Warning: Most of this is entertaining stuff — few things are better than seeing government-grade explosives do what they do best — but some of it is not. The article includes footage of both the Challenger and Columbia disasters, and they're not easy to watch. Because we in no way want to sensationalize either tragedy or the attendant loss of life, we suggest you avoid those two clips.

[Wired]

The tunnel was built in 1930 and used to test World War II fighters, the Mercury space capsule, and concepts for a supersonic transport.

Langley Research Center decommissioned the tunnel in 1995, then leased it to Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., for research and student engineering training. The lease was up this summer and the tunnel is scheduled for demolition because of its lack of national strategic importance, limited testing capability, deteriorating condition and the environmental liability associated with the materials used in its construction.

But not before it got this one last go-around with the X-48C prototype. In fact, it's actually the second time a BWB model was put through its paces at the huge wind tunnel. In 2006, preliminary tests helped engineers determine how the X-48B would perform during remotely piloted flight tests. Blended wing body designs are different from traditional tube-and-wing aircraft in that the tube and wings are blended for lower drag and better lift, and they rely primarily on multiple control surfaces on the wing for stability and control.

Such a shame such an awesome wind tunnel's getting demolished. We feel like we need a "Save The Wind Tunnels" t-shirt.

In the gallery below, we'll take you through the delivery of the Saturn V to the launch pad, the Earth rising over the moon, to the landing on the lunar surface and the return back to Earth. Enjoy this monumental day as you never truly know where we'll step foot next.

Image Credits: ApolloArchive

Apollo 11 rolls out of the massive Vehicle Assembly Building
May 20, 1969
Apollo 11 rollout
May 20, 1969
aerial view of Apollo 11 rollout
May 20, 1969
The Saturn V moves at one mile per hour down the crawlerway toward pad 39A
May 20, 1969
Searchlights illuminate the Apollo 11 space vehicle at Launch Complex 39A during a Countdown Demonstration Test
July 11, 1969
The crew crosses the CM access walkway on swingarm #9
Apollo 11 space vehicle with astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. lifting o ff July 16, 1969.
liftoff of Apollo 11
liftoff of Apollo 11
Apollo 11 liftoff as viewed from the launch tower
medium-distance view of Apollo 11 liftoff
Moonbound Apollo 11 clears the launch tower
Apollo 11 climbs toward orbit
Launch team members view the Apollo 11 through the firing room windows
Apollo 11 as viewed from an Air Force EC-135N plane


view from Earth orbit
orbital view / Sabine and Ritter craters
Earthrise sequence - Earth emerges over lunar horizon
Earthrise sequence - Earth emerges over lunar horizon
Earthrise sequence - Earth rises over lunar horizon
CSM "Columbia" over Craters Taruntius K, Taruntius P, and Dorsum Cayeux (in Mare Fecunditatis). Partially visible are craters Anvil and Taruntius H.
Inspection of Lunar Module "Eagle" after undocking
July 20, 1969
Flight controllers Charles Duke (Capcom), Jim Lovell (backup CDR) and Fred Haise (backup LMP) during lunar module descent
LM separation from CSM
view from LM window just after landing
July 20, 1969
Armstrong's first photo after setting foot on the Moon
July 20, 1969
lunar surface / LM strut
Aldrin backing out through LM hatch
Aldrin exits the LM
July 20, 1969
Aldrin beside solar wind experiment
Aldrin salutes U.S. Flag
Aldrin's bootprint in the lunar soil
Aldrin poses for portrait / Armstrong's reflection in visor
Armstrong photo of landing site from a distance
LM ascent stage returns from the moon's surface
July 21, 1969
LM approaches CSM for docking / earthrise in b.g.
July 21, 1969
view of full lunar disc during return trip
crescent Earth photographed during return trip
Mission Control celebrates Apollo 11 mission

NASA's solid rocket boosters perform a fairly magnificent feat every time they chaperon one of the shuttles into orbit, but the fact that they detach, free fall only to be recovered, rebuilt, then reused is significant. As our space program slowly starts to show its age, we can only hope that reuse technology is designed into the next age of space exploration vehicles.

