Awesome Space

In the first part of Smarter Every Day’s space series, Destin talks to astronauts Scott Kelly and Greg Wiseman to give us an idea of how the Soyuz spacecraft works and how it docks with the International Space Station.

In March 1969, astronaut Rusty Schweickart was being filmed spacewalking as part of NASA’s Apollo 9 mission when the camera jammed. He was told to stay put, giving him time to take in his unbelievable view of our planet.

Opaque Multimedia’s Earthlight is an upcoming virtual reality tech demo in the form of a first-person exploration game. You’ll play an astronaut roaming around (and outside) a realistic depiction of the International Space Station (ISS).

Dizzying footage from the launch of the Team GoFast’s rocket, which last year broke the world’s record for the highest and fastest launch of an amateur rocket, reaching a height of 385,800 feet (73.1 miles) at a top speed of 3,580 mph.

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) continuously takes images of the sun at various wavelengths. These beautiful time-lapse videos are made of images captured by the spacecraft over the last five years.

This incredibly detailed model of the Space Shuttle Atlantis resides at Minimundus, a theme park in Klagenfurt, Austria. The model isn’t just static – the shuttle has a full countdown sequence and actually “lifts off,” without leaving the ground.

Because it’s in synchronous rotation with our planet, the Moon always faces Earth on one side, aka the near side. But thanks to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, NASA was able to map the far side of the Moon.

Alphonse Swinehart illustrates the sheer enormity of our Solar System by showing in real time how long it takes for light to reach from the Sun to Jupiter, even though it travels at 186,287 miles per second. Aaaaand 43 minutes later…

The music video for Dawn Richard’s hypnotic electro-R&B track Tide: the Paradox Effect. Despite its simple premise – a female warrior marching through a fiery interstellar backdrop – We Were Monkeys‘ visuals are truly spectacular.

Photographer Lance Page creates a unique (and literal) spin on the astronomical time-lapse film, by synchronizing the movement of his camera with the position of the North Star, reminding us that it’s the Earth that’s turning, not the stars.

Behold our planet in its various beautiful states with astronaut Alexander Gerst’s time-lapses, which he took while he was aboard the International Space Station. Check out his tongue-in-cheek space Halloween pics here.

The hype is real. The latest trailer for Star Citizen goes for the jugular with an inspirational slant and a visual showcase that will hook even casual sci-fi fans. It’s as if it hasn’t already raised enough money.

Inspired by classic spacesuits, the Spacelife Jacket is made of water-repellent and reflective fabric. Its hood is coated with thousands of tiny glass beads that refract light, and also has a built-in Bluetooth headset.

“I am tormented by an everlasting itch for things remote.” Erik Wernquist’s short film imagines a future where mankind is able to explore the Solar System. The CGI in the film is based on photos, maps and other real life references.

As its name implies, Space Engine is not a game. It’s simulation software for Windows that lets you explore our universe. The known parts are replicated based on astronomical data; the rest are randomly generated.

JamesTyrwhitt-Drake – who made the color-enhanced time-lapse of Earth – made this 4K animation of the Sun from over 17,000 images taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The sound is based on the sun’s magnetic activity.