed of sound

Whoo, finally got it to upload HQ! Please add &fmt=18 to see/hear it the way it was meant to be. Valhawk: Air Force Mode -Laser Vulcan -Beam Shot Launcher [DYNAMIC KILL] -Heat Edge Exploder [DYNAMIC KILL] Valhawk: Close Combat Mode -Laser Vulcan -Beam Shot Launcher [DYNAMIC KILL] -Ray Blade [DYNAMIC KILL] -Plasma Execution [DYNAMIC KILL] -Jet Flowsion Combination Attack -Proton Cannon Focus [DYNAMIC KILL] Valstork -Space Torpedo -Guided Micro Missile [MAP ATTACK] -All-Range Multi Beam Launcher -Dual Proton Cannon [DYNAMIC KILL] Valguard -Space Torpedo -Guided Micro Missile [MAP ATTACK] -All-Range Multi Beam Launcher -Full Accel Impact [DYNAMIC KILL] -Cross Proton Banisher [DYNAMIC KILL]

Nice HD photos...very cool music.

NASA is working on a 2009 Mars mission to set down a sophisticated, large, mobile laboratory using a precision landing that will make many of Mars' most intriguing regions viable destinations for the first time. Once on the ground, the Mars Science Laboratory would analyze dozens of samples scooped from the soil and cored from rocks as it explores with greater range than any previous Mars rover. See phoenixonmars.wordpress.com for more Mars related updates. Video courtesy of NASA

LHC Restart 2009 - Accelerating Science - CERN Control Centre - A clockwise beam has just gone half way round the LHC

Black Holes, Dark Energy, & Telescope/Time Machines--Part 6 of 6 Angels & Demons is a great thriller, but real science is even more exciting! In a multimedia event, physicist Jeffrey Borenstein explains antimatter, the Big Bang, the fascination of particle physics, the Large Hadron Collider, and much more. Jeffrey Borenstein, phd teaches a popular course on physics for laymen at Harvard University. For more, see courses.dce.harvard.edu

A clip from Dr. Tyson's November 14, 2009 appearance before a sold-out audience at The Richmond Forum in Richmond, Virginia.

A lot of the language around science seems to want to provoke a feeling in the reader/listener akin to the 'spiritual'. It is found in mild form in authors such as Dawkins and Hawking, and especially Sagan, who use poetic turns of phrase which seem crafted to infer spiritual sensations such as awe, connection with eternity or the infinite, purposiveness, mindfulness etc. This spiritualisation of science is very present in many Youtube videos, which combine aphorisms and ideas appropriated from the sciences, often accompanied by inspirational images taken by the Hubble space telescope or of the Large Hadron Collider with an appropriately 'cosmic' musical soundtrack. In general this is all well and good. Science isn't made any more or less valid by its spiritualisation so if it helps with understanding or appreciation then that's fine by me. What does concern me is the type of science that tends to feature in these epiphanies and the version of spirituality which is thereby implied. The most iconic images for spiritual science (apart from QM) tend to come from those scientific endeavours I mention above; the Hubble Space Telescope and the LHC, both examples of 'Big Science'. The LHC has cost in the region of £5.6 Billion, ($9 Billion), and the Hubble slightly more so far; money which could have been spent elsewhere, possibly to better effect. As a point of contrast, suppose that amount had been invested in human welfare, perhaps the feeding of starving children (£0.82 per ...

MP3: symphonyofscience.com "Our Place in the Cosmos", the third video from the Symphony of Science, was crafted using samples from Carl Sagan's Cosmos, Richard Dawkins' Genius of Charles Darwin series, Dawkins' TED Talk, Stephen Hawking's Universe series, Michio Kaku's interview on Physics and aliens, plus added visuals from Baraka, Koyaanisqatsi, History Channel's Universe series, and IMAX Cosmic Voyage. The themes present in this song are intended to explore our understanding of our origins within the universe, and to challenge the commonplace notion that humans have a superior or privleged position, both on our home planet and in the universe itself. RIP Dr. Sagan and Dr. Jastrow! For more science remixes, check out http As always, view in HQ mode for better sound and visuals. Enjoy! John john@symphonyofscience.com Lyrics: [Narrator] With every century Our eyes on the universe have been opened anew We are witness To the very brink of time and space [Robert Jastrow] We must ask ourselves We who are so proud of our accomplishments What is our place in the cosmic perspective of life? [Carl Sagan] The exploration of the cosmos Is a voyage of self discovery As long as there have been humans We have searched for our place in the cosmos [Richard Dawkins] Are there things about the universe That will be forever beyond our grasp? Are there things about the universe that are Ungraspable? [Sagan] One of the great revelations of space exploration Is the image of the earth, finite ...