On earth, we have struggled for centuries to understand the dynamics of life and how everything relates with everything else. For those who have had the pleasure of going into space and experiencing life away from earth, there’s a phenomenon called The Overview Effect that has many astronauts asking the same basic questions from a different perspective. A recent short documentary by the Planetary Collective shows several astronauts discussing their experiences, telling of some of the conclusions they came to as a result, and expanding on the questions that came to mind due to the perspective-bending…

There are very specific signs used rarely. This is one of them and qualifies as geek porn for those who will miss the apex of the United States space program. Here’s the whole image via Reddit. …

It isn’t often that aircraft fly over the National Mall in Washington DC at low altitudes. Any aircraft that attempts to do so without permission would be blown out of the sky before making. NASA and the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum received fly by permission to carry some very special cargo: the Space Shuttle Discovery. The sub-1500 ft altitude pass took the iconic vehicle over crowds watching from Washington DC while mounted on top of a modified 747 as it heads towards it permanent home at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA. …

When the final space shuttle lands next week at Kennedy Space Center, it will begin a long stretch when the American space program will not be putting people in space. Between Russia, Elon Musk, and Virgin Galactic, it’s very possible that NASA will be the 4th or 5th next entity to do so. Is the US space domination officially over? Will NASA be able to make up any lost ground when funding recovers and focus is given to manned space expeditions? This video helps us to visualize what all this means and helps to put into perspective what is potentially lost. …