67 Years of Curiosity

Good morning. Today’s issue is a special issue of The Leaflet. In our latest issue, Science is Fiction, we promised a three part series covering the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The second installment is set to detail NASA’s accomplishments. We wanted to present a few of NASA’s accomplishments in a visual format through a series of images, but we didn’t want to take up a large amount of space in a main issue. That is why this post was created. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy as we take you through the deepest depths of space and time with NASA to uncover the greatest discoveries of the human race.

We hope you enjoy this issue.

Explorer 1: The first satellite launched by the United States of America.

Memory Foam: NASA invented memory foam as a way to keep test pilots safe during flights. Today it’s used in a wide range of items from pillows to shoes to football helmets (NASA).

Hubble Space Telescope: Part of an international project to explore our universe, Hubble has changed humanity’s understanding of our universe since its launch in 1990.

Enriched Baby Formula: While working on life support for Mars missions, NASA researchers found a natural source for an omega-3 fatty acid that plays a key role in infant development. It’s now used in over 90% of infant formulas.

James Webb Space Telescope: (Taken from NASA) “Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the history of our Universe, ranging from the first luminous glows after the Big Bang, to the formation of solar systems capable of supporting life on planets like Earth, to the evolution of our own Solar System.”

The First Portable (Laptop) Computer: SPOC: SPOC was a modification of a commercial computer called the GRiD Compass used in a space shuttle mission in 1983. It is regarded as the first portable computer (NASA).

The Space Shuttle Program: Although its legacy will forever be tainted by its failures, the Space Shuttle Program brought space exploration to the U.S. for over 30 years and carried 852 passengers on 135 missions to space (NASA).

Moon formation simulation: Recently, in collaboration with Ames and Durham University, NASA ran a simulation on the DiRAC supercomputer to better understand how the moon may have been formed billions of years ago (NASA). Watch the full simulation here.

Mars Exploration: If you think Creighton Prep’s Indubitables are impressive at robotics, take a moment to think about how impressive it would be if they were controlling their robot from another planet. Yet it is precisely this feat of engineering which has given us insight to the Red Planet and has opened up an entire wave of scientific inquiry as to the possibility of using Mars as a harbor for human colonization.

The Chandra X-Ray Observatory: This telescope allows scientists from around the world to peer into x-ray images of exotic elements to better understand our universe (NASA).

Freeze-Dried Food: NASA invented freeze-dried food in order for the food to be shelf-stable, small, easy to prepare, and long-lasting—four criteria critical to long space missions. Although the technology and concept had been invented before, NASA perfected the technology to ensure that astronauts had the right amount of nutrition and the food was satisfactory (NASA).

First Ever Image of a Black Hole: This image, although unimpressive to the average person, allowed us to observe a black hole’s properties directly for the first time and gave us insights to the nature of black holes and how they function (NASA).

The Blue Marble: “The only picture of the entire, round Earth taken by human hands to date” (MOS). I believe this image shows just how insignificant each of us are in the broad scheme of things.

Apollo 11: Apollo 11 marked the first time man has set his foot on the moon.

For more every-day items invented by NASA, click here. This article was guided in part by this source.

Thank you for reading this issue of The Leaflet.

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Newsletter produced primarily by Seamus Haney