And here is video of the moon passing in front of the Earth, an animation made from still images. They were taken from 31 million miles away. This is thanks to the EPOXI project.

Yup. There you go. The Earth, the moon, from 31 million miles away. That’s us.

Now get in the spirit of things…

HOUSTON — NASA’s deadline for accepting applications for the 2009 Astronaut Candidate Class is July 1. Those selected could fly to space for long-duration stays on the International Space Station and missions to the moon.

To be considered, a bachelor’s degree in engineering, science or math and three years of relevant professional experience are required. Typically, successful applicants have significant qualifications in engineering or science, or extensive experience flying high-performance jet aircraft.

Teaching experience, including work at the kindergarten through 12th grade level, is considered qualifying. Educators with the appropriate educational background are encouraged to apply.

After a six-month period of evaluation and interviews, NASA will announce final selections in early 2009. Astronaut candidates will report to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston during the summer of 2009 to begin the basic training program to prepare them for future spaceflight assignments.
To apply to be an astronaut, click here.

Additional information about the Astronaut Candidate Program is available by calling the Astronaut Selection Office at 281-483-5907, or by visiting: http://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/recruit.html

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Not a joke. Who wants to go to the moon? DO IT!

All right, that looks like fun…

Kinda shaming when your ball girl is better at this than most of the team, no?

Edit: The ball was already foul and staying that way so there was no problem with her going in to make the catch, for those wondering.
Edit the second: I am hearing this is a commercial, or from one at any rate. For Gatorade in fact. Still fun. Just not, you know, REAL.

I don’t know what they’re singing to. I don’t know what music was on when they did this. I don’t care. I don’t care at all. And neither will you.

Now edited to add the full video with sound and so on!

(via Phoenix Mars Mission): June 19, 2008 — Dice-size crumbs of bright material have vanished from inside a trench where they were photographed by NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander four days ago, convincing scientists that the material was frozen water that vaporized after digging exposed it.

“It must be ice,” said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson. “These little clumps completely disappearing over the course of a few days, that is perfect evidence that it’s ice. There had been some question whether the bright material was salt. Salt can’t do that.”

The chunks were left at the bottom of a trench informally called “Dodo-Goldilocks” when Phoenix’s Robotic Arm enlarged that trench on June 15, during the 20th Martian day, or sol, since landing. Several were gone when Phoenix looked at the trench early today, on Sol 24.

Also early today, digging in a different trench, the Robotic Arm connected with a hard surface that has scientists excited about the prospect of next uncovering an icy layer.

The Phoenix science team spent Thursday analyzing new images and data successfully returned from the lander earlier in the day.

Studying the initial findings from the new “Snow White 2″ trench, located to the right of “Snow White 1,” Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis, co-investigator for the robotic arm, said, “We have dug a trench and uncovered a hard layer at the same depth as the ice layer in our other trench.”

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So they found ice on Mars. But they didn’t say what kind of ice. I mean:

Could be any one of them!

Just some kid doing really nice contact juggling in a park to start off the day.

Spaced: The Complete Series is now up for pre-order at Amazon.com for 42 bucks, down from the list price of $60 which is pretty cool. It’ll be released on July 22nd. Spaced! Region 1! At last!

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I also got, from Dom, a wonderful gift recently. The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories. It’s a two volume set and the annotations are wonderful. They keep up the gentle fiction that Holmes and Watson are real and keep the tone of them light and tongue-in-cheek while still delivering good information and pointing out inconsistencies (and amusing with the reasons they suggest for them). If you like Holmes at all these are a must have (there is a third volume with the novels) and if you don’t know Holmes these are a good way to read them. I have book love.

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NASA makes video using sound waves and animation to show magnetic fields. Sound controlled CGI and 3D composing? Yeah, NASA had some fun with this.

I made this because it’s true. You want to know how to defeat God? You ask this man for help, you put him in front of some rocks and you get his shirt off. Then your puny God will know fear.