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Part 4 of Dr. Garvin’s talk includes a hypothetical trip to a near-Earth object, a look at NASA’s explorations of our own place in the solar system, planet Earth, and an introduction to what makes Mars such a fascinating place to study. (Show Description) Chief Scientist of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Dr. Jim Garvin, takes us on a journey to Mercury, Venus, Earth, the moon, near-Earth objects, and Mars. Why does space matter? Why is exploring the inner solar system so crucial? Where will humans and robots venture to next? In this video lecture, filmed July 14, 2010 in NASA Goddard’s HD Science Studio with an audience of summer interns and co-op students, Dr. Garvin discusses NASA’s past, present, and future of discovery on our nearest neighbors in the solar system. This video can also be downloaded in full at: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov To learn more about NASA missions and science, visit our homepage, www.nasa.gov.

The Solar Probe Plus will plunge directly into the Sun’s atmosphere to learn why it’s so much hotter than our star’s visible surface and what propels the solar wind. View full post on Astronomy.com – News

This test was made to measure your body’s ability to endure an aerobic effort for prolonged periods of time.

An aerobic effort is when your body consumes oxygen in order to create energy. After your body exhausts its maximum capacity to burn oxygen, the process becomes anaerobic: when oxygen is not used and the body creates lactic acid.

Since oxygen consumption increases proportionally to the increase of energy released, we can evaluate the maximum aerobic capacity by measuring the VO2max: your body’s max possible consumption of oxygen in order to produce energy.

A strong aerobic base is essential if you want to remain injury free or run that fast race you are aiming for. Aerobic training involves running at 60-75% of your maximum heart rate. This translates to a pace that is 1½ to 2 minutes per mile slower than 10K race pace. At that rate you can run and keep up a conversation without huffing and puffing.

This test is commonly called Cooper’s Test, from the NASA doctor who invented and utilized this method for military reasons.

Test consists in running 12 consecutive minutes on flat at a constant speed. You just have to measure the distance you run in these 12 minutes and compare your results with the tables below.

With Cooper’s Test you can also measure your VO2max by using the formula: [distance in meters - 505] / 45.

A good rule of thumb is to measure and track the variations of your endurance fitness over time in order to evaluate your progresses.

Please visit The NASA test of endurance fitness on Running Shoes Guru to find the table with the results, split by ages and genders.

Running Shoes Guru is the best place to find running shoes reviews directly from industry insiders.

This movie was built with data collected during the 147-minute plunge through Titan’s thick orange-brown atmosphere to a soft sandy riverbed by the European Space Agency’s Huygens Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer on Jan. 14, 2005. In 4 minutes and 40 seconds, the movie shows what the probe ‘saw’ within the few hours of the descent and the landing. On approach, Titan appeared as just a little disk in the sky among the stars, but after landing, the probe’s camera resolved little grains of sand millions of times smaller than Titan. At first, the Huygens camera just saw fog over the distant surface. The fog started to clear only at about 60 kilometers (37 miles) altitude, making it possible to resolve surface features as large as 100 meters (328 feet). Only after landing could the probe’s camera resolve the little grains of sand. The movie provides a glimpse of such a huge change of scale. The Huygens probe was delivered to Saturn’s moon Titan by the Cassini spacecraft, which is managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. NASA supplied two instruments on the probe, the descent imager/spectral radiometer and the gas chromatograph mass spectrometer.

Chief Scientist of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Dr. Jim Garvin, takes us on a journey to Mercury, Venus, Earth, the moon, near-Earth objects, and Mars. Why does space matter? Why is exploring the inner solar system so crucial? Where will humans and robots venture to next? In this video lecture, filmed July 14, 2010 in NASA Goddard’s HD Science Studio with an audience of summer interns and co-op students, Dr. Garvin discusses NASA’s past, present, and future of discovery on our nearest neighbors in the solar system. In part 1, Dr. Garvin introduces his talk, discusses what we know about the planet Mercury, and begins unwrapping the mysteries of Venus. This video can also be downloaded in full at: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov To learn more about NASA missions and science, visit our homepage, www.nasa.gov.

