Philae lander will make history in a few hours!

November 11, 2014 / tellmemoreblogger / 1 Comment

Philae Lander

The time has finally come for the Rosetta spacecraft’s “Philae” lander to land on Comet 67P. Rosetta’s journey began 10 years ago when the European Space Agency launched this mission. Tomorrow, November 12, 2014 will mark the day that Rosetta’s Philae lander will make history. Never has a spacecraft landed on a Comet before mostly because of the incredible difficulty of such a task. Not only does the spacecraft have to match the orbit and spin of the Comet, but scientists had to devise a way to land a spacecraft on an object with hardly any gravity.

Scientists and engineers developed a plan to shoot a harpoon into the icy Comet surface in order to keep the lander attached to it. From that point forward scientists will be racing to use Philae’s instruments and take as many samples as possible. After the initial power runs out, which lasts about 65 hours, the lander will have to use its solar panels to recharge its battery. At that point Philae will have to wait a few days in between usage to be able to operate.

Eager to begin using the instruments aboard Philae, Scientists believe that they will learn more about the origins of the Universe than ever before. Some Scientists even believe that life on Earth could have come from a comet. Needless to say, this is a moment that will likely change the way that we think of the Cosmos. The European Space Agency has allowed the public to follow the mission on its website. If you want to see the Philae lander make history just click here. Thanks for stopping by!

Rosetta Spacecraft, 6.4 Billion Kilometers Later

September 12, 2014 / tellmemoreblogger / Leave a comment

Back in 2004, the European Space Agency launched a spacecraft named Rosetta on a journey to study a distant comet. The comet referred to as “comet 67P” has an elliptical orbit around the Sun that takes 6 and half years to complete. In August of 2014, Rosetta finally reached its destination. Today the spacecraft is orbiting the comet and looking for a landing zone for its “Philae” lander which will take samples of the comet’s surface.

In recent years, Scientists have discovered the crucial role that comets play in the formation of planets and possibly even life. The arrival of Rosetta at comet 67P is a landmark accomplishment that has never before been achieved. ESA claims that it will decide on a landing spot in three days on September 15, 2014. Scientists are eager to begin exploring the surface of this comet as it may contain clues to the origin of life on Earth.

A journey that has spanned more than 6 billion kilometers since its start is now at the cusp of unveiling some of science’s most coveted secrets. I will be following the news on this expedition and updating you on any new discoveries that are made in the near future. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Sources
http://www.esa.int
http://www.nasa.gov

Smell Text Messages with the oPhone

July 2, 2014 / tellmemoreblogger / Leave a comment

The oPhone Duo

oSnap app screen shot

Have you ever had the desire to send your friend a scent via your smartphone? No? Me either. However that’s aside from the fact that now you actually can! Sending a scent is now possible with the all new oPhone. Harvard professor David Edwards and co-inventor Rachel Field have invented the first device that is capable of sending and receiving scents via an app on your phone. oNotes would be the equivalent of say text messages. The idea is to take a picture, tag it with oNotes and send it to a friend with an oPhone who can then smell your message.

After going on their website I found that you could be the proud owner of an oPhone for just $149.00. I’m still trying to figure out if that’s a steal or a rip-off. The mobile app oSnap is already available for iPhone users to download which consists of a collection of scents and smells that users could send to one another. Apparently capturing a scent and sending it is still out of reach at the moment. For now users could use multiple oNotes to identify the smell of whatever they are tagging. Eventually oSnap wishes to boast a more comprehensive oMedia library filled with a broad range of scents.

Edwards believes that the future of mobile communication lies in attaching scents to our pictures and creating oFilms capable of capturing a range of aromas throughout a video. I’m not sure if this technology will be as revolutionary as Edwards believes it will be but at the very least, it brings a new sense to the world of mobile communication. I would love to hear from someone who owns one of these. If you own an oPhone and have used oSnap to send oNotes, please let us know what you think of the technology and if it is as innovative as its inventor’s make it seem. Thanks for stopping by!

Solar Freakin Roadways

June 25, 2014 / tellmemoreblogger / Leave a comment

Above is a video titled “Solar Freakin Roadways”, which is the campaign kick starter by Indiegogo that was intended to capture the attention of big time investors. With a goal of one million dollars to get an initial prototype project underway, the campaign was flooded with more than two million dollars and over 48,000 supporters in just a couple of months. Needless to say, these solar powered roadways, sidewalks and parking lots are pretty amazing. Aside from providing energy solutions, these roadways could open up a new market for job creation and also generate income from an unlimited supply of renewable energy.

As you watch the video, you’ll notice that the benefits of having solar powered roadways are countless. The installation of these roadways would call for an underground electrical channel which could be used in conjunction with each cities electrical infrastructure to remove the use of power lines. Heated solar roadways would also prevent the buildup of snow during the winter months which would result in less corrosive damage from salt, safer travel and savings from minimizing snow plow costs. Regular streets have to constantly be repaved and patched up wherever potholes appear, another possibly obsolete problem solved with solar roadways.

