SpaceShipTwo Makes Highest, Fastest Flight Yet

For the past few years, Virgin Galactic has been making slow, but steady, steps towards bring us the first commercial space flights for tourists. The program has had its challenges, and the initial passenger flights have been delayed numerous times, but last week the company took a major step towards launching the service when their specially designed, reusable aircraft, the SpaceShipTwo, made its highest and fastest flight yet.

The SpaceShipTwo is designed to carry two pilots and six passengers on a near-orbital flight that will even invoke zero gravity. It has been in testing for the past couple of years, and last Friday the rocket-plane demonstrated that it is nearly ready for prime time. The little ship is carried aloft by the WhiteKnight Two aircraft and is then dropped at an altitude of about 46,000 feet (14,000 meters). After separating from its sister-ship, the SpaceShip Two then ignites its engine and zooms up high into the atmosphere.

Last week, it soared as high as 71,000 feet (21,640 meters) and reaching speeds of Mach 1.4, or roughly 761 mph (1,224 km/h) in the process. Those are excellent marks all around and the incremental steps necessary before taking the aircraft up to the edge of space. After that happens, they'll be ready for commercial service. Right now, a ticket aboard the SpaceShipTwo runs $250,000, and reportedly 600 people have already put down a deposit to make a flight.

The video below shows us the test flight from last week, which was reportedly a resounding success in every way. Perhaps we've taken one step closer to commercial passenger spaceflights becoming a realy possibility.

Video: The Explorer by The North Face

With a motto like "Never Stop Exploring" you know that The North Face has a keen sense of adventure. That is exhibited well in the video below, which not only features some amazing imagery, but also moving narration by Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon. This is truly an inspiring clip. Tip of the hat to who ever put it together.

Video: The World Outside My Window - Timelapse From The International Space Station

We've seen some amazing timelapse videos over the past few years, each one more beautiful than the last. But it'll be tough to top this one, which was shot aboard the International Space Station. As you can imagine, that means some amazing images of our world as seen from orbit. It is as spectacular as it sounds.

The World Outside My Window - Time-Lapses of Earth from the ISS from David Peterson on Vimeo.

Video: NASA Salutes The International Space Station On Its 15th Anniversary

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the International Space Station, a program that has successfully proven that countries can work together to achieve things in space. In the case of the ISS, more than 15 countries have contributed to the project and over the past decade and a half, a lot research has been conducted in orbit above our planet. To celebrate this special occasion NASA has released the video below which is a celebration of one of our greatest achievements in space exploration to date.

Video: Space Shuttle Endeavor's Final Flight

We get a lot of cool timelapse videos here on the Adventure Blog, but this one just might be my favorite. It features the Space Shuttle Endeavor as it is assembled on the back of a 747 and flown to its final resting place, in this case the California Science Center in Los Angeles. 12 cameras were used to create this video, capturing more than 500 hours of footage that was then painstakingly pieced together to achieve the final product. An amazing tribute to an amazing machine. For me, space exploration is still the ultimate adventure and I'm still a bit sad to see the shuttle era come to an end.

Video: Everyday Adventure With The Perseid Meteor Shower In Joshua Tree National Park

I shared a great video a few weeks back that was shot in Joshua Tree National Park and featured timelapse images of the Perseid Meteor Shower. Today we have another video shot in the same place at the same time. This one actually shows off more of the stark beauty of Joshua Tree and intermixes some stunning shots of the night sky during the meteor shower as well. There is definitely plenty of eye candy to go around here.

Everyday Adventure Series : Episode 001 from Charles Bergquist on Vimeo.

Video: NASA Remembers Neil Armstrong

Yesterday marked one year since the death of Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the moon. In tribute to the quiet astronaut who stayed mostly out of the limelight in his later years, NASA released this touching tribute video. The song is aptly entitled Tranquility Base by Eric Brace and it is the perfect background music for some amazing photos from the moon.

Video: The Perseid Meteor Shower Captured In Timelapse In Joshua Tree

This video is brief, to the point and utterly beautiful. It features timelapse images captured in Joshua Tree National Park during the Perseid Meteor Shower which took place this past weekend. The shower is an annual event that always comes around in early-August and at it's peak, as many as 50-60 shooting stars can be seen in a single hour. It is, quite simply, one of the best celestial shows that you'll ever see, but just in case you managed to miss it, the video below will give you a glimpse of what you can expect next year.

60 Seconds Timelapse of the Perseid Meteor Shower in Joshua Tree Park from Kai Gradert on Vimeo.

So, About That "Everest From Orbit" Image ...

A few days back I posted an image that was purportedly a picture of Mt. Everest as seen from the International Space Station, citing The Atlantic as the source. Turns out, it wasn't a photo of Everest at all and NASA is now admitted they made a mistake in identifying the world's tallest mountain.

According to this story from the BBC,  the mountain is actually Saser Muztagh, a collection of peaks located in the Karakoram Range in India. The tallest of those peaks is Saser Kangri I, which reaches a mere 7672 meters (25,171 feet) in height, well below Everest's 8848 meter (29,029 ft) height.

The photo was taken by cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko while looking out one of the windows on the ISS. It isn't clear how the image got mislabeled, but NASA has confirmed their error. They haven't released any other images shot by Malenchenko, but I found the photo below on the space agency's website, which is a confirmed shot of Everest from space. That one will have to do for now.

Video: Tour The International Space Station

The International Space Station is an incredible piece of technology, serving as a laboratory, observatory and research facility. It has also served as home for countless astronauts who have stayed in orbi for an extended period of time. Most of us will never get an opportunity to ever step inside the station, but thanks to this video we can still get a good look around. It was shot recently by atstronaut Sunita Williams, who served as commander on board the station until she returned to Earth last month. Just before she departed for home, she decided to film this extensive tour of the ISS, giving us all an inside look like never before.

