Winner Announced For The Golden Tinfoil Hat Award! The Votes Have Been Counted, And From The Numerous

Flat Earth ‘theory’ debunked.

NASA and Star Trek

Star Trek debuted in September 1966 and in its various incarnations, the series has been an inspiration to many, even some of us at NASA. The series allowed its fans to explore “strange new worlds” and to dream of what could be right in their living rooms. To celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary, we’ve collected some Trek-themed photos featuring Star Trek cast members and NASA astronauts. 

Serious Business

The STS-54 crew of the space shuttle Endeavour in their official “gag” photo are costumed as the bridge crew of the Enterprise as depicted in the movie “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” The photo was taken on the Star Trek Adventure set of the Universal Studios California theme park in Los Angeles, California, while the crew was on a west coast training and public relations tour during the Summer of 1992. From left to right: 

Greg Harbaugh (Mission Specialist/Engineering Officer)

Mario "Spock” Runco Jr. (Mission Specialist/1st Officer/Science Officer) 

John Casper (Commander/Captain) 

Susan Helms (Mission Specialist/Communications Officer) 

Don McMonagle (Pilot/Navigation-Helm Officer) 

“I have been, and always shall be, your friend”

Astronaut John Creighton shows the on board Graphical Retrieval Information Display (GRID) computer, which displays a likeness of Mr. Spock aboard STS-051G, June 18, 1985.

“A Keyboard… How Quaint”

Actor James Doohan (who played engineering genius Montgomery Scott in Star Trek) sits in the commanders seat of the Full Fuselage Trainer while astronaut Mario Runco explains the control panel during a tour of Johnson Space Center on Jan. 18, 1991. 

“You Wanted Excitement, How’s Your Adrenaline?”

Actress Nichelle Nichols (Uhura in Star Trek) toured Johnson Space Center in Houston on March 4, 1977, while Apollo 12 lunar module pilot and Skylab II commander Alan Bean showed her what it felt like inside the Lower Body Negative Pressure Device and showed her how the Shuttle Procedures Simulator operated. 

Nichols paid us another visit in 2012 and 2015 with the Space Traveling Museum. 

Infinite Diversity, Infinite Combinations

European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti gave the Vulcan salute aboard the International Space Station shortly after the passing of Leonard Nimoy on Feb. 28, 2015. She commented on Tweeter: “ ‘Of all the souls I have encountered.. his was the most human.’ Thx @TheRealNimoy for bringing Spock to life for us”

Live Long And Prosper

While visiting Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, George Takei (Hikaru Sulu on the original series) had the chance to exchange Vulcan salutes with Robonaut on May 29, 2012. 

“Let’s See What’s Out There”

Scott Bakula, who played Captain Jonathan Archer on Star Trek: Enterprise, stands with astronauts Terry Virts and Mike Fincke on set. The two astronauts made guest appearances on the series finale episode “These Are The Voyages …” March 2005.

Boldly Going For Real

Above is the crew of STS-134, the next to last shuttle mission, in their version of the 2009 Star Trek movie poster. 

The crew of Expedition 21 aboard the International Space Station also made a Trek-themed poster in 2009, wearing uniforms from Star Trek: The Next Generation with the Enterprise NX-01 silhouette in the background.

Learn more about Star Trek and NASA.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com 

The 363-foot-tall Apollo 12 Saturn V rocket rolls out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Cape Canaveral, September 8, 1969. (NASA)

Disproving 1 through 5 of Eric Dubay's 200 'Proofs'

1 through 5 of Eric Dubay's 200 'Proofs' Disproven

‘Proofs’ 1 through 5 In this video Buster the Pug takes a hard look at the first five of Eric Dubay’s ‘200 Proofs the Earth is Not a Spinning Ball‘ Only a Pug has that kind of patience. Return to this page Note: If you think that we misunderstood any of the ‘proofs’ we responded to, please comment below. Reviewing the ‘proofs’ can be somewhat mind-numbing, so it is a possibility.  

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Iridology: More Woo for Profit!

SDHoS would like to thank Austin James for bringing this to our attention.

Iridology (also known as iridodiagnosis or iridiagnosis) is an alternative medicine technique whose proponents claim that patterns, colors, and other characteristics of the iris can be examined to determine information about a patient’s systemic health.

Origins

Proponents of iridology attribute its development to Ignatz…

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GQQrXwQZ1Rc

Eric Hovind 5, Episode II: The Flood and Evolution In this episode, Eric hypothesizes that the Grand Canyon was a result of Noah's flood and then goes in to detail on his views on evolution.

Star Trek's Q (John de Lancie) speaks at Reason Rally

On a hot, humid Saturday in Washington DC, John de Lancie expressed his views on the negative effects of religious indoctrination on science.

His thought-provoking presentation did include some heartbreaking points, though. His story about students at a college he had visited should fill you with dread for the future of our nation.

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Juno Spacecraft Achieves Orbit of Jupiter

Juno Spacecraft Achieves Orbit of Jupiter

The Juno spacecraft, which left Earth in 2011, is now safely in orbit around Jupiter!

The orbit insertion marks the third and fourth time Juno’s on-board engine was used in space. The first two times occurred during its long flight to adjust its trajectory. This last two burns, at a little over 30 minutes each, slowed the craft just enough to be snagged by the gravity of Jupiter. (more…)

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