Happy birthday to Yuri Gagarin and happy birthday to Valentina Tereshkova, the first people in space! Yuri Gagarin was born on March 9, 1934 and was the first man in space, while Valentina Tereshkova was born on March 6, 1937 and was the first woman in space!
I know it's been a while, but I'm posting this bearing in mind that today is also Donald's birthday (in addition to June 9). I certainly love that both Donald and Della in the cartoons and comics love space travel and that they are both astronauts and I would love to see more stuff like that about the two of them as well as the Duck family going into space. Yes, Gagarin also means duck.
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Pitchfork: Fiona Apple recorded "Dull Tool" specifically for This Is 40. How did that come about?
JA: I'm a big fan of Fiona's. I asked her to do a benefit a couple of years ago for the Venice Family Clinic, and she did this amazing set, so I got to know her a little bit back then. I sent her the script to this movie, and then one day, out of the blue, Jon Brion said to me, "Fiona recorded a demo for you." I didn't know she would write anything. The song was perfect, and I knew exactly where to put it. She actually recorded a second song that we didn't have a place for in the movie, which is equally as great as "Dull Tool". It was heartbreaking not to put it in, but I'm sure it'll reach people at some point. It's a beautiful song. — Pitchfork interview Judd Apatow
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Orthodox Christian Faith among Soviet Cosmonauts
Remarkably, even though the first Russian cosmonauts were members of the Communist Party, their journeys into space were closely connected with their spiritual life. In various ways, before or after their epic space odysseys, they experienced moments of profound connection with the divine. Their experiences were punctuated by miraculous events, occurring through their faith and prayers and with the mysterious help of the many sacred relics that accompanied them. In this article, we delve into these cosmic encounters, exploring the intersection of faith, science, and the mysteries of the universe.
To continue reading
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How do astronauts determine mass in space?
Post #20 in Physics and Astronomy, 13/03/2024
It's been a while, welcome back:
Anyone with a small volume of physics knowledge will know that there’s a distinct difference between mass and weight. Mass is independent of environment, however an object’s weight will vary depending on the environment’s gravitational environment. For example, an object with a given weight on Earth will weigh less on the International Space Station.
Weighing yourself on Earth
This is a pretty simple feat. You simply stand on a scale, and the scale will record your weight. A spring obeying Hooke’s Law, with a known spring constant, is used, and the displacement of the spring when an object is placed on it is used to provide an estimate of the gravitational force applied by the object. Mechanisms within the scale will help convert the spring motion into a reading on the dial.
However, in an area of microgravity or zero gravity, this will no longer work, since objects won’t exert that same gravitational force on a scale in space.
Why astronauts need to weigh themselves
In space, astronauts lose muscle mass and bone density very rapidly. While on Earth, gravity is constantly acting on us, so even if you may not realise it, your lower body’s muscles are constantly working, one way or another.
If you’re not on Earth anymore, however, this is no longer the case. The force due to gravity no longer acts on your body; people can go by without having to stand on their legs or physically walk around. This is why you may know that astronauts have to spend a lot of time exercising while in space; it’ll help reduce the rate of muscle mass loss and weakening bone density.
How do astronauts weigh themselves?
Springs, similar to before, are the key to solving this. While they’ve been implemented in numerous ways, the main two are shown through NASA’s Space Linear Acceleration Mass Measurement Device (SLAMMD) and the Russian Body Mass Measurement Device.
According to Newton’s Second Law, force is equal to the product of mass and acceleration. If a spring can always produce the same force, a measurement of the object’s acceleration due to that spring can be taken, and this can be used to calculate mass.
SLAMMD involves an astronaut grabbing onto something while being pushed a meter. By measuring the astronaut’s acceleration during this mass, a very accurate measurement of the astronaut’s mass can be made.
On the other hand, BMMD involves measuring oscillations. This device pushes an astronaut back and forth, and measuring how long the oscillation lasts gives a pretty good estimate of the astronaut’s mass.
Why this all of a sudden?
Not long ago, I had the pleasure of taking part in a space workshop led by the National Space Centre. Myself and a number of students taking Further Maths + Physics engaged in various experiments throughout the day, however, a particular one caught my eye.
It involve shaping a little astronaut using playdough, then timing twenty oscillations of varying masses on the end of a flexible metal “rod” of sorts. This experiment was inspired by the BMMD! In doing so, we determined the mass of our little “astronaut” by timing how long twenty oscillations took, then checked it up against the graph.
I was doubtful that this experiment would work, however the calculated uncertainty in the end was a mere 2%! Our determined mass was extremely close to the true mass of the astronaut, and that was what inspired me to write this today.
The workshop was delivered by Emily Perkins, a physics teacher once mistaken for Cloud 9’s Perkz! This experiment had been on my mind ever since and I just had to write something about it.
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