Photo: Everest From Orbit

Earlier today The Atlantic ran this photo which was recently shot from the International Space Station giving us all a glimpse of Everest as viewed from orbit. They also ran a story that claims that "Mount Everest Doesn't Look All That Big When You See It From Space." Looking at the photo however, I have to beg to differ. That magnificent mountain still stands out from the crowd in my eyes and its unique profile towers over everything else around it. It is a great shot of the Himalaya captured from high above, with the world's highest peak right at the center.

Video: A Message Of Peace And Cooperation From The International Space Station

Here's a lovely little video that mixes amazing footage captured from the International Space Station interspersed with audio messages from various crews that expound upon the ISS's mission of exploration through cooperation. The station was funded and built through the cooperation of numerous nations and space agencies from around the globe and its success is due in part to fact that the countries involved all found a way to work together. That message seems especially fitting for this time of year.

Further Up Yonder from Giacomo Sardelli on Vimeo.

Video: Take A Six-Minute Trip Through The Known Universe

If you're looking for something to help define your place in the universe, than look no further than the video below. Be warned though, it's likely to make you feel very, very small. The video shows a map of the known universe as we have seen it through astronomical observations, including every moon, planet and star in scale. The Hans Zimmer score only adds to the epic nature of short film. It'll definitely make you feel very humble.

Sporadic Updates The Rest Of This Week

For the rest of the week there will be sporadic or no updates to the Adventure Blog. I have other commitments that will afford me very little time to post over the next few days, but I should be back to a normal schedule next week. In the meantime, enjoy these awesome little video that features some amazing imagery captured from the International Space Station.


The ISS "Stacks" from Christoph Malin on Vimeo.

Video: NASA Remembers Neil Armstrong

A few weeks ago, on August 25, astronaut Neil Armstrong passed away at the age of 82. Armstrong, who mostly stayed out of the public eye, played a pivotal role in human history by becoming the first man to walk on the moon. To celebrate one of the more well known personalities in its history, NASA released the video below. It says a lot about the character of Armstrong, how chose to stay out of the public spotlight in the years that followed his historic mission. This is really great, inspiring stuff and a perfect way to launch a new week. Enjoy!

NASA Posts 360º Panoramic View Of Mars

Last week I wrote a post about NASA's successful landing of the Curiosity Rover on Mars. Following touchdown, the robotic explorer first had to undergo a series of system checks to make sure everything was fully operational. After that an updated software package was sent to Curiosity that should improve performance over the course of its two-year life mission, which is to search for signs of the building blocks of life on the red planet.

That mission really hasn't even started yet, as Curiosity is still in the final stages of it's systems check. But the rover has started to send back some high resolution images from Mars and they are spectacular. NASA has stitched a number of those images together to create a 360º panorama around Curiosity. That image has been posted online and can be viewed by clicking here.

Once the high resolution images load up you can use your mouse to rotate in all direction, giving you a fantastic view of the surface of Mars in all directions. I was surprised at how clear the photos were and impressed with what Curiosity has captured already. The landscape is eerily similar to some that we would find on our planet and the same sun, albeit a bit smaller in size, shines overhead. To truly get the full effect, I recommend putting the panorama in full screen mode.

Simply amazing.

Mars Rover Curiosity Touches Down On Red Planet

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that NASA's Mars rover Curiosity had successfully touched down on the surface of the red planet yesterday. The robotic vehicle, roughly the size of a small car, descended through the Martian atmosphere, going from 13,000 mph (20,291 kph) to zero in just seven minutes thanks to a powerful rocket and deployed parachute. It will now begin its mission to search for elements that could prove that Mars once supported life.

Why is this such a big deal? Well for starters many people are calling this the most challenging mission that NASA has ever undertaken and the fact that Curiosity landed safely is a huge relief for scientists back home. The rover is also one of the most sophisticated mobile labs ever built and it has far more capabilities than anything else we've ever sent to another planet. It also is an indication that we haven't given up on exploring our solar system in an era when budget cuts and economic issues are really making things difficult.

Curiosity has already begun beaming back the first high definition images from the surface of Mars but it will likely take months or years before the remote controlled robot will be able to reveal anything of significance. Still, its mission has truly begun and it will be interesting to see what it discovers.

The location of touchdown was carefully selected to give the rover an opportunity to peek back in time at Mars' ancient history. Curiosity landed inside a large crater that has exposed strata from the past. It will proceed to explore that crater and climb up a nearby mountain while making a geologic record of of events that occurred on the planet. What it reveals could have an impact on our understanding of our own planet as well.

The video below is a great animation of what the rover went through on its way to the surface of Mars yesterday. Entitled 7 Minutes of Terror, I'm sure that is exactly what NASA scientists felt while they waited for the news that the vehicle had landed safely and was fully operational.

Video: Earth From The International Space Station

The little blue marble we call home is a beautiful place. No where is that more apparent than in this amazing video which captures the Earth from board the International Space Station. Most certainly the best seat in our solar system.

Simply beautiful.


View from the ISS at Night from Knate Myers on Vimeo.

Video: Why Space Exploration Is Needed

In the video below we once again find astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson arguing the importance of exploration and space travel for the entire human race. Tyson gives us an inspiring reminder of how landing on the moon made the entire planet come together for the first time and explains why we need to continue pushing towards those destinations beyond Earth. It is an inspiring message that is being spread by Penny4NASA.org,  a group that is calling on the U.S. government to expand the budget for the space program and set new goals for NASA.

This is an inspirational way to start the day!

Video: NASA's Pursuit of Light

Looking for a little inspiration this Monday morning? Than look no further than the video below. It comes our way courtesy of NASA and is a good reminder of why we need to continue to explore, both here and out there. Beautifully done.