A famous moment in the thawing of relations between the USA and the Soviet Union happened on a summer night in 1974. This was when, during the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, spaceships from the two countries docked in orbit to allow American and Soviet astro/cosmonauts to reach across the hatch and say hello/здравствуйте. On board the Apollo was Deke Slayton, the last of the Mercury Seven—announced to the world fifty years ago yesterday—to fly to outer space.

Further collaboration between American and Soviet technology could be employed to combat reckless parking in cities. The Soviets used to make tough, low-maintenance sedans, engineered for the harsh climate—both meteorological and economic—of their country, able to run on bad roads and inferior fuel. A Lada, for instance.

American engineering will be represented by a GAU-8 Avenger seven-barrel Gatling-type rotary cannon, commonly found in A-10 warplanes. The Avenger fires 3,900 depleted uranium slugs every minutes, which should be more than enough to nudge every practicioner of bad parking toward the white parallel lines.

An Avenger mounted on a Lada’s roofrack would be the perfect inner city transporation/weapon system. The cars are inexpensive enough to ease owner’s worries about possible retaliation: you can trade two for an iPhone. And as for the Avenger, let’s just say it will definitely cut it.

Image Credit: XKCD, NASA

The bat clung to the external fuel tank of space shuttle Discovery during the final countdown to launch and clung on for the best ride of his life. NASA launch controllers first spotted the bat after it had already dugg in for its final resting place and they say that they were able to see it clearly using infrared cameras, which differentiated its 70 degree temperature from the 60 degree external tank.

Unfortunately, NASA had to also give us the gory bad news. So, no, there isn't a tiny bat in space right now. They claim that their on-staff wildlife expert says that it was a Free Tail Bat that likely had a broken wing and an issue with its shoulder. He went down with a blaze of glory shortly after the shuttle cleared the launch tower.

You'll always live on in our hearts little bat friend.

[via NASA]

The space up! is a small space wonder. On just 3.68 meters length and 1.63 meters width, it offers the space of a considerably larger vehicle. The clever space concept of the space up! is to a great extent attributable to its engine layout: The environmentally-friendly gasoline, diesel and electric powertrains of the future up! family are always located in the rear - just like on the Beetle and the Bulli (Microbus) of the past.

A brief comparison: The space up! is exactly 23 centimeters longer than the up! shown at the IAA in Frankfurt; accordingly, its wheelbase is also larger (2.56 meter). At 1.54 meter, the van exhibits a height gain of four centimeters.

In contrast to the two-door up!, the space up! has four doors. And in actuality there are even six. That is because the van concept car does not have a classic tailgate, but instead a two-part rear door. Hidden behind this door are 220 to 1,005 liters of cargo space, four seat positions that are multivariable in design, and an exceptionally innovative cockpit concept. Numerous functions are controlled via a touch­screen with 3D graphics and proximity sensors.

Exterior design

Volkswagen is introducing the space up! as the second model variant of the "New Small Family". The up! concept car presented at the IAA in Germany and the space up! now being shown in Japan are unified by a common design philosophy. The cars are characterized by a simple, clear language of forms. The designers consciously omitted any superfluous gimmicks. Like the up!, the space up! is characterized by a completely new harmony between technical layout, on the one hand, and emotional design on the other.

Front end: Distinguishing the front end of the "New Small Family" are the headlamps that take an inward diagonal line, between them the horizontally integrated air inlets (minimized aperture optimizes aerodynamics), the VW logo arranged on the front hood (as the only exterior detail kept in chrome) and the smooth-surfaced bumper with a lower segment. An important new aspect when it comes to the headlamp design of the space up!. Here they extend far into the fender, and this also affects the side profile.

Side profile: On its sides, the concept car - like the "Bulli" in earlier days - exhibits a long extended window section and a clearly distinctive, powerful C-pillar whose form is typical of Volkswagen. The A-pillar is positioned far forward. The space between the A and C pillars is spanned by the line of butterfly doors with opposing hinges. Both the front and rear doors are opened by door handles at the height of the B pillars. Since they open in opposition, in the style of the legendary Samba bus, and extend across nearly the entire space between the wheel housings - i.e. the entire sill length - all four seating positions are exceptionally convenient to access. A key concept here is wheel housings: Hidden under them are the self-confident and large 18-inch wheels with size 165/50 tires. Distinctive in this area are the short front and rear overhangs. The front overhang, from the axle hub to the outer skin of the bumper measures just 53 centimeters; in the rear it is 59 centimeters. The result: Crisp proportions.

