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Podcast: Astrophysicist to the Stars

When I first met Dr. David Saltzberg, he was rushing by with a big box of multicolored dry-erase pens. As the science advisor for the popular sitcom The Big Bang Theory, he provides the technical content for each episode’s whiteboards as well as the scripts and other aspects of production. … Continue Reading →

Awesomeness Roundup

Awesomeness Round-Up – 5/8/2012

We posted once about NuSTAR, a new X-ray telescope. It was due to be launched in March, but that launch date is now scheduled for June. Below is a great new image of NuSTAR in the nose cone of the Pegasus rocket it will be launched on. Credit: NASA Using … Continue Reading →

The Last Flight of Discovery

The Last Flight of Discovery

Today we said a bittersweet farewell to the space shuttle orbiter Discovery, as it headed off to retirement at the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center atop a special 747. On its way to Dulles Airport (where it landed just outside DC) from Kennedy Space Center (where … Continue Reading →

James Webb Space Telescope

Gorgeous new images of James Webb Space Telescope hardware being readied for testing.

  • By Maggie Masetti
  • April 13, 2012
  • Comments Off on Gorgeous new images of James Webb Space Telescope hardware being readied for testing.

These brand-new photos show a critical piece of James Webb Space Telescope hardware being hoisted with a crane into NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s giant thermal vacuum chamber (called the Space Environment Simulator, or SES) to be tested to withstand the cold temperatures of space. The hardware in question is … Continue Reading →

Big Bang Theory Prop Master

A talk with Scott London, property master for The Big Bang Theory

  • By Maggie Masetti
  • April 10, 2012
  • Comments Off on A talk with Scott London, property master for The Big Bang Theory

You might have read my recent blog post about our visit to a taping of The Big Bang Theory and our chat with Ann Shea, the set decorator. We also snagged a few minutes with Scott London, the show’s property master. Since we’re not Hollywood insiders, we had a lot … Continue Reading →

The Big Bang Theory Set

A chat with Ann Shea, Set Decorator for The Big Bang Theory

Sara and I were fortunate enough to be guests at a recent taping of The Big Bang Theory. Before the show, we had the chance to chat with Ann Shea, the set decorator, and Scott London, the property master. They were both very nice and very generous with their time, … Continue Reading →

Build It Yourself: Satellite

Try It At Home: Build-It-Yourself: Satellite!

  • By Maggie Masetti
  • April 2, 2012
  • Comments Off on Try It At Home: Build-It-Yourself: Satellite!

We’re offering you, our Blueshift readers, the exclusive chance to try out a new game, where you get to be the scientist! The game allows you to build your own satellite. First choose what science your satellite will be used to study, and then decide what wavelengths, instruments and mirrors … Continue Reading →

Beautiful Science

[Maggie’s blog] Beautiful Science

On my recent vacation to Los Angeles, I visited Huntington Gardens. It’s a gorgeous place and in addition to gardens, it has several museums. I was very excited to see their permanent exhibit of old and rare science books. The exhibit is called “Beautiful Science: Ideas that Changed the World” … Continue Reading →

Awesomeness Roundup

Awesomeness Round-Up – 3/5/2012

Credit: NASA, ESA, CFHT, CXO, M.J. Jee (University of California, Davis), and A. Mahdavi (San Francisco State University) Astronomers have observed what appears to be a clump of dark matter left behind from a wreck between massive clusters of galaxies. The result could challenge current theories about dark matter. The … Continue Reading →

Working at a NASA Tweet-up

Working at a NASA Tweet-up

I had the fortune to be invited last minute to the Tweet-up with Astronaut Ron Garan at NASA Headquarters yesterday, in the place of a co-worker who couldn’t go. And then last minute, I got drafted to actually help out! Sara and I have been to several tweet-ups, but this … Continue Reading →

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