space – Chad Dotson

Bringing the Internet to Mars and Beyond

By chad February 6, 2016Doing Things Better, Neat Stuff, Space, TechnologyNo Comments

With the exploration of space and the eventual colonization of Mars humanity needs to establish a method for improving internet connectivity for people on the surface. One method of achieving this is to place one or more satellites in high orbit around the planet. These would use interplanetary internet(delay tolerant)…

The Final Apollo Mission – December 7, 1972

By chad December 7, 2013Ramblings, Technology, UncategorizedNo Comments

On December 7, 1972 (41 years ago today) the final manned mission to the moon blasted off from Kennedy Space Center. Eugene Cernan was the last person to walk on the moon on December 14, 1972 at roughly 05:40 GMT. It is ultimately hard to believe that its been 41…

Red Bull Stratos

By chad October 14, 2012Neat Stuff, Space, TechnologyNo Comments

Watch the world record freefall from the edge of space live right now. (video embedded) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrIxH6DToXQ#! More information: http://www.redbullstratos.com/

ISS Flyover August 28, 2012

By chad August 29, 2012Photography, SpaceNo Comments

These pictures were taken during a flyover of the International Space Station on August 28, 2012. The one lesson learned from this set is that next time I want to take a series and stack them together for a picture that has the space station crossing the whole sky.

2012 Venus Transit – June 5, 2012

By chad June 7, 2012PhotographyNo Comments

These pictures were taken from the Tullahoma, Tennessee airport June 5, 2012. I had a 200mm lens with a no. 14 welder's glass in front of it to capture Venus and the sunspots. [nggallery id=60]

TEDxPhoenix – Lucianne Walkowicz – Look Up for a Change

By chad February 19, 2012UncategorizedNo Comments

Found this interesting talk on light pollution. Source: TEDxPhoenix - Lucianne Walkowicz - Look Up for a Change.

The Sagan Series – Gift of Apollo

By chad November 6, 2011InspirationsNo Comments

Saw a link to this video Adam Savage's Twitter feed this morning. Its ultimately hard to believe that 2012 will mark the 40th year since we've been to the moon or further. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesaganseries Reference: The Sagan Series (part 8) - Gift of Apollo.

The Last Shuttle Launch and The Future

By chad July 9, 2011Technology, UncategorizedNo Comments

End of an Era Yesterday (July 8, 2011), we witnessed what will likely be the last launch of the Space Shuttle. Of the three operational shuttles NASA had remaining, Atlantis was the second oldest. Atlantis's first flight took place in October 1985. This final flight of Atlantis signals the end…

Massive Solar Flare and Prominence

By chad June 7, 2011UncategorizedNo Comments

Found this via Slashdot and thought it was interesting enough to share. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyi4hjG6kDM

Connecting a Nikon D5000 to a Telescope

By chad April 8, 2011Photography, Technology4 Comments

I've recently posted photos (also re-posted below) that I've taken of the moon with my Nikon D5000 connected to my telescope. Here are the components that I used. Fotodiox T/T2 Lens Mount Adapter for Nikon D5000 - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001G4LOFE Celestron Universal 1.25-inch Camera T-Adapter (This will work for many brands) -…