Rear end: Also unmistakable are the design features of the rear end. Take the example of the rear door: It fills out practically the entire car area above the bumper. Similar to the smaller up!, the door - split 1/3 to 2/3 here - consists of a transparent material. Integrated beneath it are the taillights. Fully opened, the door offers a cargo width of 101 centimeters. The bumper itself was designed to match its counterpart at the front end.

Thanks to the wide track width of 1.42 meters the outer edges of the wheels are in line with the wheel housings. The effect is that the entire vehicle width of 1.63 meters seems to consist of axles plus tires and wheels. Meanwhile, the only details that boldly jump outside of the vehicle width are the round-shaped outside mirrors, like the ones on the up!

Interior design

The space up! is a full-fledged four-seater. In the rear, a bench seat is implemented with two integrated child seats. To convert them from adult to child seats, the seating surfaces are simply folded over, and two shoulder supports are folded out on each side. Finished. But not only will children travel comfortably in a production version of the concept car. The reason: The cushions of the four seats - for driver, front and rear passengers - consist of an airflow foam that automatically adapts to individual anatomies. In addition, the seating position is pleasantly high, making it extremely comfortable.

With the exception of the driver's seat, all seats can also be folded and removed. If the seats are "only" folded, this creates a level cargo area with a capacity of up to 1,005 liters. With four people on board, cargo capacity up to window level height is still 220 liters. Since the low-profile engine of the space up! is located in the rear, objects with a maximum length of 2.8 meters can be stowed in a pass-through to the front cargo space. Remember: The concept van is just 3.68 meters long and thereby 15 centimeters shorter than the Fox, which is the most compact Volkswagen today.

Intuitive interface

Since the car's cockpit was conceived as a module to be applied across all models of the "New Small Family", the cockpit unit was copied from the up! concept car presented in Frankfurt, with slight modifications. It is a cockpit with a great future. In detail, the space up! has two central displays: In the cockpit, an 8-inch monitor displays information such as vehicle speed, fuel level and range as well as momentary CO2 emissions. In the middle of the instruments a 7-inch monitor shows how future human-machine interfaces might look and operate. Here all conceivable functions are controlled via a touchscreen that - using proximity sensors - reacts to gestures as well, i.e. specific hand movements.

Menuing was retooled and reorganized so that people without computer science educations would be able to operate the system. The developers intentionally separated "display" and "control" levels from one another. Always shown on the screen is a control bar with standard functions such as climate control or audio volume control. Developers packaged functions of other higher-order systems - navigation, telephone, radio, Internet, images, films, etc. - on a display level that has been referred to internally as the "main menu carousel" - a type of virtual carousel. It consists of the icons of different system functions (telephone, navigation, etc.). When the user touches the "main menu carousel" it can be rotated by touchscreen. Visually, this control is just as spectacular as it is intuitive. When the desired function appears on the main menu carousel - such as the telephone - the user just needs to move his or her hand to the display to switch to the telephone menu thanks to proximity sensor technology. It was true on the up! and it also applies to the space up!: The new type of user control is fun, easy to understand in any cultural environment and very safe. That is precisely what is typical of Volkswagen. Toward the end of this decade, the first Volkswagen customers might be able to enjoy this new generation of intuitive controls aboard the New Small Family. The development of production models has already begun...'

Their nicknames are "Hans" und "Franz," and yes, they are far from styro-puff faux Austrian bodybuilders. They're NASA's twin Crawler-Transporters; machines that make the run from the hangar to the launch pad for many of America's most important space vehicles. Gobsmacking facts: The duo are the largest self-powered tracked vehicles in the world. Their tracks weigh roughly 450 tons. Just the tracks! They feature sixteen electric motors powered by two diesels pumping out ponies well over the high side of 2,500 just to run the generators. They've been in service for over 40 years, and are only due to be replaced within the next ten. Kevin Nealon and Dana Carvey's characters may have been schmucks, but these two vehicles? Well, they just aren't. Hear us now, believe us later. – Davey G. Johnson

Crawler-Transporter [Wikipedia]

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