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Permalink NASA mulls plan to drag asteroid into moon’s orbit Who says NASA has lost interest in the moon? Along with rumours of a hovering lunar base, there are reports that the agency is considering a proposal to capture an asteroid and drag it into the moon’s orbit. Researchers with the Keck Institute for Space Studies in California have confirmed that NASA is mulling over their plan to build a robotic spacecraft to grab a small asteroid and place it in high lunar orbit. The mission would cost about $2.6 billion – slightly more than NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover – and could be completed by the 2020s. For now, NASA’s only official plans for human spaceflight involve sending a crewed capsule, called Orion, around the moon. The Obama administration has said it also wants to send astronauts to a near-Earth asteroid. One proposed target, chosen because of its scientific value and favourable launch windows for a rendezvous, is a space rock called 1999 AO10. The mission would take about half a year, exposing astronauts to long-term radiation beyond Earth’s protective magnetic field and taking them beyond the reach of any possible rescue. Robotically bringing an asteroid to the moon instead would be a more attractive first step, the Keck researchers conclude, because an object orbiting the moon would be in easier reach of robotic probes and maybe even humans. Full Article→ Credit: NewScientist
Permalink John Conway’s notably non-violent interaction between Allosaurus and Camptosaurus from All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. My opening thoughts on this essential book for lovers of paleontology and the artists who bring it to life at Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs.
Permalink rcruzniemiec: René Magritte Museum Photograph by gbastiani. 
Permalink gabcollab: Time for a fresh collaboration for the week! Download this blob here. Add your own special touch and then submit your creation. Feel free to view the archives for inspiration, too. As always, thanks for collaborating with me!
Permalink radiomaru: scott pilgrim color edition vol 2 - lucas lee (full art w/o text)
Permalink xinranliu: Study
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Permalink ohmysagan: Enceladus vents water into space from its south polar region. The moon is lit by the Sun on the left, and backlit by the vast reflecting surface of its parent planet to the right. Icy crystals from these plumes are likely the source of Saturn’s nebulous E ring, within which Enceladus orbits. Mosaic composite photograph. Taken by Cassini, December 25, 2009.
Permalink triangletriangle: Benoit Paillé
Permalink afracturedreality: The 6 phases of the cell cycle (from top left) are shown for 2 cells in the embryo of the marine worm Cerebratulus marginatus. Each image is a projection of a 40-80 0.3-μm confocal section: interphase, microtubules are long and diffuse; prophase, chromosomes condense and small asters appear; prometaphase, the nuclear envelope breaks down but the spindle is not yet built; metaphase, chromosomes aligned at the spindle equator; anaphase, sister chromatids separate along the spindle as astral microtubules grow; telophase, cleavage furrow constricts around astral microtubules and the central spindle as 2 nuclei reassemble. By George von Dassow, University of Oregon
Permalink michaelswaney: AMANDA FRIEDMAN, Eye contact 4, 2012. oil on canvas, 14 x 14 inches
Permalink flavorpill: Incredible, photorealistic drawings of owls 
Permalink supersonicelectronic: Anna Burns. Umbrella art pieces by Anna Burns.  More images and a cool video after the jump: Read More