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NASA control center named for Apollo launch director Rocco Petrone

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The NASA control center from where engineers oversaw the launch of the first astronauts to walk on the moon now bears the name of one of its pioneering directors. Agency officials gathered at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday (Feb. 22) to honor the late Rocco Petrone, who as director of launch operations … Read more

Scientists Have Named an ‘Alien’ Predatory Flatworm After COVID

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COVID-19 has infected every part of our lives over the last two years. The ways we work, engage with our surroundings, and see family and friends have all been drastically altered during the ongoing pandemic.   By far the worst have been the deaths of all the loved ones the disease has taken from us. … Read more

Space station cargo ship named in honor of late NASA astronaut Piers Sellers

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A British-American climate scientist who launched on three missions to the International Space Station is being honored with the naming of a U.S. commercial spacecraft bound for the orbiting complex that he helped build. Northrop Grumman has named its next Cygnus capsule the “S.S. Piers Sellers.” Set to deliver science equipment and supplies for the … Read more

New tree species: Uvariopsis dicaprio named in honour of Leonardo DiCaprio

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By Chen Ly The new species – Uvariopsis dicaprio Lorna MacKinnon A tropical, evergreen tree from Cameroon, the first plant species to be named as new to science in 2022, has officially been labelled Uvariopsis dicaprio today in honour of the actor Leonardo DiCaprio. It adds to the list of the strange and spectacular plants … Read more

The Convoluted History of The Modern Western Calendar

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For something that’s meant to lend order to our lives, the modern Western calendar has a messy history. The mess, in part, comes about because of the difficulty of coordinating the orbits of celestial bodies with the cycles of day and night, and the passage of the seasons.   The year measured by the earth’s … Read more

Johnson Space Center rocket park named for former director George Abbey

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George Abbey now has more than a herd of longhorns to his name at the entrance to NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Driving by the Houston home to NASA’s human spaceflight program, past the 35-acre pasture established by Abbey for Texas Longhorn cattle to graze, visitors now come across a sign dedicating Johnson’s Rocket Park to … Read more