Each of the solar panels is lined with a high impact resistant material to prevent damage and also with LED lights which could be used in a number of configurations. For instance, let’s say there’s an accident up ahead, the LED lights could signal for you to slow down or merge lanes. Parking lots could be rearranged as needed in seconds because with the LED lights in place, painting the space will not be necessary. Like I said before, the benefits are seemingly endless so it’s best if you watch the whole video. I myself was a little skeptical at first, but the video convinced me otherwise. I believe this stuff could change the world one day and it could make our country an energy independent nation if taken seriously. So enjoy the clip and thanks for stopping by!

Amazon Launches 3-D Fire Phone

June 19, 2014June 19, 2014 / tellmemoreblogger / 4 Comments

Amazon’s Fire Phone

Yes, you read that title right, Amazon released a smart phone that has a 3D display! Whether you’re into technology or not you’ll likely find this smartphone to be as amazing as I did. Amazon’s smartphone called the “Fire Phone” has four front facing cameras that read facial and eye movements to give you the illusion that you are looking at an image with depth.

Fire Phone uses layers so that if an icon is blocking your view, you could simply tilt the phone and look under it. With specialized games, GPS, and other APPs the Fire Phone delivers a unique 3-D experience for its users. This phone makes my LG smartphone look like a dinosaur and it’s only two years old.

At just $199.00, this phone is likely to become a game changer. AT&T is the sole provider for the Fire Phone which is probably the only negative thing about it. But with surround sound speakers, a dynamic perspective display and a 13 megapixel camera this smartphone is an all-around winner in my book!

NASA’s IRIS Captures Solar Eruption!

June 4, 2014June 17, 2014 / tellmemoreblogger / 10 Comments

Check out this really interesting video. NASA’s Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) was able to capture video footage of a solar eruption from our sun. According to the data that was received by IRIS, the eruption was about eight times taller and five times wider than the Earth while traveling at about one and a half million miles per hour! What’s more amazing is how the footage was captured. According to NASA, IRIS must focus on different areas of activity on the sun an entire day in advance in order to capture an event like this one. Needless to say this was not a simple task. The official term for the eruption is a coronal mass ejection (CME). Thanks to some sound scientific predictions, IRIS was able to capture its first ever footage of a CME in action. Enjoy the clip!

Welcome to the Age of Virtual Reality

June 2, 2014June 2, 2014 / tellmemoreblogger / Leave a comment

Palmer Luckey, 21 year old Founder of Oculus and creator of the Rift

Oculus Rift Eye Port

Welcome to the age of virtual reality. Unlike the majority of gaming inventions being released by tech-giants, this innovation came from a garage. At the young age of just 21 years old, it is likely that if you haven’t heard of Palmer Luckey, then you will hear about him in the very near future. The much anticipated technology of virtual reality might even be available later this year. Palmer Luckey’s “Oculus Rift” will be the first mass produced virtual reality gaming device to ever be released to the public. With a prototype built while still in High school, the young entrepreneur perfected his VR headset in College.

One of the problems that most companies were having with the development of virtual reality was the delay between the movement of the user and the imagery being displayed after the movement. Most people who tried to use virtual reality headsets became nauseous after just a little while of game play. When looking from left to right, users would often see a delay in their screen which resulted in a trail effect rendering the device useless. However Palmer Luckey was able to identify this issue and improve upon it to the point of near perfection. His Oculus Rift is the first device free of a delay that users can immerse themselves in virtual reality with.

Oculus, the company featuring the Rift, was recently purchased by tech giant Facebook for a whopping 2 billion dollars. It’s clear that the implications for this device are far more than just gaming. With such evolutionary graphics and image speed, people are saying the device could revolutionize everything from video games to sex. While a kickstart model is already available for purchase, Palmer Luckey urges people not to do so just yet. He wants to perfect the Oculus Rift before releasing it to the public. Oculus CEO Brenden Iribe said that he knew this would be huge after wearing the device for the first time.

Iribe explained his experience with the Oculus Rift as revolutionary. He walked around the room, turned his head and looked up and down in disbelief. Several simulation programs later, Iribe wanted to run through the simulation again and again. As for consumers who have been waiting for virtual reality, this is the Holy Grail. So get ready to have your mind blown by the Oculus Rift, and when you do, remember that it wasn’t some giant industry that spent millions in research and development who brought it to you. But rather it was Palmer Luckey, a 21 year old entrepreneur working from his garage at home.

Oculus Rift Back Panel

Oculus Rift Overhead Image

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NASA’s IRIS Captures Solar Eruption!

Welcome to the Age of Virtual Reality