Despite the cancellation of the Constellation program, there is still a strong chance that the booster could play a part in future launch vehicles. View full post on Astronomy.com – News

The non-toxic oxygen and methane propellant combination has the potential for greater engine performance. View full post on Astronomy.com – News

The popularity of Memory foam mattresses has increased in recent years worldwide, as many people of all ages, shapes and sizes have started to enjoy the benefits they offer. Memory Foam Mattresses are being used all over the world, not only for their comfort but also for all the health benefits they provide.

Memory foam was developed as part of the NASA space program, back when it was known only as visco-elastic polyurethane foam. Their purpose behind creating memory foam mattress was quite different. NASA started this program to help the astronauts so that they may travel space with having a great night’s sleep. Their aim was to create such foam that would be able to sense the body temperature and body weight as well. They were trying to create such memory foam that would have the quality to gently conform to the shape of the body which would enable an astronaut to have coziness or comfort. Such kind of foam would provide a perfect amount of support for a long period.

Some people thought that memory foam mattresses related to memory, but that is wrong. Memory foam mattresses do not have any kind of memory but the cells of memory foam mattresses get deformed by evacuating the air when they are suppressed.

These days, memory foam mattresses are being produced for commercial purposes as it is excellent in preventing bedsores and other pressure point problems in bedridden patients. It worked so well for patients that mattress manufacturers began to experiment with it in mattresses. Mattress manufacturers discovered that the people who bought memory foam mattress complained of less pain in the morning and appreciated sleeping better.

Memory foam is usually placed on top of polyurethane foam when making the mattress so it is important that you get a mattress with the correct thickness of memory foam on the top. Furthermore, if you find memory foam to be too warm, placing a wool mattress pad on top of it will allow better air circulation around your body while you sleep.

Though Memory Foam Mattress can be quite expensive, it would be a wise investment if you suffer from back problems, arthritis, or a medical condition that causes chronic pain, or if your partner is constantly keeping you awake with their tossing and turning. As the mattress conforms to the body shape and temperature, there are no pressure points that are created. The pressure-relieving benefits of memory foam mattresses can help someone to get a good night’s sleep and to wake up pain-free for the first time in many years.

The second-largest PC maker in the world, Dell Inc. (DELL), recently announced that it will provide the NASA Center for Climate Simulation (NCCS) with its PowerEdge C6100 servers.

The server, which supports high-performance computing (HPC), will help NCCS in carrying out analytical research to understand and predict any impending change in climatic conditions.

The total contract value of $5.1 million will not have a significant impact on Dell’s quarterly revenue. However, NASA’s involvement does signal growing interest in Dell’s expertise.

Dell’s HPC solutions are based on Intel Corp.’s (INTC) Xeon Processors and facilitate designers, engineers and program developers to conduct research work faster and more efficiently. The company’s PowerEdge C6100 server, which is one of the HPC solutions, will empower NCCS to look into minute environmental details with the help of faster research and innovation, thereby cutting energy consumption.

Dell’s HPC solutions are gaining popularity in universities and organizations keen on deploying upgraded technology for their research work. This opens up further streams of revenue for the company.

Apart from successful product deployments, we are also encouraged by the company’s PC shipments in the past few months. According to market research firm Gartner, Dell holds a second position, closely behind the tech giant Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ), surpassing the Taiwanese computer maker Acer.

New products, a stronger services business, opportunities in cloud computing and the Electronic Medical Record sector, its smartphone initiative, as well as IDC and Gartner’s higher 2010 PC shipment numbers are positives for the company.

Moreover,, Dell’s relative weakness in emerging markets, tough competition from other PC makers like HPQ, Apple Inc. (AAPL) and International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) and its high level of debt are causes for concern.

Considering the above factors, we maintain our short-term Hold rating on Dell, which equates to a Zacks #3 Rank.

NASA Hubble Pictures in New Online Sky Map: Google Earth 4.2