The International Space Station is a spacecraft that orbits the Earth; it is part laboratory and part home for astronauts. And soon it will have a new resident.
Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques will make the journey to the ISS on December 3. The launch is set for 6:30 a.m. He will remain on the spacecraft for about six months.
It is his first mission as an astronaut. It is the 17th space flight for the Canadian Astronaut Corps, according to the Canadian Space Agency.
While he is on board the ISS, Saint-Jacques will conduct experiments and demonstrate technology.
Tag: technology
Canadian Scientist Shares Nobel Prize For Physics
The Nobel Prize is one of the biggest prizes in the world.
Dr. Strickland will share the prize with Dr. Gérard Mourou of France and Dr. Arthur Ashkin of the United States.
All three scientists won for their work creating tiny (miniature) tools using lasers.
The prize is $1.28 million. It will be divided among the three scientists. Half the money will go to Dr. Ashkin. Dr. Strickland and Dr. Mourou will share the other half.
Facebook CEO Answering Tough Questions From US Government
Mark Zuckerberg, the high-profile creator and CEO of social media website Facebook, is being asked a lot of tough questions by the US government.
US Senators were asking him how Facebook uses the personal information it collects on people who use the popular social media website.
When people join Facebook and use it, they provide lots of information on themselves. Companies pay to use that information when they post advertisements.
If they have information about a person — for instance, whether they have kids, or where they like to go on holiday — they can do a better job targetting ads at them. That makes the person more likely to buy the product that’s being advertised.
That’s only one way companies use people’s personal information. Other people, who may be less honest, can sometimes use personal information to try to take advantage of people.
The Truth About Tech
Some of the people who created many popular apps are telling kids to put their phones away–at least, a bit more often.
The Center for Humane Technology is made up of people who used to work for big tech companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter. Now they want kids to stop using those apps and websites so much.
In early February the Center, along with Common Sense Media, launched an awareness campaign called the Truth About Tech. Its goal is to teach students, parents and teachers about the dangers of spending too much time on smart phones and tablets.
Cassini: Mission Accomplished
The Cassini space probe’s 20-year mission to Saturn is over. On September 15, at 4:55 a.m. Eastern Time on Earth, the spacecraft entered the atmosphere around Saturn. Moments later, it was destroyed. Cassini was launched in 1997. It had been […]
Cassini Spacecraft Begins Last Stage Of 20-Year Mission
In October 1997, a spacecraft called the Cassini orbiter was launched on a mission to explore Saturn and its moons.
Now, after nearly 20 years in space, Cassini’s mission is coming to an end. Cassini is running out of fuel. Scientists expect it to burn up in Saturn’s atmosphere in September.
But before that happens, the spacecraft will make a series of dives between Saturn and its rings, sending photographs and other information back to Earth.
NASA Discovery: 7 Earth-Sized Planets
Scientists from NASA announced on February 22 that they have discovered seven planets orbiting a nearby star. The planets are all about the same size as Earth, and three of them are in what scientists call the “habitable zone.”
(The habitable zone is the area of space around a star where a planet is most likely to have liquid water on its surface. Scientists believe water is necessary for anything to live on a planet.)
Composer “Adds The Emotion” To Canadian TV Dramas
Rob Carli adds the music, and with it the emotion, to many TV shows, including Murdoch Mysteries. Read more about how he does it.>>
Astronauts Will Turn Trash Into Tools
Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) may soon be able to turn their used forks and knives into tools and satellite parts.
Tethers Unlimited Inc., an aerospace technology company, has developed a system that combines a waste recycling machine with a 3D printer.
Astronauts will put waste items made of plastic into the recycling machine, called the Positrusion Recycler. When they press a button, the Recycler will sterilize and melt down the plastic and turn it into 3D filament.
Astronauts Return From Year In Space
NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko returned to Earth on March 2 after a 340-day mission aboard the International Space Station. The nearly one-year mission is the longest amount of time an American astronaut has ever spent in space.
